Thursday 6 November 2008

I GOT NO BRAINS TO WRITE NO MO'














I was intrigued to see that Garden Monkey had signed up to Sarah Salway's November writing program. There is marathon writing in the air during November with National Novel Writing Month now also under way, as well as NaBloPoMo which I think is about committing to blogging daily for a month. 

I have started NaNoWriMo three years in a row now and every year I just lose steam and stop. This year I am determined in a steely, Obama-type way, to get to the end. The purpose of the exercise is to get to 50,000 words, but I think secretly I'd happily just get to "The End", as in, something where the story reaches some sort of resolution. 

The two people I've tried to explain it to so far have both responded "So you write just like what, whatever? It doesn't have to be any good?" Yes, my friends, exactly. The purpose of the exercise is to get you to stop being so critical about your own writing and just get on with doing it. So far I'm doing okay. 

Anyway there we go. Another project sapping my good blogging energies, not to mention the common cold, the book proposals and the new asparagus beds. Sheeeeesshshh.

But listen - as I know there are a few readers of this blog who a) like writing and b) do sometimes maybe a teeny weeny bit put it off, you have to try a Berilliant discovery I have made from fellow NaNoWriMo-ers. It's Doctor Wicked's Writing Lab. If you stop writing for too long... it will punish you... Click here to see how...

20 comments:

VP said...

I nearly asked if anyone was doing this when I wrote my blogday post. I thought about doing it, but couldn't bear to give up blogging for a month, so I'm doing NaBloPoMo and Sarah Salway's stuff instead. Oh and the odd bit of homework for my creative writing course.

There's so many writing initiatives this month, all I can think of doing is snuggling down for the entire winter with lots of books to read, a hot toddy - all by a roaring log fire.

A pity the reality is central heating that bungs up my nose,and a number of cluster headaches in quick succession.

Hope your cold gets better soon.

Zoƫ said...

You get my full sympathy on the no energy feeling - I am serious lacking motivation in any direction at the moment too.

Hope the cold clears up soon, nothing worse than a drippy nose on the keyboard.... eugh!

xx

VP said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
VP said...

Sorry, that came out as complete gibberish. The lack of self-editing this month is beginning to take effect! What I meant to say is this:

Emma - are you typing or writing by hand for NaNoWriMo?

Anonymous said...

I am terribly confused. Are you writing a novel every day? Doing a blog entry every day? both ? or just sniffling miserably into your spotted handkerchief?
Whatever it is I think it is too much for one of a delicate disposition.

Victoria Summerley said...

I looked at that Sarah Salway stuff and had an overwhelming urge to go and lie down in a darkened room. You guys have my total admiration.

Alex Johnson said...

Of course you do know who won Sarah's Your Messages thing last year don't you...

The Garden Monkey said...

I don't sign up to anything!

I'm a rider at the gates of Hell and I take no prisoners!

(Sadly that quote will be lost on anyone under the age of 35 and will serve only to underline what a sad article I am)

x

Alex Johnson said...

Ah, GM. You may not be a Young One any more.

emmat said...

Thank god there was an over-35s interpreter available or we would have all been in trouble there.

I am only doing the novel writing, which means 50,000 words by the end of the month. So far what I have written is not quite gibberish, but to be honest, my main aim is just to finish. Then I will be able to tell people (mainly myself actually) I have written a novel while still in my 30s, even if it is absolute shite.

They are such a sweet organisation too, the NANoWRI MO people - I have had several emails already reminding me to back it all up - and also one from Philip Pullman no less, full of gentle millionaire-authorly encouragement.

I can't wait to see how everyone's creative efforts work out.. it's so exciting. If only we had story-telling night round a big bonfire somewhere, scheduled!

In other good news, I am pleased to report that my cold has gone away today! Ha ha! My new chocolate-free, fruit-heavy diet is clearly working!

themanicgardener said...

Man, I was tempted to join in, even a week late, but I think my boss would hang me out to dry--I have a big article on composting due before Xmas, and he actually wants it on time. How outrageous is that? So I'll just hang out on the sidelines and cheer.

Would someone please set James straight?
--Kate

Matron said...

Only through writing my blog have I realised that I love writing. I am turned off by bloggers who go on for more than a page..keep it short and sweet and to the point, and keep them coming!

Alex Johnson said...

Are you saying I'm over 35? Next thing you know you'll be accusing me of having an iPhone...

emmat said...

I am accusing you of having an I phone, and what's more, I'm also accusing you of having the widget that makes goldfish swim around in a pond with ripples

Anonymous said...

Goldfish? Ripples? Really? I need one of those. I do already have the one that makes it sound like a light sabre. Hmmmmmmmm....whoosh.......whirr........pow....

emmat said...

what about the one where it looks like a pint of lager and as you pretend to drink it it goes down!!!! HOURS of fun

Helen/patientgardener said...

I thought about the writing a blog a day for about 5 mins and felt exhusted!! I convinced myself that as I was away from a PC for 3 days last week there wasnt any point starting - I am happy with this conviction but slowly beginning to feel like a lazy good for nothing blogger - as for a novel, it would take me the rest of the year to decide how to start it!!!!!

emmat said...

Oh but you don't need a subject, the whole point is just to do it, to have the experience, to write any old toss, so that you begin to understand that actually doing the work of sitting at your desk is the most important thing, and that obsessing about quality or waiting for the right time to write (as I normally do) will eventually lead nowhere. Do it next year! Honestly so far it's just been brilliant. Brilliant to write badly, not care, get up the next day and do the same again... it's a real learning curve

VP said...

That's what I'm doing with Your Messages, except I only have to do 30 words a day. I'm not sure if I could manage the 300 word version of YM, never mind the 1600+ you're doing Emma!

I'm also doing it as a 10 minute max exercise because I've been getting panic attacks in class whenever we're asked to write something on the spot.

I'm writing absolute drivel, but at least it's getting easier to do so ;)

emmat said...

VP you have to try the funny Write or DIe program, honestly, it's hilarious. I know what you mean about writing in class though, you know I think I went on that Arvon course earlier in the summer on the subject of "nature writing", and I was just the shyest most totally humiliatingly incapable of reading out my stuff person on the whole course. I was just paralysed by how self-conscious I felt. It's so weird because as you know I am normally not like that in real life. I think this year I have learned a lesson, which is that actually I am a bit shy, however weird that seems, and I should honour my inner shy person a bit more often.