NaNoWriMo Day 18

I’m feeling better. Still not one hundred percent yet, but I’m getting there. Thanks for all the well wishes, I appreciate it.

I will be participating in my first #wordsprint for #NaNoWriMo today. I’m excited. I’ve already written a number of words today, so I’m hoping that between the wordsprints and my regular writing today will actually end up a 5K day. Keeping my fingers crossed, but my minimum goal is 2K.

So I’m off to have “mind-blowing, irresponsible, condomless sex” with my novel (I love that quote–if you’re not sure of what quote I’m talking about watch the video)… LOL! Or at least I’m going to try to get my MC to the point where she has some much needed mind-blowing sex with her love interest.

 

NaNoWriMo Days 8 & 9

When I finished that video earlier I took a break to eat lunch. Then I fell asleep. Evidently this is the weekend for naps. Now I’m up and posting this, and then I’ll go back to writing. Before I had lunch and took my nap, I had 19K. All by itself that’s a good word count. I’m excited about writing this evening. I’m writing the love interest’s scene, his POV is interesting for me to write because it is a change of pace for me.

I feel so much better about my writing now. Working on two novels was overwhelming, but now that I’ve figured out I don’t HAVE to write in both every day, splitting the word count goal between the two, and stressing myself out because it’s so much easier writing in one than in the other. NaNoWriMo is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be so hard–it’s supposed to be a month of literary abandon where you chuck the rules, like editing, and just write. I’m now having fun with it.

I’m also working on my class work–a Fiction Writing Class–and it’s going well so far. Busy month for me, but it feels good to be so productive.

 

Day 7 of NaNoWriMo and end of Week 1

Thank goodness the first week is over. WHEW! It was a rough one, but a good one overall. I closed out week 1 with 16K. I’m happy about that, but not very happy that I spent one day feeling like I was ready to quit all together because I was so stressed out I was close to having an anxiety attack, which caused my ADHD to flair up (from bad to worse). Another day was spent wishing like hell I could run away to that imaginary log cabin in the middle of nowhere that I dream about. Overall though, it was a good week.

As I end this week I’ve realized a few things about myself and writing, that are important. I’ve learned that to write well I need to let go of my expectations of writing the perfect novel and just concentrate on getting the words on the page.

Neil Gaiman said, “I learned to write by writing.” I’ve learned this week that in order for me to become a better writer I have to push past my fears of imperfection and failure and just write. I’ve also learned that I work better with a basic outline, anything else is over-planning (for me) and causes me angst because I try too hard to follow the outline and become anxious if the story goes elsewhere. I’m fighting myself, fighting the natural flow of the writing–I become my own worst enemy. I’ve also learned that I do not have the kind of focus it takes to write more than one novel at a time.

I’m going to try, and that’s not definite just a possibility, to write 5K words tomorrow. I’m also going to get myself a bottle of wine, light a candle and just write–hopefully that will produce five thousand words. If not, then it will produce quality words because I’ll be relaxed and motivated.

I closed out the end of week one with 16,001 words. Great way to end week one.

 

Day 1 of NaNo

Goal for each day of NaNoWriMo: 1,667. My personal goal was 2,500. Actual word count thus far: 2,500… Woop Woop!

I made it, and I’m still writing. I’m about to go make myself another cup of coffee and then I’m headed back to the computer. But I thought I’d let you know what I’ve been up to…

We went Trick or Treating with my daughter and the little man last night…and had a blast.

Half Dead Zombie (my daughter) and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Mr. Viktor)

Went to a family reunion this morning and had some great food and spent some time with my family… Good Times. And in thirty minutes or so we’re going to Papa and Mama Taylor’s to watch the football game.

Though I am taking NaNoWriMo seriously, I also have a life to live–besides, spending time with family and friends provides me with inspiration, spiritual and mental nourishment, and motivation.

