NaNoWriMo 2019 Week 1 and 2

First, thank you so much for all of your words of love, encouragement, and support.  It all has helped to bring light to my heart in the sad moments and on the hard days.

Day 1- Recovery day from the trip to Daytona and spending the day with my family and remembering my Papa.

Day 2- 3,111 words- the playlist I made is completely wrong for the project, which was a bummer to find out after sitting down to start writing after a very emotionally draining week.  But, my husband was playing guitar in the basement as I wrote, and that was lovely.  When I can find the energy to recreate the playlist, I will, but for now, I’m writing without one.

Day 3- 1,916 words- I’m caught up on my word count, though I’m not in my groove yet. Usually, I get into the story and I’m pushing at cracks as I go along, thinking of the way my characters are speaking to each other and wondering what the hidden agenda is behind their words or thinking of how my characters are reacting and pushing to unlock their motivations behind their actions. Right now, it’s enough of a journey to be getting the words on the page and begin the challenge. My heart is still reluctantly moving on, because of the pain of losing my Papa. It sounds silly and childish, and selfish, but my heart wants to go back to the before world, where he was still in it. But when I feel that thought taking hold, I think about the 93 years he enjoyed on this earth and the legacy of love, determination, kindness, laughter, and hope he created that my family thrives on. And in that, I find some peace. Tomorrow will be easier.

Day 4- 1,843 words- it’s a very funny thing, but the general mechanics of why my world is setup the way that it is, are not as important as I thought they were going to be. I jumped in and focused solely on the sisters, how they’re surviving, and the threats that they are facing and the reasons I had come up with for why the world was structured the way that it was just aren’t right anymore. 🤦🏻‍♀️ But, that’s OK. I am setting up the major problem the sisters will have to face that will lead to catastrophe. I knew this moment would need to happen to set up the big moment and I’m glad it came about now and the way it wound up on the page. It shows more of the relationship of the girls and the problem they face more than I thought it would. Today was an easier writing day.

Day 5- 1,816- I knew what scenes I wanted to be in this chapter and what I was trying to illustrate here, but I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out. I don’t feel like I’m driving this story, which is good, but I also don’t feel like I’ve been invited to sit in the vehicle as it goes, which is not so good. Ugh.

Day 6- 1,963 words- surpassed 10,000 words today- hooray!  Tomorrow will finish the first act of the story. Mostly, that surprises me. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t write the first day, if it’s because I didn’t complete all of the pre-writing activities I normally do, or what, but it feels like it’s going by so quick. I haven’t felt any pull toward working on the soundtrack, which surprises me too, but I’m not pushing it. Instead, I wrote some notes for the next few chapters that are beginning to take shape in my brain so I don’t lose my ideas.

Day 7- 1,872- ugh. Just ugh. That was rough, but it’s done. The end of act 1 and onto act 2. But first, tea, a favorite book, and rest. I’m feeling brittle and I need to be gentle with myself.

Day 8- 1,888- today felt better. I have had to take a step back mentally and remind myself that what I am producing is not a final draft. It is the furthest thing from a final draft. Reevaluating the writing I’ve done the past couple of days, yesterday most specifically, I can then know that what I wrote will be completely redone to show rather than tell what’s happening. A day like yesterday will wind up being more like notes to myself of what I want to see happening, what the characters are going to go through, and what they’re going to feel. Today I moved my main character through the world after the big bad accident of act one that will change the trajectory of her and her sister’s lives. It feels good to begin to see how she’s going to figure all of that out and how her character is going to move forward. It’s also the very beginning of the sneaky entrance of a character that I can’t wait to get on the page. This is the one who still, even now as he’s beginning to make his way into the story, will not give up his name. Today I also completed my word count at a local bookstore surrounded by other writers taking on the challenge, and that was so very lovely!

Day 9- 1,721- today was a struggle again. I did take the time yesterday to write out scene notes for days nine through seventeen and that was helpful. I’m trying to figure out all the things that need to happen each day to make my way to the big bad that will end the second act and launch my sisters into the third. I know where and how some things will happen, but not the rest. I just keep putting the words down on the page, one after the other, trying to enjoy when the writing scoops me up and carries me along and then create my own momentum when I feel like I’m walking through mud. It’s happening, I’m over a thousand words ahead of where I need to be in order to finish on time, and I am getting the ideas on the page.

Day 10- 2,013- today was much, much better. I listened to my playlist from my last novel, which I think I will wind up merging with the playlist I created for this novel and just call it my inspiration playlist for now. I wrote about a place the sister’s go, that one created without the other knowing, and then took that lovely moment and slammed it up against what they are fighting to get away from. But, they need this, the dance between the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult. That is life and this is what they are facing in their world. I’m supposed to be bringing in my character who has been hiding behind the scenes (who FINALLY has a name!) on day 12, but I think he’s going to make his appearance tomorrow. He’s been a reason that my main character is not completely falling apart and behind, though she hasn’t met him yet, and I think that needs to happen tomorrow. It too will be a problematic introduction and relationship and journey, which is why it needs to start being woven into the story now.

Total word count: 18,143.

What are you writing about right now, be it Nanowrimo or not?  How’s your latest project going?  If you are doing Nanowrimo, how’s that going and what’s been the hardest, most surprising, exciting this so far?  If you’re not, what’s been the hardest, most surprising, exciting thing to happen in your current work-in-progress lately?

Happy Writing!