NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Twenty-Four: Donation Drive

Hi everyone!

I'm in the NaNoWriMo slump at the moment - where you hit 50,000 words, celebrate that you've won, and then feel absolutely exhausted. So no more writing until tomorrow night, when I have to get cracking on my next EuroFiction submission.

I donated to NaNoWriMo today as part of their challenge to raise $100,000 in 24 hours. I also bought a hoodie from their Merchandise store. Too hot here to wear it now, but exciting nonetheless!

It's the first year I've donated to NaNoWriMo. I kept saying to myself that I'd donate once I'd made money from something I had written for NaNoWriMo, but until that happens they still need funds to keep putting NaNoWriMo on each year, so I decided to donate. Especially because I finished so early this year, and they're holding a special donation drive day.

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Twenty-Two: And The Winner Is ...

Today has been so hard!

I started at 3am this morning, had a few breaks in there (caught up on sleep for an hour, did dance for an hour, and watched The Boat That Rocked), but finally, after typing more than eleven thousand words today, my blue NaNoWriMo wordcount bar finally changed to green.

I've won! 50015 words, at present.

Hopefully I'll do more over the next week. There's still seven days left of novel writing, after all.

I am amazed that I have actually finished before the verification process starts on Wednesday, which was my main aim.

Now, I am going to sleep. Sweet dreams!

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Twenty: Stop Being Tired And Write!

I was so far ahead! But this week ... this week ... I don't know what happened.

Yes I do.

Between heatwaves, busy work, and my packed November social schedule, I haven't written much or blogged much. Here's the run-down (must stop with run-downs. Must start writing every day!):

• Friday, 13th November
  Actually ended up having 718 words written (Grand total: 23,740 words)
• Saturday, 14th November
  Wrote 2911 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 26,651 words). Also went to a Tupperware party and watched the Christmas pagaent.
• Sunday, 15th November
  Wrote 866 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 27,517 words). Had friends around.
• Monday, 16th November
  Wrote 2487 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 30,004 words)
• Tuesday, 17th November
  Wrote 2011 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 32,015 words)
• Wednesday, 18th November
  Wrote 515 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 32,530 words)
• Thursday, 19th November <- hottest day here in November on record! Ever!
  Wrote 515 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 33,045 words)

I'd like to go back to sleep now, but must go and get ready to go to work. Write lots!

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Fourteen: 25,000 words!

I've made it to 25,029 words! Awesome!

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Thirteen: MIA

Hi guys!

Wow, it's been a whole week since I wrote about what was happening with my NaNoWriMo novel. How did that happen?

Just to keep you updated, here's a brief summary of my last week:

• Friday, 6th November:
  Didn't do any writing, of any sort. Way too tired. Think I went to sleep at 8pm?
• Saturday, 7th November:
  Wrote 1,505 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 14,523 words). Also went to a thirtieth birthday party.
• Sunday, 8th November:
  Wrote 1,480 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 16,003 words). Spent most of the day at a Craft Fair.
• Monday, 9th November:
  Wrote 2,018 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 18,021 words)
• Tuesday, 10th November:
  Wrote 2,023 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 20,044 words)
• Wednesday, 11th November:
  Wrote 2,978 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 23,022 words)
• Thursday, 12th November:
  No words written. EuroFiction Task Five was due, and I hadn't even starting writing it. Not terribly happy with what I submitted, but as long as I submitted something, I'm in with a chance, right? A very slim, hazy chance.
• Friday, 13th November:
  Wrote 484 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 23,506 words). And it's only 6am in the morning. Don't worry! After work, I plan to write loads more! :)

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Five: All Caught Up

Yay! At this moment in time, I have written 13,018 words of my NaNoWriMo novel over the last five days.

