Started my NaNoWriMo novel this evening.  I went in thinking that this was going to be a breeze, and that I would be able to crank out 50,000 words without any difficulty by the end of the month.

Well, I’ve started decently, I think, especially since I’m playing by the rules and have done absolutely nothing to prepare for the novel.  I’ve had to spend some time this evening plotting out the first chapter, trying to think about where I want things to go, etc.  I’ve also been using Scrivener for the first time ever, and am finding it to be a real joy.

I’ve got some trepidation that I won’t be able to finish by the end of the month, but I’ve still got the early joy of starting a new project to keep me entertained for the time being.

What’s my novel about?

Well, it’s a hardboiled detective novel set in a dystopian future where animals are revealed to be sentient and can communicate with people.  From there, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to a murder mystery focusing on cows.

So, we’ll see how well I do.  Day one is over, I’ve written 1252 words, and am exhausted.  Let’s see how well the novel writing goes with the full time job, family, and Vlad-writing.  All of Vlad is written through the end of November, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a NaNoWriMo strip shows up sometime in early December.

Goddamn, 50,000 is a lot of words.

Happy writing.

I’ll be honest, I have zero expectation of completing NaNoWriMo. I have a four month old, a full time job, and I average about an hour a night working on Vlad strips (and I haven’t drawn a buffer for the month.) To try and makes things easier on myself I am using the works of Joseph Campbell and the Monomyth as a basic ground plan, and I will be drawing in cameo appearances from my favorite sci-fi pop culture.

My story will be a Firefly-esque romp through the future where magic is possible, as we follow a young wizard and his vampire buddy who are on the run from the law. Odd, yes, but hopefully fun.

I did actually wake up Halloween morning thinking that it was already the 1st and accidentally started writing. So I already broke the basic rules of NaNoWriMo, but I have decided I will just keep going. If I’m even still working on it/interested by the end of the month I will only claim victory if I can hit the 50,000 mark by November 29. As it stands I have 2,895 words written, so I am already 438 words behind schedule.