NaNoWriMo 2015 Day 1 Update

November 1, the first day of National Novel Writing Month, got off to a good start. I finished the synopsis and the first chapter of my novel, Star Orphan. I exceeded the word count goal by 64 words. I decided to do something different with the synopsis this year. Instead of writing two or three paragraph telling about the novel, I wrote a poem from the point of view of the main character. The poem gave the basics every good synopsis should have without being boring to write.

I realized, as I was writing the synopsis, I sometimes get bored and find writing the synopsis difficult. I do not find writing poetry difficult. The synopsis tells about the main female character who is the commander of a small star ship. The name of the star ship is Star Orphan, but this term also applies to the main character. The poem also sits up the plot of the story.

Today I need to work on chapter two. Instead of going forward in chronological order I am going to make a time jump. I will go back in time to write about the protagonist's parents. I need to show what happened to Salena's (my main character) parents before her birth because that plays into the plot of the story.

I am not worried about writing chapters out of order because I still have to edit the novel after it is finished. When I first started participating in NaNoWriMo I worried about little things like that, but not any more. In fact, there are a lot of things I do not worry about until the time comes to edit the novel. Editing is when I need to worry about the novel making sense and which chapters are best to start the book.

5 Days to NaNoWriMo

In five days National Novel Writing Month begins and I am off to a good start. I went to the NaNoWriMo website and set up my novel by imputing the working titles, which is the name of the star ship my protagonist commands. I might change that after the novel is finished, but for now that will give me something to work with and help me focus on the plot.

I have four more writing exercises to do in planning the novel. I also have to set up a tentative writing schedule so that I can work on the novel at least thirty minutes a day. I have to write a minimum of 1,667 words each day to achieve the 50,000 words by November 30. I know this will not be easy, but it is achievable. There is probably a few other things I need to do. I cannot think of them right now, so as they come to mind I will put them on a list.

At this moment I am not sure whether I am looking forward to NaNoWriMo or not. I think that is because October has been weird month for writing. On some days I wrote over 2,000 words and on other under that mark. Fortunately, November will be a better month or at least less weird. Since I still have other work to do today, I will close and post this entry.

6 Days to NaNoWriMo

November, National Novel Writing Month, is six days away. This morning I realized that I need to sit a tighter writing schedule to accomplish the NaNoWriMo word count goal in thirty days. Fifteen minutes is the minimum amount of time I need to spend writing each day. I suspect I will need to set aside more time in order to accomplish the minimum word count goal of 1,667 words per day.

Considering the way I have written lately I am adding another fifteen to twenty minutes to that time. I also need to take interruptions into that time; therefore, I am setting aside one hour each day to work on my 2015 NaNoWriMo novel. I intend to break this one hour up into fifteen or twenty minute writing sessions to give myself some time to think about what comes next. It is possible I will write for longer or shorter periods at a time. I usually write for ten or fifteen minutes at a time before I have to get up from the computer for something.

The next thing I need to decide is when to work on the novel. I think sit aside thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the evening. I may change that in November after I get into the writing process; however, right now that is my NaNoWriMo plan.

Write, Write, Write

Novel Writing Month
To write 50,000 word
Continues to write

Write, write, write
It's National Novel Writing Month
A busy November

NaNoWriMo Update: Day 8

It is Day 8 of National Novel Writing Month, I have officially written 11,225 words. I am in the process of writing more. I am tired. I cannot stop writing or I will get behind again. I am lucky I have written as much as I have.

I am pushing myself to write. Sometimes I cannot think of anything to write, so I use a prompt or a chapter title to start the writing process for the day. The  prompts work to keep me writing and focus my mind on what my characters are doing for the chapter I am working on or the next chapter.

NaNoWriMo Update 2014: Day 1

It is November 1 the first day of National Novel Writing Month. In Las Vegas, it is about 6:54 am Pacific Daylight Time and a bit early for the November 1 word count. I begun Mark of the Blue Wolf about 4:30 am after I finished my first cup of coffee. I wrote one paragraph before encountering difficulties.

The title of the first chapter is Weeping Meadows, which should give you an indication of the novel's genre. The genre is fantasy and action adventure. In the first chapter I introduce my protagonist and the plot of the novel. I know the novel's plot and my protagonist, the problem I am encountering is starting the novel.

It is normal for me to encounter difficulties when beginning a novel or short story. I will overcome this difficulty before this afternoon. Right now I am procrastinating while my subconscious mind works on the next paragraph. I will complete at least 1,667 word on this novel today. In the mean time, I am passing time with make work projects, things I have to do. Look for the next update, which I have planned for NaNoWriMo Day 3 when I will have a word count.

