Ameyami

As I mentioned in a previous entry (quite a while ago now!), I’ve got loads of ideas for novels. Every few months or so, inspiration strikes. A character, a hooking line, a title or a scenario will suddenly pop into my mind, and I jot it down, put it in a file and then tend to leave it alone!

The other day, I was sat in a lecture when great plot idea suddenly sprung into my mind. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and write it all down. I was still feeling really enthusiastic about it when I finished the synopsis, so I began writing the story itself too.

Since the last time that I really wrote fiction, I’ve done a great deal of work on writing my autobiography. I only realised the other day how that has improved my writing in general. The words flowed easier and my inner critic was actually satisfied with what was coming out!

As it’s mid-October, I did seriously consider using this idea for NaNoWriMo, but I’ve decided against it. I won NaNo in 2005. It was great fun and I’m just itching to take part again, but I know that my University work will suffer if I do and I can’t afford to take that risk. So I just started on the story now and I’m working through it at my own pace. In a way this is better, because I don’t have the same pressure, but on the other hand the motivation might fade sooner.

I’m rather ashamed! It’s October now and I haven’t managed to complete a single goal in 2009 yet! Looking at my list, there are only two or three that could possibly be completed by the end of the year, so it doesn’t look good for me completing this goal.

I intend to have a “5 things” goal for 2010 as well, but I’ll add on however many I’m short on in 2009, to compensate.

I’ve just noticed that it’s been 9 months since I last updated this goal! In that time, my word count has more than doubled, and now stands at 93,000. The big 100,000 is fast approaching.

I’ve documented so much of my life, but there is also so much that I still haven’t. I said towards the start of 2009 that I was going to aim to have this goal completed by the end of this year, but I now realise this is not possible. I think I can have all the content finished and edited by the end of 2010 if I keep working at it, but since I intend to write the entire thing up by hand, I can’t see this goal being truly complete until at least 2012. I am enjoying it though, and I’m really proud of myself for sticking it out this long. When I started this goal I wasn’t sure whether I could make it last, or if it would just get neglected after the first few thousand words, but I’ve achieved a lot and I’m glad that I haven’t given up.

So in summary, I’m still just plodding along!