NaNoWriMo Update

Well, yesterday was the one-third mark of the month of November, and you guessed it, one-third of NaNoWriMo writing time as disappeared.  Where the hell did it go????  LOL  I've been plugging away, with people trying to read over and shoulder, and an occasional, "You're not going to that are you?"  To which I sneer, "Yeah, I was.... DON'T MAKE FREAKING EDIT NOW!!"  LOLOLOL  But, the inner editor comes out anyway, and I do a quick re-read only to find out I killed off that character five pages ago....  It's just been one of the months.....

According to the NaNo stats, I'm a little behind on my word count, only about 700 words, but I haven't even open my document today, so add 1667 words to that to reach the desired goal, almost 2400 words needed today.  Probbbabbbly not going to happen, but I'll add a little to my word count, and it'll all come out in the end.

Now, recently, I've seen some negativity about NaNoWriMo, and let me assure all those out there saying how unprofessional NaNoWriMo is.... all the participants in NaNo are not seasoned authors, nor are we published, but the one thing we all know is that a NaNo manuscript WILL NOT be ready for publication on December 1st.  We're realists, and being realists, we know there's 11 long months ahead that we can play with, refine, edit, edit again, polish, send through the edit machine again, and then let someone else read, before we start the edit machine one more time....  Then after it passes several more inspections, and it polished down to a bright clear shine, if it's the author's desire to do so, they can submit their baby to various publishers.  Some online, some traditional, but it's the call of the author.  Not your's and not mine, so after all that's said, maybe we'll see a few of these NaNo MSs reach publication!!  All the participants in NaNoWriMo realize how hard writing is, we praise authors who are able to give us all those great stories, the long and the short.  But, I also have to say, it's very gratifying to complete NaNoWriMo, and maybe there's a good book in all those pages of hurriedly thrown together.  I can only hope.

I'll check in later.... but now it's time to open up my document, peek at the babble from yesterday (cringe) and see what I can add today... (it's a slow day here... I'm kinda in a funky... I've read a couple of books, even while NaNo-ing... maybe I need to write a review, no I need to do my flash fiction for tomorrow, nah, I need to wash laundry... well, as you can see, I'm delaying writing...  so much to do, so little ambition with which to do it, lol)


Signed:  From a sleep deprived (not depraved... not yet anyway...) mind in Illinois....


(I'm leaving you with this cute little schedule I found online during one of the periods of....er.... procrastination research....  click the image to read those tiny little reminders)

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 9

Good Monday Morning!

What a better way to celebrate Columbus Day than to have another Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge?  LOL  Columbus was adventurous, right?  Anyway, I'm happy to usher in another week's challenge!

This week, we've chosen another one of Michelle G's great imagines she has accumulated.  This one is a real eye popper, such a cool imagine, and I had to look at it a bit to see what was going on there!

Isn't this that one of the neatest, weirdest, coolest imagines?  (is it a struggling for her soul, is she being haunted, and is there a battle being waged, maybe good and evil?)

If you chose to play along, the rules remain the same.  We have a kind of roomy word count of 350 words (a little high or lower is fine), you may write about anything the imagine brings to mind.  Come back Friday and post your response, leave me or Amy a link, and we'll add it to our post so everyone can peek at your wonderful words!'

Okay, so on your mark, get set, and create!

Let those creative juices flow free, and most of all have fun!!


***And remember, NaNoWriMo starts next month, it's easy and free to create an account, lots of pep talks, ideas, and help from the great NaNoWriMo staff!  The word count seems daunting at 50K, but it works out to less than 1700 words per day.  My flash usually ends up almost that long and I have to whittle it down, lol!  So, if you'd like to join me (and Blodeuedd, squee!), create an account, friend me, and we'll support each other!

Have a great week everyone and see you on Friday!

Ciao!

NaNoWriMo Certificate ------ YAY!!!!

Here is the handy dandy little certificate that the writers receive upon completion of their MS. Isn't it cool???? So pretty, think my kids will think I was crazy if I framed it?? LOL! Just thought I'd share the goodies that NaNoWriMo offers.

I almost freaked out, I uploaded my MS only to be told that I was 31 words short of completion. And there is only one day left in which to upload your MS! I only had to add another sentence or two, but my already fried brain was doubting it had the ability to complete a thought, let alone a freaking sentence, lol. But, my brain came through, after much coaxing, and produced the needed words. So happy I didn't wait until tomorrow to submit.

I Am Sooo Chilled and Now the Freaking Holiday Weekend Starts!

I'm Finished!!!



Last night I put my baby to bed at 3 am. The baby being the massive piece of writing that I've been attempting for the entire month of November. It's finished at the bare minimum of 50119 words, but it's finished. Yay!!

