Camp NaNo || What my goal is

I have participated (and won) National Novel Writing Month for six years now which means (theoretically) that I have six 50,000 word novels sitting on my desktop.

It has only been the past two years where I have successfully written 50,000 words in one month that also included a beginning, middle, and end of a novel-- my other ventures never made it much more than to the muddling middle of a story.

That feeling, of writing the cliche words the end is addicting and it is a goal that felt impossible those first years of novel writing, an impossible reach...until I did it.

My goal for my first stay at Camp NaNo feels similarly impossible. Camp NaNo is like the younger sibling of NaNoWriMo-- a self-directed month with a self-directed fill-in-the-blank writing goal.

My goal for this month? To edit a novel.

You see I have never edited...well, really anything I have ever written (except blog posts of course!). My novels are all dust-covered first drafts with the faults, flaws, missteps, and fourth wall breaking you would expect from a dash-to-the-finish-line competition such as NaNo.

The novel I am going to edit is called Among the Stars (at least that is what it's called until I can come up with something better) and it is a sci-fic novel I wrote for NaNo '16. I have broken it up into 19 scenes (I plotted out this novel by scenes and that is one of the large reasons I was able to write a beginning, middle, and end because before the first word was penned I had a clear goal in mind).

19 scenes. 4 weeks. Because Camp NaNo doesn't allow you to declare number of scenes edited as a goal, I've set up an hour goal. And because Camp NaNo is hardcore, the smallest hour goal you can set is 30 hours (though to be honest my real goal is 20 hours).

That means for about an hour every day I want to sit down and edit a scene or two, work on some plot points, and basically make my characters fully fleshed out.

And since this month begins with a holiday, I'm technically already behind-- but unlike NaNoWriMo, I'm not super dedicated to reaching my goal. Instead I just want to make progress, to try my hand at editing, polishing, crafting a story, coaxing it from the rubble that is a first draft.

Wish me luck! ((because man do I need it))

What about you? Have you ever edited something you have written? Any tips for me? 

Beautiful Books: The Struggle

Welcome back to another installment of Beautiful Books, a series hosted by Paper Fury where I get two birds in one stone by writing a blog post about my ongoing NaNoWriMo novel :) 


Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

  1. I'm a little stressed. This is my first NaNo where I'm also trying to blog consistently. Every time I write on my blog I'm imaging my NaNo word count not moving. However I don't want this blog to dwindle and disappear this month! It's all about juggling. Good thing I'm good at juggling. 

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)? 

2. Yikes. Okay. So my novel is by no means beautiful. It's a hot mess but it exists and that's what important. Without further stalling here's my first paragraph: 

"It was two AM when Rachael cast her spell. The darkest hour of the night, with the promise of dawn years away. It is the time when the most desperate try their most foolish options. And for all her logic, for all her education, for all her training, Rachael was no different."

Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

  3. Right now I'm a little sparse of characters. Rachel just disappeared and my main character (who is still unnamed?? suggestions for female names??) is kind of on her own.

What do you love about your novel so far?

4. I love that things are happening. This is a plot I've been dreaming of for years. I've written the very beginning and loved every sentence and paragraph-- but it was slow going and would never get where it needed to go. I love that the plot is actually advancing, even if it isn't beautiful (yet).

Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

5. "Darkness was seeping through the kitten windows."

...I'll just leave that there.

What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

6. I typically write in order, especially when my plots aren't really fleshed out. Last year was the first year I would skip scenes if I didn't feel like writing them, and flip to later ones. This year that probably won't happen, since I don't really know what's going to take place later on....

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

7. I write on my lunch break at work, after work, while the TV is on, while music is on, at coffee shops. I don't really have a routine (maybe that's a problem). What I will say is having the TV is always a bad idea, but I do like writing to classical music. The lyrics can't be too pronounced or I won't be able to write.

Also I've written out on my balcony a total of one time (it's so cold outside!) but I thought the picture was pretty so there you go :)

How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

8. I've always written alone, because I've never had friends who liked writing/did NaNo. Last year was the first time I convinced a friend to try NaNo with me. We've written together a couple times-- it's really helpful to be able to ask someone for help when you can't think of that perfect word or when your plot doesn't make sense.

