NaNoWriMo and Other Avalanches

Hello again after a story pause. Thing's are pacing incredibly fast and it's hard to keep up as always. But more things are on the way. Although it's pretty quiet, I've noticed some readers and I have to say thanks to anyone who stops by and reads something here. There's still not much to behold, but it will improve with time, I'm certain.

As you may have noticed, I'm engrossed by this little thingy.

NaNoWriMo
Yes. National Novel Writing Month. It's quite a refreshing idea. For all those unfamiliar with it - it's practically about writing a novel within a month. Some say half a novel though. Why half a novel? I'll explain soon enough.

I like the colours...

I sort of hoped I would have time to elaborate on it earlier, but well... I didn't. Usually, writing a blog entry like this takes me a lot of time. I don't know why. The stories I publish here and plan to publish are already finished, so it takes just about five to ten minutes to get it all sorted out.

And since I accomplish far more by writing stories, I usually devote my spare time to that and end up neglecting this place. So here's the result. A late post after I've reached the word goal of 50000 words. As of right now, I'm not yet finished with the novel though.

50k words...
So... why half a novel? This nice article over at Writer's Digest dealing with average novel word count sums it up. If you're afraid of clicking those links and think you might end up in the depths of internet hell, then in a nutshell, 80k-100k words is roughly the average word interval for a novel. Of course, there are differences in terms of genres... and so on. When it comes down to sci-fi, the word count is even higher according to the article. Say, 100k is a good word count. The target of NaNoWriMo is half of that. 50k words.

Now, thing is NNWM isn't all about producing a novel and getting it published. It's a lot more about just that. People with varying experiences gather from all across the globe and participate. It's a good way to test the waters. To find and connect with like-minded people and join forces. To learn about new cultures too. To improve writing. To share the joys and pains. To get inspired. Regardless of whether you're new to the world of writing or a skilled veteran, you can learn a lot. At least I do. Many people participate to find out if they can write a longer piece of prose. NNWM is great way to encourage emerging writers in that aspect.

Besides, the aforementioned word counts for an average novel aren't rules carved in stone. It all depends on lots of things. The editors you're addressing, the markets you're targeting and so on. Novels with 50k words do sell, I'm sure about it, just not that frequently. I think books for children are especially okay with that.

So that's one aspect which I found is often debated.

My experience...

It took me half an hour to add this image,
damn I hate blogger :)

As for myself, I haven't had the time to write a fully fledged novel... well, I'm lying, but more on that soon enough. It's easier to explain if I said I didn't, because writing short stories is faster and more comfortable if you're short on free time like I am. So NNWM was a good idea to try out, albeit a bit insane because November is usually the busiest month in the year for me. Seems I learnt how to work things out. Another aspect of NNWM I appreciate.

I'm writing a novel about... well, you can read the info here. I like twisting things. Fairy tales mostly. But not in the usual way. I have a Goldilocks twist in the works, but had to put it on hold due to a specific project and NaNoWriMo. I'm very fond of it, so if I won't sell it anywhere, I'll post it here.

But back to the topic. I was inspired by Midsomer Murders. Those who aren't familiar with it - it's a series about a charismatic detective solving murders in an idyllic English countryside. I liked the idea... and twisting it. Take the usual relaxing tone the series is known for, then tear it all apart and toss the man straight into the pits of government plots and conspiracies. Add a flavour of surreal horror to spice it up. I really liked the idea, though I have to admit it started to bore me recently... despite the fact the action intensifies and intensifies.

Interesting stuff I realized - writing speed, WPM and other minutiae
I always thought I'm a fast writer. Ideas just occur to me and I write and write. Despite my relative lack of time, I still manage to churn out stories. My friends often wondered how I did it.

Yet thanks to NaNoWriMo, I actually learnt I'm a superslow slug. 1150 words per hour. My WPM (words per minute) ratio is quite high (91 according to this site... I suspect it yields high results for everyone, so I'd rate myself around 80), yet when it comes to writing, I don't write as fast. The story just unfolds and I put it on paper rather than typing blazingly fast. Still, it seemed like a fast pace to me. Until I read about people writing 5000 words in an hour. So I'm officially a sluggish slug.


Other Projects
So about the lying part. I decided to do NaNoWriMo a few months ago. Yet at the beginning of September, a story occurred to me. As usual, I was thrilled by the plot. I wanted to write something ambitious for a specific competition, so I was more than excited. But my great problem is that I usually require at least two times more than the set word limit.

Soon after the first few pages were written, I realized I'm going to need far more than 17k words. I ended up with about 117k words. And I really had to write fast, because NNWM was approaching. So I had something of a warm up. I think it plotted out nicely and I'm very proud of the story, though I haven't had time to edit it yet. At the current rate, it won't be sooner than the next year.

Write1Sub1
As for the next year, I'm girding for Write1Sub1 (monthly). I participated in 2011 (if I am not mistaken), but well, I eventually found I couldn't catch up. Now, I hope things will turn out better.

Submissions and publishing
Considering all the stuff, I haven't had time to write shorter stories and submit anywhere. But I'm waiting for a reply from a specific place (keeping fingers crossed, hope posting about it won't bring upon bad luck... Murphy's law... Murphy's law). Ironically, the longer the wait, the greater the chances the eventual response will be affirmative. So I hope they take their time. I won't say what place I mean, because I'm superstitious when it comes to writing and submitting.

Okay, that's all.
This took me two hours to write. I didn't intend to end here, but now I feel it's enough. The post is cluttered enough already. Does it make sense at all?