It's Okay... (Surviving NaNoWriMo #2)

Hello all!
Take a minute to check out that little widget over there on the side of my blog, the one that shows my NaNo wordcount.
I'M JUST OVER HALFWAY THERE!
Yes, allow me to have my moment of celebration before I continue with this post.
Alright.

It's Okay If You Seem A Little Crazy

Lately I've been realizing just how insane some of the things I do are. As a writer, I'm by definition a little bit mad, and that's okay. This is a reassurance to all writers, that the weird little things we do are totally okay, especially during NaNoWriMo.

 Let's begin.

It's Okay If You Haven't Finished Your Outline Yet

Yes, I will always use this .gif when talking about my unfinished outline. Believe it or not, I have writer's block when it comes to that outline, but it's okay because I am really nowhere near to the point where I got stuck. Like I said before, this story is stretching longer than I thought it would.

It's Okay To Kill Off Characters

It's totally okay. It's part of your story. You're not a psychopath, you're just an author.

Characters die. That's kind of what they do.

It's Okay To Cry About The Characters You've Killed Off

Yes, yes. Cue the ugly sobbing. It's completely normal.

Sometimes I wonder: do people like Stephen Moffat cry about the characters they kill off?

Because I sure do.

It's Okay To Get Stuck

Happens to everyone. It's totally normal to hate your plot, hate your characters, hate everything.

It's normal to hit a point where you just can't figure out how to keep going.

The important thing is that you do. Don't stop writing and wait for the writer's block to go away. Just keep writing. Even if it's horrible. Just put more words until you get unstuck.

It's Okay To Fangirl (or Fanboy) Over Your Own Book

You just met a perfect new side character.

You just wrote a scene that's pure genius.

You just hit your word count for the day.

SO FREAK OUT! You are stinking awesome and you are an amazing author (yes I said author) for having come this far. SO FANGIRL OVER YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS.

Yes this is a very encouraging post, but there are days when we just need encouragement.

Not to mention tomorrow begins the dreaded Second Week of Death.

How is your NaNo experience so far?

So Far, So... (Surviving NaNo #1)

Hello all!
It's been a little while since I last blogged, but what with NaNoWriMo finally starting up, I've been pretty busy trying to not only meet the goal, but exceed it because I know some days I won't have so much self discipline.

This post it just a little update about how things are going so far. If you look at that neat litte gadget on the side of my blog, over here --> you can see my current wordcount. I hit my personal 10,000 word goal today, which meant writing 5,000 words just today. It puts me well ahead of the recommended schedule, which makes me very happy. 1/5 of the way there! Here's some more little facts about the journey so far.

1) My outline remains unfinished

Yes, that pesky outline. I've got almost 30 scenes plotted out, so there's no real sense of urgency. I have been following it, but rather loosely. It has proven itself invaluable time and time again. I don't think I will ever attempt a story without one at this point.

2) No characters have died... yet.

Yes, it is true. There has been no death as of this moment.

However, a certain character doesn't have much longer to go.

3) This venture has involved me getting up earlier in the mornings

The time change certainly aided this. I am now waking up at 6:30, versus 7:00 as my normal wake up time.

I can't say I'm enjoying it.

4) I've listened to the Les Miserables soundtrack more times than any sane human should.

What? It's good music.

By the way, I blame my friend for getting me addicted to it.

5) I've met some amazing people on the NaNoWriMo forums.

Writers are awesome. We're all just as crazy as all get out, and it's always a good time when a bunch of us get together. Shoutout to the people of the Christian Teens Together! thread. And members of the AWSTOCC (Authors Who Ship Their Own Characters Club). Yes, it's a real thing.

6) Every day so far I've exceeded the daily count and hit the one for the next day or even several days ahead.

Yes, I'm rather proud of myself for this.

7) My story is actually going very well.

So far, no major roadblocks. I've used a sprinting strategy where I set a timer for fifteen minutes and write like I'm on fire. I average about 500 words in fifteen minutes. So far, that strategy has yet to fail me. Let's pray it continues going this way.

So, there's my summary so far of Day Three for NaNoWriMo! I'd love to hear how your novels are going, as well. Feel free to comment your questions or responses in the boxes below. :) Bonne nuit!