Write-In Magic

Magic: The Write-In Gathering

The Write-In is a powerful part of National Novel Writing Month. I've already discussed how Nanowrimo is all about the community, and write-ins are a key component of that. 

There is a particular tool used in conjunction with the write-in, which can be in-person or virtual in nature, and that is the Word Sprint, which is also magical.

Here are some examples of write-in and word sprint magic:

• They have unclogged my writer's block more than once, one time resulting in an info dump that helped me explore my character, and another pushing me through a painfully uncomfortable scene from the point of view of my serial killer character. The most recent set of sprints during an online get together with The Writing Buddy resulted in a lovely word-boosting sex scene. I can now reclaim this story as a paranormal romance!
• They got R.L. Naquin back on track. She was frozen, unable to figure out what came next, having doubt, which she tried to Give Fear A Swift Kick Out the Door. It wasn't until the write-in and our word sprinting that she was able to start hammering away at it again.
• Between the online and in-person word sprints, we shot several people past 25k and even 30k. They even helped my poor Writing Buddy get back some words she sadly lost due to technology failure.
• Word sprints at write-ins, a blissful silence descends, except for the clack of keys. It's motivating and helps us flighty writers focus.
• My favorite part is the whole room full of energy from the humming minds of writers. The air just oozes creativity when you get that many writers in a room working on their novels. Some of my best stuff comes from those meetings.

So while write-ins are also for the community, and the social aspect of writing, we also get an amazing amount of writing done at those things, primarily thanks to word sprints.

I definitely need to do some word sprints tonight, as I am really lagging again. I wish I would stop hating my story every other day. Sort of takes the fun out of writing it.

The Halfway Party is tomorrow night, though, which will help with the motivation, and then, thankfully, we'll have another write-in on Thursday! I need it badly.

The fine line between madness and brilliance

I think all writers are quite mad. We almost have to be to do what we do. Dozens, if not hundreds of characters live in our heads, all yelling at the tops of their lungs about their story that needs to be told immediately (at the most inopportune times, such as when the writer is trying to sleep or is taking a shower or driving - never when actually sitting down to write, it seems), and whole worlds are crammed in there as well. Dialog and character quirks and bizarre occurrences that make for amazing plot twists...it's all in there, clanging around like loose change in a dryer.

I've noticed in my day to day life that due to all of this brain clutter, I sometimes have trouble focusing on what is really happening. I was so lost in my own world the other day that when a co-worker interrupted me, I ended up responding to him like one of my characters that I happened to be thinking about.

Does this happen to other people??

Maybe I'm crazy for it, but I almost feel sorry for people if it doesn't. A mundane drive to work can become a dangerous flight through space, or a car chase, or the perfect place for a conversation with one of my characters. I sometimes feel like a foolish child for it, but I walk through life always expecting something magical to happen. I just know that one of these days I'm going to walk around the right corner and run into Doctor Who or Harry Potter or Gandalf. Kids are supposed to grow out of that. Most of them do.

But if that's what it means to grow up, I'll stay a kid forever, thanks.

And maybe my writing isn't brilliant. Maybe I'm just insane for hearing voices in my head and talking to myself incessantly and occasionally acting out a scene to nail down the particulars. But I have a hell of a lot of fun doing it. I just hope that I can capture all of the amazing adventures that go on in my head and that people will have as much fun reading them.