NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place every November.  It is a challenge to yourself to write 50,000 words in the month.  It is also a great community that is there to support you with reaching your daily word count and ending the month as a winner of NaNoWriMo.  You can connect online or meet locals in your area for write-ins and support.

For me NaNo is kicking off this Friday at midnight with a write in.  I did not make the write in last year because it was on Thursday and I have a job that expects me to show up and be safe and productive on Friday.  This year after taking my kids trick or treating I will be heading to meet my local group and start my novel.

Last year was the first year I participated.  Last year I learned that there are many, MANY people who actually plan out their whole novel. They have outlines, written scenes, character descriptions, plot and an ending.  These people are called planners.  Everyone I met in my local group were planners.

I found this approach amazing.  Which is when I learned that I am a pantster.  As in fly by the seat of my pants.  Doing all that work before starting seems a bit like cheating. I sit down on November 1 and see where my muse takes me.  I generally start with a character and as the characters start growing and rounding out they take the story to its conclusion.

I was talking with an author from my writing group today and I think I am going to re-write the first novel I wrote.  I am amazed at how much my writing has improved since I started writing a couple of years ago.  I think I may even write it from the first person perspective instead of third.  Every time I edit the book I just fix some of the grammar but I think scrapping it and starting over will give me the novel I am hoping for.  It has received praise so far and I like the characters and the story but I know it can be so much better.

My writing group friend asked if that was okay, using a work that has already been written?  I am not going to edit the story.  I am not even going to look at it again.  I am going to use the characters and the plot.  That is sort of like being a planner for this time out.  I am still a pantster at heart.

Who out there is joining me in NaNoWriMo?  Are you a planner or a pantster?

J is for Journey

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

Before I left for college my mother gave me a poem, which I sadly I have not been able to find again, about life being a journey not the final destination.

I had spent the four years of high school working towards the goal of getting into college.  Now I was prepared to spend four years so I could be an adult.  I was so focused on the goal of college I missed out on the here and now and my astute mother was afraid I would do the same thing for the next four years.  Instead of a lecture she gave me a wonderful poem about the train ride and enjoying all the stops along the way.  This poem was on my desk for all of college and was a wonderful reminder of my mother's love and to enjoy the moment.

The journey of writing has been so much fun, and as Hemingway said, I have a destination in mind but I am really enjoying the trip.

I hope everyone takes a moment to reflect on this and make sure they are enjoying the trip and not too focused on an end result to miss the fun of getting there.

Thanks for spending a few moments here, I hope you enjoyed them.

Best Laid Plans (Theme Reveal)

I am not a planner.  If you have done NaNoWriMo then you know the term pantster and I should be the poster child for that term.  

If something is going to be a lot of effort, is very important or will require the help of others I try so hard to plan ahead.  But I usually find myself running around at the last minute saying, "I meant to do this two weeks ago.  Where did that time go?"

But not this year, oh no.  I was all prepared and ready to go for Blogging A to Z.  I had my theme and all my work and research done.  I just had to start writing the blog posts this weekend and then...

I had the most amazing, uplifting, exciting phone conversation with David Henry Sterry of the Book Doctors the other day and all my planning- which I never do and was feeling so accomplished and responsible adult about- has been shot to hell.   Please realize that I am not, I repeat, not complaining.  David gave me some very favorable feedback- which I am tempering with a lot of realism as he has not actually read my manuscript - but this feedback has re-energized my interest in my first book, which I hadn't touched since November because I wrote another book during NaNoWriMo.  I also set a deadline for myself and it may not have been realistic but I told him it would be done in a month; right in the middle of blogging A to Z.   Do you see my problem here?

So my theme will go away- and I was really excited about it so I will make it part of my normal blog instead- and blogging A-Z will follow the challenges of getting my manuscript ready to go.

The Book Doctors are available for consultation and I recommend reaching out to them through their website if you need professional advice.  I love my writing groups but none of us have ever been published and one of my groups couldn't find a bad thing to say about a tornado if it had recently torn through their homes and left them homeless and destitute. Super wonderful group, God bless their hearts, who I love dearly but my book and everything I write cannot be as fabulous as they say.

Working with the Book Doctors through seminars and personal consultations has given me a lot of very helpful and useful as well as realistic information about writing and publishing my book. 

http://www.thebookdoctors.com/

I can't wait for Blogging A-Z and a chance to have some of you cheer me on as I work tirelessly to shore up my manuscript and get it out into the world.  I am sure I will be needing some encouragement.

I look forward to all the new blogs I will discover and some new friends along the way.  

Happy blogging everyone.