One more day until NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Mon begins on Saturday, November 1. This year the working title for my novel is Mark of the Blue Wolf. It is a fantasy and action adventure novel about a search for an artifact called the Wolf Stone. I have the premise and the synopsis written; however, I am not posting the premise at this time. The synopsis is posted on the National Novel Writing website under my novel.

My daily NaNoWriMo word count goal is 1,667. I plan to write every day except on Tuesday, November 4, when I will be working the general election polls in Nevada. I may attempt some writing after I get home around 7:30 or 8:00 pm if I am not too tired for my brain to write.

Three Days and Counting

In three days, on October 1, the NaNoWriMo Preparation Challenge begins on writing.com. Those who participate in this challenge are expected to spend at least 15 minutes a day working on the required assignments. Once the required assignment for any given day is completed, and the information on its completion submitted, then the participant can either move on to the next required assignment or work on the bonus assignment for that day.

There are required and bonus assignments for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Saturday, the only required assignment is the contest round assignment. A participant is not required to enter the contest, but the assignment must be completed even if it is not entered in the contests. Sunday is a free day, which means you can catch up on anything you have not completed, work on an upcoming assignment or bonus, or focus your writing efforts on something else.

I have a book ready for the assignments and bonuses in my port: Visit My Portfolio @ Writing.Com. I have made the first enter a calendar-check list that contains all the assignments. I am as ready as I will ever be for the NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge. I plan on scheduling my Prep Challenge writing time of a morning, but that schedule is not sit in stone because on some days I will have to wait until afternoon or evening to work on the assignments.

I have two possible working titles for my National Novel Writing Month novel. The first is The Empire of the Blue Wolf and the second is Valley of the Crested Towers, but I may change the working title before November 1 when NaNoWriMo begins. Since I like both titles, and cannot think of anything better, I will use one of those. If I come up with a better title before November then I will make a blog entry about it.

Midweek Reflections on Writing after National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month is over, which means I have to get back into the groove of writing 2,000  words a day without the 1,667 words per day that my NaNoWriMo novel added to my word count. This is always an effort, but this year it seems more difficult then in years past. Maybe this is an illusion because last December feels as if it occurred twelve centuries ago in a galaxy far away.

I am stressing out over things I should put in God's hands and not worry over. I am worrying about things I cannot control. I am taking remarks made by other people personally when that is not the intended. All of this is interfering with my writing and the accomplishment of my 2,000-word per day goal. I am depress. I am worried about where I am going to live after the sale of t his house finally closes.

None of that is helping me get on with my life. None of that is assisting me to rewrite Midnight in Suburbia or Scavengers. None of that is helping me finish The Typewriter, my 2012 NaNoWriMo novel. I did not finish The Typewriter because my mother died in November of 2012, so I put the novel aside. I left my 2012 novel sitting my my writing.com port without looking at it for over nine months and, even then, the only things I did to it was move it and some of the planning stories to folders.

Perhaps it  would help if I changed part or all of my daily writing ritual. All though I am not sure that what I do before sitting down to write can be called a ritual. That could be part of the problem, I got out of my old writing ritual and have not begun a new one. After saying a morning prayer and writing I feel more positive about accomplishing my word count goal. I feel that I can achieve the goal today, even if I have to stay up until midnight Pacific Standard Time.

Sunday Review: November and National Novel Writing Month is past

November over
National Novel Writing Month
2013 past

I survived November and National Novel Writing Month. I surpassed the goal of 50,000 words and I survived the one year anniversary of my mother's death. December has begun, I will be 67 years young on December 24 at 11 minutes before midnight.

The countdown begun
with twenty-three days to go
I ask God for strength

This is my first birthday without my mother and I am  unsure to celebrate. I know my birthday is something to celebrate because, despite my health problems, I am still alive and writing. I have worries, which I have placed in God's hands and I know the solutions to my problems are available if I can only see them.

Plan to write entries
at least every other day
depends on God's will.

NaNoWriMo Day 18: I caught up on my word count

NaNoWriMo Chapter 16 Word Count = 1,746
NaNoWriMo Chapter 17 Word Count = 1,861
Total NaNoWriMo Word Count To Date = 30,447
Percentage of 50,000 Word Goal = 60%

Today's goal to complete Chapter 18 of Midnight in Suburbia. I like to think of each day of National Novel Writing month as a chapter in my novel. If I think of it this way it helps me focus on the plot even though I do not necessarily follow the outline I created in October.

