NaNoWriMo ‘18 Week Four: Involving Ballets, a Ton of Turkey, and Crying

Um. So this will be my last post for the month of November. NaNoWriMo will be over by next Monday. We’re less than a week away from the end. WHAT EVEN WHAT????

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like my novel will be even sort of over by the end of the month. I thiiink I can finish it within the first week or two of December, buuut unless some magical writing fairy takes over my body for the rest of the week (I mean, if you know of one I’m hiring) I’m like 99.9% sure it ain’t gettin’ done by the end of this month. I bring this upon myself…

I am hoping to wrack in some serious words this coming week, but this last week was the least wordy one of the month. Between Thanksgiving, work, and just general life-ness, my crazed writing self had to take a serious chill-pill and just scrape out words when I could. Ah well, I probably needed a week where I wasn’t forcing out 5k a day. Eheheh. And I also seriously failed to keep up with aaanything. So if you’ve sent me an email or commented on a post or sent a direct message somewhere on social media or know me in person and wonder if I’m still even alive, I’M SORRY. I am in fact alive…maybe. I could be a ghost typing this. Wild things happen during NaNo. *shifty eyes* Ahem, aaanyways.

It was actually a good week! Just…full.

 

NANO ‘18 WEEK FOUR

 

MONDAY: DAY #19

As I mentioned in a previous post, Mondays are usually dedicating to doing much needed cleaning and social media-ing, not leaving much room for writing, though I was determined to get in 2k this day. Which I managed! And writing ended up going really fast and fun this day, so that was a blessing.

Because, well, Mondays are…Mondays. We gotta take what little victories we can, amiright?

WORDS WRITTEN: 2,020

 

TUESDAY: DAY #20

This was a good day! Not so much for my wordcount, buuut my sister and I went to see a ballet production of The Snow Queen, which just happens to be one of my favorite fairytales (and one I realize I don’t talk about nearly enough). And I LOVE ballet so yeah, I WAS PSYCHED. Most of the day was spent getting ready for it and then going that evening.

It was such a fun production! We very much enjoyed ourselves. And I needed that. I fear I’ve been so busy writing, I’ve sort of been starving myself of entertainment. Going to a fun ballet based on a fairytale I love was just the inspiration I needed. It filled up my poor, nearly empty creative tank and made me anxious to get back to writing. Except I had work the next day and we got home late so I didn’t get to write until Wednesday evening buuut still. It was good to go out and soak up some entertainment.

WORDS WRITTEN: 2,006

 

WEDNESDAY: DAY #21

Like I said, I had work this day, but it was a quiet day, which allowed me time to devour my review copy of Falling Snow by Skye Hoffert. This is the first novella in Rooglewood’s Five Poisoned Apples Snow White retelling anthology (well that was a mouthful). I got the utter DELIGHT of being an influencer reader of Falling Snow and aaaahhhhhh, GUYS. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. You can read my flaily review on GoodReads (and add the book to your TBR while you’re there *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge*). The book releases DECEMBER 1ST. SO CLOOOSE!!!! I am a bit excited, if you can’t tell.

ANYWAYS. I have a confession to make… I, erm, have not read anything since NaNo started. Yeah. I went 20 days without reading. o.o Remember how I said I’ve been starving myself of entertainment? Yepppp. And I should probably read more during NaNo than I do any other month, because I always write better and am more inspired to write the more I’m reading. Yet, every NaNo, without fail, I end up hardly picking up a single book. Nine NaNos and I still haven’t learned my lesson. Someonehelpme.

All that to say, getting to just sit down and read for a while was gloooorious. And I LOVED THAT NOVELLA SO VERY MUCH. I was in a good mood all the rest of the day after reading it, and between it and the ballet the night before, I was so ready to write. I didn’t get a whole lot written because I was pretty tired, but I was happy with what I got.

WORDS WRITTEN: 2,004

 

THURSDAY: DAY #22

THANKSGIVING! Except…we kind of had to postpone our official Thanksgiving dinner to Sunday so we could all have it together because plans got complicated, as they do. So this was actually a pretty quiet day, and I, at last, got to spend a good amount of time focused on writing instead of throwing words down in between activities like all the rest of the week. And I really enjoyed my writing session this day!

Despite having a way too ridiculously long, detailed outline, I’m still very much discovering things about my story as I write. That old pantser in me is still there, I think, because I just can’t always see the full picture and every detail until I’m sitting down writing it.

Well, this day I made a very exciting discovery that made so many things suddenly click into place and make way more sense. Which is the BEST. You gotta love when your story just magically solves some holes itself, and that happened this day.

