Write Like It's November

 
Most writers know November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, we say as if speaking an alien tongue).  The challenge: to write every day for the month to achieve a total of 50,000 words, a good chunk of a novel.


This is my third year participating, my second year participating as a poet (NaPoWriMo?) and the challenge is to write a poem every day for 30 days.

In 2011, I did it just to see if I could.  I'm not a prolific poet.  Sometimes an idea for a poem will run around in my brain for weeks before it finally comes to rest on paper.  The concept of generating a poem every day was daunting, but I followed the daily prompts from the Writer's Digest and persevered, ending the month with 30 poems.  It's Day 4 of the 2012 challenge and I've finished today's poem, and it's barely after 8pm here in Iowa.

I have learned a few things about writing a poem every day.

1. I can only do it at night, staring out a dark window.

2. The soundtrack to 'The Hours' is mandatory. 

3. Prompts are simply leaping off points, write whatever comes.

4. I ain't writing epics here.

5. And I ain't writing brilliant verse every time, but if I get one or two decent poems out of 30, and a handful of salvageable lines to be used in another poem one day, I have succeeded.

6. Whether you're writing a novel or 30 poems, just fucking write.

Twelve Stages of Novel Writing Grief

In support of those who plan to launch themselves headlong this month into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I have identified twelve known stages of novel writing grief. 

1. Idea.
2. Enthusiasm.
3. Procrastination.
4. Self-doubt.
5. Angst.
6. Procrastination.
7. Disgust.
8. Procrastination.
9. Despair.
10. Procrastination.
11. Commitment.
12. Writing.

Note: The first 11 stages typically occur over the course of a decade. The 12th stage lasts six months, give or take a year. (Time frames may or may not be compressed for NaNoWriMo participants.)