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Category: Nanowrimo

Writing and Quilting

Quilt pieces on a design wall.

This is day three of Nano. On day 1, I wrote 1553 words and managed 5 hours of quilting homework.

On day 2, I had quilting class. We hung our blocks on a design wall to decide how we liked them. I really prefer the purple pieces on the top, but then I realized, there’s no up or down with this quilt.

After class, I hung out with my daughter. I love that girl. I know you’re not supposed to be friends with your children–you know–parent first and all, but she’s my favorite friend in all the world. And, while we were hanging out, I bought chocolate-covered pieces of coconut. Excellent compensation at the store that stopped carrying my favorite chocolate-covered mango. I can’t eat much in the way of anything sweet, so I’m really overly excited about this coconut!

When I got home, I wrote 1915 words. I don’t love those words. They’re not as full of life as I’d hoped, and they may be a bit rambly, but I wrote my nano words, and I got some pieces that I needed, and I know I can cull them later. I used to be such a linear, clean writer, but I’m quilting in all areas of my life.

Today, I don’t have to go anywhere. All I have to do is write, and that’s as exciting as chocolate-covered pieces of coconut!

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First Nano Day!

My favorite tree! (Just lucky they’ve never shot me when I stopped to take a pic!)

Can’t stay long because I need all my words for the book I’m writing for Nanowrimo! My friend, Mauri, and I are a team, and I’m also doing a thing with the From the Heart chapter of RWA. Apparently, several chapters are having a contest during Nano. I don’t know. I’m just happy to have to report my writing progress because it keeps me honest.

So–tomorrow, I’ll report today’s progress here.

Can you believe it’s November already? The only bad thing about Autumn is that it flies by too quickly!

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Look–it’s Friday (and also, NANOWRIMO)!

I’m in!

For the past six weeks, I’ve been working like a dog on all sorts of things. Lots of fun stuff, but also lots of work stuff and just stuff. Yesterday I had a free day, sort of. The joy of writing actual story. It was so seductive I gave up editing the proposal I hope to submit today to agents, so that I could write a few pages of story. That was delight!

I have another free day today. I’m going to the coffee shop to write!

On November 1, I’m embarking on Nanowrimo.Writing 50k in a month. Sounds terrifying because it is! I’ve tried it a few times before, but I haven’t managed it–in November. I’ve certainly done 50k in a month before. 🙂

Anyway, I’m on Nano as A_Adams. If you’re writing, buddy up! 🙂

 

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Nano’s Coming!

Writing Assistant, Trying Telepathy

I’m doing Nanowrimo again this year. I’ve only made a good attempt at it once, and then I wrote 30 k words that were clearly not the words I needed, but I love the story that resulted from that false start.

This year, I’m finishing my cozy. Or I’ll be close to finishing it if I manage to do 50 k. I’ve signed up on the website, described my book, and invited writing buddies. I’m so excited people near me are also attempting the challenge. And–a local library is scheduling write-ins. I’m not sure why, but I love being in a room filled with other writers, writing.

Today I need to plan. I know what happens immediately ahead in the story, but If I don’t want to wait around to figure out where I’m going next, I need to lay some guidelines–a map I probably won’t follow. Outlines often turn out to be like those 30 k words I didn’t mean to use. But, for safety’s sake, I’m going to make a plan. Turning up for over 2 k words every day won’t be as scary if I have some structure to fall back on when I panic. Inevitably.

I’m excited for Nov. 1 to flip over on the calendar. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be asking myself why I didn’t just throw myself in front of the neighbor child’s speeding car, but today, I’m excited about devoting so much time to writing with a purpose.

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Nanowrimo, Anyone?

Guess what I was not planning to do this November.

National Novel Writing Month. But I have this friend. I’m looking at you, Kimberly Dean. A couple of nights ago, she texted me these fateful words. “Are you doing Nano?” I had considered and rejected doing Nano, but who can resist leaping into a crazy quest with a friend?

I’ve done a little planning because I’ve been working on the start of a new WWII-set book. But, in the way of process-gone-awry, I’ve been wandering here, wandering there, with the opening. At the end of last week, I was brainstorming with a friend who suggested I needed to switch a vital point from the hero to the heroine. It was as if she’d switched on a lightbulb inside my head. (Tangent alert: Am I the only one who’s stunned Thomas Edison’s lightbulbs are about to slide into history? Hate the new ones. Cannot live with flourescence. End Tangent.)

However, I still wrestled with the opening chapter. I was driving home from errand-running yesterday when I saw the answer. Hopefully, this is the final chapter 1. 😉 I planned to make it my first day of Nano. Today. It was my first day of Nano, but since I couldn’t sleep, I started Nano at 1:27 this morning, with just over 700 words. Yay. Miles to go, still on my first day, though.

If you’re Nano’ing, I wish you many words and a month-long flush of creativity!

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Time to be Random

As of today, I have 8,641 words of Nano project. I’ve had a difficult time getting back to work now that I’m home! In fact, I’m writing this in the wee hours of Tuesday night, in a break from work. So–I’ll be getting back to that.

Sun Rising

I still have beach photos. The last sunrise while I was there.

