Writers Island: The Journey

It's October 1st (well...it technically is October 2nd, 1 am, but...pooh pooh on that).
And here in the writing world, I think most of us are aware of what that means: the beginning of sign-ups for NaNoWriMo (or at least it's supposed to be--I was just at the official site and registration hadn't been activated yet). This will be my first NaNoWriMo. And I'm trying my best to think of it as an exciting journey.

I've always been a bit timid when it comes to venturing into the unknown. I Google restaurants before I eat at them so I know what to expect (this includes menu choices as well as payment options and where the bathrooms are located). I Mapquest every new destination to get a feel for the area and a detailed itinerary of how to get there. I like rules and guidelines, routine and structure. [Note: This is not to say that I'm a stickler for all these things, or that I freak out at nambdy-pambdiness. These are my preferences; 'tis all.] So, naturally, NaNoWriMo makes me a little bit anxious.

It's not that writing is new for me. I've been writing since I could hold a pencil. Though the quality of those early writings is embarrassingly questionable, a healthy dose of practice, reading, and some writing courses have helped me polish up my work quite a bit (though I'm still working on how to accomplish that perfect glossy sheen). But fiction. Oh dear. I'm not sure it was made for me.

I realize that I don't have to write fiction for NaNoWriMo. But I want to. Consider it the rebel in me. (There's one in all of us, you know. Mine insists on attempting feats I know I cannot excel at and wearing flip flops until November. What's yours do?) And that leaves me facing quite the rocky journey.

The first steps will undoubtedly land me in a quagmire of options. I being to feel like I'm sinking just thinking about genre. Just as I think I've landed on the sturdy ground of a futuristic dystopia, my foot slips into a mess of a buildungsroman.

But let's say I trudge my way through the swampy set-up of fiction writing. I know after that I'll struggle with the rugged peaks of developing a plot and characters, not to mention the hunt to find a location and time to house them. I've never been much of a mountain climber. And, yes, I can find almost anything, but it does help to have even a patchy set of directions.

*sigh*

So this journey will certainly be a challenging one. I'm certain I'll trip over a lot of underbrush and overgrowth. I imagine I'll get lost and have to backtrack more than once. And there will be times when I'll want to plop down in the middle of the NaNoWriMo jungle and cry, wanting to be rescued by a some ghost-writing hero. But if you'll take my hand, maybe we can trudge through this together. I've packed a character chart and a plot planner to help us find our way. And after all, I do have an excellent sense of direction.