Another year, another win

But this year I celebrate with the many friends I made in several new groups, and a few old friends. We all worked hard through family visits, turkey coma, and nay-sayers. Anyone that even attempts NaNo is a winner. To make 50,000 words is even better.

NaNo Day 27

Technically, I finished last weekend, when I decided my third novel wouldn't finish. Okay, I could have included what I did write in the final word count. But it just didn't feel right. Kind of like a cheat. The book wasn't done. It needed more help than I could give it to revive the plot. That was due to poor planning, a natural disaster (we were part of the September flooding), and a family issue that ripped me away from my usual prep concentration. Long story short? Total NaNo Word Count 126,114. A respectable finish. More than twice the minimum word count.
I downloaded my certificates last night. NaNoWriMo 2009 is finished for me. But NaNoWriMo 2010 has already started.

NaNo Day 22

Ah, what a difference 24 hours makes. As I looked at High Hopes today, I realized I had not done enough plotting. The world where my main character lives lacks so much. So...not quitting. Just putting back on the shelf for next year, while I create this world and all its rules. But I won't give up on a third NaNo project just yet. There is still a week until final countdown. And I have this cute middle grade idea all plotted out. Hmmmm?

NaNo Day 21

And I'm on the big push. High Hopes moves forward 4440 words today. Totals looking better. Here they are: Paradox Lost - 76,004, Blaze - 50,057, High Hopes - 20,007! Three more days like this and I can count another successful year NaNoing.

NaNo Day 20

Okay. Getting there. The middle is sagging badly but I can fix that over the next year. Totals for today are: Paradox Lost - 76004, Blaze - 50,057, High Hopes - 15,567. NaNo to date total: 141,628 - a rise of 2,689 words today. Just have to keep that up and I'll finish.

Shameless Self Promotion

And what else is a blog for if not shameless self promotion? When I started November, I swore all I would blog about was NaNo. After all, that's been my November for five years now. But first there was the querytracker.net contest. And I made it. Only 70 of us and it only took 20 minutes to close that contest. Now, I find out I've been published in Frontier Tales. Woo Hoo! Check out my take on why Morgan Earp's ghost haunts Campbell & Hatches Saloon in Tombstone at http://frontiertales.com/ The story is titled Brothers Under the Skin.

NaNo Day 19

Frustration is really biting my ankles. My third project is moving so slowly I'm beginning to despair finishing all of them this year. That'll be a first. But I plan to do a major write in, hiding in my office all weekend, to catch up so I can finish by Tuesday at 12:15. Why then? Well, it only takes 15 minutes to drive to son's school and he's out for Thanksgiving break then. So, I have to be done. A teen in the house is not an inducement to finish writing. To date I have a total of 138,939 words. Paradox Lost - 76004, Blaze - 50,057, High Hopes - 12,878. And I'm thinking about changing that title to Lost Cause. It's the only one I can't get into.

NaNo Day 18

And I'm on a roll. Didn't do much in word count today but I finally have the characters, or most of them, figured out. The others will come as their part becomes clear to the story line. Now, I'm ready to start on the middle, and make sure it doesn't sag. That'll be fun but I think I can do it. Goal for finishing is still next Tuesday. Total word count: Paradox Lost - 76,004, Blaze - 50,057, High Hopes - 11,703 for a NaNo count of 137,764.

Yahoo!

NaNo Day 17

Ah, figured out why I struggled so hard with this one. Had to go back to the beginning and flesh out the characters. It's a wonderful method of filling in spots where things slow down. With that in mind, and a new chapter 2 in addition to an expanded chapter 1 for High Hopes, I moved forward almost 3,000 words today in this last goal. Totals: Paradox Lost - 76,004, Blaze - 50,057, High Hopes - 9,106. It's moving slower than the rest but I'm starting to hear my main character telling me her story. And what a story it is. I only hope my fingers can keep up with her as she relates how she comes to save the world, condemned by a relative 100 years earlier.

NaNo Day 16

Real life intrudes. I did get some words down today but not as much as I wanted to. But the dust build up in the house positively demanded I do something about it. So, Paradox Lost and Blaze are done. They're in the annals of NaNo history. But High Hopes is going slowly. Have to get my head back into this story. Word count to date: Paradox Lost - 76004, Blaze - 50057, High Hopes - 6328. Yippee! My total NaNo count is 132389. And fourteen more days of writing to finish my personal goals. Life is good.