NaNoWriMo Day 15: Update and Friday Thoughts on Writing

NaNaNoWriMo Day 14 word count = 1678
Total Word Count  to Date  = 25,165
Percentage of 50,000 word goal = 50%

Friday Thoughts on Writing

I can stand up for only about five minutes at a time before my leg starts hurting and I have to sit down. This makes washing dishes difficult because it means I do not get all the dishes washed. I have to figure a way to use this experience in my writing.

I realized this morning that one of the things I will miss about living in this house is the sound of a Harley-Davidson going past my house. The neighbor down the street has a Harley that he drives to work in the fall and winter. Every morning, I hear him going west on Bracken and I am going to miss the sound of his Harley when it passes my house. Perhaps I need to write an ode to a Harley-Davidson.

Another thing I am going to miss is the way this house feels when I am alone. Until this year, I never realized how lonely silence can be. All right, I am not talking about complete silence here because I can hear the refrigerator running (and I do not want anyone to tell me to go catch it). I can also hear the neighbors dog barking, which he does not do very often. I need to use this experience in one of my stories or poems.

NaNoWriMo Day 14: Update and a Writer's Gratitude List

NaNoWriMo Day 13 word count = 1,899
Total Word Count To Date = 23,487
Percentage of 50,000 words = 46%

This morning I am thankful...

01.  ...that, everyday for the past 13 days, I have exceeded my NaNoWriMo word count goal;

02. ...that I was able to print off my PayPal and Bank Statements for the past two months before the printer cartridge stalled;

03. ...that I had double chocolate muffins and bananas, with coffee, for breakfast.

04.  ...that I remembered I had left the lid to the washing machine open before it went through the entire wash and rinse cycle;

05.  ...for the cool fall Las Vegas weather;

06.  ...that I am a member of writing.com because I have a place to store my literary efforts;

07.  ...that I have enough coffee leftover from Wednesday to warm up three or four cups in the microwave;

08.  ...that I am participating in National Novel Writing Month;

09.  ...that I will soon move to a smaller place;

10.  ...that I sit my alarm to ring at 4:00 am so that I can get some writing accomplished before I leave the house.

NaNoWriMo Day 11: Update and Some Thoughts

NaNoWriMo Day 10 word count = 1,803
Total word count to date = 17,933

Yesterday, when I reread what I had written I noticed some misspelled words. Now I have to decide whether to, take time from NaNoWriMo and, go back to do a spell check or just let the chapter remain as it is until December. Since I have to down load the chapters to another computer to do rewriting and grammar checking, I'll wait until December to correct the spelling as well.

I'm saving the chapters to a book in my writing.com port, so I can do spell checking. I didn't do any spell checking last night because by the time I was finished the chapter and other things I had to do online, I wanted to fall asleep on my keyboard. I went to the couch (which is the closest thing I have to a bed) and eventually went to sleep.

I would be nice if I got a chance for a nap this afternoon, but that isn't possible. Besides participating in National Novel Writing Month, I'm attempting to pack and find a place to live. All right, this is probably, my own fault; however, there isn't any use obsessing on that now because I'm too busy writing and packing to have time to worry or rather obsess over what I should have done.

NaNoWriMo Day 6: Updating my prograss and some thoughts about my chapters

NaNoWriMo Day 5 word count = 9,258
Chapter 5 word count = 2,043

Six days into National Novel Writing Month and I am having second thought about chapter 1. This is normal for me except that it is a little early in the month. Normally I start having second thought on my beginning chapter half-way through the month and then I write another chapter that I think would be a better beginning to the book. I do not rewrite any chapter I have completed, but I do write a new chapter and add it to my NaNoWriMo novel.

I completed a poem with the same name as my novel. The poem is not part of my word count because I started it before NaNoWriMo begin, but I may use it as the introduction or dedication after I finish the novel. I do not write my novel's introduction or dedication during NaNoWriMo; all though, sometimes I write a prologue. I did not write prologue yet, but I am still considering writing one before the end of November. This year I begins with chapter one without even considering what I wanted to say in the prologue.

