My NaNoWriMo 2013 Journal
(Originally published on 3 October 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Tonight, I signed up for NaNoWriMo 2013.
I confess I have signed up twice in the past, but this time it feels different. This time I’ll finish.
You’ll find out on December 1st, if you return!
Continue to read more for my entire NaNoWriMo 2013 Journal:
NaNoWriMo 2013: Pep Talk from Christopher Paolini
(Originally published on 28 October 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
It’s Monday. NaNoWriMo 2013 begins on Friday. I feel tentative, but OK about my future effort and discipline. I’ll attend my Region’s “Write Off” at our local college’s library on Friday so that I won’t feel alone on the first of 30 days.
I’m sharing Christopher Paolini’s pep talk here to make it easy for me to find his wise words from 2011’s NaNoWriMo. I hope his words encourage you.
Dear NaNoWriMo Participants,
No doubt you are currently hard at work on your novel for this year’s contest. As someone who once wrote 200,000 words in three and a half months, I know exactly what you’re going through.
So. Here’s my advice based on over 10 years of working to deadlines.
First, writing your book is going to be difficult. Know this. Accept this. Embrace this. It may be fun as well, but make no mistake, what you’re attempting is a major undertaking.
Second, pace yourself. Because it’s going to be difficult, you don’t want to burn out. Save the late nights and early mornings for the last week, week-and-a-half of your effort. You may be writing at a quick jog, but don’t break out into an all-out, fear-driven, there’s-a-bear-behind-me pace until it’s absolutely necessary. Conserve your creative strength. You’re going to need it. (On a related note: avoid making big decisions not related to your writing. A person can only make so many good decisions over the course of the day, and you want them to go into your novel.)
Third, if you haven’t already, think about where your story is going next. If you’re going to be flying headlong through the pages, it’s good to have a road map. That said, don’t be afraid to deviate from your plan if a good idea strikes you during the process.
Fourth, if you’re stuck, go for a 15-minute walk. If you don’t feel like going, that means you’ve been sitting at the computer/typewriter/paper for too long. Get up and get the blood flowing. It’ll make all the difference.
Fifth, don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or formatting. Those are easy to fix. Instead, worry about pacing, characters, and setting. Get those right, and no one will care that you put a comma in the wrong place.
Sixth, a casual tone (like this letter) is quicker and easier than formal. Nevertheless, use whatever voice best suits your story.
Seventh, tea is a big help. Black or green tea in the morning—Lapsang Souchong is a favorite of mine—cinnamon in the afternoon. Why cinnamon? For some reason, it helps keep my mind sharp. Don’t have black or green tea later in the day unless you’re in your last big push, then you can have a second in the afternoon, when you start to flag.
Eighth, try to relax when you can. Watch a movie, have dinner with your family, blow up enemies on an Xbox 360 or PS3. Just don’t think about the book.
Ninth, choose the number of words you want to write every day, then try to reach that goal. Be determined! But don’t get discouraged if you get less on a certain day. You will get less on some days. However, you’ll also get far more on other days.
And tenth… don’t give up! You can do this! It may not seem like it day to day, but as long as you keep putting words on the page, you will get to the end of this. And who knows? People may actually like what you’ve written. And that’s the best reward of all.
Fellow authors, I salute you. Luck in battle.
– Christopher Paolini
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 1
(Originally published on 1 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 1, 2013.
Today’s word count = 2513
Cumulative word count = 2513
I completed 2,513 words today. Am feeling tired. Drained.
And, I feel good about this. The 30-day free trial of Scrivener sits in my monitor. I like what I see. Our NaNoWriMo Regional ML uses Scrivener. When I attend next week’s “Write In”, I’ll ask the others how they like Scrivener.
I’m listening to my husband in his studio. Mozart is blasting away at high volume. Mark is doing NaWaPaMo: “National Watercolor Painting Month”.
There’s no such thing; we made it up. He’s a gifted painter. While I’m writing for NaNoWriMo each day, he’s going to paint one watercolor.
His November 1st painting is stunning, a desert landscape in abstract. Beautiful.
