To Write or Not to Write?

Well, for the week, I’ve been rather busy. Since I have last blogged, I have filled my days with plenty of otherworldly things, like loafing about, playing many board games, writing poems about corn (yes, I know, I’m lame . . .) and excitedly thinking about my novel. My new one, I mean. Relatively Normal, my first and –so far- only manuscript, will still be resigned to desktop Purgatory, at least for the present, unless I can figure out the library’s shelving system and check out self-editing for fiction writers (and simultaneously be convinced that it’s actually worth revising). I have realized, while I’ve been mulling over my novel, that I have a conundrum. Conundrum; I like that word. It sounds so sophisticated, don’t you think? Ahem.

So, my conundrum is that I am not sure whether to save my current novel idea, which is dystopian and awesome-seeming, at least to my sleep-deprived brain,  for NaNoWriMo or to do it for CampNaNo or just to start it right now. See, the thing is that I want to do NaNoWriMo, and it would be good to help me manage my time, and everyone says it is cool. Plus, it has the attraction of knowing that there are many other tired makeshift-writers struggling at their keyboards along with you, as well as the whole pep-talks from authors. Plus, that certificate of achievement would seem even cooler than Camp NaNo’s did, and it’s more impressive to write a novel when you actually have other stuff going on. Of course, my family would support me, so that would be fine. However, I also have a hankering to do the August session for Camp NaNoWriMo, because I sort of miss sitting at my desk and knowing that I need to type 1,667, and then I get all excited when I reach my –rather minute- goal. Ah, the joy of writing. I don’t know if I should use my other storyline for that, and then use my good idea for NaNoWriMo. On the contrary, if I use my new manuscript idea for Camp NaNo, then I could maybe finish editing it by the time December rolls around. Of course, I’m not sure which option to take, so I’m setting up a highly scientific poll. Okay, let’s be honest: polls are just fun (well, at least to me).

                My dad came in last night when I was surreptitiously typing this and asked me when my novel was going to be done. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I was pretty sure it would never actually get past its current state, so I said it “needed a lot of work”. I talked about all of the editing and revising I’d have to do, and publication, and he told me it “would be a good process to go through.” I told him how I was going to do all that with my *next* shiny new novel idea, and I started telling him about it. I only got so far as dystopian, because I didn’t think he’d understand my references to Lois Lowry, among others. Therefore, I left it at that.