Week 1, Day 1 - NaNoWriMo Begins!

Finally!!!  The day I've awaited is here.  I attempted to stay awake last night until the stroke of midnight, but I decided it would be better to start in the morning after a good night's sleep. 

I have an unexpected guest sitting with me at the dining room table this morning.  He is my 10-year old, fourth-grade son.  This budding writer has decided to join me in this month-long quest and has begun writing his manuscript.  In fact, he was up and awake long before me and got dibs on the computer, so now I am using my other son's laptop instead!  The keyboard feels foreign to me and none of my files are on this hard drive, but hey, what's a mom to do?  The name of his book is "The Adventures of Finnegan Fly".  I won't give away the story here because it's his to tell, but I must say he's off to a great start.  I just wonder if I'll ever get my computer back...

Ok, enough chitchat.  I'm ready to begin.  I'll finish this blog tonight after I've written my daily goal of 2,000 words.  Let's see what I can do...

8:26 p.m., Nov. 1st

Ok, I'm back.  It's Sunday evening and I've had a busy day with cooking prepartions and dinner guests.  I was able to squeeze an hour of writing into my morning schedule and a half hour tonight.  I have written 2,494 words so far.

I've learned through years of experience that you don't have to start writing from the beginning.  Whichever chapter captures your interest - write that one first.  You can always piece the whole thing together like a puzzle later.  I read somewhere that Stephenie Meyer (of Twilight fame) began writing her book on chapter 13.  She then wrote the ending, the beginning and then glued the whole thing together.  Do what works for you.

Today, I decided to write about a conflict my protagonist (Pamela) must face - peer pressure.  She has recently moved to a new town and cannot find a group of friends at her new school.  She meets a neighborhood girl who introduces her to rebellious behaviors such as ditching school, lying and stealing.  Pamela knows these actions are wrong, but in her desperation to find a place to belong, she casts asides her own personal beliefs and succumbs to the pressure of the group.

Tomorrow's goal - another 2,000 words.

TTFN