A Letter

A Frustrated Character

Dear Author,
First of all, I'll have you know that "dear" is a mere formality. Nothing more.
You've tried to write me under quite a few different names in many different situations. You know, the independent, capable gal with a sarcastic sense of humor and her own view of reality that is generally dissatisfied with the world and its idiosyncrasies. And, as always, there's the proverbial chink in the armor through which your snarky heroine can be exploited and subsequently rescued. Sound familiar? Yeah, that would be because you keep writing the same dang thing over and over. And the worst of it is, you don't finish any of it!
I have a few suggestions to remedy this. Finish something. Anything. Don't worry about length or quality. Just. Finish. I seriously think you should consider it. And let's face it, you have plenty of scenarios in need of finishing. Hope, I Speak Sarcasm as a Second Language, your Robin Hood story, and your Beauty and the Beast story, just to name a few. Pick one of them and round it out a little and bring it to a mildly satisfying close. I think you'll be better for it.
Also, I feel the need to address your originality, or lack thereof. Now, I realize that I am an incredibly compelling character and that you revel in the freedom to spout off through me, (something which you and I both know you would never actually do,) but you have got to quit writing me as the heroine of every little idea you come up with! Variety is the spice of life, remember? Right now, your variety is a little lacking. Once again, I think the solution to this is to just finish. Once you have a beginning, middle, and end with me as the main focus, you will gain a sense of closure and be able to move on to other things. In fact, if you want to, just skip the middle and go straight to the end.
I would like to include the fact that I firmly believe you have the talents necessary to write something that will knock this world off its feet. But you're in a bit of a rut and I think you need a nudge in the right direction. And who better than me? I do have a singular world view, you know.
Now go write! I'm tired of waiting around for you to finally give me the ending I deserve!

Not so patiently,
-insert one of the many names you have bestowed on me-

The Doldrums

Yes, it was inevitable. NaNoWriMo ended, the holidays hit me full force, and the end result is that I have only written about five thousand words since November. Now whenever someone asks me, "how's the book coming?" I just wordlessly shake my head.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't dropped it completely. It's always in the deep recesses of my ever tumbling thoughts, teasing me with whispered promises and quiet, guilt inducing, accusations. I will return to it in the very near future and will doubtless have it finished, editing included, by June, just in time to receive a free copy of it.

There is a part of me that doesn't really want to finish it. What will happen when I have? How will I say goodbye to it? Will it be lost in a great sea of novels, floating endlessly past my reach? *shudders*

And what of the alternative? Just let it sit where it lies? Never do anything with it for fear that it might be rejected or lost? No.

While fears and queries occasionally assault me, my expectations remain mostly positive. The excitement of knowing that I will soon have completed my first novel far outweighs anything else. It's such an incredible prospect.

Right now my novel stands at about 80,000 words which is roughly 177 pages. I hope to have at least 250 pages by the time I'm done, but we'll see. Regardless, I am very hopeful about what this new year holds for both me and my novel. =)

Can't Touch This

Awwwww yeah! That's right! I crossed the 50,000 word finish line! Uh huh, boo yah! Doo do do do, do do, doo do, can't touch this! Hee hee! I'm so excited!

Of course reaching the "finish line" doesn't spell out the end of my story, pardon the pun. ;) I still have a few thousand words to write and in addition to the 50,000 that I just wrote this month, (pause for victory dance,) I already had about 25,000. I would love for it to reach 100,000 by the time I'm finished with it. Hopefully I have enough story left for it to make it that far. We'll see.

I must say, this has, (and will continue to be, I'm sure,) been a wonderful adventure! You know, I heard a lot about the "downs" of writing. But really, I didn't experience too many of these this month. It was really tough not to edit the first couple of days, but I got used to it somewhat.

Well I really want to gush a bit more, but bedtime is lurking, haha. Goodnight! =D

Almost There

My word count sits at a happy 42.6K right now. I'm . . . almost . . . there!

We're leaving the day after tomorrow for our trip and tomorrow I'm going to be gone all day so I still have quite a ways to go today towards my final word goal. And in between now and tonight when I go to bed, (really I won't be going to bed until "today" becomes "tomorrow" but you get the idea,) I have to pack, clean the house, do some laundry, school, and write several thousand words. Yikes!

