The Insanity That Is NaNoWriMo

November is the month of Christmas decorations appearing in shops, moustaches, Thanksgiving (if you live in America/are married to one), bad weather and it's also the month when thousands of people around the world sit down to attempt banging out a novel.  

The name?    NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)
The aim?       To write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days
The reason?  Insanity

Don't get me wrong.  I'm doing it this year too.  I'll admit insanity quite happily, to quote Disney's Alice In Wonderland;

You're completely bonkers, but I'll tell you a secret.  All the best people are.

I watched last November as my husband not only completed the goal but exceeded it to 80,000 words!  And it was crazy but definitely seemed like something I wanted to attempt as well.  So this year I've gotten stuck into the whole business and so far it seems to be going well (*knock on wood and hope I haven't jinxed myself*).  But trying to figure out where to go and what to write proved far more difficult than I thought it would.

I spent the week leading up to November thinking about one story and then on the day before it started switched to something different.  With the roughest of guidelines in my head (and on a random scrape of paper that I'm guarding for dear life) I've got an idea where I'm going, but day one was worrying to say the least.

Due to commitments outside of NaNo I didn't have time to sit and write until 8 o'clock in the evening.  With just four hours to try and hit my minimum target of 1,667 words for the day I was anxious.  But once I got past that first hurdle known as paragraph one everything seemed to flow, thankfully.  That first paragraph is definitely the most stressful I think, any reader will tell you that if the first page doesn't grab them chances are they won't read the rest of the story.  The less commonly known statistic is that most readers make up their mind about a story within the first few sentences.  How's that for pressure?

But despite all the nerves and confusion NaNoWriMo does something wonderful, it brings people who love to write together in a huge global community and gives support to what is usually a very lonely activity.  I've already met some interesting and fun people through NaNo and it's only day three, can't wait to see what the rest of this month will bring in terms of inspiration, people and experiences.

Fair dues to all my compatriots taking part in NaNoWriMo this year and good luck reaching at elusive goal.  

 

FanFiction = The Playground For Your Imagination

I enjoy reading fanfiction.  It's not something many people will admit but I love it.  You know why?  Cause it's a platform that gives everyone the opportunity to play with someone else's toys. 
You have to admire that imagination and will to share ideas with others.   Not everyone who writes fanfiction is a good writer, but similarly not every fanfiction story is badly written either.  You'd be surprised at how in-depth and detailed some stories are.  And the internet is the merry-go-round that is used to share these ideas with the world.
Some people just need that little encouragement to put their own story out there and I think fanfiction is a great medium for that.  It let's them play with already established and beloved characters while they and the reader indulge in a bout of make believe as they write.
In a world where you're always hoping your favourite TV shows will have a crossover episode or two the realm of fanfiction allows for that fix of fantasy.  I've read stories of Dorothy Gale landing in Middle Earth instead of Oz, of Harry Potter being raised by goblins and of the Buffy crew duking it out with members of Stargate.  And I loved every bit of discovering these wonderful ideas from anonymous writers all over the world. 
Imagination is something to be encouraged and nurtured.  If you don't agree then try going without the internet for a few days, hell go without any electronic devices and you might soon change your mind.  Without imagination DaVinci wouldn't have dreamed of his flying machine, Alexander Graham Bell wouldn't have invented the telephone, Tolkien would never have created the lush world of Middle Earth.  We need to celebrate imagination and embrace it as something essential to life as we know it.
That's why I'm a fan of fanfiction.  'Cause it let's your mind enjoy other people's imaginations and ideas, it takes worlds and characters that you're familiar with and throws them into situations that are interesting, entertaining and often amusing.  It's a simple way to loose yourself in a fun little corner of the internet for a time and just let your brain ramble down the road of "what if".

Storytime

I like stories.  Interesting characters and intertwining plots, dumb decisions that make you roll your eyes and silly shenanigans that make you laugh.  TV, film, books, hell even the Eurovision can give you a story.  In case you don't believe me on the Eurovision front just look at Serbia's or Australia's entry for this years contest.  When watching we came to the decision that Australia's song was just too good for Eurovision, also how is Australia part of Europe?!
Moving on; stories are the basis of life as far as I'm concerned.  Every culture on Earth has myths and legends that are at the core of their culture.  The best way to learn about a different culture is to read or listen to some of their stories.  Watch the films that come out of other countries instead of only ones direct from Hollywood.  Personally I've been enjoying going back and watching some old Jackie Chan martial art movies from Hong Kong, my favourite so far is Legend of The Drunken Master. 
And it highlights exactly what I mean.  The first time I watched that film I found some things weird, there was particular emphasis put on strange places in the dialogue or action than what you'd seen in western movies.  But it was great because it led to a fascinating conversation with my movie buff husband and my story buff drinking buddy about filming and storytelling for different audiences.
That conversation lasted two days and we still keep popping back to it every once in a while.  Sharing the bits that we found most interesting (for me is was the seriously impressive fight choreography and the great camera work that showcased it) is the best way to find out more.  I learn so much more about things, namely working in film, when those two get going.  It also gives me a nice feeling when I contribute a point that neither of them had thought of which makes me smiles and feel like I know more than I do.
I've been writing a story for a few years now and it's nice to think that I'm learning how to share an interesting plot with others without being repetitive or dull.  Still nervous about sharing it with others though.  It's one thing to share my thoughts here in a semi-anonymous setting but to actively give someone my original story and leave myself open for criticism or ridicule.  It's a very scary thought to me.  I don't have a thick skin (I've tried to develop one but it's a bit of a lost clause) and to have someone pick apart my story that I worked on and put effort into is one of my biggest fears.
No one likes to fail and I've always thought I can tell a good story, so to maybe share it with others who'll take delight in tearing it down is terrifying for me.  But I'm still writing and someday I do want to share it with others because I like to hear what people think, I like the different perspectives that clashing personalities bring to the table and I love hearing someone saying that they liked something I wrote or they thought it was funny/interesting.