Tracking NaNoWriMo

During NaNoWriMo I will typically follow a word count calendar. It helps me stay on track. Word count is approximately 2K per day for 30 days. Normally, I would search the web or Pinterest for someone else’s calendar. This year, I decided to put one together. I used the NaNo calendar and added the word count per day to it.

This is what it looks like:

If you’d like to use it, you can download a larger size here: NaNoWriMo 2019 Word Count Calendar Tracker.

If you’d like to use the original calendar, you can download it off the NaNo site here: NaNo Prep 101 Course. It’s a PDF file and will be on page 50.

I’ve been slacking off prep so I need to really kick it up. Instead, I’m brainstorming ideas for a couple of short stories and novelettes I hope to publish before the end of the year and early 2020. One of them being Shaman 2.

By the way, if you haven’t read Shaman, it’s available on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. It’s perfect for a good Halloween scare.

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NaNoWriMo 2019

I’ve been working on a few projects. Aeva is still being edited at the moment. I’m also working on a winter romance novella and brainstorming a Valentine’s romance. My biggest project right now is a novel I’ll be writing next month for National Novel Writing Month. I’m currently prepping and outlining the details.

The story I’ll be writing for Nano is a paranormal romance. I’ve shared a short excerpt from this story a few months back. I never got the chance to finish it so I’ll be using Nano to finish it. I basically have a few paragraphs of the beginning and a dialogue between the two main characters but that’s about it. Here’s the blurb for the story:

Tolan came to the mortal world to do the job of one of his angels. It was supposed to be a quick and simple job—and it was—except for the accidental encounter with Hailey. The encounter left him speechless and he can’t stop thinking about her.

Hailey Quinn works at Caraway Bakery and makes enough money to get by. One morning, she helps Tolan from a freak accident and from there she must make the decision to protect him or endanger him. 

Included in my prep is a list of music that I’ll be listening to while I write. There’s not too many yet. I tend to have about 10 to 20 songs that I rotate through. Right now, I have about three that I really like. Here’s one that’s called, “Fallen Angel.”

If you are doing NaNoWriMo and want to follow me, my name is waltzoftheflowers.

I hope you join!

A Nano Win, But It’s Only the Beginning

I finished my NaNoWriMo story. Not only did I reach the goal of 50K words, I also ended the story. What I’ve learned from this experience is that I’m capable of cranking out a full novel within less than a month. It’s not perfect and it’s basically a super rough and dirty draft but the story is done.

Goals going forward:

1. Take a break from Marlowe and work on finishing Aeva.
2. Publish Aeva.
3. Write new story I’ve been itching to start.
4. Continue with first edit of TLS fantasy novel.
5. Return to Marlowe and clean it up.
6. First edit of Marlowe.

Here is a cut-and-paste from my Nano page with the updated “Marlowe” synopsis (still somewhat rough) and an excerpt. The excerpt is the scene just after Marlowe fights a cyborg that detonated.

Cyborg Concept Art With Quote

I’ve been working along on my “Marlowe” novel for NaNoWriMo and had an inspiration to make a concept art piece for one of the chapters. In this chapter, Marlowe meets her roommate’s boyfriend who has a robotic arm. He is essentially a cyborg but in their world, a cyborg is not a human with a robotic part or two. Cyborgs are more than that.

I made this piece using CS6 and the following images:

Ready, Set, Go!

Did you prepare for NaNoWriMo? Some do and some don’t and that’s okay. Just write! As mentioned earlier, I’ve prepared but not thoroughly — just enough to know what I hope to write and enough to keep myself inspired and motiviated. Last night, just after midnight, I stayed up until 1am to write a little. I got over 400 words in. Half the time was spent making sure I had my story straight.

In the evening, I was getting nervous about not having my plot straight, worried about who really were my characters, and worried about the setting. Earlier in the day, I saw a post on one of the Facebook groups I frequent. The poster had provided some helpful worksheets for plotting, character development, and scene/world building. I went ahead and downloaded them. She had offered them for free, so I figured, I might as well give them a try. If they don’t work for me, that’s no problem. At least I gave them a try. If they do work, then I’ve found something meaningful in guiding me toward writing better and faster.

I’m glad to say, they worked in my favor. But, to be honest, I think everyone can get something out of these worksheets. I’ve been writing all my life and have my degree in writing. The majority of my classes were all about the story structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution). Even when I studied nonfiction, the same structure applied. These worksheets are simple and easy to follow. I’m not trying to advertise for the designer. I’m just really thrilled that she is offering these for free and they are exceptionally well made. The designer is also a writer. Her blog and where you can download the worksheets is, The Wonderful World of Whimsy.

The way I went about the worksheets is I printed them and read them over. Then, in Excel (because I like having everything electroncially done) I took the information from the worksheets and wrote out my outline. The reason I also do it this way is because I have one main plot and many subplots. My main character and secondary characters all have a purpose. They all have a reason for what they do. There’s a domino effect of sort. I’m writing through one main character who is compassionate and who yearns for the family life and love. She is envious of those who have it but she likes to be around those who have it so that at least she can maybe live vicariously through them until, if ever, she finds that. In order to build that type of emotion, I need more than a few lines. I break the characters’ purposes into blocks so that when or if I lose sight of who these characters are and their purpose, I can toggle to it on my computer and keep moving.

With that said, I hope you are doing NaNoWriMo. And, whether you “win” or not, at least you’ve tried. To quote Tony Robbins,

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

The Struggle Is Real

I should be finishing up Aeva but the new story outline/prep has been taking up all my time.

Today, let’s see if I can put the Pomodoro Technique to use on Aeva and have it at least 80% done.

NaNoWriMo 2018

Last November, I didn’t do National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) because I was finishing up my master’s degree. I had wanted to but knew it couldn’t be possible. I’m excited to say, I am able to do it this year.

The first time I did NaNo (2016), I didn’t make a cover and didn’t include a synopsis. I rushed into it. I didn’t outline but did have a pretty good idea on what the story was about. I finished my 50K words, but it was tight. I felt like I just threw whatever I could into the story to hit my numbers per day. In the end, I felt I lost track of the plot and the main reason for the story. This time, I’m outlining to avoid all that. I’m sure there will be moments of the aforementioned, but my hope is to have less of it.

If you are not a member and want to give 50K words a try, go to: https://nanowrimo.org/.

If you are a member and want to be buddies, my member name is, waltzoftheflowers.

My story is a sci-fi dystopian speculative with some cyberpunk. It’s called, “Marlowe.”

The rough synopsis (will likely change):

After the great war, in what was once the United States, a new government emerged. They hired a clean-up company to remove debris and junk to clear out land for homes and farming. This company used machines and robots to assist in the cleaning. The robots are cyborgs: half human, half robotic parts. Cyborgs could only be created by using dead human parts but there are secrets the government doesn’t intend for anyone to learn. A girl named Marlowe will unearth the truth.

The temporary cover:

I have a playlist I’m putting together for my story. Here’s one that I’ve imagined to go along with a scene. The scene is when Marlowe learns that her friend was converted into a cyborg without his consent. He finds a way to talk to her and asks her to turn his switch off (to kill him). She refuses.