It’s November – I can hardly believe it! After what seemed like an extended summer, autumn seemed to pass in a flash. In fact it’s the 4th of November, and by this time, from the years of 2012 to maybe 2023 with the couple of years before I had my nose to the writing grindstone. I was attempting the National Novel Writing Month challenge. If you haven’t heard of it you can guess from the name what it was entailed. Participants attempted to write the first draft of a novel of at least 50,000 words during the month of November. The idea was launched in 1999, but of course I was still working then and our children were still at school. A dozen years later, our lives changed, children away at university, I was retired from the day job, and I was freeeeeee!!
My first National Novel Writing Month – NANO saw me writing a story which had been brewing in my mind for quite a while. I had three characters, based on three real people – but in appearance only! I stole their faces (not literally, that would have been a very different story!) and made them brothers. A famous baker, a famous chef, a bloke who worked in our local bookshop became Marcus, Paul and John Radwinter. The narrator was their youngest brother Thomas and I wrote for my thirty days with Thomas as the narrator, each chapter being a day in his life, as well as my writing day. This was the start of the Radwinter saga, and since then, thanks to NANO, there have been seven more published stories.
Since 2012, I wrote each year for the competition and completing the challenge each year – some more successfully than others. At first it was terrific fun – not just the writing, but the “friends” I made, the support, the forums, the chats – there were “rooms” where many people could “meet” and channels where you had what amounted to supportive penfriends. It was wonderful, so exciting, so interesting.
Over the years the organisation changed and developed, however, sadly that wonderful experience of the first year was not repeated. For a few years it was alright, but gradually I felt as if I was writing more and more in a hermit’s cell with no connection to others doing the same. Then it became apparent that things were not going well in the organisation itself, and in fact in some cases, going really really badly, especially in the forums which had been so wonderfully supportive:
You can read a full account of Nano, the good, and the awful, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Novel_Writing_Month
My writing has gone somewhat adrift now so I’m going to try and get to grips again by emulating the good parts of the National Novel Writing Month, with UWMoS – the Uphill Writing Month of Struggle! Uphill is our village, and a friend has a secret pub called The Uphill Struggle, so I’ve imitated his idea! Now, this may be tricky because my thirty days of writing takes me to December 4th, and during that time I have two book clubs, one writing group and one funeral which means we’re away from home for three days. Then we have the annual family Christmas party so we’ll be away for a long weekend. Over the thirty days we also have one birthday, possibly one trip to Heathrow Airport – and no doubt we have other things on the calendar which I’ve forgotten. However, not exactly cheating, but in the spirit of the challenge, I will include what I write here, and anything I write for writers group.
It’s 15;39 on November 4th – I’d better get going!!
If you haven’t yet read my first NANO book, here is a link to the paperback – it’s also available as an e-reader.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radwinter-LOIS-ELSDEN/dp/B08KTRNZ8Z
Lois Elsden 