‘Twas a good writing day and I was pleased!

I mean, this new discovery made Midas even more miserable than he already was buuut, ya know, that’s basically the nature of this entire book. If I haven’t ended the day without making Midas’ life even worse than I left it, it doesn’t feel like a proper writing day.

 

Me @ my character daily.
(Except the days I stab them.)

WORDS WRITTEN: 3,550

 

FRIDAY: DAY #23

I took it a little easier this day to hang out with my family (something I haven’t made much time for since, ya know, #NaNoWriMo), do a little online Black Friday shopping, and I put together my review of Falling Snow. Plus I was pretty tired and not feeling as motivated as I’d like. All that together ended in not a huge wordcount. But I kept reminding myself I need a break sometimes and to get things done that aren’t writing (I know, craziness!).

But, in the end, once I started writing I got so into it, it ended up being one of the most immersive, enjoyable, emotional writing sessions I’ve had all month. Maybe taking it easy during the first part of the day paid off???? (Once again, I know I should take more breaks and feed my creativity often during NaNo, but do I ever actually listen to reason? Psssshhh. Of course not.)

But GUYS. My Midas bby is growing up. *wipes away tear* This was the day he truly started seeing the light and realizing allll the mistakes he had made. It was painful, because, again, his life just seems to get worse by the day, but I’m proud of my broken, emotionally unstable child whom I’ve totally destroyed. :’)

WORDS WRITTEN: 1,686

 

SATURDAY: DAY #24

I had work again this day, but got off at 2, so went home, grabbed some coffee, and pounded out 1k words. Then I helped my mom and sister prep some food for our late-Thanksgiving dinner we were going to have the next day. I didn’t really get to go back to writing until after supper but oohoooo. I just thought the previous day’s writing was emotional.

This time I cried. Like, genuine tears in my eyes CRYING. See? I’m not completely heartless all the time. But it was such a painful and yet at the same time sweet scene and alkdjfljaldf. I love my bbys. <3 And I may feel a teeny tiiiiny bit bad about what I’ve been putting them through lately. *cough, cough, cough*

This was a good writing day despite not having much time to write (and I also ended up putting together most of this here blog post this night lol).

WORDS WRITTEN: 2,684

 

SUNDAY: DAY #25

The week ended with stretchy pants and stringed lights. Because this day not only did we do our official Thanksgiving meal (turkeeeeyyyy), but we also put up the CHRISTMAS TREE! So most of the day was spent cooking and decorating the tree, and it was a happy affair all around. Decorating for Christmas is my faaave. I turn into Buddy from Elf every single time.

I didn’t think I’d get much writing (if any) done this day, but after supper I tackled my novel with full-force and ended up having so. much. fun. that I had a full chapter finished before I knew it. I actually ended up writing a rather happy scene for the first time since, like, chapter 1… *cough* And it was a nice break after all the depression and doom. Squealing may have been involved. (I get a little over enthused while writing sometimes. Eheh.) But yes, yesterday was just a good day.

WORDS WRITTEN: 3,210

Total Words Written: 17,160

(The least I’ve written in a week so far, but I went in this week knowing I wouldn’t have much time to write. I should be happy I got anything written!)

I finished chapter 24 last night and ended the week with 88,210 words. Annnd I’ve got 11 more chapters to go and probably about…40k more words left. Eheheh. Yeeeah. But I’m getting there!

And with the end of chapter 24 I also reached the third section of my novel where things shift and change and begin to lead up to the climax and I AM PUMPED. I’m basically looking forward to all the next scenes, so that’s gonna help keep me going in this homestretch.

CONCLUSION

It’s funny, every day was quite nice of this week, but my dumb, overachieving, workaholic self kept feeling disappointed in what I didn’t accomplish. How I couldn’t keep up with things and couldn’t ever seem to get more than 2k words in a day almost all week when, uh, that’s over the daily wordcount NaNo suggests doing. I HAVE A PROBLEM, and I know it. I also have the worst tendency in competing with myself, and last week I wrote 10k more words than this one and that bothered me.

By the end of the week I had to take a deep breath and look at everything I did do, and remember the fact that I wasn’t slacking off this week or being lazy, I just genuinely was busy, and I did write when I could. And that’s the key there, to all of NaNo. It’s not really about that wordcount. It’s about forming a habit of making time for your writing even when there’s no time to be found. If this week was not a NaNo week, I probably wouldn’t have put aside a single part of any of the days to work on my writing. But NaNo pushed me to find time.

