6,267/1,000,000 (0.6267%)

I found this site about stories that have exactly 100 words. From the about page, "None of us will ever know the whole story.... We can only collect a bag full of shards that each seem perfect."

This week, I've been collecting shards. I can't call them perfect, but I find them intriguing. The form is as liberating as it is restrictive. Writing so little can be a struggle for the most condensed form, but knowing that the quota is the end allows me to explore an idea without worrying about all the questions.

And yes, this is 100 words. ;)

Chef (100)

(Based off of this picture from 100wordstory.org)

The man was nothing. He was a body following a routine. The watch on his wrist told him what to do. I could see him through the glass of the door. His face was blurred, but I knew it was him. It was 9:57am, his usual time. I watched his chest rise and fall. I saw him look out the window, fist on his chin. His empty eyes saw nothing but the glass inches in front of them. He couldn’t see me, watching his shell of a life. The man was nothing but a couple grand. I pulled the trigger.

Finals Week (100)

Eyelids droop and suddenly she doesn’t care about anyone watching; she lets go of her self-consciousness. She is in the student center, but she is invisible. She leans her head against the back of the couch and closes her eyes. It’s 9:30am. She has just finished one exam and has another in an hour. She wonders why she planned against coffee this morning. Caffeine would be good, she thinks. She struggles against sleep; exhaustion has overcome apprehension. Nerves, she remembers, were supposed to keep her awake. Eventually she rises and leaves. Glazed eyes watch her go, and then continue studying.

NaNoWriMo Winner!

Well, I did it. 50,020 words in 30 days. I started two separate stories this month and didn't finish either one, but I learned a ton about the characters, the universe they live in, and my own writing process. I also had an "aha" moment on the very last day of NaNo, so now I'm pretty sure I know where these stories are heading, I just need to figure out how they get there.

In the meantime, however, I'm probably going to let these stories stew for a bit while I finish the semester. I'll work on them a little, because I don't want to get too out of touch with them, but I will no longer have word count goals to reach each day.

I liked the experience. At this point, I'm leaning towards doing it again, but I won't know for sure until I get a little more perspective on the whole thing.

NaNoWriMo

Tomorrow I will begin my first attempt at National Novel Writing Month, in which participants seek to complete a 50,000 word novel in the thirty days of November. It will be rough and it will likely be terrible (it is a first draft, after all). If you're lucky, I'll edit it starting in December, and begin posting chapters once they are a little more finished.

If you're curious about NaNo and want to learn more, check it out here.