This is what dreams are made of

Oh. My. Did I just title a post after a Hilary Duff song? Tell me no.

This post by one of my favorites, Jacquelyn Mitchard, gave me the tummy flutters. The same kind I got last year when I was thinking about signing up for the La Jolla Writer's Conference. Turns out those were good flutters and I'm so glad I listened to them.

The thought of spending a week (or more? Don't tell my children ...) in a beautiful, quiet place with no responsibilities besides writing is tantalizing.

Then there are those weekend retreats she mentions.

While I certainly can't and don't claim to be on the level of Jackie Mitchard, the style and themes in my stories probably come closer to what she writes than nearly any other author I frequently rave about on this blog. Of course, I can only dream of becoming the master of metaphor she is. Okay, I'm gushing now. And yet.

Dream a little dream.

She won NaNoFiMo, but it ain't over til it's REALLY over

I shoulda gone for the 50K. Because then maybe, just maybe, I'd be FINISHED with this story, which at the moment, I am terribly, horribly sick of. And I'm even writing the really fun parts now--the court scenes. There, I've given you just a tiny glimpse of what's happening.

But at this point, I don't really care WHO wins the trial. :-P-----------

But hooray for me! I set a goal to write 40K words this month, and by golly, I've done it.

That feels pretty freakin' amazing.

And congratulations to Donna and Barb, my online writing "sisters," who have reached their 50K NaNoWriMo goals a day early! Can't wait to see their stories.

Did you blink?

Tell me you didn't blink.

(I'm not a dancer, at least not since I grew six inches in the summer between 8th and 9th grades, but can you see me dancing over here?)

Speechless, but not type-less

Hey, kids, it's November 28th, and you need to get your last look at that counter over there on the far side of the page with a number less than 100,000! I have a sneaking feeling that by late tonight, or early tomorrow at the latest, that number will turn over.

And the 40K is not far behind.

The only thing is (sigh...) this story is not NEARLY finished! Snap! It'll have to go on a diet soon after I type "The End."

Memories...light the corners of my mind

I really must get back to Denver for a visit. (And, in fact, I think that might happen next summer. Wow, better get right on that diet. Heh.)

I came across this blog tonight and the author, Carleen Brice, referred to Colfax Ave. in her blog title. It conjured up immediate nostalgia, and of course I had to read her sample chapters after seeing that the area was the setting for her novel. I grew up only a few blocks from Colfax Ave, which is a quite colorful neighborhood, and the sites, sounds, and smells of my memories came flooding back.

I'll be looking forward to the release of Orange Mint and Honey for sure, not only for the setting, but for the story, which sounds like it's right up my alley.

What the heck?

Well, here we are heading into the last week of NaNoWriMo for some, NaNoFiMo for me. I'm a tad less than 10K away from my goal for the month (40K words, or about 160 pages), which makes me very happy! And several of my online writing group members are on their way to that 50K!

The other day, my father in law, who is one of my stealth readers, asked me to clarify what the little counters on the sidebar mean, so I thought I'd do that here, too.

"LOTH progress" is the progress I'm making on the whole story, and "NaNoFiMo progress" is the total number of words I've written since November 1. (Remember, I am doing National Novel FINISHING Month instead of National Novel Writing Month.)

But, both counters are for the same story. LOTH is the acronym for the working title I'm using. I'm guarding the whole title a little close to my heart for now, as I am guarding the story as well. I've shared the subject and, in general, it's "about-ness" with a few close friends or family members, and one of my first readers read the first 80 pages or so way back in about March, but that's it so far.

I am confident I can whip out the last 10K this week without too much trouble, but I fear there is much remaining to be told before I can say this draft is complete. The good thing about having so many extra words is I can go back and cut the scenes that put me to sleep without much weeping or gnashing of teeth! Lots of work to be done.

Anyway, hope that clarifies what's going on in my demented marathon writing state.

I'll probably be pretty quiet this week, but then again, you never know. My computer and I will be joined at the hip, and I might just need a few blogger breaks.

Are we there yet?

Taking a short break from my fast writing. I'm determined to get my 10K in before Turkey Day so my writing won't suffer from those rapid fluctuations in melatonin.

Just taking a moment to say remember, fellow writers--just because you think you've got it all figured out doesn't mean it will actually WORK.

My incredible plot twist is giving me some trouble and causing me to have to think in creative (gasp!) ways to get it to work. Those people in my story may surprise me again after all. In fact, I'm praying for that now, because I'm not sure how the heck they are going to get from point A to B. Or is that B to C? It's probably more like D to L. Yeah, that's it.

Anyway, I'm writing fast and furious toward the end of this story, and it's making me lose sleep and tear out my hear in less visible places (so as to not draw attention, of course), but it's also an amazing burst of adrenaline to know how close I am to being "done." Well, with the first draft. I know there's a lot of work to be done after that, but it's the work I really look forward to. The finessing and fancy-ing up. Making sure it all ebbs and flows in just the right way.

