So I have not been writing blog posts lately because I have been challenged to take part in NaNoWriMo. My friends and I are avid readers but some of the issues we discussed were that there are not a lot of characters that accurately reflect us. Especially within romantic genre. I do a lot of reading (especially since being home since March) and recently I have read a lot of great things in the romantic genre but not anything where I saw myself (more than one characteristic) in the main herione. So my friend called me up and told me about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). There was a deep discussion and when I told my family… I was told when you don’t see something you want to see… It is your job to create it. So I was told to get my thoughts and characters on paper. I shall rise to the challenge.

Now I haven’t written anything in years… and only having been challenged to write a month before I did not get a chance to partake in the abundance of preparation activities that they have available. And they have a bunch. I was actually pretty impressed with the number of exercises to help flesh out characters and story. So next year, I am on it from the beginning of the year. NanoWriMo’s flagship program is an annual, international creative writing event where participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November. I am currently behind at only 14,500 words and it is already Thanksgiving. Since doing the math, I see that to reach that 50,000 number you would have to write 1667 a day. Writers wishing to participate first register on the project’s website (which I did not do this go round), where they can post profiles and information about their novels, including synopses and excerpts.

The rules for the contest are very straight forward.

Since NaNoWriMo is used to get people writing, the rules are kept broad and straightforward:

1. Writing starts at 12:00: a.m. on November 1 and ends 11:59:59 p.m. on November 30, local time.
2. No one is allowed to start early and the challenge finishes exactly 30 days from that start point.
3. Novels must reach a minimum of 50,000 words before the end of November in order to win. These words can either be a complete novel of 50,000 words or the first 50,000 words of a novel to be completed later.
4. Planning and extensive notes are permitted, but no material written before the November 1 start date can go into the body of the novel.
5. Participants’ novels can be on any theme, genre of fiction, and language. Everything from fanfiction, which uses trademarked characters, to novels in poem format, and metafiction is allowed; according to the website’s FAQ, “If you believe you’re writing a novel, we believe you’re writing a novel too.”

The fifth rule seemed pretty dope because I love me some fanfiction. I am an anime fan so… it only makes sense to me. Also because I have read some really stellar fanfiction. Really on par with some stuff that has been published. I may do a post about that for my anime fans.

Winning isn’t the point here. I know it is to get my to put pen to paper or in my case fingers to a keyboard. No official prizes are awarded for length, quality, or speed, though self-awarded badges are available on the site. Anyone who reaches the 50,000-word mark is declared a winner. Beginning November 20, participants can submit their novel to be automatically verified for length and receive a printable certificate, an icon they can display on the web, and inclusion on the list of winners.

Before this year, I may have heard about this context once or twice before but now with quarantine… I have been needing something to do other than reading my manga and catching up on my watchlist. (My watchlist is so long.) This contest is probably the best way to make sure I stay in this story until the end. I had a tendency of writing several stories over tje course of my high school career that I never finished. So this is a challenge to see if I can actually get this done. I have several great ideas. It is just trying to get ideas on paper. My test readers are great and always give me their honest opinion. So I am sure the editing process will be fun too. If I ever make it to that point.

Because I didn’t really map out the journey… I am getting to know my characters in the process. Some things surprise…. but I was able to capture my mother’s interest… and that is a big deal because she is has several novels published in her own right. My story is going to be a run of the mill romance. Loosely based on me and my friends. I look forward to seeing how things unfold and if I will be able to get it done. I have had a weeks worth of writer’s block but an awesome next phase came to me last night so I will probably spend my Turkey Day doing that and watching some stuff… (more like letting it run in the background.). So if I ever get to the publishing phase I will let you guys know. Wish me luck… because I will obviously need to continue writing into the new year… I have an idea for a second book already. But the hurdle becomes writing the book. I won’t tell a lot here. The main aim is to entertain my friends. If it entertains others out that then that will be a plus.