Taryn Raye

A Plethora of Things (cross-post from myspace)

2007-12-13T14:10:37Z

Today, 5 years ago, I had my daughter. Of course, five years ago it was a Friday the 13th, but there she was. The light of my life- a piece of me that will live on. Tonight we'll be doing her birthday "party" like we did for Chris a couple of days ago. Grandparents, presents and ice cream cake.

In other news~ I'm officially a member of RWA and KYRW. We also now have a myspace profile for KYRW. See link below.

Kentucky Romance Writers Myspace

I'm still taking in being a member, feeling a bit overwhelmed, but still tickled to be a part of it and have had quite the warm welcome from other members.

Yesterday was the first time in a while that I was able to concentrate my current WIP, 4 that I started during NaNo. I went through about 140 pages..possibly more. I lost track. Right now I'm mostly correcting misplaced words or adding or deleting where I saw editorial mistakes and just trying to get my head back in the story so that I can move forward with finishing it.

I would like to at least get this draft done before the year is over. Not sure whether I can manage that with the holidays coming up, but I'm sure going to work my hardest to complete it. Then it's back to editing and such on all 4 novels after the beginning of the year to polish till they shine and I feel ready to try submitting.

I'll admit, it makes me nervous as can be to imagine doing so. I just hope that I'm also well prepared for a lot of rejections. LOL I like my writing-most the time, but I'm not foolhardy enough to believe I'll be picked up directly.

So...I am off to cross-post this to my other two blogs so I can cut my time online today and get back to doing more editing on my novel. Hope everyone has a lovely Thursday!

Change in Direction....

2007-12-07T20:57:48Z

*crossposting from blogger*

I've been wondering why I've been remiss to work on my novel since I hit 50K in November during NaNo. Today it was like lightning struck me...

While on Petticoats and Pistols reading Stacey Kayne's blog, wherein the discussion centered around what kind of hero we all like, I realized I love the rugged emotionally wounded hero. The general idea of what I said was that to me an emotionally wounded hero's transformation to breaking down the wall around his heart makes him "stronger" in my eyes than the sensitive man who loves wholeheartedly all along because it takes more strength and courage to open up and love after being hurt than to have always loved without misgivings.

Ok, so it's not EXACTLY what I said, but the idea is still there. And that's when it dawned on me....my hero in Haunted Melody- Wes- he's been loving and waiting for Melody to come back all along...always loving her....He's the "sensitive man" who has had it easy in loving her...I need to come up with some turmoil, differences in his character so that this works or it's going fall short of what I want to see and would never make it as a published novel...ever.

As I sit here, I realize I didn't make him strong at all. He's been "weakly" awaiting her return, in hopes that she still loves him just as much. There needs to be more conflict...more of each of them tearing down the walls around their hearts that have kept them apart for years. I don't want him to be a jerk, but he needs to be "less open" to her return, less open to giving his heart to her after she ran off and left him without rhyme or reason.

It didn't occur to me that Wes was such a weak character. I will definitely have to take action about that and well, that gives me something to go on now. I was in a rut in regard to this story, knew that there was a good reason I wasn't getting anywhere and now I know what it is.

Wes Stanford needs a character overhaul.

He'd better look out...cause I'm coming after him! LOL

Have a great weekend!

Back to Normal....Sort of...

2007-12-06T17:12:32Z

Well, life is settling down into holiday mode, which is somewhat normal.

Today my good news pertains to my application for RWA. I got an email this morning with my member #. I'm on top of the world at the moment. So exciting. I'm a member of RWA...That's going to take a bit to get used to that! hehe! To most around me in my "normal" life that probably doesn't seem like much, but I've wanted to join since I was in my early 20's when I first discovered it. It wasn't until now that I've taken it more seriously...just as I'm taking my writing more seriously, that I decided this was the next logical step for me.

Now to join KYRW!

NaNoWriMo Coming to a Close This Friday...

2007-11-28T13:59:36Z

cross-posting from my blogger-

Yes, Friday is the last day of NaNo. I've been so busy with holiday stuff and household chores that since the 13th, I haven't been able to wrap my mind around my novel to finish it. Seems my brain went on vacation as soon as I hit 50K. LOL

Oh, I think about writing or working on it everyday. I couldn't count how many times I stare at the screen and think...just open the file and get back into the story. What were Wes and Melody up to when you last saw them?

