NaNoWriMo: Out of the ashes comes a phoenix...

I'm still going! The fact that 10 days into this masochistic ritual I haven't been reduced to a pile of quivering angst is pretty huge, honestly. I just hit 31,000 words and am feeling really good. Srsly don't even need the strikeout keys at the moment. Not that I think I've produced a masterpiece, by any means, or even something publishable. I am pretty sure the previous 10-15k words would put anyone who suffered the misfortune of having to read them right to sleep. I know I felt sleepy as I was writing them, in any case, which is probably not a good sign.

But now I'm about at the halfway point of this "novel" (can I call it that????) and I'm feeling strangely optimistic. I'm having fun again. The first ten thousand words went by really quick and smoothly. I knew exactly how I wanted to set everything up, and had a fun time doing it. But then I started getting into the nitty gritty around 10-25k, and it was kind of a snoozefest. But now at 30k, stuff is goin down and it's one feisty scene after the next, and I'm lovin it. Created a playlist to get me amped up too.

Not sure if anyone would ever want to read this (aside from my parents, obviously. Hi!) - but at least I'm having fun writing it. At least I haven't given up. I think 50,000 words by the end of November is definitely in reach, and that was the goal. (KNOCK ON FRIGGIN WOOD.)

So, for now, I'm just going to bask in the feeling of contentment that comes from doing something productive that is for yourself and only yourself. Not your employer. Not your family. Not your friends. YOU! yay.

NaNoWriMo: Onward, ever onward!!!

So I know all my millions of followers are just beating their heads on their keyboards in frustration because there hasn't been an update to this blog since Friday (HORRORS). And to that, I just wanted to say: get friggin used to it, suckahhhzzzz. I am doing NaNoWriMo this month, which means every spare moment of free time is going to be spent cranking out this pile of steaming cow dung deeply-wrought, magisterial, life-affirming masterpiece.

So far I have written 15,500 words of festering mucus poop brilliant, inspired prose, and I'm feeling like a nervous wreck who could give up at any second and accept that I will never come even remotely close to achieving the smallest of my dreams really confident!

So that's where things stand. I will be back in December though, or sooner if I succumb to the ennui which has plagued me all the weary days of my life continue this trend of inspired genius and epic productivity and finish my 50,000 words ahead of schedule!

Happy November to all!

NaNoWriMo: Great Expectations

I have decided to take the plunge and attempt NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time ever. I figure, I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to finish a novel since I was about 10, so why not try once again, this time in a somewhat structured fashion. What's the worst that can happen--I don't finish? Well, I've been there before and it wasn't that crushing. I have a full time job, so my days are occupied, but I am planning to get up an hour earlier in the mornings and crank out the words while injecting caffeine into my eyeballs if necessary, and then haunt local coffee shops in the evenings. Nothing can possibly go wrong with this plan, can it???

Anyway I would be really curious to hear from anyone else that has participated in NaNoWriMo in the past or is doing it now. Did you have an entire plot meticulously constructed before you began, or did you figure it out as you went along? Did you actually finish the novel in a month? Tell all please; any words of advice are most welcome!

Feature & Follow Friday: What Book Are You Embarrassed to Admit You LOVED?

I work with a lot of academics, so I don't exactly make it a point to bring up my untamed passion for Vampire Academy (which people who haven't heard of it before assume is a Twilight knockoff...so frustrating) on a regular basis. But I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed about it. I do sometimes get some weird looks when it comes up, but those people can shove it.

Here is an All Hallow's Eve spoOOooooOooOOoky bonus treat:

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.