He feels on top of the world.
I feel like a writer, a novelist, this month.
Today, NaNoWriMo is a gift…to two people in this household, not just one.
NaNoWriMo Haiku
Rockin’ BB King
On Pandora radio.
Day 1 in the books!
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 2
November 2, 2013.
Today’s word count = 1177
Cumulative word count = 3690
I submitted 1,177 words today as we had good friends to entertain most of the day.
Tomorrow will be a quiet day, with more time dedicated to writing.
It’s important to make time, and take time, with friends we care about, and who care about us.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 3
(Originally published on 3 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 3, 2013.
Today’s word count = 1848
Cumulative word count = 5538
Author Lawrence (Larry) Block posted one of his inspirational quotes for writers that helped me today:
“The more I take it easy, the more I accomplish.”
That’s what I did today, regarding my novel. I didn’t stress out about what the characters were going to tell me today. I allowed myself to step away from the computer and do other things, if I felt I needed to do that whenever I felt blocked in my writing.
One major task I completed by stepping away from my novel? I downloaded dozens of digital photos I took of autumn colors in the local forest. I’ll edit them this week as a few look to be greeting card and/or calendar worthy.
At least those photos are stored in a second location now, and not only on my camera.
I submitted 1,848 words today, and I connected with my characters better today than yesterday.
They felt free to tell me their story, and I enjoyed today’s process.
I also knew when they were ready to stop. I wanted to keep on writing, but they quit speaking to me.
Too bad I have to work for a living. I think I could get use to the full-time, fiction-writer thing!
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 4
(Originally published on 4 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 4, 2013.
Today’s word count = 1878
Cumulative word count = 7411
TSofD Day
Today, I worked in NaNoWriMo’s famous Traveling Shovel of Death.
I’ve never written a murder before, and tonight was fun. I wondered how I would work in the TSofD, but the characters took care of it for me. They own the story and simply dictated it to me.
They gave me 1,878 words tonight. No music; I wrote in silence.
The cad had to die, anyway.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 5
(Originally published on 5 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 5, 2013.
Today’s word count = 0
Cumulative word count = 7411
I submitted 0 words today. The novel’s Outline needed attention, so today I began to fill it with more details. Then, an “incident” happened in our neighborhood that affected our sweet dog. Terribly. Terror. She was filled with sheer terror.
We turned our attention toward taking care of her, and now she’s just fine, back to her happy, sweet self. She’s fine physically, but earlier today we watched her become an emotional wreck in a very short span of time. It shocked us.
As we ate dinner this evening, I mentioned that I can use today’s terror-filled “incident” as a plot device in my novel. It will create tension and, I hope, will move the story forward.
I’m only a little disappointed that I didn’t increase my word count today. Instead, something happened in our world that I’ll be able to share with future readers. In light of today’s incident, I deeply appreciate this morning’s Pep Talk (Wrimos can access from this link) http://nanowrimo.org/updates/7116
Catherynne’s Words of Encouragement
Pep Talk from Catherynne M. Valente.
Dear Speed Racers of Literature,
As I write this to you, I am myself deep in the midst of a breakneck race toward a novel deadline. I have a very short time in which to commit a large amount of fiction, and I have taken a moment out of the word mines to talk to you about this mad thing we insist on doing.
I discovered NaNoWriMo in its second year and just the notion of it—the challenge, the seeming impossibility—lit a fire under me. I even wrote a little manifesto about it. But it turned out that I couldn’t wait until November to start. And being 22 and thus full of equal parts arrogance, stupidity, and ambition, I decided that 30 days was too easy. I would do it in 10.
And I did. My first novel, The Labyrinth, was written from October 1 to 11, 2002. I didn’t know I couldn’t do it. So I did. That novel became my first published book. It was rereleased in a brand-new edition last year and I am still proud of it. Without NaNoWriMo, the lost 22-year-old poet working as a fortune teller in a little shop next to a Starbucks in Rhode Island, the girl with no particular prospects and even less clue how to write something longer than her (admittedly long-winded) poems, might never have figured out how many novels she had waiting inside her.
