NaNo Blues

I decided to skip National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. I'm still working on revisions of HM, and didn't want to start a new project.

HM is largely the product of NaNo in 2008. I had already started writing it when the month started, so I was breaking the rule that you have to start a new novel. When I finished HM, I started D&D. I think working on two different projects is a no-no, too. But I loved writing that month. The flow of words onto the page--many of them handwritten so that there was a literal flow as well as a metaphorical one.

I have been struggling with the revisions of HM. Wondering if I'd ever get back into that kind of flow. And it hit me. Pretend it's NaNo. While I know that more care needs to be taken with revisions than with first drafts--otherwise, why bother--I can still have fun with it. Mix it up. Write some on the computer and some in a notebook. Or all in a notebook and retype. It's slower to hand write, but I haven't exactly been blazing along on the keypad.

So halfway through the month I'm jumping in. That would mean, if I were to stick to the rules, 25,000 words by the end of the month. Since we all know how well I do with rules, I'm just going to say that I'll write something every day. I won't guarantee that the writing will be in order. Could be a scene here and there. But I will write.

And that's what is needed at this time.

September Goals

Monday night was my first official CWC meeting. Fun. And intimidating. I knew these people didn't hold back when critiquing. Seeing it firsthand was amazing.

I did end up with more than 4 pages to submit. 30 to be exact. Not quite what I'd wanted, but I think the logjam finally broke. A four-day weekend should help get the word count up. I'd really love to have the whole thing done before I get feedback. It should be very doable (as Deb says).

My goals for this month are simple: 1) critique Jenny's submission and 2) finish the revision of HM.

That will set me up to work on D&D through the end of the year. I'm looking forward to writing something new again.

I Think I'm Back

Hello.

My short hiatus turned into about a year and half away from writing. I read a lot of mysteries. I also read a lot of writing books. I read books from lots of different genres, including a lot of YA. Fleur had a big hand in that last endeavor.

Friends gave advice when asked and just listened when that's what I needed. There was also a lot of encouragement from everyone. The best part of the hiatus was realizing how many great friends I have.

I think it's time to dip my toe back in the water. Part of my problem before was trying to think about more than one project at a time. Deb may work best with lots of balls in the air, but I've found that I don't. I'm going to finish HM before I get back to D&D. I know they've waited a long time to tell their story, but a month or so more won't hurt them.

The first step is a read through of what I have now, followed by compiling all the comments I received in 2008 and reading those. I'll worry about the step after that when I get there.

I'm prepared for this to take some time. That's okay. I'll still get where I want to be.