NaNo Time Again

I have been extremely delinquent in asking if anyone is interested in participating in NaNoWriMo this year. I was asked about my writing last week, which triggered this reminder. I am willing to set goals if anyone is interested, but I do not have plans to participate in the national contest. The majority of my writing this month will be performance reviews, though I am debating some other writing scenarios in my head. When I was asked about my writing last week, I had seriously thought about pulling out my previous manuscript and making the necessary revisions.

But then I had an epiphany while lecturing on "Telling Our Story." For me, writing has always been cathartic. Though I write fictional stories, they are influenced by my mood and thoughts. I wrote about a near death experience and losing one's soul while I struggled with my feelings over my hysterectomy and the subsequent accident. Infidelity was the focus of my writing when I struggled with finding closure with my past and how it influenced my future. I wrote my most erotic tales while trying to work out my thoughts on my own personal desires. And before you ask, no, I have yet to try the adventurous outdoor sex scenes that I am prone to write.

There are pieces of me in the stories I write. My characters have been women who have suffered through being betrayed, terrorized, humiliated, and ostracized, yet have a strong solid core that prevents them from accepting the role of a victim. At some point, they not only have to confront their enemies but also themselves. Sometimes the characters have strong family influences, other times it is a core group of friends. Though the experiences have all been quite different, the complex journey to find acceptance and trust is a familiar topic for me personally as well as in my writing. 

This year has been a complex personal journey for me once again. My path has narrowed in recent months causing me to address some issues that could not be ignored. My confusion and heartbreak over certain elements in my life need an outlet and writing has always been that venue for me. For those who don't know that among the varied issues weighing on my mind, I plan to say farewell to a loved one in the coming month. I am afraid of the devastation that will rip through me and its aftershocks. Then there are other pressing matters that make me feel bound and trapped in a situation with no solution in sight.

I once heard a luncheon speech by Victoria Alexander that has stuck with me through the years. She remarked that she could torture and kill her enemies in her writing. And the widows in her books would lose their kind or hedonistic husband, Charles, in a simple or macabre death based on how Victoria felt towards her own husband, Charles, at the time she was writing the book.

That all being said, I will try to dedicate some time this month to placing my thoughts to paper. With the way my mind is working at the moment, I can't guarantee that it won't be an angst filled tale or a tearjerker. Of course, as we all know, I can create a plausible sexually charged scene in the most incomprehensible scenarios so maybe I should begin with those and build a story around them. I mean erotica is a hot market at the moment. When I attended a seminar on writing erotica, we were instructed to have a graphic sex scene within the first chapter. I could totally write that.

Now back to the sex toys conversation from the previous post. I could add that component, but most men I know have always been uncomfortable and a bit insecure when sex toys have been mentioned so I'm unsure if this would be a true-to-life element. To make things even more interesting, I recall one of the most contested details about my manuscripts so far have been my character's names. If anyone would care to supply me some names, I'll consider using them. Maybe the names will help dictate the genre of this work. Anyone else interesting in challenging themselves this month?

Nano Time

Tomorrow begins NanoWrimo! 30 days of writing mayhem! And of course, my fabulous writing pals are ready to challenge themselves. Unfortunately, no one accepted my invitation to participate in the national contest. Oh well! I'll just write another high caliber, highly erotic tale of ??? This is the critical question for tomorrow. What do I plan to write? What story is lurking in my mind, seeking an outlet? I've been editing my infamous manuscript. The last two Nanos were mash-ups of the continuing tale that I began in my manuscript, but those are waiting for me to finish editing the original story. I need to give this some thought.

Group goals:
Melissa - Finish 50,000 word manuscript.
Sarai - Work on writing for 30 minutes a day.
Aisha - Work on writing for 30 minutes on workdays and 90 minutes on her days off.
Dawne - Continue her family history project.
Kay - Finish 5,000 words in a story.

We're still missing some members of the group, but this is a great start. Maybe if we all accomplish our goals this month, we can convince Aisha to visit and have another writer's dinner.

