Crazy Writers are Attempting to write 50,000 words in 30 days

Ever wonder how a writer gets all those words? Writers go to great lengths to get words on the page. NaNoWriMo is one of the most intense events in the writing world.

ON the first of November, as we do each year, thousands of writers around the world launched into the challenge of 50,00 words in one month, this month. (Why November? why not a month with 31 days?)

The rule is that you start on page one to write a book. Book pages must not have been written prior to November 1. However, my process prior to writing is an allowed activity. I start before I start by thinking about the book - a lot. ( Start before you start... how to launch into a new book. )

I have character sketches, I have a rough statement of the story, and limited, sketchy notes for the first eight scenes. My murderer has lived in my head for about fifteen years, so I know them quite well.

 

Last year I wrote the first draft of Mrs. Morrison Meets Murder, intended to be book #1 in my new series.  Throughout the year since, I realized that it wasn't Mrs. M's first murder event. That book will be renamed and moved to book #2 in the series.

And this year, I aim to do a rough draft of what will be book #1 in the Mrs. Mary Morrison and Murder series with a 60-something protagonist. I have potential scenes in my head. I have a rough character sketch of Mary, and a list of potential complications - one lines only.

And so the (new) story launching Mrs. Mary Morrison into the lists of boomer-aged sleuths began on November 1, 2020

Children in the Age of Chivalry – Part Three - Pages by Rosemary Morris

For more information on Rosemary's novels please click on the cover above.

My novel, Grace, Lady of Cassio, The Lovages of Cassio, Book Two, sequel to Yvonne, Lady of Cassio, begins in the reign of Edward III. It will be published in October 2021. At heart I am a historian. My novels are rich in historical detail which requires intensive research, some of which I am sharing in this blog. Pages wore their master’s badge across the front of their tunics. They were the sons of the well-born. When they were seven years-old they became pages to a suitable nobleman. In return for their service they were trained for their future career as knights and educated with the lord’s sons by the household priest. It was not important for a page to learn to read but books about etiquette were written for them. Babee’s Book set out a page’s daily routine. First, he should rise early, wash his face and hands, make sure his fingernails were clean and comb his hair. Next, he should say his prayers or attend Mass. His deportment should be excellent. He should never scratch himself or sniff in public. During the day he was expected to greet everyone he met. He was repeatedly reminded to attend to other people at meals and not to grab this best food, and neither stuff his mouth full ‘as a pigge’ nor speak with food in his mouth. Instead of picking his teeth with his knife he should use a clean stick. He must wait carefully on his lord and lady, remove his cap, and bow before he addressed them. At every meal, on bended knee, he offered his lord wine and afterward brought water for him to wash his hands. Apart from learning good manners he learned how to be a superb horseman, how to wear armour correctly, and to use weapons. An adults’ full armour was very heavy. A page gradually became used to it and learned how to put it on and take it off correctly. He was also taught the complex rules to be observed when taking part in a joust at tournaments and for hunting and hawking. www.rosemarymorris.co.uk http://bookswelove.net/authors/morris-rosemary

Elongated Skulls by Katherine Pym

 

Buy Here

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Elongated Skulls

I’ve made attempts to write a different story of early earth, one of which is noted above, a story of ancient Sumer. As a result, I’ve been reviewing ancient civilizations, folklore, and religion. What I’ve learned is through archeological technological advances, old digs become new; little known peoples with shallow histories become complex.

 

Machu Picchu, Peru

Take for instance the Paracas Skulls. They come from Peru where so many unexplained structures still stand; where strange peoples resided then disappeared. Scientists have found evidence of man not linked to our species buried in the Pisco Province of the old Inca realm.

Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals of meeting along the route to the Pacific Northwest native groups who pressed boards against the heads of young children. They left the boards there until their heads were elongated. This deformity was apparently appealing to the eye. They were called Flat Heads.

Other civilizations around the world decorated their bodies with ink, or extended their lips with flat insertions. I should think this distortion would make it difficult to eat or drink. Some cultures allowed their aristocrats to grow long fingernails, forming them into spirals and decorated with jewels. Once their nails were in this position, they were incapable of doing the slightest task and had to be helped by another. From childhood, others stretched their necks from clavicle to chin with metal rings. Once done and their growing stopped, if removed, their necks would not support their heads.

How did cultures come about with these ideas? What caused them to think these deformities had worth?

Well, let us look at the Paracas find...

Skeletons have been discovered in South America whose heads were elongated, but not purposefully done. Their heads were this way by natural design. Does this mean somewhere along our ancient, shadowed history, our ancestors came upon people with naturally elongated skulls?

The Paracas burial site was large graveyard discovered in 1928 and filled with approximately 300 skeletons, all with deformed skulls. Peruvian archaeologist, Julio Tello, believes these remains have been buried about 3,000 years. The craniums excavated are 25-60% heavier than the ones you and I possess. They also contain one parietal plate as opposed to our two, another reason that suggests these skulls come from an unknown source.

