EDIT: At about 5pm today (30th Nov) I wrote beyond my 50,000th word! Huzzah!

So I finished up my Honours year on October 28th, to be precise, and I felt totally at a loss as to what to do after the gruelling semester. This should have been a positive thing, given how tired I was, but I hate being idle, particularly when it comes to intellectual stimulation. It was around this time the Twitter grapevine was murmuring about the upcoming National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, where anybody can participate in this annual event to write 50,000 words during the 30 days of November. I remembered that this was always something I had wanted to pursue, but given how utterly unprepared I was for such an undertaking, and so creatively worn out, I hesitated.

Most people were excited, but I was terrified about making yet another huge commitment so soon after Honours. But I had some Twitter buddies who had just opened an account for starters, and so, encouraged by that, I did the same. And here I am, just below the 50,000 word mark! Unbelievable—yes, it really is. If at the beginning of the month you’d told me I’d actually be within reach of the goal I would have laughed in your face.

For the most part of November I was running well behind the target numbers (1667 words per day), but I’ve been learning about my writing methods and habits in the process. Working in a design oriented framework bears similarities with the writing process, but equally these are two distinct methods of working. At least in a typical design project I am given a brief with specifications and parameters. NaNoWriMo transcends all this by virtue of encouraging you to write, write and keep on writing, no matter how rubbish you think you are at prose or dialogue or plot development. It’s liberating in theory, but I by nature am a stickler for planning and listing things, and I found the process frustrating, which might explain how I fell so behind.

Perhaps it’s my novel’s premise to begin with. At its core it is a speculative novel with steampunk and romantic elements set in an alternative 19th century Melbourne, a time when the British Empire is collectively breaking up as the Colonies build power and influence, with tensions brewing as the Colonies seek to break ties with the Mother Country and each other. It’s a premise that I feel has great promise. The steampunk subgenre lends itself well to the Victorian aesthetic rooted in the colonial era of Australia. I’ve also considered including indigenous culture into my story as well, but to do justice to the Dreamtime, I feel I need to read up on the history and mythology before even considering manipulating it to my vision. There’s a thread of dystopia/anarchy and republicanism running throughout the novel—this part I’ve found most difficult to weave seamlessly with the more romantic elements. The world-building is in murky waters right now as I struggle to set down a general plot. I’ve found that character development and dialogue comes much more naturally to me than physical environments. It’s like I can just sense how one character will respond to another, and the banter or arguments or what have you just follows. I don’t know, perhaps it’s an innate thing. I hear them in my mind.

I have always had aspirations to be a writer of some sort. I don’t know if this is something I inherited from my dad who majored in English, and introduced me to English classics as a kid (my Western upbringing clearly supersedes my Chinese background) but it’s something I feel strongly about. I vividly remember writing long character-driven stories since I was 10. My leanings towards publication design, typography and the written word in my design practice obviously stems from my love of reading and writing. I believe a great designer is a well read one, as well as an eloquent writer and communicator. This is something I want to continue to improve in. Participating in such events as NaNoWriMo is one proactive way to do it.

I’ve essentially stalled a month of searching for full-time work to commit to writing this novel, which is not even near completion; I would say I’m actually 50% into the story. As I am confident that I will reach the 50,000 threshold later today, I certainly don’t feel it’s been a month of waste. And even if I hadn’t been able to reach the mark, I wouldn’t say it was a waste either (though I’d be bitterly disappointed because I’m just that kind of obsessive person).

Will I do NaNoWriMo next year? Probably not. For all the “quantity over quality” that NaNoWriMo preaches, this is exhausting in itself. It’s a method that works for some, but not for others. Not to mention, it takes a shitload of time and commitment to even churn out crap (for those like me, at least). Worst comes to worst, this story will be a manuscript that never sees the light of day.

Did you participate in NaNoWriMo 2010? Were you as new to it as I was? Or a well seasoned writer who managed to whiz past the 50,000 in no time? Would love to know your experiences, good or bad, or both.