NaNo Preparation

Editing the manuscript

In the past few weeks I've had at least three people ask me if I plan to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. My answer to this is hell yeah! I have something to prove this year after failing to meet the 2011 goal. I am 100% positive if I had not come down with the dreaded plague, I would have finished my manuscript in time. And this year I do not have 6 lectures and a family trip planned so there are no barriers to winning 2012. Recently I unpacked my reviewed manuscript and have started reading the print version and making the necessary corrections. Editing the print version versus the electronic edition makes a world of difference. Though I will have to write something new for NaNoWriMo, my desire to write these types of stories has been renewed. 

So I say bring it on! I'm up for the challenge! Are you? Is anyone else up for a writing challenge? Do you want to prepare for NaNoWriMo or work on other writing? Then send me an email and I'll coordinate our fall writing group for October and promise to cheer everyone on. Goals can include research, outlines, word counts, editing, and family research objectives. 

And for those daring enough to participate in NaNoWriMo in November, not only will you have the pleasure of me as your writing cheerleader, but the enticement of DeBrands chocolate.

Nano No More

So I've been a bit delinquent on the blog, what with the trip to Florida and getting horrifically sick. I plan to write about my trip, but haven't had the inclination to upload my pics. Truly, I have felt that crappy. Another thing that my ailment affected was NanoWrimo. I ended the month at a little more than 40,000 words. I would have finished if this stupid cold hadn't gripped me. Either way, I have to thank the gals in the writing group, who helped me stay on track. Writing weekly inspirational emails to them helped me focus when my life felt a bit chaotic.

You might ask where does this leave my writing? I'm still waiting for the reviews on the current manuscript, but this hasn't stopped me from continuing to work on my Nano project because the story wants to be told. While working on my beloved manuscript, this other idea (Nano project) popped in my head and I was forced to outline it, so I wouldn't forget the critical details I had in mind. Though I failed at Nano, I am now at more than 56,000 words on the 2011 Nano project, so I plan to continue working on it, while the ideas keep flowing.

As for my beloved manuscript, I'll wait for the reviews and eventually return to my labor of love. My Nano project in 2010 was portions of book 2 and book 3 of the continuing saga of my completed manuscript, so I have the foundations when I'm ready to continue that project. The manuscript idea was book 1 would be about discovery, book 2 would focus on acceptance, and book 3 would question survival. As for the Nano project 2011, it is outlined to be 3 stories as well, yet they are all focused on the same character arc. I hoped to show the evolution of a person discovering their identity.

Either way, it appears I have a busy writing year ahead of me. I thought on December 1st that I would take a break from writing and regroup, but found myself wanting to work on the story. And who am I to deny myself when I'm enjoying it so much.

What's in a Name

As my reviewers rake over my story, I've had several comments made pertaining to names. The first comment concerned my pseudonym. I had shortened my first name, so it's a bit different, and used hubby's middle name. The gals noticed it immediately upon receiving my latest manuscript and I heard why the last name was a bad choice, though they love the first name. Following a running dialogue on this topic, the concensus was I should use my maiden name. I willingly agreed, so my new pseudonym is ...

Then I learned that there was a divide among the reviewers concerning my character's names. Everyone enjoyed my female characters' names, whereas complaints were lodged against the males. I've been swayed to slightly alter the one name, but I refuse to change the hero's name. It suits him. It brings a certain image to mind for me, therefore I deem it perfect for him.

So the name game has begun. Alas, I've been hearing some opinions concerning my story. My favorite being that one reviewer stayed up, unable to put the story down. And two of the reviewers are determined that I definitely submit this one. They have several criticisms of the work as well, which I'm waiting to hear back when they give me their full reports. Three of the reviewers haven't finished reading it as of yet. I'll share their comments once I have them. As for NanoWrimo, I am way behind in my numbers, but determined to play catch up once I find a spare moment in my schedule.

