I am debating whether I should be continuing with Nanowrimo.
No, I am not doubting my ability to write 50,000 words. Last year I wrote 150,000 words in November, and they all actually made sense, with a tight plot and characters and all. The only reason it's not made its way onto FF.net yet is that currently I have three unfinished stories on there and adding another one with the added pressure of actually updating it is not exactly ideal, especially when one of my WIP hasn't been updated in about a year. That, and the fact there were bits that I skipped in Nano09 that I dread going back and filling in.
So, anyway, I've pretty much proved that with a good idea, I can fulfill all the requirements of Nano - that is write at least 50k words that is a novel.
The key words being with a good idea. Which, this year, I do not have.
I spent 200 words describing snow earlier today and then wrote a very useless conversation that is pure fluff and padding. When I normally write fanfic, and start going off into random conversations that have nothing to do with the plot (or, in this case, for lack of one), it is a sign that I should stop writing and take a beat.
In my normal stories when this happens, it's not that big of a disaster because there is still some semblance of a plot which will eventually get me back on track. The problem with Nano'10, then, is there is no track.
So, so far, I'm not really getting anywhere. I keep changing my mind about where this is going.
And I'm not sure I want to spend November writing complete crap that will be going straight to the Trash come December, that doesn't make sense and have no business showing its face to the world if it wasn't for Nano.
Yes, I know. That is the point of Nanowrimo. Well, not. It is the point of Nanowrimo when you've never written a novel before and never thought you could. In that case, the accomplishment of having written 50,000 words that connect is huge. Trust me, I felt this when I wrote my first complete long fic. But once you've churned out fanfics that altogether add up to about half a million words, you kind of know you can do it so, honestly, without a decent idea, the thrill of Nano isn't there. It's not Nano itself that lost the appeal, you know. It's the lack of idea that made Nano seem like a trek up Badachu.
So, for now? Let's just say my Nanovel is on hiatus. It might pick up again in the last week, you never now, considering then I'll probably be pretty bored sitting in a hotel lobby waiting for and playing reception to scholarship candidates coming in for their interviews. I know then I'd have stretches of 20 minutes at a time doing absolutely nothing and I might then be bored enough to create a plot bunny.