And as far as having to continue writing in December. That’s not exactly a death sentence. I’m loving this story and characters, I should be celebrating that I get to spend a little extra time with them than I thought!

So if you’re looking at that calendar and thinking, “How in the name of Cheez-Its am I going to make the word goal by the end of the month???” It’s OKAY. If you’ve written something, anything, this month and have set aside time in your crazy life for your novel, YOU HAVE WON. You have made progress on your novel and on your dream. Don’t let some word goal take away that victory and joy. And just because that calendar will soon switch to a new month, it doesn’t mean your story is suddenly gone. It’ll still be waiting and ready whenever you’re ready to keep writing it.

So onward! Let’s give this final week the best we have and celebrate whatever that is by the end of it. See you all at the finish line!

 

TALK WITH ME!

CAN YOU BELIEVE NANO IS ALMOST OVER????? I’m pretty sure October was yesterday so yeah. How was your Thanksgiving for my fellow Americans? How’s this week of writing gone for the NaNo-ers? And how has everyone’s week been? I want to hear ALL. BEST WISHES TO YOU NANO-ERS. WE’RE GONNA ROCK THIS FINAL WEEK!

Know the Novel Part 2 - Within Kings Bleed Gold {NaNoWriMo 2018}

WE. ARE. OVER. HALFWAY. THROUGH. NANOWRIMO. Not that I’m freaking out. Noooo. Buthowdidthishappenhalp.

I had a prettyyy awesome week. A thing may have happened on the 13th…

I HIT 50K WORDS!!!!

This means I’ve officially participated and won 9 NaNos in a row and just…what is my life? (Answer: I have no life.) I hit 50k on the 13th last year too, so see? 13 is most certainly not unlucky. I also managed to write almost 27k this week because, again, no life, and am now at 71k words on my novel!

BUT. This week, instead of doing a day-by-day update, I’m going to be participating in my Know the Novel linkup! If you missed it, this is a 3-part linkup, one for each of these last 3 months of the year, geared toward writers. In October we introduced our novels, and this month the linkup is all about how the writing is going! It runs until the end of November, so if you want to join in (you shooould) you can find the questions and linkup HERE!

I’ll, of course, be answering questions about my NaNo novel, Kings Bleed Gold, so let’s get to it!

WITHIN THE WRITING
OF KINGS BLEED GOLD

 

1.) How’s the writing going?

Well? Good? Great? I don’t know???

Sleep has become a foreign thing, I’ve consumed so much coffee and tea I probably have sugar running through my veins, I’m writing half a NaNo’s amount of words weekly, am super behind on things like replying to blog comments (I’m so sorry, guys, but I will respond when I can snag a minute!), annnd I’ve destroyed Midas’ life at least 27 times over at this point.

Basically? AWESOME. I am extremely sleep deprived and a little overwhelmed by how massive my story is proving to be. (I’m estimating it to be around 130k??? I may die.) But, at the same time, I’m so enjoying being immersed in this storyworld.

I just hit the halfway point Saturday where eeeeerything changes, and I’m really excited about writing the next half. So much drama and deliciously emotional scenes. Bwahahaha! And it’s nice to have the story shift on me and get into some new scenery and happenings.

So overall, the writing is going really smoothly. I feel like the story is a mess and I’ve already discovered some plot holes that will need to be fixed during revision. But hey, that’s why we write first drafts. Gotta figure this stuff out and get it all on the page so then it can later be rearranged.

I do wish the story was shorter, but still. I’m loving this wild journey of writing it! I haven’t first drafted anything since last NaNo, and I almost forgot the joy of just vomiting words on a page.

 

2.) What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

Everybody say it with me now…

THE CHARACTERS!!! (I’m so predictable.)

Midas amuses me endlessly because he’s got such a quick temper and can be a total brat, but at the same time he really does mean well. Korinna both breaks my heart with the pain and fear she lives with everyday, but also inspires me with her heart for people and strength of never giving up. And then there’s my preciousest, softest, cinnamon roll-y-est child Syram who keeps pulling Midas into crazy schemes and I adore him.

They’re fun individually, but what I really like is the dynamics between each of them. Their growing friendship has been a blast to write, and it just makes me happy.

I’m also really enjoying the magic system, and how it has to be used with blood and gold. I’ve never written anything like that before. It’s been a super fun concept to play with.

Also dragons. Because DRAGONS.

I’m kind of loving all the aspects??? I guess that’s a good sign!

 

3.) Has your novel surprised you in any way?

My characters have actually surprised me! Like…all of them. Which is a surprise in and of itself, because I usually know my characters pretty well before they even hit the page.

