(Yes, you're reading that correctly, I'm sorry this is a week late...it's been a crazy week. Please keep in mind as you read that this is all from the perspective of the end of week two.)
I suppose you could say this week was sort of up and down-ish. But mostly up, I’m glad to say. Heh, so much for the two week slump. Although, as far as what to say, yes, there was a bit of a slump. But word count, well…read on for yourself…Here are my stats so far.
My week two stats are as follows:
Day Eight: 0 total word count
Day Nine: 1,546 total word count
Day Ten: 338 total word count
Day Eleven: 0 total word count
Day Twelve: 935 total word count
Day Thirteen: 1,025 total word count
Day Fourteen: 0 total word count
Week Two: 4,604 total word count
So yeah…after the first day of week two, I had a better week, at least when compared to week one. It's been a little rough as far as trying to get out of the slump of the beginning of the story. I think I finally decided to just skip ahead a bit and try to gauge when I would get to the main part of the story. But since I'm Pantsing this year, that's a little bit difficult to do.
I did find out two very exciting things about my potential that I never knew before. I'm still psyched about it too! Within the last 15-20 minutes before midnight on day 12, I wrote 639 words in a rush to up my count a little bit before the clock struck midnight and my novel turned into a pumpkin...wait...
Anyway, I had known before then that I could write 500 words in 30 minutes, but I didn't realize the potential hidden inside me. I didn't know that until I went searching for it. And you know what? It's a fantastic feeling and is still doing wonders for my confidence knowing what I'm capable of. But just wait, I'm not done yet...keep reading...
I further found out my potential that I never knew about in all my years of writing. @NaNoWordSprints on Twitter has been having #1k30min sprints throughout the month, meaning they were challenging WriMo's to write a thousand words in 30 minutes. Having found out that I could write almost that much in less than 20 minutes, I wanted to stretch myself further than I ever had before and just see if I could do it. Any boy did I. My fingers were flying across the keyboard like they never have before. And I. Made. It!! I wasn't sure if I could in the last few minutes, but I was close. But by the time the clock hit zero, I managed to crank out 1,025 words!
I think I've about decided to make December my month to focus on all the short stories I've been wanting to post on Wattpad/Booksie. I want to try to finish or edit them in hopes of beginning posting them either late December, or in January. I feel like that would be a pretty great way to start off the new year though, to do what I promised so long ago and post all of the shorts I've been working on. I wish I could've gotten around to it a long time ago, but every time I think about it again and realize all over again how much time has gone by since the last time I said "soon", I'm usually in the middle of some crazy day/week/month...etc. But I think I'm going to just make a stand against myself now and just decide to set aside some time just for those stories that have been so neglected. I feel like they've waited long enough to be read.
I've made quite a few new WriMo friends in the NaNoWriMo chat rooms this year too. I've actually kind of searched out a few rooms to see who all else was awake-at 3 or 4am. I'm glad I did too, there's some pretty cool WriMos out there. A couple of them are awesome enough to make a slight error in type just plain epic! For those who aren't as familiar with NaNoWriMo and it's inner workings, there are these chat rooms where we can interact with each other and share in the madness that is our chosen hobby/profession/whatever you may call it. In these chat rooms, we can arrange little word wars where we sort of compete against each other to see who can write the most words in a given amount of time-15 minutes is usually the most popular. Whether or not any of us consider it a true competition, it's still a great way to get more words written and get that much closer to that goal of 50,000 words by the time the clock hits midnight on the last day of November. Another type of war that can be held is a chain war, where a selected number of word wars are held back to back with a short break in between, as opposed to one war with however long of a break you wish.
Whew...now then, how, you may ask, did a couple of girls make this thing called a chain war into something epic? Remember the typo? I'm not sure what the original number was supposed to be, but it ended up being 300 10 minute wars back to back. One of them figured it out and it was going to be three days straight of the same war. All thanks to a typo. And now, since that one ended, there's one set up to continue til the end of the month. Pretty convenient when the chat rooms are quiet, or there's no one in the chat rooms, but you still want to war. It can be pretty motivating to war with yourself too. Try to beat your previous best enough, and who knows? You might just up your writing speed. Or discover a hidden potential you never knew existed. :)
To make things even more epic, there's now talk of creating a chain war at the start of next year's NaNoWriMo and have it run the entire month. Yeah, that's right, you read correctly. It's going to be so awesomely epic and I can't wait! If any other WriMos are interested, I'll share a little more detail on it the closer it gets...just don't let me forget, lol.
