NaNoWriMo (2018)

I'm going ahead and committing to the NaNoWriMo writing challenge this year. Every year in November writers all over the world take on the task of writing 50k words over the course of 30 days. I've completed that challenge a few times during Camps, but I've never met my goal in the official month. This is the year I beat it!

I won't be doing it the traditional way. Instead of working on one story I'm going to work on two. This makes me a rebel and I'll embrace that title. The stories are going to be the last two in the Star Crossed Series. Meredith and Malcolm are ready for their stories to be told and finished and I'm willing to roll with them.

Chasing High Noon, the third story in the series is complete now and going through revisions. It will be released this coming Winter. The two stories that follow are the ones I'll be working on this November. The titles for now are Witching Hour Madness and Knot in Destiny.

Meredith and Malcolm have been driving characters and while they can make me run in circles trying to keep up I really love working with them. That's why this November is THE month I'm going to reach 50k. Caught by Nightfall (25k words) was completed last April with lots of time left over. This gives me hope and determination.

Fellow writers, are you going to take the challenge this November? Are you a preper or a pantser?

Readers, what would you like to see happen between Malcolm and Meredith?

CampNaNoWriMo 2017: It Begins

So it's that time of year again and I'm ready! Camp NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite Spring/Summer activities, and it has helped me complete books and really fill out others. NaNoWri month is always in November and I almost completed my first novel, Witch Hunt, the first year I participated. I fleshed out Fox Hunt between a Camp and a November challenge the next year. In a 2015 Camp I completed Lost Relic. So I love challenging myself and the challenges really do help. Even if I don't complete the challenge, I've always added a great deal to a WIP.

This year I'm working on Shadow's Fall. I'm working with a handicap though. Several months ago this story had a sudden spark of inspiration and I was able to type up part of the first and second chapter. At the time I was revising another story and let the spark flare to life and flicker out after I'd done all the typing. So I'm starting this challenge with a little over 3k words already written, but I'm going to withhold those and only report the words I write this month.

Shadow's Fall is the second story in a trilogy. So the characters and world have already been created and some details filled in. I've also already got an outline and lots of notes. I'm going into this challenge ready and I hope to meet my 50k word goal.

And if I don't I know I'll learn something and have a nice chunk of this novel completed. I'll be adding a tracker to my sideline. (It helps kick me into motion if I know others are tracking me too.)

That's all for now. Look out for a few CampNaNoWriMo tips and updates this month.

Peace and Love!

NaNoWriMo: The End is Nigh

It's been a rough month and with only two days left and with some 30k words left to write on Whispering Winds I'm left with only this: It is a great start.

I still plan on writing more over the next two days. I will add thousands of words. Of that, I'm sure, but I don't believe I'll make the goal of 50k. That's okay. It was a challenge that has still improved some facet of my skill. Which skill has yet to be seen, but I know it's there and that's enough.

Whispering Winds has gone back and forth between this is going awesome and this is complete crap. Isn't that how so many projects go? The story has a foundation that I do want to keep working with and I will.

My wonderful husband sat me down and addressed my frustrations with this story. He didn't say much. Instead he let me rant and rave about pieces that just weren't falling into place quickly enough to meet the 50k word count. From characters acting out to scenes that just didn't fit. He sat through it all and it helped. The story seems more clear at the moment and I plan on adding to it.

It is a great start and I'll keep it tucked away in a folder for later, but once December rolls around my goals change. Throughout this month another story has been demanding my attention. My dreamweaver story is very close to being complete and if I've learned anything it's that I should not put off one active story that's rolling along perfectly fine for a brand new project. That's just asking for trouble and a mistake I won't be repeating.

Peace and Love!

NaNoWriMo: And So It Begins

Yesterday was the official start of NaNoWriMo and so let the race to 50k begin!

And so I have. Yesterday I got just under 2k words typed into my WIP, Whispering Winds. Most of that was even for the beginning of the story. I'm going to try and avoid skipping around through scenes, but I know it'll happen anyway.

This year my story is completely new. The idea began last year when I was working a second job in a gas station. The place was haunted, I swear, and gave me the eerie feeling that made me wonder about how a ghost romance would work. I tucked it away and jotted down notes here and there while I focused on my other works. When I missed the Camps I knew I was going to take the big dive into November and this story poked it's head up from the haze. I spent October doing research and loose plotting.

I use images a lot to help inspire my muse. Finding images for a ghost story romance is harder than I thought, but I did manage to find a few things that speak to the story. The one below I'm using as the temporary cover for Whispering Winds. I played with it a little, but it has been the closest image I can find that brings to mind two of my main characters.

  

Every author uses different things to inspire them. Some do all the research, character building and plotting before they write the first word. Others go by the seat of their pants and just start writing, more than willing to work out the details as they go. I'm somewhere in between. I do a lot of research and get to know my characters before writing most of the time, but it's during the writing that I learn their quirks. That can lead to a bit of a fight as I'm writing, but it's a nice surprise too.

That's it for now.

Peace and Love!