I will share with you, my kindred souls, that since that first book, most of my novels have been written at double-quick speed. They come out in about 4 to 12 weeks these days. By which I mean the typing of it. The thinking, the dreaming out loud, the imagining of novels—well, that still takes years. But it is the sweetest work in the world.
The structure that NaNoWriMo taught me 11 years ago still shapes and drives my work habits today—for better or for worse. It helps my number-obsessed, structure-craving mind to bound my infinite space in a nutshell and try to write as though every month were November. (The key word there would be try.)
Yes, this is an experiment. Yes, it is difficult and not meant to be the scaffolding of a career. But the fact is, it can be. A professional, full-time writer quite often writes more than 1,667 words a day for periods longer than a month. Learn how to flex that muscle, and how to build it up so it looks back on the early days of 50,000-words-in-a-month as an easy gig.
To show up to play, puff out your chest like a damn proud toucan, and get shit done.
That is, perhaps, the single most important skill of a working life, no matter what that work may be.
I am here to tell you that you can do this. Not only can you do it, you can keep doing it. Take care of yourself, and this weird, stressful, wrist-aching trip you’re on can—like Red Bull, Daedelus, and garage-level genetic engineering—give you wings.
I’m going to tell you what I tried to say in 2002 to the NaNoWriMo forums, a notion that found little support and much scoffing then, but perhaps will find more friends now that I’ve spent most of the last decade putting my money where my mouth is.
So here it is, cats and kittens: my one and only Personal Rule of Literary Land Speed Record Attempts, According to Catherynne Valente, Circa 2013.
(Like all rules put forth by writers, feel free to ignore it, or not, at your leisure.)
You can be good and fast at the same time.
Though it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself, it is also important to know that quality and speed have absolutely nothing to do with one another. You can write something heart-catchingly brilliant in 30 days. You can do it in 10. There is no reason on this green earth not to try for glory. You’re going to spend these 30 days at the computer anyway. You might as well be mindful while you’re there.
You can come out transformed.
Write something true. Write something frightening. Write something close to the bone. You are on this planet to tell the story of what you saw here. What you heard. What you felt. What you learned. Any effort spent in that pursuit cannot be wasted. Any way that you can tell that story more truly, more vividly, more you-ly, is the right way.
So holler. Tell it loud and tell it bright and tell it slant and tell it bold. Tell it with space whales and silent films or tell it with quiet desperation or tell it with war or tell it with dragons or tell it with tall ships or tell it with divorce in the suburbs or tell it with dancing skeletons and a kraken in the wings.
Tell it fast before you get scared and silence yourself. You’ll never wish you’d held back a little more.
Catherynne
Catherynne M. Valente is the author of over 20 fiction and poetry books, including The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, and the new The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 6
(Originally published on 6 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 6, 2013.
Today’s word count = 2552
Cumulative word count = 9963
I submitted 2,552 words today, and I’m only 37 words away from breaking 10,000.
No, I couldn’t force the 37 words out of the characters just to reach 10,000 tonight. When they’re done speaking with me, they are done. Period. They just stop talking.
However, the knowledge that I’ll soon be over the 10K mark is an amazing revelation. As of tomorrow, if all continues well, only 40,000 words to go.
Wow.
Also today, I added a draft book cover image to my NaNoWriMo profile. I created this JPEG image from a photo I took a few weeks ago in the Prescott National Forest near Groom Creek. It’s a nice placeholder for now.
My novel is beginning to feel “real” to me, warts and all.
I don’t have the words to describe how this feels. But, it feels very good.
I look forward to revising it in December.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 7
(Originally published on 7 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 7, 2013.
Today’s word count = 2045
Cumulative word count = 12,008
I submitted 2,045 words today. The characters dealt with some conflict today. They made a few major, life-changing, decisions today.
As for me, my word count is on track. I now have only 37,992 words to write between today and November 30th. Believe me, that sounds a whole lot better than 50,000.
I just need to keep my average words per day on track, and I will finish on November 30th.
