Friday, November 2, 2007

National Do Something for a Month Month

If you were not aware, November is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. For NaNoWriMo people try to write a 50,000 word novel (novella). I participated in NaNoWriMo last year, and it was actually a very interesting experience. My novel was crap... but that goes without saying among NaNoWriMo veterans. It's not about quality, it's about quantity. It's about silencing the inner critic and writing writing writing until you can't write anymore and then looking back and seeing that some of it wasn't half bad. One of the mottos of NaNoWriMo is "December is for Editing"; don't delete the crappy paragraph you just wrote, and just stare at your blank page until the perfect words fall into place... keep writing and you might write something really good. And there are parts of my novel that were really good... well, maybe not *really* good, but good enough to make me glad I wrote them, and a few were funny enough to make J. laugh. (Although she does humor me quite a bit so....)

One thing I was particularly proud of in my novel was that my characters actually went to the bathroom. In the entire 7 book / 7 year Harry Potter series there are multiple bathroom scenes, fighting a troll, mixing a spell, solving a riddle, and a fight between students. But only once (that I remember) does a character (never thought I'd quote Senator Craig in my blog) "go to the bathroom, to use the bathroom for bathroom's sake." Which in my mind is totally unrealistic. So the protagonist in my novel did and I think that made her a more developed and realistic character.

I digress. In my recent blogstalking I discovered that November is not just NaNoWriMo, it's also National Sweater Knitting Month (knit a 50,000 stitch sweater), National Make Art Month (create a work of art every day), and National Blog Writing Month (write a blog entry every day). I thought about doing NaNoWriMo again, but I'm pretty sure I only ever had one crappy novel in me. So I thought about doing one of the others, but nothing inspired me. And now it's the second day of November - so any of the 'every day for a month' goals are out of the question. But I'd still like to achieve a meaningless goal this month. So I ask you, gentle reader, what "do something for a month" month would you participate in?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go to the bathroom at least every day for a month?

Rebel said...

LOL! Yeah, I'm already on target for that one.

Bezzie said...

NaNoKnoBo...but you need two people to get that one to work! ;-)

Mag said...

It's Mag's Smart Aleck Awareness Month and I will say, geez, who are these people who have naught to do in November? Oh yeah, they're me! Who refuses to cook Martha Stewart Turkey Dinners and don't require the entire month of Nov. to prepare for one day.
My plans, so far, are to Have No Goals, for the entire months of Nov and Dec. I may not even put up a Tanembaum.

Michael5000 said...

February is the month for the RPM Challenge. I kinda want to try that some year.

http://www.rpmchallenge.com/content/view/844/1/

Rebel said...

That RPM challenge sounds cool... November's not over, you could jump right in this year! No time like the present.

jenn said...

You know, now that my apartment and job are no longer "new" and I'm sort of settled into my life here in Oakland, I've been thinking that I need to do something other than just work and watch The Simpsons on DVD. I think I might start writing again, especially since I actually have a few vague plot ideas rattling around.

Anyway, thanks for the further inspiration...

Rebel said...

No time like the present Jenn!

Karin said...

You've inspired me, Rebel. So for me, it's National Make Art Month.

I didn't read this and embark on this adventure until Sunday the 4th, so I made four small pieces on Sunday. Tried making one last night, but only got part way through, but then tonight I finished it and did a tiny piece for today.

So all in all I'm 6 for 6!
This is more art than I've made all year!

December will be for framing. Right. Like I've got money for that. Okay, 2008 will be for framing.

But I can post pics soon! Bug me about it in a week or two.

Olga said...

Don't you just love Magatha? Shes my hero----I want to be just like her when I grow up. I plan on slackin in every area of my life for Nov. And it just might spill over into the next ten years...

Rebel said...

Karin - I can't wait to see your art!

uber - I do love Magatha... I need to stop feeling guilty about slacking off.

Karin said...

Went to Art Media after work and got more paper and 6 new colors!

woo-hoo!