NaNoWriMo No More Uh-Oh

November 21, 2014
Day 205

I did it!  Last night, I finally crossed the 50,000-word finish line of my 2014 NaNoWriMo book.  When I started the month, I didn't know how I'd ever be able to get 50,000 words written in just 30 days, but as sure as I am that my name is Sean, I managed to do it in only 20 days!  Wow!

A close friend joked with me when I told her how well I was doing, "Okay, don't brag," and I get that.  I do.  It's just that I'm proud of what I've accomplished, and astonished that it's even possible for anyone to do this.  Some people who participate in NaNoWriMo knock off 100,000 words by the end of the month.  Again--wow!

For those wondering what 50,000 words amounts to, here are some quick facts about my NaNoWriMo book:

1) It's 104 pages long (so far).

2) It's 19 chapters long (so far).

3) The story begins in August, and I'm writing scenes in February right now.  It will end in the summertime again.

I had to put my third book on hold, the final book of the Heaven, Hell, and the Planet In Between series, while I participate in this NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project, but it's okay!  It's just awesome to know I've got so much of a fourth book begun already (or possibly fifth, as this blog series may be published in the fall of 2015).

Anyway, I'm done with the hard part--reaching the 50,000-word mark.  I hope I can knock out a lot more now in the last 10 days of the month, but time will tell...as it always does.

NaNo No-No

November 14, 2014
Day 198

Here's the thing about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month): it's really, really hard. 

As great as I've been doing, I'm hitting a mid-month snag.  It's been a slightly off week for me, and busy too, plus we're going away from Saturday to Monday, so I'm almost definitely going to lose three days now from my writing.

Will I survive?  Of course.  I've already written over 36,000 of my 50,000 goal, so I'm ahead of schedule at the moment, but the part that scares me the most is, I'm basically clicking pause on the high-speed pursuit I've been in so far.

By the time I re-start my NaNoWriMo novel writing next Tuesday, I'll be in a whole new race toward the finish line.

All of that said, I'm in love with my story!  It's about a young, 21-year-old monk living in a monastery, not unlike the one I lived in for over four years.  I started the novel with myself in mind, but quickly began fictionalizing everything.  I use truth all over the place--true settings, true people--but change their names and the details A LOT. 

What's the basic plot?  Well, I don't want to give away too much, but suffice it to say, my young protagonist struggles with his vows.  Poverty's not too hard, Obedience sucks, but he's used to it, and Chastity?  Well, that one's his biggest struggle, and we quickly learn he's not the only one there who's not exactly succeeding in keeping this vow.

The NaNo No-No is to stop the progress at all, and I fear I might need to do some significant writing even while I'm away this weekend, but my heart still gives me a big old "NaNo No Worry!" in response.  Time will tell, as will I.  This is a daily blog after all, so once again, stay tuned...

So how's everything?

This happens all the time in my house. :)

November 9, 2014
Day 193

"So how's everything?"  I get asked this all the time, and I'm sure you've been asked this too many times.  We always give a short answer, maybe really, really short like, "Fine," hoping the person will move on to the next person or topic quickly.  Other times, we'll give a slightly longer answer that might include something about our pet, or house, or job. 

Today I thought I'd just give the significantly longer answers to this question, just in case anyone out there is wondering.  I'm doing this under topics though, so you can jump around however you'd like.

So how's work?
It's fine.  Usual.  I like my job a lot, I like my boss and coworkers a lot, and I'm happy to live so close to work.

So how's writing?
Amazing actually, thanks for asking.  I write my Finishing Forty blog every single day, and now throughout November, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month.  I'm already almost 50% done, which means I've got almost 25,000 words written, and about 50 pages of a Word document completely filled.  I'm very excited!  My third book, the last of the Heaven, Hell, and the Planet In Between series, is on hold just for this month, but I'll get back to it soon.  I've got almost 100 pages of that done now, about 40,000 words' worth, so that's going great so far too.

So how's Andy?
He's good.  You know, the usual.  He and I are going down to D.C. next weekend to visit his Uncle Nilo and buy some of his paintings, so we're looking forward to that, and Andy's flying down to North Carolina for Thanksgiving weekend.  His mom's brother just died about a month ago, so Andy will be with his parents for the holiday, which will be nice.  I'll go and visit his aunt up here on Thanksgiving too.  All's good though.

So how's life?
Life is good.  I can't complain.  Well, I could, but I won't.  I've got plenty of good in my life, so I try not to think too much about the bad.  I mean, I do, but not too often, you know?  So yeah, life is good.

So how's the diet going?
Ugh.  Well, I mean, it's going, and I'm trying hard, but I lost three weeks this summer when my back, knee, and foot were all hurting at the same time, and then I lost two or three weeks because of the wakes, funerals, and jury duty time.  But I'm back at the gym now, and really trying hard to keep working at it all.  It's a constant battle, you know?  I'm starting a Pilates class this week or next too, so I'm really looking forward to that.

So how's the house?
The house is good.  I have to pull down the Halloween decorations now and at least take out the Christmas stuff, even if I don't put it all up yet.  It takes forever to do, so I might start it a little this week before we go away, I'm not sure.  We haven't done any major or even minor projects in a while, so I think I'm due for some projects or renovations right after the holidays.