Too much excitement to contain...
-Liz
Showing posts with label November. Show all posts
Showing posts with label November. Show all posts
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
NaNoWriMo 2014: Week One
Week one has been full of stress, interruptions or distractions and feeling discouraged from low counts. Also major computer complications. Brace yourself, my total count so far is pretty rough, and low. Here are my stats so far.
My week one stats are as follows:
Day One: 49 total word count
Day Two: 648 total word count
Day Three: 0 total word count
Day Four: 63 total word count
Day Five: 0 total word count
Day Six: 0 total word count
Day Seven: 0 total word count
Week One: 760 total word count
Needless to say, my NaNo this year has been really rough. All of those things mentioned at the top of the post have really taxing on me. Several days I didn't get any writing only because I was having major computer issues. I'm still sorting that out, it comes and goes.
Anyway though, I really wish I could say I had a much higher word count at the end of week one than I do, but it's just been a long, tiring week full of distractions or interruptions. If there wasn't some distraction around and I was actually able to get a moment to begin writing with some kind of focus, here came an interruption. Quite annoying when you're as far behind as I am. But I think I've decided to have two or three days (probably three by now) writathons with 5k goals. That should get me caught up...if I can sit and write with focus for long enough.
But that's another thing I've learned this year-well two things. I've always been a Planner through all NaNo experiences, and it's worked for me. I like having my plot planned out, having a guide from chapter to chapter. But this year, I decided to just try throwing the rule book out the window and being a Pantser just once, to see if I could do it (plus I just really want to get a first draft done already). What I learned: It does not work for me. At all. This year has been the most difficult to write even when I do get time to write because I only have a rough plan like the one I've had since I started this novel years ago. The plot hasn't changed much, but the beginning is feeling a lot harder because I'm trying to just make it to the main part of the plot without boring anyone-myself included. I'm glad this is only a draft and I can do a lot of editing to the beginning once I get it done. I know it could be so much better.
The second thing is how much it helps to learn how to turn off the inner editor. Granted, I'm still learning, but I have a start on it anyway. A lot of what's helping is using the website ilys.com. Once you set a word count goal, it forces you to write until you get to your goal and you cannot edit until you meet that goal. A little frustrating depending on how many typos you make. Oh, and you can only see one letter while you're typing. There is a preview button so you can see everything you've written-if you can handle not being able to edit your mistakes, that is. I know what you're thinking, "that's maddening, and you're crazy."And maybe I am. Wait, yes. I most definitely am. Hey, I'm a writer, it comes with the territory. But trust me on this, it takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it could really help if you're behind (like I am) on word counts because it forces you to not edit. And if you're like me and write using that during a sprint or a word war, then copy and paste it over to Word (or whatever program you're using) and only tweak the writing so it makes sense, you'd be amazed at what a difference it makes in your total word counts per day. I found out this summer when I was introduced to the program that I apparently have the potential to write 500 words in 30 minutes. I never knew that before. I'm still working on my WPM speed to get it up so I can type faster, but I'm happy with my current speed too. :)
Hopefully next week I can report higher word counts and say that I'm caught up. A friend of mine told me just a couple of days ago that you share your talent with others. You can use it to entertain others, and make it about them and their enjoyment. Thinking about my writing in that way, I hope it will help my word count go up. I tend to think more about all the little details that goes into my writing-which is good, up to a point. But allowing the writing to take control in a bad way and quite possibly hinder the actual writing is something I'm realizing and need to learn how to kind of block that out. Whenever I get to the point of the novel where it takes over and begins to write itself (as I've heard so many others experience), I feel like it will be both thrilling because I'll feel more like a real writer, and the tiniest bit terrifying, but only a little bit. I'll just be so excited whenever I can finally say I have a finished draft. So here's hoping that will still be able to happen this month.
Desperately wanting to catch up...
-Liz
My week one stats are as follows:
Day One: 49 total word count
Day Two: 648 total word count
Day Three: 0 total word count
Day Four: 63 total word count
Day Five: 0 total word count
Day Six: 0 total word count
Day Seven: 0 total word count
Week One: 760 total word count
Needless to say, my NaNo this year has been really rough. All of those things mentioned at the top of the post have really taxing on me. Several days I didn't get any writing only because I was having major computer issues. I'm still sorting that out, it comes and goes.