I’ve already mentioned in a previous post how much Midas is surprising me. Because I was expecting a jerk, but instead I’m getting a charismatic, kindhearted guy who’s just bratty and immature because, well, he’s a teenage prince who can turn anything into gold. Obviously that's gonna cause some repercussions on his character. I also had no idea he’d have such a temper. And it amuses me greatly, even though it’s getting him in a loooootttt of trouble. Eheheheh.

Korinna’s character is far more complex than I realized (which I’m not complaining about). Every time I peel back one layer of emotions, there’s yet another underneath. It’s actually been fascinating.

Syram is even more precious than I expected, but I didn’t realize just how quiet he was. So far he hasn’t had an excess of lines, and when he does speak it’s usually short sentences. I kind of thought he may be a rambler, but nope. He’s a quiet one. But it makes sense. He internalizes everything and has a lot going on inside his head that he usually isn’t too keen on sharing. Naturally he’d be a quiet little dude. Isn’t it crazy how your characters just become there own? Writing is weird. And the best.

Then I have a couple of antagonists who also aren’t turning out like I thought. I won’t say much because #spoilers but I thought I had their motives pinned but now? I’M QUESTIONING EVERYTHING.

I seriously think this is the most surprising cast I have ever written. But…I kind of love it. It’s been so fun getting to know them and having all these unexpected surprises pop up. Goes to show, even if you write a 16k-word outline, do a lot of worldbuilding, and create ridiculously detailed character bios, you really never know what’s going to happen until you get those words on the page.

 

4.) What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

Lololol. Oh look, another excuse to squeal about my character! *griiiins*

I guess technically I’ve already answered this in question #2. I’m basically in love with all my characters. I feel closest to Midas because the majority of the time we’ve been in his POV, but, I mean…Syram. *cough*

Again, though, I really like their dynamics. Midas and Syram have formed a delightfully fun bromance, and Midas’ and Korinna’s relationship is complex and beautiful and painful and yeah wow. It’s giving me feels. Iloveit.

 

5.) If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

Why would I even ask this absurdly hard question?

Ugh. I don’t know. All the characters are so wildly different from my personality. It’s kind of hilarious how rarely I make my characters anything like me.

Normal Writers: “I put a piece of me in all of my characters.”
Me: “Eh. They just popped in my head and do what they want. I have no claim on any of my wild children.”

Honestly, out of my main three—Midas, Korinna, and Syram—I relate to Midas the most…which is probably bad, but yeah. Would I do anything differently? Mmm…I think I'd be way too frightened to constantly yell and challenge the ferocious dragons who could swallow me whole. I’d be a coward, but I’d be a smart coward, instead of a brave fool like Midas. He’s seriously so stupid sometimes I can’t even…

Also, if I was Midas I’d cry every day over the fact that I could never properly pet a cat or dog ever again since, ya know, everything he touches turns to gold.

Kittens > Infinite Riches

 

6.) Give us the first sentence or paragraph and then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

Oh, gracious. The writing is an atrocity. I keep thinking about sharing snippets on social media but…mlgh. Let’s see if I can find something that’s not totally embarrassing.

Here’s the opening scene:

“Midas patted the top of the gold encrusted head of his younger brother.

“One fortnight, Nikolas. Just one more fortnight and I’ll be eighteen. Then I can take my place on the throne and after that…” He grinned just thinking of all the excitement ahead. “Oh, there are so many things after that. Chrysafel is going to be the most powerful kingdom in history. Just you wait and see.”

Of course, the boy didn’t reply. Gold statues in general weren’t prone to talking.

 

One with Korinna:

“You really are a prince, aren’t you?”

He glanced over to find Korinna watching him, a curious look in her gaze. “Well, yes. But why do you say that now?”

She shrugged and focused back on the path ahead. “You have a knack for getting people to do what you want them to.”

He pressed his hand against his chest, and pulled in a mock gasp. “Are you saying I’m pushy?”

Though she kept her eyes ahead, a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Maybe. But it’s more than that. You know how to take charge of a situation and get things done efficiently—all things needed in a good leader, I would think.”

“A good leader?” Hearing the words come from her lips stirred something in his chest. That had always been his goal, to be the best leader Chrysafel could ever ask for. He thought he was doing it too, but now… He cleared his throat, shoving away those thoughts. “Well, there’s really nothing to getting people to do what you want them to. You just have to not let them shove you around. But the main thing is to give them a reason to take action, a motivation more than just being told what to do. I’d say not being eaten by a bunch of overgrown lizards is a pretty good motivator.”

 

Annnd one with Syram, because Syram:

“Midas, Midas. Wake up.”

