The month of November has been a wonderful trip to another world. It all started one blustery autumn evening when I decided to brashly sign up for the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) adventure with encouragement from the husband and some friends (Krishna Srinivasan in particular). What has happened since is amazing. I had a target count to achieve for daily words written. Give me something like this, and you will find me walking around with the flame lit till done.
In the first week, I must admit things were harder than I thought. I found I had practically finished all I had to say by Chapter 3 (I exaggerate as usual, but you get the drift.) That would not do, would it? So, I expanded the story line, and brought in little snippets from the past and built back-story. In short, I had the time of my life. Inspiration is a funny thing, for it graced me when I showed up everyday, and struggled and it graced at me at the most unlikely of times (Read 2 a.m., and that would keep me awake planning the next day’s writing till 4 am. and of course, do a poor job of it the next day.)
The funny thing is that I have achieved the target of 50,000 words in 25 days, but I have not finished the story arch yet. I think I need at least another 10,000 words for the first draft to finish. Nothing panned out the way I visualized – the story yanked me from under my navel and pulled me along like a tug boat headed somewhere uncharted and all I could do was hang on and write the best I could. Even the novel heading started out as something else, but I think I have a better title now.
2013-Nanowrimo-Winner-Certificate
I have visualized the end, but as I write, I will know whether it is a suitable end or not. I have always been fairly regular at writing, but the necessity of doing a minimum word count everyday was another marathon altogether. Like running a marathon, this is a journey just worth finishing, for no one can take the joy of the journey from me.
PS: Just to give it perspective, a typical blog post is about 300-400 words, and I had to write approximately 2000 words everyday.
Nourish-n-Cherish 
Brilliant. Totally Brilliant. Way to go, Saumya.
Thanks Anand for your encouragement as always 🙂
Very impressed with your focus and deliver the goal (that too ahead of schedule).
Thanks Sri 🙂 Could not have done it without you. I know you are itching to know the general plot !
Wow!
Can we read the novel?
Yes…sure one day SK. The problem with NaNoWriMo is that there is no editing – it is brute force writing. So, it will take a few iterations of editing before I can put up a few chapters. But I plan to do so.
Yes please start posting- don’t bother about editing…
Are you sure? I might have to send you some snippets to get feedback then 🙂
Catching up with your blogs after my India trip and what a pleasant surprise this. Awesome achievement! Heartiest Congratulations. Do
share the novel once it is available. The title has gotten me very inquisitive and wondering 😉
I think it is an interesting premise. But every writer feels that way about their work right? So, I will probably talk to you about it on one of our hikes and get your take on it. I haven’t discussed the story with anybody so far 🙂
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