I did it!

This year, like every year, I told myself that this was the year I was going to actually finish the story, but it proved to be difficult. I did not like my story one bit. But funny enough, I think that helped me. Instead of rushing through it, giving myself a writer's burn out by the end of the month, I paced myself. Every day was a struggle to get words on paper, which meant that I thought more about where to go and what my characters would be up to next. There were still a few surprises along the way, but no elaborate ones like the years before when the story went completely off one end and it took me at least two days to get it back to where I wanted it. Great for word count, but not so great to keep the story going.

Anyyywayyy...

Last night, just after midnight and with little under 24 hours to go, I finished my story. Finished it. It's crap, the end seems rushed, but that's beside the point. I finished the story, and did it in 51005 words.

I did it and I'm soooo proud!

Nanowrimo

Just ten more writing days, people. Can you believe it? Just ten more!

Nanowrimo has not been that great for me this year. I have already had 3 days of no writing at all, and I am not in love with my story. Every day I sit down to write feels like a chore, and it shouldn't. But I can't help it. My story sucks, and I'm trying to change it bit by bit every day to try and turn it into something I might end up falling in love with, but so far, no luck.

But... and this is the strange part... I think this is why it is going so 'well'. Well in the sense that I have already reached the 50,000 words, like previous years. Well in the sense that I am pacing myself, taking the time to think about what I am writing, planning more as I go along. I am hopeful that this year, my actual story will be finished by the time I reach the 50,000 or maybe it will just take a few hundred more words, not a ten or twenty thousand more.

There have not been any crazy detours, no tricks to boost up my word count, nothing like that. And now that I am working on the laptop rather than the main PC, I can lean back in the pillows instead of sitting on a stool that is slightly too high for the desk, leaving me with major back pains.

It's all good. I will survive Nanowrimo, and the story will too for a change. Just ten more days!

Books, books, books

Nanowrimo has started. Yes! Finally! This year I did not do what I normally do, which is start at midnight on Halloween, I was too tired from a long day shopping and then all those trick or treaters at the door. So I started this afternoon and finished my first chapter at 2491 words. I'm happy.

I keep my notes in a notebook. Due to my lack of preparation this year, I'm using a simple spiral notebook, ruled. Ruled! I hate ruled pages! If I had prepared like I normally do, I would have searched for a lovely book, a notebook I would proudly take everywhere, a notebook I would cuddle, stroke the pages of in anticipation of the words that would soon fill it.

A book like the ones My Handbound Books makes, perhaps. They look absolutely gorgeous!

Did I mention Christmas is coming up, and that my birthday is on December 30th? Hmmmmmm.......

Nanowrimo

Two weeks from now, November madness, otherwise known as Nanowrimo, starts again.

Nanowrimo stands for (inter-)NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth, and the objective is to write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days!

Sounds crazy? Oh yes! Sounds fun? Absolutely!

This will be my 5th year of doing Nanowrimo, and I've reached that goal ('won Nanowrimo', as everyone who reaches the goal is a winner in Nanowrimo's book) every time, even before the month was over. I don't have much problems writing 50,000 words that don't even make sense half the time, no, it's finishing the actual story that's my problem. I write way more than the daily target, burning myself out completely by the end of the goal, so I don't even look back at the story.... I tell myself every year that this will be the year I actually finish it, but.. oh well.... But let's not go on and on about it, right?

Why would any sane person want to do this? Because you always wanted to write a novel, but never got round to it. Because you like to challenge yourself. Because although writing is a lonely job to do, having a forum with people doing the exact same thing at the exact same time will keep you going. Because you like competing, even though that's not the main goal of Nanowrimo. Because you're mad about writing. Because you're mad, period.

Come and join Nanowrimo, and look me up. I'm Eveline_uk on there. See you in November!

Creative Challenge, day 15

Yes, YES, I've been keeping myself busy with the Creative Challenge, I just haven't been updating my blog. I know, bad bad me!

Let's see... What have I been doing?

I've turned my Art Journal page in the post below into four ACEOs, two of which are currently in my Etsy Shop.
I wrote little stories about them in my Flickr description, which I think counts as being 'creative', right?
I started a separate sketchbook come art journal thingy for my birds and other characters, just in case I will go ahead and turn it into a children's book or something....

I also finished my first spread in my Art Journal for the Round Robin we're doing, and I have to say I feel so much better for it! Now I 'only' have to do another spread and I can send it off to the first one on my list!

And last night, as I was struggling to think of anything to do (my sweet Love was already asleep and I did not feel like painting with just a small light on), I went to the The Dreamy Giraffe's blog, and found a link that got my writing juices flowing straight away. Six word stories! I had no idea you could write a story using just six words!

So I wrote these last night:

'Kebab man knows: chicken, salad, mayo'

'Staring at ceiling. Mister Sandman? Please?!'

And today I am writing more. I'm loving it. It's the complete opposite of Nanowrimo where the objective is to write a novel of 50,000 words, so you'll end up using 'fluffer words' in order to get to your daily target, but I do like these six word stories.

And on this site, you can submit your own!

I won Nanowrimo SALE!

Like I said in my previous post, I won Nanowrimo! And I am so very proud of it!
Proud, but exhausted, I slept till 12 today, but I figured that after typing 8000 words in one evening, I was allowed....

Now... To celebrate, I figured a sale would do nicely...

So if you put 'Nanowrimo' in the note to seller, or convo me this magic word, you will get a 10% discount on your purchase, shipping not included.

Help me celebrate! Buy my stuff. ;)

Done!

Just now, I reached over 50K... I've been writing like mad, really, like mad... I've been writing 5000 words a day, and just now I have been writing for 6 hours straight. Mental, I know. Though 'straight' is maybe the wrong word, I have been on forums as well....

The story is not finished yet, it needs at least 20K more, but then, I've got lots more days in the month left to do that...

But I think I will take tomorrow off.............