Yes, it's after one in the morning. Yes, I'm still up. (No, I wasn't writing. Because clearly that would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it.)
I've spent the past few days obsessively updating my word count on NaNoWriMo.org (but really, when am I not doing that?) and obsessively comparing my current word count with my word count for past novels, on the same date.
What can I say? I'm curious!
Anyway, I am happy to say that, while my writing may have been completely and totally sporadic this past month, I have somehow managed to pull ahead of my 2012 self. I am currently farther in my novel than I was at this time a year ago.
Not by much, but still.
I think, above everything else, that this is true inspiration. Why? Because now, with three (okay, two) days left of NaNoWriMo, I am further in my story than I was on the final day of NaNo last year.
WHICH MEANS, fellow wrimos (and non-wrimos, I'm not excluding you), that I have no excuse. I will win NaNoWriMo 2013.
I'm not saying that I had doubts...okay yeah, that is what I'm saying. But have you seen my stats? Last year, I wrote every single day--even if that day only brought about 100 words. This year, I would spend four days writing 3k+ words per day, and then refuse to write for another five.
What did I say? Sporadic.
Anyways, I should sleep. I managed to survive the rest of NaNo without becoming sleep deprived--I'm not about to start now.
Until later,
- Justyne
(P.S. I hear footsteps upstairs. Either my dad is still awake or I will go upstairs to find my entire family murdered.)
(P.P.S. Why do I get so hungry at 1 AM? It's not fair.)
(P.P.P.S. This entire blog post is why I'm not allowed to stay up late.)
Daytime update: Upon further investigation upstairs, no one was awake, and everyone was alive. So I guess my house is just haunted.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
I think this about sums it up (NaNoWriMo, Week 4)
28,653 more words to go.
8 days left in NaNoWriMo.
I need to write 3,184 more words to finish on time.
CHALLENGE.
FREAKING.
ACCEPTED.
Until later,
- Justyne
8 days left in NaNoWriMo.
I need to write 3,184 more words to finish on time.
CHALLENGE.
FREAKING.
ACCEPTED.
Until later,
- Justyne
Friday, November 15, 2013
In which I discover the SECRET to NaNoWriMo (NaNoWriMo, Week 3)
Up until this past week, my daily word count has been pitiful, if not non-existent. 100 words here, 200 words there, 0 words over there. I was quite ashamed of myself, to be honest. I wrote over 13k on the last day of NaNoWriMo to win last year, and now I can't even manage a measly thousand words a day? Pitiful.
And then, I discovered something. The very well-kept secret to succeeding in NaNoWriMo.
Word sprints.
Okay, so it's not really a secret. And I'm not sure what I've been doing technically follows the definition of a "word sprint", but still.
For you non-wrimos, a "word sprint" is a short period of time--fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, etc etc--in which you just sit down and write. Nonstop. You put your fingers to the keyboard and type as fast as you humanly can to get as many words as possible in the time provided.
I've participated in one word sprint this past week (in which I got 1,027 words in 30 minutes--not too shabby), but most of my extremely productive writing was done, not in sprints dictated by time, but by numbers.
What a concept.
Turns out, if I actually make myself sit down and write in quick intervals of 100 or 200 or 500 words, I get it done rather quickly, and by the end of the day I have over 2k words done, as has been the case for the last few days.
The question now is....why didn't I figure this out on November 1st?!
Until later,
- Justyne
And then, I discovered something. The very well-kept secret to succeeding in NaNoWriMo.
Word sprints.
Okay, so it's not really a secret. And I'm not sure what I've been doing technically follows the definition of a "word sprint", but still.
For you non-wrimos, a "word sprint" is a short period of time--fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, etc etc--in which you just sit down and write. Nonstop. You put your fingers to the keyboard and type as fast as you humanly can to get as many words as possible in the time provided.
I've participated in one word sprint this past week (in which I got 1,027 words in 30 minutes--not too shabby), but most of my extremely productive writing was done, not in sprints dictated by time, but by numbers.
What a concept.
Turns out, if I actually make myself sit down and write in quick intervals of 100 or 200 or 500 words, I get it done rather quickly, and by the end of the day I have over 2k words done, as has been the case for the last few days.
The question now is....why didn't I figure this out on November 1st?!
Until later,
- Justyne
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Dead or Alive (Snippet Sunday, NaNo Edition)
Every Sunday, I share a snippet of one of my many writing projects here on the blog, for your enjoyment. In the spirit of NaNoWriMo, each snippet this month will be taken from this year's NaNoWriMo novel. (In other words, expect bad grammar and poor word choices.) Enjoy!
(Just a bit of extended information: my NaNo novel this year is told from two separate points of view. Last week's snippet was from Orlena--the main character's--point of view. This weeks is from another point of view--which one it is, though, I'm not quite ready to say yet. ;] )
~~
The dark figure was still there. Same distance. Same stance. Same position.
It may not have moved, but I sure had.
