NaNoWriMo 2018: 10 Down, 20 to Go

So, where exactly am I with my NaNo wordcount, you ask? Woefully behind, writers, woefully behind! Like, I haven’t written in almost a week. **cringe** I know. But a couple of things (ok, four things).

  • One: every NaNo-inspired word is one word that might not have otherwise found it to the page.
  • Two: It’s technically not too late to catch up (although it might be too late to do so gracefully).
  • Three: Not to make excuses, but I’m in the middle of Round 2 of the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge. More on that here.
  • Four: I am rounding out the last day of a really excellent writing conference at the University of Wisconsin. My head is swimming with writing tips, revelations, and inspiration, I have met some amazing writers and professors, and I have tons of leads on publishing and contest opportunities, organizations to join, books to read (SO MANY BOOKS TO READ), etc., etc.

So … sorry, not sorry, NaNo project. I will get back to you friend, I promise.

NaNoWriMo 2018 – 1 Down, 29 to Go

Happy First Day of NaNo!

Wordcount: 1,657

Time confetti. Stolen moments. Today I wrote in the car before walking my son to school, while I waited for my latte, on the train, at my desk before leaving for work, sitting on my kitchen floor before the PTO meeting, and while waiting for my daughter to fall asleep. Get it done writers!

Onward to Day 2.

NaNo Prep

Hello NaNo Preppers!

We are in the final days before NaNoWriMo 2018! I have been diligently (ok, not always so diligently) working through my NaNo Prep materials this month. I have an idea, some characters, my characters have some issues. And … I think that’s as good as it’s going to get. Every October I set out intending to be super organized, starting NaNo with files of research, character profiles, and a detailed outline of scenes to write. And every Halloween at midnight I throw up my hands in defeat and just dive in. I am a wanna-be planner. In truth, I’m a plantser (half planner, half seat-of-my pantser). What did Elizabeth Gilbert’s mom used to say? Oh yeah, “done is better than good.” So I’m calling it. I’m done with NaNo Prep.

So what’s this year’s project, you ask? It’s called To Rebehold the Stars (thank you, Dante). And I don’t really know what genre you would fit it into (please, please, don’t say chick lit), but it’s basically a coming-of-age novel for grown ass women. In it, a handful of women approaching (or slipping quietly by) the age of 40 realize they have worked very, very hard indeed and achieved much in their lives, but always on other people’s terms. They take the chance, at life’s natural midpoint, to redefine themselves (or to define themselves for the first time) through creative pursuits, through things they’ve always wanted but denied themselves. But they must battle that most deadly of foes: the belief that what they want–purely for themselves–has no value. Oh, did I mention that these women have been through some serious shit? And life does not stop throwing fireballs at them just because they’ve decided they will reclaim their identities. Oh no, folks. These ladies are going to have to lean on each other. But first, they need to find each other. Stay tuned.