“Crlmblgh.”

“Miii-daaas. Come on!”

The sing-song voice dug into his groggy brain and he dragged his eyes open. Syram’s grinning face hovered inches from his own. He cried out and scrambled up so fast his head smashed into the rock wall above.

“Syram!” He mentally cursed the man as he rubbed the forming bump on his head. “Don’t startle me like that. Or get so close! What if I had accidentally touched you?”

The redhead, now leaning back on his heels at the foot of the gold cot, merely shrugged.

“What are you even doing here?”

This brought out his grin again. “I wanted to show you something.”

“Now? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Exactly. They’re only awake during the night hours.”

“What are?”

“Will you two shut up!” someone hissed from one of the lower concaves, followed by multiple annoyed agreements.

“The things I want to show you, of course,” Syram said, as if he hadn’t even noticed the shouts.

Midas groaned and massaged his eyes. “I don’t know, Syram. I’m really tired.”

“Oh.” The excitement in his voice faltered. “I just thought it might cheer you up. You’ve seemed…quieter lately. Sadder.”

He pulled down his hand at this to study the man before him. Syram had noticed his change in mood? Not only that, but he was making an effort to help him. He blew out a long sigh. “All right. Let’s go.”

Instantly the grin returned, and he scooted out of the concave, hopped onto the ladder, and was already halfway down by the time Midas had untangled himself from the blanket.

 

7.) Have you come across any problem areas?

Well, there’s the fact that it’s. so. massive. Remember how I decided to make this just book #1 of a duology or trilogy instead of a standalone? I thought that decision would make it shorter but AHAHAHAHAH. Nope. I’m like 93% sure I’m going to have to continue writing it through some of December if I want to finish it, which is kind of depressing. But here we are. Maybe one day I’ll write a short book for NaNo… (Why are you laughing?)

I’ve also been suddenly having the hardest time finding clever action beats. I feel like I’ve said “she smiled” like 48 times. I don’t know where my brain is, but it sure ain’t here. Thank goodness editing is a thing!

As far as the actual story. Mmm… I guess I have found a few holes in my plot that will need fixing, and I’m not sure I’ve elaborated well on some backstory and how certain things work. Mainly because it’s so complicated, and weaving it organically into the story is hurting my brain. One of these days, not only will I write a short book for NaNo, but it’ll be a simple story. (Seriously, why do you keep laughing?)

 

8.) What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Hitting 50k words was certainly a happy moment!

I was also really pleased when I fiiinally nailed Midas’ character down. Now I’m so deep in his head (being as how I spend hours there a day), it’s funny to even think about those first days where he was a mystery to me.

And I’m ecstatic to have made it to the big halfway point moment. I’ve been loving the story, but I was anxiously waiting to get to this part. I seriously can’t wait for all the upcoming scenes!

 

9.) Be honest, have you killed any characters off yet?

Aherm…her…herm…hem.

People maaay have already been dying by chapter 2. And if that doesn’t indicate what kind of book this is, I don’t know what will.

 

10.) Take us on a tour of a what a normal writing day for this particular novel has looked like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

LOL. I basically write everywhere with no exact pattern to speak of. Every day has just been a mad dash of words every chance I can get.

Usually I don’t really get started until after lunch. I get some coffee and start writing, and don’t stop much until I’ve gotten 2k words written. I pretty much never let myself update my wordcount on the NaNo site until I’ve gotten in that first 2k. Once I reach that, I update my wordcount, take a bit of a break, then dive back in (after the first 2k, I’m allowed to update my wordcount every 1k words, it’s the little things that keep us motivated, amiright?). And I just…write. I write in the big comfy chair in my room, I write on the floor, I’ve been going out to sit on the porch a whole lot. And yes, I’m drinking coffee, lattes, and tea allll throughout the day.

I mostly write alone, though my sister and I have been writing together some because she’s doing NaNo too. And I definitely play music, can’t write without it. I’m always either listening to my Kings Bleed Gold playlist or songs from the Skyrim soundtrack.

I often end up writing all the way up to midnight, but that’s my cutoff line. I hate updating my wordcount after midnight because then it’ll count as the next day’s words and, er, I’m a little OCD and can’t stand that. But then, once it’s midnight, I usually end up checking all the social media and things I completely ignored during the day because I was too busy writing, and don’t end up in bed until 1 in the morning (I usually go to bed around 11:30 during non-NaNo months). Then I get up and do it all over again.

It’s a mess, really. But hey, I’m getting words in, so that’s what counts, right?