NaNoWriMo Prep (2016)

Every year I set a goal to participate in NaNoWriMo. Whether it's one of the camps or the November event, I push myself to set writing goals and write alongside other authors. The first year I did NaNoWriMo I wrote over 40k words for my first published piece, Witch Hunt. The following years saw large chunks of Fox Hunt and Fire Hunt completed. Last year I completed my 30k goal with Lost Relic and this past summer it was published.

To me that means that when I push myself to complete a writing goal I'm more likely to finish it and get it out to readers. That's some awesome motivation to join in and get to writing.

This past summer and spring I wasn't unable to join Camp NaNoWriMo because of an illness in the family. So next month is my last chance to take part this year and I'm determined to do it. I've tucked away a story idea just for this year. It stayed untouched for months waiting for it's chance and when I pulled it out last week I was happy to find it just as fresh in my mind as the moment I scribbled it down on a receipt.

The Prep

Some years I fly by the seat of my pants and wait until it all starts to get the story underway. Not this year. I can't set a lower word count goal in November like I can during the camps. So 50k is the goal and that's a lofty challenge. At least for me.

Character sheets, plot and other bits of the story need a little developing. This has already started. Scenes have already started coming to mind and I'm trying my best to keep these all contained to a notebook. (Love my computer and phone, but I also love pen and paper) 

Another part of the prep work is advancing my current WIP to a point where I can pick it back up after November. Because of family illness this piece hasn't gotten the attention it normally world so I've got a good bit of catch up to do.

I'm also going to need to prep some frozen meals for my family. They've gotta eat too! Don't get me wrong. I'll still cook for the hubby and pumpkin, but I know there will be evenings where pulling away from the story just won't happen. On those nights I plan on having something for them and the hubby is awesome enough to be okay with that.

And that's the prep at this point. Development, advancing WIP and looking for at home frozen meal recipes. If you happen to know a good recipe that freezes well let me know in the comments!

Peace and Love!

Works in Progress

As many writers know November is the official Nation Novel Writing Month. I took part in camp NaNoWriMo earlier this year, but was unable to reach my goal of 30k words. In fact I was only able to write around 10k words on my sci-fi romance. :( But we move on and keep at it. This year I won't be participating in the official NaNoWriMo. Why?

I've already started a story. Fire Hunt is already underway and rolling along. I'd hate to set it aside for a month to work on something else and starting NaNoWriMo with Fire Hunt wouldn't seem fair as I already had a head start.

What I am doing instead is setting a goal for myself. Because I do have to work at my "real job" through out this month I can't devote all my time to my fiction, but I am challenging myself to finish Fire Hunt, or at least be in the last chapter, by the end of this year. I'm a little over 30% now so I'm hoping none of the characters give me a hard time with this one. (Stares at Dilly from Fox Hunt)

In the spirit of NaNoWriMo I have installed a word counter on the blog. He looks a bit like this:

 

Isn't he cute. I found this lovely thing at Writertopia. They have a more traditional word counter too, but I couldn't pass this guy up. He'll also show different moods. I'm hoping he stays in the "writing" mood most often. 

That's it for today. Make sure to come by for the Full Moon Releases!

Settling In

Country Drive

 A few months ago my family moved into a new house. I love the drive to the house. Even though we moved into town we have a house set back that still has that country feel. Its great! Trash pickup with privacy.

The move came on suddenly and in the middle of it all I was busy editing and releasing my novel, Witch Hunt. I also had to put off a personal project, West Lakes, to get everything in order. Moving is tough, as I'm sure everyone knows. my real problem is getting back into the swing of things.

I still have a few boxes that are packed up and stuffed away in closets or the corner of my mini library. (aka a tall book shelf next to my bed) I doubt those are going to be unpacked anytime soon. My daughter's room is finally all put together though. She even has her own book shelf now! The rest of the set up and settling in is finished too.

Getting back into the swing of writing is a little hard though. I am even pretty far behind in my CampNaNoWriMo word count. Normally I pour myself into the challenge, but this time I find myself stuck with serious writers block. I've poured over old ideas. Tried taking a few days away from it. I even tried just writing something completely new. It's not working too well. I've also found that West Lakes is suffering. My July release hasn't been coming along at all. I just don't feel the spark yet.

A new house is wonderful. Settling in is fun, but it will disrupt your routine. Because of the move I was unable to plant a garden this year, but I think I may take up a few landscaping projects until the creative flow returns.

Peace and love my few readers and good dreams.

Ready... Steady... Write!

Today is the start of the July CampNaNoWriMo. I've started today in the hopes of finishing up Raven's Tale in the first few days and then I'm planning on focusing on a new romance novel the rest of the month. 

I wrote Witch Hunt in the first NaNoWriMo I participated in, and I'm hoping that this year I can get a large chuck of another finished. I try to take part in either the November challenge or one of the camps every year, and while I don't always make even half my goal, I do find it is a great way to get the ideas flowing. 

To all the writers who are joining me this year: Good luck!
And to all the readers ready for some new great stories: Wish us luck!