Signs you might be doing NaNoWriMo

So I've seen a lot of lists like this and most of them are pretty accurate, but there are a few good ones they seem to miss.

1. You have actually fallen asleep at the keyboard.
2. You attend tailgate parties long enough to grab food and say hello.
3. The first question friends and family ask when they see you is "Have you gotten your chapter count for today?"
4. The family has come to accept the "writing nest" you've set up in that one spot on the sofa.
5. 90% of your social media posts are #NaNoWriMo or asking for plot/name/word advice.

All of my friends and family have been extremely supportive over the last 15 days. As NaNo reached the half way mark my word count passed 30k.

Today's word count

Tomorrow I'll be writing a brand new chapter 28...including that I've got 5 chapters left to edit and 3 new ones to write. NaNoWriMo "winning" starts on the 20th. Think I can write/edit 8 chapters in 5 days and finish early? We'll see.

In other news, someone on the artisans boards made me this beautiful signature. I definitely like this as a visual representation for my book.

Comments

"Ab ovo" versus "In medias res"

"From the beginning" versus "In the midst of things" I have heard two very different schools of thought on where to start a story. It is such a contested subject that there are words for both methods. Ab ovo: From the beginning. Followers of this method argue that a reader cannot car about a story if they do not first care about the character. In this method the story starts with the main characters day to day life and gives you an opportunity to get to know them and care about them. This does not necessarily mean you see the them from birth, you just see their normal life before the inciting incident (the event that happens to the protagonist to change their life from the norm and sparks the action of the story). For example: We see Dorothy in Kansas before she goes to OZ. We see Katniss in District 12 before the reaping. We see Harry with the Dursleys before the owls start to show up. There are many who start their stories in the most logical of place

Emails, and freak outs, and swords! Oh my!

So I was supposed to send my manuscript to the editor April 11th. Today I received a surprise email, she had finished a project and could take my MS early. Yep, I totally freaked out. You can ask my co-workers. "Is my face red? I feel like my face is red. Oh god, I'm not supposed to be this scared am I? That can't be normal. Oh god." I was so excited, so scared, so nervous, all at once. It is amazing that one person can feel some many emotions together. I don't know anything to compare it to. So, I came home, gave it a once over, made sure the format was correct to Taryn's specifications, and then I did the scariest thing I've done in my writing career. I sent my MS, my 10 year journey, my 4 month old baby, to an almost complete stranger. Taryn said she should be done by this weekend, but life happens so it may be longer. Until then I am supposed to stay occupied. Shouldn't be hard as I have a stack of new books to read, a

Chapter Slasher

Tonight I finished the first read through of my book with Taryn's notes. I did things a little differently than I'd planned too. So here is my method. I printed my manuscript in hard copy and placed it in a three ring binder. I then went through and read it. As I went I crossed out parts that needed to be cut, wrote notes about things that needed to be change, and marked areas where new scenes and chapters should be added. All told I cut about 7 chapters and nearly a dozen paragraphs from chapters I kept. It was hard. It was REALLY REALLY hard. My hands literally shook when I cut my first full page. I was sick to my stomach when I had to cut an entire chapter. The words, these lines, these pages are my work. I poured my heart and soul into them. Crossing them out was the hardest thing I've done as a writer so far. My first cut chapter. Then way, you may ask, did I cut them? Because it had to be done. The new direction the story has take is ri

Word Imperfect

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