It Begins!

Today is Friday, April 1st.

Not only is it April Fools Day, but it's also day one of Camp Nanowrimo. And I have been waiting all month for this. I've been itching to get down and dirty, to start the writing portion of this project. March was just he preparation stage: character profiles, story mapping, story bibles, etc. May will be first draft aftercare. But April is the heart of the matter.

April is the month I try to write an entire novel in 30 days. That's right: 30 days. Most novels are between 200 and 300 pages long, and between 20k and 100k words. Think that's hard?

Let's break it down. A word sprint goal of 1000 words in an hour. Completely plausible if you don't stop writing for 5 minutes every other sentence. Now do a word-sprint of 2000 words in 2 hours. In 25 days you will have 50k words. easy. With very little time spent doing it.

Word sprints can be a writer's best friend. Especially one who has a full time job and a family to take care of. Or is a student with a full load of classes (and exams at the same time). Or is a homebody, like me, with a little one running around, like me, who is also being home-schooled, like me.

While Lil Miss is working on her stuff, I can be working on my stuff. When she has her outside play time, I can split the time with her and working outside in the fresh air. If you are traveling, take a notebook with you and write the whole time you are traveling. You can write an entire chapter on a one hour commute (my father commutes that much on his train ride to work one-way. Plausible).

The word sprints may be the way I'll get through this month's writing goal. I can't do what I used to do, which was sit down and ignore everything just to write. I have a family to care for and a little one to teach and play with. I have responsibilities. Just like everyone else.

Time management may be my weakest point, but you most definitely can teach an old dog new tricks.

And it's not too late to join up. Camp Nanowrimo goes through the whole month. Just follow the link on the page I provided up top and enter a little info. Read the forums and get help getting started. Set your own goals for the month and do it.

Anyone else here signed up for Camp Nanowrimo? Leave your comments below and find me at Infinitepen