Category Archives: NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo 2014: TGIO

Posted on by
1

Winner-2014-Web-BannerTHANK GOD IT’S OVER!!!!!!

There are not enough exclamation points to express the excitement I feel over making through the roughest NaNoWriMo I’ve ever participated in. It’s over, and though I only limped through the finish line at 50,004 words, I did in fact cross that line. I’m now 4-0 for NaNo. Feels pretty good.

I limped over because the month of working over nights and having little sleep finally caught up with me. I spent the last thousand words nodding off, wanting only to hide under my sheets, but I knew if I did that, I wouldn’t make the goal. Once I did, I collapsed and that’s all I knew until after midnight.

In addition to exhaustion, I’m now fighting a cold. It hit me yesterday morning, and that contributed to my horrific day. I’m stuffy and my throat is sore, I’m still exhausted, but I have a book review due today that will have to be postponed. So my review of Quarter Past Midnight will now be posted on the 15th of this month. The Dreamt Child will remain on the 5th of January, and The Protected will be reviewed on the 19th of January.

My NaNoNovel is not completed, but I’m going to shelve it for the time being. I’m taking this week off, and I probably won’t do any serious writing until we’re done with inventory at work and I come back to days. In fact, I’m taking a long weekend starting the 13th of this month. I probably won’t do anything until I return home. Then I’ll resume rewriting Jasmine and go from there.

At some point next year, I’ll revisit Giada and start my corrections to tell the story I want to tell. It veered off course quickly and I simply didn’t have the time to change course. I did write some good stuff that I plan to salvage, but some will be pruned and consigned to the fire. I don’t know. I’m still a little fuzzy.

For now I’m signing off. Have a great week, and for those of you who participated and won, congrats! For those who didn’t cross the 50K threshold, I’m proud of you. Just beginning a project is a huge step. Don’t be discouraged. You can do it!

If you’ll excuse me. I have a date with my pillow.

NaNoWriMo 2014: Bled dry

Posted on by
3

Winner-2014-Twitter-ProfileIt is finished, and I have been bled dry. NaNoWriMo 2014 is officially over for me. Hallelujah! Amen! *plop*

NaNoWriMo 2014: Day 30 – Limping towards the finish line

Posted on by
3

It is day thirty of this madness and I’m limping towards the finish line. I slept only a few hours last night and now I’m wide awake, exhausted, and I think…, I don’t know what I think. Right now, I’m don’t know how to think.

I’ll give you a few facts first. It’s a little after nine in the morning and I have a total of 46,799 words written. I need to write 3201 words to finish. Then factoring in the loss of words due to trying to validate, I probably need to pad my word count by at least a thousand words.

I also had the great idea that we needed to have lasagna for dinner, which since it was my idea, I get to make. From scratch. No store-bought frozen crap. I’ll even make the sauce from scratch. The lasagna noodle will be from a box. I’m not so committed that I’m going to make that from scratch. Also, I don’t own a pasta maker.

Damn I’m tired. I should have written yesterday, and I had originally planned on making it to a write-in, but I went with my brother, my sister, and her two daughters to see Mockingjay Part 1. I’ll review it later, maybe. Then I bought some shoes. Then we went to eat at Fuddruckers.

But I surely can write about 4K words by midnight, even with my stupid idea to make dinner tonight. I’ll have to postpone my book review a few days, which bums me out. I wonder if any of this is coherent. It seems so in my sleep-deprived state.

Also I’m hungry, and exhausted. I want to sleep. I also want someone to hold me.

It’s almost over….

God help me

NaNoWriMo 2014: Day 29 – Oh crap, oh crap

Posted on by
2

Two more days of this madness: where do you stand? I’ve seen many of my fellow Wrimos already surpass the 50K mark, and some others are way behind. Myself, I’m behind as well, but not too bad. I’m at 44,481, which means I lack only 5519 until I cross the finish line. That’s only 2759 words per day, though I could conceivably cross the finish line today.

Happily, I have today and tomorrow off. I’m going to spend as much time as possible writing towards the goal line. There’s a write-in in Lubbock that I hope to join, but that depends on me getting some sleep first and then waking up on time. Also, I promised my sister and brother that I would go see Mockingjay Part 1 later today. I really can’t wait!

So for now I’m off to bed, even though it’s only 7:20 in the morning. Until later this morning, have a great day. For my fellow Wrimos, you can do it!

NaNoWriMo 2014: Day 23 – Catching Up

Posted on by
1
Giada Mock Up

Idea for a book cover. I’m sure I can find someone to do better.

You’re not going to believe what happened this week. Yep, I fell behind yet again. This time I was two a little more than 4K behind, and I got within 600 words of par. All it took was me jumping into the car, driving an hour, and parking my rear end in a chair in a coffee house in the great city of Lubbock. And also coffee, delicious coffee. Why am I shaking? Co-co-coffee! Whee!

The trouble I’m running into, in addition to working nights, is trying to advance the story forward. I get to the end of a scene and I’m left wondering, what now? It can be a little frustrating. I know the ultimate destination, but I’m having trouble steering myself that way. I’ll get there eventually. I’m taking the extended scenic route.

A problem I found was that I had a character that did nothing, but is the one that started Giada on her journey. Francesco Manfredo needed to be introduced as more than a place holder character. I wish I would have realized that sooner, but I brought him in, and he’s giving me a wealth of information. Another character is proving to be a surprise, which I’m enjoying. He went from White Hat to crazed stalker.

For now, I’m going to take a nap and start on Sunday’s writing. I hope to get ahead today and tomorrow. Only one week left. I don’t want to lose it now.