Thursday, November 28, 2019

NaNoWriMo 2019 is (almost) a wrap


On Tuesday, November 26th, I crossed the 50,000 words written in 30 days mark. It was my regular writing time with a friend. I posted here that I was nearing the finish line; and I continued to write.

With one minute to go before I had to leave our location to go to work, I did it! I had written 50,017 words. I didn't have time to update my count because I had to drive to work.

Yesterday I did write more, and today I wrote more. Because my secondary goal was to write every day in November and it looks like I will make that one, too. I have never made it all 30 days in NaNoWriMo and I wanted to give that a shot, too. My current word count is 52,312.

Two more days of NaNoWriMo 2019 and this one will be done, too.

My writing this year was - again - in the "rebel" category. I did start a novel and I like the novel I started. I like the ideas of the novel and I want to develop it more and see where it goes; it could become an actual book! Or at least a full length short story (although if I do that, there is an element of it I would need to simplify or eliminate one thread). The rest of my writing, probably one-third of it, was for the Personal Essay Intensive online workshop with Ariel Gore. That was a great workshop and I finished (maybe - we'll see what I think after I reread it again) an essay I want to submit to a specific place for publication.

Another successful NaNoWriMo!



Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Nearing the Finish Line

As the end of November is quickly approaching, so am I approaching the 50k words written in November mark. As of the beginning of my Tuesday writing time, I am at 48,532 words. Very close. Very, very close.

I might wrap up the 50k today - if I can find a quick rhythm before I have to go to work. Or maybe it will be tomorrow -- after I get the rest of the root canal done and after my ND/acupuncture appointment.

I am also on track for my second goal of the month, which is to write every day for the 30 days. I have written something every day - 25 days and still counting. The trick will be to keep up the daily writing after the 50k. If I can write every day this month, I think it will be the first NaNoWriMo where I have written every day. Last year I think I only missed one.

It has been an excellent writing month!

Saturday, November 16, 2019

NaNoWriMo is Happening!

This has been a up and down NaNoWriMo so far. But I have written every day - which is awesome! I have been a little behind and growing more and more behind every day. I wasn't upset because I knew I had this writing retreat coming up, which is where I am right now.

The plan was to be over here early afternoon yesterday. But my mouth had other plans, which included an emergency trip to my dentist, where I was told that I had a dead or dying root and that's where the pain was coming from. And that I needed to see a specialist and probably needed a root canal. (It was pretty bad. If you know me in real life, you know that I tend to have a higher pain tolerance; I've been told that's because I'm a redhead.) I told them that I was supposed to be going out of town that day and was going to be gone for almost a week. They were very kind and helpful and found someone who could get me in yesterday afternoon. There is more to the story - but enough for here is that I had the appointment, she confirmed the need for a root canal, a bunch of the work is done but I need to go back to get it finished up, which can be done after the retreat is done.

So we headed out about seven hours after we planned, but we arrived. We are tucked into this lovely quaint Oregon coast cabin until next Thursday. We went to New Seasons and Trader Joe's and we have food (and alcohol and other fun things) and we don't plan to leave until we head home on Thursday and back to work. Except we might, weather depending, go down to the beach. (We are in a place where the cabin is up on a hillside, so "go down to the beach" includes actually going down the hill.)

Today I wrote a lot and made good progress on both my NaNoWriMo novel and on an assignment in the online workshop I am participating in. Good work all around! I am not done writing for the day. This day will be done before I am done writing. Which is "all good" as the saying goes.

Below is my current word count graphs, and you can see the ups and downs, now moving closer to on target. My estimate is that I will be at goal tomorrow and then keep going. I can' really predict how far I will get on this trip. But with very little to do except writing, hopefully it will be a lot of words on the page.


Saturday, November 9, 2019

NaNoWriMo Update from Day 8/9

I took a few hours tonight (Friday night) to attend three Lit Crawl events. Readings at one of my two creative heart centers: Corporeal Writing in downtown Portland. They were the site for three strong groups of writers - a conversation, and two readings. It is good for me to get out and just listen to other people reading their powerful writing.

I also changed the sheets on the bed today. Which the cat thanked me for and I was barely out of the room and he had climbed up and plopped right down in the middle, fast asleep - or so he pretended - when I returned a couple of minutes later.

And I slept in today. A luxury I haven't had for over a month. That was nice, too.

Then I finished the end of this story I'm working on, which I need for a writing workshop on Sunday. No surprise, characters from my NaNoNovel showed up, so that is also part of my NaNo word count. Thankfully.

With the rewrites and the other writing I did today, i passed the 10k mark. Hooray! I still have another 3200 or so words to go to get caught up. Which I won't do today (now Saturday) - probably not do today. Or maybe I will if I get that inspired. Who knows what I may be able to do after another good night's sleep! Which is where I'm headed now, with 11,946 words under my belt.

Hooray for writing!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

NaNoWriMo 2019 update

I have managed to write a little bit each day. I am behind in my word count - which is not all that surprising. But this year I do have a writing retreat planned, so I am not concerned about being behind. I have a few days away to catch up and get ahead coming soon.

I also have a workshop this weekend, to which I am supposed to take a piece of writing to share and work with. Yikes! I did manage to write something today - which is a piece from my NaNoNovel. It needs a little more, which I plan to do tomorrow while I'm spending half a day in Gresham, waiting for a car repair to be done. Nothing like being trapped at the car dealers in the suburbs to make writing happen (I hope!). I am finally getting that defective air bag situation taken care of.

But, as of right now, this is what my stats look like. Sitting at 7460 words; the target for today is, yikes!, 10000. I am a little further behind than I realized. Oh well; I will get right on that tomorrow.



Sunday, November 3, 2019

NaNoWriMo Day Two

Hard to get into the writing habit. But I did write today. It was not a zero day. Too early for that.

Then wrote another 950 words after I got home. I mean, what else should I do with that extra hour?! I thought I would get more written, but I am tired. I will get more written before I go to work tomorrow (later today, I mean).

I like what I am developing. It is very rough, but it has potential. I look forward to seeing where my NaNoWriMo 2019 writing will take me.


Friday, November 1, 2019

NaNoWriMo Day One

What an amazing day it was!

On October 31st I had the absolute pleasure of interpreting Tina Packer's "Women of Will" at Portland Playhouse. It truly is part Masters class and part performance. Tina Packer wrote a book, of the same name (also available as an audiobook, read by Tina herself), and then turned it into a play. The entire work is 12 1/2 hours long. Then there is also this overview version, which is about 2 1/2 hours and includes scenes from a dozen of Shakespeare's plays. Her work follows the feminine in Shakespeare's plays, along the continuum of the canon; exploring five phases of his work by examining the female characters. She and co-actor, Nigel Gore, are knowledgeable and talented and offer many insights, and entertainment.

Following the play, I changed into my regular non-working clothes and, along with my interpreting teammate and fellow writer, headed to Starbucks, then the Portland airport.

To the airport to write after interpreting a play?

Yes, indeed. Vancouver and Portland NaNo groups hold a midnight write-in to kick off the current year's NaNoWriMo. (Not to be confused with the kick-off party, which was a couple of weeks ago.)

As of the end of our time there, my current word count is 2,183. And I still have most of November first to write! For now, some sleep. Then later on, after I've rested and am ready, I will write more.

I have a title. I have the start of a plot.

And are we surprised that it is coming out a little dystopian? And probably will become even more so? No, I am not surprised. I don't know where it's heading, but it is off to a good start.

I present to you my NaNoWriMo 2019 project, "Life in the Cracks."