As Time Marches On,

Two posts in two days, what on Earth is happening? 

Well, what's happening is that we're essentially in day two of advent for NaNoWriMo. I know that some of you have probably just gone, huh?, but it's a pretty simple idea.

Advent is, to capitalism anyway, a kick up the backside that you have 24 days until Christmas, so people go mad with shopping and wrapping presents and traveling to here there and everywhere in order to celebrate the joy that is Christmas. Difference being Christmas last 1-4 days for the majority of people, but NaNoWriMo is a month long slog of attempting to be effective at your passion. 

"Advent for NaNo" commonly known as October is the time where previous NaNoWriMo participants, and to some extent newbies, decide which team they are going to bat for (giggidy). Well, we decide our home regions and decide if we are going to be #TeamPlanner or #TeamPantser. By the way I am #TeamPantser all the way...

Again, this is going to be one of those things which WriMo's look at and nod solemnly at (at which point, #squadgoals!) or sigh and shake their heads wondering how many of #TeamPantsers will get to the middle of November and not know what they are doing. Here's a hint: we never really know what we are doing; that's half of the fun!! 

But since I know that there are people who read this who are not WriMo's (come to the dark side, we have cookies!!) I shall explain. #TeamPlanner is the group of novelists who write storyboards, or character profiles, or setting descriptions or just any and every kind of plan that you can think of. Contrary to popular belief, I have nothing against planning, or the novelists who do plan, but it is not something I do myself. 

So Team Panters, what do we do? Well, again contrary to popular opinion, we do not run around our various cities, towns, villages, hamlets or fields pulling down people's pant, although that is a good idea come to think of it... Team Panters fly through November by the seat of our pants (hence the name) also cacking our pants and hoping that this novel is actually going somewhere... 

Now just like when you chose your Pokémon Go team (Oh God, I'm opening a can of worms here, aren't I?) there is no right team to choose, though unlike in Pokémon Go, you can choose to change sides without having to press restart on the whole thing. It is completely possible to get half way through the month and then burn your plan you made in your under desk bin (provided you have the correct fire extinguisher nearby and parental supervision if you are liable to set your eyebrows on fire along with the plan). Maybe something less dramatic would be a better initiation to Team Pantser... 

Equally, you can get half way through the month, be hit by some form of divine inspiration which means you see the ending and everything which has to unfold to get your characters and plot there (another hint: if you are going to walk towards the light, at least take some sunglasses because that thing is definitely not an energy saving bulb! Someone needs to have a word with God about his carbon footprint, never mind China and America) and then suddenly redecorate your studio with a blaze of Post It (or non-branded) sticky notes with phrases, events, squiggles and whatever which may make no sense after November (you know, when you have actually slept...) and work your way through writing each sentence until the scenes come together like seams and the result is something effective and beautiful. Or so you hope.

Be you Team Pantser or Team Planner, let me take this opportunity as the first of many to welcome you back to the sweet torture that is the lead up to NaNoWriMo, or to welcome you for the first time.

It is time to stock up on tea, coffee and human interactions because next month we settle down in the bunker of social awkwardness that comes from inane conversations not just wasting oxygen, but also wasting valuable writing time!! Let's bulk buy frozen pizza and make friends with the local Chinese delivery man - who on Earth will have time to cook? Sharpen you pencils, overstock on the same kind of pens, trim your nails excessively so that they don't do that annoying thing of getting trapped between laptop keys or breaking. Be nice to your mum so she brings you hot drinks and toast, even if most of the time they go cold because you didn't realise they were there what with your writing sprint being on. Review everything that you do to see when you can fit in more writing time. Be that obsessive. It is not the only way, but God does it make it easier? YES IT DOES! 

While I commute into work, I will be writing on my phone. I used to download what I had written on my AlphaSmart while I was making a cup of tea to keep me going. That was last year. Last year I hit 15k in a day...

I would also like to say to all of you WriMos out there, I am here for you. I might only be an ML for London, you might have your own ML, but I will be writing Pep Talks that I put on here, so read them if you want to. We are hoping to do more online, so if you want to follow the NaNoLondon Twitter, please do. One thing I really hope comes across to everyone inside, outside and getting splinters in their ass from sitting on the fence is that we are a community.

We will be blasting off soon, so fasten your seat-belts. Catch you later.