Numbers game

This week has been all about the numbers. Since getting sick, I have put on a bit of weight, I'll admit to more than 10 pounds gained. I've been struggling with my condition, calories, and the energy for a workout. I'm finally seeing some results. The scale was down 4 pounds this morning. I'm doing the happy dance, you just can't see.

This Saturday kicks off my 3 conferences/ 6 lectures week. I've been watching the numbers for Saturdays seminar rise daily, which is very exciting. Plus the gals and I have been counting words for our writing group. As I'm officially participating in nanowrimo, I need to complete 50,000 words by the end of the month. I decided to work on a story I'd previously outlined and developed character sketches for. I started off the week slow with only 700 words, but this weekend was intense. The story flowed quickly and became 14,000 words in the end. I'm enjoying the different personality conflicts involving the characters because they are each so flawed.

All the while, I beat back my anxiety that says I should ask my reviewers to return my previous project to me. I know I'm not a well versed writer and that I write they way I talk which had many colloquialisms to it, but I know my ideas are good. I fear my reviewers thinking, how can she believe anyone would ever publish her crap. I know in reality, they won't think that because they're all too professional to go that route. So I try to patiently wait for their opinions, all the while, playing the numbers game with my latest work.

Waiting

While I wait for the reviews of my newly completed writing project, I plan to participate in NanoWrimo this year. Yes, somehow between holiday plans and six talks, I somehow believe I'm going to complete 50,000 words this month. Maybe it's an overly ambitious goal, but one I'm willing to try. I had fun participating in NanoWrimo last year. It was a strong motivation to complete something, though I admit I haven't looked at what I wrote during last year's competition. I've debated looking at the material and cleaning it up and finishing it, since I started on one project and midway through the contest switched to another project, so I actually have two stories lumped together. But I'm running out of time to review the material, since the contest begins in several hours. I have an outline for a new project, so I may work on that instead. Who knows? I'm truly indecisive at the moment. But the gals have come through once again. We have formed our own writing group and have established our individual goals, so I'll have that as further motivation. So good luck to us all! And boy, I hope the reviews on my last project aren't that bad.

FEAR

They say sitting down and formulating a story is one of the hardest things to do. And the ubiquitous "they" are right. Stories careen through my head daily, yearning to be told. But though the ideas are there, it's difficult to put those words to paper much less flush out a full story with interesting characters, dialogue, and plot points. Yet I have to say handing over my work yesterday was harder than writing it. I've spent 16 months working on my most recent project and I fear the time being a waste if it's pure and utter crap. I have taken to heart and learned from the previous critiques of my work, implementing those changes. Sending my latest work to Mich was easy since she'll review it from a reader's perspective. She's been harsh in the past which I've needed, but she has previously read the first section of this story and enjoyed it. It was harder to hand the material to my next set of reviewers. Reviewer A is one of my favorite reviewers and I truly respect her opinion. Reviewer B is reviewing and editing the material. She loved the first sentence, but had problems with the second. Reviewer C is an amazing editor, but doesn't regularly read the genre. Fear has set in. I keep trying to reassure myself that it's a vast improvement from my previous work. I feel that the storyline is better than some of the material I've read recently. And I know every author goes through many editing stages. I need to shoo away the doubts and move forward. I'll share the reviews once I have them. And in the meantime, I plan to focus on my project for NanoWrimo next week. But I can't deny FEAR is a predominate emotion right now.

It's Called Writing

I know, I know ... this blog focuses on my struggles with writing, yet I haven't written a word about my project in a long while. Well, I have to share that since the doc has ordered me to maintain a strict sleep habit, I've discovered I can get a lot of things accomplished early in the morning on my days off as well as my night shifts. And to my surprise on Monday, I actually completed my 16 month project. Initial writing and editing is done for the moment. I've already sent a draft off to my initial reviewer and plan to give two other copies out next week.

Of course, all the fears and doubts have reared their ugly heads. I know this product has to be better than my last two since I'm continuously learning from my writing experiences. Plus, this story came to me during a time of deep personal turmoil and was an outlet for those emotions.