Anyway though, I really wish I could say I had a much higher word count at the end of week one than I do, but it's just been a long, tiring week full of distractions or interruptions. If there wasn't some distraction around and I was actually able to get a moment to begin writing with some kind of focus, here came an interruption. Quite annoying when you're as far behind as I am. But I think I've decided to have two or three days (probably three by now) writathons with 5k goals. That should get me caught up...if I can sit and write with focus for long enough.
But that's another thing I've learned this year-well two things. I've always been a Planner through all NaNo experiences, and it's worked for me. I like having my plot planned out, having a guide from chapter to chapter. But this year, I decided to just try throwing the rule book out the window and being a Pantser just once, to see if I could do it (plus I just really want to get a first draft done already). What I learned: It does not work for me. At all. This year has been the most difficult to write even when I do get time to write because I only have a rough plan like the one I've had since I started this novel years ago. The plot hasn't changed much, but the beginning is feeling a lot harder because I'm trying to just make it to the main part of the plot without boring anyone-myself included. I'm glad this is only a draft and I can do a lot of editing to the beginning once I get it done. I know it could be so much better.
The second thing is how much it helps to learn how to turn off the inner editor. Granted, I'm still learning, but I have a start on it anyway. A lot of what's helping is using the website ilys.com. Once you set a word count goal, it forces you to write until you get to your goal and you cannot edit until you meet that goal. A little frustrating depending on how many typos you make. Oh, and you can only see one letter while you're typing. There is a preview button so you can see everything you've written-if you can handle not being able to edit your mistakes, that is. I know what you're thinking, "that's maddening, and you're crazy."
Hopefully next week I can report higher word counts and say that I'm caught up. A friend of mine told me just a couple of days ago that you share your talent with others. You can use it to entertain others, and make it about them and their enjoyment. Thinking about my writing in that way, I hope it will help my word count go up. I tend to think more about all the little details that goes into my writing-which is good, up to a point. But allowing the writing to take control in a bad way and quite possibly hinder the actual writing is something I'm realizing and need to learn how to kind of block that out. Whenever I get to the point of the novel where it takes over and begins to write itself (as I've heard so many others experience), I feel like it will be both thrilling because I'll feel more like a real writer, and the tiniest bit terrifying, but only a little bit. I'll just be so excited whenever I can finally say I have a finished draft. So here's hoping that will still be able to happen this month.
Desperately wanting to catch up...
-Liz
Friday, October 10, 2014
The Blog Life
So I recently went back to look over my blog history for how often I've blogged since I first started a few years ago. I know it's been extremely sporadic the past year or so, to say the least. And I want to do better about that. But life's been crazy with everything going on in the family, so it's hard to balance everything and keep writing, let alone blogging. Of course, I will be trying to focus on writing a lot more for NaNoWriMo. I mean, in my mind, that's my writing month. It might as well be called Writember instead of November, lol.
But anyway, I realized that the first couple of weeks of this blog was pretty much just non-stop blogging. I would blog once, even twice a day for a week straight. That's definitely a lot more than I've been doing since. So I've been thinking it over, and I think I'm going to try to designate a blogging day. One day a week, I will set aside some time to update a new blog post. Hopefully over some time, this will become a habit I don't even need to think about. I would like to have maybe two a week eventually, but we'll see how this goes. I have to get one habit started first. While I'm at it, I'll probably just have a day set aside for writing as well, that way I'm more guaranteed to have at least one day out of the week to write. Right now, with things as they are, I'm getting less than that done. Maybe it's just NaNo Prep, but I've had that writing stirring inside me and on the brain a lot more than it has been. I still don't know exactly what I'll be working on come NaNoWriMo, I may very well end up trying to multi-task as I tried doing in July Camp NaNo. There's so many ideas stirring around, and I've discovered in the past year or two that if I let that energy build up, then I'll have more excitement and drive when I actually get to writing. If I jump on whatever pops in my head, then my energy and ideas run out fast. Perk of waiting: most of the ideas I have are one little piece and tend to be a bit on the obscure side, so in waiting for my idea tank to fill up, the words generally pour out more at a time. And it's better that way. I can flesh it out a little better having thought it out a little more.
