no NaNo...

Back in January I made a decision. It wasn't a resolution, just an ordinary sort of decision. I decided that this year I would not be participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNo). NaNo is the challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 day (in November). I've done NaNo for the last seven years or so, I have even been a local leader of the group here in the Springs for six years.

But after last year, I realized that while NaNo had been very helpful to me in my writing, it had reached the point where it was no longer useful. In addition, the writing had become more of a chore, and it drained me from useful writing for at least a month (usually more) after it was over. (Since NaNo rules state you must start a new work, I ended up setting aside my "real" projects for NaNo several years in a row.) For someone who is working towards publication, that just wasn't a good deal. So I decided that 2010 was the last NaNo for the foreseeable future for me.

I'm really thankful for NaNo. It taught me how to focus and how to complete a manuscript. It gave me the opportunity to meet some great writers here in Colorado Springs and around the world.

And yes, I'm a little sad about not doing it. I'm going to miss the camaraderie, the rush, and satisfaction of reaching a goal. But on the other hand, I'm glad that I'm not draining my creative juices. I'm excited about continuing my search for an agent. And hopefully I'll be doing quality writing and editing on my current projects.

And for once, I get to be the cheerleader. I like encouraging people to push themselves, to reach goals, to do things that they have dreamed of doing.

finished!

So on Saturday night I trudged to Panera and made myself sit there until I passed the 50K mark. Not only did I pass the mark, but I wrapped up the novel. That's rare for me to wrap it up so quickly, but this year, I had to really stretch the final bit to get enough words.

In order to help out the Colorado Springs regional word count (we are hovering between 50th and 55th place), I'm going to explore a few of the scenes from other view points. My entire novel is written in first person POV. Tabitha, my main character, is sixteen. So I'm interested in seeing how some of the events play out in someone else's mind.

I can't verify the novel until later today...but soon I shall have a purple bar on the NaNo site. I live for the purple bar!

the reasons I hate love November...

November is a great time of year. Fall has arrived (in Colorado, that means snow, usually), Thanksgiving produces lots of leftovers, and I get to write a novel.

But with that, there comes a whole slew of other factors, some of which make life more difficult. Last year, I was starting a new job (not to mention the one I started in October!). This year, I'm house-sitting for over half the month. Throw in the fact that my family shows no appreciation for my non-financially rewarding pursuit, and things can get a bit stressful.

I am thankful for having a wonderful group of writers this year--not only are they writing like the lean mean NaNoWriMo machines that I knew they could be, but they show up for write-ins and they say thank you. It's heart-warming.

And my dearest and best friend (the one NOT doing NaNo this year), Dara, did ask about how my novel was going. All the way from Ghana. It means the world to me that she remembers such things, even though she's half a world away and trying to finish up her Peace Corps service.

And since you asked (or you would, if we were face to face now), I'm doing very well on my novel. Yesterday I netted 6,000 words. That might be a personal one day best! My total word count is 27,000. That puts me well past the halfway mark--and it's not even the 15th yet!

Okay, I have some writing to do. So do you. Leave me a comment. What do YOU love about November?

woeful wednesday...

I'm sad. Not just because of the elections (though that plays a part), but because there is nothing wacky going on in my world. So you get a screen shot of my current word count:

I can safely say I've never been so far along on in just four days of writing. I haven't even done my words for today. My goal is to be over 12,500 by the time I go to bed. Maybe I should challenge myself and shoot for 15,000. I could do it. If I wanted...

avoiding the bust...

It's November. And that means 50,000 words. We started off the month with a twelve hour write-in at Panera. Over 21 Colorado Springs writers came out to join us. It was a blast. I got just over 5,000 words on Saturday. And I added another 2,000 some yesterday. So I'm sitting pretty at 7,275. Not bad.

I should be writing right now.

a mesage from my sponsors...you!

It's almost November. That means I'll be writing a novel. Again.

I've written three NaNo novels over the last four years (I took off the year I went to Africa). I love the rush and the frenzy.

And this year, I'm looking for sponsors. The organization that puts on National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) does this as a non-profit. This is their 10th year hosting the event--and they have almost 60,000 people registered to write this year. They even have a Young Writer's program that is encouraging youngsters to write and flex their creative story-telling muscles. And I'm asking you to support me in supporting them.

So if you would like to sponsor me. You can make a one time donation or sponsor me per 1000 words. Just visit here to make a donation. It's safe, secure and you are helping a great cause.

And check back often in November as I post my running total word count!