I’ve never won a race in my life. The combination of two left feet and a stubborn refusal to wear glasses despite appalling eyesight, meant I was last at everything at school sports days, and regarded team games as the work of the devil.
But twenty years on, I seem to have found my competitive streak at last. Along with a growing band of writers, I’m racing to be the first to type The End on my fifth novel.
It started innocently enough. New British writer Lucy Diamond had found my blog and was following my daily word count. Indeed, it had spurred her on while writing her second book, and she emailed to suggest that as we were both planning to start our respective new books at the beginning of 2007, we could race each other to the finishing line.
I said yes – it was November, I was mid copy-edit, and 2007 seemed a long way off – and promptly forgot. Until just after Christmas, when she mailed to check the race was still on, starting January 2…
Diversionary tactics were called for. I decided the best way to hide my own inaction was to advertise the ‘race’ on my blog and ask for other writers – published and unpublished – to join in the competition to complete the roughest of first drafts as quickly as possible.
Two weeks later, and Lucy and I have been joined by 15 other keyboard athletes, all desperate to throw down those words with abandon.
For those familiar with http://www.nanowrimo.org/, our race may sound similar, and it’s definitely an influence. But our competition is simultaneously more flexible AND more focussed: it’s not enough just to get to 50,000 words (which most publishers would reject as too short for a mainstream novel). With the Great Novel Race, you’re in it to win it!
Most of our racers are women, writing for women…so isn’t the aggression of the race a little unseemly? Should be we encouraging each other gently, rather than trying to kick each other’s ass?
Well, it’s a personal thing, but I can honestly say that the prospect of the other racers popping over to my blog and seeing my word counter stuck on last week’s total has had me glued to my laptop. All those humiliating years of being lapped by junior athletes have made me more determined to keep up.
Sure, the quality of my work-in-progress is debatable, but as Anne Lamott and others have noted, the sh*tty first draft is an essential stage in the road to the perfect manuscript. As a compulsive tweaker, I’m liberated by being forced to ditch my perfectionist habits, and type like there’s no tomorrow. In 17 days, I’ve managed 18,000 words. OK, so maybe they’re not in the right order yet, but it’s a great start.
We’re meeting online every Friday for a day-long ‘coffee break,’ (to allow all time-zones to say ‘hi’) and despite the competitive element, we’re beginning to bond as a bunch of slightly unhinged fiction addicts. In fact, we’re so unhinged that we haven’t quite got round to working out what the victor will win.
Though after years without a hope of a trophy for my display cabinet, I rather fancy something shiny and engraved…
It’s not too late to join in: go to http://www.chicklitworkinprogress.blogspot.com/ for more details.
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I think women are more competitive than men.
Love the competition. Love the idea about having a tight little support group. One of the things I enjoy about going to RWA chapter meetings. I don’t feel as alone.
Very interesting concept. I hope you win.
Are science fiction novels eligible?
Not that I’m competative or anything.
Just wondering.
You know, innocent like.
Okay. I introduced myself on you original race post (January 2).
I’m in.
I’m not in it to win, which is just as well since I’m taking an enforced breat to edit an old book, but for the comraderie of fellow serious writers. This doesn’t feel like a ‘bang out the wordcount’ race but an ‘I’m writing this book that…” group.
I love it.
Good luck everyone with the competition. I’ve done NaNoWriMo. It’s really fun!