While I wait for the reviews, I figured we should discuss NanoWrimo. Yes, it's that time of year again. And please don't tell me you're too busy as I have 6 talks and a trip to Florida during November, yet I feel we should participate once again in our version or on the live site. So think of your goals and send me your plans for NanoWrimo. You have now been properly challenged.

April Writing Challenge

So how did we end the writing challenge after extending it for another month?

Kay was working towards 10,000 words and reached 7453.

Sarai was striving for 5000 words and dashed across the line with 5042.

Dawne was hoping for 750 pages and created an amazing number of 583 pages in her genealogy work.

Delia had the goal of 15,000 words and managed a whopping 14,779.

I struggled to complete my 20,056 which met my goal of 20,000.

We're all doing an amazing job and this challenge has kept us motivated. I've heard from several of you, who would like to continue writing. I've been told by Dawne that I'm the social coordinator, so I ask for your May/ June goals, since we seem to do better with a 2 month window.

The challenge is on.

April Challenge

We decided to extend our writing challenge from March. I haven't heard from everybody and would like to know if Becky or Cheryl met their goals and if they would like to continue. If anyone would like to join us in our April challenge, please let me know. There really aren't any rules to it. You set your own challenge of how many words or pages you would like to create this month. You can write a story, poetry, memoirs, your research, whatever you like.

Delia extended her goal to 10,000 words and I'm going to maintain my 20,000 word goal and hopefully meet it this month. For those who didn't complete their goals last month, let me know if you want the same amount and last month's work counts towards April if you like.

Otherwise, everyone let me know what your plan is. And I have to say Congrats to Dawne and Delia who did complete their goals. And the race is on again and I'm positive we will each reach our goals this month!

Reissued Challenge

Since it appears several of us involved in the writing challenge feel the need to extend it another month, let's go ahead and reissue our challenge. Let me know what goals you have set for yourself for March/ April. If you finished your March goal or are close and want to gloat, please do. I'm so proud of all of us for jump starting our writing projects. I know for myself, my goal was 20,000 words and I'm at 9,000. I'm proud of this accomplishment since the whole point of this challenge for me was to overcome my writers block, which I've accomplished. So get prepared for another writing challenge.

Almost There ...

I have to begin with a funny story. Benita stopped in the other day and told me that she thought I was a great writer and that she had been enjoying my blog entries. I asked if she meant my personal blog and she responded, "you have a personal blog? I meant the genealogy blog." It cracks me up that I can barely write for my personal projects at the moment, yet I've produced quite a bit for work and that someone enjoys my genealogy entries.

I hope everyone is doing well with their writing challenge. I've heard from a few of you and I'm impressed that you've almost met your goal. Some of us, I won't name names, but will admit, I'm not even close to my goal, have debated extending the challenge. After some thought, I've decided that would be unfair to those who are so close to finishing. So as a compromise, I say let the challenge stand. We know our goals for March and need to work on finishing them then recalculate for a new challenge in April. Those of us who couldn't reach our goal may need to lower our numbers, while those who meet their goal might consider raising the stakes. Another 8 days left! Either way I'm proud of all of our hard work.

Where Are We?

We are midway through our Challenge for March. From brief comments made over the past few weeks, I believe each of us has begun her challenge, but I was curious if we have managed to continue this adventure?

Delia's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Becky's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Kay's challenge is to complete 10,000 words.

Cheryl's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Sarai's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Dawne's challenge is to complete 120 pages.

My challenge is to complete 20,000 words.

Dust off that old manuscript, review old story ideas, or pick up a pen and start a new story. Either way, the sense of accomplishment we'll each experience at the end of this challenge is worth the time.

For the record: I'm at 8,000 words.

Words of Advice

We are now a week into our challenge and I hope everyone is doing well. We will face many obstacles to our goals, most of them stemming from our everyday life which doesn't take a backseat to our challenge and for some of us, these obstacles try to dominate our lives. Some of us have children, spouses, social activities, health related issues, or um, in my case, an injury that will prevent us from spending time on our writing. Don't despair! Take a 15 minute break in the day and sit down to gather your thoughts or type out a few sentences. These incremental steps will lead you to your goal.

