NaNo Update

Blah.

Not doing so hot. I've written 14,670 words (a little less than 69 double-spaced pages). I've made it to Chapter Four and am finally introducing the antagonist. Too late? Too bad! Whether I keep the preceding chapters as they are or not, I needed to write them in this order. I needed things laid out and ordered in such a way that the unfolding story would make sense not only to the reader, but to me.

I just wish the words were coming a bit easier, but they're not. Each scene feels like its being coerced into existence.

And, yes, I know I'm supposed to allow myself to write crap. I'm supposed to let whatever unfolds onto the page simply unfold. No deleting. No revising. No reworking things.

Yeah. I don't write that way. Not even when I want to.

I've got a few hours before bedtime. I'm not going to set a word limit goal tonight, but I'm going to try to keep myself planted in front of the keyboard for at least an hour before allowing myself to enjoy some mind-numbing television.

New Moon

Coordinating schedules is never easy, but somehow we managed it. Me, my sisters, one of my sisters-in-law, and my best friend found babysitters, change in the bottom of our purses, and a couple hours in which we could indulge in some vampire and werewolf make-believe.

The movie was pretty much what I expected it to be. After all, I've read the books. I know I can't stand Bella. And Edward is only slightly more tolerable. Jacob, though, is a different matter entirely. Of all the characters in Meyers' world, Jacob is by far the most well-developed, complex personality. In some ways, I feel like Meyers really told his story and not Bella's, she just didn't know it. The resolution of his story arc was the only thing I found redeeming in the entire series.

Okay, so I'm definitely "Team Jacob".

It's my prerogative.

The movie certainly didn't change my mind. I found the special effects wonderful. The transformation from human to werewolf...yummy. Of course, there were certain tensions that the unread viewer wouldn't realize they were missing, but their absence didn't detract from the movie.

Slow Moving

I've written 8,271 words so far on my NaNo project. I'm still falling short of the daily word count goals, but I'm not freaking out about it too much. I'm writing every day. That's huge.

What's funny, though, is how my writing is getting interrupted while I'm at home. My laptop has been taken over by minors!

For those of you who don't know, I signed both of my boys up for the Youth Program. I thought they might enjoy writing a story that wouldn't be graded or dissected in the quest to identify mistakes in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. I was right! They are enjoying it. My youngest has written over 500 (yes, five hundred!) words already on his story, The Dark Pokemon. My oldest, who started late, has kicked out a little over 800 words in just a few days on The Last Battle. (As you might have guessed, both stories are Pokemon fan fiction.)

Picture taken with Hubby's iPhone

Watching them cruise right along makes me realize just how picky I am about what I leave on the page. It's ridiculous when you stop and think that I'm supposed to be writing the world's suckiest rough draft. Despite knowing better, I find myself wanting to "get it right". This means fixing things that shouldn't be fixed until the revision stage. I am my own worst enemy!

Still, even with my inability to just let go and write whatever swill comes to mind, I'm confident I can still reach 50K. Why? Well, I'm taking a week's vacation! The only day I will not be able to write during that week is November 26, Thanksgiving day. Although, honestly, if the guys are going to watch football, maybe I'll try sneaking in a paragraph or two.

If I can keep the laptop away from the kids.

Word Count Meter Update

4885 / 50000 words. 10% done!

Still a long way to go..but I've made some progress today.