I am amazed at the true NaNoWriMo participants I'm watching. They are way ahead of my measly 24K words, with numbers like 35 gazillion or something. One girl has already finished her 50K and is working on the next 50 because it's only half the story! And her story sounds really good, too. It's pretty incredible what a little peer motivation and permission to just spill that crappy first draft will do for your writing, I guess.

I have to admit I've been reluctant to join up the last few years, feeling like it was a kind of silly idea. I'm not much of a joiner in general, and yet, the support and motivation from the other writers on the NaNo site as well as the four in my online writing group has been inspirational. There's no way you could keep this up 12 months out of the year, and so this one month push now seems a really good idea.

Back to work. There's holiday food waiting to be eaten and many naps to be taken later in the week, not today.

The end is closer than you think

I've busted my hamburger buns to get to nearly 20K words in two weeks, because I'm about to go out of town for a few days for some (hopefully) incredible concerts, and didn't want to get behind on my NaNo goal. But, as so often happens, when I know I'm not going to have much time to write for a few days, I'm now walking on air and can't wait to get back to my story.

I am so excited because my girls in the attic (my muses, which Stephen King termed the "girls in the basement," only mine live in an attic--they are afraid of the basement. Ha.) ... anyway, the girls were SO, SO good to me last night. I don’t have time to write another word yet, but I can’t wait to get back to it now, which is just what I need right as I’m going out of town, right? I hope the momentum is still there when I get back.

So, I had the strange experience I’ve heard about from other writers. The one where I thought I had “the end” all figured out, and because of what struck me during the night, it is suddenly going to take a much different, MUCH BETTER AND STRONGER turn, and it’s so weird, yet so appropriate. I'm truly on the downhill slope here, and I can see it now, and it looks a heckuva lot different than I thought it was going to.

I love that I've spent all this time (nearly a year) getting to know these people, and thought I had them all figured out, and now they are surprising me. Just like my family and friends in real life do, and just like all those writers said they might.

Can't wait.

In the moment, I might bite your head off if you look at me wrong. No, really.

Isn't it funny how when we are cranky and full of doom and gloom or piss and vinegar (pardon my language, Mom, oh, wait, you probably taught me that phrase) we don't feel like writing? When, well, this would probably be the absolute best time to write those gloomy or pissy scenes?

I have been tired and hormonally imbalanced for the last couple of days, and what have I done with the writing? Not much, not much at all. Maybe 500 words last night because I felt guilty. and guilt does not necessarily make for the best writing, although it can certainly be a motivator at times. Heh. All the angst and psychotic ramblings that have been running through my head for the last 48 hours or so, starting with when I was pricing garage sale items in the middle of the night, would probably make for some good emotion on the page.

But, no. I will most likely wait until I am rested and cheerful, then I will attempt to write a scene where my characters are being ugly or sad or ... human. And they'll be flat as a piece of paper.

Any writers reading this found a way that works for you to harness the energy of the moods you are in and get it on the page? Creative or artistic people can certainly be a moody lot, though, and as much as I hate that, I also know it's a big reason we're able to express things the way we do on paper or canvas or musical instruments.

It'll pass tomorrow, I'm sure, and then I'll be kicking myself for not writing in the moment. :-D

MaybeSoWriMo

That's a little better.

I scooted that 91 up to a little over 1,200. In human talk, that's about 4 pages. You wouldn't think it would be that hard, would you?

One word in front of the other. I'm almost to 25% of my (projected) goal for the month, and week one of four ends tomorrow. Well, technically today. And, of course, I technically know my story won't end at exactly 100K, but it's a good guestimate, and a kind of standard goal for a story of this kind. It's pacing right for it, too.

Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo this month? Or ... NaNoFiMo? Or 70 Days of Sweat? How's it going for you?

NoNoWriMo

Wow, those 91 words I wrote today are moving my goal right along!

Don't you love those days that get totally hijacked when you had such big plans?

It was one of those. I haven't completely given up, though. There are still 52 minutes left of the day in my time zone.

I am pleased with the progress I've made so far this week. My people are finally getting out of the mud they've been stuck in for the last few months.

Spin me off my tether

I was reminded today of what often happens to our passion as we grow older. My friend Gail and I spent several hours working at our favorite coffee shop today, each on our own things, but companionably distracting each other as much as we could. :-D

On the way out, I noticed an ancient tandem bicycle parked by the door. It didn't really register as an actual mode of transportation until a couple of teenaged girls came out and began walking it to to the street. One in flip flops, the other in Crocs, no helmets, of course. They waited to cross the busy street, then giggled and shrieked as they ran, half dragging the stubborn old thing as cars slowed and narrowly missed them. Gail and I each held our breath until they reached the sidewalk on the other side. We shook our heads and made comments like, "If their mothers only knew," and "Kids ... what're ya gonna do?"

It occurred to me, though, as I drove home, that this is what we do with our passion as we grow. As reckless children, we throw everything into it, not worrying about the safety helmet, or all the bad things that could happen to us as we go. Then we learn the rules. After that, most of the time, we play it safe.

Now, I'm not literally advocating the no-helmet, crazy run across the thoroughfare dragging the bicycle built for two. No, I'd kill my girls if I saw them doing that. If they didn't die first. ;-)

I'm just sayin'.