I’m not sure how much time had passed since I started walking; walking towards that…that person that stood there. It almost felt like they were waiting for me, ever patiently, to reach them.
It looked like they would be waiting for quite a while, though, as I had made little to no progress in reaching them…despite the seemingly long time I had spent trying. There had to be some trick, some other way to get to them. Otherwise I never would.
“Do you need help, child?”
I jumped at the sudden voice and spun around. An aged man, his face cloaked in wrinkles and his hair stained white, stood before me. His attire was white; pure, blinding white, that covered his frail and slouched body from his collar down to the tips of his feet.
“Who are you?” I asked. “How did you get here?”
He chuckled. His voice was deep. Deep and…familiar. “That, my dear, seems to be the least of your worries. Even if I told you who I was, I’m not sure you would remember.”
Remember? “So…do I know you?”
“You did, for a time.”
I paused for a minute, waiting for him to elaborate, but instead he remained silent.
“So, um…are you going to tell me who I am, then?”
“I’m afraid I can’t, you dear. The only way for you to figure that out is to remember for yourself.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “If I could do that, I wouldn’t be having this problem.”
“Remembering isn’t as simple as you think, my dear. Especially when the past holds as much pain as yours does.”
Pain? “So…are you saying that I don’t want to remember?”
“Not necessarily.” His silver grey eyes sparkled with kindness and sincerity. “There are many memories I’m sure you would like to retrieve; ones that are much kinder and sweeter than others. The painful memories form a block. Your heart and your mind have formed a blockage; a form of self defense, to avoid reliving the pain you once experienced in life.”
The way he said “in life” sent a chill down my spine. “Am I…am I dead?”
“I’m afraid there’s only one way to find out, my dear.” He extended a weathered hand towards me. “Would you like to remember?”
~~
Until later,
- Justyne
(Just a bit of extended information: my NaNo novel this year is told from two separate points of view. Last week's snippet was from Orlena--the main character's--point of view. This weeks is from another point of view--which one it is, though, I'm not quite ready to say yet. ;] )
~~
The dark figure was still there. Same distance. Same stance. Same position.
It may not have moved, but I sure had.
I’m not sure how much time had passed since I started walking; walking towards that…that person that stood there. It almost felt like they were waiting for me, ever patiently, to reach them.
It looked like they would be waiting for quite a while, though, as I had made little to no progress in reaching them…despite the seemingly long time I had spent trying. There had to be some trick, some other way to get to them. Otherwise I never would.
“Do you need help, child?”
I jumped at the sudden voice and spun around. An aged man, his face cloaked in wrinkles and his hair stained white, stood before me. His attire was white; pure, blinding white, that covered his frail and slouched body from his collar down to the tips of his feet.
“Who are you?” I asked. “How did you get here?”
He chuckled. His voice was deep. Deep and…familiar. “That, my dear, seems to be the least of your worries. Even if I told you who I was, I’m not sure you would remember.”
Remember? “So…do I know you?”
“You did, for a time.”
I paused for a minute, waiting for him to elaborate, but instead he remained silent.
“So, um…are you going to tell me who I am, then?”
“I’m afraid I can’t, you dear. The only way for you to figure that out is to remember for yourself.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “If I could do that, I wouldn’t be having this problem.”
“Remembering isn’t as simple as you think, my dear. Especially when the past holds as much pain as yours does.”
Pain? “So…are you saying that I don’t want to remember?”
“Not necessarily.” His silver grey eyes sparkled with kindness and sincerity. “There are many memories I’m sure you would like to retrieve; ones that are much kinder and sweeter than others. The painful memories form a block. Your heart and your mind have formed a blockage; a form of self defense, to avoid reliving the pain you once experienced in life.”
The way he said “in life” sent a chill down my spine. “Am I…am I dead?”
“I’m afraid there’s only one way to find out, my dear.” He extended a weathered hand towards me. “Would you like to remember?”
~~
Until later,
- Justyne
Friday, November 8, 2013
Falling Behind (NaNoWriMo, Week 2)
So. Week 1 has ended, and it seems that I have fallen behind already.
To be honest, though, I was kind of expecting that.
This is my 3rd year participating in NaNoWriMo, and I have yet to last past the first day without already falling a bit behind in my word count. Does that suck a little? Yes. Is it an accurate display of my procrastination habits? You bet it is.
But the month is still young, my friends. It's far too early to call it quits now.
The thing with falling behind in November is that it's really not that big of a deal. 8 days may have passed, but that still means that there are 22 days that you have to complete your 50k. It's not over until the West Coast says it is!
The most important thing to remember, through all of this, is that the true reason for NaNoWriMo is to write. Whether to get 50 words or 50,000 by November 30th, you will have succeeded. Because you won't succeed if you don't even try.
Wow that was super cheesy and cliched and I'm sorry. No time to dwell on that now--I have a bit of catching up to do.