Chances are, once I decide on a writing day, you'll probably see posts about no interruption days or #WritingWednesday...something like that. I rather like Writing Wednesday, now that I think about it. Anyway, whenever I decide on a set day, there will more than likely be posts popping up here and there about it. Heck, I may even have a daily total at the end of Writing Wednesday (or whatever day I pick). That is...if my total word count isn't embarrassingly low, lol. Then again, anything is a step in the right direction. And it would be more than I'd have gotten done the day before. I think while I'm at it, I'll go on ahead and say I'll start today with Blogging Fridays. I'll start trying to get a new blog post out each Friday. The November posts will be the same as usual-stats at the end of each week, then it'll go back to normal posts. I rather like this designating a day thing. I'm thinking maybe I should've started that from the beginning, but back then I was blogging all the time. It'll be nice to get back to blogging more often again. Who knows? Maybe I'll even break my previous record for posts in a year (grand total of 20).
So here we go, first Blogging Friday in what will hopefully be a long line of Blogging Fridays. I'll say it now, if I don't make it one week, I probably have a very good reason. And I'll announce when I finally settle on a writing day as well.
One last thing...I just want to take a minute to thank anyone who's read anything of mine-whether you're a first time, or returning reader of this blog. Or maybe you're a reader on Wattpad/Booksie. Or a follower on Facebook/Twitter. Whatever it may be, I thank you, and I am flattered that anyone would take time out to read whatever it is. Lately there's been a peak in Twitter followers, and I just want to say thank you everyone! I've watched that number slowly climb since I started on Twitter, and seeing it climb higher since this summer just reminds me that my dream of writing is happening. Slowly, but surely, one day I will hold in my hands the proof copy of my debut novel. And a lot of the reason why will be because of you, dear readers. Because your support and encouragement-whether voiced or not-will be a big thing that pushes me to really go after writing. I'm getting there more each day. So thank you, everyone, anyone who has been there through all of this so far, and whatever may come. You mean more than you could know. :)
Love always,
Liz
But anyway, I realized that the first couple of weeks of this blog was pretty much just non-stop blogging. I would blog once, even twice a day for a week straight. That's definitely a lot more than I've been doing since. So I've been thinking it over, and I think I'm going to try to designate a blogging day. One day a week, I will set aside some time to update a new blog post. Hopefully over some time, this will become a habit I don't even need to think about. I would like to have maybe two a week eventually, but we'll see how this goes. I have to get one habit started first. While I'm at it, I'll probably just have a day set aside for writing as well, that way I'm more guaranteed to have at least one day out of the week to write. Right now, with things as they are, I'm getting less than that done. Maybe it's just NaNo Prep, but I've had that writing stirring inside me and on the brain a lot more than it has been. I still don't know exactly what I'll be working on come NaNoWriMo, I may very well end up trying to multi-task as I tried doing in July Camp NaNo. There's so many ideas stirring around, and I've discovered in the past year or two that if I let that energy build up, then I'll have more excitement and drive when I actually get to writing. If I jump on whatever pops in my head, then my energy and ideas run out fast. Perk of waiting: most of the ideas I have are one little piece and tend to be a bit on the obscure side, so in waiting for my idea tank to fill up, the words generally pour out more at a time. And it's better that way. I can flesh it out a little better having thought it out a little more.
Chances are, once I decide on a writing day, you'll probably see posts about no interruption days or #WritingWednesday...something like that. I rather like Writing Wednesday, now that I think about it. Anyway, whenever I decide on a set day, there will more than likely be posts popping up here and there about it. Heck, I may even have a daily total at the end of Writing Wednesday (or whatever day I pick). That is...if my total word count isn't embarrassingly low, lol. Then again, anything is a step in the right direction. And it would be more than I'd have gotten done the day before. I think while I'm at it, I'll go on ahead and say I'll start today with Blogging Fridays. I'll start trying to get a new blog post out each Friday. The November posts will be the same as usual-stats at the end of each week, then it'll go back to normal posts. I rather like this designating a day thing. I'm thinking maybe I should've started that from the beginning, but back then I was blogging all the time. It'll be nice to get back to blogging more often again. Who knows? Maybe I'll even break my previous record for posts in a year (grand total of 20).
So here we go, first Blogging Friday in what will hopefully be a long line of Blogging Fridays. I'll say it now, if I don't make it one week, I probably have a very good reason. And I'll announce when I finally settle on a writing day as well.
