* Middle-schoolers are a crazy bunch and must rail against the system.
I am also known far and wide for my adherence to fashion rules. Oh, Oscar de la Renta, before he died, swooned (and often fainted, he was so aghast) over my fashion choices. The rule I stick to:
* Crocs are appropriate in every situation. A black tie event? Black Crocs, of course.
Here comes the sticky wicket when it comes to rule-following. NaNoWriMo is coming up, and there is no way in not-heaven (as Val is fond of saying) that I want to start another project. I don't have another novel novel idea in me. The well in me has run dry when it comes to that long of a fictional project.
However, I do have a NaNo from cough*cough*cough (several years ago--more than two coughs, Cathy C. Hall). Last year, I scrapped the whole thing and started--more or less--from scratch. It's been slow slogging, and now I have 20,000 words on the page (and lots of mashed potatoes under my belt).
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| Here is a picture of my original NaNoWriMo novel. It will be lining my guinea pig cage...whenever I get a guinea pig. |
I was a NaNoWriMo participant last year, and the other writers in my writing critique group (the WWWPs) called ourselves NaNoWriMo Rebels. We adored many of the components, but--for the most part--were not strictly adhering to the rules.
Should I be a rebel again? I know I can't keep up with the word count (I teach third grade and it's a brutal year, workload-wise) but I benefit from the
I figure that however I can add to my word count, I should do it. But what do I call myself, since I was a NaNoWriMo Rebel last year? I need a new name on a new badge to pin onto myself, since it's a new year for NaNo.
Any suggestions?
How about a NaNoWriMo Maverick?
ReplyDeleteClaudia--I like it. I'll maverick it up the whole month.
DeleteSioux, one year I did a modified NaNoWriMo and cranked out a first draft of a middle-grade novel at 20,000 words. So I guess you could say I'm a rebel, too! I think you should be productive in November however you see fit, but be sure to tell all your friends what you're working on you can be held accountable! And eat as many mashed potatoes as you like.
ReplyDeleteRenee--You said a nasty word--the "a" word.
DeleteAccountable? You think I should set a goal and expect myself to meet it? (Yeah, I know. If I let everyone know where I've set the bar, perhaps I WILL be able to hurdle over it.
The unlimited mashed potatoes sounds marvelous. ;)
Aw, go ahead and just do it. Be a NaNoWriMo-er. After all, it's not the name that matters, it's the word count.
ReplyDeleteI felt so guilty last year for not doing NaNo, that I'm definitely in this year. It will give me 4 unfinished manuscripts (all NaNo). Now if I can only convince myself to start cleaning them up...
Pat
Critter Alley
Pat--Four? Perhaps you could combine all 4 into some mish-mash type of novel (and in doing so, you'll create a whole new genre)?
DeleteJust kidding.
Good luck, but I don't think you should feel guilty about not doing it. (At least I am able to evade the guilt. ;)
Hmm...I would call you a NaNoWriMo Rage-Against-the-Machiner. Or a NaNoWriMo Do-Not. What I'd really like to call you is The NaNoWriMo Madam, but I have a feeling that you don't want to go around wearing that badge, as it might take away valuable writing time while you try to explain yourself down at the station.
ReplyDeleteA "Do-Not"? I imagine myself as more of a shining beacon of what TO do, not of what NOT to do.
ReplyDeleteHow about a name that would signal that others should do what I do?
How about NaNoWriMo Do-Do?
That sounds more accurate...
Well...I suppose if you're rejecting The NaNoWriMo Madam, then NaNoWriMo Doodoo is the next best thing. Or was that NaNoWriMo DODO?
DeleteI think perhaps you're missing out on NaNoWriMo Chock Full O' Crocs. Not that it has anything to do with writing. But it would make a statement.
I've got it...NaNoWriMoCrocIt
ReplyDeleteBeen out of town, so I missed this last week. Well, technically I didn't miss it---it popped up in my email so I read and enjoyed it, but I'm only now catching up on comments. :) I'm not doing NaNo this year as I'm in the middle of the 3rd book in my series for Black Opal Books and that needs all my attention. Although now that I think about it, NaNo might help me finish the darn thing before the end of the year, something that right now does not appear likely. The problem with NaNo is that in order to get the 50,000 done I have to write outside of my usual method and then the revisions kill me. I don't know. Maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't. I'm so wishy-washy.
ReplyDeleteBlack Crocs. I like it!