11/01/2009
I began writing right at midnight, as promised. I cranked out about 462 words last night, and woke up early to get right to it this morning. My pace is 1,667 words a day (which puts me squarely at 50,000 on Nov. 30). So far, I've cranked out 2,004 words! I'm really pleased to have met and passed my goal for today. I've got good momentum going, so I'll write throughout the day today but not going nuts. Characters really starting to take shape!
10/31/2009
At midnight tonight, NaNoWriMo officially kicks off! I'm really looking forward to getting started. I've got several story ideas in my head and think the best strategy is just to grab the one I'm feeling the most at midnight and run with it.
I want to say a big thank you to my friends Jewel Parelman, Dominic Labella and Kari Gregg, who made the first donations to the cause. Your support is so motivational!
I've decided I will incorporate everyone who donates in the novel, somehow. It'll be fun to see how people pop up throughout it!
Also, I didn't realize when I set my goal to raise $500 that it broke down to 100 words per $1. That's about the length of a general e-mail or short blog entry!
I can't wait to get writing at midnight tonight. Thanks so much for your support everyone!
---
10/29/2009
I've never been a runner, and I'll probably never run a marathon. But I'm surrounded by friends who push themselves to the limit for great causes, and I've always been inspired by them.
This week, a friend told me about a "marathon" for writers that begins Sunday. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a huge competition challenging writers to complete a 50,000-word (175 page) novel in one month. If you meet the 50,000-word mark, you win... like crossing the finish line.
If you don't? DNF. Disqualified.
NaNoWriMo encourages you to ask friends and family to sponsor you through the month and raise money for their charity, but because I'm inspired by my friends, I'm going to raise money for their charity: Adventures for the Cure.
I know how tough these times are for everyone financially, so I'm asking 250 people to donate just $2 a person to help me reach my goal. If you can give more, that's awesome. If you can't give anything, your moral support means just as much.
Adventures for the Cure was created by a group of amazing guys who I've been friends with since college. Originally cross country teammates, these guys have remained a team since, biking across the country to raise money for Diabetes awareness and numerous other worthy causes. They've traveled to Kenya, done countless public and motivational speeches, and even starred in a documentary filmed by another former teammate, Phil Knowlton.
These guys have overcome challenges--for instance Adam Driscoll, one of the founders, has Type 1 Diabetes--and have motivated so many people, me included.
I can't promise this novel will be any good. There will be late nights and nonsensical drivel. I've heard that people are so desperate to meet the word count by day 30 that they're writing absolute nonsense. But with your support, I will finish, because I want to give something to these incredible people who give so much. You can follow my progress, beginning November 1, here. My username is UMBCBrettski.
Thank you so much for helping support me and helping support AFC.