November 30 - 10,255 words - 10:04 pm

Stick a fork in it, this manuscript's DONE!!!! I rushed the hell out of the ending, but my first draft is done.  I've already got a new title in mind, but Confetti Stars helped get the book going. It's the sorriest first draft I've ever written, but it's done. And I know where all the strings are hanging out, so I can clean them up in the next draft.  Now, I'm going to bed. G'night. (Now playing:  Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan.)

6930 words - 7:35 pm

Wooohoooo!!! Just hit my 80K boundary and figured out the book's ending.  I think another 5K will finish this book. Not sure I can write that many words tonight though. Gonna give it a shot though.

5180 words - 5:26 pm

I just broke the 78K mark and the story's curse is finally being revealed. 80K and the last two scenes of the book are only a breath away.  Going into the final stages.  Time to change music...something that rocks... (Now playing:  Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan)

3960 words - 3:34 pm

Still kicking out words . . . and it's getting late . . .

2295 words - 1:14 pm

Wow . . . it's the last day. And I'm close to the end -- but am I close enough? I sure hope I can type 'The End' tonight. I'm scaring the heck out of 80K and there's so much left to tell.  I think this book's going to be at least 85K. Not sure I can write all of this in one day though.  Here goes nothing though. :)  Wish me luck! (Now playing:  Chasing Daylight by Sister Hazel)

November 29 - 3160 words - 11:54 pm

Not a lot finished today like I'd hoped. I may update this page later (I'm still working on wordage), but just in case I forget to post, I'm putting up my word count now.  Come hell or high water, this book will be finished tomorrow. I'm sooooo close to the end. I can feel it. :)  I see all these loose ends sticking out everywhere and it's driving me nuts, but I can't worry about those until the second draft.  I should break 73K at least tonight.  (Now Playing: Shepherd Moons by Enya)

November 28 - 1540 words - 12:09 am

Okay, so I went ten minutes into the next day...I was lucky to get 1500+ words today.  I didn't have to work today, but ended up spending the whole bloody day fixing a friend's computer. Between fixing that and running after a part, Mom and I picked up our Christmas tree and brought it home.  Haven't put any decorations on yet, but the tree's in the house. A major accomplishment for me today. Needless to say, I got little writing done.  But, on the plus side, I broke the 70K mark!! This story is hurtling toward the ending very rapidly. I'm guessing 78K to 80K. It'll be done by Sunday for sure (coz that's the end of the dare :>). And...I got a totally cool new idea for another novel. So, I'm trying to decide if I want to start that book next month or finish Drawn in DNA (which I haven't finished yet -- got a good start on it, but it still needs to be finished.) It would be cool to end the year with three new novel manuscripts. DiD might be the best choice because I already have 20K or so done.  Good night! (Now playing:  Painted Pictures by Grey Eye Glances.)

November 27 - 1685 words - 10:51 pm

Calle finally investigates the cellar and gets more than she bargained for, but she also discovers part of herself in the process. She knows now that things are unraveling quickly.  She's got to stay sharp and keep Cameron from hurting himself or getting killed in the process.  The fate of the town was depending on it. I should be well into 70K tomorrow.  Good night! (Now playing:  Weathered by Creed)

November 26 - 2320 words - 10:48 pm

The story's starting to get very intense now as Calle begins to unravel some things from the past. And she's fallen head over feet for Cameron.  He doesn't know this yet. He also doesn't know that he's still in danger.  Calle prepares to uncover the motive behind the attacks on Cam and unmask the attacker. But she's running out of time.

November 25 - 1535 words - 9:58 pm

Calle made some realizations about what was happening and she's learned about an affair between Cam's mom and someone in town. The same person she suspects to have led the attack that put Cameron in the hospital.  Calle is trying to find the connection between this man and the eerie figures watching her and Cam from Harvest house.  If she can just piece this together, she might find a way to stop the storm brewing around Trinity Mills. (Now playing:  Victorialand by The Cocteau Twins)

November 24 - 1540 words - 10:02 pm

Not a lot of verbage tonight, but the story continues to move forward. If all goes well, I'll be wrapping this one up by Sunday night.  Things are just about ready to take a sharp downswing for Cameron and Calle as the town prepares for its Fall Festival and remembering all the people who died in a tornado nearly thirty years ago.  None of them realizes another storm is brewing on the horizon and this one could destroy the whole town. Always torturing my poor characters.  Goodnight!  (Now playing: Victorialand by The Cocteau Twins)

