Woo!

50,000!

NaNoWriMo Novel: Extract

...

Millie Battle fastened the last of the mismatched oversized buttons on her patchwork swing overcoat, and turned her face into the rain as the sound of a car motor breathing its exhaust fumes into the cool night air approached from somewhere in the dark.

The grey tarmac sparkled black under the spitter and spatter of the autumnal downpour; high gentle sprays of water casting thick over the pavements and pedestrians at every approach, and every passing, of vehicles on the road. Darkened shop window displays and worn painted bricks lined both sides of the street, humming out into the twilight with an odd sense of abandonment. This was the high-street after closing hours, with lofty metal streetlamps hanging their heavy orange haze, and casting the run of the street in a yawning glow.

Some of those passing would be on their way into town, Millie mused, back to the drone and hub where they would be reunited with loving homes and families; back to the burl and comfort of a thick carpet and a wallpapered living room, where greetings came in the form of a child's happy laughter, or the warm embrace of a lover's hug.

...

In the News

Four days in, and so far so good! As predicted, there has been an initial surge of activity as ideas and inspiration abound. I really want to get back to working on my wordcount just now, so this is just a quick update to share some news.

As part of this year's NaNoWriMo, my co-ML (Stu) and myself arranged for a Kicking Off Party to celebrate the start of this year's challenge. In hindsight, Hallowe'en perhaps was not the best choice of days to host it, but the party was held on Sunday 31st October a mere few hours before the frantic scratch and scribble of writing began. The location we chose was a local Caffe Nero shop, with staff who were both enthusiastic and accomodating, and who had an ideal space for us to use in a tucked away corner upstairs. And what a brilliant location it turned out to be. And the turnout was amazing - guests even included a journalist and photographer from the Essex Chronicle newspaper! And today, the article came out.

This screenshot was taken of the online story, but it's been printed in today's paper, too! We all had a fabulous time, and I'd just like to thank Caffe Nero for letting us use their premises for a few hours!

And We're Off!

"the time invites you; go"

- Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Good Luck!

Media

It's been all go this past month or so, what with planning and preparation for NaNoWriMo. One of the things I've been doing over the last few weeks is advertising: that is, sending out press releases and 'bigging up' Essex (or the Essex region, at least). Last week, I was contacted by one of the places that I sent out a release to: BBC Essex radio.

The lady who contacted me, Chris, was lovely and very helpful. We spoke a few times over the course of a couple of days, and arranged for an on-air interview scheduled for this morning. So, at about half past ten today, along with co-ML for Essex - Stu, we let the county know about NaNo. For anybody interested, you can find the interview on BBC iPlayer here. It's probably only available for the next week, so make sure that you check it out before it expires.

The First Post

October opens with dry skies, and a glowing golden crescent moon. Not a bad start to the month, considering all of the torrential rain and terrible weather we've been having these past couple of weeks.

The roll of a new month seemed like a good opportunity to launch my blog. Here it is then - hello. And speaking of new beginnings, today also marks the 'it's-exactly-one-month-until-the-start-of-NaNoWriMo' point, and is therefore cause for serious alarm.

For those that are not familiar, 'NaNoWriMo' is an annual challenge in which contestents gather (online, for the most part) and attempt to write 50,000 words in one month (November). Crazy, right? Perhaps, but definitely worth it come December 1st and you have a brand new 50,000 page manuscript! Anybody can take part, from anywhere in the world, and nobody ever has to read anything you've written.

I've taken part in the challenge several times now, with each November throwing ridiculously unhelpful, time-consuming, and non-writing-based hiccoughs to distract me and hinder my word count. This year, I've applied to become - and have been appointed as - a (joint) Municipal Liaison for the Essex region. So I'm extra determined to have a good run. This next month will undoubtedly be filled with planning and preparations - both in terms of ML-ing, and in terms of planning for my own 50,000 words. I'm thinking I'm going to try a crime fiction story.

I'll keep you posted on updates as and when. If you're interested in taking part, check out the website for more information!

Catch you later.