Why I Write

Because it’s an escape from reality into infinite possibility.

Because I don’t have to be self-conscious or awkward when I’m typing words on a page or writing in my notebook.

Because writing is the closest I’ll get to real magic, and I’m still waiting for my Hogwarts owl.

Because it is deeply personal and yet we share it and love it and talk about it.

Because I am a writer.

Because it’s like knitting; word after word, stitch after stitch, something new and beautiful (sometimes) comes together.

Because I’ve written over a million words in the last twelve years of doing NaNoWriMo just in the month of November.

Because the process is what matters.

Because I never lost that sense of awe I felt as a child when I realised a pen and paper was all you needed to create a new world.

Because someone thought something well over thousand years ago and I can still read it now.

Because I never figured out to stop, and I don’t want to.

Procrasti-knitting

When you’re looking at a pile of WIPs that need finishing, what do you do? When you realise that it’s also November and you have to figure out how to squeeze in at least 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo, what’s your plan of action? Oh, let’s not forget a dedication to writing comic reviews and a book review assignment due at the end of the month for your other site.

If you’re sensible you’ll write a plan of action and get going on all your commitments. If you’re me, you’ll find a project you haven’t touched for months and start procrasti-knitting.

On the plus side these socks are necessary, though not urgent. They are a gift for a dear friend who once had me knit her a lovely green dress out of Manos del Uruguay while I kipped in her bedroom, cut adrift from my partner while I waited for my Permanent Residency in Canada. Lucy is one of the best people I know in the world; she’s the kind of friend who hears you’re stuck in the wrong country again and the first thing she does is offer her spare room, hundreds of miles away. She’s a wonderful musician and artist, and we had an intense eighteen months leaning on one another before my PR came through and she moved to Glasgow with her partner.

When I was on my way back from Manitoulin, where I bought this yarn, Lucy texted me to ask ‘Aunty Eag’ (me) whether I can please knit her lots of baby things. I burst into tears and announced the socks I was knitting had to be for her. If I finish them today then I can get them sent to her before Christmas, thereby breaking my trend of never getting any gift to anyone on time ever.

If you’re wondering about the Eag thing, her neighbours were some young kids with broad Geordie accents and one day they were leaning over their wall telling us they were learning to spell. They asked what my name was, then said “I can spell Laura! E-A-G!”.

Yes, my ‘real’ name is Laura. Forget you knew that, please.

The yarn is crunchy and amazing, and it is dyed with natural colours. I’m looking forward to washing it because it’s superwash and turns much softer after, or so the dyer told me.

On the plus side I’ve already finished two out of the Kickstarter rewards and written 10,000 words for NaNoWriMo, so this is just a case of November being my most productive month. If I indulge in a little procrasti-knitting between important things, well, at least Lucy will be getting her Christmas gift on time.

Another NaNoWriMo Success!

Getting the last 1,500 words of the NaNoWriMo target out of me yesterday took the best part of three hours. Of course just before the final real milestone of 50,000 words I found myself at an intricate and difficult plot point that involved the introduction of many new characters, all of whom had a point.

All that meant I could not for the life of me hurry the hell up.

My usual typing speed can get me 1,000 words in 15 minutes without pushing myself so far, but sometimes the plot just takes over and it becomes impossible. During November that doesn’t happen very often – except this year I know what I’m writing and, at least in the vaguest sense, I know where it’s going.

Usually NaNoWriMo is one long word war for me. For those who don’t know, warring/sprinting is when you take a time and write as much as you can in those minutes. It’s drastically increased my typing speed over time and, more importantly, it’s a good way to get past the fear of Getting It Right and instead focus on Getting It Done. After all, you can’t edit a blank page.

I still have a way to go. I think this story might end up being around 80-90 thousand words in its roughest form.

How are you guys doing? I loved hearing about your progress before.

How is Your Nanowrimo Going?

We’re more than a week into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) so for those of you who are involved, how are you doing with it?

As it stands my stats look like this:

So I’d say I’m doing pretty well.

My aim this time hasn’t been to reach 50,000. This is my eleventh year writing and I’ve only lost once: I know I can do the wordcount thing. My aim is to finish the story.

So often I get to 50,000 words and stop, abandoning it forever. Like knitting an intricate laceweight sweater and never bothering to finish the sleeves, this makes no sense at all. This year I want to change that.

For the first time, I think I might.

The story I’m writing is one I’ve written before. Twice, in fact. I wrote it in 2012 and continued to write it through most of 2013. In November 2013, I rewrote it. And then I forgot about it. It’s a story about dryads and humans completely failing to share a city and a forest. I love the two main characters. I really need to finish it.

Tell me what you do at the end of November! Do you close the file? Keep going? Set fire to your laptop and run away screaming?