I have vowed (this time around) to keep my gob shut about my latest writing project – the novel plan for this year’s NaNoWriMo. I have this horrible habit of talking so much about my ideas that all the enthusiasm and creativity evaporates before I get to pin it down into actual black and white words. I’m determined not to make that mistake this time.

This is all very well, but it’s just so hard to keep schtum. The last couple of days all I’ve been thinking about in my spare moments (well, apart from Scrubs… thanks again for getting me completely addicted just as I had so much to do, Tiger Feet) has been plot planning. I’ve got just over a third of the way through in my section sheets and I’m having to bite my tongue on the walk to school this morning so I don’t blurt out “oh sorry, bit distracted… I’m writing a novel and I’m just trying to work out my subplot…”.

And I’m obsessed. I have my subplot muddled in with my main plot and my viewpoint characters just aren’t behaving. I haven’t even started writing the damn thing yet and they’re already being opinionated and stubborn. I’m just DYING to talk over all the nuances with someone so I can get it straight in my head, but I daren’t. The ideas might fall out.

I now fully appreciate the origin of the phrase “to have lost the plot”. I think mine went to Bournemouth…

… I hope it gets back in time for November 1st.

Yes, I think I may be clinically insane.

After a lot of deliberation, I’ve decided to give NaNoWriMo 2006 a proper go – worse case scenario I can only fail spectacularly.

I realise I only have 14 actual days left where I can do some planning. Fortunately, I already have a stalled novel project where the first 7 sections are outlined. Only 33 more sections to plan before November 1st. ARGH!

Anyway, consider this advance warning that November might be a bit blog-lite here at the Prattle.

Shall I, shan’t I?

For those who haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, NaNoWriMo is a month where lots of delusional people write a ‘novel’ of 50,000 words in the space of 30 days in November. I managed to complete it two years ago, but last year failed dismally (although having a 6 month old in the house at the time, probably had an impact on that).

This year, Akra Jr is off at school and Li’l Bhaji still takes a two hour nap in the middle of the day. Technically, I should have time to do this, shouldn’t I? Only, if I’m going to do it I really should start thinking about doing some preparation work now.

Like working out what the hell I’m going to write about…

Any writers out there who have resolved to write more in 2005? Any of you looking for a writer’s group?

The reason I ask is that I’m a member of Inspirations – a small, relaxed amateur writer’s group. Unfortunately, we’ve become a little too relaxed as real life has intervened and have become less than prolific, reducing the incentive to post. So we’re opening it up to new members.

On the site there is a chat area, a place to regularly post (the idea being that anyone can write at least 50 words a day), work-outs and writing exercises, and a place to request and offer critiques on finished pieces of work. Our ethos is to encourage regular writing in a supportive community.

If this sounds just what you’re looking for, pop on over and register and say hello on the “Welcome” board!

Sorry for being a bit quiet on the blogging front. We’ve all gone down with Hand, Foot & Mouth (no, not the same as the cattle Foot & Mouth!!) so we’re functioning very much on a minute by minute basis during the day.

Apparently, it’s rare for adults to be affected, so of course, I seem to have come down with it worst in the family. I avoided most of the childhood illnesses except measles in my first year of Secondary school, as a result I’m getting them all as an adult. Even so, I seem to have got off lightly – at the moment it just feels like a very heavy cold plus a load of cold sores in my mouth. Akra Jr so far only has ONE spot (and has done for the last 48 hours, so I’m hoping that’s his lot) and Li’l Bhaji has just been a bit clingy and needing night feeds again. None of us have a temperature.

The only main problem with being ill but not that ill is that everything tends to be put on hold. Akra Jr hasn’t gone to nursery yesterday or today (although he’ll probably go back tomorrow as the nursery aren’t fussed as long as he feels well enough in himself – after all, he’d have infected everyone last week anyway) but is still well enough to want full entertaining. Entertaining which usually needs to be done with a baby in my arms at the same time. As a result, I’m now behind in my copywriting work (still well within deadline, but the time left to do it is rapidly diminishing) and I think the NaNoWriMo novel isn’t going to make it this year. I reached 20,000+ words, but am now far enough behind that with my other commitments at the moment is just too far to warrant the stress involved to catch back up again. Oh well, there’s always next year.

I’ve kept very quiet on how NaNoWriMo is going this year, so I thought I’d give you a quick update.

I bet you thought I’d given up, didn’t you? Well…. WRONG! I’m currently at:

16,258 / 50,000 (32.5%)

The first week was hell. I have to confess I was THIS close to giving up. My writing was dire, I was yawning the plot was so uninteresting, I was bored with the whole project. Sylvia FORCED me to carry on…

… this week I don’t think I’ve spent more than 1hr 15mins reaching my 2000 word target (in 15 min bursts throughout the day), I’ve finally found a plot AND a sub plot! Okay, it’s still crap, but the very important thing is that it’s MY crap!

Let’s hope I can keep up the pace…

You can tell it’s NaNo time. All of a sudden, everyone wants to talk to you, text message you, ICQ you. Haven’t spoken to you in months, ooo… must be a good day to telephone. Li’l Bhaji has sworn off day sleep, Akra Jr has sworn off independant playing. A thousand and one chores to do and not one of them done.

I have written 1519 words though…

Update:

2,028 / 50,000 (4.1%)

Ahem. You know I said that I would be NaNoWriMoing this year? Well, I’d still like to do it, but I have just got the opportunity for some part-time, writing work from home starting second week of November.

Understandably, paid work comes first and I’m really excited about writing as a career, so I may be putting NaNo on the backburner this year. I might start the first week but if it gets too much then try and set some “leisure” writing time aside each week with a longer term goal than one month instead.

Now all I have to do is backtrack with all the people I have told I’ll be writing another novel this year!

… against my better judgement I’m going to do NaNoWriMo again this year. I have no time to do it in, no plot, no characters, no bloody CLUE why I want to put myself through that again… but I’m going to do it anyway. Because it’s there. And no, I shan’t publish it on here this year – either it’s going to be so dire due to lack of time, energy and imagination, or I’ll want to reserve it for editing and submitting to publishers (HA, yeah right!), so I’ll be able to bluff merrily about what a masterpiece it is throughout the month.

I predict total mental breakdown by November 3rd.

I now have two weeks to somehow prepare for this novelling extravaganza. Does watching copious bad telly count as preparation?

My first draft of the front cover (thanks Alan & Miss L!)

Please keep the quotes coming – I still have the back cover to design yet!!