November: The Crazy Times

And so we again arrive at November, AKA The Crazy Times. 

Why so? 

1. November is the busiest time of the year for all aspects of my day job so, yay...overtime. 

2. It's NaNoWriMo - 50,000 words in 30 days

3. It's Comic Con month - meaning there are 4-5 days I will likely not have any time or energy to write and also work will be piling up at the day job while I'm off signing books at cons. 

4. It's prep for Winter month. In addition to everything above, I'll have to find time to winterize the pond, hopefully pull out the goldfish that have survived the ducks and set up a tank inside for them, get the plastic up on the chicken run, and put all the yard stuff away before snow starts to stick around. 

Can she do it all? Tune in next month to find out.

You can find me this month at:

Nov 11-13 Grand Rapids Comic Con where I'll be doing two panels

Nov 19 - Fantasticon 

Nov 26 - The Bluestocking Bookshop

Which leads neatly to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group Question: 

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo?

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

This will be year 17 of NaNo for me. So a resounding YES on participation.

I've won 15 times so far. The only year I didn't (2014), I was in the middle of building our current house, as in doing the general contracting, installing cabinets, helping with wiring, and doing a lot of tilework. I was kinda busy, but I did manage to get 25K in on a project I haven't touched since. Someday, I'll get back to it.

10 of those NaNo projects have gone on to be published.

Knowing this is crazy times, do I intend to win again this year? Yes, unless something major gets in the way. 

What will I be working on? I'm spreading my 50,000 new words over several ongoing projects and one new one. Last year's half finished Urban Fantasy, a horror themed short story collection, the mysterious personal Narvan project, and a children's book centered around my tiny handicapped chicken.

This is Kaykay. She fits in one hand.

Tips for NaNo success:

Write something everyday. On days you have more time, write 2K instead of 1,667. 

Build a buffer in the first week while your ambition is high so when life gets in the way, you can squeak by with a few 500 word days and still be on track.

Know that you can pound out 10K (or more) a day if you really put your mind to it so if you fall behind, all is not lost.

Realize that the middle of the novel is often a slog for first drafts. Allow yourself to make notes in slow sections and jump ahead to where you're motivated to make words happen.

Don't have two or three consecutive hours a day to write? Write in 15 minute bursts scattered throughout the day. I often find this my most productive way of writing.

Do most of your writing NOT AT THE KEYBOARD. When you're washing dishes, taking a shower, are doing something mindless at work, in the bathroom, driving, or eating lunch, think about your next scene. Then, when you have a chance, sit down and write it. Get back up and go for walk, give the kids a bath, ride a bike, fold the laundry, and think of the next scene. Repeat = novel.

Get involved with your local region or, if you don't have one, connect with others doing NaNo and support/encourage each other. This is one of those times when peer pressure is a good thing. 

Good luck to those participating this year! Go make words happen!