Serendipitous Design

It’s that time of year again. The time when temperatures begin to dip into the 70s, you can buy a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, and when once again I start to thing about things like plot devices and character names. Yes, it’s almost time for NaNoWriMo.

Now I’ve been a participant in National Novel Writing Months every year since 2002, so this will be my seventh attempt, and this time I plan to win. No, I’ve never won. In fact, if I were to take a wild guess, I’d say my best attempt was probably in 2005 when I might have broken the 10,000 word ceiling. Maybe.

Why then, after so many failed attempts, do I think this will be the year that I finally reach the allotted 50,000 words? Well, there are actually a few reason. You may even share one or two, and if so maybe I can inspire you to join me in my November task. So sit down, pull up a stool, and let me share my reasons why this year is different.

I have an incentive!

In my annual surfing around the NaNoWriMo website, I came across a section I’d never noticed before called Special Offers. The first thing that caught my eye was the 50% off Scrivener software offer. Now I’ve been eyeing this software now for the past year but could never bring myself to shell out the $40 or so to buy it, and frankly I had no reason to. I wasn’t writing anything that necessitated such a lovely tool, but boy I still wanted it. The offer is that all NaNoWriMo winners this year will be able to buy Scrivener for half price. That’s $20! So for me, that’s a great incentive. My bribe to myself if I win will be to finally buy a piece of software I’ve been pining away for.

I have new tools!

AND, as if that weren’t enough, they’ve also created an offer just for participants which lengthens the time limit of their free trail period from only 30 days all the way to December 7th. That means, even if you don’t want to buy the software, you can use it for the entire month of NaNo (plus an extra week after) free of charge! How cool is that??(Sorry Windows folks, this is a Mac only perk. :()

I have people!

I have the most NaNo buddies every this year, that will be writing along with me. Sure, I’ve had buddies before – okay, well only last year and that one year when Michelle kicked my word count’s ass – but this year I have more buddies than ever. Still, while the quantity is great to have, it’s the quality of this year’s bunch that excites me! Most of these people were my buddies last year as well, and MAN they are INTO this! I swear one of them may even have written three or four novels during the month last year. So this year I’ve surrounded myself with people who are excited to write and who write damned well on top of it. Nothing like a little competitive spirit to get the blood and fingers pumping, eh?

I have faith!

Before when I would sit down to start writing my NaNovel, most of the excitement wore off as soon as I saw that blank page staring at me. Who did I think I was kidding? Write a novel? Me? HA!! Anything I put down on that stark page was going to just come out sounding awkward and trite. That’s no longer an issue. Why, you ask? Because for the past year and a half I’ve been practicing. Not only practicing, but writing with other people. Real writers! Yessiree, and I’ve been holding my own too. I don’t suck! So this time when I sit down to that page, I’ll have already made it past that huge first stumbling block.

So this year, during the month of November, I’m going to paint a beautiful picture with (at least) 50,000 words. I’m going to paint my characters in vibrant hues, I’m going to spackle them with bright colors, and then I’m going to hurt them and heal them and watch them grow. I’ll build their world and their story word by word and page by page.

I have a database!

Or rather I will. Like I did in 2005, I’m going to publish my writing here on the site as I go along. It’ll have a dedicated page complete with a running wordcount tally and everything! (Yeah, my Geek is showing. I know.) Anyway, stay tuned for that excitement. In fact, why don’t you join me in my wordy adventure? You know you want an excuse to not have to do the dishes for an entire month!

“Sorry, honey. I’m writing my novel.”

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