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!

NaNo Update Day 21

It has been a struggle to keep up with writing these past few days. Past two weeks, actually, but especially true the past few days.

However, I am thrilled to say that I am back on track. And that i just passed 35,000 words for the month. Which is what it would be for me to be on track, so, while 35k words is many words, it is also right where I should be today in order to keep up with the daily average.

And some great insights today. I am excited by what I wrote and, no, you don't get to read any of them. Not yet. At some point some of this will go into publishable words. But right now this is, truly, without any malice or negative intent, a very shitty first draft. Which makes it an excellent first draft because it means that I am pouring excitement and connections and raw energy of writing into this shitty collection of words.

My (maybe "so far") word count today is

35,773

NaNo 4, 5, 6

I've already fallen behind on the daily posts here and not even through week one. That's okay, though, because I am still ahead of the word goals. Which is good. I am nearing that point where I will fall behind; and if I don't, well then. Okay!

My current word count at the end of the sixth day of NaNoWriMo is 12,417. That is an impressive number given everything else. The story did change, as I suspected it would. It has become a series of exploratory essays, I think, or something. I have committed to writing every day this month on this topic and seeing where it leads and what I discover. So I am a NaNo Rebel this year, and I am okay with that label. The goal is still 50k+ words in November and my own personal of write to this topic every day.

In other news, [besides the angst of rising health insurance costs (which were not a surprise but it doesn't lessen the impact) and the shock of the increased property tax bill (that was a surprise; a significant increase) and the car insurance raising the rates just because] our furnace has now stopped heating. It started acting up on Saturday. It still worked but was noisy; it heated and pushed the warmed air around. That continued Sunday and I asked a friend for a referral and got one. I called them Monday morning and they are coming Tuesday afternoon. But when I got home after my late night Monday shift, the furnace was humming quietly but no heat or fan. I reset it, the fan blew, then it stopped. No heat. At least it's not getting down into the 30s tonight; we do have a portable heater so I ran that in the bedroom to warm it a bit, then turned it off. Headed to bed now to get my side of the bed warmed while the chill is off the air. Tomorrow it will be fixed (I assume and hope). These are the facts of having a home, I know, it's just one thing. These are just a few of the little details of life which are encroaching on writing time. And I am grateful to have a home and insurance and a car and a job and a relationship and my cat which take up some of my time. Truly.

I am still confident I will make this my tenth consecutive NaNoWriMo win. I have a small retreat built in later in the month where I will catch up and get it done if I need to; or just continue to write every day on this topic if I've already passed the 50k.

Now, to bed, before all the heat leaks out of the bedroom.

Port Cities Review has Launched

I don't know if you remember, not too long ago I sent out an announcement and a link to Port Cities Review. A new literary publication which is worth your time to read and worth your energy to submit to if you're a writer.

It has officially launched. Hop on over there and take a look for yourself... and check out their submission guidelines.

PORT CITIES REVIEW

New Offering in The Writing Vein Store

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There is a new item listed on The Writing Vein Store page (see link below the title bar). You can now purchase "Blood on the Keyboard: Selected Essays from The Writing Vein 2009" at Blurb directly from here. Just click on the store link above and you can see the preview, then click through to Blurb to purchase.
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A.D.D. - seeking a few experiences

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I'm currently writing a short essay about A.D.D. - which stemmed from submitting a poem to a publication. I have some things to say, but I want to include other people's experiences, too.

"Is Social Media Causing
Attention Deficit Disorder"

Here is my assignment: an essay which is "exploratory about the nature of ADD and its effects, both on those who have it and on those who are close to it through relation or association."

This is not a paying article - but it's a great publication and I've had a few things published there before. Everything will be anonymous - but I want to broaden the perspective of my essay and not just have it all be my own.

You don't need to post it as a comment - though you're welcome to; you can use the contact me on the left to email your comments to me.

Thank you in advance!

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writing contest: New Works Competition

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Richard Hugo House: New Works Competition

As part of the Hugo Literary Series, Richard Hugo House seeks previously unpublished poems, short stories, personal essays or plays, of no more than 1500 words.

The theme is Born in the U.S.A., and the winner will receive $500, publication in City Arts Magazine and an invitation to read at the final Hugo Literary Series event on March 18, 2011 alongside authors Alan Chong Lau, Victor LaValle and Debra Magpie Earling. Entries must be received by January 10, 2011.

The theme: All manuscripts must reflect the theme, Born in the U.S.A., using the prompt below as a jumping point:

Since the birth of our nation, we’ve grappled with the uncomfortable question of who gets to be American and why. My ancestors came over on the Mayflower; yours made the “middle passage” on a slave ship. Your grandparents were interned in a prison camp during WWII; you serve in the U.S. Army today. My older sister can be deported because she was born before our parents crossed the border, but I’m a citizen because I was born here. Our declaration says all men are created equal; our pledge to the flag says we are one nation, indivisible—so why do so many of us still hyphenate our nationality? Whether you were born in Sarah Palin’s “real America,” The Daily Show’s “fake America” or somewhere in between, what does being American mean to you?

Submission Format: Five copies of the manuscript typed, double-spaced, pages numbered, in 12-point standard font. No name of author on entries; include cover page with name, address, phone, email, entry titles and genres. One cover page is sufficient for the five copies of your entry. SASE #10 for notification and SASE with sufficient postage if you would like manuscript returned.

Entry restrictions: The New Works Competitions are only open to residents of Washington state, Oregon, Idaho or Montana.

Entry fee: $10.00.

Submissions may be sent to Richard Hugo House, c/o New Works Competition, 1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122.

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