If you've been following my blog for some time, you might remember that I want to be a novelist. I have no more ambitions in life. (Okay, so that's not true, but I'm trying to make the point that it's an important dream of mine.) Since I was assigned a fiction writing project in my 7th grade English class, I have not stopped creating stories and trying to get them out on paper. (In my class, we were broken up into groups, but I was pretty sick for a few weeks so I was in a group all by myself. I had full control of the different fairytale stories we were supposed to write. Looking back, I'm pretty sure that assignment changed my life.) So from what I can remember starting in 7th grade I would write and write, not necessarily about the same stuff and reading what I wrote back then now makes my stomach cringe a little. However, I can remember the movie in my head I'm trying to describe and acknowledge that it was a valiant effort. These past few years as an English major (and growing into my perfectionism) have gotten me a little off track. What really matters when you're writing is that you're writing for yourself, not for others. I have gotten stuck in wanting to create the best masterpiece I can. I look at the novels of Jane Austen, Ayn Rand, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald. These books have withstood the test of time and they are still so important in the English world today. I strive to want to have just one masterpiece like that. For a while I thought the answers were in the books themselves so I wouldn't let myself write until I had read x amount of classics. That didn't take because I have yet to finish one classic. I'm trying a new approach that has everything to do with November and passion for telling stories.
Since I first heard about National Novel Writing Month that takes place in November two years ago, I've tried to complete this crazy challenge of writing 50,000 words of a continuous piece of fiction. NaNoWriMo as its fondly called is pretty awesome and intense. The first year I heard about it (through my loving sister) I started a brand new story and poured all my feelings out in the story. I had just been through a break-up and well it was pretty cathartic (but the general story and writing wasn't that great). Plus my dedication sort of fizzled when studying for classes took precedent. Last year, I honestly can't remember what I did. I'm pretty sure I didn't even attempt it because I wanted to focus on graduating and making good grades (but I did promise myself that I would take part in it again this year). My promise to myself was the only thing that let me calmly accept that my participation last year would just be a mess and not productive or helpful.
This year I have a game plan. It's not much of anything, but I ran across an old story of mine that I started in high school. It does have some contents that are worth saving, but I'm completely reworking it. While NaNoWriMo strives for their participants to have new, original material, my old story and the new one I'm starting to plan writing won't have much in common except for some similar story lines in the first few chapters. I'm going back to a story that has filled my dreams so many times. I can already see some of the scenes that will take place. All in all, I'm excited and looking forward to November so I can finally write something. While I'm not expecting any kind of literary genius, I just want to write a good clean story that maybe some people will want to read, but most of all it will be something that I want to read over and over again just so the story can play out in my mind once again.
While I'm not so naive as to think this will be an easy task, I'm looking forward to seeing it through. And I'm trying to figure out a way so that most of my free time can be taken up by this project. I'm cutting out all of my favorite shows for the month (I'm DVRing all of them so I know I'll be able to watch them once November is over). Wish me luck because this task is not one I undertake lightly, especially now that I've told you about it. Now I won't be able to give-up. I have to make it to at 25,000 or I'm going to have to hide in shame for a little while because I know that the only reason I didn't finish (or at least get half way) was because I mishandled my time and was lazy. I won't let that happen. Or so I say now, come the end of November and I'll be full of excuses!
This next month is going to be pretty intense. But if I get too stressed out these cute guys will always be here to help me get my head back on straight.
Although I love the a capella version of this song both versions are almost equally as awesome.
Title: "Unlike Me" by Kate Havnevik
A capella version:
Labels: Books, Creative Writing, Inspiration, Jack, Life, Music, NaNoWriMo, Oscar, Plans
