Don’t regret a thing because it was fun at the time

Day one of NaNoWriMo and so far I’ve accomplished 5400 words. My goal was 4000, so I’m glad to have surpassed it from the get-go. Unfortunately, I know things only get more difficult from the beginning.

Since my neighborhood is a large part of my inspiration, I don’t have to go far or out of my way to find details or ideas to add in. They’re actually appearing all the time, and Jamie and I discussed it at length before the Von Iva/Girl in a Coma show at Bottom Lounge last night. (Side note: I love the new venue. I’m pretty much down for any show there, ever.) She actually gave me some great feedback on my general ideas that came before putting any ideas down on paper (or Google docs).

One of the things I’ve had to get over (and seem to be doing well with so far) is fearing what a reader might think. I think that’s something any writer has to get over, but for some reason, fiction is much more difficult for me.  Maybe because I’m so used to dealing with the facts. I told Jamie last night that it’s almost like I’m playing with Barbies again, making one say something else to the other, dress up like this, etc. It’s interesting how a novel can be different from a short story in this way because it’s so much more involved. There’s so much behind the characters that almost needs to be explained in a way that a short story is only a brief glimpse, and yet that’s all you need.

Maybe 10 days from now, I’ll think this is ridiculous. Maybe I’ll be tearing my hair out trying to figure out what’s next. Here’s hoping I’m well on my way to 25,000 words and having no issues at all. That would just be too easy, though. I say this because I realized the other night that two of my favorite scary movies were on. Coincidentally, both are based on Stephen King novels, and both are based on fiction writers: Misery and The Shining. Neither of those authors fare too well.

What am I getting myself into? I am not sure, but it’s fun (so far).