Like excavating with a backhoe...

I'm simultaneously pulling and pushing words from all places. Not quite in the nano-groove yet this year. I don't know my characters very well. I'm not sure of their motivations or back story. I didn't spend as much time in prep as last year - which is both good for my health and bad for my writing. Waiting for the characters to reveal themselves to me so they can send me on their way. 

It's getting desperate already - I've resorted to not only mentioning a Turbie Twist® hair towel, but also a 47 word disclaimer about the fact that I've never used a Turbie Twist® hair towel and mentioning my preferred style. 

And it's only the third....

Collecting stolen stuff to use later...

There's a poem that I really want to use in the opening to this year's  novel. I'm not yet sure the book will do the poem justice in occupying the same dead-tree space. At this point, the novel is not much longer than the poem. But it's a brilliant poem all the same.

and I just finished reading Libba Bray's LiveJournal. I'm totally stealing "witty wombat banter" and sticking that in my novel somewhere. I might even write the actual wombat banter to see if it turns out as witty as promised.

I have a lot to live up to. I need to write more so I can get to know my characters better. Here I go...

3 1/2 more hours...

I really hope I'm not awake at midnight.
I will want to start writing.
I should not purposely deprive myself of that much sleep.
But I really don't know how to start.
Still trying to figure out where to send off my FMC.
She needs to go away. Far away.
Too many decisions!

On the eve of the eve...

Things have been a little crazy around here. Work has sucked up waaaaay more of my weekends than it should be entitled to. However, that just forces me to get creative so that I can take back some of my time for more auspicious endeavors. Like spending all of Saturday at the dining room table doing work stuff so that I can have Sunday free for a kick-off party, shopping for muses/talismans, and motivational candy.

So, one kick-off party - check.
One vague concept of a plot - check.
Two bizzare subplots - check.
Two of the three major characters now have first names.

I'm not sure which of the minor characters will take over and demand his/her own pov chapters. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for that to happen.
After all, in 2009, my FMC suddenly needed a twin sister when I was 20,000 words into the story. Random noveling goodness.

Oh - and all of the tracks on my iPod are now named. Whew!

1:02:36:28!

Pre-season!

It's back!
The website.
The forums.
The planning.
The madness.
But not the sentences.
No sentences until 11.1.11.

Validation!

Yay! 50k surpassed in 2010, but the story isn't done yet. Fortunately, the robots don't know or care. The end of November is almost always bittersweet. I'll miss writing. I'll miss my characters. I'll have to start doing the dishes again.

Done! but not complete!

I woke up this morning and knew how my last two chapters should go. I thought it was possible that I could wrap up the story in only two more chapters.
I've hit 50k, but the story isn't over.
It'll be interesting to see how much more actually gets written!