Building Happy Memories (Ginz's NaNo)

[Ginz ❤]

This first post won't be as light-hearted as the majority of the other NaNo threads in the board, but it has things that are really important for me to discuss.

So, for everyone who doesn't know, my grandmother died last year in the middle of November. Before it happened, I had already fallen behind on my NaNo and was doing rather badly at my attempts to catch up, but I was still trying. And then after that, I couldn't write another single word.

As people started talking about NaNo this year, I couldn't think of plots or characters or the excitement of it all. All I thought about was her. It was a bittersweet memory, because when she died, I decided I wouldn't mourn her death, I would celebrate that her life happened. But of course I miss her. She was the last grandparent I had. I met all 4 of them when I was a kid, so I had already gone through three losses... but hers was the most significant. She was always the one I had been closest to. She was the one who had a biggest and most positive effect on my life. And then she was gone.

This year, my NaNo won't be a normal NaNo by any means. I'm not pressuring myself with a word count and a deadline. I won't care about plot or characters, or taming my inner editor. The sole purpose of my NaNo this year will be, as the title of this thread states, to build happy memories. I hope by this time next year, when I look forward to NaNo, I remember fondly what I wrote in honor of my grandma, and I hope the thought of it makes me smile.

So yeah, that's basically it. This year, my NaNo will be a loving tribute. Regrettably, I won't be able to share much with you guys, because I plan to write it in Spanish. But I guess I wanted to let you know I'm in, somewhat. And I wish you all luck.

[Zylaa]

*hugs* That's incredibly sweet of you, Ginz. I know how you feel... my paternal grandmother died in November 2007, and writing at all right after that, let alone writing a NaNo was hard. I'm sure your grandmother would love to know you're creating something so wonderful in her honor.

[Kathleen]

To echo Zylaa.. Aww, that's such an incredibly awesome idea. =) *hug* .. and I wanted to mention that although my Spanish is incredibly horrible right now, I'd love to read whatever little bits and pieces you'll feel like sharing. ^_^

[Ginz ❤]

Thanks for the hugs and the encouragement, guys! ^_^

Depending on how busy I am in November, maybe I'll try translating bits and pieces to put here so you guys can see how it's coming along. Right now I'm not sure what I'm doing, exactly, but I think I like it better this way. Yay for no actual plans! XD

[Craig]

Ginz, I think this is a wonderful idea. ^_^ November is kind of a special month for me in regards to my two deceased grandparents as well, so I can relate a little bit. Really, this is a wonderful way to spend your month -- honor your grandmother and write a story at the same time.

I would love to read some excerpts of your novel in Spanish. I've gone through all of the Spanish courses my high school offers, and while I'm not fluent, I think I could get some enjoyment (and practice) out of reading your novel.

Good luck with this. ^_^

[Ginz ❤]

So NaNo is coming up really soon now, and I'm a bit unsure about it because I don't know if I'll be able to focus on it entirely. The thing is, I'm feeling inspired to write other things as well, like stories for the NT, but NaNo isn't really something that allows working on other writing projects at the same time... at least not for me, I have a hard time keeping up with it as it is. XD

So yeah, I'm a bit undecided on what I want to do... I guess I'll just go with what feels right for me at the time. I'm not backing out from NaNo, but maybe I'll write a short one so I can work on other stories on the side.

I'm excited about my NaNo because all this time, all I've had planned is the first scene. The first few sentences have been in my head all month and I can't wait for the time to come to finally write them down. ^_^ And then I'll just improvise from there... because a planned NaNo is just no fun for me. I'm spontaneous like that. XD

[Ginz ❤]

My reflection today: NaNo is about quality, if you let it be.

Yeah, I really do think NaNo can be about quality. And no, I don't mean that only -my- NaNo is about quality, I believe the whole event can be. Sure, it's about quantity too, because the wordcount goal is pretty high, and when writing that much, especially when you're short on time, it's horribly difficult to achieve good writing quality.

But it doesn't matter, because NaNo isn't about writing quality, it's about quality of ideas. NaNo is about truly unleashing our creativity, and letting it fly. We start on the tip of the iceberg, but as we go on, we discover everything else we normally don't get to see. All those things we wouldn't write about, all those ideas we might shrug off, all the details we might otherwise omit... all of that comes to light when we're pressured to write more. And it can give us really pleasant surprises. Sometimes those little ideas become so much more. Without NaNo, we might not even give them a chance, because we don't imagine their whole potential. But sometimes the best ideas can be hiding, and then NaNo becomes like a treasure hunt, in which the goal is discovering the best and most creative ideas inside out heads.

So yay for NaNo being such a huge creativity outlet. ^_^