One last thing...I just want to take a minute to thank anyone who's read anything of mine-whether you're a first time, or returning reader of this blog. Or maybe you're a reader on Wattpad/Booksie. Or a follower on Facebook/Twitter. Whatever it may be, I thank you, and I am flattered that anyone would take time out to read whatever it is. Lately there's been a peak in Twitter followers, and I just want to say thank you everyone! I've watched that number slowly climb since I started on Twitter, and seeing it climb higher since this summer just reminds me that my dream of writing is happening. Slowly, but surely, one day I will hold in my hands the proof copy of my debut novel. And a lot of the reason why will be because of you, dear readers. Because your support and encouragement-whether voiced or not-will be a big thing that pushes me to really go after writing. I'm getting there more each day. So thank you, everyone, anyone who has been there through all of this so far, and whatever may come. You mean more than you could know. :)
Love always,
Liz
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Gone running with the Doctor. Be back soon.
Borrowed for a few adventures.
The Doctor
I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing for hiatus' in blogging, don't I? I had meant to keep up with blogging, even had a growing list of blog ideas to keep me going. But then I met the Doctor. That is to say, I finally got around to sitting myself down and watching this show I kept hearing so much about. I'd watched the first reboot episode a long time ago, but had yet to watch anymore up until roughly a month ago. Almost five seasons in, I am definitely a hooked Whovian now. Heck, I was a hooked Whovian before the first season was over. I think it's safe to say that until I get caught up (which should be soon-only three more seasons to go), my writing and blogging will probably suffer a little. My goal is to get caught up in plenty enough time to participate in NaNoWriMo as usual. I have two ideas I'm going back and forth between.
I know I promised a summary of how the Camp NaNoWriMo session back in July went, but there isn't much to tell. Still, I'll get on that and post how it went soon. Somewhere in between all the running with the Doctor.
Other than my newfound Whovian-ism, life has been a bit crazy. My mind is spinning with everything I have going on, or the things I need to get done. Plus some things going on with my grandparents for the past few months. I'm trying to get a handle on things, but it's just a lot. Please bear with me. I'm trying to get back to writing and blogging, but there's so much else lately that's grabbing my attention. Once I manage to make a decent dent in my to-do list, hopefully I'll be able to really get back to writing. But sadly, for right now, writing takes a break while I work on other things in life. But come November, rest assured one way or another, I'll be back to writing. One thing I can say about July NaNo is it gave me newfound confidence in knowing that I can hit 500 words in 30 minutes-something I never knew about myself before. Knowing even a portion of my potential does wonders for confidence for my writing in general, but more specifically in NaNoWriMo. Sadly, I have a standing record of not hitting that 50k goal all of the years I've participated. Only one year have I gotten even close. I doubt this year I'll hit it, but then you never know. One year though, I will hit that goal. And one year, I will be attending The Night of Writing Dangerously. Knowing me, I'll probably talk and socialize all night instead of writing like I'm supposed to, but I have no idea if I'll even get to go more than once. Although, it would be really cool to hit that 50k goal that night. I think they take your picture or give you a crown or something like that. It's been so long since I really looked at The Night of Writing Dangerously.
Anyway though, just thought I'd drop a quick note saying that I'll be running with the Doctor for a little bit longer. But come November, I'll have writing on the brain again. I have actually been thinking more of writing lately, but there's just too much else going on for me to have the time right now. Once I get some of that checked off my list and off my mind, I'll be more free up to focus on writing for NaNo. :)
Always running...
Liz
The Doctor
I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing for hiatus' in blogging, don't I? I had meant to keep up with blogging, even had a growing list of blog ideas to keep me going. But then I met the Doctor. That is to say, I finally got around to sitting myself down and watching this show I kept hearing so much about. I'd watched the first reboot episode a long time ago, but had yet to watch anymore up until roughly a month ago. Almost five seasons in, I am definitely a hooked Whovian now. Heck, I was a hooked Whovian before the first season was over. I think it's safe to say that until I get caught up (which should be soon-only three more seasons to go), my writing and blogging will probably suffer a little. My goal is to get caught up in plenty enough time to participate in NaNoWriMo as usual. I have two ideas I'm going back and forth between.
I know I promised a summary of how the Camp NaNoWriMo session back in July went, but there isn't much to tell. Still, I'll get on that and post how it went soon. Somewhere in between all the running with the Doctor.
