NaNoWriMo is Here: Update #1

Words Written/Minimum Words Needed by the end of the day:  6792 /3334
Yeah! I’m ahead!

It was like Christmas morning! At midnight, November 1^st, I could have begun my novel for NaNoWriMo. But I didn’t. I was in the arms of Morpheus. But being an early riser by nature, I put first word to screen at 3:33 a.m.

Here’s my November plan: arise, make coffee, fire up computer, click on the Hungersite.com and other areas there to do my charity deed, then write. I won’t quit until I have at least 1000 words (about 4 pages). Get another cup of coffee, post blogs, do the e-mail/headline news accounts/social media thing. Writing group some days. Back to typing for at least another 500 words. Read the newspaper/have breakfast. Exercise. Physical therapy session. Lunch. Nap. Write at least another 500 words. Dinner prep/play word game with DH. Watch some TV. Type another 200 words. Go to bed.
I’m posting this in the morning, so my word count on Nov. 1 was 4516 and my word count as of 5:30 a.m. on November 2 is 6792 words. In two hours, I wrote 2276 words. I am more than on track to finish right now!


Oh, I know. It’s early days, but start strong, eh? Of course, that is the predicted course. We all start strong since we’ve been anticipating this moment ever since we signed up. We know how to start this book!

I keep seeing scenes in my mind, so writing the first 50 pages ought to come pretty easily (I’m on page 29 right now). I pretty much know who to introduce, what the conflicts are to address, and what some dialogue might be. I want a smart-mouth Isabella, but I’m not sure I have her voice and tone yet. I know I’ll get there as I get to know her better, but it might not show at first. That’s for revision, I guess.

Same with Riley. I have to keep the sexual tension without being sexual. That is for later in the book. I want him to have an epiphany of sorts about Isabella’s feelings toward him that he was pretty much oblivious to while alive.

There you have it. My plan for starting. Hopefully, it is my plan for finishing, too.

Blog entries for the next month will be sparse as I write my way to a short, 50K novel. I will update you with impressions, word counts, emotions, struggles, and successes.

Did I mention that I’ll be slicing off some writing days with a trip to my brother’s wedding, a few days in Seattle at a conference, and, oh, yeah, Thanksgiving??? My plan is to write ahead and bank some words against the days I cannot write. I’ll let you know how THAT plan works out! If I can get 2200 words a day for the days I can write, that will do it! So far, so good.