Ummm . . .

"Be obscure clearly."

~ E.B. White

It's Day Eight of National Novel Writing Month and I have yet to form any sort of a plot for my story.  I also have yet to have sort of a concrete idea for this here lovely blog (at least I think it's lovely), but didn't want anyone to think I had fallen off the face of the earth.  I'm just stuck between tapping away in my Scrivner project file for this year's NaNo entry and surfing the net, wondering when I'll hit upon some brilliant idea that will leave my typing until my fingers are numb.  Or something like that.

Are any of you tackling the NaNoWriMo challenge?  Or know someone who is?  What are your thoughts on this madcap literary adventure?

The Game, Mrs. Hudson, Is On!

Ah, yes!  It is that time of year where once again people close to me question my sanity and, perhaps, wonder when they will 'for realsies' get to look at what it is, exactly, I have come up with by midnight on Nov. 30th. 

I am talking about this:

That's right -- I'm in the beginning stages of my 50,000 word novel.  For more information head over to http://www.nanowrimo.org .

Now to get another 307 words on the screen before heading to work . . .

Creating New Normals

I must say I am rather pleased to have achieved the following:



Yes, I took on the challenge once again to write 50 000 words in the month of November. But not just any old words, mind you, but novel-type words! Oh, yes! And of the 51 176 words I finished with yesterday evening, I hope to dig out a bona-fide story. (That's the beauty of National Novel Writing Month -- you give yourself permission to ignore your inner editor and just focus on getting various ideas and metaphors and, yes, some craptastic scenes on the page.)

But I had another goal beyond getting out a novella. I had long been thinking I needed to get back in the habit of writing more than a couple of times a month, whether it be working on some devotional pieces or on the novel I started a couple of years ago. So with this year's NaNoWriMo, I determined to work on my novel every day for 30 consecutive days. And on all but one of my novelling days, I managed to churn out at least 1667 words. With the novel being done, I have worked on some writing today and will again tomorrow to properly finish off the 30 day goal.

Time and again I've read writing involves just sitting your butt in the chair and just writing. This month I did that with not just the goal of hitting the 50 000 word mark, but of also creating a new normal where it is what I do every day in the months ahead.

My inner editor, however, may have to wait until tomorrow to come back out. ;-)

Sort of Sad, But Sort of Not

As Kenny Rogers sings in his well-known song The Gambler, you've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. And twelve days shy of the November 30th deadline, I am folding the cards otherwise known as my National Novel Writing Month entry. Not only am I 12 days shy of finishing, I'm also about 37,000 words short. Add to that other commitments and upcoming holiday plans and rather than stress myself out about it, I'm putting it away for now.

So, yeah.

I'm out of words. And I'm okay with that.