I was looking through an old blog of mine (MSNspace or something…) and lo and behold, I have a log of the last time I completed NaNo. It was 2007, so I’m due another shot at it. For the amusement of all and sundry, here is the way ‘Backlog’ grew:
November 1: 2,000wds. A meets his saints-keep her mother and she decides she doesn’t like him. Oh the ANGST!!
2- Didn’t write
November 3: 6,000+ wds. M and A fight about who gets to keep the prisoner. My prisoner! No Mine!! Vidocq tells them to play nicely.
No diary for the next week
November 12: 19,800 words. A is griping about his father. Again.
November 15: A is beaten up and M has a second flashback about his time in brest. Curse you Alain Dupard! 25,000
November 18: Poor little boy A feels lonely. M thinks about his A hate and angst abounds. 29,000
November 19: A plays pranks on hs teachers and is surprised when they decide they don’t like him. 32,000
November 20: A has panic attacks, and Marc covets A’s wine. 34,000
November 21: 35,000 A’s teacher decides to have a flashback within A’s flashback. This is getting out of hand. How can anyone have a flashback in someone else’s flashback anyway? M’s girlfriend gets a name and gets to do some jealous sniping. Her initial is also M.
November 22: A’s teacher’s flashback gets out away from him. A is mischevious and basically cute. M gets heartily sick of it and tries to get drunk.
November 23: 38900. A’s father: son I want you to become a prison guard.
A: But I want to be a lawyer! (random Rom)
A’s Father: Just do as you’re told so you can angst some more!!
A: Oh. Ok. Have some toffee.
November 25: 41000 A gets more drunk and begins to babble a bit more than he was already doing. Mutters darkly about being a crook and a cop and being confused about his social identity. M thinks about shutting him up, but it’s more amusing to let him talk.
November 26: 42800 A decides to talk about the army. He likes Jean Venet. Jean Venet doesn’t like him. A thinks this is amusing because A is weird like that. M thinks this is amusing too because of references to daisies.
November 27: Finally A decides to blurt out the sordid tale of how he came to arrest the evil M Chancard. M Chancard is not amused. Also a flashback. 47700
November 28: End. Both MCs are heatily drunk (and probably heartily sick in a gutter about five minutes after they walk off screen) The Cafe is glad to see them go, and Jean Venet gets a little peace and quiet at last.
At the end I had 51,000 words. And two characters who proceeded to amuse and enslave me ever since.