Other than my newfound Whovian-ism, life has been a bit crazy. My mind is spinning with everything I have going on, or the things I need to get done. Plus some things going on with my grandparents for the past few months. I'm trying to get a handle on things, but it's just a lot. Please bear with me. I'm trying to get back to writing and blogging, but there's so much else lately that's grabbing my attention. Once I manage to make a decent dent in my to-do list, hopefully I'll be able to really get back to writing. But sadly, for right now, writing takes a break while I work on other things in life. But come November, rest assured one way or another, I'll be back to writing. One thing I can say about July NaNo is it gave me newfound confidence in knowing that I can hit 500 words in 30 minutes-something I never knew about myself before. Knowing even a portion of my potential does wonders for confidence for my writing in general, but more specifically in NaNoWriMo. Sadly, I have a standing record of not hitting that 50k goal all of the years I've participated. Only one year have I gotten even close. I doubt this year I'll hit it, but then you never know. One year though, I will hit that goal. And one year, I will be attending The Night of Writing Dangerously. Knowing me, I'll probably talk and socialize all night instead of writing like I'm supposed to, but I have no idea if I'll even get to go more than once. Although, it would be really cool to hit that 50k goal that night. I think they take your picture or give you a crown or something like that. It's been so long since I really looked at The Night of Writing Dangerously.
Anyway though, just thought I'd drop a quick note saying that I'll be running with the Doctor for a little bit longer. But come November, I'll have writing on the brain again. I have actually been thinking more of writing lately, but there's just too much else going on for me to have the time right now. Once I get some of that checked off my list and off my mind, I'll be more free up to focus on writing for NaNo. :)
Always running...
Liz
Friday, May 31, 2013
Re-learning how to prioritize...
So at this current time in my life, I seem to be re-learning how to prioritize. It also seems that at times during the month of May, everyone in the world suddenly remembers this really important thing they need done by me like yesterday...or at least, that's how it seems in my head.
Since earlier this year, I have had quite a bit going-more than I have in a long time. Perhaps part of that is simply because I took a long hiatus from writing all together for what seems a year or two. Since around October of last year, I really decided to jump on the ball and get back to writing already! And I had indeed forgotten just how much I enjoyed it. Although my first NaNoWriMo was back in 2011, and I had attempted my first novel in 30 days challenge-in other words, it had not been a year or two since I wrote something, it just felt like it in my head. I sadly have not had a really consistent writing life since perhaps late high school. I couldn't get enough of it then, I was constantly writing. It's sad how that's changed slightly for me. However, I am trying my best to get back into the swing of things, writing-wise and all.
For my first NaNoWrimo, I attempted with a romance novel that, well, crashed and burned. I may one day tweak it a bit and bring it back. But as of right now, I am not quite sure on that just yet.
After that first attempt, I began brainstorming once again with my various projects I had filed back for a while. And after a while, I knew what I wanted to do with my second go around-a long distance romance that, well, also sort of crashed and burned. It did last a little longer than the first novel, however. And I do intend on finishing it one day soon. In between NaNo seasons, perhaps I can pick it up again and finish it.
And thus, we finally get around to the point of the prioritizing...I participated in my first Camp session of NaNoWriMo in April with The Unknown (working title), my fantasy novel I've had in the works since I was 15. April was in general an up and down month for me, and I was not able to finish my novel. However, I am still writing on it and am hoping to finish it before the July session, in which I plan on writing the sequel. If I am not able to finish The Unknown before July, then my plan is to go on ahead and finish, then halfway through the month, or whenever it is that I should finish, begin writing the sequel. Just flow from one book to the other. And then take a few month breather before the real NaNoWriMo fun begins.
Anywho, so that's just my own noveling life craziness going on there. And it's not nearly everything I have going on in my life right now. I am also still helping to edit a fellow NaNo-er's novel, which is quite intriguing and I simply must demand that everyone go out and get it once it's up for grabs. I wish I could reveal a little more about it now, but alas, I cannot. However...I plan on giving a full review once done. I am also going to read and review Revealing Hamilton by Sarah Carr sometime soon as well.
While I'd love to have all the time in the world and the ability to do all of the above things at once, I am but one person, with one mind, and two hands...I unfortunately am simply not able to do such a thing. And while I do not like to, I am left no choice but to prioritize the various things on my list. Anything else will just have to find some possible way to be fit in, or simply be left out for the time being. This is sadly the reason why I have been neglecting my Wattpad and Booksie accounts for a while now. I simply have not had the time to write any more short stories, novellas, or side project novels for anyone to just read right now. This is another thing I am hoping to be able to get back to in between NaNo seasons.
