That would have been so much cooler if you could hear me saying it in my Pacino voice.
Down to business. We are six (count 'em, SIX) days away from November 1st, Day One of NaNoWriMo 2010. I'm so excited, I might wet myself. I will, of course, do my best not to.
Earlier this month NaNo CONSUMED me. I've got pages and pages of research, piles of books checked out from the library, scores of interviews collected mucking about in messy spreadsheets. But suddenly, I've lost steam. Less than a week to go, and I can't bring myself to crack open another text book. I've quite dogging people for firsthand accounts. I haven't even checked my EMAIL. What is wrong with me?
I've got the pre-November jitters. Cold feet. I'm fah-REAKIN' out.
I had such epic plans for this past weekend. I was supposed to have put the finishing touches on my NaNo prep in order to sail into the first week like a hot iron on a bed of butter. Now I'm going to spend this week frantically playing catch up, scrambling to make sure all of the arrangements have been made and I have everything I need.
Honestly, though? This is pretty standard for me. I think I've actually done much better this year compared to past NaNoWriMo's. I actually have a proper outline this time. That in itself is an accomplishment. This panic-panic-panic is par for the course, going by every other time I've done this. It's the darkest hour before the dawn. The calm before the storm. The silence before the very first chord! I already know that I'm going to get myself wound up like a spring and end up having a breakdown October 31st. But as soon as midnight rolls around, everything will suddenly click into place. The gears will start a-churning and soon words will be flying out of me so fast, the room will spin!
You'd think that since I know this, I shouldn't be having palpitations right now.
Anyways, what I'm working my way around to here (in the most round-about way possible) is that I'm gonna need some SERIOUS support next month. I'm talking hovering-over-me-with-a-defibrillator kind of support. Someone needs to be pumping my veins full of tea (none of that decaf stuff, dangit) and someone needs to be kicking the back of my chair every time I start to wander away from the word processor and over to FaceBook. Any takers? Eh, James will be doing most of that for me, but I will need people to meet up with me at coffee shops and tea houses to "socialize" with. And by socialize, I mean sit near while I tik-tak away at the keyboard, occasionally wiping the froth from my mouth.
What I REALLY need, though, REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED is for a lot of people to promise to mock me endlessly if I do not complete my novel this year. Make me weep. Torment me, seriously. I need everyone around me to know that I am committed to finishing this year. That way, if I don't, I can't slink off quietly to the corner to lick my wounds and whimper to myself. Publicizing something like this is the ultimate leverage against myself. Sure, it'll be hard to do 50k words in a month, but it will be harder facing the world if I fail. One of my biggest flaws? Pride. Yes, I know. That's why I'm turning my weakness into a strength, using my pride against me. If I build myself up enough, I'll have no choice but to follow through. Clever, huh?
OH yeaaaaaah. So clever. So good. ohgodi'mgonnadiewhycan'tikeepmymouthshut. Blarghlfargh.
Well, here is my personal NaNoWriMo profile: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/179661
Click around, check out my stuff. (I've got a little halo over my pic because I donated money to the program! Everyone should do this! Makes the feel-good-feelings flow!)
Under the "Novel Info" tab is a synopsis of my novel-to-be. For those of you too lazy to check out my profile, here is the copypasta:
Synopsis: Thicker Than Water
Lying next to Mike, the coolest guy in her class, Nanette thought she was doing okay. Sure she didn't have a job, or a car, or even passing grades, but she's in with the popular group. Too bad she had to put out to get there, but what's a little bodily fluids in exchange for the attention she has always deserved?At least, that's what she thought. Until her period never comes. Until she realizes that she's made the biggest mistake ever (which is certainly impressive, considering her less than stellar life decisions up until this point). She's finally proved to everyone that she is just as big of a loser as her parents say. Abandoned by family and friends alike, Nana feels trapped by the creature growing in her belly.
Yet, just as Nana thinks she can cope with a baby, tragedy strikes. Having truly lost it all, she cannot comprehend moving forward. Out of tragedy comes hope, however, in the form of a single mother and her autistic son. Is this Nana's chance to atone for her mistakes?
Is blood really thicker than water, or do the ties that bind have a substance entirely their own? Nanette's struggle to change the life of a young boy trapped in suffering for the better might just be her only chance to save herself...
Pretty spiffy, eh? Well, it's certainly not perfect (I'm not even sure it's a very good description of what I'm planning to write), but it will do until December.
I'm so excited for this. Did I mention that already?
Hmm. I think just writing this post might have rekindled that November-passion a little bit. I might put in a bit more work polishing up that outline today.
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