Because I'm Just A Tad Insane...

I've signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), a challenge to write 50,000 words in a month. A first draft in 30 days. A completely insane endeavor. One I am very excited about.

You see, I have this incredibly loud internal editor, and she likes to stymie my progress by demanding that I pick the perfect word, turn of phrase, and punctuation or else. And "or else" consists of staring at a blank document for hours until I give up. I will concede that she is very helpful for editing and revising, but for first drafts? She's my antagonist.

So, I'm choosing to use NaNoWriMo to break her a little bit. I'm hoping the word count goals (1667 a day, more on Fridays and Saturdays if I want Sundays as a sabbath) will force me to tune her out and help me reclaim the joy of that fast and furious first draft.

And if I meet my goal? I'll have a complete manuscript before the end of the year, which would be a huge boost to my beleaguered spirit. I will also be able to purchase Scrivener, the best writing software on the market for 50% off when it is released in February. (Today I was able to download the Windows Beta version for my NaNoWriMo draft. Previously, it was available only to Mac users). The authors at BRMCWC raved about the software and now I see why. *insert small squeal here*

This complete manuscript will be especially exciting because it's the first in a four book YA (young adult) series. I love to read this genre myself and knew I wanted to write a YA novel at some point. Unfortunately, I didn't have any plot ideas that would be engaging to the 12-19 age range until two weeks ago. Being stuck in my current WIP, I decided to take a break, and days later, God gave me the new series idea complete with story arcs and a cast list.

I've spent the last two weeks building my futuristic dystopia, casting the series, outlining it, specifically book one, and creating character profiles for the three main characters. I'm thrilled at where it's headed and what it could be. My hope stems from the fact that both teenage girls and boys, Christian or not, could pick up a copy, be hooked, and walk the journey of redemption and eternal perspective with Noah, Maddison, and Daniel.

Book one is tentatively titled UnClean and will be my project for NaNoWriMo. It's about Noah State, who is twenty-one, a Liquidator in The Elite, and at the end of his rope. Trapped in a career that leaves him more blood stained by the day, he's beginning to think of death as a coming relief. Until he meets Maddison James. Her love whitewashes his guilt and gives him hope. But their relationship must survive his brother's interference, a rival for Noah's affections, and a dangerous rebellion brewing in their backyard to have a future. And if it does, will Maddison's love really be enough?

Intriguing, no?

I hope so because I'll be blogging my NaNoWriMo experience this month, and I hope you'll join me by reading along. I'll share my word count progress, my frustrations, my successes, and what I'm learning about Noah and Maddison (and myself) along the way.

On Monday, I'll attend my first "write-in" at the local Caribou Coffee with other WriMos (participants). Should be fun!

Until then...