That, along with picking a new image for my NKB short story. I look forward to next year's blogfest...I think I already know what I want to write then...but my dear readers, you'll just have to try to be patient for that one. And hopefully, I can get my novel finished and published by the end of the year. I would so love that. I really can't wait to share this story with all of you. :)
-Liz
Since earlier this year, I have had quite a bit going-more than I have in a long time. Perhaps part of that is simply because I took a long hiatus from writing all together for what seems a year or two. Since around October of last year, I really decided to jump on the ball and get back to writing already! And I had indeed forgotten just how much I enjoyed it. Although my first NaNoWriMo was back in 2011, and I had attempted my first novel in 30 days challenge-in other words, it had not been a year or two since I wrote something, it just felt like it in my head. I sadly have not had a really consistent writing life since perhaps late high school. I couldn't get enough of it then, I was constantly writing. It's sad how that's changed slightly for me. However, I am trying my best to get back into the swing of things, writing-wise and all.
For my first NaNoWrimo, I attempted with a romance novel that, well, crashed and burned. I may one day tweak it a bit and bring it back. But as of right now, I am not quite sure on that just yet.
After that first attempt, I began brainstorming once again with my various projects I had filed back for a while. And after a while, I knew what I wanted to do with my second go around-a long distance romance that, well, also sort of crashed and burned. It did last a little longer than the first novel, however. And I do intend on finishing it one day soon. In between NaNo seasons, perhaps I can pick it up again and finish it.
And thus, we finally get around to the point of the prioritizing...I participated in my first Camp session of NaNoWriMo in April with The Unknown (working title), my fantasy novel I've had in the works since I was 15. April was in general an up and down month for me, and I was not able to finish my novel. However, I am still writing on it and am hoping to finish it before the July session, in which I plan on writing the sequel. If I am not able to finish The Unknown before July, then my plan is to go on ahead and finish, then halfway through the month, or whenever it is that I should finish, begin writing the sequel. Just flow from one book to the other. And then take a few month breather before the real NaNoWriMo fun begins.
Anywho, so that's just my own noveling life craziness going on there. And it's not nearly everything I have going on in my life right now. I am also still helping to edit a fellow NaNo-er's novel, which is quite intriguing and I simply must demand that everyone go out and get it once it's up for grabs. I wish I could reveal a little more about it now, but alas, I cannot. However...I plan on giving a full review once done. I am also going to read and review Revealing Hamilton by Sarah Carr sometime soon as well.
While I'd love to have all the time in the world and the ability to do all of the above things at once, I am but one person, with one mind, and two hands...I unfortunately am simply not able to do such a thing. And while I do not like to, I am left no choice but to prioritize the various things on my list. Anything else will just have to find some possible way to be fit in, or simply be left out for the time being. This is sadly the reason why I have been neglecting my Wattpad and Booksie accounts for a while now. I simply have not had the time to write any more short stories, novellas, or side project novels for anyone to just read right now. This is another thing I am hoping to be able to get back to in between NaNo seasons.
That, along with picking a new image for my NKB short story. I look forward to next year's blogfest...I think I already know what I want to write then...but my dear readers, you'll just have to try to be patient for that one. And hopefully, I can get my novel finished and published by the end of the year. I would so love that. I really can't wait to share this story with all of you. :)
-Liz
Monday, January 21, 2013
Hello again...
So it turns out that a week without blogging is too easy to stay out of habit. I have had one busy month! I'm glad to have a break now. The first full week of the month, I was out every night of the week at rehearsals for a show I'm participating in next month. It's down to all day Saturday now, so I have a break for a few days.
Rest assured, the wheels have not stopped turning in my head though. I am still planning out my various projects. I'm still working on more chapters for Clue, as well as making more plans for Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July.
So far, my plan-which is pretty safe to say is solid at this point-for both sessions of Camp NaNoWriMo is to first, in April, complete my manuscript for The Unknown. And then in July, write its sequel. I'm playing with the idea of re-writing The Unknown in November, but from a different major character's point of view.
And then of course, I still have a few short stories left to be finished and posted. So there will be a fairly regular stream of stories coming as soon as I get them finished. :)
That's about it for now, hopefully this will get me back into the swing of posting to my blog. I have missed it.
-Liz
Rest assured, the wheels have not stopped turning in my head though. I am still planning out my various projects. I'm still working on more chapters for Clue, as well as making more plans for Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July.
So far, my plan-which is pretty safe to say is solid at this point-for both sessions of Camp NaNoWriMo is to first, in April, complete my manuscript for The Unknown. And then in July, write its sequel. I'm playing with the idea of re-writing The Unknown in November, but from a different major character's point of view.