Last night as I went to bed, I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, there's a reason. Maybe it's because I feel that if I work on it now, I'll have a boring, letdown of an ending. Of course, this is the first draft, so it shouldn't matter. I'll be going back to it later to revise and change things up anyway and maybe later I will think of a much more exciting ending, or if not exciting...at least a more gratifying ending.

It's not that I'm not happy with what I've written so far. I'm sure it could be better, but for the most part, I am satisified. Maybe though this year the distraction of holiday decorating and gathering has gotten the better of my writerly side.

I'm all wrapped in up ribbons and bows and sparkling paper and twinkling lights and Christmas cards.

Today though, I need to try my best to put my brain back to work. So I'm off and gone-

Have a good Hump Day!

I'm a Winner

2007-11-26T00:23:24Z

I'm not done with my novel, but hope that the next few days will give me the opportunity to finish it, since I haven't had time to since I hit 50K.

Took a break

2007-11-19T12:59:46Z

I took a break from the writing since I hit 50K back last Tuesday. Instead I've tried to get caught up on housework and decorate my house. I put my tree up Saturday, and got most of the decorating done by the end of the day yesterday, though I still have a few things to do, but first and foremost I need to wash my dishes and laundry.

Will get back to my novel before this month is out though. My arms and fingers are sore though from all the stuff I've been decorating. Who would've thought strings of lights and garland would be so hard on your fingers. I have hangnails out the wazzoo, broken nails almost to the quick and every knuckle and joint hurts.

Well, enough with my whining...I will post more when I have written more on my novel.

If I don't post before then, Happy Thanksgiving!

NaNo's still going and so is my story....

2007-11-14T12:20:15Z

This novel I did for NaNo this year may well be the shortest of my novels. I feel the end of the story looming closer than I did with the others. It's like that impending feeling you get when you're wrapped up in a movie and don't realize it's almost the end, until it is the end.

My other novels all ran somewhere around 70-80K. This one feels like another 10K could finish it off at 60K. Not sure yet. I know this is just first draft, so it's not like revisions, editing, dumping some things and adding others couldn't bump the word count though. I'm sure when I go back and start reading it I'll find empty spots and realize-

Oops! I meant to mention this or include this scene...

Or it needs beefing up here or toning down there....

The argument didn't last long enough...

But then neither did the love scene....

LOL

Plot holes.

They're kind of like potholes. You HAVE to fill them in with good concrete or asphalt, or the story is going to be like a bumpy ride down a neglected highway. The reader isn't going to want to travel that road again (or any other road you've fashioned) if you don't make sure they have a smooth ride, enjoy the scenery and come to the end of the road and look back and say- "You know what...I'd like to travel that road again someday."

When I love a book, it's because I enjoyed the journey, didn't crash my car into any "plot"holes or find myself grimacing or grabbing at the dash to steady myself during the trip. And a good book will take you smoothly from start to finish. You'll say "That's a keeper" and you'll put that book on a shelf so that you can drive that road again in the future.

It's a beautiful thing.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday! We're over the hump!

50,008K/50,000

Smack it up, Flip it, Rub it down!!

2007-11-13T16:51:41Z

Hit 50,000 a few minutes ago!!!

Can't validate it on NaNo's site till the 25th to be declared a winner, but I already feel victorious! 2nd year in a row!

Now to just finish writing my novel!

2,554 Tuesday!!!!

2007-11-13T12:06:48Z

That's all I have left to make the 50K mark. Not sure how long this one is going to end up being, but yesterday was a milestone.

I wrote 9,561 yesterday. Oh, yeah, I almost made up the difference of the couple of days I wrote little or nothing at all and I just have to make that 2,554 today to hit the goal! Yay!

Of course I'll still work on it after that and attempt to "put a finish on it" before the month's out.

I don't think I've written that much since back in July/August when I wrote my 3rd novel. I hit 10K in a single day...but boy did my wrists pay for it the next day! LOL

Off to check email and blogs and then get to work.

47,446K/50,000K

Fresh Start Monday

2007-11-12T13:03:23Z

I didn't do any writing over the weekend. My family came down Saturday and then yesterday I thought about my novel, but I just couldn't bring myself to get on the computer and write. Maybe I needed to give myself a couple of days of down time after my puny word count Friday(380).

Hopefully today will be more productive than the weekend past.

