It draws near. Thirty days of nonstop wordcraft. Thousands of would-be novelists descend upon their notepads and keyboards, pouring ideas into fresh works of fiction. The goal is clear: 50,000 words of fiction in thirty days. Start on November 1st, finish before December 1st. The prize is the intrinsic satisfaction of having written a novel.
Last year I gave it a shot. I can fabricate all manner of excuses, but frankly I ran out of steam, got dissatisfied with my premise, and couldn’t gut through the second half of the work. I came away with a greater respect for those who have gone before, the wordsmiths that put pen to paper and bore through it. In theory it looks simple, start telling a story and keep going. In practice I found it was quite difficult. I could have told the story I had in my head in 10,000 words or less, it turns out. Clearly I’ll need to take a different approach this time around, pace myself and my plot, and avoid getting to the goodies too early.
As an extra hurdle this time, I’m spending much of the first week of November in Washington DC. I expect to be kept thoroughly occupied. I invite any brave souls out there to join in the struggle. Check out http://NaNoWriMo.org/ and keep your powder dry till the 1st!
I spent the first half of this year in our nation’s capital, so if you want some inside information, I’ll be glad to furnish it.
Don’t give up the dream of that novel! I didn’t participate last year, but I think I might this year.
Cheers,
Mori
This is gonna be the like 5th yeah I think, that I fail to finish a novel? hehe I gotta look at it more positively I guess.
@Mori: A nice place to take the wife out to dinner that won’t break the bank would be awesome.
@Chunkbot: I’ve have 32 years of not writing a novel under my belt already. Looking to break the streak.
If you’re looking for fancy (probably jacket, tie req.), 1789 is an institution. I’ve never been, and I’m pretty sure it’s pricey, but here’s the info:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/1789-washington
Sushi Taro consistently gets good reviews, and its location is nice (Dupont Circle). Long lines prevented me from dining there, but that’s a good sign IMO.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-taro-washington
Nirvana (Indian) is in midtown. Their lunch buffet is _amazing_ but I don’t know how the dinner menu holds up.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nirvana-washington
Meiwah is a Chinese restaurant that apparently is a rite of passage for every newcomer to the District (pictures of hundreds of pols, rock stars, media people adorn the walls). I went there for lunch once and it was pretty good. It’s busy, so not too intimate, but has a large menu to choose from.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/meiwah-washington
In general, DC is one of those cities where most of the good restaurants are expensive, and the cuisine isn’t terribly diverse. I’d stick to the Adams-Morgan, Dupont Circle, downtown and Georgetown neighborhoods if you want to target a specific area of the city.
Hope this helps.