My Nanowrimo 2009 Experience

On How to write a Novel in 30 days?

How did I get Myself into National Novel Writing Month? I still wonder...I already had an ongoing writing project,I have been writing on for the last 5 months, doing it for my pleasure & at my pace. Then reading & googling through the internet, i accidentally found http://nanowrimo.org & I registered. I had no idea on what I was going to write at first but as I registered on Oct 8th , I still had " weeks to think about a theme, a plot , characters & all those things that make a novel. I reduced drastically my facebook procarstination & gathered vague ideas on what could be my novel outline. I found a title, which was good enough for me to start from & then I couldn't way for nov 1st to come. I joined the Africa , Elsewhere group & the France Group, as I didn't feel ready to take the risk of writing a full novel in English. I felt a bit lonely with the 2/3 Kinshasa wrimos lost on the site & hopefully made one or two very nice writing buddies. For once, i didn't procrastinate, as i hate being in the loosers' camps & I managed to write up to date 43009 words. But I must confess the following:

1. I am a word perfectionnist & i feel like correcting all the time
2. My Facebook wrimos & writing buddies have been helpful in encouraging me , so dont do it alone, it's depressing
3. I go back & forth in the story, changing who my MC is (main character) but i have a story
4. Quoting Hemingway "the first draft of anything is crap" I feel relieved coz my novel is crap at that stage,
5. I have no clue on the end of my story so i will just let it flow until i reach 50K & hopefully will get back to it in 2010 when I finish my current story
6. I am proud of myself...
7. I hope i can post again next week & tell you I won , I won.

So folks I hope next yea i will drag more African wrimos in with me in the challenge, I never though i would have made it , given my multiple activities & my kids . But yes You can was saying to me that little voice.

I must thank Steve Jobs as my Iphone has been a valuable partner, as i could write bits & pieces on it until i passed 43K , and know i have to go writing, twittering, then facebooking. So see you at 50K. It feels good to write write write even with rthe frustration of my inner editor.

BLACK HAIR IS...

The tale of my hair gone nappy...

After years of relaxing, coloring, breading, weaving & extending my persecuted black hair, i made a vow on that day of Dec 2008: " I shall not relax my hair for few years" how many years? asked my mum, I just couldn't answer, ignored the question & decided to respect that early year 2009 resolution. Oh My what a journey it has been. I learned that this phase is called transitioning. Waouh. From chemically processed hair to baby virgin hair? Anyway , the only way i found to look sexy enogh while doing it , was ..... "Braiding" then "weaving" my hair. Yes honestly , i only feel confident & sexy with my Brazilian bunch of bought hair flowing around my face but that doesn't stop me from proudly claiming to whoever i meet " I stopped relaxing my hair!". Some look at me like i lost my head by wanting to loose my hair's ability to be straightened; others woyld grin doubtfully & there is another category who encourage me but still remind me that " Are you going to carry an afro" ironically. Anyway, i stuck to my choice, alternatively breading & weaving my hair, progressively cutting all the relaxed ends & now 10 months later, I must admit that I am quite happy with the result. My hair feels so soft & silky, unlike what we have always thought of our nappy wool. And I feel so proud of myself even though i still carry my sexy weaves, waiting for the day my Afro grows so that i can spot it along with my stilish designer lol outfits. So whoever wants to try & take the step forward, you won't regret it. I feel so Ecological & Green since then , & I know that next year-InshAllah- I will face more Hair Challenges as millions of black women around the world. So sisterz I just accepted that BLACK HAIR IS...NATURAL & INDEED BEAUTIFUL.

XOXO