 

And there we are! Overall, it’s been a very successful and fun NaNo so far. I am kind of completely exhausted and overwhelmed, but what would NaNo be without sleep depravity and questioning life’s choices?

But it’s always worth it. I’m having a good time and, by the end of all the insanity, I’ll have another finished draft under my belt. I’ve still got a bit of a road ahead of me, but I hope to take it all the way.

Now excuse me while I go make another pot of coffee…

Don’t forget you can answer these questions yourself and join the linkup HERE!!!

 

TALK WITH ME!

YOUR TURN. Tell me some victories you’ve had this NaNo! Can you believe we are over halfway done with November??? How has your November been so far? And I do hope all my fellow Americans have the happiest of happy Thanksgivings! <3

NaNoWriMo ‘18 Week Two: Involving Being Betrayed by Coffee, Halfway Points, and Making My Characters’ Lives Miserable

WHY YES I AM POSTING TWO DAYS IN A ROW. During NaNo. WILD, I KNOW. Buuut yesterday’s post was already prewritten and didn’t really count sooo here’s my regularly scheduled (but actually a day late) NaNo weekly update!

(But if you missed it, yesterday I posted Part #2 of the Know the Novel Linkup! And would love for you to join in!)

IT IS WEEK TWO OF NANO. And as much as I enjoyed week one, I think this second week has been even better! I mean, I’m in a fog of no sleep and just see a jumble of words on a screen whenever I close my eyes buuuut hahahaha! Sanity? Psssh. Who needs it.

 

NANO ‘18 WEEK TWO

 

MONDAY: DAY #5

Mondays are already crazy during non-NaNo months (I mean it’s MONDAY, who has calm Mondays???), so during NaNo? Ehehehehe.

Most Mondays I dedicate to doing some much needed cleaning, laundry, emailing, putting up my blog post and doing a bunch of other social media, just stuff so the rest of the week will go way smoother. I try not to forgo these important things during NaNo, so usually I limit my wordcount to 2k (instead of my usual goal of 5k a day…).

I was kind of dreading this first Monday of NaNo, but, actually? It ended up being really nice. After days of nonstop writing, it was rather refreshing to get away from the computer and do some cleaning and things (I’m a weirdo and actually enjoy cleaning???). And the words ended up coming really smoothly that day.

Also, I was writing about one of Midas’ worst days of his life (so far bwahahaha) that day, so, like, he was having a very Mondayish day himself.

I mean, this is the first paragraph of the chapter I was working on to give you an idea:

“Every part of Midas seemed to be simultaneously screaming. Deep blisters had formed in his right hand and holes threatened to form in his left glove, his tunic clung to his blood- and sweat-soaked back, his arms shook with each swing of the pickaxe, and he was just sure his head would burst with one more minute of the clanks of pickaxes against stone. The single day had felt more like a hundred days rolled into one. A hundred days of pure, torturous agony.

Ah yes, pain. Good times, good times. (I’m writing such a nice book.)

Yep, I’d say the first Monday of NaNo ‘18 ended up being a success!

WORDS WRITTEN: 2,119

 

TUESDAY: DAY #6

I had nothing going on this day and was all set to do like a crazy 6k-word day. Since I was so busy Monday, and I was going to have to go to work the next day, I especially wanted to get extra in this free day. Buuuut for some reason the words were coming slOOOOooow. By the time I got 2k words in, it was already evening. I dragged out another 1k before bed, but I didn’t want to stay up terribly late because I had work the next day (I pretend to be a responsible adult sometimes).

STILL THOUGH. I had to remember just because I didn’t get 6k words in like I wanted, I still got a whole 3k! As a perfectionist, I waaay too often forget to celebrate my accomplishments, and instead badger myself for not constantly overachieving. (Hey, at least I serve as a great example of what not to do.) Learn from my mistakes, people, and don’t look at the words you didn’t write, but celebrate what you DID write. Because every. single. word. is progress!

And I did celebrate something that day…

I HIT 25K WORDS!!!

Halfway to 50k! Except only like…a 4th of the way through my novel but, again, let’s look at the accomplishments, not what I have ahead of me. Eheheheheh… I’msodoomed.

I also took time out that day to exercise which I had been slacking on but NEED to do, especially during NaNo since I’m sitting down even more than usual. Do take care of yourselves, my precious peeps! <3

WORDS WRITTEN: 3,580

 

WEDNESDAY: DAY #7

As mentioned, I had work this day, as is the usual for Wednesdays. But I didn’t mind. It was nice to get away from the computer a bit. AND it was my favorite weather for work—cold and rainy. Because I work at a cute little secondhand bookshop, and is there anything on this earth cozier than hanging out in a bookshop all day while it’s cold and rainy outside? Seriously now.