As for one of our challengers, Kay has set the bar high. She appeared this week as a guest blogger on Desert Island Keepers/ (to read her entry on the February 28th). Great job, Kay!

Challenge Accepted

Last week, I issued a challenge and several of you accepted it. So on your mark, get set, go! And we're off.

Delia's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Becky's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Kay's challenge is to complete 10,000 words.

Cheryl's challenge is to complete 5,000 words.

Dawne's challenge is to complete 120 pages.

My challenge is to complete 20,000 words.

We'll check back mid-March to see how close we are to completing our challenge before March 31st. I'll take a page from Nano and try to offer inspiration along the way. If others have some thoughts on motivation, let me know. My one motivation is to offer chocolate as a prize for our hard work if we manage to complete our missions.

Do you Accept this Challenge?

When I wrote about my writers block last week, Becky posted this comment: "You're a competitive girl--and I'm no longer consumed by Staff Day. Maybe we need to pull in a few more people and set a writing goal for each month?" I thought the comment hilarious, since I truly am competitive. Later, Delia mentioned to me that a contest would motivate her to work on her personal writing as well. So I will throw the gauntlet down. Starting next week, I propose a writing contest where we have to write 25,000 words before the end of March. We can even discuss having a prize for the winner as well. Let me know if you accept this challenge.

Addendum: Alright, alright. No competition. How about we each set an individual goal for ourselves and see who can complete it? I still think we need a prize at the end, be it dinner out or in my case, chocolate. Let me know by end of day February 21st if interested.

Winner Circle!

I don't know if you noticed my nice new banner on the side. Yes, I did it! I completed 50,116 words in 30 days. It was a rough ride, but I had my friends there supporting me and participating alongside me. I'll find out their tallies tomorrow and provide an update.

I've learned a lot from this contest, such as the fact I can't write just for the sake of writing. For me, the characters have always been living breathing individuals who want their story told. I have to wait for them to decide where they're going rather than me trying to force them into a set of circumstances.

Midway into the contest, I decided I liked one of my peripheral characters better and followed his path for a while. I developed a great skeleton story for my new alpha hero.

At one point, I was trying to create a scene and the characters weren't speaking to me, so I just wrote. I ended up with a horrific scene where my hero annihilates my heroine's ego, which led to her flirting at a huge gala event, completely ignoring the fact she was suffering from PTSD and hated crowds. I kept the scene since I had written it. Then I rewrote the entire scene again allowing myself time.

Towards the end, I no longer was writing a story, but rather scenes that seemed appropriate to the story though I was unsure of how they fit in the timeline and they severely lacked transitions.

Once I've had a breather, I'll return to my previous story and wrap it up before evaluating what equates to a mash up of two stories that I created. It's been fun participating in the contest and thanks to my friends for their never ending support.

Final Week

Here we are at in the final week of our race to 50,000+ words. Some have said the contest got them writing, others have stated they are still trying for the end. At the moment, I'm in the lead with 35,000+, Dawne has 28,000+, Kay reached 11,037, Delia at 6472, and Becky had a busy week. We'll see if the Thanksgiving holidays are a detriment to the contest or the needed push to the end.

Week 2

Week 2 has altered the landscape for the NanoWrimo contest. I've taken the lead with 22,500, Dawne has over 18,000 with Kay, Delia, and Becky taking a breather from writing over the weekend.

My competitive streak has come out. I refuse to accept that I'm incapable of completing the 50,000 words by the end of the month. My goal this weekend was to reach the halfway point, but it didn't happen. I admit, I do have a life, which interrupted the writing. But I am determined this week to try to push for over 30,000. My characters are taking on a life of their own and I'm really enjoying their journey, so it is fun.

Let's see if I can accomplish my goal this week, especially before Thanksgiving weekend arrives and dominates all my time.