Thursday, November 10, 2016

NaNoWriMo 2016 Progress

I set out this month with every intention of buckling down and finishing the initial draft of Interface. I'd spent well over a month going over what I had so far from last year's effort when my attention went awry. I'd made notes. I was all set to go. Aaaand about 5k in I decided to take a morning to write a short story for a submission window that closes at the end of the month. That poured out pretty quickly and was done by the end of the day. Then it was back to Interface. For a whole day. Oh look another sparkly short story idea to play with. A couple days later, I wrapped that up. Ok, ok, back to Interface. But then there was this sci-fi story idea I've been kicking around for a few months. Somehow a new document opened and words started to pour out. It was the weirdest thing, I swear. This story is racing right along so I'm going to run with it and see where it goes and how long it takes to get there. Not sure if this is more of a novella or a full novel yet. We'll have to wait and see. Yes, Interface is still open in my document list. It's cursor is blinking angrily at me. I haven't told my daughter yet that I've veered off from finishing the novel she wants me to be working on. Shhhh. It's NaNo. I go where the words are flowing. While I'm busy writing, it's also a busy month for interviews. Here's one I did with Motown Writers.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

November IWSG

It's day two of NaNoWriMo, which means I'm busy writing and probably not wandering around blogs very much. Sorry about that. I have words that need to be written! It's also the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post.

What am I working so madly on this November? Several things, which will (hopefully) add up to 50K. My primary project is wrapping up Interface, a YA Sci-fi story that has plagued me for several years now. Or maybe it's the annoyed look by my daughter that has plagued me...because I haven't finished the book she wants to read. In addition (or if that project goes sideways yet again), I have a proposed possible epilogue for A Broken Race that I might toy with, a short story that's due by the end of the month and possibly the beginning of book 4 of The Narvan. Projects are not something I lack. Motivation and time are my enemies. Thank goodness have an entire region of guilt monkeys to keep me on track during NaNo.

So this months ISWG question is: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?
Getting lost in my own world. Not during the first draft, because really, I'm figuring out that world as I spew words onto the page. I mean during edits, when I start fleshing things out, connecting the dots, and really digging into my characters. The hard part of figuring out what the story is is behind me and at that point I can sink into the subplots and make things deeper, darker and more meaningful. At this point the story is for me, and that is my favorite part.