November 2012 "National Graphic Novel Writing Month" Challenge!
I'm not interested in writing novels. I'm interested in writing comics — but as I've been talking about recently, I'm finding it really hard to writing consistently without a deadline, and I don't have any set deadlines at the moment.
So I'm mulling over trying a NaNoWriMo-style challenge for myself in the month of November. November has 30 days, 22 of them are weekdays. If I try to write 5 pp. a day every weekday, that's 110 pages — five issues of a 22 pp. comic. If I write 6 pp. every weekday, that's 132 pages — six 22 pp. comics. Both of those are respectable graphic novel/miniseries lengths, without being super-long. (For comparison, writing 12 pp. every weekday would get you 264 pp. — a Watchmen-length piece.)
Like I said, I'm mulling it over. What do other people think? Does this sound like a challenge others would be interested in? I see there have been "NaGraNoWriMo" challenges in the past, but they focused on getting at least 48 pages — and when people are doing half that much in 24 hours for 24 Hour Comic Day, that seems underachieving.
Comments
Well, I do have some GN-size ideas that I've been putting off for pretty much that reason. (Actually, the size I had in mind was more like 96 pages rather than 110.)
Depending on the time zone, I still have between an hour (here) and
however much wherever to make up my mind. I'd have to finish some webcomics first, but
apart from that...
I'm also going to keep poking away at drawing in the meantime, so I'm going to try taking advantage of the end of Daylight Saving (at last!), and continue getting up at the same real time every morning (an hour earlier), giving me an "extra" hour without (too many) distractions each day.
Example, for the 132 pp/six issues I'd like to write this month (I added the bit that says "pages" to the code):
Actually, there are a number of good meters on this site.
If I join the challenge, it'll be either for the Hum Buck special I've been meaning to do since I introduced Hum and his gang in Conny Van Ehlsing back in 2010 or so. (That would be Fumetto Nero size, or 96pp.) Or the Codename: Olga strip I've been putting off since 2006. (Length unknown - it's one of the variables that keep me from submitting right away.)
So...
I'm going to finish Savant this month. I have 29 of an anticipated 140 or so pages done. So the goal here is to just power through and finish. Even if it sucks. I'll start the count at zero for my progress.