NaNoWriMo Day 16: Get Off Your Butt

One of the blogs I like to read is Mad Woman in the Forest by the author Laurie Halse Anderson. Today she posted her tips for young writers who are attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge this year. According to her, writers block is caused by three main things:

1. You are trying to be perfect.
2. You are under pressure to produce the finished product too fast.
3. You have been sitting down too much.

She provides three solid suggestions for coping with such blockage. It's worth a read.

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident, and Hannah was able to take a long, hot shower before dinner. It gave her some time to think, and the water washed away some of her anxiety and anger. She realized that she kind of liked camp so far. She and Greg had met some pretty cool kids, and the activities had been fun so far. She was also beginning to appreciate that she was too busy to dwell on her parents and everything that was riding on whether they would be able to work things out. There’s nothing I can do about it, she thought...

...A screen door slammed, Mary's dress waved. Greg came out to join them. “I have hiking and canoeing tomorrow, but kitchen duty wasn’t too bad,” he reported.

Word Count: 11787

NaNo WriMo Day 15: Where the Run Meets the River

It was a treat having Josh here this weekend; he was a captive audience for my novel. We spent some time talking about it at dinner on Friday, and he came up with an ingenious plot development. It fits neatly into what I already had in mind, and I plan to use it. The seeds of it have been planted in this weekend's installments.

This morning we took advantage of the first sunny day since Tuesday and went for a hike along the Potomac. We walked the ridge until the trail dropped down to the confluence of Difficult Run and the river; after that we went upstream back to the parking lot. It was unseasonably warm, 72 in November, and the water was high because of all the rain.

Dana, Greg, and Rhett were already eating when Hannah got to lunch. “Where’s Graham?” Greg asked as Hannah put her tray down on the table...

...“Later Brace Face,” said Leslie.

Word Count: 11035

NaNoWriMo Day 14: An Absolute Disaster

I took a little time off from writing to go to the movies today with Heidi and all the boys. We saw the first big holiday blockbuster of the year, 2012. I'm afraid I can't recommend it. I might have been able to write it, though, and I do not mean that as a compliment.

Hannah had never been in a canoe in her life, but she found that she had a natural talent for it. After the basic safety presentation and paddling instruction, Doc had them try to navigate through a series of anchored floats that were set up just beyond the large platform in the lake. Her partner was Graham, and the two of them paddled through the course easily. Doc was impressed. “You two are a ringer team,” he called from his own canoe, as they floated and watched the other pairs struggle through...

...Hunter handed her a paddle. “Shall we?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Hannah grinned.

Word Count: 10412

NaNoWriMo Day 13: All the Little Lessons

I was at a big bookstore today, and they had a whole end cap dedicated to novel writing. Coincidence? I think not. I was tempted to buy a couple of books and read them, but I understood that it would be procrastination not inspiration. I consider that a break through.

Janet, the clipboard, did the head count for their cabin that night. “Do you have your flashlights handy?” she asked them. “Because, while I wouldn’t recommend leaving the cabin at night for any reason other than an extreme emergency, I really wouldn’t recommend leaving it without a flashlight. That being said, if we find you outside, you better have a pretty good explanation, otherwise it’s a disciplinary issue. ‘night ladies.”...

...The bell on the lake view porch rang, interrupting their conversation. “Ten minutes to session one!” Hank called happily. “Be on time!”

Word count: 9611

NaNoWriMo Day 12: Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Between field trips that were scheduled last year, a teacher work day, standardized testing, and holidays, there are no more than 9 or 10 teaching days for us in the month of November. It is a ridiculous situation, but powerless to change it, I worked on mapping out some of the plot and figuring out the answers to a few but how questions of my novel while my students were bubbling in answers with their number two pencils today.

The western sky burned orange and red and a crescent moon was pressed high into the purple above it by the time Hannah and Dana got up to the fire ring. Dozens of people were silhouetted black shadows against the flames. As they approached, they could hear someone strumming an acoustic guitar and a small chorus of voices singing along to an Eagles tune. On the far side, closest to the main building Anne and Brian were handing out hot cocoa, marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Doc and Janet were busy balancing a couple of old-fashioned-looking metal contraptions with long wooden handles over some red hot embers. As they passed, Hannah heard sharp hissing and cracks, and then caught the unmistakable aroma of popcorn. Small groups of kids sat on and around the benches laughing and chatting. In spite of herself, Hannah relaxed. This is pretty cool, she thought...

...Doc stood on a bench and clapped his hands. “Okay folks, time to head toward your cabins. Wash up, do what you need to do, check in is in 15 minutes.”

Word count: 8840

NaNoWriMo Day 11: Something to Aspire To

It sure was nice to have a day off. The weather was cold and rainy, and I spent a good part of the day in a chair next to the fire. There was some writing involved. There was also some itunes shopping, email reading, facebook browsing, and telephone talking involved. In the early evening, I heard an interview with the author Zadie Smith on NPR's All Things Considered. She characterized the beginning of any novel as tough going, but she also said that there comes a point near the middle where you are totally absorbed and then it practically writes itself. She reported that she spends 80 percent of her efforts on the first 50 or 60 pages of a book.

Noted with interest.

Hannah was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. They had a choice of fried chicken or lasagna with green beans and jello. The first night, the counselors served and cleaned up, but the twins took great delight in reminding Greg that he would be the one wearing the apron tomorrow. Their kidding was good-natured, and Hannah was glad that Greg had found friends so quickly. There was still an hour or so until it would be dark enough for the campfire, and Rhett and Graham offered to show the Wilders and Dana around the camp a little bit...

...“No way,” Dana answered. “Those girls are the worst kind of bullies. I’m not going to just stand there and watch them push you around. They don’t scare me, anyway.”

“Thanks,” said Hannah.

Word count: 8475

NaNoWriMo Day 10

Tomorrow's a holiday, no school. I'm hoping to make some progress then.

The line moved ahead and soon they were standing next to the bulletin board. "I can't look," said Dana. "What if it's survival first?"

"What if it's kitchen duty first?" asked Graham.

Greg stepped resolutely forward to examine the list. He ran his finger over the groups scanning them until he found what he was looking for. "Monday morning: Hannah, Graham- canoeing; Dana- archery; Rhett and me- hiking," he announced. "Monday afternoon: Dana and Hannah- swimming, Rhett and Graham- archery, me- kitchen. That's okay, though. I'd rather get it over with."

"What! No survival?" moaned Rhett. "I've been waiting a whole year to do that again."

"Well, another few days won't kill you," said Dana. "You'll survive." They all laughed at the joke as the line moved forward and into the mess hall.

Word count: 7732