NaNoWriMo Experience – Day 5

Hi all, especially to my fellow National Novel Writing Month writers, otherwise known as Wrimos!  How is everyone’s novel coming along?  Are you sticking to your basic outline, or are all your previous plans going out the window?  Are your characters coming to life respectfully, or do they seem to take on a life of their own?

Personally, I never did create a plot outline, but instead just jotted down a few basic notes.  The majority of my story was stuck in my head until I began work once the clock struck midnight on November 1st.  So far, it seems everything is going to plan (or lack of plan, I guess) and I’m on a roll with 11,000 words.

My characters have really exceeded my expectations, and are both quirky and hilarious.  A few of my characters have given me that adrenaline rush I look for when writing, and anticipate more natural highs are awaiting me as I continue.

Now, I would like to hear from you.  Let us all know how your personal NaNo experience is going by commenting below, and filling out the poll I created.

Happy Writing Wrimos!

 

 

Friday Finds: Travel Week

Friday Finds by Should Be Reading

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week?

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From Baghdad, With Love by Jay Kopelman

Awww…I mean just look at the cover!  And the synopsis makes it look even better.  How would I not add this to my TBR list after finding it?!

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Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis

This is from the same author who wrote Moneyball.  This book looks both interesting and funny and I’m interested to see how it is.

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Pass the Butterworms: Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered by Tim Cahill

What’s better than a funny travelogue from an author who relates his interesting journeys?!  Nothing’s better for me!

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Here are my Friday Finds.  Now that NaNo is finally over (though I do miss it), I can actually indulge in my favorite thing which I have ignored for the past month: reading!  I’m extremely excited to get to these books on my TBR list!

 

Have a Great Weekend All! 

Saying Goodbye to NaNoWriMo 2011

It is officially December 1st, which means that National Novel Writing Month 2011 is over.  It’s both quite sad and refreshing at the same time to know that we have an entire year to wait until next NaNo.

This year was my first year participating in it and I must tell you how much I truly enjoyed it.

At first, I felt like the goal would be impossible.  I mean, come on, 50,000 words in a month, that’s insane!  But once NaNo officially started, I dove right into writing and felt that it would be a lot easier than I thought.

That feeling of “easy” faded quickly too as some days I just did not feel like writing.  I did go days without writing, mostly on the weekends, and sometimes I felt like I was terribly behind.  And only once did I ever feel like giving up and scraping everything I had just written.  But luckily, that misery passed and I shook that thought out of my head and continued on.

On November 28, with two days left to spare, I reached the 50K word goal.  I don’t think I have ever felt so exhilarated in all of my life!  The feeling of completing what I thought in the beginning was an impossible mission, left me with the thought that I could complete anything!  

I think that the feeling you get when you realize how many words you actually wrote in a month (whether you reached the 50K or not), is the true meaning of NaNo; it’s all about that end sensation and realization that you actually completed something you worked so hard for.

However, I don’t think I could have ever gotten to the end with out my fabulous Facebook NaNo Support Group!  I did not find much help through the NaNo forums on the NaNo website, nor through the “writing buddy” option.  Instead, it was a small Facebook group of 159 NaNo-ers where I found the bulk of my motivation and inspiration.  And it’s the fact that we’re now creating a Critique/Editing group which is still helping me to write and complete my novel.

So for the first year of my NaNo experience, I must say that it was quite rewarding and worth it.  I will definitely be donating and I suggest that all of you who participated should donate as well.  Even $10 can help!

According to the NaNo website there was a collective NaNo 2011 word count of:

Not bad, NaNo-ers, not bad at all.

So let’s welcome December, and say goodbye to Novemeber and National Novel Writing Month.  

And let’s promise each other that we will continue to write even now that NaNo has come and went.

Happy December, All!

Teaser Tuesday: The Last NaNoWriMo Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays by: Should Be Reading

Flip to a random page anywhere in your current read and copy down two (2) “teaser” sentences.  Share the title and author and then post your teasers in the comment section of this week’s Teaser Tuesdays at Should Be Reading!

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This will be the last NaNo teaser from me!

I have officially finished NaNo, though I am still writing to get my story done, and I will be happy to dive back into reading real books!

But for today’s Teaser Tuesday, I am going to give you another, and the last, teaser from my NaNoWriMo novel.  Make sure you tell me what you think!

Title:

Sonrisa

Author:

Me, Kalie Lyn

Teaser:

Only the sound of one gunshot in the night forced their hands apart, the loud boom causing all three teenagers to jump up in shock.  After the fear had passed, after all three had settled back into the comfort of the couch, did Karim and Lola lock hands again, this time their fingers knowing where to connect with one another’s.

FIN

Ahem.  I’m am pleased to announce that you are looking at another National Novel Writing Month winner!

*pops open a bottle of champagne*

I have officially completed the 50,000 word goal, and it only took me 28 days!

While I am excited beyond no end, especially since it was my first year competing and I won (YAY!), I am still not done with my novel.  Correction: I am way, WAY NOT done with my novel.

Let’s see.  I have exactly 50,000 words and have just started chapter 6.  There are to be 12 chapters, so…I have…6 more chapters to go and probably another 50K words to write.  There is still a long writing road ahead of me to finish this damn thing!

But that’s OK.  That’s OK because I chose a story that is interesting to me and one that I want to keep on writing.  I will not give up, and definitely not let myself lose motivation.  Just because NaNo is over, does not mean my inspiration and writing schedule is over.  No, no, no.  I can do this, and I will finish it!

However, for the rest of the night (it’s 9pm here in Spain) I shall be celebrating!

CHYEAH BOI!

