Archive for the ‘ NaNoWriMo ’ Category

National Novel Writing (Quitter) Month

Author: Erika

Nov 15

Frick. My camera is all the way upstairs and I keep sitting down at my laptop and thinking, “This post could really use a picture” and then my camera is still upstairs because I was probably thinking about laundry or something when I walked downstairs last time when what I should have thinking about was what the heck I was supposed to remember!

And that? Is just about how my day has been going. Just one big brain cloud that follows me around wherever I go.

It’s not my fault, really. This has already been an incredible month, and it’s only half over. It started out with a project that I thought would preclude me from doing NaNoWriMo. Then, I finished that project early and started NaNo two days late. I was coasting along, really gaining momentum when BAM! ANOTHER PROJECT, this one even bigger than the first one and with little to no warning.

To add stress to projects, I hosted Thanksgiving at my house last weekend for my side of the family. Just me, a 19 lb turkey, 14 hungry mouths, and a small mountain of bread dough. It went really well (and by really well I mean the food was all hot and finished at the same time, everyone had enough to eat, and everyone got along) but I think I only sat down twice the whole evening.

In the midst of this maelstrom of cholesterol, my poor NaNo novel has been sitting on my hard drive, abandoned and stuck at a perpetual 14,843 words. I had finally caught up to where my word count was supposed to be when I got derailed by my GIGANTIC PROJECT.

I haven’t touched it in a week. As prolific as I can sometimes be, I doubt that even I can finish NaNo with a nine day deficit. It’s okay, this novel will get finished in December maybe. Or January. Heck, let’s go crazy and say maybe even February!

In the meantime, I’ll be over in the corner trying to console myself that I’m not a failure just because I didn’t finish NaNo this year. And yes, “console myself” is just code for eating chocolate. Talk therapy is cool and all, but chocolate is way cheaper.

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Zombie Sandwiches

Author: Erika

Nov 7

I should know better than to go into NaNoWriMo thinking I know what I’m going to write about. I should really know better than to do a whole bunch of research on said book idea beforehand.

Why?

Because novels are squirrely. At least, mine are. They start out as one thing, then do an abrupt about-face that leaves me trailing after them holding scraps of now-useless research asking, “WHY?!?!?!?!”

Characters I think will turn out to be a big deal excuse themselves from relevance, throw-away side characters extract themselves from the woodwork and steal the show. It’s a silly business, writing a book. For all the good plotting does me, I might as well just wing it and stop wasting my time on preemptive research.

When I started typing novel #3 on November 3 (I know, two days late. Whatever will I do if I don’t finish?!) I had every intention of writing about a ballerina jewelry thief. I had the story all laid out, I was excited about it, I even had the first line all typed out in my head.

Wanna read that first line? Here:

She arched one impossibly long arm over her head, bowing it over her outstretched leg like a taut branch supporting the weight of a bird. A tiny chorus of pops and crackles from behind her as the muscles in her back warmed up, stretched, remembered their soreness from yesterday’s class.

But then…I couldn’t get past this paragraph. I tried changing point of view, I tried starting somewhere else. Nothing. Writer’s block. Muy no bueno.

So, I started writing about something else. I had no idea where it was going, I was just writing for the kicks of it. And then I started meeting this entirely new character. And thought maybe this could be that zombie apocalypse novel I’ve always wanted to write.

And, Heaven help me, I think it just might be. Wes and I combined our considerable imaginations and came up with an entirely new (to us, anyway) kind of zombie, and now I’m 9,951 words into a book I have trouble not writing because it’s so dang fun.

I’m still behind on my word count. By the end of day seven I should technically be at 11,669 words, and in order to pull that off I’d have to write an additional 1,700 words today to cap off the 1,400 I already wrote this morning.

So, I might not catch up today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day after that.

Who knows? By the time I catch up the novel may have changed again, morphing from a zombie apocalyse book into some kind of heartwarming tale of redemption and kindness and cracker sandwiches.

Stay tuned.

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…Anyone Hear That?

Author: Erika

Nov 3

It’s the sound of NaNoWriMo. Calling to me from the piles of dead leaves outside, whistling around the clouds that slouch fat with rain above my lawn.

It’s November 3. And all my projects are done, way ahead of schedule. Dare I start NaNoWriMo late? Do I have the stones to thumb my nose at the prospect of failure and just toss my hat in the ring for the funsies of it?

HECK. YES.

I could fail. It’s possible, and maybe even likely. Instead of 30 days to write a novel, now I have 28. I’m like February over here.