Impending Storm

Another is a stormy sky. I love thunder and lightning and the amazing skies a storm brings to the beach. I worry a little about the surfers who can only find waves during storms. When I was a little girl, the surfers were a cautionary tale during every hurricane. But, when it’s just a storm, you can shake your head and hope they get out before the lightning comes in.

The last night I was on the beach, a British visitor must have been in the next house over. Someone was lighting gorgeous, Guy Fawkes fireworks off the small strip of sand high tide left behind. I couldn’t get a good shot of the fireworks, and since I live in the South, where every day’s a good reason to shoot something (in our woods, for some reason!), I actually didn’t notice the explosions at first. I put it down to hunters. Quel sophisticated, huh?  🙂

More beach photos to be sprinkled liberally among later posts!

Fall Treetops

I mentioned yesterday was errand day, but today (Tuesday), I took my ill-focused mind to Panera, where the other customers are like my own personal white noise machine. After a bit of a tussle with my own superpower–procrastination–I took a picture of the gorgeous fall trees, and finally got to work.

This is my lesson for today! Do whatever you must to persuade yourself it is now work time. Sometimes the argument can be ludicrous. I’ve had coffee, chitchat, email, and asiago cheese bagel time. Now, to snap a photo of tree tops, and then I must definitely turn my mind to romance!

Like right now, it’s barely Wednesday morning, but I’m up and working. Naturally, Kitty believes my only logical step is to ply him with kibble. He won’t negotiate, and I love him, so I’m not willing to feed him till he swells like a blimp. I’m about to ease the door closed in his furry, disappointed face, and return my mind to story!

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Can I take the ocean home?

Rising Sun

I wish I could. Yesterday, I sat on the beach to write for a while. Not in the morning when the sun first appeared over the water. Later, I took my laptop and a towel and perched high up, away from the water.

Tide's coming back!

Funny how a new point of view fuels your creativity. Maybe it was the sound of the waves. Maybe it was the tide, beginning to come in, the waves all thick and writhing with foam. I was too far away to give you a really good view of the way I saw it, but you can get a glimpse of whitecap.

Bird Friend

Then, a little birdie strolled by. Whenever my girl and I visit the beach, the birds flock to her. I don’t know if she smells good, or she looks like a super-tall twig, or birds just like the cut of her jib, but her fowl friends chase her down. This one clearly mistook me for her and apparently wanted to have a serious word. Or he thought I might be hiding a bit of food beneath the towel or in the laptop. Either way, he was my boon writing companion.

And I’m not sure if it was the company, but suddenly, I saw, clear as the sunlight itself, how to rework the ending on the book I’ve almost finished. (Finished, but I knew the ending wasn’t right.) I’m doing that today, and modifying my vision of nano. I’m redoing the ending of this book and then heading back to the new project, but as long as I get 50,000 words this month, I’m not going to worry about where they end up.

Nano Report:

11/2:  Added 1675, for a total of 3533

11/3: Added 1687, for a total of 5220

 

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To Retreat Every Day

Clouds and Sun

I was chatting (emailing) with a friend about how much I love the beach. I feel peaceful here, creative, happy, full of energy. The ocean sings a song that makes my soul soar. Unfortunately, the beloved feels exactly like this–in the desert. So, we’ve ended up in a place in between, surrounded by beautiful trees and mountains, and close enough to drive to water. No desert for him, and I wonder if I should feel guilty about that. But I’m grateful that I can get to water. 🙂

High tide lasted till late afternoon yesterday.

So–yesterday’s Nano progress–1,858 words! On a new project. I’m not sure I’ve started it in the right place. That’s been a problem for me for some time. I rethink my beginnings. Is this trite? Has it been done a billion times? Is my twist on the been-done not a twist at all? For right now, for this month, I don’t care. I have a perfectionist streak that wants every word to be perfect. I’m going to obliterate that this month!

The sun had other places to go.

I’m also editing the last book, in case I get a request for the full. The final chapters are a touch wonky, but I can fix that. Yesterday, I had the unfortunate fun (not!) of ripping out a chapter. The story pieces need to be there. The setting is all wrong! After nano-work today, I’ll move back to that and start reknitting.

Gone!

I’ve littered this email with beach photos in case you love water as much as I do!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nanowrimo on the Beach

As the sun climbed over the ocean this morning, both November and Nanowrimo began. I’ve done my own form of Nano before, declaring a goal and writing for it, but I’ve never attempted the whole 50 k in a month.

This year I’m living dangerously and going for the whole novel. Whatever total I reach is going to make me happy because I’m attempting to overpower my shrewish internal editor and back her into her proper place in my process! But, why not go for the whole book?

I’m going to try to remember to post totals here and on my Twitter account, but part of my process is going to be limiting time on the Internet. However, I’ve often had great luck thwarting the ubercritical heckler who seems to feel she has squatter’s rights in my head when I write with the other authors who use the #1k1hr hashtag so I’m sure I’ll do that this month as well.

The Sun Arrives!

If you’re a writer, think about jumping in, too! Otherwise, here’s the sunrise that greeted November outside my window this morning. Hope you enjoy! (It might have been just a smidge too dark for sunrise photo snapping!)

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