I did NaNoWriMo, did you?

So, NaNoWriMo. I have never done it before. I must live under a rock because I've never even heard it before. For those of you, who like me, have no clue what it is, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writers Month. It was November. During the month, you write an at least 50,000 word novel in that month. I tend to be a write when I'm in the mood type of writer, so that presented a problem. I had to write every day even if I was in a bad mood. I found out about this event a week before November. So I was floundering on what I was going to write. For a time, I thought I'd finish The Frozen Queen: Suspended Heart, but I have two chapters done, so I felt like a cheater. Also, there was the fact that that book is going to be complicated to write. Yes, I know there are those who are anxious to read it. I feel bad it isn't ready yet, but book 2 is a very different book. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll stop there. For those of you who want to know, I am going to put it out, my goal is prior to September 2016. I'm sorry for the delay, but I want to do the book right. I've always felt that I didn't do a good enough job on book 1. Of course, that is how I feel about The Hawk In Winter and The Raven in Spring. I am my own enemy.

And I have gone COMPLETELY off course. My choice of book was the fourth and final book of the Rise of the Hawk Series. You want the title? The Vulture In Fall. So on day one I started with no plans. I tend to always start a book with a daydream and a character and an ending. As I write, I explore the main character or characters and see where they go. Most of the time they end where I want them too. So I started out, quaking in my boots. Could I even do this? I can get derailed easily, but I was determined. Plan number one was to write more than the standard 1667 words per day. I'm usually stronger in accomplishing word count in the first few chapters of a novel, so that works for me. So as the days went by, I would feel this great sense of accomplishment, I could see my goal coming along. But then I felt it, my loss of purpose, fear I wasn't going to make it. I knew these things would stop me from writing. So what could I do to stop it? I wrote what I call a mini-outline. Basically, I figure out how many chapters I want and then write a sentence or two about what I to make sure happens in the story. It's like my own little storyboard. I use it as a guide when I get lost. For me, it is very fluid, however. I move chapters around, change them completely, anything to keep me going and on track. So that is what I did. As I reached each milestone and got each badge from the website, which you can reach if you click on the picture, it gave me strength to go on. When I reached my goal, I couldn't believe it! I did well over the required 50,000 with a few days to spare. I had never written a whole novel in a month before.

So that brings me back to The Frozen Queen: Suspended Heart. I know there is question about me writing it. As I said, I am. In fact, I've decided to write the whole thing in the month of April. Sooner if I can. I figure, if I do my own version of NaNoWriMo, I'll get things done. That is my new goal, to get things done.

So, how about you? Did you do NaNoWriMo? Are you now thinking about it? You've got several months to plan ahead. I hope you try it, it was an experience that I think I've failed to express properly. I'd like to hear from you. You can either leave comments on the comments page, or contact us if you want to ask a question. I can respond to those faster. If you haven't already, please subscribe!