November. It’s golden leaves turn brown and crunch beneath the soles of my shoes. (Shoes and socks?! Ugh!) Then the wind blows them away.
Meanwhile…at my computer…
National Novel Writing Month compels me to write at least 50,000 words.
For the past five years, I’ve attempted to accomplish this feat before Thanksgiving. Since the first day of the month was a Thursday, my favorite holiday came early this year.
Which means my Nanowrimo deadline came later.
Day One
It begins. I’m excited. I have prepped the two Scrivener files I’m using for the next two First Street Church romance novellas. If I draft both of them fully, that should take me closer to 60,000 words.
There’s a write-in at a local coffee shop from 1 PM to 3 PM. There are only two of us there, but words pour from our fingertips.
I update my word count on the nanowrimo.org website as frequently as possible.
Day Two
I’ve decided to write all Bailey Travers’ point of view scenes first and then return to write the shero scene. This is exactly how I wrote my young adult fantasy novel during November two years ago.
By the end of the day, I have 8,000 words.
Write on!
Day Three and Four
The weekend. I don’t usually write on weekends. This means I won’t get the badge for updating my word count five days in a row. *sad face*
Day Five
I’m scheduled to work at St. Helens Middle School. This position involves teaching seventh grade science for four hours and monitoring a study hall for an hour.
During the hour prep period, I start Jaz’s first scene.
Since I’m showing the same movie and discussing the same work sheet during all four class periods, I manage to finish writing the scene during the afternoon class sessions.
Day Six
I need to research a few items about the Texas Family Protective Services for Jaz’s story line. Also, I’ve missed my Monday scheduling of Facebook and Social Media, so my morning is unproductive as far as word count goes.
In the afternoon, I finish off all of Bailey’s scenes. I’ll be ready for Jaz in the morning.
Day Seven
I wake up with a sore throat.
Day Eight
I’m still lethargic from not completing the usual workout stuff. I’m in the Hot Seat during the weekly Novel Academy webinar, so I work on the dark moment for Tessa, the shero of the second novella I intend to write during November.
I do manage to get the SEQ filled out (although it changes somewhat during my 30 minutes of fame online), and write a scene from Jaz’s point of view.
I’m still ahead in the word count.
Day Nine
Finally, I have a 4,000-word writing day.
Word count by day-end: 20,875
Day Ten – Eleven
Weekend Again. I write this blog post and do laundry. Sunday, there’s church.
Day Twelve
Conquer the FINAL scene of November novella #1
(Yes, this manuscript might need additional scenes to complete it, but I’m ready for Tessa Travers to face her demons and fall in love.)
Except wait…this scene refuses to be written today, so on to the the opening scene of Tessa’s story. Hey, at least I wrote a couple thousand words.
Day Thirteen
Thanks to the repeated listening of John chapter 11, my writer’s brain gets a new idea. It would include redesigning the cover this book:
And releasing it as A PONDERING HEART next Christmas. After that, another new book written from the perspective of other Bible women would be released each month until Easter 2020, when the fourth (and possibly final) REFLECTIONS book would come out. (Thus, it’s a series so a cover redesign is imperative so all the covers can feel similar and I can’t afford to hire the cover designer who created what you see above for THREE additional covers.)
So, I wrote a scene for that first story (Maybe A SERVANT’S GIFT) to the total of 1,527 words.
Afterward, my muse allowed me to finish Jaz and Bailey’s story.
Thank you, Ms. Muse.
Daily total: 3,556 words
Day Fourteen
Edits on LOVE’S RECOVERING HOPE.
Must. Submit. To. Publisher. This. Week.
Day Sixteen
Tonight’s the night. Our local writers show up at the public library at 5PM and write and write and write.
Creative energy buzzes around us, increasing everyone’s typing speed.
There is pizza. There are sweet treats. Some drink coffee and others consume tea.
The past three years, I reached 50,000 words on this night.
So not happening this year. But the camaraderie is delightful and the story unfolds.
Day Nineteen
More of the same. Some scenes fly off my fingers. Others feel like I’m cutting them out with a dull Exact-o blade.
But…eventually…I reach the end of the second novella.
It’s Finally Over
Not really. Come January or February, these two stories will be subjected to my extensive rewriting and revising process before finding their way to beta readers and my editor.
If you’re a faithful reader, I’m planning for them to release in April and June 2019.
But, what is finally finished is the insanity of National Novel Writing Month.
Goodbye, November.
I’ll be heading to Hawaii in three weeks…and I’ve got some revising to do on my other April release before then.
I’m doing a slow and steady novel, with three days and 5,500 words to go! Actually, I think it’ll take more than 5,500 words to finish the novel, so I’m toying with the idea of trying to get in a couple of 4,000 word days before the end of the month, so the story ends when November does.
I haven’t reached 50,000 words either, and my second novella won’t be done either. Sounds like you’re doing a great job.