I spent this afternoon making up for yesterday's dismal attempt at reaching a target, and ended up writing 3,382 words today. I thought that was a good effort, until I was looking at some of the other WriMos word counts from my region. Some have written more than 20,000 words. Some have even written more than 40,000. Then I went over to the Germany/Austria forum (got to keep up my German language skills somehow!) and they were talking about how someone had written 50,000 words on Sunday alone, and was aiming for a million by the end of November. I don't know whether to believe they'll honestly make it or not.

In other good news, I got my score for EuroFiction Task Four back. I was awarded seven points, which meant my story placed eighth out of 21 stories. Considering the amount of time spent on it, I'm pretty happy. Overall, on the Great EuroFiction Leader Board, I'm ranked 19/30. Not great, but I'm glad that I'm not on the bottom (though perhaps I shouldn't speak too soon?)!

Writerly activities for today:

• Wrote 3,382 words of my NaNoWriMo novel, while wishing I could have written more to keep up with the people who have a higher word count than me. (Grand total: 13,018 words)
• Spent at least an hour reading the feedback from my EuroFiction entry, and basking in the glory that being awarded seven out of a possible fifteen points can give you (In case you're wondering, that's a lot of glory!)

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Four: The Day I Fell Behind

I aimed to have 11,000 words written by the end of tonight.

I managed 9,636.

500 of those words were written between 4:00 am and 4:30 am.

The other 136 were written at 8pm.

Why? Because when I was not at work (between 6am - 6pm) I was sleeping! Why am I so tired lately? Obviously have not been drinking enough caffeine!

I'll try and catch up tomorrow!

Writerly activities for today:

• Wrote 626 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total: 9,636 words)

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Three: Note for NaNoWriMos

To all who participate in the craziness of NaNoWriMo:

How do you achieve your word count and turn up for work the next day as if you've actually had eight hours of sleep?

The past two days I didn't get to sleep until after midnight, and then was up again way too early so I could get ready for work.

Today it showed. I spent all morning yawning, and not getting any actual work done. Hopefully nobody at work noticed (though I think they did). After Melbourne Cup was over though, I managed to stay awake, so I got at least two hours in without looking like I was dropping off to sleep every ten seconds.

Best of all, it's now 10:30pm and I have written my 1971 words for today! Early night!

Sleep well!

Writerly activities for today:

• Wrote 1971 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Grand total is now 9010 words)

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day Two: I've kept my promise!

For anyone who's ever read any of this blog, you'll know I love to procrastinate even more than I love to write.

Even during NaNoWriMo, days have often gone by with no words written, the novel falling by the wayside as other things (most likely TV) gets prioritised at the top of my To Do list.

But this year I promised myself I'd start on the first day of NaNoWriMo - done. I promised myself I'd write 5,000 words on each Saturday and Sunday - done (well, there's only been one Sunday). I promised myself I'd stay awake each weeknight until I wrote 2,000 words - done.

This may very well be a world first for me!

I hope everyone else who is doing NaNoWriMo is having the same success with their plans of attack.

Writerly activities for today:

• Wrote 2,020 words of my NaNoWriMo novel (Total is now 7039 words).

NaNoWriMo 2009: Day One: Where My MC Isn't 'All There'

It's the end of Day One of NaNoWriMo. I've written 5109 words - the most I've ever written on the first day of NaNoWriMo (or even the first week of NaNoWriMo), and it's right on target for where I want to be.

It was pretty tough, though. I'm telling my story from three different viewpoints, and yesterday I began writing from the first character's viewpoint. Before November, she was all ready to go. She kept floating into my head and starting to narrate her story, and I had to tell her to go away and wait for November when I can write down what she's saying. Perhaps she got angry with me, because she was fairly hazy today. Bits of dialogue here. Bits of setting there.

Obviously I should have done more NaNo planning last week.

But last week I concentrated on getting my EuroFiction done, and I think I'm getting better at it. I was even awarded one point for my story for Task Three, so my score doesn't look so bad anymore.

Writerly Activities for Today:

• Wrote 5019 words of my NaNoWriMo novel