A Chronicle of NaNoWriMo 2014 – Day 1

So, as I explained in my post NaNoWriMo: Interval Style, this year I’m attempting to write a novel in 22 days, in ‘sprints’ of 5000 words a day and ‘rest days’ of only 500 words. The reason for this is because I’m travelling with family mid-November, and as much as I love getting into the swing with all the awesome people who write in November, I’d like to still have a family at the end of the year.

So, for posterity, to record my trauma, and for your amusement, this is the diary of the first day.

NaNoWriMo 2014 – DAY 1 (21 days to go)

7.15am – Alarm sounds like a dying Dalek. I try to grope for it while still lying down with my eyes closed, and end up pushing it off the nightstand and under the bed instead. Fuck.

7.20am – Make coffee like a zombie. Pass my beloved partner, still deep in the gentle embrace of sweet, sweet, sleep.

7.23am – Sit down at desk armed with coffee and a drink bottle. Turn my laptop on. Look at my outline. Hmm, yes. Right. Conflict. Yes. So I’m starting off with a fight scene… oh shit. What does my hero even use to fight?

7.45am – I reluctantly close my 8 tabs of Wikipedia, Reddit, and TVtropes.org. I take a moment to congratulate myself for my self control and excellent research skills. My hero is totally going to use a staff. Maybe with a knife on top. Oooh, Hook Swords… no. Switch screens back to Scrivener. Turn my timer on. Go.

8.15am – Wow, half an hour already. How am I going… wait, what? 350 words? @#$@^!$. At this rate, it’ll take me over 7 hours to hit 5,000. Better speed up.

8.45am – Hngghhhhhh… what? 700 words? I thought I sped up! Crap, there’s no way I’ll hit 2,500 before I need to head out. No. Positive thoughts, Lee, positive thoughts… only 49,300 words left…

9.05am – Ungnghhhh… gah… 1005 words! Damn it, that’ll do.

9.10am – Immediately open Facebook and complain about the writing pain I inflicted on myself. Go downstairs and complain again to sleepy partner and in-laws. Eat breakfast. Explain to in-laws what NaNoWriMo is and why I’m doing it early (so they don’t disown me when we travel in November). They nod kindly, bemused.

9.20am – Go back upstairs to check Facebook. Holy shit, so many answers already! Damn, I love the NaNoWriMo group. Buoyed, I close the laptop and reluctantly take partner and in-laws shopping as promised.

12.58pm – Hmm, that took longer than I thought. Better keep writing. But first, lunch. And Facebook. Yeah.

1.15pm – Ok. This is it. I need 1,500 for this session. Go!

1.45pm – Hmm. Staff is cool. But no.

2.25pm – Hey, TVtropes seem really keen on polearms. And they’re pretty realistic for the setting too.

2.26pm – Hey, that glaive on Google Images looks sweet! Right. She uses a glaive.

2.27pm – Find: Staff. Replace All: Glaive. Hmm… no effect on word count. Maybe I should choose a weapon with two words? … nah, wasted enough time on Google. Better keep going.

3.30pm – Ooohhhhwawerjjkd… 2,523. Yes! Facebook! Internet!

4.10pm – Hmmm… getting pretty brain-dead. Maybe it’s time to refuel.

 4.15pm – Melted. Cheese. On. Toast. Goddamn brilliant.

4.30pm – Wish this blog post counted toward my word count.

4.34pm – Partner  breaches the inner sanctum to ask how I’m going. I grunt my word count back. Partner congratulates me on getting over halfway, then beats a hasty retreat. Mental note: remember to buy something nice for everyone after this is all over.

5.00pm – Three thousand, one hundred and two words. That’s how I’m writing numbers in Scrivener now. Note to self, switching perspectives to main character is actually easier going. That’s a good sign, right?

5.30pm – ‘Quick break’ on Facebook turns into ‘Half an hour on Facebook’. And I don’t even care, because I’m hanging out with the NaNoWriMo group and the conversation’s merged from me complaining about writing to an army of people coming out to defend me, wielding leaky pens and dictionary shields, and that’s just fucking brilliant and I love the world.

5.45pm – I hate the world.

6.05pm – 3,500 words. Fuck this, I’m going to the gym.

6.55pm – I’m typing maniacally when I realise I have to get ready to go eat Sunday dinner with my family. Shit. 3,831 words.

7.30pm – I spend dinner telling everyone about NaNoWriMo and trying to convince my older brother, also a writer, to join NaNoWriMo on Facebook. In return, he tells me about this guy who’s telling everyone to write in 5 minute block and build on those blocks until you can  finish a book in 14 days. Hardcore. Will give more details once I check it out.

8.43pm – Pleasantly chatting with family over remnants of dinner when I remember that I still have around 1,200 words to write. And also that 9 years ago, my partner and I began our relationship on this exact day. And I have celebrated our 9 year anniversary by hiding away and writing and snapping at anyone who comes too close.

Oh.

Shit.

My brother and sister-in-law offer me some wine to take back as a last-minute gift. My pride is too great to accept.

8.46pm 30 seconds – I turn on the radio for the trip back. I’m not really listening until I hear this semi-bored woman singing ‘Get on top tonight and write it… giddyup, giddyup, giddyup, yeah. Write, write, WRITE!’*

8.46pm, 32 seconds – I realise she’s not singing ‘write’ but ‘ride’. I feel extremely disappointed. And also that I may have finally lost it.

9.01pm – As soon as I get in, I apologise to my partner. Profusely. And then tell them I still have 1,200 words to go and is it all right if we celebrate after? [/shameless].

9.02pm – Back in front of my desk, everything intact, extremely motivated to finish. And also, still in a relationship. I am so goddamn lucky.

9.23pm – Quick break to shower, then back to it.

9.59pm – 5,165 words. I haven’t quite finished the scene like I intended to, but fuck, at least I’ve gotten everything down. I switch back to this window, tidy things up a bit, and hit ‘Post’. Adding this post together with what I’ve written on my story today, I’ve clocked over 6,000 words. I feel extremely proud of myself for a moment, and then I remember that I have to do this again, 8 more times.

… #writing.