W… W… W… Wednesday: What, Where and Why

WWW Wednesdays by: Should Be Reading

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Usually the questions for W…W…W… Wednesdays are:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Since I am not currently reading anything due to NaNo, I have not finished reading anything recently, and I have no clue what I’ll read next, I have decided, just for today, to change up the questions a bit.

So here are my W…W…W… Wednesday questions of today:

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Q:

What are you currently writing?

A: 

Currently, I am writing my NaNoWriMo novel, which is untitled at the moment.  I don’t want to give away too much what it is about, but the genre is Dystopia (no, I do not categorize that with science-fiction), and it follows the life of a 15 year old girl named Lola.

I have finally reached 40,000 words, and now I only have 10K more to go before I reach the NaNo goal of 50,000 words!  I am very excited to “win” and finish with NaNo (though I will miss it), however, I still have a lot more work to do even after I reach the 50K.  I have 40K and I am only beginning Chapter 5 (there will be 12 chapters), so my book will run way longer than 50,000 words.

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Q:

Where are you currently writing?

A:

I am writing where I am currently living, in Madrid, Spain.  There are three floors (including a basement) in the house where I have been living for the past three years, and then there is a mini loft – I guess you could call it that – that sits above the bedrooms on the third floor.  That is my current writing office.

My desk is positioned right in front of the window, which I open up while I’m writing to get a breeze and to hear the sounds of outside.  No one usually goes up in the loft so I have it all to myself, though I can still call down to the boyfriend to bring me a cup of tea when I need it.  And it has a good atmosphere up there; I need a good atmosphere to write.  So, I am happy with my current writing location.

Here, I just took a picture of it for you all to see:

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Q:

Why are you currently writing?

A:

I’m currently writing because I’m participating in NaNo.  I’m participating in NaNo because I have always wanted to write a novel (I grew up wanting to become a writer) but have never had the time or motivation to actually sit down and write.  NaNo has given me that motivation and inspiration, and I have made time for it all.

I am quite surprised that I have actually made it this far and am so close to my 50K word goal.  It feels great.  And that feeling I get when I write is why I am currently writing.

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If you are also doing NaNo, and have not read any books lately, then feel free to put your answers to my questions above in the comment section below!

Happy Writing and Reading All!  

Teaser Tuesday: NaNoWriMo Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays by: Should Be Reading

Flip to a random page anywhere in your current read and copy down two (2) “teaser” sentences.  Share the title and author and then post your teasers in the comment section of this week’s Teaser Tuesdays at Should Be Reading!

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I actually enjoy taking a break from reading.  Yes, I know, I know, I’m now a book criminal just for saying that, but it’s true.  It’s like taking a break from something that you have done everyday for your life and you absolutely love to do.  You realize just how much you miss it, how much you wish you could do it, and when that time comes, it will make reading even better.  So, not reading during NaNo is a blessing in disguise – plus, it helps me concentrate more on my own novel.

So, for today’s Teaser Tuesday, I am going to give you another little teaser from my NaNoWriMo novel I am writing.  Make sure you tell me what you think!

Title:

Untitled at the moment

Author:

Me, Kalie Lyn

Teaser:

The three friends chanted widely, danced stupidly, laughed hysterically, and smiled contagiously for the rest of the afternoon.  Their worries and sorrows were far away from their minds, and each had not a care in the world.  While the sky and people outside of the dock were bleak, Lola, Karim and Elle were elated, their faces contorting with joy and their stomachs hurting from pains of laughter.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?: Another NaNo Excerpt

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading?  by  Book Journey

 

 

I am still having trouble juggling NaNo and reading for pleasure, so lately I have done no reading.  Which trust me, sucks!

So for today’s Monday reading, I will instead give you another excerpt from my NaNo novel.

Enjoy and remember that critique is always welcome!

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“Shhh…Lola,” her mother said patting her daughter’s head.  “Nothing happened, everything is fine.  You just had a bad dream.”

Lola’s eyes widened.  What was her mother saying?  Nothing was fine and it all was not a dream.  The sound of the gun and her mother’s pleas still echoed in her mind, but her mother would not tell her what had happened.

Lola watched as her mom, her only parent and stable support, continued to rock back and forth, the blood from her nose dripping heavier and her sobs becoming short and quick as if her mother was hyperventilating.

“Mom?” Lola asked, the sight too much to bear.  “Are you OK?  What is going on?”

Lola’s mother just continued rocking, bleeding and sobbing while the night outside turned slowly into day.  Lola sat in silence next to her parent, her brain and ears finally blocking everything out.  She watched her mother’s sanity leave, Lola thinking that maybe Ted and the police had taken it with them.

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*Note: The words above are my own: © Kalie Lyn, 2011.*

Daily Question

Q:

What have you been counting or keeping track of recently?

A:

My NaNo word count.

When competing in NaNo, your word count is very important.  You need to keep track of your overall word count, along with your day to day word count.  Sometimes it’s frustrating to realize that one day you write 2 thousand and some words, and then the next day, you barely break 1000.  It’s all about patience and not letting that word count number get to you!

For me, as of now, I have 37,500 words.  So I’m happy and I will try to reach 40K today, and then the 50K will be within sight!  :)

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What have you been counting or keeping track of lately?

*Don’t forget to leave a link of your own answers to the daily question in the comments section below!*

Daily Question

Q:

What has the little voice inside your head been saying lately?

A:

The voice in my head has been telling me to stay motivated and keep writing.

I have actually had a few days were I wrote nothing for my NaNo novel.  Not good.  On those days my confidence is down and that voice is gnawing at me to continue, continue, continue.

I can not give up and that little voice is letting me know that.  I am quite grateful.

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What has your head’s little voice been telling you?

*Don’t forget to leave a link of your own answers to the daily question in the comments section below!*