Writers Starve and Live in Garrets

Final word count: 64146

2011-12-04T14:22:00.001-08:00

It's a bit silly, but I try to end each NaNo with a word count that's an anagram. 2009: 75057, 2010: 63136, 2011: 64146. Even if I have to add things like, "The End. Really. No, I mean it!"

Next year I'm going back to fantasy. Last year and this year I tried mysteries. It's just too tough to crank out a ton of words when you're trying to stick to a tight plot. I am a "pantser," and that's all there is to it!

NaNoWriMo WIN! 2011

2011-11-24T21:14:00.001-08:00

Once more this year, I'm a big winner, with five more days to go. Final word count estimate, 65,000.

2011-11-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

It starts! National Novel Writing Month 2011. As of mid-November 2, I have over 6,500 words. That's 3,000 more than I need to be "on track" to 50,000 for the month. I wanted to get a big head start because I'm off to California for three whole weeks!

In additon to being able to see my family, I'll also get to attend NaNoWriMo's Night of Writing Dangerously in San Fransisco. I'm so excited! In order to do this, I need to raise $250 in donations to NaNoWriMo's 501(c)(3) parent company, the Office of Letters and Light.

If you have somehow found your way to my humble home in cyberspace and feel so moved, here is the link to my fundraising page: http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?is_new=1&fcid=156369

Thank you - I'll post photos of the big event after it happens on November 20!

Some helpful writing sites

2011-10-22T13:16:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my fellow WriMos, I've found some pretty cool writing sites. There's http://www.750words.com, based on Julia Cameron's "morning pages" concept. And to get the creative juices spurting (ewgh!), use this for random plot ideas: http://www.archetypewriting.com/muse/generators/plot.htm

Here's where to go for excellent pre-November planning tips - Larry Brooks' storyfix website. There's a helpful article for every day in October! Start with the first entry here: http://storyfix.com/2011/10/page/3 .

Enjoy!

It's that time again - NaNoWriMo 2011!

2011-10-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Oh, frabjous day - callooh, callay! I'm writing a mystery/thriller this year, so this seat-of-the-pantser (aka "Pantser") is going to be a Planner this year. I'm smack in the middle of researching, outlining, and writing character sketches. I'm a real live professional writer this year.

NaNoWriMo 2010 winner

2010-12-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Once again, I have "won" National Novel Writing Month. I wrote 63,136 words this year, a far cry from last year's word count of 75,157. But this year's novel was a mystery novel, which requires plotting (gasp)! Still... yay, me.

Epic win!

2009-11-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

NaNoWriMo 2009 is over. I'm sad that it's already over. But I ended with 75,057 words, which is 25,000 more than I've done before. And that would even make a decent sized mystery novel!

Thanks to the best bunch of writing buddies I've ever had the pleasure to meet... see you again soon!

One word: WIN !!!

2009-11-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

I made it to 50,000 words on November 19. Since then I've been cleaning up the mess that inevitably follows banging out 50,000 words in 19 days, and pulling the pieces of my plot together. I've found a great bunch of writers to hang out with in Houston. This is the most fun I've had in eons!

In the flow

2009-11-16T16:31:00.001-08:00

It has finally happened... I LOVE what I'm writing! It just writes itself. What an incredibly wonderful thing!

National Novel Writing Month 2009

2009-11-05T15:23:00.001-08:00

I never thought I would write in the fantasy genre. It seemed juvenile or overly nerdy (like there's anything wrong with being nerdy). It didn't seem like serious fiction.

Then, thanks to that wise guy Lynn Bauman, I read some really good fantasy novels this past summer (the Mad Ship trilogy by Robin Hobb and Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay).

Now, after actually working with my own material, I realized how free one can be when unrestrained by "normal" space/time. The possibilities are really endless, which can result in the tyranny of too many choices. But it beats the alternative.

And here's my motivation this year - Austin and Houston vs. the entire state of Maryland - the goal is to end up with the highest average word count:

Texas v. Maryland, choose "view a word war" and select Crabs v. Lushguins. My teammates' word counts astonish me!

I'm in the middle of the pack within the Texas Lushguins now. Next goal - hit the average word count for all 72 Lushguins every day (usually about 2500 words more than wherever I'm at). I'd actually like to finish in the top quarter. So let's hear it now:

Go Garretwriter!

Here's a little taunt I posted on the "trash talking" message board:

Go 'Guins!

I realize, of course, how it can become about the competition rather than the writing... but motivation is good for me. I would like to be more inner directed, and I'm sure that will come, but for now, this works.

NaNoWriMo 2009

2009-10-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's that happy time again. What else would I do with November? This year I'm in Houston, and I'll miss my Asheville wrimos, but looking forward to meeting some Bayou City wrimos.

Word count widget to appear soon!

Success!

2008-11-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

I hit 50,000 words tonight, but estimate I'm maybe 20% done. That means it's basically going to be a piece of overwritten garbage, but that's OK. As they say, you can't edit a blank page!

The hard thing now will be to keep going without the support of NaNoWriMo - just my own inner nagging. So far that hasn't been enough. External deadlines work much better for me than the self-imposed variety. And sticks work better than carrots. If anyone has any sticks they'd like to subject me to (e.g. write 10,000 words by next Tuesday or I sign you up for ten magazines), let me know.

Gracias to my supporters! And go Asheville!

NaNoWriMo 2008

2008-10-28T10:08:00.001-07:00

For those of you unfamiliar with NaNo, check this out: http://www.nanowrimo.org . I did this in 2005 and actually wrote a book in 30 days. And I'm gonna do it again. I'll post my word count here on a fairly regular basis so that those of you (and you know who you are) not involved in NaNo yourselves can keep tabs on me and harass me mercilessly if I fall behind (I should average 1,667 words per day).