NaNoWriMo Week 1

The Word count widgets are back!  My favourites are My Month and the Progress report.  Just slot your NaNoWriMo user number into the URLs and you're away.  Hubby wrote these to help me keep track of my novel, and they went global.  It's awesome to see them turn up on websites all over the place.

My plot is mostly on track, a minor characters insisted on being a major character and I need the word count, plus he's a serial killer.  You don't say no to this guy without getting hurt and he's awfully fun to write!  Maybe there's something wrong with me...

The Travelling Shovel of Death made an appearance in my novel on Friday.  It turned up, killed an annoying blonde from the coffee shop, and left again, leaving 1132 new words in its wake.  Presumably it's doing its murderous work in another novel right now.

Shovel FAQ, by yangnome

What can I do with the shovel?


Use it as a murder weapon. Kill a main character, a supporting character, or even a background character.

What if I don’t like violent scenes?


Have the shovel show up bloody on the ground, or maybe just a body that has been beaten. You don’t need to describe the murder to use the shovel, though I’m sure it wouldn’t stop you.

Why use the shovel to murder someone?


Easy, it provides conflict. Conflict drives stories.

Couldn't I just use a gun or a knife, maybe a sword?


I’m sure you could. Personally, I haven’t seen any guns knives or swords traveling around from novel to novel wreaking destruction though. The shovel is something bigger than you or I. It is bigger than our novels. It is a weapon of mass destruction if you will.

What if I don’t want to use the shovel?


No one is forcing you. Don’t be surprised though if it pops into your novel. It popped into mine. Others who heard of the shovel couldn’t resist. Can you?

Does it have to be used as a murder weapon?


I suppose not, but the shovel has developed a taste for blood.

What do I do with the shovel when I am done?


Return it. Set it free so it can travel to another place, another land, maybe even another world.

I’m still not convinced.


Well, use of the shovel will provide you with words. Anyone could easily milk a small 1,000-word scene from the shovel. Those more talented could get more. Heck, I’d bet someone could even get a whole novel out of the shovel’s exploits.

Are there any rules regarding the use of the shovel?


No, but we would like to hear about its use. Post the fact that you send  it here, and maybe the excerpt from its use.

This sounds silly. It couldn’t possibly fit in my novel.


Maybe you are correct. I don’t know what you are writing about. The  first year the shovel visited me, I wasn't writing a silly novel and it fit in mine with little problem. TSoD does not discriminate based on genre.

Anything else I need to know about the shovel?


No. Well, don't turn your back on it.

Saturday November 7th is the day the St Louis region invades the write-in of the Columbia region.  We're in a word war with them, and it's on words per active writer since we're the bigger region.  This is how we're doing so far:

I think we can maintain our lead the rest of the month.