November 23 - 1125 words - 8:05 pm

Only managed a small output today, but the story is going well and it's starting to move into its final act. I think 80K will wrap this one up. And if all goes well, I should finish it next weekend. (Now Playing:  Victorialand by The Cocteau Twins) I knocked off early tonight and played a little Dungeon Seige. :)

November 22 - 7640 words - 11:58 pm

Woohoo!!!  I hit 60K!! In my mind, the book is now officially a novel.  (My past dares have all been based on 60K.) Still lots more to happen before the book closes, but it feels really good to hit that mark. Even got a little time in to play Legends of Aranna. :) Good night!

4935 words - 5:17 pm

Good word turnout today. I'm hoping to break 60K tonight. I ended up writing a prologue, but I think it's now too long to be a prologue. I really don't know anything about prologue rules (if there are any), but I should probably check into that on my second draft.  Off to get some dinner and get back to work.

November 21 - 0 words

I'm just too wiped to write tonight. Tomorrow, I'll write. :)

November 20 - 1065 words - 9:32 pm

Got through a little over 1K tonight.  I just felt too tired to put more than that down. I hope to make some good strides on the book this weekend and maybe finish it by next weekend.  Or take it to the wire. Depends on what happens this weekend, I guess. I can't wait for next week.  To get a couple of extra days off will be awesome.  I'm a tired camper.  (Now Playing: Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan)

November 19 - 1040 words - 9:54 pm

I managed a little over 1K tonight.  Not so bad considering I've had a little over an hour to write. I decided that the book needed a prologue, so I wrote one tonight.  I'm not quite sure I captured everything I wanted in it, but it's a good start.  I finished Chapter 13 tonight, too. I'll be starting Chapter 14 tomorrow night.  (Now playing: Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan)

November 18 - 1925 words - 9:41 pm

Well, I broke the 50K mark tonight.  That felt pretty good.  Things in the story will start rushing ahead (I hope) now, with a lot more action.  It needs more action at this stage. I already know where I'm going to need to clean things up a bit. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I need to add a prologue to the story.  I *rarely* write prologues, but I think one in this book would really help. I may putter around with that this weekend.  (Now playing: Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan)

November 17 - 1850 words - 10:22 pm

Still getting my breath back and didn't hit the 50K mark.  I will tomorrow night though.

November 16 - 4000 words - 8:06 pm

Just got gut-punched by a short story rejection, so my word count has tanked for the day.  Not sure if I'll manage anymore tonight.

November 15 - 2475 words - 11:18 pm

Didn't get much writing time today.  Too many blasted errands and stuff. Bleh.  Finally got all of that done though, so i should have all day tomorrow to write. Maybe if I kick some major butt, I can hit that 50K mark.  That will put me MUCH closer to my 80K goal.  Actually, I'll settle for 75K because this book will need a lot of fleshing out after this draft gets finished. Guess that's all for me tonight. (Now playing:  Afterglow by Sarah McLachlan - just bought it today)

November 14 - 3765 words - 11:38 pm

Much better output tonight.  I finally hit the 40K mark! Wooohooo!!!  I'm halfway through Chapter 10 and I think I'm halfway through the book now.  My goal is to break the 50K mark by Sunday. This book's gonna need a lot of work after I get this first draft down. But it's really turning dark, but Calle's starting to understand some of the strangeness in town. Now, she's gotta figure out how to stop it.  Goodnight!  (Now Playing: Yourself or Someone Like You by Matchbox Twenty)

November 13 - 2080 words - 9:57 pm

A little better movement on the story tonight. I hope to make up for my low word totals this week over the weekend. The story just took a weird, dark turn, one even *I* didn't know about.  Calle is in danger now from a force she doesn't yet understand.  She and Cameron have grown a lot closer in this chapter, too. Things are starting to rush ahead (finally!) I was really starting to get stuck, so this was a nice turn of the corner. I'm hopeful I can break the 40K mark tomorrow night.  G'night!  (Now Playing: My Private Nation by Train)

