Keeping in mind that I only decided to start NaNoWriMo on November 4th, and not counting any other writing projects I am working on besides my YA Modern Jane Austen novel, here are my stats for week 1:
Weekly total: 6,215 words
Are these wonderfully-written, publishable words? NO. But then again, that’s what NaNoWriMo is all about: just get the bones of your story down and you can go back and make it beautiful later.
Here’s a short excerpt of the non-beautiful (and mostly unedited- gasp) but enjoyable writing I have done:
“Why don’t you help that man instead?” Jared told Christine.
A man had just walked into the store and was looking around as if he didn’t know where to go.
“Sure,” Christine reluctantly agreed. She approached the man. He was tall, and had brown curls which hung down behind his ears. He had a firm jawline and green eyes that sparkled, showing that he was a man of both feeling and intellect.
“Can I help you?” asked Christine. She tried not to stare at the man’s handsome features too much. Her fanciful mind was already making him into a Mr. Rochester or Mr. Darcy.
“I hope so,” the man replied. “I need to find a book in a bit of a hurry.” He looked at Christine, and she thought that she had never seen kinder eyes before. His face was friendly and lively, and she felt oddly at ease with him.
“What are you looking for?” Christine asked, stepping closer to the man.
“Something on philosophy,” the man replied. “ Have you heard of Kant before?”
Christine laughed in surprise. She was in the middle of reading one of Kant’s works. “Of course,” Christine said. “ Follow me.”
Christine walked towards the back of the store, and the man followed her. “Are you a big fan of Kant?” Christine asked over her shoulder, feeling that it would be awkward to walk together silently.
“I don’t know. The jury is still out on that one,” the man replied.
Christine found the philosophy section and scanned the authors for Immanuel Kant. When she found his works, she turned to the man. “ Which book are you looking for?” she asked. She was surprised to find him right beside her.
“Religion Within the Bounds of Bare Reason,” he replied.
“Impressive,” Christine remarked, looking the man over. She didn’t expect someone who seemed so lively and extraverted to be interested in such higher level thought. “You must be a great thinker.”
“No, but I’m trying to learn to be one,” the man confessed humbly. “ My friend is a great thinker and I have tried to learn from him. He told me I should read this book.”
That explained it. He wasn’t a savant, he was just trying to keep up with his intellectual friend.
To my fellow NaNo writers: What projects are you working on? How has your first week been?
Classic Reads 