So that’s what’s going on in my world on the first day of NaNo… Oh, and it was snowing in Columbia, SC this morning, which is only about 45 minutes from us and it’s been raining here on and off all day. Wonderful weather to be writing.. Glad I got the good coffee creamer and a bottle of whipped cream.. Yummy!

 

Embracing the struggle to get the words on the page

Yesterday I only wrote 357 words. I’m not joking. The weekends are always harder for me because as I’ve said before, my desk is in the living room. I got up early (before the crack of dawn) to write. I sat down at my desk with my cup of coffee, in my favorite cup that my husband bought for me that says “Fresh-brewed inspiration for the day ahead,” and began checking my emails, FB, WP, etc. I wrote a post about the support we do or don’t receive from Friends and Family, and then I began reading the last few pages of my WIP. As I was writing an idea hit my mind for a novel like a home-run being hit out of the park. I opened up a new Scrivener project and wrote what I had down into it.

 

Writing, Day 5/30, and new keyboard

My new keyboard

First let me start off by saying I just got the Adesso True Form Media Ergonomic Keyboard (delivered by FedEx). I love it. It’s taking a bit of getting used to. The reviews were right… It feels more plastic than rubbery, it’s loud when you type–click, click, click (which is fine with me because now I sound like I’m writing–I love that sound. The click of keys. It’s one of the things I miss about using a typewriter). And if you don’t know where your keys are without looking at them it wouldn’t be the keyboard for you, not really. I had been using my son’s keyboard because mine had keys that stuck, the labels were worn off of half the keys, and one of the keys was broken…Once my son came back I had to get another keyboard. I decided to go with one that would reduce the chance of carpal tunnel. Now that I’m writing full-time I’ve noticed that either my neck and shoulders hurt from hunching over the keyboard or my wrists hurt… Now that I’m typing the way you’re supposed to, with my hands in the correct position (which I should have been doing all along but with the flatter keyboards it wasn’t comfortable even with the little foamy thing I bought to help)…I find that I actually sit up straight while using the keyboard, I guess it’s because of the position my hands and wrists are in, the fact that I no longer have to lean over, but it’s much more comfortable. Happy writer over here!

My word count on the left; my cabin’s word count on the right.

This is the next thing on my list of things that make me happy. Word Count… Wooo Hooo! I’d gotten a little behind schedule Thursday and Friday because I was finishing Save the Cat and filling up my corkboard with index cards, some of which I’ve now color coded. I’ve got the literal corkboard with index cards to use when I’m tired of being at the computer but I want to look over things for my novel, or I just need a different perspective. Sometimes the physical act of writing out things with a pen, color coding the index cards, or going through the index cards themselves helps me figure out something I’m missing or just not seeing when I’m at the computer. Don’t get me wrong, I use the hell out of Scrivener’s corkboard. It’s one of my favorite parts of the software, but I grew up writing with a typewriter, a pad and pen or pencil, and index cards. Sometimes when I get stuck I go back to “old school” stuff. But today I kicked ass, and I’m not done yet. Right now my total word count is 9,666 (don’t freak out because of the number, I’ll be adding words soon enough), and out of that total I wrote 2,208 words today. Kicking ass and taking names. I’m also working on a few of the minor character’s sketch sheets because those characters will be introduced soon. I’ve already introduced her mentor and her sidekick, though that’s just in passing reference because the sidekick is her mentor’s daughter. MC is just now finding out about her heritage, powers, and her destiny… One of the major themes of the novel is the whole Predestination versus Free Will thing. Since she’s a Nephilim she has the powers of an angel, and the soul/free will of man. She has to choose to fulfill the prophecy. She has to choose to be the Peace Bringer. (I love all these trope terms… They really help me flush out the beats I need to go through in order for her to fulfill her role as a hero, as well as the prophecy).  I’m not one to follow the rules though, so my MC, the (unwilling) hero of my story is a female. One of the Watchers is a female angel. The secondary antagonist is a red haired, green eyed male Nephilim who has chosen the side of the Fallen. The mentor is a Southern woman, a psychic, and is educated but has the Southern drawl/slang…She knows who she is, where she came from, and unlike the unwilling hero/MC she doesn’t feel stuck in a small town in the South or ashamed of being from the South. The MC has a long bumpy road ahead of her, but she’ll get over her fear of being stuck in a small town in the South, learn to appreciate the camaraderie that comes from being part of a small town along with the pitfalls–everybody knows everybody and their business (but the helps her because when someone new comes to town everyone knows it–grapevine of gossip).

