Well, anyone who does NaNoWriMo can attest to the fact that you want to crash and burn the first week of December.

I already knew I would be tired and half dead, yet when it happened, I was angry with myself for not being productive. Last week, I really wrote about 300 words.

Today while at school and tonight, I tried to save face a bit, and I think I did a good job at it – wrote about 4,600 words. Check out my word count below…

…I’m almost at 80% completion of my word count goal. Honestly, I think the novel will reach and surpass 95k, but I had to pick something as my goal count.

Thursday is my last day of finals, and I shouldn’t have to go back on campus for anything for several weeks. I will be using my Christmas break primarily to do two things – sleep and write…and not necessarily in that order. My goal is to have a draft done by the new year.

Let’s see if I can stay on task.

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It’s brown.  It’s blue.  It’s sexy.  And it holds coffee.  What more can you ask for, right?

Just received my NaNoWriMo mug in the mail today.  And though this surely means I will be making some coffee to try out my new baby, it also means that it’s time to do some WRITING again.

I wrote a little bit yesterday, but it’s time to get back into SERIOUS WRITER MODE.  I hope to have a finished rough draft of THE FIXER by Christmas.

That’s all I’m saying about that – weekly updates will air starting Monday – let’s hope my word meter (on the right hand side) goes up by then!

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I always get emotional when things end.

I nearly lost it when Friends went off the air, and Will & Grace? Forget about it!

Same sadness evades me at the conclusion of every NaNoWriMo.

I look back at the last thirty days with fondness, with sadness, and with happiness.

Fondness because it is the one month out of the year, and has been since 2005, that I put my creativity above all other things and try to make literary magic happen.

Sadness because this is the first NaNo year in which everything and its mother became obstacles that tried to thwart my success. I have never, ever, had a November this insane, this busy, this chaotic, this dramatic, this serious. All of these obstacles not only kept me from writing some days, but they also diminished my overall happiness with the world. I was tired, sluggish, irritated, angry, confused, anxious – any and everything that could culminate into a nervous breakdown. But I didn’t break – not all the way anyway.

Which brings me to Happiness, happiness because I made it through NaNo and made it through BIG TIME. Happiness because I did take those moments to step away from writing in order to help those loved ones that needed me. Happiness because I did take time to pray for those who needed me to pray and as a result, I grew closer in my relationship with God. Happiness because, Thank God, November is over, and I can write, but not like some crazy demonic chick with book-book-book on the brain.

I can finally take a breath…and jump into whatever’s next.

Which just so happens to be finishing this daggone NaNo project – about 20k to go – while working on some short script projects and gearing up for Christmas ‘08 – the event, *chuckling*

Thanks for following me on my NaNo travails; starting next Monday, I’ll be giving weekly updates on my journey to FINISH this manuscript and do something with it!

Today’s word count:  3,722

Overall word count:  71,086

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I really did want to write yesterday, but alas, we all know that a stomach full of turkey is conducive to passing out on the couch in a daze.  And that’s pretty much what I did – except for the small flashes of football I saw during the few times I awakened in my food haze.

Today, Black Friday, I got up early (about 5:00 a.m.) – though that wasn’t the plan – to head to the mall with my sister.  I absolutely abhor going to the mall during the holiday season – or any store for that matter, but my sister was treating at The Avenue (great store for BBW, BTW), and I couldn’t say no.

It was pretty great; I got some cute tops, a cute outfit or two, and I bought my first-ever pair of grown up sexy heels.  Now I just need a reason to wear them, LOL

When I finally got home, I had to head back out again, and I didn’t get “settled” into the house until about 4, 4:30 in the afternoon.

I had a LIST of things to do – none of which got done…EXCEPT writing.  I categorically REFUSED to let another day go by without writing, especially with the last weekend, the last two days of NaNoWriMo upon us.

I’m happy with today’s total.  Hell, I’m happy with the week’s total.  Hell, I’m happy with the month’s total.  I broke my personal goal, which was to write 66,000 words in November.

New goal – to break 70k mark by Sunday night; it seems like an easy feat; however, I have MUCH EDITING and GRADING to do this weekend…AND I have to finally put my kitchen and fridge back in order!

We’ll see how the writing goes!

Today’s word count:  3,484
Overall word count:  67,380

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The words called me.

That’s all I can say about today.  This afternoon, I decided to write.  The goal?  To write SOMETHING, hopefully at least 2k.

Well, I did more than 2k, and it’s really because of the story and the emotions swirling around me today.  Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and it’s always been a personal holiday for me – a time to get together with family, to break bread, to state what we’re thankful for, to laugh, to create memories that would hold us until the next year’s festivities.