Well, now I can't say that...it was a productive weekend. My husband and my dad got the side door of our house changed out. We had a very drafty old door there, but we've now got a very nice steel door with windows and NO draft. My dad also cut a board to keep my hubby from falling in the hole in the couch and my daughter had a blast getting to see her grandparents and aunt. It was a nice day.

One thing I thought was cool was that my dad and husband couldn't figure out how to get this Qwikset deadbolt off the new door so they could put a new matching deadbolt and knob on the new door. They took out the screws,but it wouldn't come off the door. I knew my husband was struggling with it for a while because he couldn't figure it out. Just out of curiosity, I went to look at it. I broke the cover off the edge of the door, which didn't make a bit of difference really, but then I got to messing with the deadbolt facings and the cap fell off that goes around the keyhole on the inside.

Wah-La! behind the cap was two OTHER inset screws that the exterior screws had been screwed into. I pointed it out to my dad and my husband and asked, "Could this be something?"

My dad was like "Yep, another set of screws hidden."

Once I removed it I got the deadbolt off with NO problem. My husband said something about how he couldn't believe I figured that out, I smiled at him, then my dad and said, "Well, hey, I'm the daughter of a carpenter. I should be able to figure this stuff out." LOL Or something to that affect.

So anyway- I best post this booger and get my butt in gear and start writing!

37,885K/50,000K

Bad Taryn!

2007-11-10T11:48:22Z

Yesterday all I managed was 380 words on my novel. There was distraction all around me. I had to get the grocery list and next week's menu planned out, but then I got distracted by other things~ Talking to my mom, surfing the net, doing the dishes. Watching Men In Trees- though I would've been watching that anyway.

I've not even reached 40K yet! LOL I had been going along so well. I was hoping to hit 50K by the 12th like I did last year. I might work on it some this morning before my husband and daughter get up. My parents and sister are coming down today to visit though too, so I'm tickled about that and don't really mind giving up some NaNo time for them since they live so far from me. Besides, it's not like I don't have plenty of time left in November.

My sinuses are giving me fits too and my eyes are weepy, watery and itchy. It's been pretty bad since yesterday, but more so after I bought a couple of those new Glade Wisps Flameless Candles. I had gone to their website and printed out the Buy One Get One Free coupon. Dang things cost $9.99 at the grocery. I didn't really want to spend that, but hubby was like, well, go on and get it because all you'll have to buy later is the refills.

After I turned them on, they started making the house smell good- supposed to be clean linen scented, but since then, I've been having the watery eyes and my face feels like it could cave in and my ears are hurting. I just wonder if I'm allergic to the scent. Maybe it's too much for my sinuses/allergies to handle.

The weepy eyes were why I didn't write much last night after Men In Trees went off. I was sitting here and my left eye got to twitchin' n' itchin.' It was watering so bad that I finally told my husband that I knew my word count was bad for the day, but I couldn't sit here typing cause I couldn't see what I was doing anyway through my itching blurry eye.

I'm still feeling a bit odd this morning in that department. I might have to take the batteries out of those air fresheners to see if that's what's causing me so much head trouble.

So, here's to my worst word count day so far!

37,885K/50,000K

How could I do it?!?!?!

2007-11-09T12:22:07Z

Again, I didn't write as much yesterday as I planned to- I got my total up to 37,505 yesterday, writing just over 4K instead of surpassing my goal for the day. I was just too tired to wrap my mind around it until yesterday evening.

I only have about 12-13K left to go before I hit 50K. I feel like I'm floundering a bit, faltering and a little weary that the story will end before I hit 50K. I suppose if that happens, I can go back and add more detail and description to the story in places I might've overlooked it before during my crazed writing woman typing.

But then last night, I started crying after a significantly poignant scene that ended one of the chapters. I started bawling when I realized what had happened. I had only "sort of" seen it coming and after it happened all I could think was "How could I do it?!?!?!"

I got my MC shot- as it turns out, only a flesh wound, but dang...I scared myself and gave rise to fear and sadness in my own heart once I was finished with that scene. It felt vivid enough to me that I could see it in my mind's eye.

I almost think my novel has turned somewhat into more than just a romance...it was romantic suspense there for a bit, while this last part played out. In some ways I feel like this should be almost over, but at the same time, I'm still waiting- There has to be more to the story. Besides the fact that after I got through what I DID have loosely plotted, I ended up giving my characters the reins and they took it in a very different direction than I had thought it would go. I have a scene that was part of my plotting process, though it was going to come later in the story. Now it appears that it probably won't happen. I'm actually surprised at that revelation. It's no longer pertinent to the story, nor would it be that I can see. Maybe I can work it in, in a round about way, but it would only be the remnants of that idea rather than the one I had originally thought of.

