NaNo Nuggets...

Nuggets o' wisdom (well, as wise as I get) that is. I'm 40% of the way through my 50,000 words as of last night and I've learned a few things along the way.

• It is completely, utterly, hopelessly unpublishable. Portions of the story are based in my life and the lives of people I know and, frankly, they would hurt me were this ever to see the light of day. That's okay, I ~need~ to write this story. The things that are based on life are sad, but also incredibly cathartic and I am pretty sure I'll be mentally and emotionally healthier for them when I am done. The pure fiction aspect of it, well, I am in love. I created a character that I adore that I am pretty sure I will have to think up a story for later just because I like her. She has a weird name and is unhealthily obsessed with lawn flamingos, what's not to love?
  
  


• Probably because I have a job that only requires me to actually work ~maybe~ 2-3 hours of the 8-9 I have to be there daily, NaNoing while working is actually proving easier, for me, than taking part in this madness the years I was at home. I don't write much at home, especially fiction--too many distractions. Now, I have a spiral notebook and access to my Google docs page from work and time. It IS hard, though. Most of the really emotionally wrenching scenes I've written while at home, longhand, and typed up during the day. Can't cry while re-typing at work, that would upset people. BUT, back to the whole catharsis thing, I find I generally only cry over the first draft. Afterward I can look at it and be sad, but not lose my cool. Progress, right?


• I can make people do what I want! I was walking the dog the other night, thinking about one of my plot points based on reality. "But self," says I, "that's not how it happened." "But," the sinister little inner voice whispered back, "it could be." Yes! I have the power to make the people in my life do what I want! Fictionally, of course. The corollary to that is that I give myself hope. I don't know what the future holds, but fictionalizing it lets me express the way I hope things will turn out.


• Competition is ~good~. I have a couple friends doing NaNo this year, real life friends, people who are friends the other 11 months of the year as opposed to the people I see a lot of every November... I'm not really competing with either of them, but their word counts help keep me motivated. Truthfully, I am in awe of one them, her words just seem to flow and she's doing GrEaT! Even greater if you think about the fact that she's first-timer. I was at a write-in last night and we decided to do a word war. I wrote damn near 1000 words in 20 minutes. And still came in 3rd, but it was great for my word count!
  

There will likely be more NaNo insights this year, but I have to go to work and do training and have a lunch meeting later today and, well, it's time for another cup of coffee and to start my day.