I’ve been thinking a lot about those memories, which have nothing to do with the novel.  What does is the personal aspect.  My NaNo project – The Fixer – came about through personal issues.  I was all set to write two screenplays during NaNo, but a week before NaNo began, I was feeling tired and angsty and tired of feeling angsty, and God told me to write the story.  He knew that I often used my words as a cathartic act and whether this story would ever see the light of day in the publishing world (I wish), it would help ME to get through some issues.

Most of today’s writing was not even close to being real – except for my six-year-old self drinking beer with my Pop Pop while sitting in his truck and waiting for my mom and grandma to finish grocery shopping – but it made me think of family, think of the dysfunctionality of families, and how the best families are those that acknowledge the dysfunctionality and connect and love one another despite it.

Family kept me writing today.  Dreams, memories, and fractured truths kept me writing today.

And on the eve of a day where we talk about what we’re thankful for, I’ll say I’m grateful for those things that kept me writing.

Have a safe, happy, blessed Thanksgiving.

Today’s word count:  4,876

Overall word count:  63,879

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OK, I wasn’t sure I would write today because I had a lot on my agenda, but I got it ALL done – to include writing!

I woke up about six this morning to put out the trash, and I couldn’t go back to sleep.  Nothing I did could make me snore again, so I made some coffee and got to work.
What did I do today?  Question should be what didn’t I do today.

I worked on edits to two manuscripts that clients are anxious to get back in a few weeks.  Then I got offline and spent an hour praying and journaling.  Then I organized my exercising for the month of December; fyi, I’m a planner, and I kinda live by the organizer I carry with me everywhere.    Then I organized all the things I need to get done for my Ph.D. application.  All that will get done in December.

I did a few more things, and then the writing bug hit me.  I wanted to get it all out at once, but little things – like my bro blowing a tire, phone calls left and right, Thanksgiving-related questions and conversations and the like – halted me from doing the writing in the set two-hour time frame.

But alas, the writing got done, and I am grateful,

What’s my goal for tomorrow?  Hmm, dunno!

Tomorrow, I have to edit the two manuscripts, talk to a client, grade essays, and start preps on that bird.

If I have an excuse to get up early again, like trash – lol – then I might find the time to write.  I’m keeping fingers crossed and prayers upward.

Today’s word count:  2,380

Overall word count:  59,001

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Yep. I’m already looking beyond November 30.

I knew my story, The Fixer, would be longer than 50k.  I just didn’t know how much longer.  Now that I’ve passed the 50k mark, I’ve checked out my outline, and I realize I’m about 55/60% done the outline, so this is going to be a pretty big book.  My biggest book to date was about 96,000 words.  I’m being conservative to say that this one will be 95,000.  I’m really thinking closer to 100k – maybe a wee bit over that.

Right under the SUBSCRIBE HERE button on the right hand side, you will see my baby word meter and a short logline for The Fixer.  Every day after NaNo, I will update that, and every Monday, I will have a new update blog post about the book, my successes and failures in writing that week, and show you this little guy:

His mood will reflect mine, and right now, I’m very logical and calm, LOL

SO, for the next six days, I will continue to share my daily travails and writing updates, but once December 1 rolls around, my posts will be made weekly, every Monday until this baby is fin.

If you are working on your NaNo project through this month, leave a comment and let me know…leave an url where you might be updating and blogging about the writing…would love to check you out!

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I’m sick.

That’s the beginning and end of it.  Went to bed with a slightly sore throat and woke up with a raging sore throat, tight chest, and achy body.

I slept in, and didn’t do much during the day but take meds, drink fluids, and cough.  This evening, I sat and made myself write, and I’m excited because I actually wrote a nice chunk of text that doesn’t suck too-too badly, LOL

I’m not sure if I’ll work on the manuscript tomorrow – I have an idea for a short screenplay that I promised an actress acquaintance of mine I would write and let her read.
We’ll see how that goes.

Today’s word count:  3,530

Overall word count:  56,620

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Well, didn’t write as much as I wanted to, but today was a kind of “nothing” day.

I went to the grocery store and battled people over food for Thanksgiving. It was so crowded and tedious. Typically, I LOVE grocery shopping, but at 11 a.m. on a Sunday when people are getting out of church and are thinking about Thanksgiving dinner, too? Not so much.

By the time I got home and put groceries away, my day was absolutely DONE. I sat at my laptop, but did nothing. I had some major work to do, but it was not getting done today.

I’m disappointed, but I know my body is VERY tired, which is why I’m calling it a night and just going to bed. I plan to rise early tomorrow and write FIRST THING before I do anything else. Wish me luck.

Today’s word count:  1,065

Overall word count: 53,095

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The day after the 50k…

…how did it go?

Well, this morning, I was still geeked over having crossed the 50k threshold, so I wrote.  With this upcoming week off, my goal is to write in the morning, first thing to keep my word count up.

Wish me luck,

To all fellow NaNoWriMoers…keep the words coming!

Today’s word count:  1,580

Overall word count:  52,007

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