Today’s music on Pandora.com consisted of two channels: R. Carlos Nakai earlier today, and then The Crystal Method in the evening, after dinner.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 8
(Originally published on 3 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
November 8, 2013.
Today’s word count = 1516
Cumulative word count = 13,524
I submitted 1,516 words today. Writing them tonight was “like pulling teeth”.
Welcome to Day 1 of Week Two, yes, the infamous NaNoWriMo week where almost every novelist hits the wall. The Week of Discouragement. The week when many writers quit and walk away.
And tonight, my characters began walking down the path of sadness. Some details will be revealed that will bring a few tears to my eyes. Week Two might be a “downer” so that the novel can end in the final two weeks with hope.
“Yea thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
That’s how I feel tonight, but I am going to do this. The characters want their story told.
I will finish.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 9
(Originally published on 9 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 3036
Cumulative word count = 16,560
I submitted 3,036 words today. It’s a Saturday.
“Holy sheet, Batman, my word count is now up to 16,560!!”
Today was a much better day. I wasn’t as tired as I was yesterday, so my brain still had active cells with which to write 3,036 words. I also felt in tune with the characters and they felt very comfortable with me.
I was wary as I knew today would be the day they would tell some sad stories. So, on Pandora.com I selected the Blues Channel, and let good ol’ American blues be my writing music. Perfect combination.
To Be Successful at NaNoWriMo
If you may be thinking of trying NaNoWriMo one year, I encourage you to do it, but make plans not to have many plans in November. To “win” as a Wrimo, it’s important to clear your November calendar as much as possible. Wipe any scheduled activities away and plan to spend a minimum of two-to-four hours writing daily. I think I’m writing 2.5 hours a day.
And, for USA Wrimos, limit what you do for Thanksgiving. I know, I know. But, some Wrimos have told me that they were doing well with their word counts until the turkey-day holiday. Then, they lost momentum and they didn’t “win”. Plan for that. Bump up your word count before Thanksgiving, enjoy your holiday, and when the tryptophan wears off, kick your butt into gear and get back on track with your words per day.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 10
(Originally published on 10 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 1145
Cumulative word count = 17,705
I submitted 1,145 words today.
I almost didn’t write today. Today was beautiful outside, and our dog and I went for a wonderful, long walk. On the drive back home, I heard a blood-curdling scream in the chaparral above me.
No kidding.
I drove over to my neighbor’s property, and shouted up the hill to see who was there. Long story made short, a young girl was hurt and in pain. Her brother had thrown a rock at some Gambel’s Quail, missed, and the rock hit the girl in the leg.
I think I can use that scene in my story.
Then, after their mother came over and took them home, I had some things to do in the house.
After dinner, the characters called me to the computer to write for an hour-and-a-half.
And, that was just fine. For today.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 11
(Originally published on 11 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 0
Cumulative word count = 17,705
I submitted 0 words today.
They didn’t talk to me. Plus, it was Veterans Day and we focused on that, paying our respects to those who serve, who have served.
“Thank you.”
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 12
(Originally published on 3 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 0
Cumulative word count = 17,705
I submitted 0 words today.
I had to put in a lot of hours at work.
Someone has to work to feed these characters.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 13
(Originally published on 13 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 682
Cumulative word count = 18,387
I submitted 682 words today.
Yes it’s the infamous Week Two of NaNoWriMo, but I had to work again.
The evening gave me inspiration and the characters talked with me. And, we wrote a really great scene. Few words. Awesome impact.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 14
(Originally published on 14 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 0
Cumulative word count = 18,387
I submitted 0 words today.
Of course, I had to work a lot today. Plus, a famous author was coming in to town, and I had to attend to some emails around coordinating his visit tomorrow.
Tomorrow evening is my Region’s “Night of Writing Dangerously”, and I will be there. I need to increase my word count plus see some of our local Wrimos.
I’m not worried about November 30th, though. There’s always Thanksgiving Weekend to catch up.
(The famous author was John Norman Maclean.)
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 15
(Originally published on 15 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 2209
Cumulative word count = 20,596
I submitted 2,209 words today.