One of the things I really liked about the Beautiful Creatures was that the author’s nailed what it’s like living in a small town. Where I live is a rather small city/town and the natives often call it the pit because once it sucks you in you never get out. I grew up in Charleston though, which is large city compared to where I live now, but still growing up in the same place, with all the same people, means everybody knows you, who you’re related to, where you live or at least the neighborhood you live in… Sure there were people I didn’t know by name in the back of my neighborhood, or who had just moved in, or who didn’t have children…but for the most part I knew my neighbors and I felt like I was part of a community. The MC wants to be anonymous. She wants to get out of her small town, move to the city, experience life without being judged or labeled a black sheep or feeling ostracized because she’s different. What she doesn’t realize is that you can be alone in a room full of people, just as well as be alone in city full of people. She’s always known she was different, always felt like she didn’t fit in, she’s finding out why that is, and it’s not just an internal thing. She is different. (Hell, we’re all different, but that’s a topic for another day.)

So I’m off to finish the chapter I’m working on. which is my CATALYST chapter. Happy writing! And have a great weekend.

 

 

Camp NaNo Day 1

So I’m coming right along with my novel for Camp…3226 words on Day 1. Not bad for the first day.

I spent part of today organizing my physical writer’s bible. I’ve printed out several things over the past few months–writing resources, outlining info, detailed character worksheets–and I needed a place to store them, in an organized manner, instead of stuck in various drawers of my desk. Now that I’ve moved my desk to the living room, there’s no way I can continue to have the creative clutter I had on the desk when I was in my own writing room. I dream of having a writing shed/barn/cottage/ in the backyard one day, but for now I’m in the living room….

Book cover, Save the Cat, notebook, etc

This is actually clean considering it’s Camp NaNo

Thought I’d share what my desk looks like while I’m at Camp….IIt’s much cleaner since I’m in the living room now.

 

Family Emergencies and Real Life

My aunt Jan had a seizure and fell; sent to hospital and put in ICU with a ventilator. She became coherent and they eased her off of the ventilator, and was put in her own room, and finally released and sent home. Went to see her the other Saturday  before she was released and was relieved that she was her humorous, and vivacious self, but she didn’t look good. Bruised and battered from the fall, her left hand swollen, and looked like she’d been in a wreck or a fight. My heart ached for her.  (I’ll be visiting her now that she’s at home the beginning of this coming week for a couple of days.)

There isn’t much I can do right now to help her. We’ve only got one vehicle and Mr. Rockstar has needed it because he’s in a 5 week training program and has to drive to Greenville every Sunday evening or Monday morning and then hit the road. Yes, I could technically drive him there and then drive the 2 1/2 hours back but that’s using more gas than we have the money for. Right now we’re trying to catch up on bills, important one’s, and adding extra bills to that is not smart.

When I went to see Aunt Jan I was overcome with thanks and gratitude for all that she’d done for me growing up. For all the times she’s been there for me as an adult. Sometimes it was just listening to me. Other times it was taking me to Belks when I was a teenager (many, many moons ago) and buying me that pair of Calvin Klein jeans I just had to have for my birthday. Or when she made me breakfast and coffee, or had dinner cooked when I got home from a 12 hour shift when she was staying with me.

