So you think you can NaNo... Day 23, 2013

I started the day out right, with 1 466 words, a little shy of the 1 667 goal, but I had other very important things to do. For instance, my good friend from high school, and business partner, is here for the weekend. She and her son deserve nothing but the best, so after writing, I whipped up a scrumptious breakfast of bacon and pancakes. Afterwards, we settled in for an afternoon of e-book formatting. Even the five boys lent a head, before disappearing to watch "Dr. Who".

All in all, a busy, but productive day. I would have liked to have made up for yesterday's nonexistent word count, but I know there's always tomorrow. At 38 630 words, I'm exactly where I need to be, which is better than past years, when I've scrambled to write 5000 everyday for the last week, just to "win" the prize. Of course, the prize is the knowledge that I can create a comprehensive, if messy, first draft of a novel that might one day find publication. 

As always - I remain optimistic. 

No you think you can NaNo... Day 19, 2013

Today is all about best laid plans and all that jazz.

This morning, I woke up planning to go to the gym. Instead, I spent the morning waiting for the pediatrician's office to call back with an appointment for my 13-year-old hockey star... so we could confirm a mild concussion. Then, I planned to email book bloggers - which I did - peppered with short bursts of writing - which I didn't do.

Our normal Tuesday night dinner of pasta, before taking the 12-year old-to diving, turned into a spontaneous Subway supper since the doctor's appointment ended up conflicting with the dinner-cooking time slot.

At the pool, the intention was to focus on the writing I didn't accomplish during the day. This is what happens when a mom is focused on her son executing an inward one and half dive from the three metre board...

The periods go on for about ten pages. I'm a little embarrassed to say that it happened more than once.

The funny thing is, despite the topsy-turvy day, I still managed to surpass my NaNo goal. While at the pool, I thought I might have squeezed out about a thousand words, when in reality, I wrote 1 862. It was like I was having my own private NaNoWriMo write-in, and didn't even know it. Finishing the day with a grand total of 34 537, I actually feel like I accomplished something.

So you think you can NaNo... Day 14, 2013

I'm officially over the halfway mark in my NaNo word count. Yay me! 1 984 words written today for a total of 25 013. That means I only have 24 987 words left to reach the 50 000. Of course, my novel will probably be closer to 70 000 when it's complete, but at least I'll have a solid start on it before the end of November.

The story is really starting to unfold, it's fun, a bit silly, and in some places... well - you'll just have to wait to read it once it's edited and published.

Image from rbgstock

Now... what will I do with the rest of my evening? I'm thinking a good book might be in order. One I didn't write.

So you think you can NaNo... Day 13, 2013

Another successful NaNo day to brag about on my blog!

Except... I'm annoyed with the folks at NaNoWriMo. I started a thread to promote Morning Rain Publishing, but they pulled it.

Why would they do such a thing?

I have been an active NaNo participant for the past four years. I spend countless hours promoting the organization, and often encourage others to join. Before starting the thread, I read the rules, and was careful to place it in the appropriate forum section. Unfortunately, I'm not a forum frequenter. So, because I didn't comment or participate in another thread before starting one of my own,  I'm not allowed to join the Thread Creator Club. All I wanted to do was promote a small Canadian publisher who wants to help NaNo participants achieve their dreams, at no cost whatsoever.

I must be evil. 

I'm irked enough that I want to quit NaNo. I need to be convinced that promoting them is worth my time and energy.

In other news, I also got a lovely manicure today. It's fitting, because the design works with the whole Pinup Girl / Burlesque Dancer theme I have going on in my current project.

Image compliments of Spa Elegant Nails

Today's word count amounted to 1788, making the total to date 23 029

So you think you can NaNo... Day 12, 2013

There is nothing exciting to report today. I got up, I worked, I edited, I wrote, and I did not make dinner. Well - I tried to make dinner, but it helps if you put the food in the oven... so we ate leftovers. That's the highlight of an otherwise uneventful day. 

I typed up 1 731 words, for a total of 21 241. A rather acceptable writing day. 

