CBC Radio Is Making Me Write A Novel In 30 Days
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 I haven't made too much of this here, but I'm working on NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month) throughout November. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in 30 days, which means that my original goal was to write 1,667 words every day this month, which means that by the end of today I wanted to have written 18,337 words.
How many words have I written up until this point? 6,776.
Multiply that by 2.7, and I would be where I wanted to be, but I am not. If I continue at this rate, I will only reach 40% of my goal, and this can't happen, because, you see, I was interviewed by CBC Radio on November 2nd about this whole NaNoWriMo business. I thought that was going to be it, but no. They asked if I would also be willing to be interviewed on the 16th and then on December 1st, as well, in order to keep track of my progress. Until then, I had been planning on giving it a half-hearted go and then abandoning it without much fanfare, but now that I have to report on my progress on national radio, my plans have had to change.
So, CBC RADIO IS MAKING ME WRITE A NOVEL IN 30 DAYS.
AND IT'S MAKING ME TYPE IN ALL-CAPS A LOT.
OKAY, I'M TAKING A BREATH.
I MEAN: Okay, I'm taking a breath.
I can do this, and I want to do this, but writing a novel is a tall order under normal circumstances let alone doing it in 30 days when I've started a new part-time job, I am working my usual round of Schmutzie.com/Grace in Small Things/Five Star Friday/MamaPop/etc., and I am also taking part in NaBloPoMo, because I am a lunatic who thinks it's great to do more writing every day for pretty much everything I write for than I ever have in my entire life up until this point oh my god mental hospital.
Basically, I want you to hold me and kiss my forehead and tell me that I can do this because I can and I'm awesome.
Will you forgive me if I start supplementing my diet with shots of cheap vodka?
Reader Comments (26)
Consider your forehead well and truly planted with a big wet girly smooch. Because you are awesome, you will meet your target... or you won't meet your target, and you'll still be awesome. Awesome either way. Just plain awesome.
Go Schmutzie go! Go Schmutzie go! And think of it this way, at least you don't have to read it out loud on CBC Radio. So it can be 50,000 words of total crap!
Though, knowing how you write, it probably won't be. But let 'er rip!
(little hug) (big smooch) (LOTS of vodka)
You are awesome. This has been established. If you don't get your word count you will still find a way to make this experience into a great story, and a great story is what radio is all about.
CBC radio will eat you up with a spoon. And want seconds.
Poor little bunny!
(just kidding! I have to say this all the time now)
You can do this! We all want to read it!
*kisses*
You have a job now; go for the expensive vodka. Or mid-price, at least.
Wow, talk about motivation! Don't be a martyr. Drop NaBloPoMo. You don't have to prove that you can do everything. Do NaBloPoMo next month.
Like everyone has said to me on my blog...
YOU CAN DO IT!
You ARE awesome, and I know you can do it. Why? How? Because! You are much more awesome than I, and I have done it. In fact, last year, I too participated in NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo simultaneously while also doing home school and dealing with pets, blah blah blah... and I finished BOTH! So you can too.
This year? I'm not doing NaBloPoMo. I traded that for hosting Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of NaNoWriMo. Because I'm crazy.
I hope you have a great region to support you. Mine FREAKING ROCKS (as in, will come after me with torches and pitch forks if I abandon), if it weren't for my awesome region and ML, I would not stand a chance.
Anyway. I'm behind too. I FINALLY crossed the 10k line yesterday. Then I hit 12k at the write-in last night. Today? I suck again.
But! You can finish. I know you can. :)
GO GO GO! You CAN do it and you ARE awesome.
Oh, not to worry, you can do it because you are the awesome one aka Schmutzie. Who is always awesome no matter what. Plus you have a major cheering section going for. Though I do have to admit, that you are slightly crazy...but in a very good way.
NaNoWriMo...is freaking hard. Way hard enough without the pressure of CBC. First go around this year, and everything was going so well, until I bottomed out at 15,000. And I broke my hand yesterday ...the typing? It hurts. So now I am migrating to notebook. Seriously. You and me? We'll do it.
And...will you share the Vodka?
I'm on track, but only because I figured out how to do it. Get up early, type fast, and don't read it.
We already know you are awesome, however much of this you can finish at the end of the month. It's just an arbitrary deadline, right? So the world is not going to end if you drop a couple balls along the line. But. I think you can do it.
I meant to say this on an earlier post, but I discovered a strategy that might help when things feel dire. It's part art school desperation and part FlyLady. Basically, set a timer for 15 minutes and hack out one thing on your list. However far you get, great. When the timer goes off, set it again and move on to the next big thing on your list. Keep rotating through your tasks. Every hour, take one of those 15 minute segments to sit down with a nice cuppa tea (or vodka, whatever), and think about other things. In this method, you can move forward on a variety of things hovering over you and actually make progress without burning yourself out. The trick is to actually stop after 15 min (or give yourself another 15 if you are really cruising), and then to build rest times in.
*mwah!* You are really and truly awesome, Schmutzie. We'll love you however much you do or don't get done. No doubt the Stories about it will be cool, too!
You go, Schmutzie, with your bad self full of the awesome. I'm loving all the writing you've been doing and I look forward to reading about your Canadian hijinks every day.
Rock it. I know you can. You already do
The whole point of vodka is to be tasteless and odorless. You can't get much better than Absolut on that front. All the insanely expensive vodkas are charging you for cool bottle design or subtle flavouring - a thing you can add yourself.
Also, b/c you are so far behind on nnwm, I have been inspired to start, even though it is so late. I am reminded of the time that Kate finished, and she did quite a lot of it near the end.
fingers crossed, and cheap bourbon in hand
Plus you have a major cheering section going for. Though I do have to admit, that you are slightly crazy...but in a very good way.
You are a hoot. You'll do it. Or, you can lie and tell CBC you did it.
Um...should I be offended that a spammer stole part of my comment to post a comment?
Yes I do believe I should.
Screw you Protein Powder.
Honey, you need benzadrine, not vodka.
Seriously, Ayn Rand did it.
For various reasons (like my job) I've had to write intensely and scads in short times and I'll tell you this: You have to get away from all people. (Re: Palinode, it depends. Does he distract you? My beloved distracts me.) As much as you possibly can, get away from people you know. Find a public library or uni library in a place you don't know anyone with the latest hours possible and go there ALL DAY. Except when you work.
That's just the bad news. The good news is that it will be very interesting. I crave that solitude. I went to hotels! I can't justify that at the moment. I went sometimes to $35 a night hotels with scary, scary carpet. Good thing about the expense: You will write, out of guilt for the expense.
But if that is too much for you, then make Palinode go visit people over the weekends.
I know, it's extreme but writing a novel in 30 days is extreme.
You're THE BEST on the internet, hands down. I've read blogs for years, and from the get-go have said and thought: you're IT, baby. So do your thing, because your thing is FAB.
Consider yourself kissed, and I'll pour the vodka (one for you, one for me, one for you, one for me....)
Barbara
well, the shots of cheap vodka may make for some interesting writing. Just sayin......
not that I would condone that sort of thing or anything.
Get the expensive vodka - you're worth it ;)
You can do it. And if you don't, you can always lie to the folks at CBC. Just sayin'.
Kiss, kiss.
You mean you want to write kind of fast-food literature instead of making a chef 's piece?
No, Geneviève, not at all, but this is a good exercise that has the possibility of laying the groundwork for a much better end work.