I’ve moved my computer upstairs so that I can work on my NaNoWriMo novel in peace and quiet. I’m in a corner of the spare room, which is entirely full of boxes and assorted junk, but it’s working surprisingly well.

I’ve set up a new XP user with a completely blank screen and minimal applications running, and will be writing using the online word processor Writely in full-screen Firefox¹. I’m not having any clocks in the room either.

National Novel Writing Month works as follows: the aim is to write a 50,000 word novel during November. It’s not so much to produce something of great quality as to prove to yourself that you really can write a novel if you put your mind to it. Here’s my pledge:

If I fail to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of November, I will donate £500 to the Institute of Creation Research.

As you probably know, I hate creationism and the subversion of education, so I don’t write that lightly. I also can’t afford to lose £500! If I fail, you all have permission to take the mickey mercilessly for the next 11 months, until next November when I’ll try again The one proviso I leave myself is the Catastrophe Clause, but this can only be invoked if something incredibly awful happens, as judged by reasonable standards. If I get attacked by a psychotic iDog tomorrow and spend the next 30 days barely conscious in hospital, the creationists are getting nothing
I start tomorrow morning. I have a few ideas for what I’ll be writing, but nothing final as yet. Exciting!

1. Opera doesn’t fully support Writely yet [↩]