‘Twas the Night of Writing Dangerously, and all through the college library, not a creature was stirring in Room 225, but all raucousness and writing debauchery broke out in Room 206, the Procrastination Room.
Quiet descended on me in Room 225, and my characters reached out to me once more, asking me where I had been. We ventured into the story, my back aching from the poor ergonomics of the library’s desk and chair. I missed my office.
The camaraderie of my fellow Wrimos inspired me. What a group of creative souls, whose love of writing and literature fueled their escalating word counts. Would one of them one day be a blockbuster novelist? Will they finish and “win” NaNoWriMo 2013?
Then, thunder reverberated through the building and a torrent of rain pounded on the library’s roof. A winter storm.
“It was a dark and stormy night….”
Who could ask for better atmosphere?
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 25
(Originally published on 25 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 4006
Cumulative word count = 24,602
I submitted 4,006 words today.
What happened to me? I had to work last week. A lot. To pay bills. The mental fatigue was too much.
What’s good news is this:
My ability to write 2,000 words a day, or more, is increasing
That’s the gift NaNoWriMo is giving to me. It’s stretching me, and helping me to get past that “1, 667” daily word count minimum. I will finish, I will “win”. It will be a brutal effort as I’ll have to write 5,000 words a day, but I can do it.
And, my characters talked to me like crazy tonight. It felt good to be back with them.
I think they missed me.
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 26
(Originally published on 26 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 8103
Cumulative word count = 32,705
I submitted 8,103 words today.
To reach the 50,000 word count goal and “win” NaNoWriMo, I’ll need to write 17,295 more words between tomorrow (11/27) and 11:59 p.m., November 30th. That averages approximately 4,324 words each day. That’s about eight-to-nine typed pages in MS Word.
Last night, I experienced a break through. The writer’s block broke into pieces and my NaNoWriMo “miracle” happened. I could feel the words flow. The characters not only talked to me, they flooded me with words and their experiences. They woke me up at 4:00 a.m. and forced me to write, to tell their story.
I also learned that I can produce eight typed pages in one day, filled with words that aren’t work related but that tap into the more “fun”, creative side of me.
I’m blissfully exhausted. Time to log off and get some sleep. Today’s NaNoWriMo pep talk encouraged me a great deal, so enjoy.
Pep Talk: Ralph Peters
Dear Authors,
The Shining may be the best film ever made about being a writer—not because Jack Nicholson’s character went bonkers, but because he had the work ethic it takes to build a career. Sure, he just typed “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” thousands of times. But he worked every single day—even when the creative juices weren’t flowing.
I’ve never bought into the self-indulgent notion of writer’s block, a grown-up version of “The dog ate my homework.” The fact is that some people have nothing to say and will never be writers. But if you need inspiration, try perspiration. If you’re meant to write, you’ll write. Sure, we’re all stymied from time to time, struggling over how best to shape a character or how to bring a crucial scene to life. But the best way to confront such problems is to sit down and start typing. Things happen when you make them happen.
Sure, it’s gorgeous out, your friends are partying and there are errands that need to be run right now. Or there’s more research to do, or another urgent email that needs a response. There’s always an excuse not to write—but if you make a habit of grabbing excuses, you’ll never become a pro. Better to type up slop, throw it away, and start again the next morning, than to duck your daily battle with the keyboard.
There have been days when I just could not bring myself to sit down at the computer, but such days have been rare. More often, I may not feel like chaining myself to my desk, but I sit down and get to work, anyway. I’m a writer. This is my job. Often, I’ve wanted to quit but stuck to the mission… only to find, after many a barren hour, that I’d written something so good I asked myself the most satisfying question a writer can spit out: “Jeez, where did that come from?”
Many an aspiring writer is just in love with a glammed-up idea of being an author, but not enthused about the actual work. Well, the only way to learn to write is to write (and to write a lot). Sit down and get started. Even if you just type, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
Writing is wretched, discouraging, physically unhealthy, infinitely frustrating work. And when it all comes together it’s utterly glorious.
In these last days of NaNoWriMo, get to work.