NaNoWriMo Day 4: Midnight in Suburbia is progessing at a good pace

Word Count Update

NaNoWriMo Word Count Day 1 = 1,753
NaNoWriMo Word Count Day 2 = 1,853
NaNoWriMo Word Count Day 3 = 1,783
Total NaNoWriMo Word Count to Date = 5,389

Midnight in Suburbia

Chapter 1: Daniella Coffey - A Change in Holiday Plans
Chapter 2: Daniella Phones about Change in Holiday Plans
Chapter 3: Daniella's Sense of Humor

Today's NaNoWriMo Goals

NaNoWriMo Day 4 Word Count at least 1,667 Words
Midnight in Suburbia complete Chapter 4 with tentative title Ethan Shupe (Daniella's brother) Rearranging Holiday Plans
Complete at least one 30 minute sprint exercise
Complete at least one 15 minute sprint exercise

NaNoWriMo Day 3: A Good Start to National Novel Writing Month

It's day three of NaNoWriMo and I have written 3,606 words, which is 7% of the 50,000 word total. Today I have at least 1,667 more words to write on the third chapter (day) of Midnight in Suburbia. I call each day's writing effort a chapter because it helps me focus on what comes next. I suspect that the first two chapters I've written would be better in on chapter, but I don't have to worry about that until December when I start editing the document.

fifty thousand words
written one-day-at-a-time
the focus is clear

I've had a good start to the month even though I started each day off slowly. It's winter and I don't like to start before sunrise. This means I have to get up, turn the alarm off, turn the computer on (I have to get the virus check over before I start working), take my medication, and snuggle under a blanket for a little bit while say prayers and meditate. Then I get up, warm some coffee up in the microwave, put a fresh carafe to brew (writing 1,667 words a day require fuel), start the washing machine or dry last night's laundry, and get to work.

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NaNoWriMo Day 2: Yesterday's Accomplishments and Lessons

NaNoWriMo Day 1 Word count = 1,753
NaNoWriMo Day 1 2 pm sprint = 697

What did I learn yesterday?

Lesson 1:  Don't worry about spelling when doing the sprint because when I copy the sprint exercise to the chapter I can run a spell check to find the proper spelling of any miss spelled words.

Lesson 2:  Don't worry about grammar until after November 30 because part of rewriting and editing is grammar checking.

Lesson 3:   Don't be so focused on NaNoWriMo that I forget to make a shopping list before going to the grocery story. I didn't take a shopping list with me yesterday when I went to pick up some necessities, as a result I forgot to purchase laundry soap. This means I have to make an extra and unplanned strip to the store for laundry soap. The extra trip will cut into my NaNoWriMo writing time.

Visit My Portfolio @ Writing.Com

NaNoWriMo Day 1: November Goals off at a Slow Start

After getting off to a slow start, I am on my way to achieving my NaNoWriMo goals for November...

1.  Write 1,667 words a day on Midnight in Suburbia.
2.  Post word count every evening about 10:30 PM Pacific Time at National Novel Writing Month.
3.  Post word count every evening about 8:00 PM Pacific Time on writing.com.
4.  Post yesterday's word count between 4;00 and 6:00 AM Pacific Time in this blog.

Things I have learned after this morning's slow start...

1.  I will doze off during meditation.
2.  Have glass of water sitting next to pill in my sleeping area.
3.  Put other computer into hibernation at night rather then turning it (this saves time when starting the virus detection program each morning).
4.  Have coffee ready to turn on each morning (I still have to make fresh coffee today).
5.  At night, pour the day's left over coffee into mug ready to warm up in the microwave each morning.
6.  Make up powdered milk the night before so I can have cereal and coffee for breakfast instead of chocolate and coffee.

NaNoWriMo Countdown: Two Days To Go

Are you ready for NaNoWriMo? There are two days left in October and then National Novel Writing Month begins. Do you have everything you need to hide away for thirty days, so you can write 50,000 words? Here is my NaNoWriMo "Shopping/To Do List"...

1. ...pay  the Internet bill, after all I would not want to lose my connection before November 30;

2. ...pay the electric bill because the computer will not work without electricity;

3. ...purchase large container of coffee because writing in the middle of the night is difficult without fuel;

4. ...purchase large container of hot chocolate mix because I cannot make cafe mocha without it;

5. ...make sign for front door saying "Please do not disturb! I am NaNoWriMoing! Call back after November 30.";

6. ...purchase items for sandwiches that are easy to use and do not need to be cooked;

7. ...pay water bill, when I fall asleep on my keyboard, I will have to stand under a cold shower for a few minutes to wake myself up;

8. ...remember to sit the clocks back because Sunday is the end of Daylight Savings Time (maybe I should sit the clocks back on Thursday evening so I do not have to worry about it on Sunday, November 3);

9. ...make sure my pet rocks have enough light, water, and food for the entire month of November (these are the only pets I have and I do not want to lose them);

10. ...water the plastic plants (I do not want them to die either).