Until later,
- Justyne
P.S. I added a little word count badge on the right hand side of the page. It shows my current word count and the percentage of completion I have achieved. So if you're ever wondering how I'm doing, just check back here. :)
To be honest, though, I was kind of expecting that.
This is my 3rd year participating in NaNoWriMo, and I have yet to last past the first day without already falling a bit behind in my word count. Does that suck a little? Yes. Is it an accurate display of my procrastination habits? You bet it is.
But the month is still young, my friends. It's far too early to call it quits now.
The thing with falling behind in November is that it's really not that big of a deal. 8 days may have passed, but that still means that there are 22 days that you have to complete your 50k. It's not over until the West Coast says it is!
The most important thing to remember, through all of this, is that the true reason for NaNoWriMo is to write. Whether to get 50 words or 50,000 by November 30th, you will have succeeded. Because you won't succeed if you don't even try.
Wow that was super cheesy and cliched and I'm sorry. No time to dwell on that now--I have a bit of catching up to do.
Until later,
- Justyne
P.S. I added a little word count badge on the right hand side of the page. It shows my current word count and the percentage of completion I have achieved. So if you're ever wondering how I'm doing, just check back here. :)
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Crumbling Away (Snippet Sunday, NaNo Edition)
Every Sunday, I copy and paste a snippet of writing here, to give you a taste of what I'm working on. Since this month is NaNoWriMo, everything I post for the duration of November will be from my NaNoWriMo project. As a result, the quality will be much, much lower than normal. I hope you enjoy it, anyway!
~~
I stood in the middle of the school auditorium. My hand fit perfectly into Drake’s, my dance partner, and my silver gown swooshed easily around my legs as we glided across the dance floor. The lights sparkled and reflected off of his dark eyes, smiling down at me. I caught the gaze, for a split second, of my best friend Lia. She smiled at me; she was happy for me. My gaze quickly switched back to Drake’s eyes. I smiled, grateful for my high heels as I leaned in to kiss him.
That’s when my world shattered. Literally.
The lights, the auditorium, everything disintegrated around me. Lia stared at me in panic, her arm outstretched as she, too, crumbled into dust. All I could do was watch in horror as everything fell apart around me.
I tried to lean into Drake; to seek protection in his warmth. But instead, I stumbled forward into nothing, almost losing my balance and tumbling to the ground. I spun around frantically.
He was gone.
Instead, Lord Borna loomed over me. His wicked grin struck fear into my heart; his eyes drove panic into my mind. The floor around me continued to crumble, leaving nothing but white all around me.
I fell helplessly to the ground, Borna’s laughter shocking my eardrums and rattling my brain. My platform of safety continued to crumble away until, finally, it was nothing. And I fell.
That’s when I woke up.
~~
I stood in the middle of the school auditorium. My hand fit perfectly into Drake’s, my dance partner, and my silver gown swooshed easily around my legs as we glided across the dance floor. The lights sparkled and reflected off of his dark eyes, smiling down at me. I caught the gaze, for a split second, of my best friend Lia. She smiled at me; she was happy for me. My gaze quickly switched back to Drake’s eyes. I smiled, grateful for my high heels as I leaned in to kiss him.
That’s when my world shattered. Literally.
The lights, the auditorium, everything disintegrated around me. Lia stared at me in panic, her arm outstretched as she, too, crumbled into dust. All I could do was watch in horror as everything fell apart around me.
I tried to lean into Drake; to seek protection in his warmth. But instead, I stumbled forward into nothing, almost losing my balance and tumbling to the ground. I spun around frantically.
He was gone.
Instead, Lord Borna loomed over me. His wicked grin struck fear into my heart; his eyes drove panic into my mind. The floor around me continued to crumble, leaving nothing but white all around me.
I fell helplessly to the ground, Borna’s laughter shocking my eardrums and rattling my brain. My platform of safety continued to crumble away until, finally, it was nothing. And I fell.
That’s when I woke up.
~~
Until later,
- Justyne
Friday, November 1, 2013
Aaaaaand here we go! (NaNoWriMo, Week 1)
First things first: Halloween. Uneventful, but fun. At the last minute I discovered an old Snow White costume and dressed up for the entire evening, even though I didn't actually go anywhere. I don't think I've ever had so much fun dressing up for Halloween before. (Next year, I'm gonna be Belle.)
Now, moving on.
My 2013 novelling adventure began at midnight, where, despite the fact that I already felt sleep deprived (I slept in, for God's sake, WHY was I so tired?), I managed to jot down around 500 words before heading to bed.
500 words and the day has barely even begun! I smell a successful month.
Alas, I must not dwell too much on the details of this blog entry. I have writing to do.
Until later,
- Justyne
Now, moving on.
My 2013 novelling adventure began at midnight, where, despite the fact that I already felt sleep deprived (I slept in, for God's sake, WHY was I so tired?), I managed to jot down around 500 words before heading to bed.
500 words and the day has barely even begun! I smell a successful month.
Alas, I must not dwell too much on the details of this blog entry. I have writing to do.
Until later,
- Justyne
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