A Hiatus

I did some soul searching over the holiday period, and realised a few things I want to change in the New Year. One of them is this blog. I no longer find that blogging ‘sparks joy’. What was once something I enjoyed the challenge of has become a chore I need to complete every week. I don’t like how it makes me feel, and I am sure it comes through in my writing too and my lack of replying to comments. I will therefore stop posting here for a few months and see if I can get back my motivation or if I simply feel that I made the right decision to stop. It doesn’t mean I will stop reading other blogs, that part I still enjoy and I appreciate all the hard work that goes into each of those blog posts.
So for now goodbye.

Holiday Time

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And I am taking some time off from my normal schedule to enjoy some time with my family.

 

Happy Holidays Everyone! I’ll see you in the new year.

Goals – Reflection

We’re getting to the end of the year, which is always a time of reflection for me. I try to return to what has happened during the year and reflect on my reaction to it. After this reflection it is time to look to the future and set new goals for the coming years. This is also the time when I look further ahead in life, two, three, five even ten years ahead. Did I ever mention that I am a planner? I plan my writing projects and I plan my life.
My writing projects, I put on here so that I can keep myself accountable for what I need to do over the year. So here it is, my goals from the beginning of the year and where I am at with it.

Finish BiK2
I finished the set up before NaNoWriMo and then wrote 50 000 words during November and feel happy with the result, this is a win for me. I also finished up the last remaining scenes last week, ready to start the editing process in the new year.
Three WIP edits, keep on top of plan
In the beginning of the year, I had three different WIP that I were in the editing phase, over the year I have worked on all three. One is now on hold until, I am not sure if I pick it up again, one is complete and I need to decide what to do with it next. I have one project left that I need to complete over the last couple of weeks.

Read more books and research
I didn’t manage to read more this year. There has been so much other things that I have done instead of reading. I have been quite obsessed with podcasts this year (Ear hustle, first degree, How to money), and since I see them as a different way of learning, I am not disappointed with what I chose to do instead of reading.

NaNoWriMo – The End

NaNoWriMo is over for another year, well done to everyone who got to the finish line and to everyone who took part. Remember every word you write is one more than you had before.
I feel much better about my work this year than I did at this time last year. As I have mentioned many times before, last year was a dud. However, with lots of work during the year I managed to put out a much better first (technically second draft) than last year. It is far form perfect, there is so much I still need to research and re-write, but at least it is in a better shape than last year.
But before I do anything of this, I will put the project away in a drawer and let it rest while I finish off this year with editing the last bits of another project. This project is part of my 20 goals before 2020 I will finish these edits before December 31 so that I can tick off another goal.
Then some rest. Hopefully. Unless I decide to start another project that has been floating around in my mind lately. We’ll see.

November LAST

This year I have skipped from FIRSTS to LAST. My goal is to make a top ten list of something that happened to me during the month. The lists will be as topical as I chose, it might associate with something I have done, read or experienced during the month, or it might depend on you! Because if you have any suggestions for potential future lists please leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to accommodate you.

This will also be my last LAST list as I won’t be typing on New Year’s Eve, some days you have to take off.

10 things I won’t keep in my NaNoWriMo novel
1. The Title
2. My ramblings from week 3
3. The big research hole in the beginning of the story
4. The first sentence
5. The first paragraph
6. The name of a minor character
7. A bunch of spelling mistakes
8. A bunch of grammatical mistakes
9. The dip in tension in the middle of the story
10. The ending (too tame)

NaNoWriMo – Almost there

Last week and a half, almost there fellow WriMos!

I have managed to keep on top of my word count, always a few hundred words over the average to keep the bar above the illusive diagonal line on the NaNoWriMo website (even though the continued problems with the word count tracker is driving me nuts some times, my timeline looks like a roller coaster which is not true). I am an overachiever, I admit it. If I am told I need to do 1667 words every day to reach 50 000 words by the end of the month, I will do at least 1700 words every day, just because. Tricking my brain to do a little bit more every day, will help push me forwards.
This is also a time for me to start looking ahead to finish my other writing goals for the year. I will try to finish up my edits for two other projects for the year, ending the year on a high before returning to this project early next year.

NaNoWriMo – Half way mark

We’re heading toward the midway mark on NaNoWriMo, my output has slowed down a little but I am not too worried. This always happen around this time.
I am starting to think of the extra time I will have in December when I no longer have to spend two hours (at least) per day writing. This might seem counter intuitive, but it actually spurs me on, thinking ahead makes me want to get there sooner so I work more to make it come sooner. If I reach 50 000 words before the end of the month, it’s a win and I have earned some days extra rest. Tomorrow I plan to reach 25 000 words, a day early.

My reward for reaching 25 000 words? A trip to the stationary store!

NaNoWriMo – 1st week

We’re closing in on the first week of NaNoWriMo, almost seven full days written. This is the time in the novel writing process where words are flowing quite well and the story is still in its infancy. The fictional world is slowly forming and everything is possible.
My story already feels familiar to me, because of all the work I have done on it over the year, and it feels like I am returning to an old friend every day. This has definitely helped me in the process so far, even though I am a little worried that all too soon I am going to run out of things to write about and the story will start feeling dry and repetitive.
Until then though, I will enjoy the ease of writing and hit above my word count every day to build up a buffer for slumps later in the month.

If you’re doing NaNoWriMo this year, how’s your novel going?

And we’re off!

As many previous years, I relish the midnight writing to get my NaNoWriMo project going. Coffee and treats at the ready, a few last adventures in to the forums, before the clock strikes midnight. Then the feeling of accomplishment the first time I update my word count.
This year I am a NaNo rebel re-writing my novel from last year. It is more or less a whole new novel though, even if the premises of some of the scenes have stayed the same.
Now for some hours of sleep before waking up early tomorrow morning to try to finish my word count for the day, before heading to work.

Check back later in the month to see how I am doing.

October LAST

This year I have skipped from FIRSTS to LAST. My goal is to make a top ten list of something that happened to me during the month. The lists will be as topical as I chose, it might associate with something I have done, read or experienced during the month, or it might depend on you! Because if you have any suggestions for potential future lists please leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to accommodate you.

Ten things I have prepared for my midnight writing for this year’s NaNoWriMo

1. Coffee
2. Snacks
3. Nap (completed)
4. Computer charged
5. NaNoWriMo midnight forum checked out
6. Outline printed
7. Picture board complete
8. Scrivner project created
9. Notebook filled with inspiration
10. Alarm set

Check back after midnight (GMT) to see how many words I completed in the first hour.