writing in the middle of the night

I would like to know why, exactly and explicitly, characters want to talk in the middle of the night.  Don't they sleep?  Ok, if they are my creations, there is no need for them to sleep, but shouldn't they respect my need for sleep?

Then again, the call of the muse, or the flute player, comes when it comes.  It plays the tune it chooses and hopes it reaches the ears of the intended.

Until I can better tame Kokopelli, the humpbacked, flue playing, fertility god, and evidently my muse likes his songs, I will answer and type when he dictates.  I won't necessarily type what he dictates.

NaNoWriMo Officially over for 2012!

This year I got complacent and expected the trolls who live under my bed to type it for me while I slept.

Evidently there was a troll strike this year and they didn't show up.

Next year I am going to have the union busted.

Anyway, by the time I realized quite how far behind I was, I never thought I'd make it.

I wrote 33,636 words of dubious quality joined together in less than 96 hours.  Most of them at night.  Many fueled by left over Thanksgiving turkey and a few handfuls of Winnie the Pooh Animal Crackers from Costco.

What did I learn?

1) I think in 1000 word increments.

2) I don't need an outline for 1000 words (much - ok, it might make it easier, but that's as far as I'm willing to concede)

3) outlines weren't created by the devil

4) the middle is the best part of writing almost any story - you already know the characters, location, and the voice ... it can take on a life of its own

5) friends don't let friends write while they listen to the Minion Mambo from the Despicable Me Soundtrack

word count progress ... 6158 for the day ...

39402 of 50000

78.8% done ... but not enough

I'm almost out of time, but there is plenty of room.

I think I'll make the 50K but I definitely don't have a story at the end of this.  

I do have segments that may or may not be used for other things.  We'll see.

I have learned I think in 1000 word pieces.  Give or take.  

The end of the road is soon to be upon me and a word count today of a mere 6158 isn't quite enough.  

Damn.

Speedbo, is it the next NaNoWriMo?

Writing is a many splendored thing ... it is the opportunity for those of us who hear voices in our heads avoid a trip to the doctor and play with new and interesting people no one else knows about and not worry about the little man in the white suit and the butterfly net.  Or so they say.  Who are THEY anyway?

What is the point?

Easy.

It is easier to write if someone else is reading and feeding you energy.  It is also easier to write if you've got a deadline.

Enter NaNoWriMo.  NaNo is National Novel Writing Month and exists every November to warm up the imagination before some of us have to write holiday letters ... it also exists to help get that novel that is stuck a way to come into existence.  (I know, too many ex words ... at least this isn't fun with line edits.)

In order to 'win' in Nano, you have to complete 50,000 words. A daunting task but doable.

Speedbo is the month of March.  

The good news?

No sweat about word count.

You can go back and revisit your work, if that's your style (something not encouraged in the Nano world).

Write every day and make it a habit.

Oh, prizes. (I haven't done a lot of looking around about that, but the month is young.)

So, I'll be doing a word counter and updating it this time - on the other blog. 

There will be very little looking over my shoulder for the man in the white suit because if he's wearing it this much before Memorial Day, which of us is nuts?