Well, I am back on this bullshit.
My twelfth year of taking part in National Novel Writing Month – the best opportunity to break someone down, build them back up and then break them down all over again just to show that you can.
For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo (as it is commonly known) is a worldwide conspiracy to break the backs, eyes and minds of writers across the globe. We all agree to try and write 1,667 words a day for the 30 days of November, bringing a total of 50,000 words at the end of the month.
It’s something that I have done since 2012 and comes with a health warning, not for myself, but for anyone who may have to deal with me for the next three weeks.
This time around, I’m writing the third book of a seven book fantasy series about a flat earth where the elements have divided up into separate factions and are both at peace and at war with each other. It’s a passion project that I am unsure of in any real sense but it’s a nice escape from the work I do during the day and the very serious historic fiction (with a tinge of silliness) I seem to be writing with the rest of my time.
I’m at 20,000 words as of today. It’s ahead of the curve (you can do the maths) but I know that there was a year when I managed 50,000 words in just ten days. I must have truly broken myself that year. This time around, it’s just a stumble and the promise of more chocolate, booze and cuddles than usual to make it through.
God bless NaNoWriMo and all those who sail upon her.
Paul Schiernecker 
Leave a comment