#NaNoWriMo2020

This month I'm joining thousands of others in the challenge of NaNoWriMo and have tried to take my own advice from last month's blog by planning ahead to achieve the target of 50,000 words in a month. After taking several years to finish the initial draft of my first novel, between work, family, and life in general, I know this will be no easy task. I am intrigued to find out if I will succeed in writing a first draft within the month and if this will then spur me to set similar targets for other projects throughout 2021.

In some ways, it feels like sober October or giving up chocolate, making a pledge, and joining a group of people that are going through the same experience for encouragement and support! Even though I love writing, and really couldn't imagine a life without it, I know I'm going to need that support along the way. Sitting down day after day, ignoring the household chores and the internet will be tough, not to mention finding the peace I quiet I typically need to write creatively, but where there's a will, there's a way.

So, by the time this blog is published, I will have already endured at least a week of scribbling away and should have accomplished the target of over 11,500 words to reach the goal of 50,000 by the end of November. Watch out for updates on Twitter @sherieg13

and feel free to nag me if I'm below par. I will be trying to encourage others by posting regular writing prompts on my Twitter feed, so if you're in need of inspiration look out for my tweets. To make doubly sure I'm publicly accountable for my progress, I will also be publishing chapters as and when I complete them on Wattpad, so even if you're not taking part this year you can read my attempt at https://my.w.tt/1KCOJjCafbb

I will be writing a novella I'm been wanting to do for a long while, based on the backstory of one of the characters that gave me the inspiration for the storyline of the novel I've already written and currently editing. I'm hoping that by writing the story of Marrok, I'll have a better chance of completing the challenge, as I'm well versed with it from beginning to end; no excuses with not knowing how the characters develop or with plot.

It will be interesting to find out if I can suppress my inner editor and just write, every day without fail, whatever the distractions in addition to my day job and other things I can't put on the back burner. If you too are taking up the challenge this year, I wish you luck!