Thanksgiving-ed!!!!

Hi all,

I got Thanksgivinged into nothing but a bump on a couch this past weekend. Part of my family had Thanksgiving early, and my writing time was taken up with preparing some food to bring, the party itself, and recovering from eating so much afterwards.

I've been sluggish and slow. But now that my cat has enjoyed all the cuddles he could get falling asleep on my lap while I sat on the couch, I'm ready to get back at writing, and posting, and hopefully there's enough left in the month to get a significant number of words written.

(He's stuffed.)

Terrible Tuesday and Word-War Wednesday

Sorry for missing the post yesterday. Since I hit 50k, I was a little burnt out for writing and took a day to recover. I wrote absolutely nothing yesterday.

Time to get back at it! And what better way to do that than to have a word war?

For this week, let's see how many words we can write in ten minutes again, but with a twist.

Do five sessions of ten minute sprints, then average your word counts. This isn't just a word sprint. It's a challenge to see how well we can write over time. It seems easy enough to crank out words in ten minute intervals. But to do that consistently is another matter.

Have fun!

Method Mondays

I reached 50,000 words!!!!!!!

Thanks to a write-in hosted by my friend Inspie_Girl, I was able to write 4,609 words today, bringing me just 100 words over the top of NaNoWriMo's traditional goal.

I've never hit 50k this early, and other years it's been a struggle to barely get enough words. So why is this year different?

Outlining.

As I've mentioned before, I've been using a combination of the Snowflake method and the Phase Drafting method. I was a little scared that putting so much time into an experimental outlining method without testing it first was risky. What if November came and I started writing, only to realize that my outline wasn't helping me get what I wanted?

But it has paid off. It is SO EASY to write using these methods and here's why I think it works: It separates the decision making process from the actual writing process.

I know not everyone writes using outlines and honestly, sometimes outlining is a pain. But outlining so far in advance this year has made it wonderful.

Good luck in your continued writing adventures! I'm off to write the next 50k! (But not tonight, of course.)

(To be confirmed by the NaNoWriMo word count bots on November 25)

Surplus Sunday

It's quarter to 8 and I've already reached my word goal for the day, and I don't feel like writing anything more.

My husband and I put up our first ever Christmas tree together yesterday and it looks soooo joyful and Christmasy that I'm getting distracted thinking about Christmas.

My husband also bought me a chocolate orange yesterday, just because. (Awwww. :)

To keep myself motivated, I'm going to eat one slice of chocolate orange for every 1,000 words I write. (Also sharing one with the husband, of course!)

I'm going to eat a starter slice first though, just to let my taste buds know what I'm missing as I write.

Ready, set, BURST!

*kitteh is curious about chocolate orange*

Folly Friday and Something Saturday

Well, yesterday I took a break from writing. I was a little burned out. Sorry about not posting.

But today I was able to recoup my word count. Now I just have to get today's 3,333 words out of the way and I'll be good to go until tomorrow.

We'll see you then once I have more time and don't forget to post! :)

Thicken Thursdays

Time to thicken up those plots again!

Last week I added an ottendorf cypher to mine, and I only just got around to writing about it yesterday. I'd say it added about 800 words to my novel (not to mention all the words it will create in the future) and probably %10 intrigue to my plot. I already have a labyrinth, a headless horseman, mountain goats, a dragon, an argyria-stricken cult group, and seven mystical islands. How possibly could I cram anything more in?

This time I'm going to thicken my plot by adding something not quite so fantastical. My main character is going to become one of the villains...without even knowing it. Well, she knows it, but doesn't.
She basically dresses up and passes herself off as the secondary villain character to escape impending doom. But what she doesn't realize is that she's not just playing dress up. People actually take her seriously and carry out her orders. Without meaning to, she kind of throws her fellow servants under the bus while at the same time strengthening and saving her enemies.

I like this twist because my main character has spent her entire life opposing this villain, only to become her. Not only will this thicken the plot, but I needed a way to make my main character simmer down from her revengeful and prideful ways. Becoming the villain kind of makes her start to realize that perhaps revenge is not the best way to deal with her mother's death.

Anyways, I could continue and probably end up spilling my entire plot here if I don't stop. (Before November, my outline was 50k words already so trust me, you don't want to hear the entire plot right now.)

So I challenge you today, if you're writing, to add something in to your story that you didn't plan on having there this morning. It can be a huge plot twist, or it can be a side thing that's small and out of the story again within a few paragraphs. Throwing yourself surprises is one way to keep your story fresh and new.

Word War Wednesdays

Ok, everyone. I'm at a coffee shop and ready to write!

Tonight, I'm going to see how many words I can write in ten minutes. If I feel up to it, I'll try it more than once and attempt to beat my own time.

Good luck, all! Go! Build your wordy worlds!