Our Cockeyed 50,000-Word Endeavour

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"Gotta meet my quota." Image: tumblr

“Gotta meet my quota.” Image: tumblr

We’re gonna do it.

After much thought, and much pestering of the people around us, we are joining the NaNoWriMo challenge.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, an event that takes place each November.

The goal is to write the first draft of a novel in 30 days. The novel must be 50,000 words, which is roughly 1,667 words per day.

It’s crazy, really. We think it’s the writing equivalent of the Polar Bear Plunge.

However, good or bad, we’re determined to do this. We think we’re ready: We’ve outlined a plot, sorted out characters, and stocked up on brownies and cake.

So we will be sans blog in November, and won’t be wandering around social media very often.

But we’ll see you in December!

Posted in Excitement

Happily blogging about old movies and using the royal "We".

41 Comment on “Our Cockeyed 50,000-Word Endeavour”

  1. popegrutch October 30, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    I’ve done NaNo three times (“winning” twice). I always support it by hosting write-ins at the library where I work, but this year I’ve got too many other writing projects to take time out for a novel. But, it can be done. Just keep up the stimulants and sugars, and run with it!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 10:57 am

      Awesome! You’ve won twice?! That’s great, but I’m not surprised to hear it. Organizing write-ins is such a fab show of support. Hopefully you’ll be back & winning again next year! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. realthog October 30, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    Good luck with the challenge, Ruth!

    (Hm. I expect the result to be published as one of James Patterson’s Bookshots. No, it’ll be far better than that.)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 10:59 am

      Haha! Thanks! I want to know what the experience is like. I just have to remind myself it’s a first draft & not to get hung up on making “perfect” paragraphs – whatever that is.

      Like

      Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:01 am

      Thanks! I really want to say I wrote 50,000 words. When I hit that milestone, you’ll be able to hear my whoop of joy clear across the country.

      Like

      Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:03 am

      Thanks! This is a Bucket List item, as nerd-y as that sounds. I may never do it again, but I’m determined to get to 50,000 words this year.

      Like

      Reply
  5. Debbi October 30, 2016 at 7:30 pm

    Wow! Best of luck with your endeavor! 🙂

    Knock ’em dead! You can do it!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:06 am

      Thanks! I’m going for it even if my words are sheer drivel. Also, I have back-up cake in the freezer to boost energy levels.

      Like

      Reply
  6. Erin October 30, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    Good luck! That’s quite a project to take on, but I’m sure your novel will be great.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:07 am

      Thanks! I’m not expecting great things, but I am expecting to write my 50,000th word on November 30. I’ve been thinking about it for a few years, and this is the year I’m finally doing it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. shadowsandsatin October 30, 2016 at 9:42 pm

    That’s awesome, Ruth! I wish you every success!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:09 am

      Aw, thanks, Karen! It won’t be Hemingway, but it will be 50,000 words – even if I have to eat chocolate non-stop for the next 30 days! (And wouldn’t that be a shame?)

      Like

      Reply
      1. Shari November 18, 2016 at 10:46 am

        You mean if I write 50,000 words I get to eat chocolate non-stop for 30 days? I’m in! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Silver Screenings November 18, 2016 at 5:47 pm

        Haha! Yes, don’t you find chocolate really helps the creative juices?

        Like

  8. That Other Critic October 30, 2016 at 10:35 pm

    The best of luck to you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:10 am

      Thanks! I’m quite excited about it, although I’ll likely be hating life around November 15…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Tonya October 31, 2016 at 9:20 am

    How exciting!!! Oh, I wish I could too, but editing my current work’s taking that time away and I am so ready to tackle another already story in my head. I’m looking forward to hearing of your progress with it!! Good luck! Yay!! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 11:16 am

      Thanks! I’ve been thinking about it for a few years, but timing wasn’t right. Am excited to be doing it this year. I may never do it again, but I want the bragging rights.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Tonya October 31, 2016 at 11:19 am

        Understood! Well, above all, be sure to have fun with it!

