Time

Why is it when the days get shorter, my time seems to shorten as well? There seems to be no end to the list of things I need to do and no time in which to do it. Even my writing has suffered.

I started the NaNoWriMo challenge on November 1 with the full intent to finish. Things went well for the first two weeks. Now, according to the stats tab on my NaNoWriMo page, I won't finish the 50,000 challenge until Jan. 15. How sad is that?

However, many of the delays are of my own making. Parts of my life have gotten out of control and makes for difficult times at home. I need to take some time to sit down and re-evaluate what I want and what I need to do. This goes for my writing too.

My goal for January is to submit my current manuscript to one of the major publishing houses within the next month. I really don't want to have to put a buck in the kitty for not making that goal. HeHe. The one thing I will not do is overtax myself to achieve that goal. To that end, my head is beginning to ache. Must mean it's time to go to bed.

Meeting Challenges

It’s hard to really keep to a writing schedule when life gets in the way. I went away to a conference over the weekend (not a writing one) and found too many distractions. However, I did find time to get caught up until I came home. The hardest part is making up time lost because of driving long distances. Those hours in the car were precious writing hours I lost.

Have I gotten back on track with my writing now that I’m home? No. I can’t seem to find my feet. The words I’m putting in this blog are in the hopes to get that spark back, to find my rhythm.

The best thing to come from participating in the NaNoWriMo is the new direction my third book is taking. It’s not a complete new direction, just a slight sway. I do like it though. Now I’m beginning to understand what other writers talk about. How their stories speak to them, keep them awake at night.

Even the title has changed. It’s something I have to accept. My books are not always going to come out the way I expect them to. They’ll be what they want to be, what they tell me they will be. How did I really think I was the one writing them? That’s a laugh.

On the drive home, my book wanted me to keep writing. It kept playing scenes in my head. Hopefully I’ll be able to get them down on the computer later tonight, after dinner. My competitive streak is itching to get up-to-date on my challenge if not further ahead to give me some wiggle room.

NaNoWriMo

To write, or not to write, that is the question thousands of people have been asking themselves for the past month. Today started National Novel Writers Month. This is my first year trying it out.

Just getting set up is a little intimidating. Building a writing buddies list, reading and joining forums, getting encouragement for all quarters. My head spins thinking about it all.

I have been writing today. It's disjointed and sporadic. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to set a goal of 1,667 words per day. At the end of the month, if a person is diligent, they should have 50,000 words completed. That's enough for a full manuscript. What an idea - a book in 30 days!

Having the support and encouragement of other people in the same boat as you makes the endeavor more invigorating and exciting. Hope to find more of our group there. For those of you who are, please add me as your buddy - PattiMO. We also should be able to meet our goals for November doing this challenge.

Happy writing!

Momentum

My current dilema is how to keep my forward momentum now that I've submitted my first book. I had enough work getting the manuscript ready for submission, so my time was filled. Now, there are several books wanting my attention. How do I choose?

I also have two books started with two differnt critique groups. So my best bet would be to divide my time between the two (if possible) and get the important stuff done. What's the important stuff, you might ask?

It has been brought to my attention that I need to develop my stories in a more organized fashion using inciting incidents, turning points, climaxes and resolutions. What are those, I asked? I've heard of them but never learned how to use them. Even my eighteen-year-old son laughed at me on the drive to Philadelphia Friday. "Mom, we learned about all that in third grade!" (My only excuse is I don't remember much from grammar school except the boys I had crushes on.)

So, with the start of the NaNo looming, I'm going to really work on my plotting strategies and see how quick a learner I can be.