Oh - one awkward thing did happen today, after I drafted the first half of this blog. While watching an episode of Supernatural (Season 5, episode 6 - I Believe the Children are Our Future), I had to explain to my 13-year-old why Dean had hairy palms. It was funny, but then, all of a sudden, not so much.

Image from walldime.com    

 

So you think you can NaNo... Day 11, 2013

I'm still battling the plague. It's probably nothing more serious than a lingering cough, but it's interfering with my mojo. This morning I expected to hit the gym after three weeks of inactivity... instead, my body decided to cough up a lung, a pair of socks and a screwdriver - who knew there was so much stuff in there?

After driving my son to school and picking up some much-needed groceries, I headed home to start my writing and editing day. Waiting for me, in my email, was a reminder that I still had a school volunteer newsletter to complete - today - so it could go home with the kids in their report cards.

That done, I settled in to write my first 500 words of the day. I have discovered that if I break the writing into bite-sized bits, it doesn't feel so intimidating. Following the NaNo sprint, I edited 3000 words of a terrific epic fantasy novel, took care of some marketing, and then settled in to write another 500 words.

Those 500 words easily morphed into 1200 as one of my characters transformed into a beautiful black woman with attitude (she had previously been a blue-eyed blond). After that surprise, my characters launched into a weird and wonderful discussion - stemming from the presence of a fluffy white bunny - on monster erotica. There are a whole lot of fun times ahead in this book!

By suppertime, I had written 1738 words, which makes my NaNo total 19 510.

Image from 4freephotos.com

So you think you can NaNo... Day 9, 2013

Saturdays are for cleaning house, running after kids, and staying in pajamas as long as possible. They should also be for writing, but the writing groove didn't happen for me today. I did, however, manage to clean out a storage room in the basement that was beginning to look a lot like an episode of hoarders.

That was pretty much my day. Emptying bins, sorting through bits of my life that had been tucked away, and resenting that I had left it for so long. There were plenty of opportunities for writing breaks, but instead I chose to indulge in mindless rounds of "Candy Crush", and internet surfing.

I wrote a measly 1018 words, bringing my total to 16050. I know I'm still on target for completing the 50 000 words by November 30th, and I know that it's okay to have a less productive writing day, but I'm still a tiny bit disappointed.

I also wrote my character into a corner... and now I need to find a way to dig her out of her melancholy, before she ends up throwing herself off a bridge.

So you think you can NaNo... Day 2, 2013

Today is Saturday. I was up early to take a boy to write a high school entrance exam. While out, I ran some errands, and then returned home to fit some writing in.

Albolene distracted me.

All I did was search Google for the name of a good stage makeup remover. Who knew it could also be used to melt away fat? You just slap it on the problem areas (tummy, butt, thighs), encase yourself in plastic wrap, do your exercises, and presto... the pounds dissolve. It must be true. I saw it on YouTube.

This fascinating research was interrupted by a PeeWee hockey game (my boy's team won 3:2 - yay), followed by a quick nap (I think I might be battling the plague - more on that another day), and then a delicious supper made by my hubby (because I was busy napping).

Today's goal was 1600 words... I managed 1382. This gives me a grand total of 3044. It's still early, but I promised my boys we'd watch a movie as a family, and that means no computers, no notebooks, and no cell phones.

So you think you can NaNo... Day 1, 2013

Like many writers, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo. I don't have grand aspirations to actually complete a full-length novel, but I do hope to have at least 50 000 usable words by the end of the month.

Did I achieve my word count goal of 1600 words? - Of course I did.
Did I do it before noon. No - I did it the hour before midnight.

Instead, I spent the day looking for distractions.

I wrote book reviews, edited minutes from a meeting, uploaded family pictures to Facebook, cleaned the kitchen, and researched some interesting topics. One of which was how to remove pasties.

Every NaNo day brings something new. Today, it was all about Goo Gone, apparently, it's good stuff.

Tah-tah for now, my friends. I'll check back in tomorrow with more titillating bits about NaNo.