Attempt NaNoWriMo Or No?

Last year, I decided to try doing National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo). I did not get far. I don't think I even made it to 100 words. Of course, what I wrote was completely off the top of my head and I had no clear idea what I wanted to write. That probably contributed to me not reaching the finish line.

I have had a continuing urge to go back to creative writing for a good while now. It strikes whenever I watch a bad TV show or movie. It strikes when my family comments on my detailed (and sometimes quick) sense of humor. Unfortunately, the urge disappears only hours after appearing, only to re-emerge at some random time.

At this point in my writing life, nonfiction stuff comes so much easier than anything creative. Even though I sometimes spend hours agonizing over a review, I feel fulfilled when I write one and I enjoy it (and I feel kind of depressed when I write one that doesn't live up to what I want but that's another post).

Despite being more or less comfortable with blog posts, reviews, and the like, there is a part of me that will not rest until I write something long and creative that I am happy with.

I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to writing creative stuff. I self-edit like a madman and I can't get over the notion that what I initially write can kind of suck. It's one thing to edit a review as you create it since it's not going to be that long. However, once you start dealing with double-digit and possibly triple-digit pages, it's a big brick wall standing in the way of the promised land.

With NaNoWriMo 2007 already in progress, I wonder if I can get back into creative writing again. I think the key for me will be to do baby steps. Instead of attempting to write a novel in a month, I'm going to attempt to create smaller works over a longer period of time. I'll try my hand at some skits and maybe a short story or two. If I do that, maybe I can gradually get my groove back.

It has taken me almost four years (this blog's fourth anniversary is next month) to get to the semi-comfortable position I have with nonfiction posts. It was foolish of me to think that I could suddenly write decent fiction in just a month.

Sterfish: Novelist?

After some thought, I've decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo). I signed up and now have a profile up on the site. I became intrigued by it due, in part, a series of posts by fellow Blog Critic Richard Marcus that dealt with his experience from last year. Now that it's come up again, I have decided to attempt it.

The goal is to write 50,000 words of fiction within a month. On one hand, I know I can write that many words. My blog posts tend to be on the long side and I've written over 800 of them. Also, I've written a ton of skits and a few short stories. On the other hand, the longest short story I've written tops out at close to 10 pages and I've aborted every previous attempt at a novel.

The biggest obstacle for me will be to resist my urge to edit as I write. Whenever I write anything fiction, I always end up doing this. I also do it when I write my reviews, although it's not as bad. I normally have to have whatever I write start out the way I want it. If it doesn't, I have no qualms about starting the whole thing over. Even though I consciously know that I can just rewrite the beginning when I finish the piece, I still need for something to at least start out okay.

Also, I'm one of those people who loses confidence in their fiction writing almost as soon as they start. On more than one occasion, I think I've gotten off to a good start, then I suddenly feel like that what I'm going to end up doing is crap and I toss it. That sounds incredibly ridiculous, I know, but that's what happens.

I think I will be able to finish a novel if I remember that it doesn't have to be good. I will use this opportunity to write something fun off the top of my head and see where it takes me. It will be a big boost to my writer's ego if I finish this. I've written short stories, skits, comics, reviews, and blog posts. I've even tried my hand at poetry (talk about something to be terrible at). A novel is the last big leap for me. I can't wait to see if I can finally make that leap.

National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st. Wish me luck!

News

I'm happy to report that I got a promotion at my job. I'm now (finally) full-time after more than a year working there. This means an increase in my hourly wage, benefits that kick in after 60 days, and the ability to get holiday pay and accumulate vacation days. I will have more responsibilities than before, but I know the area I will be working in very well and I'm confident that I'll be able to do the job.

So, does that mean that I'll be blogging less? Nope. My hours won't really increase that much since I was already working near-full-time hours anyway. However, the increase in wage is a big plus for me and hopefully, I can start actually saving some money and paying more of my bills.

Speaking of that, I am now in the market for a new cell phone. My current phone is a pretty ancient Nokia that I've had for at least 4 or 5 years. When I first got that phone, I had AT&T Wireless if that's any indication of how long I've had it. I don't even really know where to begin in terms of what phone to get. I don't really want or need a cameraphone and I don't necessarily have to have the latest thing. I just want a cell phone that gets good reception and has maybe a bit more features than my current phone. Oh, and maybe it'd be nice to have a flip phone this time.

There's still time to join in on the next Mixmania. This time around, the theme is 9/11. This is a really difficult theme and not for everyone. I have to admit that I'm finding it challenging to think of songs that express the variety of emotions I felt on that day. You have until August 23rd to join if you're up to the challenge.

The finalists for the 2006 Black Weblog Awards have been announced and I'm not one of them. However, there are some great blogs that are among the finalists and I encourage you to go to the site and vote. I'd say that maybe I'll be a finalist next year but that would be as delusional as saying that I'll be a multimillionaire tomorrow.

Finally, I found an old notebook of mine the other day and it had a skit I completely forgot I wrote. The skit had Lil' Jon as a guest on the PBS talk show Charlie Rose. I'm pretty sure that it predates Dave Chappelle's famous Lil' Jon skits, but since it was handwritten in a notebook with no date on it, I can't be sure. I didn't finish the skit (and I even left a note to myself to figure out how to end it) but it certainly reminded me of my eternal quest to get back to fiction writing. Whenever I eventually restart my creative writing blog, I'll have to remember to put up that “lost” skit.

Edit: I'm now on that beta version of Blogger. You might see a couple of changes here and there to the look of this blog over the next few days as I adjust.