As is now tradition, I’m giving some attempt to National Novel Writing Month. And, as mentioned in my post about getting into fountain pens, I’m doing it by hand in a notebook.1For those keeping score, it’s a Rhodia A5 Webnotebook with lined paper in Blue.
Let’s cut to the chase: I’m way behind any potential goal I could have set myself. We’ve had visitors, I’ve been busy doing some curriculum work on the side, and I simply have not set aside sufficient time to maintain a healthy pace.
While the specific goal of NaNoWriMo is word count, there’s not much to be done about that when writing in a notebook. So, knowing that 50,000 typed words ends up being a little more than 100 pages when typeset in a way that pleases me, I figured that filling up a notebook that has about 200 A5 pages would be somewhat comparable. As I write this blog post on November 13, I’m around page 20 of said notebook.
Yet, I still feel encouraged by the process I’m following. I’ve found that writing with my fountain pen is quite lovely, and keeps me pushing forward. I don’t look back to try and edit, only to make sure I’m referencing ideas correctly. I get locked in a better zone, and have absolutely no temptation to distract myself on my phone or computer, because they are not immediately at hand like they would be were I writing on them.
There is something about the format of a notebook that makes me feel as if I’m actively writing into a book that I can read immediately after. This doesn’t put additional pressure on me, but there is a stronger connection in my brain between the parts that enjoy a good story, and the part attempting to craft one. On November 1, I sat down and just started writing about a character. By the end of my first chapter, I had a pretty solid idea of the general plot and a parallel story to be telling from the protagonist’s past. Again, I’m not very far into the process, but it’s the most optimistic I’ve felt about a NaNoWriMo story. Compared to my first year in 2019, I’m not just word-vomiting to hit the count. I’m trying to be intentional with writing something I could finish, even if it doesn’t happen in November.
I’ll keep plodding along, enjoying the physical sensation of writing again.2I had an inkling of this feeling when I discussed mechanical keyboards, but this is far more tactile and personal. But, when I check back in at the end of the month don’t expect success. After all, I’m only 1 for 3 so far.
- 1For those keeping score, it’s a Rhodia A5 Webnotebook with lined paper in Blue.
- 2I had an inkling of this feeling when I discussed mechanical keyboards, but this is far more tactile and personal.