7947

I have to write nearly 3000 words a day now to get to 15,000 words by Monday, November 16th! That sounds like a lot!!! And yes, I have been procrastinating (let's not go down that long road), but I'm going to do it! Last time I did NaNoWriMo I made it to 15K by the 15th and I intend to do so this year as well! So, please wish me luck, don't be offended if I focus on this and not any of you. I still love you all, but it's NaNo-time!

5,661 Words

I really feel like I'm making progress. 5,661 words, almost 1700 of them today, so that is keeping me on track. I need to do 1667 each day to reach 50K by the end of the month. Staying up later than I should tonight to finish, but fun things are happening with the novel. Tonight I discovered that Elum is headed to the Salin Garden which is located in the triangle of Knowledge in the ancient city of Niloc.

Writing is so great when things happen you don't expect! I want this to happen with Gehrke - but how can I do that when I know the story. With Elum, it is as if he is revealing the story as we go along together down the path. With Maggie, I already know the ending, so how do I keep this going when the outcome is clear?

Anybody have any ideas?

3,978 Words Today...and Counting...

I just posted 3,978 words to NaNoWriMo today. A terrific start! It's been an incredibly fun day! Here's to a successful start and a great month of creativity, imagination, and Elum taking us on the adventure of a lifetime!

November 1st - NaNoWriMo Begins...Look Out Words, Here I Come

I'm re-acquainting myself with Elum and his story this morning - getting back into his world and finding his path. The Knowledge and how it was hidden, how Kajine (the initial bad guy) first becomes capable of stealing Knowledge, the Dark Master who helps him develop his skills, and Daylin, Elum's Master who will help him "remember" how the Knowledge must be released with balance.

So here is my request, to all my friends, as you have time, please check back in with my blog to see how I'm doing and offer my words of encouragement, send shipments of chocolate (Ha! Well, I'm only sort of kidding), coupons for Coca-Cola, and if you want to drop by the house some evening, there will surely be home made brownies available for eating.

Less than 9 hours to go...NaNoWriMo is about to begin...

I wonder if I'll stay up and write a bit at midnight? I know thousands of people will be doing just that - but sheesh, I can hardly stay awake after 10pm these days. I think the plan will be to get up early tomorrow and have at it. Elum awaits his next adventure!

Two Books = 100,000 Words?

NaNoWriMo begins in two days and I've got two books to write. Does that mean 100,000 words?

1. The Day of Days - the story of Edward and Margaret Gehrke's adventures touring the country by train and car, visiting every National Park but one between 1909 and 1953...in re-writes, new approaches, additional stories, mixed with our experiences of today
2. The Guardian - the story of Elum, the Guardian, suffering after the loss of his Seeker and re-entering the world of Guardians and Seekers to protect the sacred knowledge from the destroyers and make it finally available again to all. This is my NaNoWriMo novel.

So, my chances??? Pretty good, I think - I'm already so busy with work and Maggie what's one more thing??? Ha! It's gonna be a crazy month! But here's to fun and creativity, and inspiration.

My NaNoWriMo Strategy

1. Go to bed early
2. Get up early to write
3. Drink milk
4. Let my story take me where it wants to go
5. Don't slack on the chocolate
6. Get my friends to send me support
7. Have fun
8. Have fun
9. Have fun
10. Oh, yeah, and have fun!