NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, aka November… the month when many writers challenge themselves to write 1667 words a day for 30 days, or 50,000 words in a month.
50,000 words is the length of a typical novel.
What’s to Prepare?
Folks in my life chuckle when I say I’m going to “prepare” for NaNoWriMo.
“Don’t you just sit down and start typing?”
In theory, yes, but writing that many words in a month is daunting. 1667 words is about five and a half pages. Not book pages, but computer pages. 250 words a page.
No big deal, right? I sit at the computer all freakin’ day long typing anyway.
Diversions
Damn, the AC isn’t blowing out cool enough air. The path to get there is blocked by the Diet Cokes and the case of water. The large trash bag needs to go out and that’s in front of the computer table that has the water and Diet Cokes under it. It won’t move out of the way until I move all of the crap first. I need to get the vacuum cleaner thingie… the small one with just the right attachment so it will suck up the dirt in the weird AC filter area. And that’s in the back. I’ll have to turn the AC around, but make sure I don’t pull the hose out of the AC unit or the window or I will be seriously screwed trying to get them back where they are supposed to go. Every time I turn the AC, water pours out of the bottom, so I will need to make sure to have plenty of washcloths and towels near, but I’ll have to hang them on my shoulder because I will have moved the table out of the way to get to the AC. I have to unplug something on the plug tower to plug the vacuum thing in… what will I unplug? I guess the fan. Damn, it’s going to get hotter in here. I better get this done fast.
See my dilemma? If I was going to do this on a NaNoWriMo day, half my day would be taken up by scut work instead of writing.
Diversion Definition: Scut, aka Scut Work – work no one wants to do but that has to get done anyway. Often the least senior person on a team is relegated to scut work. This is a common term in the medical world and where I learned it first. Drawing blood, starting IVs, taking vitals, cleaning bedpans, cleaning instruments, making sterile packs, etc. are all considered scut work.
Stop Hopping Around
See how my mind can jump around? Probably like yours, but in different ways. So when I sit down to write during NaNoWriMo (and what I “should” do any time I sit down to write), I need to not wander the Internet, not search for definitions, not look for music to listen to, and certainly not watch YouTube videos.
Oh Yeah, Preptober
I needed a prep for Preptober, but am catching up now.
I’m looking around my space and getting things done that I can ahead of time.
- Making a couple of playlists (Plenty of writers have a playlist for each character! I am not that particular.)
- Filling my medication boxes
- Making a menu so I don’t have to think, just toss something in the microwave
- Keeping up with the laundry
- Cleaning the room well and then keeping it clean
- Etc.
<sarcasm> I’m sure this was the most fun blog post you’ve read in a long time. </sarcasm>
Off to see what else I can prep!
Oh, and I did get the AC filters cleaned, the trash out, and the Diet Cokes and water restacked and every surface cleaned and the floors vacuumed.
Too bad I can’t sleep or I’d take a nap.
Navelgazing Writer 