I'm also unsure of how things will pan out in the end, but that's ok. Sometimes it's better to let my characters lead the way, to let them tell me their story.
37,505K/50,000K

Fell again(Fell short of my personal word goal for yesterday, that is)

2007-11-08T14:02:32Z

I was so tired yesterday and distracted-

I reached 33,484 total, but I was about 1800 short of 5K yesterday.

Last night I was listening to my cd of The Ben Taylor Band, James Taylor's son's band- which is WICKED AWESOME- he sounds so much like his father...Love the song Island, but the entire cd is great. The music was so soothing I found myself typing with my eyes closed, almost as if I was drifting off to sleep and yet...I was aware of what I was doing, but I was zoning.

Does that mean maybe I should take a break from writing...It was almost like going into a trance or feeling drugged by heavy medication. And yet my fingers were still moving, even without me thinking about it. It was almost like automatic writing, only I was typing. It's any wonder I didn't type the words of someone from the great beyond! LOL

I don't know if I can accomplish it, but I'm hoping to surpass my 5k today, just to make up that 1800. I went to bed exhausted and a bit aggravated, knowing I fell short after so many days of achieving more than I planned to.

As an after thought- I really need to invest in some of James Taylor's cds. I didn't like his music at all when I was a kid- My dad loved his music...Daddy was the reason I even grew to like JT's music- all because of my dad trying to reach me when I was going through my angsty teen years, he made me listen to Like Everyone She Knows. It has a beautiful guitar solo intro before the lyrics-

Like everyone she knows
She's holding out for true love
Waiting on an answer
Ready for a change
And everywhere she goes
She's just a little bit on the lookout
A day might mean tomorrow
Questions still remain
It's not that she's so sad
She always was a happy soul
But lately she gets to wonder to herself
What's the good of going on anymore

I see her in her room
Sitting at the window
Wondering if she's pretty
Feeling just a little small tonight
She thinks of going home
Giving up on the city
Maybe moving back down to Mobile
It's not that far to fall
I know she won't see me
But I might just say anyhow
If I could be right there right now
As I myself was told

Hold tight to your heart's desire
Never ever let it go
Let nobody fool you into giving it up too soon
Tend your own fire
Lay low and be strong
Wait awhile
Wait it out
Wait it on out
Wait it out
It'll come along

I know she won't see me
But I might just say anyhow
If I could be right there right now
As I myself was told

Hold tight to your heart's desire
Never ever let it go
Let nobody fool you into giving it up too soon
Tend your own fire
Lay low and be strong
Wait it out
Wait it out
Wait it on out
Wait it out
Let it come along
Oh, wait awhile
Wait awhile

In a way that song has always made me feel closer to my dad because he found something to connect with me, through music, which is one of my favorite forms of expression besides writing. My dad thought I was giving up on life, on finding love, on persuing my writing at the time, and this song speaks VOLUMES to me about his belief in me.

Ok, now that I've made myself cry this morning(blubbering mess at the keyboard), I'm going to go- get some of this writing done today.

Have a great day!

33,484K/50,000K

Chugga Chugga Chugga

2007-11-07T14:15:18Z

It's Day 7 of NaNo and I'm well ahead of the average word count.

I reached the 30K mark last night, which is technically the ideal word count for Day 18.

I'm feeling rough from a fall I took yesterday. Twisted my ankle and banged myself up- joints and muscles mostly. Stepped in a hole in the yard trying to chase off the neighbor's dog when she was trying to get in our trash(can was tipped). Guess that's what I get for getting so much pleasure from my main male character's fall in my novel the other day! LOL

But anyway..I'm still chugging along and enjoying the flow I've got going now.

Have a happy Hump Day and Write on!

30,277K/50,000K

I'm already Halfway there!

2007-11-06T14:24:40Z

There's no school today because of Election Day, so I have both kids at home and hubby took off work too, but he's still in bed asleep.

My new Word Count Total I'm proud to say---- 25,260!!!

It's a great feeling to know I'm 1/2 way to the total, though I know I'm not really done, but just getting to 50K again this year will be an amazing feeling. It will also be wonderful to know I have 4 novels written, ready for revisions and polishing. 4 novels is just a little over a year.

