November Is Almost Here

This November, I'm writing a novel. An entire novel, started from scratch, and completed in just one month, as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  And you thought nothing interesting ever happened in November.

This will be my 8th time participating in this fun, wacky, crazy event and I hope you'll step up and offer some support.

NaNoWriMo is free. I'm raising money to help the nonprofit that runs it build communities in classrooms, coffee shops, libraries, and living rooms all over the world and help the inspiration flow for me and thousands of my fellow novelists. Last year, they helped more than 450,000 people on six continents tell their stories, the way that I'm now telling mine. Through their Young Writers Program, they provided free curriculum, workbooks, and virtual classroom tools to 80,000 students and educators.

Every dollar I raise will keep my spirits high as I write my way towards the realization of my creative goals. More importantly, your contribution will help The Office of Letters and Light build a more engaged and inspiring world.

Thank you so much for your support of my writing! I'll be posting updates on my novel and fundraising on my sponsorship page throughout the month.

Go Here To Donate.

This years novel is going to answer the question What if you bought and old house and then started having visions of the past.  Our heroine Emma Cooper, recently widowed and facing financial ruin inherits an old house with a mysterious loom. Soon she starts having visions of the past.  Will her sanity go next?  Or perhaps the handsome stranger next door will help her solve the mystery.  Only time will tell.

I'll be posting my running word count in my sidebar so you can follow my progress.  This also means I will be blogging less.  I am going to try and post once a week.

Writing a Novel

Here is a snap of one of my Grandparents letters. I have been re-reading them for ideas for the story I am writing.  If you look close you'll see how they will write over lettering, they were always running out of space and had more to say.  I am up to 1909 now and there are 100 letters left to read. I know there are a lot of missing letters and many holes in the story so I get to make the rest up. It sounds easy but really it isn't.  I have been writing scenes I want to include but haven't really come up with the tone or voice of the story.  That may come in the second draft or third. I find doing Nanowrimo is just the beginning, it becomes more like an extended outline rather than the final story. There is a lot of telling which I will turn into showing in subsequent drafts.  The one thing that most people do not realize is that a novel just doesn't come out of you perfectly done.  There is a lot of rewriting and revising over and over before its really ready to be read by someone.

My daughter Sarah is working on one of her novels she wrote in 2008.  It took one month to do it initially, she rewrote it in six months and now is editing and revising and she has been working several months on it already.  Its all a process you get it to a point and then you have critique partners to help you see the flaws and then go work on it some more and repeat till you have gotten it as perfect as it can be.  Then you set out and start on the road to publishing which can even be longer.  Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it.  I think it is so worth it if you have a story you want to tell. I know someone who is on the 19th revision of their novel. Can you imagine the celebration she will have when its finally published.

So now that you know all that I am sure you will really appreciate the next book you read. Your realize it really was years in the making.

No art to share today, not even a journal page but perhaps I'll feel the need later in the week.

Time for self

Sometimes I end up adding too much into my life and there comes a day when you think about those things that need doing and then you are really stressed out.  I try to stop before I get to that point. I often have to let go and step back a bit.  Take a little time to regroup and take a look at all the restraints I put on myself and really decide what is important and what is not.

I have been doing something called the Daily Challenge.  Today it said Take something off your To do List. So I took off the Fake Journal.  I am three days behind and just don't feel like putting the effort to getting back in the groove with it. I will still do it but not in the time frame of the group.

I also decided to skip my knitting group and take the dog for a walk.  I grabbed my ipod to listen to John Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go There You Are.  Its my favorite meditation Cd to listen to when I feel life spinning out of control. Its not a meditation but a book on tape.  The calmness of his voice and thought of meditating like a mountain or a lake always bring me back to the present, to that moment of stillness that I am craving.

One of the things I learned at the Writers Spa with Jennifer Louden a few years back was about conditions of satisfaction,  We were to decide what we wanted to get out of the retreat.  We set those conditions at the beginning and then we were also allowed to change them too.  I decided to also use that idea today. I had set a goal of having my next class ready by May 1st and have been scrambling to get things done. Yes its driving me nuts and putting extra stress on me that I do not need. So I am letting go of that date. Instead of pushing for it I decided to take it slow and just do what I can. If its not ready till June well that is ok too!

So I have had an interesting day because I have done nothing that I had really planned to do. It feels great too! Maybe that is what freedom is all about.

Its Almost Nanowrimo Time

 National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner. So if you have ever considered writing a book this is the perfect time to do so. Over 50,00 people have already signed up. This year I decided not to be a municipal liaison. My good friend Amber took over this year. This will be my fifth year doing Nano as we call it. I decided on doing a young adult fantasy. So far all I have is a snippet of an idea and a couple characters. That is all you really need to begin. Why don't you join me this time, I am a great supporting cheerleader..... Go here to sign up.



