NaNoWriMo Bad, Bad, Bad

Yes, that’s right. It is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) time again. That means lots of crazy writers–we’re talking thousands upon thousands–are all converging to try and write a novel of at least 50,000 words in one month. And that month would be November.

Have I done it? Yes.

Have I succeeded? Yes.

Have I failed? Yes.

Have I a pile of wonderful, exciting first drafts that are sitting around impatiently waiting for me to have the time to come back to them since creating them during NaNo? Yes. (This is the “bad, bad, bad” part of this post’s title.)

Will I be doing NaNo again this year? Sadly, no.

Will I write at all in November? Heck yeah. I just don’t have the time to commit myself to 50K on something new. And “commit myself” is the right phrase. We’re talking creating serious mental issues if I try to do it this year. Plus then I’ll have ANOTHER first draft of a lovely story picking at me to become a lovely, edited novel for someone else’s eyes.

This is so, so true!

What, you may ask, is the lure of NaNoWriMo? For many it’s watching that little word count thermometer rise and rise and rise until it hits the 50K mark. It’s addicting really. It releases a little something inside that kicks the internal editor right on its sorry little behind. The words come flying out. The story soars and floods the page. It is exhilarating. It’s a challenge too. And for some, there are the bragging rights as well. To say you wrote a novel in a month. Well now. That’s really something!

Wanna give it a go? NaNo has a lovely support group/writers group on its website. And lovely badges to post with pride. And many other gadgetry goodness that will for sure have your hot little hands rubbing themselves together.

Enjoy!

Hollerweenish

Halloween, or as I like to say, “Hollerween,” was two days ago and this year I had a lot of thoughts on the holiday. And because I like to share what’s in my brain, here are a few of those thoughts in no particular order:

• Wouldn’t it be cool if everyone started calling Halloween, “Hollerween?”
• Why isn’t Halloween and other ‘lesser’ holidays featured in novels more often? For example, wouldn’t it be great if two characters were trying to have a serious, deep conversation about their relationship and they kept getting interrupted by trick or treaters?
• People thought I should dress up my baby and take him trick or treating.
• What was with all the super-gory, slasher-esque, violent, gun toting, bloody mess trick or treaters this year? Yes, in years past I got tired of serving 8 Ariels, 10 Sleeping Beautys, 12 Sponge Bobs, and 14 Knights and wished for some originality, but really. (I take it back.)
• How is it that I got 120 trick or treaters and our right next door neighbour got 152? Am I that scary?
• Streets with sidewalks get more trick or treaters.
• Kids are pretty good about folks who leave a bowl of treats on their front step.
• Houses that are well lit up get more treaters.
• Houses with lots and lots of decorations get lots more treaters.
• In neighbourhoods that get more than 100 treaters per house are less likely to give out chocolate. (That gets freakin’ expensive!!!)
• Some parents allow their kids to treat for hours and then throw out most of their kids’ candy because they don’t want them to have that much.
• Teenagers and pre-teens still treat with pillow cases and still try to get them as full as possible. I figure half a case is worth at least $40 in candy. (I wonder how much neighbourhoods spend on candy?)
• Teens find going door to door just as the treating is ending to be particularly prosperous.
• Parents who come to the door with their kid’s trick or treat bag and say, “My daughter’s in the car and I’m trick or treating for her” need to be visited by the ghost of future Halloween. Or maybe the ghost of future parenting.
• Snow doesn’t stop trick or treaters–but we already knew that, didn’t we? (Okay, maybe it stopped one little overly pampered brat.)
• And last but not least, if you are taller than the person handing out the treats (i.e. me!) you are too old to trick or treat.

How about you? Any interesting Halloween notes?