Month: November 2016

November Challenges: Week #3

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Progress continues on both the novel and poetry fronts. Both projects are chugging right along and I can hardly believe there’s only one week left!

NaNoWriMo

Early Bird word count: 1,611

Week 1 word count: 3,262

Week 2 word count: 4,567

Week 3 word count: 3,535

Total: 12,975

The overall goal for the month is 15,000 words, so I’m definitely feeling like the prize is within reach. The next biggest challenge is making sure I guard my writing time during the Thanksgiving holiday. Distractions abound and I hope I can stay on track!

This week’s trends:

I’m superstitious!

I always knew I had weird writing traditions (like always having a Cafe Mocha nearby when novel writing and only being able to function if there are at least five different colored pens in my pencil pouch), but it turns out I’m rather partial to a lucky charm. I have a pendant made from a typewriter key with my first initial on it. I wore it on November 1st to celebrate the start of NaNoWriMo. One day I couldn’t find my inspiration and I chalked it up to forgetting to wear my typewriter key. Since then, I’ve worn it every day to keep my muse happy!

Still a pantser!

My novel notebook still sits on the shelf unopened. The characters are so chatty and eager to tell their story, it’s like they already know where they’re going and I’m just along for the ride. I don’t know how much longer this will last because I know there are some research notes I need to reference once I hit a certain point. Until then, I’m just going to enjoy every twist and turn.

It’s all about one song.

Demons by Imagine Dragons is basically on constant replay as I write. It has well over 100 plays at this point. I see it as the anthem for one of my main characters.

November Poem A Day Challenge

The prompts were a little tricky this week for a haiku poet, but I managed to make it work. I missed a couple of days (the novel was very distracting this week), but caught up quickly.

All the poems I’m writing for this challenge are continuously being posted on my haiku blog, Haiku Tree. Check it out!

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How are you doing with your November writing projects?

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c.b.w. 2016

November Challenges: Week #2

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It’s been another productive week for NaNoWriMo and the November PAD Chapbook Challenge. I’ve managed to stay on track, despite a few interruptions in the writing schedule.

NaNoWriMo

Early Bird Word Count: 1,611

Last Week’s Word Count: 3,262

This Week’s Word Count: 4,567

Total: 9,440

Like any overly organized writer, I’m keeping a spreadsheet of daily and weekly word counts to ensure I don’t stray too far away from the overall goal.

Both this week and last week, I had two days where absolutely no writing took place. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I run an after school program, which turns my usual 10 hour workday into a 12 hour workday. It turns out those two extra hours make a huge difference. However, I’m usually full of energy on Mondays and Wednesdays. Most of my writing takes place on those two days.

The surprises continue to come during the process:

I’m still a pantser!

I thought by now I would have pulled out my meticulously organized notes for Lineage. Nope. I’m on Chapter 3 and I’m still pantsing it, while my notebook sits on my desk unopened. The second I sit down at the keyboard my characters start talking. I just listen in on their conversation and start writing.

Writing a sequel is really different from writing the series opener.

While I’m not looking at my notebook, I am looking at the manuscript for The Muse. I find I’m having to reference main story points and details from the original to ensure there are connections between the original and the sequel. Readers need reminder cues and it’s tricky to work them into the continuing story without feeling forced.

The plot twists keep coming.

The general storyline has been worked out in my head for quite some time, but it appears my characters have different ideas. Apparently, one of them has a huge secret, (and I’m not entirely sure what it is yet.) A secondary character has a connection to another character that I didn’t see coming and it’s significant.

However, one of the secondary storylines has completely changed. The original plan isn’t lining up to what my characters are telling me, so its scrapped for the time being and something different has taken its place.

Sometimes I just have to let my characters and my muse overrule the original plan.

November PAD Chapbook Challenge

I remain on track with writing one poem a day. It turns out writing a haiku before jumping into NaNoWriMo is a great warm-up. It gets my muse warmed up and ready to roll!

All my PAD Challenge poems can be found on my haiku blog, Haiku Tree.

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How are your November writing projects going?

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c.b.w. 2016