Mr Juan Navarro, the owner and director of Paracas History Museum that houses several of these remains. In the past, he allowed samples of the skeletons to be DNA tested. “...samples consisted of hair, including roots, a tooth, skull bone and skin... documented via photos and video.”

The geneticist who received these samples had no idea what he had prior to his testing. Brien Foerster who authored several books on people of South America revealed the data from this DNA testing.

Unless data comes forth from other sources as a comparison, DNA tests show the specimens are completely separate from any evolutionary species on our earth. If there is an association with humanoids, then it happened centuries ago.

What will happen when more of our world is exposed due to melting ice sheets? What else will we learn of our earth and its “far far away” distant past?

 Of course, there’s a plethora of nay-sayers. They are all over the internet, like this one. But what if they are wrong?

 I contend over the centuries we have lost valuable information that would explain so many mysteries. What of the Library of Alexandria that was purposefully destroyed over a period of years, the first attempt by the Julius Caesar. They say the loss of ancient information is incalculable.  

We think none of the above will happen now, that all our collected data is safe. Wars couldn’t obliterate it, fires or earthquakes. More and more information is being electronically accumulated and stored.

Who reads paper books these days? Who goes to a bank? We can retrieve reading material, money and data from outside sources that go directly to our smartphones, our computers.  We have backups, and backups on top of that. Somewhere there would be a record.

 But what if our earth was struck by a strong electromagnetic pulse that wiped out our electronic data? This sort of energy could destroy all our stored records, the information that shows who we are.

 If anything of us remained, later peoples would consider our culture primitive.  An unfair assessment, but without data of our civilization, what else could they think?

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Many thanks to:

The website Ancient Origins

All pictures are from Wikicommons, Public Domain (This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.)

 http://www.peruthisweek.com/blogs-calm-down-the-paracas-skulls-are-not-from-alien-beings-102258

https://www.google.com/search?q=paracas+skulls&biw=1525&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCwQsARqFQoTCILF6aa6qccCFVc0iAod3EsHOw&dpr=0.9#imgrc=262ZQsnBp_At3M%3A

 

Nanowrimo Mania! with Diane Bator

My newest novel, Drop Dead Cowboy, was written during Nanowrimo 2019. If you’re not familiar with the challenge, the goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November, which works out to 1,667 words per day.

Since many authors find that to be far too many words to deal with, they will set smaller goals for themselves. Personally, I find writing about 1,667 words per day is a great challenge and have “won” the contest twice now. What does winning mean? That you've met YOUR goal! Of course, the program will only recognize the BIG goal: 50,000 words in 30 days.

Do you have to write a complete novel? 

No. Focus on writing to your word count for now. You can finish the book and edit later.

Do you have to write a novel?

You can write poetry, non-fiction, flash fiction, whatever you want to write. 

The biggest goal is to WRITE!

What kind of person puts that much pressure on themselves? Are you crazy?

Partly, yes. LOL! It's not so much pressure if you're working on something fun and new.

This year I fully intended to use the month to add a second book to one of my series.

Then I beta read a fantasy novel for a friend of mine and...suddenly, I not only had a whole herd of new characters, I had also fully outlined a fantasy novel. Apparently, I'm supposed to have fun with this one and create something totally out of my norm.

How do you prepare for something so overwhelming?

Actually, I'm one of those silly people who find this fun. This is my third year participating and all three times I've created something totally different than what I normally write. Each time I've managed to fit it into my daily life. It just takes a little extra determination and scheduling, paricularly if you have children, pets, or a significant other in the hosue. Or a day job.

Do people actually write readable novels?

I've manage to so far!

Drop Dead Cowboy was last year's project. The one I did before that is still on my shelf, but I'm working it into a new series of fantasy-type novels. It fits in well with a novel I'm writing with a friend of mine.

As for this year's book, it remains to be seen. So far it looks like a Young Adult fantasy/paranormal. Should be interesting!

Do you have to train to do 50,000 words in a month?

I hadn't thought about that. My training was simply writing a novel and working with prompts in my writing group.

How do I keep motivated?

There are a lot of great groups in your area. Simply search the "Community," reach out to other writers on social media, or even to friends. Last year I kept motivated because I had a good friend who sent me her daily word count and I had to keep up! This year, there are more of us. We have a great circle of friends who will poke and prod and make sure we're writing!

While writing is a solitary process, we all need a good support group, especially during times when every Write-In and gathering is now online.

Do I write on paper or my computer?

I use both. I write on paper then transcribe to my computer depending on where and when I'm writing. This year it may be mostly on my computer which makes it much easier to keep track of your word count.

Do you think you're up for the challenge? To find out more, simply head over to https://nanowrimo.org/.  It's not to late to join in the fun!

Happy Writing!

Diane 

To check out my books: https://www.bookswelove.com/bator-diane/