Well, finishing my first novel was big enough as it was, after having worked on it off and on for over ten years, but since then it's been a wild ride getting my others written. Albeit they're first drafts that need LOTS of revisions and so forth, but I can't say I'm disappointed that I've accomplished more in the past year or so than I had in all the 20 some odd years I've wanted to be a writer.

end of September 2006- Finally finished 1st novel after working on it for 10+ years
November 2006- Wrote my 2nd novel during my 1st NaNoWriMo
Feb-July 2007- had explosion of new novel ideas- did editing, rework on 1st novel
Mid July- Mid August 2007- Wrote my 3rd novel during my personal 30 day writing attempt.
October 2007- did some editing and rework on 2nd novel
November 2007- Writing 4th novel for my 2nd NaNoWriMo

It's been a year full of surprises, ups and downs, personal accomplishments and private problems, major overhauls- dental issues, having to replace a dead dryer, getting water lines hooked up, having the harddrive crash and burn. I don't think I've ever experienced a year that had SO much going on all at once.

It seemed for all the bad, there was equal amounts of good. My teeth were killing me, but I got inspiration for numerous novel ideas. We got the water hooked up, but the dryer died. I wrote my 3rd novel, but almost lost all my writing thanks to a virus on our old computer that crashed it so hard we almost weren't able to recover ANY of my writing. Thank heavens for that computer guy! I could never thank him enough. When he got my writing and family photos off the old computer I literally BAWLED like a baby. I found a lot of wonderfully talented writers online and won a bunch of autographed books, bookmarks, bookplates, trinkets and bobbles.
It's been astounding and I can only hope that maybe in the next year it will be even better, though hopefully without so many downsides! LOL

So anyhoo- I'm rambling on this morning. I hope everyone has a great day! Off to get myself even closer to 50K.

25,260K/50,000K

Crazy Weekend- Amazing Word Count!

2007-11-05T12:42:45Z

The weekend was "odd" to say the least. Everytime I was on the phone someone would beep in and it seemed our phone was ringing off the hook all weekend, which is rare, but something came up that had to be resolved and I'd be just as well off to keep my mouth zipped about. It's not really my business, so I will leave well enough alone.

In other news~ My new word count is amazing me.

Here's a rundown-

1st- 5,738~ 2nd- 3,296~ 3rd-5,978~ 4th- 5,256

Grand Total- 20,258! I'm well ahead of my total word count from last year already- Last year on the 4th I didn't write anything and I was sitting around 10K and change. Must have been busy that day or something because I had a goose egg for my WC that day.

I'm also getting further into the story, with an unexpected confrontation with someone Melody knew from her past. It hadn't crossed my mind she might run into this person before, but now it kind of fits and makes sense with the skeleton that's going to fall out of her closet and reveal that secret she's carried around for sixteen years. The secret that may very well destroy Wes's "undying" love for her.

So today's goal is to hit the 1/2 mark for NaNo, which would be 25K of the 50K. I still think my novel will go over the general count though. Just not sure how much farther over. Last year I went about 30K over, so we'll see.

If things continue to go as well as they are, I'll hit 50K before the 12th, which was last year's amazing day of accomplishment for me. I didn't stop though. I kept writing till I put a finish on it.

This year my main problem is that I keep wanting to type Royce(last year's nano MC) instead of Wes (this year's male MC). My fingers want to do it but I have to keep pausing myself and saying, "No, wait...Royce's story was last year.)

Well, I'm off and gone- going to replay this on my other blogs, just to cut the time I'm away from my novel.

20,258K/50,000K

The Ghost and Mrs. Writer.....(Day 4, reporting day 3)

2007-11-04T15:57:02Z

I hit 15,002 last night before heading off to bed but NaNo's site was down so I had to wait till this morning to put in my new word count total. But all in all I feel good about where I am. Plus, I'm starting to get more into the story better.

Since I started writing on the 1st, I had felt set apart from my characters, until Wes fell over the tree stump last night and hit his head on the porch steps in the dark at Melody's grandmother's. LOL Yes, I hate to admit it, but I enjoyed his spill and the gash on his head and him getting knocked unconscious. Yes, I enjoyed it because it was unexpected. I was flying by the seat of my pants on that one. I have a plot, but not all my scenes figured out, so I just went with it last night to see where it would go. It was the perfect opportunity for Melody to HAVE to interact with Wes- especially since she's been running from him for years, avoiding him. Then she had to care for him.

