Oh, and you can't forget our writing totems, of course - mine an excessively gaudy ring and Tom's a miniature rubber duck.
We're both doing fantasy genre novels this year - a first for Tom, at least. No, we're still not allowed to share our stories with you (it's against the rules, so don't ask until after the month is over :D), but we'd love to have your happy thoughts flowing through the ether toward us, cheering us on throughout the month as we drive to the end of the 50,000 word pool we're diving into. We probably won't be doing much blog updating, but feel free to send us emails full of guilt trips from time to time this month. It never hurts to have a guilt monkey on your shoulder when you're trying to do the impossible.
We went to our first NaNoWriMo kickoff party on Saturday night up in Bellevue. It started at 11:00 pm and let up to a countdown to writing starting at midnight. Because there are so many nano participants here in the Seattle area (we're talking a few thousand, very different from the couple hundred in the Salt Lake area!), there were about 60 people who showed up at the one we went to. Many of them - as you can see - wore their Halloween costumes for the event.
Talk about a strange silence setting over the room when midnight struck! There was a contest to see who could get their first 1000 words written the fastest, and there were prizes for everyone who got at least 1000 words done that night. We stayed until a little before 1:00 am and took away our special prizes (notebooks and stickers a kindergartener could be proud of!), but most of the group was still there going strong when we left. We hope to go to a few more write-ins before the month is out. It was great getting the chance to meet some similarly crazy people we had something in common with.
Anyone who is interested in joining in the November madness, we'd definitely encourage you to jump on in. We're only two days into the 30, and it wouldn't be too hard for you to catch up!
Happy noveling, all!
-Amy
4 comments:
Way to go guys! I'm participating along with my class in the young writer's program. That means I get to set my own goal, so I get off easy (10,000 words) :) It also means that I get to novel when my kids are noveling. I show what I'm typing on the screen and write the whole time they do. Basically, I get to spend 80 mins of my work day on Tues/Thurs and 20 mins. Mon/Wed/Fri writing my novel. I know, I'm a whimp! The good news is that my students absolutely LOVE it. I have one group who had a really hard time planning - it was like pulling teeth - but when we started to actually write today they were like, "Wow. I can't believe I like writing so much." Seriously guys, thanks for turning us on to that program. This is my first year having my whole class do it and I think it will literally change their entire self-image as writers. You guys are awesome... and if there are any write-ins over Thanksgiving break, I'd love to tag along!
Go NaNoWriMo writers! By the way, you didn't mention what the photo of the ring was about?? What gives? It's a pretty ring.
Hehe, that's my writing totem. I wear it only when I'm drafting, so it reminds my brain that it's time to work. Tom's is the little duckie.
Amy failed to represent the mini rubber duck properly. Not only is it a duck, not only does it float (both of which make it incredibly cool) but it glows in the dark and squirts water.
Writing totems just don't get any cooler than that. Except maybe Chris Baty's viking helmet.
Post a Comment