NiFiHeNoMo Update Number Two [AKA Woo Hoo!]
Today I feel amazing!
In April I set a goal to complete an 80,000 word novel. On November 1st, I challenged myself to write 30,000 words in 30 days in order to reach that goal. Well here it is, November 25th and I've officially passed the 80,000!
I am excited and proud, but I still have work to do. That's right. The number is there, but I have another chapter and a half to write before I'm finished.
Now does this mean that I can't have a 'Woohoo Moment'? Heck no! I am woohoo-ing it up over here!
WOO HOO!
For months I have been daydreaming about finishing the first draft so that I can finally start editing. I have a feeling that editing is going to be fun, fun fun! I'm sure it sounds as though I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not at all. I really am looking forward to the process. It may just be the under utilized English major in me speaking, though. We'll see.
It's Thanksgiving week and we have family coming to town, but hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in an hour or two to work on the book. No one will notice if I disappear when the game is on, right?
Have you reached or almost reached a long term goal? How did you do it? Comment below and let me know.
Scene Stealers #16
I was a little hesitant. A little nervous. But I finally did it.
After watching others publicly participate in writing prompt exercises I have finally taken the leap myself! I was always amazed at how willingly the writers put themselves out there and admittedly a little jealous.
Not anymore!
Write to Done has their own version of writing prompt exercises called Scene Stealers. They provide the first two lines of the work and limit you to 350 words. The rest is up to you!
I wasn't having a very good day with my novel so I decided to take a break. I figured that I would just see how it goes. Well, within 10 minutes I had written and posted my entry onto the site.
And yes, I posted it quickly as to not lose my nerve.
Anyhow here are the starting lines that we were given:
“He pushed the door open and went in. It was the last thing he expected.”
Following is what I came up with:
He pushed the door open and went in. It was the last thing he expected. The room was filled with rolling racks laden with sparkly gowns and women’s lingerie. Stiletto heels lined the walls. To his left was a table full of accessories and makeup.
“Behind that door is my payback,” she had said.
He had smirked at her knowing that there was nothing she would be able to think of that he couldn’t handle. After all at this school he was king and she was nothing.
Sure, Principal Jones took her stupid side in this whole thing, but he knew deep down that she was only doing it to seem politically correct. She knew as much as he did, hell as much as everyone did that Darlene was a total lesbian. So what was the big deal about using a Sharpie on her locker to advertise it? Gay pride, right?
“Darlene gets to choose your punishment.” Principal Jones had said and he was relieved. So much so that he gave Darlene a wink as he exited the office.
He was annoyed that she waited so long to come up with her payback. Even more annoyed that she waited until the day of prom. He was anxious to get it over with so he could start getting ready. He was a lock for Prom King and having the head cheerleader on his arm only bolstered his excitement.
Slowly the realization started to hit him and all of the excitement began to melt away.
He had waited anxiously for a prom that he would never forget and it seemed that Darlene was going to make his dream come true.
All I knew going in was that I wanted a male character to walk into a room full of women's clothing. I honestly had no idea where the story was going to go, but I like where it ended up. Are there things that make me wish I would have spent more than 10 minutes on it? Of course, but it doesn't diminish the pride I have in taking a tangible first step in putting myself out there.
The variety in how others treated the lines is pretty amazing. You can check out the other entries or join in on the fun here. [Scroll down to the comments section].
Do you participate in writing prompt exercises? Am I the only one out there scared to put myself out there? Comment below!
NiFiHeNoMo Update!
So after a shaky start to Niko Finishes Her Novel Month [NiFiHeNoMo] I am proud to update that I am ahead of schedule on my 30,000 words in 30 days mission.
As proud as I am, I have to admit that I'm a little embarrassed to say that it has not been due to me diligently sitting at my laptop and banging out at least 1000 words a day. Nope. Since I made the decision to take on this endeavor my mind has been all over the place. Sitting at my laptop and actually focusing on my novel was proving to be agonizing. The words and scenes weren't coming to me. Anything I did write was so forced that it was borderline depressing. All I wanted to do was check my Instagram, read other blogs, or finish reading Allegiant.
Then I finally decided to try something that I had been avoiding: The Timer Method.
Any book or article you read about writing or being productive in general will, at some point, tout the benefits of setting a timer and concentrating solely on the task at hand until you hear the ding. It wasn't that I didn't believe these experts, it was just that I knew how my mind worked and I truly didn't believe it would work for me. Essentially my mind is a brat that doesn't like to be told what to do...obviously....
Full disclosure: I was scared. Scared that I wouldn't have the discipline that I needed to not search #TheWalkingDead on Twitter when I should be in the cocoon of the timer. I didn't want to fail because falling on such a small level could lend itself to me believing I could and would fail on the grander scale.
Yes, I know. I can be pretty dramatic.
Fortunately I sucked it up and told myself to grow a pair.
The first day using the timer method I did 3 one hour stints. By the end of that third hour I had written 4025 words. For someone who's been hitting 1000-2000 words a day lately I was beyond thrilled. The screen grab above was taken on November 10th, not only pushing me ahead of my total word count goals, but also surpassing my daily word count record.
I can't say exactly what it is about using a timer that pushed me beyond my limits to numbers that I never knew I could reach in a day. I can say that it almost became like a game. I started to enjoy challenging myself when I would look up and see how much time I had left. I would also try to have a larger word count with each hourly stint.
It also didn't hurt that I was hit with some serious inspiration and was excited by what I was writing. I suppose I have to attribute some of the inspiration from the extra push that the timer gave me, right?
You know what else I believe helped? Finding the most obnoxious timer online. It felt like it was me against the timer. I mean, what could be more annoying than a bomb with a lit fuse that actually explodes at the end of the countdown? No seriously, ifyou know of something please tell me.
Well, that's my update and if rambling on has helped you in any way, please let me know!
Niko Finishes Her Novel Month [NiFiHeNoMo]
So in typical Niko fashion I woke up November 1st and made my decision about National Novel Writing Month [NaNoWriMo]. I have decided that I will not be participating this year. Instead I have created, for myself, Niko Finishes Her Novel Month [NiFiHeNoMo]! Granted it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it is my hope that the sense of pride and accomplishment that I imagine happens after completing NaNoWriMo will still wash over me.
So, I have set a target of 30,000 words in 30 days in order to reach my 80,000 word count goal. By November 30th, I will, like successful NaNoWriMo participants, have in my hands a completed first draft. Yay!
As far as my idea for NaNoWriMo all is not lost. Not when Camp NaNoWriMo exists! It is basically the same idea [50,000 words in 30 days], but you can participate during the month of April or July. Depending on where I am on my edit I may participate then or there is always next November.
In the mean time there's nothing like a couple of pretty little notebooks to keep my ideas in until then!
Alright, I have to go now...I have a goal to reach!