It was a perfect surprise to me, that's for sure. And since having written 3 other novels, I've come to expect that after a certain point, my characters will take the lead, show me what they want to happen, what should happen and lead me toward the end we "all" know will come. I love when they come to "life" for me, point me in the right direction, surprise me with good twists and turns in the story.

Last year my main character Royce did that and often. There were several turns in the story that came out that I never planned, never intended, but once it was written I realized just what a difference it made to feel as though he was standing over my shoulder, telling me his story, whispering in my ear...In some ways it's reminiscent of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

I love that movie- The ghost of a sea captain, telling this woman his story she she can write it and have it published. It's wonderfully fanciful. In the process, she falls in love with him and eventually he leaves her and she lives the rest of her life believing he'd only been a dream, until the final scene where she dies...and the captain comes back to get her.

In some ways it quite the same when I'm writing, though my characters are the ones telling me their story and yes, I do fall in love with them, though for me, they are like my children, growing and living through me onto the written page.

Well, that would be it for me for today. I need to pull that file up and get my booty in gear for another day of NaNo'ing. Have a great Sunday and WRITE ON!

15,002K/50,000K

Early Saturday Morning- Day 3 of NaNo

2007-11-03T11:03:07Z

I'm up early on a Saturday. My word count for yesterday was 3,296, giving me a new total of 9,024. I didn't write nearly as much as the day before, but still feel good about it.

My mind just isn't in the story yet really. It's not that I don't want to get into it.

I do.

But it seems the past two or three days have been uber hectic. I have too much going on around me, laundry and dishes needing to be done, too many needy voices calling out my name. My almost 5 year old insisted last night that she couldn't put her PJs on herself.

She had to have MY help. Suddenly she is helpless. I told her this is pretty good for a kid who would change her clothes all the time without my knowledge when she was 2 years old, but at almost 5 she just CAN'T dress herself! LOL

Truth is, she was at me all day yesterday for something. It seemed just when I would be getting back into the story, she'd ask for this or that or start hollering for my help from somewhere off in the other part of the house. I told her I thought she was purposely being needy. She disaggreed.

But then there were times throughout the past day or so, she'd ask me, "Are you getting a lot of writing done Mommy?" "How many words have you writed?"

She's my little sweetie. Of course when I tell her a number I get the "WHOA! That's a LOT! You're doing good Mommy!"

I don't know what it is really. I have this "energy" for lack of better wording that seems to be racing through me. I can't seem to keep my head in the game for a long period of time. I find myself not writing and wondering if there's something I should be up doing. Maybe it's guilt tearing me away from my writing. But guilt isn't really eating at me- I've been good keeping the dishes washed up and the laundry too. So guilt doesn't feel like the logical choice.

This is more like a planetary change, a movement tingling and pulsing through me. An "anticipation" of something about to happen that has nothing to do with my writing. Though I can't pinpoint what it is, I just feel a change coming. Gut instinct. I just hope it's not something bad.

So anyway...I'm going to check in on my blogs and then start working on my novel some more this morning. Maybe I'll get some writing done while hubby and daughter are still asleep. My stepson is gone on a Cub Scout camping trip with his mom this weekend.

Happy NaNo'ing Everyone!

Exhausted NaNoer Here- Day One

2007-11-01T22:45:12Z

I'm exhausted but it's more from running all over last night taking the kids trick or treating. We live in the country, so we have to drive to all the houses we know, rather than hitting a neighborhood. By the time we got home, I was wore out. We watched Kid Nation and put the kids to bed and then watched the first 3 hours of Ghost Hunters Live! filmed here in Kentucky at Waverly Hills Sanitorium last night.

We went to bed at 11PM, but I was up at 5am to get my stepson off to school. Checked in on email and my favorite blogs and then started on my adventure into my 2nd NaNoWriMo. I have somewhere around 4,900 words already. I don't think I'm done though for today. I'm going to work on it some more until 7. After that I'll be watching Ugly Betty, Supernatural and the last three hours of Ghost Hunters that I recorded last night.

Feeling pretty good right now about NaNo. I've proven to myself I can write a novel in a month twice before- Last NaNo and back in mid-July/beginning of August of this year I did my own personal NaNo and wrote the other. I'm confident I can do this, so right now there's no stress. I'm just waiting for my characters to throw something crazy at me. LOL

Ok, so as of right now, here's how I'm standing-

4,936K/50,000K

Halloween into NaNo!

