2004 NaNoWriMo Recap

Let's back up to mid-summer 2004. YT found out about National Novel Writing Month while surfing the 'Net for something else entirely. In his advancing old age, the Bricoleur was less and less concerned about what other people thought, and eager to play outside his comfort zone. Thus was born a grand experiment: to see whether he could write a story at novel length.

Well... Perhaps it wasn't so grand, but it was only for a month, and it sounded like a hoot. It helped that friend Tiff also volunteered to become a WriMo, and, later, that the others who turned out to the Detroit-area writing nights were a fascinating bunch. Picking a handle wasn't hard. The novel must necessarily be a great bricolage, so the Bricoleur was born.

YT started off with an idea. Let's really get outside the comfort zone: let this fifty-something married man write a romance novel. It started with a couple of names, Cassandra Kostrzewa and Ryan Delany, on a note card. Then came the setup: her best friend would hook up with his roommate, Cass and Ryan would get thrown together, and would puzzle out their attraction as smart, single professionals in present-day Chicago.

Then YT panicked. It wasn't midlife crisis, exactly, so much as the fear YT had reached too far out of the comfort zone. A quick read of Chris Baty's book, No Plot, No Problem, proved both calming and encouraging. And then we were off to the races!

Things went pretty well for a while. The panoramic lack of preparation proved little hindrance to cranking out lots of words. The novel just naturally had to be called Too Lucky This Week. YT noticed his own shortcomings and blogged, after 1 week:

Rule #1: Dive Right In. Forward motion is what's important. You can pretty it up in December.

But the habits of programming are too far ingrained by middle age. The Inner Editor lives in the right brain, and acts up when the left brain grabs hold of the reins. Hence Rule #2 seems a worthwhile appeasement.

Rule #2: Fix it right after you type it. If it's scrolled off screen, it's off limits.

To make a long story short, after a meandering start, the characters started speaking in their own voices and doing what they were destined to do. YT was just the scribe. A few notes scribbled before each writing session blossomed into complete chapters. Then the Real World intruded, YT slacked off writing, and fell far behind the pace. Only a marathon session, literally at the last minute, got the Brico into the winner's circle.

Too Lucky This Week clocked in at 51,110 words, 188 double-spaced manuscript pages, and about two thirds of a complete novel. In it were some scenes this first-time novelist was proud of, a few that made him cringe, and surprisingly good writing throughout. The shoe shopping scene made the Brico famous in certain (small) circles. The Friday night roundtable at the neighborhood bar sounded right for good friends relaxing. So, the experiment was a success.

YT promised to leave the MS alone in December. December stretched into whole seasons without further writing. Well, let's face it. Too Lucky lacked a steady pace, a tight plot, a smooth shape. YT knew around February it would never go any further. But the rewards of writing convinced YT it was worth doing again. So, here we are, nearing the starting line again. Stay tuned.