Scrivener

How’s everybody’s All Hallows eve treating them. Mine currently involves drinking cans of Polish lager and chewing far too many cheap sweets. My teeth are starting to get paranoid that our relationship is coming to an end.

This is just a quick entry to let you know about what’s going to be happening here at Insert Witty Pop Culture Reference Here ( I really wish I picked a better name) for the month of November. There is going to be a slight change in the format due to some interesting projects I’ve got going on.

November, those interested in writing will know, is a very busy month. It is National Novel Writing Month. For anyone who isn’t let me explain. NaNoWriMo as it is down is an annual event where writers from around the world (It started off in just one country and they didn’t want to lose the snappy abbreviation) attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in the calendar month.

This is my first attempt at it. There is no prize as such, other than pride but it seems to be a great motivational tool and a good way to chat to other writers and get advice and feedback on the writing process. I’ve always wanted to write a novel and the whole point of this blog was to build up a discipline to write more. So lets give it a go.

My novel was originally going to be called Daffy Duck and the Intenet Café, but I was worried that people might associate that with the Danny Boyle movie The Beach.(I presume the same character is in the Alex Garland Novel...but I haven't read it.) Then somebody did link them together so I decided to change the title. So far it is called Status Update but that is liable to change.

Hopefully it will be a Hornby-esque tale of a guy struggling to find his place in a grown up world. It sounds semi-autobiographical and to be honest there will be lots of elements of me in the hero including some of the things he does and sees. Hey, they say write what you know.

I don’t know if any of you has tried to write 50, 000 words before but considering it takes me a 2-3 hours to write a standard one of my blogs (about 1500 words.) So its quite intimidating. Editing of the 50, 000 words is discouraged as the idea of the programme is to complete the novel regardless of spelling, grammar or stylistic flow. That can all be checked in December.

Of course this means my normal blog writing schedule will suffer.

But fear not I hope to still be posting here. I plan to use the site as a way to monitor my progress on the novel and keep a kind of diary in my first proper concerted effort at producing a book. This way if you guys want to give me any tips or advice or a kick up the arse you can do it all here. I’d really appreciate it. Of course I could get so swamped that I never get the chance. But it’s a plan anyway

The plan is to do on average 2000 words a day for 6 days a week and then by the end of November Status Update should be complete…that would be awesome. One of the first blogs I did was about how I wanted to be a writer. To finish a draft of a novel I think would be the shine on what has been a good year for me as a new writer.

Also this month, I will be doing a Blog/ Travel writing workshop with award winning writer Theo Dorgan. This should be interesting. I’m not really sure what to expect but hopefully I can take away a couple of things that will help improve my output both here and in general.

There is one more thing happening to me as a writer this month that I will tell you all more about when it is ready. I will say I’m very excited about it I really hope it’s a first step of many for me in making headway in the putting words in sentences business.

Its an hour and 30 minutes before November the 1st. I’m seriously considering getting started as soon as the bells strike midnight. Wish me luck.