2007-10-31T11:54:30Z

Boy oh boy! Today is Halloween and we've got some stuff to do today. Hubby took off work to mow the lawn, probably for the last time this year as well as to be home when my stepson gets home from school so he can get his costume fixed up before it's time to go trick or treating.

I have dishes and laundry that needs doing before the day is out.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! comes on at 3 in the afternoon here, which doesn't make sense to me, but oh well. Tonight once we get home and eat supper, which we'll be picking up while we're out, we'll be watching Kid Nation with the kids and then the LIVE Ghost Hunters comes on. I've joked that I should stay up and watch that, which will probably run for about 6 hours on Sci-Fi, and after midnight I could start working on my novel for NaNo. I would have to sleep almost all day though in order to stay up that late and still be able to be up to put my stepson on the school bus tomorrow morning.

I need to vent a little- The Rocky Horror Picture Show is NOT airing at all tonight. I would've been watching Ghost Hunters anyway, but I always try to find it on Halloween night. I'd SWEAR last year they aired it over and over on VH1 Classic, but this year...NOPE. It's always been one of my Halloween treats to watch RHPS, but I guess I won't get to see it this year. I definitely need to get that movie on DVD, so I can watch it whenever I want to.~ So there you have that. {stepping down from my tiny soapbox}

I also need to get my desk straightened up today and get all my novel notes laid out over here where I can easily get to it as of tomorrow.

So here's to only a few tricks and lots of treats tonight and as for NaNo~ BRING IT ON! Time to Write!

4 Days till NaNo

2007-10-29T13:33:01Z

Just four more days till NaNo, including today, which is just getting started. I got my NaNoWriMo shirt the other day- Here's a pic-

It's made with really soft cotton and is SO comfortable. Will DEFINITELY be wearing it off and on all November, along with last year's shirt too.

Did more some more revisions over the weekend on my novel from last year. Bumped my word count up to almost 83K from 80K. Adding scenes and POV I neglected when I originally wrote it. Think that's what I'll work on the next few days until NaNo starts, so long as I don't get it stuck in my head and not be able to concentrate on the novel I plan to write in November. LOL

So that's about it as far as news from my little corner of the world for today.

***
NaNoWriMo 2007 Novel- Haunted Melody
Word Count- 0k/50,000k

1 Week Exactly Till NaNo Starts...

2007-10-25T19:23:14Z

And I sure hope I'm not feeling sluggish and uninspired like I am right now. This is crazy...I felt like a bear wanting to hibernate this morning. I took some allergy medicine this morning and I conked out on the couch for an hour or so, as if I couldn't even move...paralyzed....petrified even. I was just WIPED out. I hope this feeling passes before next Thursday because I CAN'T be feeling this way then. That would SO suck!

Today though I DID get my NaNo shirt(already threw it in a load of laundry so I can wear it soon) and my stickers from my donation and the little thank you card from Chris Baty and Tavia Stewart. VERY COOL. Can't wait to wear my shirt.

Am I ready for NaNo? ABSOLUTELY!
Is my body ready? I sure hope so...I've got a week to get to feeling better and get my head cleared.

Have a great day!

About a Week till NaNo- I'm doing revisions-

2007-10-24T13:42:47Z

This morning I decided to open my novel from last year's NaNo, Destiny's Looming Storm, and do some revisions, editing, adding of scenes I feel are necessary to the betterment of my novel. It will occupy the time until NaNo starts. I've really not felt like writing much lately. I don't know if it's because Mercury is in retrograde or if my brain is still on vacation, knowing I'm going to do some major writing in about a week, but I have felt drained of creativity and inspiration for anything else. Let's hope that passes by November 1st or I will fail my goal for this year.

I think a lot has to do with day to day life. Things have been stressful, and the kids are always at me, I've always got housework of some form or fashion waiting for me and it's just zapping me of my writing brain power. And to be sure, the holidays are looming closer and closer, so that means family gatherings and get togethers. I handled it last year when I did NaNo, so surely I can do the same thing this year. Heck, after all, we've already gotten all our Christmas shopping done. That's one thing to be thankful for come Thanksgiving! LOL

So anyhoo, I'm off to work on my revisions for a bit.

Getting There~~~

2007-10-22T18:36:14Z

I'm getting anxious for NaNo. I want to be writing right now, but I know I can't start my novel until the first day of November. At the same time, I just can't get into any of my other ideas knowing I'd have to put them to the side until after November is over. I hate to start something new when I know I can't really work on it continuously.