I’ve been absent from my blog for the past two weeks because I’ve been dealing with a family emergency and real life. The blog is my outlet, it’s my place to write, to vent, to create, but I have barely had time to keep up with my word count for Nanowrimo the past couple of weeks. Between Mr. Rockstar being on the road and everything else that’s been going on, the blog has been the last thing on my mind.

Funny thing about how real life is so much different than television, social media, movies, and what people tend to think of as what’s going on in your life. From the outside John and Jane Doe looks like they’re doing great. What you don’t know about them would surprise you–maybe she’s struggling each day in pain and since she has no health insurance there’s absolutely nothing she can do about it but keep on keeping on. He’s doing his best to keep on keeping on himself, and he’s the kind of man that even if he needed help would never ask for it. She’ll ask for help when she has to, because she knows he won’t, especially if it will help ease some of the burden from his shoulders. He’s already feeling so much stress and pressure it’s the least she can do to help her husband, since she can’t work right now. She’s worried about him. He’s worried about her. But they’re both finally starting to feel a little of their burdens ease because he’s got a better job, finally, and he really likes the new company he works for. They are both excited because they can finally pay their bills and buy groceries and put gas in the car, now they’re working, slowly but surely, on catching up on their bills, on the necessities they need, and soon they’ll be able to start working on things in the house they need to fix. One day at a time. One thing at a time. That’s their motto. They have each other and they’re grateful for that, and for all that they do have, especially the wonderful people they have in their life. And that’s the key.

Now it’s time for me to go back to writing my novel so that I can make my word count for today. Hope everyone has a great weekend…I’m off to ponder the world of my characters and see what kind of mischief my main character can get into.

 

Day 6: A Better Day

I looked over at my desk this morning and rolled my eyes. My shoulder was killing me. I slept on it wrong, plus the weather is getting chilly here and evidently I have arthritis in my neck…Not good. I’m only 46. But what the hell, I’m a writer so I have to write. It’s my job. I don’t get paid for it, but it is still my job since I take it seriously.

So I get myself motivated by making a pot of coffee. YAY for coffee!!!

Now I’m semi-coherent and I’m at my desk. And then I go blank.  So I go on FB, and Pinterest, and check my email, and my reader in WP. While in Pinterest I see this:

And the light comes on. I’ve made Dean my visual for my male main character (MMC). OH JOY!!! in Writer’s Land. And I think to myself, “Yes, I should be writing.” And the words come. And after two hours of sitting at the computer writing, and an hour before that checking things, and then an hour researching, I am in need of a nap. Once I’m awake I go back to the drawing board and write for a while. Then it’s time to cook dinner. After dinner I watch an hour or so of television and then go back to writing. Whew! It’s been a long day and I still haven’t made it to the 10K mark yet. But I persevere. That’s what writer’s do. That’s what I’ve been taught to do my whole life. Don’t quit. There’s no such thing as can’t. So I write. And I write. ONE. WORD. AT. A. TIME.

AH!!! I made it. And with a little to spare! 😀 But I’m not ahead. At this rate I’ll make my goal just in the nick of time. I don’t like that. I’m a forewarned is forearmed kind of woman. So my goal for tomorrow is 2K. At the least. I can do it!

 

Day 5

No one says a novel has to be one thing. It can be anything it wants to be, a vaudeville show, the six o’clock news, the mumblings of wild men saddled by demons. ~ Ishmael Reed

A much better day today:

I’m pleased with my progress, and I’ve also walked a mile the past two days, so I’m quite proud of myself overall. My hard work is paying off. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve written in spurts today so it was much easier. I also watched quite a few youtube videos about NaNoWriMo. I’ll post one of my fav’s  so far below and hope that you enjoy it.

And that’s that for today… I’m wiped out and I’m going to use my reward and watch NCIS 😀 (one of my favorite shows) and then watch Person of Interest (one of my other favorite shows). Hope everyone had or had a great Day 5 for NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo. Good night 😀

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