Nanowrimo Week One Wrap-up

The time has come (the Walrus said) for the first of my Friday Nanowrimo posts! I've really enjoyed this first week - reading about your experiences, reading your first paragraphs and your main character names. I have been through all your blogs and picked out a few posts that I think the rest of the group will find interesting or helpful (please don't be offended if you are not featured - I chose things that I thought would appeal to most people or that struck my fancy, and there are more Friday posts coming during the month!).

For the full list of group members, go here.

Nanowrimo Round-up

• Sara is writing a fictionalisation of her family history that I find really fascinating.
• Ally wrote a story about merzombies. Merzombies are the new sparkly vampires.
• Luinae, who is our youngest group member (as far as I know) at fourteen, has posted an excerpt of her Nano novel on her blog!
• S. from Academichic has posted some of her Nanowrimowear ...
• I love Andrea's description of her Nano project. It sounds like the kind of thing I would snap up in a bookstore (from The Rainbow Notebook).
• Lola's commitment to her Nanowrimo novel is pretty amazing (hope she remembers to eat).
• I really love Kate's first paragraph, and the Toni Morrison quote she keeps above her workspace.
• Juli's novel has some high school scenes, and she's posted a few of her most embarrassing memories from her teenage years. I don't even want to think about some of mine - my ears go red, even now.
• I just love Valerie's idea of creating a Polyvore set that reflects the inspiration behind her Nano novel. Also, she is intimidatingly organised!

I am so impressed with all of you. This is not an easy thing you have taken on, and you should be proud with your progress, however many words you have written. I'm a bit behind, I'm afraid, and have only written 7,000 words so far, but I'm very happy with the direction in which it's going. One of the best things about Week One is just sitting back and watching the stuff that comes out of your head. It's amazing what we manage to cram in there, and what chooses to pop out during November. Whether it's drivel or complete brilliance, you should feel proud - no one else could write the novel you are writing, and, if you had not taken on this challenge, those pages of prose might never have existed at all. You are pulling ideas and characters out of the cluttered attic in your head, and making them real. We are the only animals that can do that. And I think it's pretty cool.

If you would like to share your first-week experiences or any links that you have found interesting or helpful, please do so in the comments. And now for this weekend's challenge for the group members! I have borrowed Valerie's idea, and created a Polyvore group. If you would like to take part, join up and create a collage that reflects your Nanowrimo novel, and post it to the group. I'm looking forward to doing this one! And, of course, I'll post some of my favourite collages on the blog next week.

P.S. There are already some fantastic sets in the Polyvore group! You guys are great. I've uploaded mine, now, too.
P.P.S. For those of you who have asked, I don't have a title yet, unfortunately, but my novel is turning out to be sort-of-New-Zealand-based, neo-Victorian steampunk with cyber-athletes, living graffiti, parasitic parallel worlds, possessed trains and rabbits with no eyes. Naturally.