Staring Into The Blank

Today is the first day of Nanowrimo or for those unaware of this month long insanity, National Novel Writing Month. Writers and aspiring writers around the world will be tackling the nearly overwhelming task of creating a fifty thousand word novel over the course of the next thirty days. As is usually the case I have spent the last few weeks chomping at the bit to get started. I have taken my notes, made a basic outline and even posted a character profile for the main character. I began making a playlist for the book, something I do for every book that I write.

The playlist is where I hit the first of my snags. I don't have very many songs that follow the mood for the type of story I an hoping to tell. Last year I wrote a book set back during the Salem Witch Trials. For that I played several classical pieces along with a great song from Lindsay Stirling and Lzzy Hale called Shatter Me. As a matter of fact I would start out every writing session by listening to that song. However because I generally write books with drama and romance leading to a happy ending I am not well equipped to create a song list for a darker book.

Then I realized that while I love the pressure that Nano creates I have always ended up with a stronger sense of it because I start late and / or have a second job and will be sleep deprived for the majority of the month. Several years ago I made the decision to participate on November 9th and had no idea what I was going to write about. I found a short story I had created and thought it would be fun to extend it out into a full length novel. Last year with my period piece hanging in the balance I knew the story ver well but I was working more than full time with two jobs pushing me between sixty and seventy hours per week doing multiple double shifts often back to back. This year I have tons of time because I already know the story I want to write and I am down to just working one job. It almost feels like I have too much availability to the book and so my mind is wandering.

Last but not least I am working to write my first suspense thriller and that is terrifying to me. I have never produced a suspense novel and to add the thriller on top of it with the faster pace and additional backgrounds and storylines it is very overwhelming. All of that runs through my head as I sit here staring at a blank page. Wish me luck, here goes nothing.