This was a rough week for a number of reasons. The holiday, extra dogsitting, and two extra (paid) writing projects. Obviously, something had to give, and this week that was Nano, unfortunately. I’m still in a place where I could win, so keep going, wherever you are. Remember you had 0 words at the beginning and now look what you have!
DAY 19: no words
DAY 20: no words
DAY 21: 4,367, which just goes to show that when I sit down and do a thing, I can do a lot. Hit 30K!
DAY 22: 162
DAY 23: no words. It was Thanksgiving and I had been working really hard on my other writing projects, so I gave myself the day off.
DAY 24: 2,224 Woohoo!
DAY 25: no words
Don’t forget the CREATIVE COLLECTIVE, open to all THURSDAY THE 30th. Message me for the ZOOM link.
It’s been hard to talk about the process and my story because they are both kind of off the rails. Usually, when I hit a snag I free-write or type whatever comes to mind, and while I’ve done some of that, I’ve been trying to stay on topic for most of this project. It’s been harder and the words haven’t been flowing as freely.
DAY 6: a slow day for writing, but I still managed 1,121
DAY 7: 1,981 words during the live stream…almost made it to 2k
DAY 8: Buffer Day but still crossed 2k at 2,002
DAY 9: I hit the dreaded “muddy middle” but still managed 797
DAY 10: I rocked it with 2,074. The stream helped
DAY 11: My intention was to hit 20k and I just missed it.
I’m getting my stickers caught up and trying to rally for the end of the month. How do you get through the muddy middle?
Join the Creative Collective this month for two special Nanowrimo-themed check-ins. All are welcome. Message me for the ZOOM link.
I made a list of the last 5 things I need to do before NANO starts, and I should have them all accomplished by midnight so I can open a new document and begin again…
1. Grocery List
I made a grocery list early in the month that I need to transfer to my phone
(pro tip: always keep your grocery list on your phone)
It’s full of nutritious and delicious snacks and meal ingredients for November. What are your NaNoWriMo essentials?
2. Research
This is it. the last little bit of looking stuff up or making notes on characters, settings, plot, and world. From here on out there will be nothing but writing forward, heedless of typos and technical difficulties. We will get the words.
3. Character Questionnaires
I need to go over these one more time. Last chance to fill in the blanks. It’s the part of prepping I hate most, so I tend to put it off, but they can be invaluable when I get stuck. If you want a copy, CONTACT ME.
4. Outline
Outline is another fill-in-the-blanks game, and I should have all the plot gaps sewn up before midnight tonight. Of course, they might not do any good…
It will be interesting to see how this month’s outline stacks up to the November 1st deluge. I can never predict what will happen when I start writing, but I will have all the plot points in place just in case.
Last chance to do all the writing things that are not writing.
5. Rewards
NaNoWriMo can probably be done without rewards, but I don’t recommend it. I have a system in place to reward myself every 10,000 words. The one I’m most excited about? Probably my Etsy cart. What about you? Do you reward yourself? Maybe a chocolate every 1667 words? Sounds pretty good, right?
I’m still slogging through PREPTOBER resources and NANOWRIMO prep materials. I’m doing all the prep I can so that I have no excuse not to write in November. I should have everything researched, thought out, plotted, and planned by midnight on the 31st.
It’s a lot of not-writing that is part of writing
The good news is I’m excited about the writing part; the drafting that comes next and will be part of my life for the 30 days of November.
I don’t like to wish my life away, but I am ready to write. Sometimes the prep gets boring and I’m ready to dive in. I’m practicing my patience too. What about you? Do you PREPTOBER? What are you doing with your time before November?
Are you writing this year? Friend me on the nano site!
I’m linseyte. [be sure to tell me who you are!]
Need help? I’ve got some open slots in November and I’d love to answer your questions
Did you know I coach newbie writers through making a routine? November is a great time to start. Are you up for the challenge? CONTACT ME to learn more.
That’s all this week…maybe until it starts…we’ll see. Have fun prepping.
It’s OCTOBER and that means NaNoWriMo PREPtober is here.
Preptober is a time when I get ready to do the hard work of writing a novel in a month for NaNoWriMo.
My Preptober got off to a great start. I’ve already worked my way through one planner. I’ve been using Sarra Cannon’s Preptober Planners for a couple of years now, and I think they’re comprehensive without being overly complicated. Check out her YouTube Channel and mailing list to get them.
I had two story ideas, so I decided to combine them. It’s not that they’re exact opposites, but they both involve created worlds that I think I can manage to sew together. What will happen? Maybe a pile of junk. Maybe nothing. We’ll see.
Next, I’m working on the Character Questionnaires, which, I think, are the worst part of prepping yet the most helpful when I’m stuck in the writing phase. I have 8 characters I’m prepping so that could take a while. CONTACT ME for a copy.
As for my goals, I’ve mapped out my NaNoWriMo strategy and I know my working days and times. I think I’m ready.
My favorite parts of Preptober:
Downloading a new planner and filling it out.
Prepping my time and space to write
Mulling over my story idea(s)
My least favorite parts:
All the paperwork
Waiting for NaNo to begin.
That’s my first Preptober update. Stay tuned for more.
Could you see the ending coming? Are you intrigued? Confused? Satisfied?
Can you guess the four prompts that led to that story? Here they are!
What’s next?
I’m extending the offer. Comment with four random words, images, or prompts, and I will write you a story here on the blog.