Instead, let's talk about my hair for a moment. Can you see the BRIGHT red in my hair on my photo? I bought some highlighter to put on my hair for my Halloween costume. I wanted a very temporary..something that would wash out, but Wal-Mart doesn't have that kind anymore, so I had to go with an actual highlighting kit which will last several weeks..probably through the end of the year. I'm going to be a Vamp Vixen, with bright red highlights(it was red or white blonde highlights...at least red I can live with since my hair is already red...now it's just advanced red! LOL)

I've also got shimmery purple cobweb/spiders long gloves that come up to my elbows, a glittery purple cape and a purple vamp kit- black lipstick, purple glitter face paint/lip glossy stuff and fangs and long tinsel-like lashes...though because I have to wear my glasses to see I can't wear the lashes.

The kids are just going to love me. My daughter said I needed to dress up scary, so we'll see if this scares her! LOL She's going as a fairy, my husband as a clown and my stepson as a zombie. We're going to make quite the funny looking bunch! LOL

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

NaNoWriMo~ November 1st-30th

2007-10-18T15:29:18Z

Last year I discovered a great outlet for writers~ National Novel Writing Month.

In September 2006 I had just finally put a finish on my 1st novel that had taken me over a decade to finish. I thought it would take me that long on EVERY novel I wrote because I hadn't been able to sit down and work on my novel continuously in all those years. Life, work, family, and other things took precedence over my writing, even though that has been my dream since I was ten years old.

That was until I heard about National Novel Writing Month. It's been going on every year since 1999, though the first one occurred in July. I had never heard of such a thing...writing with frenzied fingers in just 30 days to complete a novel at 50,000 words in length. What a concept I thought. My heart raced, my palms got sweaty and I was inspired as I read the rules on their website- http://www.nanowrimo.org/

There was no entry fee and the prize was more than any material item you could hope for- it was one of the best reasons in the world- to be able to say you had written a 50k+ novel in 30 days and to be overwhelmed by that powerful sense of accomplishment. Albeit, the novel won't necessarily be perfect and you might even attempt it without even thinking of publication, but for someone who had worked for years to finish just one novel, dreaming of someday having books published, I had to attempt this.

It's a grueling challenge with yourself. Testing your ability to stick it out. To find the TRUE writer in your soul and drag her out kicking and screaming while you tie up your internal editor with rope, twine, duct tape or whatever you might have on hand and gag him with a wad of paper you'd written that he once made you throw away because HE didn't think it was good enough. You tell him, "Listen bub, I have heard enough from you, so stick it where the sun don't shine."

Then you lock him in the deepest darkest closet you can find and try to forget about him...except for maybe giving him the occasional bread and water so he doesn't die during November. You probably will need him when you begin to do edits, after all.

So I set to work. I searched through my pile of ideas and found the novel I wanted to work on. I did some plotting and outline, character investigation, etc and come November, I set to work, typing till my fingers ached and my body begged for mercy. I ate Twizzlers, found writing totems to keep me encouraged- my stone cat, my metallic butterfly hair clips. I wrote like I'd never written in my life and found strength, courage, hope and BELIEF in myself that had never been there.

I hit 50K on the 12th of November. I was ASTONISHED and proud and I'm on the verge of tears right now because it still moves me to remember that I found my true writer last November and it was because of NaNoWriMo. By the end of the month, I had a completed first draft 80k novel staring back at me from my computer screen. Never in my life had I felt more accomplished or proud of myself as the writer I know I am.

In fact, to commemorate my accomplishment- when we went to get our Christmas village in December, my husband pointed out the most beautiful tall lighted Library village piece I'd ever seen. It now adorns our village at the holidays. It's gorgeous and it will always be a wonderful reminder of my first NaNo and all that has come from that change in my life, my change in my view of myself and what I'm challenging myself to now with my life and my writing, as a result of participating.

This year my novel is Haunted Melody and I will be journaling my adventure through my 2nd NaNo here on LJ. Please feel free to come read, comment and share in this with me. And if you think you'd enjoy trying NaNo if you haven't before, be sure to let me know if you join up on the forums and I'll be more than happy to buddy you. If you're already a NaNovelist, feel free to friend me here and at NaNo.

Happy NaNoing everyone- Just 2 more weeks from today!