Today is Day One of NaNoWrimo!

You know the National Novel Writing Month. It’s that one month when I give myself, my muse permission to write. I will write a total of One-thousand-seven-hundred-twenty-five words per day. I realize that my count is off, slightly. I don’t count the last day, that 30th day. That last day, I am busy with my happy-dance, and feeling a little sad.

Did I just say, sad…?  By the end of the month, it’s like an old friend is heading home.

A bit sad.
A bit happy.
A lot tired.
And, relieved I survived.

I have written 50,000 words in November for a number of years. The words that poured out were less than great. But, they did tell a story, maybe more my story than the characters that ran across the page. A horrible mishmash of ideas, clues, pinch points, three-act –blocks, worlds, characters running around in their underwear, like untrained puppies. My muse would act like a spoiled child, that was trying to drive off the babysitter. A lot of screaming and crying, sitting on the floor curled in a ball, not listening at all.

Each November I set up a plan, then I wrote. My eyes blurred. I heard nothing that was said around me; instead, I crawled away from my words to cook meals.

I followed the rules and drank plenty of water. I even allowed myself time to stare out the window as if I was a cat hypnotized by an invisible spider on the wall. I would tell myself that I was exercising my eyesight by focusing close up and far away. I would ‘will’ myself to ignore those dust bunnies. You’ve seen them, they ride in on a breeze and disappeared under a desk or chair. The sneakier ones hide under the couch. I will veg out wondering -why-the phone won’t stop ringing or why it doesn’t ring. Or thinking- I should clean out the kitchen cabinets or arrange by size, date, and name every piece of paper in the house. I will have an uncontrollable need to dust. I will hear that dust calling to me by name.

I continued to write. I will continue to write. I won’t ask for permission, not from myself or anyone.
No doubting
Never asking permission.

I saw Eddie Colla’s Ambition street art, his picture of a woman with a bandanna covering her nose and mouth, in one hand she holds a can of spray paint.  AMAZING!  Captioned:

“If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission”

I am going to add my own spin on his phrase.

If you want to write a novel, stop asking yourself for permission
If you want to write a novel, stop doubting yourself
If you want to write a novel, tell your muse you are listening

If you want to write a novel, write your novel.

Here is an A for the first day of #NaNoWriMo2018

A  for Antagonist the main character or thing or situation that comes in conflict with your main character; AKA the bad guy

Example: Sauron in The Lord of the Rings by, J.R.R. Tolkien

How about overarching antagonists like Anakin aka Darth Vader, arches over the story, linking the beginning of the story to the end.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP7livK_pXo[/embedyt]

 

Starting today the past tense of having written changes and I am once more writing for NaNoWriMo.

Tick-Tock! Time for me to write out my antagonist’s evil plan.