It was fun to participate in NaNoWriMo, as to if I'll ever do it again?? I'll have to wait to say. It depends on how long it takes to recover from November, lol. They do have great organization and lots of pep talks to keep the writers going.

In a few days, I'll go back to edit out some of the really bad parts, and believe me, there are plenty. But maybe I can make the good parts stand out a little more. I don't know if it will ever be book length, but it might make an interesting short story one day.

Here's a short synopsis of the NaNoWriMo entry:

Dory, Illinois is a sleepy little town where a family of witches reside. They've lived there since the persecution committed in Massachusetts so many years ago.

But a great evil has come back to haunt the family and with it, the town. Mysterious deaths have occurred and only the witches will be able to confront and stop it.

Necromancy is the ancient art of reviving the dead, but this necromancer uses the dead for revenge. And ultimately, only one can survive: good or evil.

Okay, maybe a little over dramatic, but it's the basic gist of the story. One day after it's cleaned up and I'm more comfortable with it, I might post a little of it.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and offered words of encouragement! I couldn't have made it through this month without you. I very much appreciated all of your thoughts!

Now I have to get ready for the family get together. It will be an incredibly long day, but well worth the trouble.

((hugs))

Just A Wee Bit Stressed Out ---- Or How I Spent My November

EEK!!! It's Friday the 13th!!!



Okay, some of you have noticed that I've been AWOL for a bit. I hope I have more time for blogging soon.... I'm trying the NaNoWriMo this year for the first time. I'll still be blogging, but at a slightly slower rate. NaNoWriMo is organization that encourages all writers of all types, fledgeling writers like myself or even the published authors that we all love to read, to write. Write a complete book in one month, granted it is a short book at 50000 words, but it's still a massive piece of writing in 30 days. So from November 1st through the 30th, you're encouraged to write everyday. I started with an idea of what I wanted to write about, but it took three different attempts before I could come up with something that I thought I could carry through to the finish line. It's now the middle of November and I've passed the halfway point at 52 percent completed. I hope I can keep going to at least complete the challenge. It's so much harder than we as readers think it's going to be. And as I quickly read through what I've written so far, a lot of it is crap and will have to be edited. But, it's a satisfying feeling to see 50 pages of something that could one day work it's way into being a book or a novella. Thanks everyone for your support and patience!!! It is more than appreciated!

Now, some fun stuff from around the blogosphere.

Laurell K. Hamilton's newest entry into the Anita Blake Vampire Series is being display, shown off, etc. I personally can't wait for the next installment. I enjoyed Skin Trade as LKH creeps back to the roots of the Anita Blake Saga. The necromancer is back and just as good as before. I only hope that this entry brings us closer to those roots once again. (But I'd read just for another taste of Jean-Claude, lol!) Released Date: February 2010


The next entry into the Merry Gentry Series, Divine Misdemeanors, will be released December 2009. I hope this series follows Laurell K. Hamilton's need to find her roots as well. It a magically fun series of light and dark fae.

From the Cover: You may know me best as Meredith Nic Essus, princess of faerie. Or perhaps as Merry Gentry, Los Angeles private eye. In the fey and mortal realms alike, my life is the stuff of royal intrigue and celebrity drama. Among my own, I have confronted horrendous enemies, endured my noble kin’s treachery and malevolence, and honored my duty to conceive a royal heir—all for the right to claim the throne. But I turned my back on court and crown, choosing exile in the human world—and in the arms of my beloved Frost and Darkness.

While I may have rejected the monarchy, I cannot abandon my people. Someone is killing the fey, which has left the LAPD baffled and my guardsmen and me deeply disturbed. My kind are not easily captured or killed. At least not by mortals. I must get to the bottom of these horrendous murders, even if that means going up against Gilda, the Fairy Godmother, my rival for fey loyalties in Los Angeles.

But even stranger things are happening. Mortals I once healed with magic are suddenly performing miracles, a shocking phenomenon wreaking havoc on human/faerie relations. Though I am innocent, dark suspicions of banned magical activities swirl around me.

I thought I’d left the blood and politics behind in my own turbulent realm. I had dreamed of an idyllic life in sunny L.A. with my beloved ones beside me. But it becomes time to wake up and realize that evil knows no borders, and that nobody lives forever—even if they’re magical.

New Moon Love!!!

In exactly one week, (please, if you haven't already, mark your calendars), Stephenie Meyer's second installment in the Twilight Saga will be released on the silver screen. I can't wait to gaze upon the characters one more time.


Release date: November 20, 2009
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Directed by: Chris Weitz
Written by: Melissa Rosenberg
Synopsis: Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.
(I never knew so many guys to leap through one window, but damn, Bella's window gets a workout!!)


I can't freaking wait!!