Category Archives: Writing frenzy

NaNoWriMo, Novel, Writing frenzy

NaNoWriMo: The stretch

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newengland_muse

I know I have been quiet. NaNo has kept me busy like it does every year that I work on the frenzy. I been fortunate that the story has been writing itself, literally. There is a lot to be said about writing on what you know.

In my story I picked a region that I am familiar with and a culture as well. You don’t have to know everything in your book when you start, all you need is a thought or idea to carry it through. If you infuse a topic that you are familiar in all one has to do is wrap words around that thought. Yes I am making it sound easy. That isn’t what I am saying. By writing on something you know or are familiar with, you are making it easier to write.

This is what I have embraced in the book:

-My French heritage

-Northern Maine living

-Christian

-Persecution

You can write a lot when you use any of those topics let alone all of them like I have done in my book, “Lost Faith” that is being written for NaNoWriMo 2013. I already know when the 50k words are done, the book will be not complete. I will need to keep on going to make things go full circle. But I do like where it is going. That’s another thing. If you enjoy the book you are writing it is not work not in the sense people might think it.

My word count as of today gets me 11k shy of my 50k word count. I will take a few days off when I reach it to give my hands, neck and shoulders a break from it all. But after that will add to it.

I do enjoy NaNoWriMo where my sole goal is to win and worry about the book later. But when you are enjoying the book as it develops that is just icing on the cake.

Book, NaNoWriMo, Writing frenzy

NaNoWriMo: I caved

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I caved. I caved caved caved. I just wrote a post last week how I was not going to do NaNoWriMo 2013. On Friday I opened up a word document so I could jot down some ideas for a book. I ended up with over 3k words by the end of the day. The fever had reached me subconsciously. I scold and reminded myself why I was not doing this frenzy. I don’t have time. I need to work on the book that just got released. My doctors will not be happy.

But the fever that started within me in 2011 has never left. The fire of writing a book in November each month still lives. My stubbornness with this is to win. To do anything else is not an option for me. They may not be 60k great words but there will be 50k words before November is out. That is the plan.

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This is how I started my NaNoWriMo book for 2013:

The devastation came silently. No one knew it was coming until it was too late. The quiet killer the perfect weapon. No one had a chance.

War had been rampant in the Middle East for years. But the US had always been able to keep it at bay from their native shores for the most part. But there were some things they couldn’t stop. The virus that coursed through the veins of millions of Americans. It started with the young, the elderly and the weak.

But that was not enough. More was to come. No one could prepare for what was next.

I wrote this on my Facebook page and my peeps welcomed me into the collective, knowing that this was bound to happen. Not one was really shocked. People have given me some good comments to the above opening. I like it. As of Monday night I was at a little over 14k words.

Stay tune. Hopefully this is not a foolish dream to complete and win NaNoWriMo for 2013.

NaNoWriMo, Writer, Writing frenzy

NaNoWriMo 2014

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index

November is approaching which for writers mean NaNoWriMo. Those not familiar with it the concept is simple. You are to write 50,000 words in one month. In 2011 I embarked on doing this frenzy for the first time. Without planning for this I had the amount of words needed to win by week three. I was thrilled and extremely tired. I ran myself ragged and ended up aggravating my illnesses. But I won.winner

In 2012 I decided to go for back to back wins and show that I can do this. I did a bit of planning this time around, though not much. By the 14th day I had written over 50,000 words and had won yet again.winner-180x180

I was extremely happy and proud of myself though knowing there would be no way to top it by less days. I told myself in 2013 I would go for the trifecta and get a three-peat. But something happened along the way from November 2012 to November 2013. My first book was picked up by a traditional publishing house. While the previous years I could easily put aside projects to do this November frenzy this year has been different.

My time has not really been my own. Especially since the book was released in September of this year. I really want to do NaNoWriMo. The main reason I do it is simple. I want to win. Anything else is unacceptable. This is something I have taken upon myself. I can make the effort and I feel positive it can be done but at what cost? My health has taken a dip in 2013 and apart from that other factors has climbed aboard the train of things I need to do and work on.

The books that won in 2011 and 2012 are still in the process of being revised and edited. To do yet another book seems crazy. But I still considered it. However my book needs my attention if I want it to do well. It needs for me to show it the love that I have given to Nano the last two years.

NaNoWriMo will still be there next November and the one after that. I can get my three-peat then.