It took Derek Cummings 30 days to create a dystopian world.
As part of the National Novel Writing Month — which officially ended today at midnight — the 37-year-old spent all of November up until Wednesday writing at his laptop.
The result: 53,098 words toward the first volume of “The Stone of Gatallah,” an adult-fantasy trilogy he began three years ago. Cummings said he hopes to publish the novel in April.
“I’m going to finish sometime today even if my hands start to cramp or lose sensation from all the writing,” he said.
Cummings is one of 178 Gainesville writers who participated in this year’s event, which encouraged them to write 50,000 words for an original novel, said Jennifer Kinser, a librarian at the Tower Road Branch Library. She did not yet know how many participants achieved the 50,000-word mark.
This was the sixth year Alachua County public libraries participated, hosting workshops and providing quiet places for participants to write and discuss ideas, Kinser said.The fully online program allows participants to track their progress, and mentors provide them with words of encouragement along the way.
Besides the fulfilling feeling of finishing a novel, participants who achieve the 50,000-mark will receive a virtual trophy at the end of the month.
“Writing is a solitary activity, but when you’re doing something crazy like 50,000 words in 30 days, it’s nice to know you have company in your madness,” Kinser said.