So what is my battle strategy you may ask? I'm dropping every last responsibility in favor of writing. Just kidding! My folks have given me some leeway this month, but not that much! Haha. Seriously, though, my real strategy is to use Write Or Die.

I was dubious and more than a little scared when first looking at this thing that makes you write and if you stop blasts you with car horns or crying babies. *shudders* But having that convenient little timer constantly ticking down on you really does help you stay focused in. I have averaged around 450 words in ten minutes when using this.

The only bad thing about it is that I feel my quality is lessened and my words are less thought out, but hey, it's a first draft, right? I just remind myself, quantity, not quality. Quality comes later. Honestly though, not to sound too boastful or anything, I think it's going to be one heck of a first draft!

That Scene

You know that scene? The one scene that started it all? The catalyst that sparked your creative musings and somehow blossomed into an entire plot? Well, *inhales dramatically* today is the day that I write that scene.

I'M SO EXCITED!!!! I've imagined it so may times and now I can finally write it!

It all started innocently enough. A hooded and disguised girl running through the forest, a man chasing the darkly clad figure, a mischievous root sticking up just a little too high.

You can see it coming can't you? She falls, crashing to the ground. He slows his approach, relishing the victory, knowing he will win. And then, discovery! The slow horror of realization. Oh no, not her! She can't be!

When I first imagined that scene I didn't have a clue who either person was. Slowly and sometimes agonizingly slower, the plot revealed itself. And from that pivotal scene was birthed The Hawk and The Hunter.

And now I'm thinking, wait, I get to write that TODAY?! Wow! It was probably about three years ago that I first saw it. I'm so excited!!!

But of course, before I get to write it I have to clean the kitchen, and do math, and start a load of towels, yadda, yadda, yadda. Guess I'd better get at it, eh?

Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Shuddery Sighs

Four days into my NaNo journey. Wow. Well, I'm still sane and breathing so I'm doing well. I'm having a hard time silencing my inner critic. I locked her up in a padded room, but I keep sneaking back down to the basement with the keys to her freedom twitching eagerly in my fingers. I've got to quit doing that! Haha.

I tell you what, this whole no editing thing is tough! Really tough! Every writing bone in my body is screaming in my ear "GO BACK AND FIX THAT!" So I'm wearing Oren Lavie songs as earmuffs and doing my very best to focus on the word count.

Seeing those wonderful numbers rising is very very gratifying. Much more than I expected it would be. I'm not going crazy over what I've written, necessarily, but the fact that I'm writing and crankin' those words out is encouraging. I just broke the 8,000 mark this morning.

Despite my dubious opinion of my own work, there are a few scenes that I'm proud of. And so far, my characters are behaving themselves. Conner is being so amazing, more than I ever intended him to be. He decided that he didn't want to spend ten chapters being angry and has shown me and Daphne a much softer side. And Daphne, in return is much more vulnerable and affected by him than even she wants to admit.

Lydia grew a backbone! Wonder of wonders! How did she do that? I mean really? That one totally sneaked up on me. Of course, this means I may have to amend a few things in my earlier chapters in December, but I'm so proud of her that I don't care! Way to go, girl!

So yes, the rewards are well worth the struggles. I'm so glad to be doing this!

The Adventure Begins!

So last night my sister and I stayed up late NaNo-ing with three other participating friends, using Skype to cheer each other on. Roughly two adrenaline laced hours later, I had roughly 2700 words. Yay me!
I cannot vouch for the quality of these words, but the fact that I wrote them is what I'm choosing to focus on and celebrate. It was so much fun! Heart pounding, fingers flying, and a lot of lip gnawing when we got stuck.
Today I continued writing and boosted my word count up to about 3500. Yay me again! Haha.
Mom and Dad left the house around 11:00, presumably to run some errands. When they got back, Dad had a large, rectangular box with the word Acer on it tucked beneath his arm. With a smile he placed it in my hands and helped me set up my brand new laptop. I think I giggled with sheer excitement for the next hour or so.
He said it was an early birthday gift, (I'll be 18 mid November,) and that he wanted to support my writing. I wanted to cry I was so happy! Thank you Daddy!