I found this great video on twitter, its a Nanowrimo Song to get you in the mood.

Thirty Days 50,000 Words

Ladies and gentlemen I have done it. I did some marathon writing today, 4500 words to get me over the top. Also with 2 days to spare.... Am I ever tired. This year was really hard but I managed it in the end so I am happy about that. In the morning I take Sarah back to school. I'll be back to blogging on Tuesday. See you then.

I've had an Epiphany

I think I have had an epiphany. Yesterday I was having one of those awful writing days where you wonder why you even bother. I ended up at Hastings and I bought this book:










I think I was going through some steps in the Joy Diet without consciously thinking about it, I was working through a few of the steps

Desire - being a writer who writes well enough ot be published
Risk- should I buy this book, it will either be just another book that ends up on my shelf or it will be a book that will really help me.
Creativity-Read through 75 pages yesterday and did the exercises after each chapter. I am really finding the book helpful So I a glad I took the risk.

The second thing happened this morning in doing my morning pages. I was thinking of how I struggle with writing concepts like show not tell and description and then it hit me. I have been a journal writer for years and how do you write in a journal, you tell what happens to you. I apparently have been transferring that way of writing to fiction and that is not they way fiction is written at all. Now of course I already knew that fiction was different I just never realized why I was doing this and that makes all the difference in the world.

I really like this series on Writing Better Fiction so much that I am going to use it like my own writers curriculum. There are other volumes on plot and dialogue and character that I will tackle next. I would always tell writing friends oh I have trouble with characters or description but I would never do anything about it. Never find a way to learn those skills I needed. That is changing now and its exciting. Knowledge is power and I am really glad I had to go through this to find these sources that will only make me better at what I truly desire. Life is Good.

Nano nonsense has begun

Well the Nanowrimo nonsense has begun. Its only day 1 and I already think my story idea sucks. it doesn't take long for the inner critic to rear his ugly head. I just have to remind myself that I go through this every year and it always turns out so it will be fine. I have abour 500 more words to write today to make my quota and that should be easy.

I have already made the food run to town. What made me think I could do this without treats. Now that is insanity. So now I have a stash of chex mix, Cheetos, red licorice, milk duds. It covers the salty, chewy, crunchy and chocolate categories. My idea is little portions and more exercise. OOPS, i just realized I put some meat on to cook for tacos, I hope its not burned... Oh I caught it on time. That won't be the first time put something on the stove to cook and went to do something else....

Anyone out there who is doing Nano, what are your favorite snacks to get your through the month?










I got an award from Lisa She thought it approp for the Queen of Creativity to get the Kreativ blog award. I concur and thank you very much Lisa. You have to read Lisa's post she is a very fun lady from across the pond.

I Found A Gem This Morning

I just read this wonderful post on writing at Jennie Nash's blog. In the post she is sharing the ups and down of writing a novel. I really liked how she adored this passage in the book and no one else could get it, but she kept it in. Eventually she moved it to another part of the book it became magical for everyone else too. Such great advice on her blog. She has written some great novels too. The Last Beach Bungalow and The Only True genius in the family are both good reads.

The National Novel Writing Month(Nanowrimo) is coming up in November and I have been thinking about what I might write this year. I like participating in Nanowrimo because it first it pushes me to complete something and second I get the opportunity to try something new. My three previous years I wrote a mystery, a fantasy and mainstream fiction. This time out I am thinking about writing a woman's literary fiction. I'll have 5 friends come together on a camping trip. The trip won't be what any one of the expect. I am still thinking about what great adventures I might get them into. Writing can really be fun.

If this is the year you'll finally take writing seriously why don't you sign up. All the information you need is here Plus you can put this badge on your blog and look really cool. More than 15,000 people have already signed up. If you do sign up let me know so we can become writing buddies.

Some new classes

I signed up for some new classes today that you may find really interesting. First the lovely Mystele at Little Glimpses Studio is teaching her Gut Art class. Its all about painting authentically and to your own style and looks to be awesome. You can sign up here. If you haven't been to her blog I recommend it. She has wonderful videos. She does this technique where she pulls an image out of a painted background. Be sure to watch that video it is really fascinating.

Next I found this class through Nina Bagleys blog Ornamental. The Poetic Eye Point and shoot Journaling with LK LUdwig who wrote True Vision and many other books. It is all about using your own photos in your journals. Most of mine just languish on my hard drive so I am excited to be able to do more with them. You can sign up here

My October is going to be busy since I will be adding those to the the Artists Way and the Joy Diet with Jamie Ridler, which start tomorrow. Well all the work will get me prepared for Nanowrimo coming up in November. Sign ups for this year begin October 1st. Maybe this is the year you write that novel. I encourage you to come join the fun. This will be my fourth year. By now it doesn't seem like November if I am not writing along with thousands of other people from all around the world. If you have any questions about the National Novel Writing Month please email me.