What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?

9. Competition with myself. I'm a really competitive person and having a word count I have to meet works wonders. I love the little graphic on the author page-- I write just to increase that bar. Like seriously. I'll write 100 words and then go update my word count. It's absurd.

What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

10. Write until things make sense. WRITE. Also-- this one is directed at me-- advance the plot you silly person. Don't be so afraid of running out of plot to write. ADVANCE THE PLOT. *ahem* moving on...

What about you? How is your writing going? Do you also secretly hate parts of what you've written? Let me know!

Beautiful Books: NaNo '17

I'm linking up with the beautiful books tag by Paper and Fury!

In case you haven't heard, I am participating in National Novel Writing Month which takes place every year during November. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month; I started NaNo waayy back when I was in high school. This year is actually the 10th anniversary of my first Nano! Which is absurd. 

When I came across this link-up/tag for NaNo novels I knew I had to jump in. I've been too busy to find to do stuff like, you know, plan the novel I'm going to write; these questions helped me think maybe a bit more about my project. This way I've got two birds with just one post. 

*sigh* have I told you how in love I am with my new lens? 

1.What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
A couple of winters ago, a few friends and I were wandering down dark streets in downtown New Orleans. It was horribly surprisingly cold and we were on what ended up being like a two hour hunt for dinner. My friend had introduced me to A Madness of Angels (one of my all time favorites books) and I was struck by the mystic of New Orleans and how well it was suited for a magical realism novel. He (or I?) turned back and pointed out how well suited this city of voodoo was for such a venture. And thus this ill-fated idea was born! 

2. Describe what your novel is about!
Two friends struggle to survive grad school (what no this isn't a memoir) when one of them suddenly disappears, leading her friend to plunge into a world she never knew existed to try and get her back. 

3.What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!
 If you're a writer you've probably heard some cockamany  well-intentioned advice about being concise or limiting your flowery metaphors etc etc. I started writing this project out of a desire to do the exact opposite of what I had been told was right. I spent sentences on metaphors, anthropomorphizing like there was no tomorrow and I loved every second of it.

this is a beautifully empty page just waiting for to like...plot or something

4.Introduce us to each of your characters!
Get ready for some vague answers!

MC -- our fearless main character (name still to be determined) spent her childhood believing in every stray fairy tale and ghost story. Now in grad school, her world is strictly bounded by the laws of science. 

Friend-- she's in grad school to study anthropology, but mainly to focus on voodoo, let's be honest. 

Guide -- he's still a pretty sketchy, but important, character. Summoned quite by accident he and MC mostly just yell at each other as he introduces her to the veins of magic running around her. 

5.How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
If it's not already terribly apparent, I have some outlining I desperately need to do. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the plot, but the actual writing down of ideas has yet to really happen. Also I plan on stocking up on mini-cokes and goldfish because if that isn't the snack of champions I don't know what is.

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
Actually getting the story out from my head and onto the page! Last year's NaNo was the first NaNo where I actually wrote a beginning, middle, and end of a novel and man, that feeling is addicting. 

7. List 3 things about your novel’s setting. 
New Orleans, old decrypted cemeteries, piled high dusty thrift stores. 

8. What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?
The main character's goal is to find her missing friend. What stands in the way? Police who don't believe a 23 year old adult is really 'missing', a pissed off un-helpful boyfriend of said friend, and herself. (wooahh how deep) 

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
She comes to accept that there are mystical things all around her-- and learns how to live with not understanding everything. 

10. What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?
One of my favorite themes, stolen shamelessly from the webseries Carmilla, is when a main character boldly does what she believes to be the 100% right moral thing, and inadvertently hurts those around her and messes everything up even further. It's a theme I played with during last year's NaNo and one I hope to pick up again. 

And that's it! What about you, my fellow NaNo-ers (? nano-ites? nanos? nachos? okay now I'm hungry) What's your novel going to be about? Anyone else feel woefully unprepared? No? Just me? Well, be sure to friend me on the NaNo website regardless :)