8,034

After spending 3-4 hours in a feverish writing frenzy that just happened to occur after midnight on October 31st (thereby falling upon November 1st), I realized two things.  One was that I am so intrigued by the brand new story that was unveiling itself that there is no hope of ceasing writing until I reach the yet unknown ending; the second was that I had unknowingly begun this project within the time limits of NaNoWriMo.  Deciding I'd be writing feverishly on the story as it was, I signed up to participate.  Besides, the 4,584 words I'd written in the wee hours of November 1st were an excellent starting point.  And as extra reasoning, there is enough unhappy craziness unleashed in my life right now; why not add some happy, creative insanity to balance it out?

NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as the National Novel Writing Month, is in its 11th year.  It is a mad dash to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days (and nights), beginning at 12:01am November 1st and ending at 12:00am December 1st.  The reward for winning?  Personal satisfaction and bragging rights.  (I have heard mention of a certificate being mailed, but not from official sources.)

As a part of the month, there are Write-In's, where participants gather to consume caffeine and sugar while working feverishly on their works in progress.  Some of these are friends gathering in each other's homes, others take place at libraries or stores (usually those that sell books) that have opened their doors to celebrate the unleashing of creativity.  I probably won't make many of those, but the knowledge of the local NaNo community boosts my confidence.

Tonight I am at 8,034 words.  Most of my writing takes place in the sleepless hours of night (which coincide with the natural bolstering of my writing ability and desire that comes between the hours between midnight and 6am).

Will I win, or will I just have fun trying my hand at it?  I don't know, but I am ready to find out.  I'll be posting regular updates on word count and progress.  (One of the effective tricks to complete that the founders discovered was the deliberate use of humiliation over falling short, created by telling everyone you know and pass in the street what you're doing.)