What about you?  How are you doing?

NaNo No Problem!

November 6, 2014
Day 190

Today is Day 6 of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so I wanted to write a quick update on how I'm doing so far.

The goal is to write 50,000 words of a new novel in just 30 days.  To do that, you've got to write 1,666 words per day.  (There's something very devilish about this number, and can scare you at first, but I've already conquered the system pretty well.)

In fact, after just 5 days (I haven't started yet today), I've written 12,240 words, which means my average has been 2,448 words per day, or 782 words over the average needed.  At that rate, I'll reach my goal in just 20 days' time.  Not bad!

Here's the thing, though.  I know I'll be away for at least three of those days, and that doesn't count Thanksgiving or other busy days between now and then.  So I think that even though I'm well ahead of the game now, so far, I can't rest until I'm done.  This fun challenge has only just begun, and I need to keep pressing on at the best rate I can, just in case.

I think I'm doing pretty damn well so far, and I am!  But just because I've gotten off to a great start doesn't mean I don't still have 37,760 words still left to write!

The novel itself?  It's been really fun to work on.  I don't want to give away too much, but I'll happily share the already-public excerpt I've put up on the NaNoWriMo website:

Particular friendships in the monastery were frowned upon, the term itself a euphemism for anything even remotely crossing the line of friendship into something more.  Cody’s eyes were wide open now as he strained to hear what they were saying, but there was only silence.  Maybe they left again already?  But then he heard it: something he didn’t think in a million years he’d ever hear inside a monastery.  In between a slight rustling of clothes in the hallway, Cody heard the unmistakable sound of a soft, gentle kiss.

Stay tuned!  More updates to come throughout the month!

We take on too much...

I hate memes with errors, but I liked this one enough to use anyway.

November 3, 2014
Day 187

"I take on too much."  "I make my life more difficult than it needs to be."  "I don't pretend to have the busiest life of all, or even the most stressful life of all my closest friends and family, but I do very often find myself surrounded by more stress than needed."

If any of this sounds familiar, you might be an idiot, like me. 

God knows life is stressful enough without making things any more difficult for ourselves, and yet so many of us take on much more than we should.  Whether it's babysitting for your grandkids, running to the supermarket for a friend, or just agreeing to host something at your house, we all do this all the time.  We see what's doable and comfortable, and then we purposely stretch the parameters of our comfort level.

Why?!   Why the hell do we do this to ourselves?!

I think there's a part of us that says, "Challenges are just life's way of proving how great I am."  We take on a new challenge like a fireman takes on a new fire alarm.  We jump to the aid of others, even though we've got our own fires to put out back home.  And very often, these challenges are completely avoidable, too.  We offer our help or services, even when the person asking could easily get someone else to do it. 

For me, I'm often asked to help out with writing or proofreading work for free.  I enjoy helping people, but there are times when I simply cannot do it.  I've already got too much going on, and even if I could squeeze out an hour or more to help someone, I don't feel like it.  I want to finish my 8-hour workday and just relax, not work on a second or third project for someone else.

Do I want to help people?  Of course!  But sometimes, I just can't handle it, and I truly hope people will understand that.  I put an awful lot of guilt on my own shoulders, so I don't need anyone else offering me any more. 

In my personal writing work, I'm doing these blog entries every morning, and then throughout November, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (off to a great start, by the way).  That's 2,000 words a day though right there (1600-something words a day for NaNoWriMo + 400-something on average in these blog entries).  You try it!  I enjoy these kinds of challenges, but that doesn't make them easy.

And again, especially to all those mothers and strugglers of all kinds out there, I do not mean to compete with you for who's stressed out more.  I simply vent and write this here to sympathize with your plight, and hope you'll do the same for me.  I take on too much, and many of you take on too much too.  So let's all just try not to do that so much in the future!  Let's try to just understand that our friends and family members often have a lot on their plates too, and won't be able to do everything we need them to do. 

Agreed?  Good!

If you think someone needs this reminder, give them a gentle hint
by sharing this on your social media!

NaNoWriMo

November 1, 2014
Day 185

National
Novel
Writing
Month

It begins today, and lasts throughout the month of November.  I won't be updating you on my progress much, but rest assured, it'll be on my mind for the next 30 days.  I have to complete 50,000 words of a new novel in the month of November, and though no one's forcing me into this, I am happy to take it on!

So for the next 30 days, work on my third book will probably cease completely as I work on this completely new project.  I have a general idea what it'll be about, as the idea's been with me for quite a while, but what exactly will happen?  I have no clue.  Yay!

If YOU aren't interested in taking up this challenge, but have always been interested in writing more, why not take this opportunity to pen a short story during November, or maybe a few new poems?  Take advantage of the fact that a whole lot of writing is going on right now, to tap into the muses already flying this way and that.  Pick your dream topic, and start typing today.  Or tomorrow.  Or the day after that.  But aim for today!  Aim for right now!  Start with a sentence, then build into a paragraph before finishing a page.  It's that simple.  And don't forget the golden rule: write now, edit later.

Your voice is your own, and your story deserves to be told.  Tell it.  Find it, write it, share it.  Because until you do, it'll still just be sitting there trapped in the dungeons of your brain.

Free your creativity once and for all, and start writing, with me, today!