Normal people when it rains: Ugh, what a dreary day.
Me when it rains: What a beautiful day!

So yeah, it was nice. But then when I got home I was all ready to dive back into writing and my slump of the day before was gone. The words flowed quite well, and I almost got as many words in as I did the previous day, despite not getting started until the evening.

Which showed me something that my stubborn, overachieving brain forgets every year: BREAKS ARE GOOD. I think the words were flowing well because I had gotten out of the house and had a good long break from my story before diving back in. Some days we have to give ourselves grace. The words are not going to flow easily and swiftly every day. In fact, those days are rare. But when the words are coming slow and hard, if we need to step back and take things easier, THAT’S OKAY. Sometimes it’s good to push through, but if you’re completely burning out, do be kind to yourself and take a break. And, in the end, the words will probably come faster, which can actually save you time, not lose it. Something to think about. *wriggles eyebrows*

WORDS WRITTEN: 3,175

 

THURSDAY: DAY #8

Here we are on the official first day of the second week and THIS. DAY. This day reminded me of why I’ve chosen to be a writer. Like I said, more often than not writing is hard, and too often those words have to be dragged out kicking and screaming (okay, actually we’re the ones kicking and screaming). But then there’s days like this that make it all worth it.

This is the day I truly fell in love with Kings Bleed Gold.

“But, ummm…didn’t you say you already did that last week?” you’re probably saying. Yes, I immensely enjoyed the story last week, and it was fun getting into the feel of it and discovering my characters. But at this point I finally have the feel down, know Midas through-and-through, and am really into the meat of the story. (Fun Fact: I’m one of the rare few who actually loves story middles. They’re my favorite!)

It seems like the second week of NaNo is the hardest for most because the newness of the exciting event has died out a little, we’ve gone a whole week with no sleep, and there’s still so much of the month left. So I get it. Week two can absolutely be rough. But since I can’t be normal. Ever. >.> Week two is actually when I really start enjoying myself.

And yep, lo and behold, the first day of week two has been my favorite day of this NaNo thus far. I wrote 2 full chapters from start to finish (which may not sound like that huge of a feat but my chapters keep being so long ugh), and was basically grinning all day over how much fun I was having.

I think a lot had to do with the fact that Midas was really getting to grow a friendship with Syram and Korinna (and I just adore my precious babies), and he took a step toward character growth that day #proudmomma (I say as I destroy his life). ButalsoSyram.

It didn’t hurt that it was super foggy and mysterious looking outside. Very inspiring.

WORD WRITTEN: 6,142

 

FRIDAY: DAY #9

I was hoping my writing high of the previous day would continue on to this one, and I did very much enjoy writing, buuut it wasn’t quite as magical as Thursday. Oh well, gotta face reality. XD Things did go pretty well this day. Except…

The coffee pot broke.

After lunch I went to make coffee, got it all assembled, pushed the button, and…nothing happened. It wouldn’t turn on. It was having a few problems for the past few days, but I didn’t think it was just all-out dying. BUT IT DID. DURING NANO. The worst possible time everrrr. Thanks, coffee pot. I thought you loved me! D’:

Ahem, so yes, I may have spent a good 5 minutes draped over the kitchen cabinet groaning over this terrible fate…until I remembered I had a latte mix that just requires milk to be microwaved and is a great substitute for coffee. #crisisaverted

Other than that, the day went quite well. I wrote all of chapter ten that day, which I was happy about. Something about hitting the double digit chapters feels like I’m making real progress.

WORDS WRITTEN: 4,178

 

SATURDAY: DAY #10

So this day was…interesting. It was one of those terrible, awesome days, ya feel?

It started off freezing. Coldest day we’ve had of fall thus far. I loved it. *grins* It was also sunny which was kinda nice. I adooore the rain, but it had been dark and rainy all week and it was rather nice to see the sun out. (I basically love all weather in the cold. As long as its cold, I’m happy.) I had work this day, and it was a rather quiet, chill day. On Saturdays I only work until 2, so when I got off I popped over to McDonald’s to grab coffee for my family and me ‘cause, ya know, the coffee pot was broke. >.> Annnd we’re pathetic and can’t go a day with the stuff.

McDonald’s was super crowded, but I was just enjoying the nice weather and didn’t mind…at first. Then they made me pull up and wait for my coffee. I waited for a good while when someone came out…with the wrong order. So I waited more annnd they brought the wrong order again. I eventually turned off my car, not wanting to leave it running. And guess what, for THE THIRD TIME, they brought the wrong thing to my car??? This time they took my receipt, and I continued waiting. FORTY. FIVE. MINUTES. LATER. they brought out the right order. What even??? So, with coffee finally in hand, I cranked my car and…it wouldn’t start.