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Davide Mana October 31, 2016 at 4:34 pm

    Best wishes!
    Considering I’ve been writing for a living these last six months (long story) I haven’t time for the NaNoWriMo proper, but I’m doing something similar.
    I’m calling it NENoWriMo… Not Exactly the Novel Writing Month: I’m going to write a 25/30.000 words novella in November, then edit and self-publish it in December. Just because.
    Right now I’ve only got a theme (the mystery of the Templar Knights) and a tag-line (“Like Dan Brown, but lowbrow”)… it’s gonna be fun.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings October 31, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      Excellent! The Templar Knights theme sounds intriguing. Best of luck!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  11. Rick November 5, 2016 at 3:37 pm

    That is awesome! We wish you the best. Stick to a routine. Write something every day, even when you’re pooped. And know that we’ll be baking more brownies (albeit virtual ones) for you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings November 6, 2016 at 9:36 am

      Haha! Thanks, Rick. I’ll certainly help myself to those virtual brownies. 😉

      Like

      Reply
  12. Sarah Brentyn November 11, 2016 at 11:54 pm

    So, wow. I’m proper impressed. I’ve never participated in NaNo. Good luck, good eating, have fun, and I’ll see you on the other side. 😜 Looking forward to hearing about your “Cockeyed Endeavor”. (You should take a NaNo “before” and “after” photo. I’ve always wanted to see one of those.)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings November 12, 2016 at 5:08 pm

      NaNo before & after photos are a great idea! Am having a blast eating my way – er, I mean *writing* my way through this project. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Sarah Brentyn November 12, 2016 at 5:20 pm

        Right? I think everyone should take those. And then, of course, show them to me. 🙂 We should start a trend. (Why do I feel like we’re always starting something?)

        Glad to hear you’re having a blast. Keep going! You can do it! Stuff like that.

        Like

      2. Sarah Brentyn December 2, 2016 at 5:47 pm

        I can’t wait to see what you’ve written during NaNo. Will there be an update here? 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Silver Screenings December 3, 2016 at 5:09 am

        I might do an update next month, once I take a fresh look at the draft. I’m not sure what next steps look like, but I do know a rigorous edit is needed.

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Shari November 18, 2016 at 10:49 am

    I’m so excited for you, Ruth! I hope it is going well and you are enjoying the process. Do we get to read what you write when you’re done? I would sure love to! Best wishes to you in your writing endeavors!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings November 18, 2016 at 5:47 pm

      I’m having a lot of fun and, surprisingly, I’m almost finished! I’ve been thinking about this story for a while and NaNoWriMo was the perfect opportunity it to finally write it. 🙂

      Like

      Reply
  14. Moody Moppet November 20, 2016 at 1:43 am

    This sounds very challenging. I’m curious to see what you’ll come up with. Lots of luck to ya! 🙂

    Like

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings November 23, 2016 at 4:51 pm

      Ack! Somehow I missed this comment. Thanks very much for the well wishes. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood November 22, 2016 at 8:31 am

    Congratulations Ruth. This sounds exciting. I would love to do something like this, but at the moment I’m about to embark on the research process for a biography I’ve been planning to write for ages. I’m sure your novel would be epic though. Would love to read it.

    I also stopped by to invite you to participate in my next blogathon that I’m co-hosting. Here is the link below with more details.

    https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/11/21/announcing-the-carole-lombard-the-profane-angel-blogathon/

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings November 22, 2016 at 6:16 pm

      Good luck with the biography! I hope it goes well. 🙂

      I’ll be by to check out the Carole Lombard-a-thon. Thanks for the invite!

      Like

      Reply
  16. carygrantwonteatyou December 2, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    So love that this is not only on your bucket list too, but that you’re doing it. Congrats!! That’s a fantastic endeavor. Hope it was–well I don’t know if fun is the word, but rewarding:)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings December 2, 2016 at 4:03 pm

      Thanks! It actually was a lot of fun! I’d been thinking about my story for several months, so when it came time to write, it just fell onto the keyboard. However, this first draft is VERY rough. The real work will be in the editing.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  17. J. A. Allen December 4, 2016 at 7:50 am

    I hope you write a blog about it. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Silver Screenings December 4, 2016 at 9:25 am

      Thanks, I just might do an update… A Things I Learned type of post.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. Pingback: Help Wanted: Beta Readers, Publishing Advice and Sleuthing Skills – Silver Screenings

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