November 12 - 1170 words - 10:01 pm

Didn't get home until 8:15 from league.  It hasn't been a very good day (too many meetings, lots of stress), plus I absolutely sucked at bowling tonight.  After I managed to get dinner, I got started writing about 9 pm tonight.  I did manage a little over 1K, so I'm fairly pleased with that, especially since the story is in a lot better place than it was yesterday. Maybe I'll get more done tomorrow night? Maybe tomorrow will be a better day? I sure could use a vacation, but that's not going to happen for quite some time (haven't had someone to cover for me since May).  Have a good night.  (Now Playing: Weathered by Creed)

November 11 - 1340 words - 9:31 pm

Oops, forgot to post this last night.  Last night was a tough time at the keyboard.  I really had to fight for those 1340 words. (Now Playing:  Sheryl Crow by Sheryl Crow)

November 10 - 1550 words - 9:58 pm

Only a moderate word gain tonight. Got out of work late after a long day of meetings and other political yuckiness. I did manage to push the plot along a little further though. Always a good thing. (Now Playing:  Sheryl Crow by Sheryl Crow)

November 9 - 3825 words - 9:54 pm

The story took an unexpected turn, so I'm trying to think ahead about how all of this will resolve at the end. The original ending I'd jotted down isn't going down like I'd imagined.  In fact, I may not include a major twist in the story.  The story doesn't actually need it, I realize now. And I'm now clueless as to what genre this book will fit in. Dark romantic fantasy, perhaps? Heck if I know.  I tried to write a straight romance, I really did.  Guess you can't take the fantasy out of a fantasy writer, can you? :) I did manage to hit 30K tonight, so I'm pleased with that. (Now Playing:  The Things We Do Love by 10cc)

November 8 - 3250 words - 11:06 pm

Scraped out a few more words tonight.  I started Chapter 7 now and I'm trying to bring the mystery to the forefront. Calle is slowly uncovering secrets (at least to her anyway) and piecing together bits of the story behind Harvest house and exactly what the house meant to the people in Trinity Mills. (Now Playing:  Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette)

2460 words - 9:18 pm

Doing a lot of struggling today. I wrote about 1K this morning before my hair appointment.  Took my lowtech notebook (aka pen and paper) with me and scribbled 3 pages of notes between perm solution and neutralizer. I made some excellent discoveries and was very glad I'd left the house for a while.  I was fairly focused, fairly pleased with my output until I made the fatal mistake of looking how others were doing.  Dear God...there are people who've already finished their novels. In One Week????  25K . . . man, do I suck or what? There are people at 50K and 70K...man, I feel like such a lightweight now. So...I'm trying to recover from a total tail spin. (Yah, like grab your own love handles and carry yourself to the curb. -- Hans and Franz)  Sigh. Back to my puny little book to pump it up.

November 7 - 1875 words - 10:59 pm

A crash and burn night.  I got stuck in the plot and had trouble finding my way out again. I think I'm just tired; it's been a long, tedious week with lots of work frustrations and extra hours.  I broke 23K and started Chapter 6 though, so I'm just gonna call it a night and take a break. I'd hoped to put down at least 2K, but I think that's as good as it gets tonight. Of course, the entertainment center I was moving slamming into my shoulder didn't help either. Just glad it was my left shoulder. :) That 85K is suddenly seeming very far away. I'll feel better when I get to the halfway mark. Good night!  (Now playing: Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette)

November 6 - 4100 words - 10:59 pm

Woohoo!!!!!  Broke 21K tonight.  A much better night at the keyboard. :) I had to work more overtime tonight and I've stayed up much too late, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. I learned quite a bit about my characters tonight and Calle learned some things about Cameron that she hadn't known. Her opinion of him is starting to change, but her curiosity about the secret he's hiding is getting the best of her. G'night. (Now playing:  My Private Nation by Train)

November 5 - 1075 words - 10:07 pm

Definitely a crash and burn day. Wednesdays are going to be a problem for me, so I'll just have to be happy with 1K on these days. It's my bowling league night and we sucked rocks through a straw tonight.  Can't say it was a very good day.  And it left me only an hour to write. Oh, well, guess I'll kick some butt tomorrow night.  And congratulations to Vera Nazarian!! She's officially a full-time writer! You rock, chick! Best of luck and may it be everything you dreamed it would be. :) (Now playing:  Weathered by Creed)

November 4 - 3000 words - 10:27 pm

A little better night at the keyboard. I managed exactly 3K tonight, so I'm pleased with that output. That puts me about a third of the way toward the NaNoWriMo 50K goal and a fifth of the way toward my goal of 85K. Just hoping the story holds together and I can keep up my pacing.  (Now playing: Drops of Jupiter by Train)

November 3 - 2710 words - 10:19 pm

Pushed myself a little more to get closer to that 3K and I got deeper into Chapter 4.  But it's late and I have to crash now. Goodnight!

