National Novel Writing Month! I'd drafted a couple of novels before I heard of this. I love the energy and enthusiasm of writers buckling down at home, in coffee shops, and in libraries across the country, so I wanted to join in.
I decided to draft every November. I've never registered on the NaNo site, and I usually begin with a meaty outline or some chunk of the novel already written, but I've enjoyed buckling down and drafting while my other writer friends are doing it, too. I aim for 2,000 words/day, except for Sundays, but it's not daily for me. Some days I write 10,000 words, if my other responsibilities are quiet, and other days it's 200. The variance doesn't bother me.
These are the projects I've wrapped up during the last few Novembers:
2014: MURDER AT THE PRINCE OF WALES
2015: THE TSAR'S POISONER
2016: IN BLOOD
2017: STARLET
I only had about 30,000 words to go on STARLET, so I'm also beginning . . . a Regency romance. I know, it's not really me! I'm part of a Regency critique group because I'm friends with the women in it, and I had an idea that I thought I'd explore during NaNo this year. I'm only a few thousand words in, and I still haven't decided if it's going to be a straight Regency or a historical fantasy.
Let's be honest. It's probably gonna end up with some funky magic, steampunk, or crazy science. Because I like having fun when I write.
I enjoy NaNo because I try new genres--a murder mystery in 2014, and the most fantasyish fantasy I've ever tried last year, and now a Regency. Writing for adults! I never thought I'd see the day!
My local critique group meets one morning a week during November to companionably clippity-clap on our laptops. No critiquing--just writing. I find it peaceful and invigorating to draft alongside other writers.
November is a happy time!
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