So I won this year......

 As if you had to ask won what? Won Nanowrimo, of course. November is the month that everything explodes for me, working retail. That, my friends is the worst time to promise to write 50000 words. Like, if I get to work and my underpants aren't on my head its a win. Plus this year my computer died, and, well,  we accidentally elected a Nazi thug to the White House. I mean, this year November was just like living all the other months of this year in four weeks. Right? I know I'm not the only one that felt like.

Yet, it turns out, in spite off all these things, I made my word count. I wrote in my notebook, because my computer was out of commission--though it's fixed now, thank gods. And Brian. But for a couple of weeks there, I was scribbling fragments of things. Just a little bit here and there. I couldn't see my novel,because it wasn't backed up---stop yelling at me! It is now, for sure. But since I couldn't refer back to what I'd done, I think it forced me to think in different directions. It led me places I hadn't planned on going. This was amazing. I began to see the characters as new people. I got interested in what would happen next again. 

I started to type in all the bits the last week, and I was amazed at how many words I had. I realized not only could I make it this year for the first time in years, that I had more things to say now that I had more things down on paper. I had a whole middle part of the novel. 

So I made it. The novel isn't finished, but it's on the path. And while the last month of this year doesn't look like much fun, I have this one small piece of life that is moving forward. And it's headed somewhere that I'm looking forward to going. The bad guys will be punished, the good guys will live happy. I can see it coming, and it's something I can look forward to. The world's still a mess, but my world, the one that lives behind my eyes? It's keeping me okay again. Giving me a reason to get through work, and get to the notebook. I'm grateful for that. 

So what happened with your Nano's? Even if you didn't make your word count, what's the thing you're most happy with? Wanna talk about novels? 

So, about that book......

Later, in a few days, I'm going to tell you about all the success my friends are having. This year is going to be exciting. Everybody I  know has a book coming out. And you should read them all. I've read most of them, and I'm telling you that you don't want miss them. 
But that's the next post. This post is going to be about what's happening in my world. So, fair warning, you might want to turn back now. 
Here's what happened with Nano. My dad broke his arm. Well, we didn't know it was broken then, because the Doctor missed it on the ex-rays. Anyway, Nano, nope. 
I gave up. I admit it. But I didn't give up on the book.  I couldn't.  I didn't bang out 50,000 words in those thirty days, but I kept trying to move forward. I have always felt like I write so slowly I could do it with my own blood and not injure myself. That's gotten more and more frustrating, but as I look at the manuscript, I have made progress. 
So, here's what I'm saying. This is the year all my friends have books. Next year's mine. So I'm going to keep you updated on my progress, as well as everybody else's, because, well, I want to.
m

The Night Was Not-nano edition

My first frantic post of Nano. I said I wouldn't do it again. Never. Not this year when I'm so busy, not while my Dad's health is so bad. I don't need the preassure of watching the word count spiral away from me. But I am doing it, despite all that. My goal is less about the word count and more about reaching the end this time. I want to see these characters through to their happy--or not --ending.
Wish me luck.

One of those End of the Year posts

I don't really know what to say about this last year. I spent it buried, the same way I'll spend this year, I expect. I didn't have a lot of writing sales last year, and by not a lot, I mean none. That's the danger of writing novels, isn't it?

I'm about 80 pages from the end of The Night Was Not, and that makes me feel....  I don't know how it makes me feel. Exhilarated. frightened and tired, in turns. Much like the characters in that book, I've been standing on this ledge for a while, and I can't decide what the next move will be. Like the main character, I know what I want to happen, but also like Kerry, I'm frightened that what I want and what is to be aren't the same things.

But the end is coming, I can feel it in every word.

As for the other big project I worked on last year, Iron Moon, well, the end is not so near on that one. The lesson I learned with Nano was that I simply need to let those characters live in my head a while longer before I'm comfortable enough to trust them with the story. I spent too much time trying to make them do what I wanted last year. I decided that the only reason I wrote so slowly was that I was slow. Now I realize that there's more to it than that. Oh, yes, I'm still working on the serial to put on th blog, and no, I don't trust the circumstances of my life enough to simply post the first part without having written to the end. Sorry. But soon. 

Really, the new year came in just the nick of time for me. This is the year of finishing, I'm sure of it.
m

This is where I fail

This is the year I flunk out of Nano. Yes, it's true. I like the idea of winning, of pushing through those fifty thousand words and putting them up on the website. There's something so satisfying about seeing the little word counter fill up.
But that won't be happening this year. I've accepted it. I could give excuses. I have work, I have family, and family and family.....  But that's not it.
No, it's that my story wants to do something else. It wants to be more than the simple if A happens, then B will happen and that will cause C story. It wants to require more thinking, and more careful writing. Sigh. Damn it. Careful writing is hard. So I've slowed down. I've added characters. I have even been thinking about putting some of it on this blog for you all to tell me what you think.

Narin unlocked his door and sat down on the couch, reaching for his acoustic guitar. He chorded it softly, fingers just ghosting whispers from the strings. He didn't want this, especially not now.

His fingers wandered to minor chords when he thought of James. He had a darkness all his own that Narin couldn't help wanting to save him from.

He barely noticed his fingers slowing, growing heavy. His eyelids began to close, despite his struggle to keep them open, and the paralysis in his fingers crept through his arms to the rest of his body til he felt as though he was made of stone. No, he thought, just barely able to keep his eyes slitted. The guitar was gently teased from his hands, and his narrow strip of sight was filled with his Lord's razor cut glass features.

It wore a beautiful human glamour. Somewhere in Narin's mind he thought that made perfect sense. It had dressed for the occasion. Narin tried to raise his arm to defend himself, but he couldn’t move now. “Don't.” he forced it out.

It spoke, voice like honey against Narin's skin. “Don't what? Don't hurt you? Don't retrieve my property? Special boy, cleverest pet, I can't do either of these things now.”

Narin saw the colors of it's words change from clover honey to thousand year old amber. His Lord leaned close enough to feel it's breath on his face. Narin tried to struggle, but he couldn't even scream.

So, Nano this year gave e stuff like that. I guess I can't really complain. Let me know what you think.
m

Nanowrimo

It's November, and I think we all know what that means. Yes, it's the beginning of the holiday retail season, and Nanowrimo. Two things that I don't really look forward to.

Why not? Well, holiday shopping makes me feel, as Charles De Lint says, "Laid low by an ill will." All I can really do is try not to make it my ill will. This year is my twentieth Christmas at the bookstore and the last few have been killers. But a day job's a day job, right? And if I had to sell shoes, or pet food, how much more awful would it be? At least this way I get to touch books.

And Nano? Well, it's November, isn't it? It's dark when you get up at four am to get your pages in. And cold, actually. So why do it? Because I need to finish things.  Because I need to get stuff done and moving out of my hard drive. Nano makes me crazy because of the pressure of a fake deadline, but it also gives me a goal that's out side of my head.

So let me tell you about my Nano project. Iron Moon. Werewolves and fairies. More later on that.  Because I should really get some words in....  Right?