For a brief shining moment last night, I was done with my novel. I accidentally typed an extra '1' on my NaNoWriMo page, and didn't notice it until my counters declared me a 100% finished NaNoWriMo Winner! It felt pretty good until I fixed it. I didn't realize until then how much I really would like to be a "winner".
Claire left, and the four girls prepared for bed. “You could have told her we were in the bathroom, or something” Leslie said with exasperation.
“But you weren’t,” said Lori. “That would have been against the rules to lie.”...
...She lifted her head ever so slightly from the pillow and looked toward her feet. She froze when she saw a dark shape trundle heavily across her blanket toward the wall. Before she could do anything, it slithered into the narrow crack and disappeared under her bed.
Word Count: 12620
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
NaNoWriMo Day 17: The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
They always say that once you get started writing fiction, your characters will take over. It seems almost mystical when it happens, but it is welcome. Today, my characters actually told me that I need to spend more time with them-- 300 words is just lame. Sorry guys. I'm doing my best.
The fire was just a pile of smoldering embers when Hannah and Dana left to turn in for the night. It had been a fun evening. They listened to Hunter and Graham make fools of themselves singing Born to Run with Hank, and they had participated in a marshmallow roasting contest— Hannah won in the perfectly-golden-brown category, and Rhett won in the too-charred-to-eat-but-I’ll-go-for-it-anyway category...
...“Seven!” sputtered Cheryl. “I thought duty started at 9!”
“Not for you,” Claire told them. “You’ll be the breakfast crew.”
Word Count: 12085
The fire was just a pile of smoldering embers when Hannah and Dana left to turn in for the night. It had been a fun evening. They listened to Hunter and Graham make fools of themselves singing Born to Run with Hank, and they had participated in a marshmallow roasting contest— Hannah won in the perfectly-golden-brown category, and Rhett won in the too-charred-to-eat-but-I’ll-go-for-it-anyway category...
...“Seven!” sputtered Cheryl. “I thought duty started at 9!”
“Not for you,” Claire told them. “You’ll be the breakfast crew.”
Word Count: 12085
Monday, November 16, 2009
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
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
Sunday, November 15, 2009
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
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
Saturday, November 14, 2009
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
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
Friday, November 13, 2009
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
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
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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
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
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