In early October of 2005, someone on my LiveJournal “friends” list mentioned something called NaNoWriMo. I became curious about this “National Novel Writing Month” that a bunch of people were suddenly talking about and decided to check it out. I was blown away by the idea of trying to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I was amazed at the fact there seemed to be a worldwide movement of sorts, as thousands of people were participating in what had somehow become a global event of unbelievable proportions. I decided at the very last minute that I would hop on the bandwagon, as well. My first attempt at NaNoWriMo was a bust. Nevertheless, I had a blast. With the exception of 2008, I’ve been throwing myself into the NaNoWriMo fire with fervor, ever since.
I’ve decided to not let the life and health issues that bogged me down last year, prevent me from participating this year. Maybe I’m being grossly optimistic–but hey–isn’t that what this whole thing is all about? Maybe I’ll write something nebulously macabre and witty, thereby purging all of this darkness festering inside.
When There’s No Plot
Do you have a plot? Probably not. Right? That’s okay. This year, I do have a plot but that’s neither here nor there. You don’t need a plot to “win” NaNoWriMo. In this chaotic arena, writing by the seat of your pants isn’t just tolerated–it’s encouraged! If you’re considering taking on the challenge, do give it some thought over the next 30 days, though. At the very least try to have a basic idea of what kind of story you might want to write. The first hurdle is probably determining what genre you want to play with. In this day and age, that’s not as easy as it sounds. The mainstream-weary among us are always wondering where one genre ends and another begins. I’ve developed my own theory, which can be summed up as follows:
- Action/Adventure is where stuff happens with a flash/bang, which is great for covering up the fact that there is no plot. If a certain Horatio Caine were to be believed, all one really needs to be a hero is the ability to strike a pose and smirk in a way that makes you want to slap him silly.
- Angst is what you write to goad your readers into wavering between slitting their own wrists or clawing our their eyes.
- Chick Lit is there to remind your reader that she will never belong.
- Drama doesn’t necessarily involve a baby-mama.
- Historical Fiction is for people who harbor nostalgia for things probably best forgotten.
- Horror is despair manifested.
- Mystery is almost, always predictable.
- Romance is the thing that might happen, if hell freezes over–or not.
- Speculative Fiction is all about what could be… if only.
- Thrillers are over-rated, unless you get to a delicately macabre point where a certain doll in a doll maker’s house laments:
“My dear, my dear, oh dear. It was an accident.”
(Today’s oh-so obscure references were brought to you by the ever-so-shallow fashionista’s parade, CSI Miami and a wonderfully witty poem by W.B. Yeats titled, The Dolls)
In the past I wrote a very lengthy advice article about writing a novel in 30 days and NaNoWriMo Survival Tips. I’m quite over the verbose proselytizing, though.
My “advice” such as it is, can be boiled down thus:
Write. Just write. Try to have fun doing it.