Next up: PREPTOBER
It’s that time of year again.
NANOWRIMO is just around the corner.
What are you doing to get ready?
I’m planning to follow the rules and start typing on Day 1, but I’m still prepping another novel in October in case that’s the one I want to work on in November. I’d love to hear your thoughts about Justine or your projects upcoming. Just leave a comment below.
Inside the box was a girl’s wonderland. Dolls and ponies and makeup and nail polish, long ago dried up. Little girl’s toys and all the latest fads from the last decade maybe more. It was all brand new. A pink CD player and a couple of unopened CDs of the kind of kids bop little girls dance to. A bead kit for making bracelets. A stuffed rabbit and a pink teddy bear. Little notebooks with rainbows and shiny raindrops. Coloring books. A cash register set with cash and coins. Shoe-tying games. A doctor kit. A tea set. A science kit. Perfume spray. Hair accessories. Everything a girl could want from toddler to teen.
Justine wondered vaguely how much all this stuff had cost and how much it was worth altogether. What was this stuff? Why did he have it? What in the world? She put the box down on the bed.
She started to dig. Not everything was unused. Little things: erasers, small stuffed animals dingy with love, chewed-on pencils with smiley faces and rainbows. Near the bottom was a pile of construction paper art and cards for various occasions. This was some little girl’s stuff. A real little girl. This was…she opened one of the cards…her stuff. JUSTINE it said in little girl’s handwriting, big capital letters with a heart dotting the I. She thought she remembered it, though who could tell. Still. She had no doubt this was a box of stuff saved from and then bought for her.
Justine sat down very slowly on the edge of the bed, the stack of papers in hand.
Everything became still. She could hear the dishwasher sloshing in the other room. Her heartbeat was in her ears. She felt sweat popping out on her forehead. She flipped to the front of the card. Sure enough. Father’s Day. From one of the good years then. She felt suddenly angry. How dare he? Her mind went through a list of a million things he had missed. All the things. She didn’t even remember him, he’d been gone that long, and all this time he’d been, what, hoarding stuff for her? Waiting for her? What?
She shuffled through more papers. Many were blank birthday cards but a few had writing in them. “Wish I could be there” “Love you bunches” “Growing up so fast!” As far as she knew, as far as her mother had told her, he’d left and never looked back. She found herself wondering if he had a different story. It looked as though he did. He’d lived here, how long? Ages she thought, and never made contact?
Why hadn’t she known her father was less than 20 minutes away her entire life? Thinking about her. Wanting to see her. She felt the tears welling up again.
Was it her fault? Had she believed blindly and missed an opportunity to know him? Was he a jerk who walked out on his family? Someone who loved and missed his daughter? Something else entirely. She didn’t know. Couldn’t know.
Justine heaved a heavy sigh. She tossed the papers back into the box. She still had the bathroom to clean and she felt wiped of energy. Maybe if she took a nap. She didn’t like the idea of staying here that long, but she shrugged it off. It would be ok, she thought, just 20 minutes. Technically this was her place until the end of the month, and she would have to drive home in the dark no matter what. She set the timer on her phone, grabbed her coat from the other room, and spread it on the bare mattress. She crawled onto the bed and lay down on her coat. After a moment, she sat up, pulled the stuffed rabbit from the box, and cuddled it.
She started in the living area. Dusting and wiping down the surfaces. She fluffed the couch pillows and vacuumed the spare carpet. Then she moved to the eating area and kitchen. Wiping down the table and countertops. Putting the few dishes in the dishwasher and setting that running. Rinsing the sink. Dusting the blinds and wiping out the fridge. Mopping the floor. She made good time.
She took a break before tackling the bedroom, resting with her back against the kitchen bar. She thought she’d feel more. Thought this would be harder.
She pulled the sheets from the bed with one tug and stuffed them into a garbage bag. She shimmied around the mattress, which was nearly the size of the whole room, and dumped the contents of his nightstand drawers without examining them. She shimmied around to the other side of the bed and did the same with those drawers. Then she hit the bathroom. Everything went into the trash. She’d come back and give it a scrub after she finished with the bedroom.
Just the closet left. There was no other furniture. Justine opened the door and was overwhelmed with a powerful scent. It was a mixture of cologne, sweat, mothballs, and something else. Something both familiar and distantly dangerous. Strange man.
Justine inhaled deeply. She shook herself out of her reverie and retrieved a fresh garbage bag. Many of the shirts and trousers looked old and out of fashion, but she couldn’t in good conscience throw clothes away when so many went without. She passed a homeless shelter every day on her way to work,. She’d drop his things off there.
As she came back into the bedroom, she once again noticed the smell. His smell. It had to be. She didn’t know it, but it meant something to her all the same, and she realized she was crying. Slow tears leaked down her cheeks.
Justine wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of one of his shirts. She had been sitting on the bare mattress, clutching his things and crying for the past half hour. No chance of leaving before dark now. She stuffed the last of the clothes into the garbage bag on top of the shoes and tied it off.
She was about to close the closet door when she remembered the top shelf. She was shorter than most men, who would find that shelf an easy reach. Now that she looked up there she was sure she saw the edge of a box when she stood back and on her tiptoes. She dragged a chair from the eating area into the bedroom and pulled down a big and surprisingly heavy box
There was no name or writing. It was folded shut in such a way that the contents weren’t visible without opening it. It was dusty. No telling how long it had been up there. A long time.
litewings.ink 