Yeppp. I sat there for forty-five minutes only to have my car die on me. Because I guess getting into a car crash last weekend wasn’t enough. Gotta have another car problem this week. :)))

Thankfully, our house is just a few minutes away and my mom and brother came to get me. But then there was the problem that my car was in a bad place to just leave. God provided though, because there were some men who were able to help us push it out of the way and into a parking place until we could get it towed and fixed. But yeah, that was…fun.

The coffee was tasty though.

I came home, drank my coffee, and wrote a few words, but then we wanted to go do some shopping and get a new coffee pot because #priorities But also it was a nice day to just be out and about. Then, a good friend texted and asked if I wanted to have supper and catch up because we haven’t had a chance to see each other in AAAGES. Obviously I jumped on that…except I didn’t have a car. But she was precious and picked me up. We ended up sitting at the restaurant chatting for hours. By the time I got home, I was exhausted but utterly filled up.

I only wrote for a total of 30 minutes that day. But you know what? I didn’t care. ‘Cause some days life happens, and we have to roll with it. And sometimes we have to seize the moment and soak it up. It’s a wonderful thing to carve out time for your writing. A necessary thing. But it’s also good to get out and enjoy the crazy moments of life.

So yeah. Saturday was, erm, stressful. But it also ended really well. ‘Cause, ya know, life.

WORDS WRITTEN: 566
(Lowest daily wordcount thus far, but like I said, every word is progress!)

 

SUNDAY: DAY #11

After Saturday, I was prettyyyy exhausted. Once I sat down to write Sunday, I was worried it was going to be a hard day because all I really wanted to do was read or watch TV or take a nap or basically anything that didn’t involve brain activity. Buuut me being my stubborn self who tells everyone to take care of themselves and then doesn’t actually take care of herself, felt a great need to write since I barely got any words in the day before. And…writing went fantastic. I was in shock.

A huge factor that helped this day was using a timer. The ever-fabulous Deborah (pst, go follow her, she’s the best) always suggests setting a timer to do word sprints with yourself. I took up this wonderful idea a couple of years ago and it helps SO. MUCH. There’s nothing like a timer counting down to make you chain that inner editor up in the closet and just WRITE. Then, just the other day, Abbiee (whom you should all also go follow because her posts are inspiration and motivation wrapped in gold) did a post on how she stays motivated during NaNo and said she sets the timer for 25 minutes and writes nonstop, then takes a 5 minutes break (away from the computer), then repeats. I loved this idea so much, I tried it and…it worked. Despite wanting to just take a nap all day Sunday, I ended up getting a ton of words in, and they came quick because I set that timer and just WROTE WROTE WROTE. I’m absolutely going to be doing this epic method more!

Also, Sunday’s writing was particularly fun because things took an interesting turn and Midas discovered all sorts of intriguing backstory things that changes everything. Bwahaha! (Writing can be so fun, guys, seriously.)

Oh, and we did get a new coffee pot Saturday so I do in fact have access to the liquid life force once more.

WORDS WRITTEN: 5,195

 

Total Words Written: 24,955
(Should have written 45 more words lol.)

 

CONCLUSION

Well, the coffee pot broke and so did my car. BUT writing went extremely well this week, even better than last week. I’m finally fully inside Midas’ head, have a good feel of the story, and all sorts of (painful, terrible) thiiings are happening. *grins* I also feel like the writing is at least a smidge smoother than the earlier chapters. One can hope…

At this rate, I am kind of worried I won’t quite be able to get it done by the end of the month which I was really hoping to do. I’ve only got 11 chapters written of 35 so it’s not looking good. But hey, it’s NaNo. Who knows what’ll happen!

Also, I apologize if these updates are way too detailed (because they totally are) and boring. I, erm, sort of write them for myself because NaNo is an extremely special time to me and I love having a log or something to remember each one by. (But also my tired NaNo brain can’t come up with normal posts for the the month so this is what ya get…)  I so appreciate all the support you precious people give me during this time of long, incoherent posts and my entire social media only being NaNo updates. You’re the best!

 

TALK WITH ME!

Now for the best part, getting to hear about YOUR week! How’s this second week treating you all, fellow NaNo-ers??? I hope it’s going well, but don’t forget, every word counts! And how’s November been for everyone? (Mine’s been extremely rainy and I’m loving it.)