I would have to say that my first week of NaNoWriMo 2018 (heck! my first four days!) has been so productive!
My word count as of end of yesterday (Day 4) is well over 12,000 words!
Yay, me!
(I don’t want to celebrate too much, as a lot of things can happen between now and November 30 and too much happy dancing can jinx any good thing. Sickness, travel, things come up that will get between you and your story. Life doesn’t stop just because it’s November!)
I’ll make this brief as I need to get back to the story while I’m still on fire. (Zzzzzzzssshhhhh…hear that? It’s bacon sizzling. Or my fingers.) I’ll just impart a few observations since starting this tale:
- If you’re out of stories to write about, rip something from the headlines. I don’t normally do this, but what a great idea! We are novelists, not journalists, so creative license gives you permission to make things up and spice things up.
- Don’t be afraid to let a character take you to places you didn’t think you’d want to go. (Remember, I didn’t do much planning on this story, didn’t have time with moving and remodeling. I basically just played with names and settings and basic story line.) You want to come away from your session with the computer like I did Saturday thinking “Wow! Did she really just do that?”
- Try sitting in an uncomfortable chair, as you might type faster. I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, and while the chairs are fine for a quick snack, sitting on them for longer than an hour is kind of a pain. My comfy purple writing chair survived the move from Michigan and is right across the room, but I’ll pass. I’m afraid I’ll get swallowed up in it.
- Take a few minutes to read in your genre. I finished Rust and Stardust by T. Greenwood (one of my favorites) at the end of October. However, I wouldn’t recommend picking up a new book that will consume you and your precious time. Just read a few pages out of a favorite book in your collection. Don’t start at a chapter, pick a random page or two in the middle and commit to only two pages.
- Also important, don’t forget physical activity. We’ve had some cold and snow in Colorado this week, which happens. As soon as the temperatures get past 39 degrees, I head out the door, even if it’s just for a mile or two. Walking is a great way to clear your head. You might be pleasantly surprised what ideas might pop up too.
Well, back to the salt mines! I can’t wait to see where we’re going today.
