My Mind on NaNo
Hey there Rambler's,
Those few of you who tuned in last week are probably expecting the Ten Weeks of Challenges this week however, I've had a bit of a blunder and miscalculated the number of weeks to November in my excitement to commence, so that will Actually begin on August 29th. To those of you who did not tune in last week and are now confused; don't worry, you didn't actually miss anything. I went back and updated the post to remove anything making mention to this week being the debut to that series.
That being said, much like I explained in My Heads in NaNo a few years ago, it can be hard for me to pull my head out of the NaNo verse this time of year. After a conversation last night with a dear friend of mine, I've realized that with each passing year the time period in which this mental takeover occurs is expanding, so I thought I'd take advantage of this weeks post to delve deeper into that.
When does NaNoWriMo mode begin?
Every year begins sooner, but this time it began as early as last year when I was planning for a trip to take place in May of this year to travel to Europe with book research in mind. After my trip, my mind settled back down for a couple of months but the moment August was in view, my mind began thinking about the NaNoWriMo prep work that needed to be done, it decided it wanted to do another Ten Week Challenge, and it began going back through travel notes for plotting purposes.
What happens to this blogger when she realizes NaNoWriMo is around the corner?
What doesn't happen? Once the NaNoWriMo bug is in my head, it begins infecting all thoughts around it like a virus. As time progresses, there is less and less room in my mind for anything else. Each week worse than the last, each year brings a new level of intensity.
These are the side effects:
Everything is research.
And I mean everything. That cupboard that creaks? Don't you dare oil it! It's research for when I decide to write about a creaky old cabin in the woods! That heart break I felt a few years ago when someone took off to face their own demons without so much as a goodbye? Research for a later character who doesn't know if her lover is dead or alive. Nerves paralyzing me as I venture off into the unknown? Research for a character meeting the child he never knew existed. Stuck in the rain? Research. Air conditioner broken? Research. Unwanted attention from a man who won't take no for an answer? Research. People who anger me? Better believe you're going to become a character in one of my books who ends up in trouble somewhere down the line. Research.
Inquisitiveness Level 100
People's personal thoughts and perspectives? Research! That's right, I apologize to all those around me as I did with my friend last night, but I become just as filled to the brim with questions as a toddler who has just learned to question everything around them. "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "But, why?" I become obsessed with the fact that no two people on this earth think the same, and that no one sees a person the same way they see themselves, let alone the same way someone else does. It's all so very fascinating to me, and I just love to understand how people tick differently than myself, how my characters might tick differently. Thoughts like "When they look at that person, what do they observe first about their personality?" and "What in their life has happened to them to cause them to lock onto those traits first, above all the others?" are constantly crossing my mind.. and so I ask them!
Walking Advertisement
If I find out you are even mildly interested in writing, I am going to try to recruit you to NaNoWriMo. Don't think I'll know? Don't you worry, I'll seek out that knowledge by asking you! I will encourage you to sign up, and then I will encourage you in your NaNoWriMo prep and story writing. Why? Because why not? There are a million reasons any given day not to do something, but you only need one good reason to try. Do you enjoy writing? That's your reason. You've got nothing to lose by trying and seeing where it takes you. NaNoWriMo doesn't cost anything but your time and willingness to explore your own creative spirit.
Anyway, that's it for this week. I have some of my own NaNoWriMo preparations to make before I challenge you to yours!
Cheers!
The Bra Street Rambler
Those few of you who tuned in last week are probably expecting the Ten Weeks of Challenges this week however, I've had a bit of a blunder and miscalculated the number of weeks to November in my excitement to commence, so that will Actually begin on August 29th. To those of you who did not tune in last week and are now confused; don't worry, you didn't actually miss anything. I went back and updated the post to remove anything making mention to this week being the debut to that series.
That being said, much like I explained in My Heads in NaNo a few years ago, it can be hard for me to pull my head out of the NaNo verse this time of year. After a conversation last night with a dear friend of mine, I've realized that with each passing year the time period in which this mental takeover occurs is expanding, so I thought I'd take advantage of this weeks post to delve deeper into that.
When does NaNoWriMo mode begin?
Every year begins sooner, but this time it began as early as last year when I was planning for a trip to take place in May of this year to travel to Europe with book research in mind. After my trip, my mind settled back down for a couple of months but the moment August was in view, my mind began thinking about the NaNoWriMo prep work that needed to be done, it decided it wanted to do another Ten Week Challenge, and it began going back through travel notes for plotting purposes.
What happens to this blogger when she realizes NaNoWriMo is around the corner?
What doesn't happen? Once the NaNoWriMo bug is in my head, it begins infecting all thoughts around it like a virus. As time progresses, there is less and less room in my mind for anything else. Each week worse than the last, each year brings a new level of intensity.
These are the side effects:
Everything is research.
And I mean everything. That cupboard that creaks? Don't you dare oil it! It's research for when I decide to write about a creaky old cabin in the woods! That heart break I felt a few years ago when someone took off to face their own demons without so much as a goodbye? Research for a later character who doesn't know if her lover is dead or alive. Nerves paralyzing me as I venture off into the unknown? Research for a character meeting the child he never knew existed. Stuck in the rain? Research. Air conditioner broken? Research. Unwanted attention from a man who won't take no for an answer? Research. People who anger me? Better believe you're going to become a character in one of my books who ends up in trouble somewhere down the line. Research.
Inquisitiveness Level 100
People's personal thoughts and perspectives? Research! That's right, I apologize to all those around me as I did with my friend last night, but I become just as filled to the brim with questions as a toddler who has just learned to question everything around them. "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "But, why?" I become obsessed with the fact that no two people on this earth think the same, and that no one sees a person the same way they see themselves, let alone the same way someone else does. It's all so very fascinating to me, and I just love to understand how people tick differently than myself, how my characters might tick differently. Thoughts like "When they look at that person, what do they observe first about their personality?" and "What in their life has happened to them to cause them to lock onto those traits first, above all the others?" are constantly crossing my mind.. and so I ask them!
Walking Advertisement
If I find out you are even mildly interested in writing, I am going to try to recruit you to NaNoWriMo. Don't think I'll know? Don't you worry, I'll seek out that knowledge by asking you! I will encourage you to sign up, and then I will encourage you in your NaNoWriMo prep and story writing. Why? Because why not? There are a million reasons any given day not to do something, but you only need one good reason to try. Do you enjoy writing? That's your reason. You've got nothing to lose by trying and seeing where it takes you. NaNoWriMo doesn't cost anything but your time and willingness to explore your own creative spirit.
Anyway, that's it for this week. I have some of my own NaNoWriMo preparations to make before I challenge you to yours!
Cheers!
The Bra Street Rambler
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