And then of course, I still have a few short stories left to be finished and posted. So there will be a fairly regular stream of stories coming as soon as I get them finished. :)
That's about it for now, hopefully this will get me back into the swing of posting to my blog. I have missed it.
-Liz
Friday, November 30, 2012
NaNoWriMo 2012
Since the month is winding down now, I guess I'll share how my month's been. I attempted National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the second time this year. Last year I didn't have a clue of what I was doing, and yet somehow managed to pull just over 20,000 words out of the air. This year, I had been planning my novel since last year's NaNoWriMo...and made it to a grand total of 2,913. Fail. Haha. Although the day's not over yet, and I could still up that count...but I probably won't. I blame my procrastination issues. And the fact that the first week of the month, I had borderline bronchitis, so that wiped out a whole week of writing. Plus a little recovery time. After that, I lost interest for a brief bit. And then for the majority of Thanksgiving break, I was working like a mad...woman...on everything "social media". I completely re-built my website, created a Facebook fan page, updated my Twitter, and then created this blog. In my mind, I think I should be allowed a little allowance here for not finishing my novel in time, seeing as I was so busy with everything else. Plus, I'm a lot happier now with everything done. :)
But I'm going off on a little bunny trail here...moving on...
I do have a couple of close friends here (as well as a new NaNoWriMo friend from the toe of the boot) who have all told me that they want to see me finish my novel. In my mind, I take that as more of a "you have no choice" kind of thing. So with that in mind, I am going to attempt to finish it. Whether or not I choose to publish it, I'm not sure yet. The plot sounded good at first, but now it kinda sounds cheesy to me. I've had a couple of people tell me that it sounds good to them, and they might want to read it. Even a guy friend of mine told me that he's not one for the romance genre, but that it sounded really good to him, and he liked the premise for my novel. So I don't know, I guess maybe that's still up in the air for now. I should probably focus on finishing it first, then decide if I want to publish it or not. I have a couple of friends I could possibly give the rough draft to, if they wanted to critique it for me. That would probably help.
Anyway, so yeah, my month's been kinda crazy. But I'm starting to think that's just how my November is going to be from now on. I can easily see myself doing NaNoWriMo for a long time to come. Hopefully in the future, I'll have better luck with finishing my novel within the month. And who knows? Maybe I'll even finish it early one year. That would be awesome. And for anyone who's following my blog, I'll be having a NaNoWriMo novel word counter off to the side here (-->) until I get to that 50,000. So you can keep up with that, and pep talks would be appreciated, haha. And you will most-likely know as soon as I finish because I'll probably post a celebratory post declaring that the 50,000 word count has been conquered! That will be a great day for sure.
Well, I suppose that's everything for now. I'll be posting again in a couple of days. :)
Until then.
-Liz
But I'm going off on a little bunny trail here...moving on...
I do have a couple of close friends here (as well as a new NaNoWriMo friend from the toe of the boot) who have all told me that they want to see me finish my novel. In my mind, I take that as more of a "you have no choice" kind of thing. So with that in mind, I am going to attempt to finish it. Whether or not I choose to publish it, I'm not sure yet. The plot sounded good at first, but now it kinda sounds cheesy to me. I've had a couple of people tell me that it sounds good to them, and they might want to read it. Even a guy friend of mine told me that he's not one for the romance genre, but that it sounded really good to him, and he liked the premise for my novel. So I don't know, I guess maybe that's still up in the air for now. I should probably focus on finishing it first, then decide if I want to publish it or not. I have a couple of friends I could possibly give the rough draft to, if they wanted to critique it for me. That would probably help.
Anyway, so yeah, my month's been kinda crazy. But I'm starting to think that's just how my November is going to be from now on. I can easily see myself doing NaNoWriMo for a long time to come. Hopefully in the future, I'll have better luck with finishing my novel within the month. And who knows? Maybe I'll even finish it early one year. That would be awesome. And for anyone who's following my blog, I'll be having a NaNoWriMo novel word counter off to the side here (-->) until I get to that 50,000. So you can keep up with that, and pep talks would be appreciated, haha. And you will most-likely know as soon as I finish because I'll probably post a celebratory post declaring that the 50,000 word count has been conquered! That will be a great day for sure.
Well, I suppose that's everything for now. I'll be posting again in a couple of days. :)
Until then.
-Liz
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