My first NaNoWriMo!

2015 seems like a year of many firsts for me. I had signed up for my NaNoWriMo account probably in July. Suddenly, it is almost November and NaNoWriMo is about to start!

Honestly, right now I have zero preparation for the novel I am apparently about to write this November. I have no plot/draft planned. October was a busy month – with the big move and then the settling down. In between all these, I wouldn’t blame myself for having forgotten all about noveling plans.

Yesterday, I logged into my long-dormant NaNoWriMo account and set up the title and the synopsis of the novel. It was done quite late at night, in the span of an hour or so, so it’s perhaps not the best product that I could come up with. But I will go ahead and share the synopsis with you:

The Delayed Adulthood

Genre: Mainstream
Synopsis

Asha is 22. She has recently completed college and moved half-way across the country to start her career.

She has a print out of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost pasted on the wall of her room. A picture of taken with her family sits on the fancy shelf of her lavish apartment.

As she delves into the nooks and crannies of the corporate world, she remembers the young girl who used to walk on the terrace of her parent’s home, talking to herself about the things she hopes to do when she is grown up, only faintly believing that all she imagined might one day come true. Or maybe not.

The Delayed Adulthood is a coming-of-age novel about a bespectacled, nervous girl who is unsure of the effect she has on people. Slowly, as the places and faces in her life change and life opens up new, unfamiliar avenues, she is faced with that itchy question that has plagued all of us at some point in our lives: Is growing up even worth it?

Honestly, I have no clue if I will be able to churn out those 50,000 words in 30 days. Yet, I want to participate in this because I need writing to become a daily habit for me. Having entered job market, I know how well time needs to be managed in order to squeeze a few minutes for our creative outlets. Just so I don’t get into the habit of eating, going to office, sleeping cycle where there is no time to write, I want to experiment with NaNoWriMo.

Writing a novel is particularly daunting for me, because I have tried that without success. I had written four-five chapter for more than one could-have-been novel, but none was completed. Most of the time, having written the first few chapters, I did not know how to proceed. So, with just a few hours to go before this noveling bee starts buzzing non-stop across laptops and papers all around the world, I am at a loss as to where to start from. Thankfully, tomorrow is a Sunday, so maybe I will be able to give it some thought and come up with a plan for the novel. Wish me luck!

What about you? How has your NaNoWriMo experience been like? What would your suggestions be for me so that I can see my novel through completion? Please share your thoughts with me in the Comments below. Also, if you like, feel free to add me as a writing buddy on NaNoWriMo! See you there!

22 thoughts on “My first NaNoWriMo!

  1. belinda o

    From what I understand, the point is to write, not to have anything top-notch. It doesn’t even have to be usable at the end, some people find the process just to be a good kick-start and the real work begins after the month is over! Stories tend to take on a life of their own, synopsis or not, so don’t worry about it. Just have fun.

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  2. BERYL

    Go, girl! U can do it! N so will I. Missed d april one for d same reasons, moving to another city with a new job. This time m going to do it, come what may. M not a novelist nor do I pretend to be one, but it will be a great exercise for the little grey cells.

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  3. anankhan98

    The first time I registered for NaNoWrimo (last year), I started with a pretty weird idea. There was a lot of things going on, and, well, not exactly a very strong storyline. Diverse characters, yes. Life changing events, yes. Plot, NO. I couldn’t finish the whole thing, because I had pretty serious tests coming up the next month (which is what’s happening again this year). I finally finished the first draft in February this year.
    I let it sit. It’s still a first draft. Not the maximum size it could be, since I didn’t chug out everything. In fact, I added a few scenes later on. However, because I committed to NaNoWriMo, I thought long and hard, and came up with an actual plot for that story. That’s what I’m going to try to do this time, reshape it and make it more than just words on paper.
    I’m glad you’re going for a novel, Arpi! Many many prayers for you!
    Live long and prosper.

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