Still, I can’t stop feeling angry whenever I see people hunched over laptops in coffee shops, writing what I’m sure are thousands of words of novels I want to read.

Screw prudence! I’m doing it. 50,000 words, I’m coming for you.

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Ramblings From a Dirty Gym Sock

Author: Erika

Oct 31

First of all, I’d like to wish everyone the very happiest of Halloweens! May your evening be filled to the brim with cute trick or treaters, Halloween candy, and the entertainment of your choosing.

As for me and my house? We’re going to be pretty mellow tonight. Halloween candy, a photo op for Aidan in his tiger costume, and then a showing of The Nightmare Before Christmas with my brother and his wife. Mellow, relaxed, and sugary. Just the way I like it!

The reason we’re going to celebrate Halloween in such a chill manner is because Wes and I are exhausted. Maybe me moreso than him, but that’s tough to qualify. The reason? Sick toddler.

Aidan started teething a couple weeks ago, so he and I both stopped sleeping well at night. Then, when the teething looked like it was almost done, he caught a bit of a cold. Then he spiked a fever. A fever that came and went for four days.

Yesterday morning he was so lethargic and feverish and un-Aidan-ish I couldn’t look at him without crying so I got him the soonest doctor appointment I could find.

It turns out he had a 102 degree fever and a double ear infection. The poor guy was miserable!

So now he’s on antibiotics and he slept the night through last night for the first time in weeks and HALLE-FRICKIN-LUJAH and oh my gosh I’m so tired I could collapse.

And do you know what starts tomorrow? November. And NaNoWriMo. And the holidays.

You guys…I don’t think I can handle NaNo this year. The whole point of wrapping up my revisions for Enemy Accountant early was so I could rest for the last two weeks of October, but my child had other plans. Now I’m entering into a writing marathon sleep-deprived, exhausted in almost every way, and feeling about as inspired as a dirty gym sock.

I love NaNo. I love the thrill of it, the sense of community, the adrenaline. But I refuse to pick battles I know I can’t win, and this has failure written all over it. Never mind the fact that I have a freelance writing thing I’ll actually get paid to do this month. Never mind that I still need to write a synopsis and query letter to the agents who requested to read Enemy Accountant

The fact is, I’m just worn out and I can’t have fun writing this next novel if I feel like crap. And what’s the point of writing a novel if it isn’t fun?

There isn’t a point (unless you’re under contract) so I’m bowing out of participating in NaNo this year. I’ll get a pang every time I get a NaNoWriMo email, and I wish all of you who are participating the very best of luck, but this is not my year.

Maybe next year…Oh, wait. I might have another baby lurking around by then. Well, shoot. I’ll write another novel between now and then, I suppose.

For now, I’ll just eat my candy, and dress my kid up, and catch up on sleep. Or maybe I’ll just watch Deep Blue Sea while Aidan’s napping…

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Come Be a Pale, Distracted Recluse With Me

Author: Erika

Oct 24

After a short, strange summer, the leaves outside are finally changing colors. The air is brisk despite the sunshine, and there are pumpkins and spooky decorations all over the neighborhood. I think it’s safe to say: It’s NaNoWriMo season. All the evidence is there.

I, for one, am muy excited about NaNo this year. I’ve actually structured my entire writing schedule around it. Well, that and my brother and his wife’s arrival here in Washington. But mostly NaNo.

At this point I don’t really need NaNo to inspire me to write. I wrote PWNED in a month, but did it in March instead of November. I’m more than fine writing a novel in a month on my own, but I still look forward to NaNo every year.

The reason why is simple: It’s pure, high-octane creative mayhem fun.

There’s just something about tapping out a novel until your fingers ache, knowing people all around the world are doing the same thing, that is so dang fun. The excitement, encouragement, sense of accomplishment, and online community support are incredible. Especially when your region kicks everyone else’s booty every year in overall word count and invidual word count.

DUCKS FTW!!!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you like writing, you have what it takes to write a novel. No one’s saying it’ll be a good novel, but it doesn’t have to be to count as a NaNo victory. All that matters is that you extract the words from your brain and splatter them onto a word processing program.

Find a story and start writing. It’ll change on you, and so will your characters, but that’s seriously the fun of it. Meet some imaginary friends and start writing down what they say to each other. It’s one month out of your life where you are totally justified in being a pale, distracted recluse who mutters and twitches and sleep-mutters nonsense about word counts.

For more info about NaNoWriMo, check out the official website. I cannot urge you strongly enough to sign up and spend the last week of October relishing your freedom and thinking through what story you’d like to tell this year.

NaNoWriMo starts in seven days. Who’s with me?!

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