Ralph
[ Ralph Peters (wiki) ]
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 27
(Originally published on 27 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 4882
Cumulative word count = 37,587
I submitted 4,882 words today.
We had to do some shopping tonight for U.S. Thanksgiving Day tomorrow.
And, I’ll have time to write before and after dinner on Thursday. Then, I have all day Friday. I really wanted to break that 40K “mark” today. But, I stopped when I did tonight because my characters stopped talking to me.
What’s a writer to do?
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 28
(Originally published on 28 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 2916
Cumulative word count = 40,445
I submitted 2,916 words today.
I woke up giving thanks this morning. I’m grateful for NaNoWriMo:
-
- Everyone has pushed me to finally sit down and write, write a lot. Every day.
- I’ve met fellow Wrimos in my region at local Write ins.
- My Wrimos encourage me daily, and share specific writing tips I can actually use.
And, because we can, the characters and I added a Thanksgiving Day chapter to the story. It’s quite appropriate because the characters’ journey is from their darkness into their new light, a new normal filled with hope.
Today’s Pep Talk from Holly McGhee
Dear Wrimos,
Of everything I have ever learned as a literary agent and as a writer, there is one lesson that I think is more important than any other: you must write for your life.
And so this is for those of you who have always known that you wanted to be a writer, and for those of you who write every day. It’s for those of you who have yet to put a single word on paper, too. It’s for those of you who are lonely, hopeless, and depressed, and to those of you who have never suffered a day in your life.
This is what I know:
Sometimes if you haven’t touched your laptop in a while, you begin to fear it. You’re afraid to start typing and you’re afraid not to start typing. Writing becomes a stranger—and without realizing it, you’ve closed the door on your closest friend, your imagination.
You’ve got to honor your imagination, for it is your ally.
The good news is that the simple act of getting words down again instantly un-sticks you! Writing moves your thoughts and feelings through you and out into the world, and the doors of possibility and wonder open before you again. Just like magic, you are free.
I learned this the hard way.
There was a time in my life, not too long ago, of utter darkness. We had moved from New York City to the suburbs so that our children could have a backyard to play in. It was a catastrophic move for me. I craved the anonymity and solitude of the city, but found myself surrounded by neighbors—I didn’t know how to be in this new world. I did not fit in. I felt trapped. After some time, I didn’t see the world in color anymore either, only grey, and after more time, I didn’t want to get up in the morning.
And then a character, Dessert Schneider, came charging into my life. I didn’t know that my white knight, the one who would save my life, would appear to me in the form of a conniving, confident, bossy third grader who demanded I write her story. I opened the door a crack—and then eventually I opened the door all the way, and I wrote her novel, in her voice—my fingers were on fire. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was writing for my life—I was writing my way out of the darkness and into the light—into believing in myself again, reacquainting myself with my imagination.
The world is at your fingertips, literally. Just as you need to breathe, just as you need sunlight, just as you need water—if you’re a word person, you need to write. Sometimes you may know where you are going, and other times you may be embarking on the long road to possibly nowhere—it doesn’t matter—you’re getting the words out.
Writing fuels your imagination, which makes you want to write more. And your imagination is always loyal, and it will save your life if necessary, as it did for me. Your imagination is there in the loneliest of times, and in the joyful times, too.
Write for your life.
Holly
NaNoWriMo 2013: Day 29 – I Won!
(Originally published on 29 November 2013, on the now-closed www.remacgowan.com blog.)
Today’s word count = 9937
Cumulative word count = 50,382
I submitted 9,937 words today.
I WON!
I’m exhausted so I’ll add a few words tomorrow on what the NaNoWriMo experience taught me. Below are some screen shots from my account. And, in the spirit of this U.S. Thanksgiving Day weekend, I wish to raise a glass to my fellow Wrimos in Prescott, Arizona. What a fun bunch. And, to “quillandink”, our ML, our fearless leader, Jeannie, who kept us all motivated.
Our region’s TGIO party is Monday night. We’ll all celebrate, and then the difficult work begins: editing, revising, and finishing our novels.
/END.