1710 words - 10:19 pm

This total is slightly less than I'd hoped for, but not too bad for a work night.  I'd planned to write at work today, but never really got to go to lunch...so I didn't get the extra hour of writing. But on the plus side, I did finish Chapter 3 and started Chapter 4 tonight. Hopefully, I can kick out another 10K this weekend to catch up.

November 2 - 5550 words - 9:08 pm

Wooooohoooo!!  I just hit the 10K mark!  I'm feeling good about my output right now. I just hope I can keep it up.  I was REALLY pushing myself these past two days. My arms and neck are killing me, but it's a good kind of pain. ;)  Okay, there's no such thing, but it's been great to immerse myself in this story and feel it unfold. Calle, my main character, is getting pulled deeper and deeper into hometown secrets.  And with that, I'm done for the evening.  Have a good one. (Still playing:  Yourself or Someone Like You by Matchbox 20)

3700 words - 6:44 pm

Still crankin' away. I'm into chapter three now and the story is becoming much more poignant than I'd expected. Basically, this whole thing isn't going as I'd expected. :)  I'm just finding it curiouser and curiouser (to quote Pooh) that this book isn't at all the book I thought I was writing. Onward and upward and back to work!

1600 words - 2:35 pm

Derailed for cooking lunch and cutting my dad's hair.  All of that's done now and I'm back at the keyboard, still hoping to pound out 5K total for the day. I'd really like to hit the 10K mark today. We'll see. (Now Playing:  Yourself or Someone Like You by Matchbox 20)

780 words - 11:29 am

Off to a good start this morning.  Not quite 1K yet, but the story has just taken another unforeseen turn (I love that!) A theme I didn't realize has popped into the text, so I'm trying to explore that along with the other new elements.  This book isn't what I was expecting. :)

November 1 - 4770 words - 11:07 pm

Just finished Chapter 1 and the story's moving forward.  I think I'm done for the evening. Gonna pick up the story in Chapter 2 tomorrow.  I still have a few things about the plot I need to figure out, but I'll have to do that as I go.  Hope I can sustain my momentum through the upcoming weeks. If I can just write 2K a day through the week and more on the weekends, I might finish by 11/30. Still feeling a bit unsure. :) (Still playing:  My Private Nation by Train) Goodnight!

4025 words - 9:32 pm

Had to take a break for dinner (grilled salmon -- yummy!)  Already got maximum weirdness happening to Calle, my main character.  I haven't even concluded Chapter 1 yet and the story's already morphed. I started out with the intention of writing this story for a particular romance line. Nope, not gonna fit now. :)  That's fine.  I'm not very concerned about that sort of stuff anyway. I'll just let the book be its weird self and see where it takes me.  So far, I like where it's going. It definitely isn't where I expected, but most of the time, that's the fun part of writing. :) I'm hoping to put down another 1000 words (maybe 2K) or so then call it a night. (Now playing:  My Private Nation by Train)

2040 words - 4:37 pm

Had to pay bills and run errands this afternoon. Got back to my computer at about 3 pm and started back to work again. Had a little trouble getting jumpstarted, but I'm in the groove now. Wish my output was more, but I hope to put down another 2 to 3 K before the night is over.  I'm required to only write 50K words for the NaNoWriMo.org dare, but my goal is 85K words by 11/30.

1025 words - 1:26 am

It's ... begun.  I really got last minute jitters about this one.  It's been quite a while since I've done a dare, so my confidence level was a bit low.  But once I started writing, the words started to flow.  I've got the first 1K down. After a few hours sleep, I hope to get some more words down. My goal at midnight was 1K or better, so I'm pleased with my progress so far.  But . . . it's been a yucky, long week. I'm gonna crash now. I've gotten Calle, my main character back to her home town after ten years of being gone. Things (I hope) will start to get interesting for her. She's about to be reminded that she can hear the past. Antiques and old houses tell her stories that she doesn't always want to hear.  Now, she's going to face what she left behind.  Goodnight.  (now playing: Weathered by Creed)