We've just ticked over the halfway point of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNo), fifteen days in to a thirty-day writing spree.
If you managed even the most cursory of sweeps across the various Twitter posts, essays, and blogs that spawn around this event, you'd be sure to find a few comments comparing NaNo to a Marathonian challenge. Having entered and completed the 2009 London Marathon*, I can certainly see a number of ways in which the analogy fits:
1. The preparation: I'm sure there are some who can just wing their NaNo novel (and an even greater number who'll claim to do so) but, for me, decent preparation has made a huge difference: a rough plot outline, character profiles, notes of key themes and events I wish to explore - all of these not only helped me start but have also been my barometer to check subsequent progress.
2. The discipline: Write. Every day. No excuses. Write, write, write....
3. Pacing: As important for writing as it is for the running. I've seen a few blogs and tweets that have gone along the lines of "Day One: SEVEN THOUSAND WORDS! THIS SH*T IS EASY!!!", followed by "DAY THREE: ONLY FOUR THOUSAND TODAY! #WRITINGGOD #EASYEASYEASY", and then...silence. Nada. Zip. Zero. Perhaps these folk have transcended in to some divine writing state and are now churning out 100k+ word masterpieces of Shakespearean-quality prose. For some reason, I can't help but doubt it...
4. 'The wall': I've had a couple of slow days, moments where the imagination and vocab becomes claggy and stubborn, but I'm yet to hit the NaNo Wall. I know it's coming though. The only difference is that a creative 'Wall' can appear at any time, from day one to day twenty-one, rather than the real marathon's classic 18-20 mile barrier of disheartening pain. Like all the best (worst?), most-menacing spectres, we know it's an ominous inevitability, on likely lurking around the next corner.
5. The Targets: When I was gearing-up for the London marathon's test, I did a twenty-mile preparation race during which I fell into step with a seasoned runner, a smiley middle-aged man who gave me some fantastic advice on setting targets. "Make sure you have three targets," he said. "The first should be aspirational, the second more realistic, and the third a fall-back." The logic was that, if you found yourself missing the first target you still had another to to keep you motivated rather than become dispirited. "The fallback should be just to finish," he'd cautioned, advice I not only followed but have subsequently passed on to other runners attempting their first marathon.
My running targets were: sub-four hours; sub 4:25 (beating a friend's time); cross the finish line (preferably alive).
My NaNo targets are: complete and workable first draft; hit 50k word count; not drive myself insane. Actually, now I think on it, the third target may well prove the hardest to achieve.
There are, however, a couple of ways in which the NaNo's strays from the marathon metaphor. There's no way that writing a first draft (or even 50k words) in a month is anything other than a sprint, particularly for those more careful and considered (read: slow) writers, like me. The NaNo - and let's be honest about this - is the evil twin to the marathon's noble goal of improving physical fitness: NaNo wants you to forgo daylight, to lock yourself away in darkened room and write, to the exclusion of all else.
Both are challenges of resolve, endeavour, and self-belief. They are daunting and (I hope!) rewarding in their own ways.
So, the obvious question then: how am I getting on?
Well, if you're measuring purely on word count then the answer is a resounding, shout-it-from-the-rooftops, declaration of "acceptable". When I finished writing a little over seven hours ago, I'd hit 27,471 words, and I'm aiming to hit the 30k mark by the close of play today. The numbers look slightly better when you consider I only started writing on Day Four.
Remember, you can follow my NaNo progress here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/therealedwardlaven/novels/dysfunctional-320505/stats
Easier still is to follow me on Twitter or 'subscribe' via my Facebook page.
Till the next update. Hopefully not such a long wait for the next one.
Edd.
*4hrs 12mins, in case you were wondering. It's an okay time, but remains a regret that I didn't hit that sub-four time....one day. One day!
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