NaNoWriMo.... go!

It's the first of November! Which means NaNoWriMo has begun!

National Novel Writing Month is a challenge where you plan a story and aim to write 50, 000 words within the month of November.

The last time I did this, I didn't actually do the challenge - in 2010 Guild, AreivZ and myself missed the start so formed our own "New Years Novel Writing" challenge, where we gave ourselves 50 days to write 50, 000 words (a significantly easier task).

I finished in 35 days last time (here is my breakdown below, give or take some words):

Given that 30 days is a far narrower timeslot, I'll have to write an average of 1.6k words a day. The key to finishing NaNo is not skipping any days - as long as I push through and write a few hundred words even if I'm writer's blocked, I think I should be fine.

I've planned out my story in the EPIC GREEN PLANNING BOOK Guild bought me a while back! Because I enjoy shamelessly plugging my own writing I'll keep a record of how far along in the challenge I am (percentage wise) on the side bar.

And now, because I am procrastinating from actually starting writing (great, Roz, off to a great start) here is some info on my NaNo project for this year:

• It is written in response to Guild asking me to write her a "brotherly fantasy story"
• It is set in the same world as a fantasy story I had previously planned, but six years earlier (sort of a prequel). This particular world is a continent on a globe I share with Guild and AreivZ - we each have our own continent and will eventually crossover our characters when they travel across the vast oceans! bwahaha
• Said fantasy story I had previously planned is mostly centred around a country called Westverness and its surrounding regions; this story is set on the other side of the continent, in Ascetir
• My main character has an amputated right arm, a big tattoo covering his torso and arms that I ripped off from Prison Break, and is undergoing a prolonged existential crisis
• There are no pirates in this story because I have too many pirate characters already
• Most of the story is set on an island that is removed from what is going on in other parts of the world
• There may or may not be far too many belonging themes in this story (I thought I had escaped forever..... nooooo!)
• The plot itself is reasonably simple; I'm hoping to drive the story through character-centric issues (every character has their own issues/subplot they need to work out)
• The more I think about it the more I realise how horrifically cliched my whole idea is. AH WELL
• A lot of things we did in history regarding the leadup to World War I are becoming increasingly relevant.
• Crystallised magic makes a triumphant return.

...I should probably start actually writing this now. As such, I am off to procrastinate further by bubbleshooting to Imagine Dragons and the Pacific Rim soundtrack, and then washing my hair (as you can see I am being thoroughly productive in the aftermath of my HSC).

THEN I shall write. Hopefully. If I don't start today I'm doomed to fail this thing though (as I said, to have any chance of finishing NNWM you need to write every day even if it's just a few words).

This weekend I'll put up a post about Downton Abbey!

Ta all~

EDIT: 2 hours later and I still haven't started! OTL