Emily Gale

see the words climbing
they nearly reach the ceiling
like my laundry pile

(Day 7: 11,608 words)

baggy new story,
you’re vague and slightly confused,
but you are still mine.

(Day 4: 6771 words.)

In 2006 I took part in NaNoWriMo and that “shitty first draft” later became Girl, Aloud. It’s that in-between time between first draft and final novel that really counts but there’s something wonderful and free about throwing caution to the wind and letting yourself write so greedily for a defined length of time. Yes it might be sloppy and take several wrong turns but it may also unearth hidden gems of the kind that your Evil Inner Editor has hidden in a shallow grave up till now.

So I’ve signed up again. And when I say ‘signed up’ I mean that I’ve made a pact with myself to put this up high in my list of priorities. I’m giving myself permission to leave the dishes, etc. I’ll do the dishes in December, or better still use paper plates, or even better still eat straight from the pizza box.

If you’re joining me, good luck. With 1700 words to write every day I won’t be blogging much but I’ll try to post the odd NaNoWriMo haiku to chart my progress. Like this…

the story opens
just a tiny crack at first
but in pours the light