This year I’m doing NaNoWriMo for the first time since I’ve become a music teacher (November and December are my busiest months). This year I decided not to stress so much about the Veterans Day program. I practiced with the kids once a week, using a song I’ve done before, and it came out just fine. And this year for Christmas, we are doing a simple, old fashioned Christmas concert. No dances, no props, just Christmas carols. I’d realized my students were leaving me not knowing Christmas carols, and I decided to remedy that, so each grade level is learning 4, and I think we’ll do “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as the finale. I don’t care for that song, but people like it, so I’ll deal.
I’ve completed NaNoWriMo in the past, successfully. Both Road Signs and Sunrise Over Texas were NaNoWriMo books, 50,000 words written in 30 days. That is 1667 words a day. Some days are easy, some days are more challenging. This year I’ve been waking up between 4 and 4:30 and manage to get my word count most days before work (which is when I’m writing this!) I’ve gotten to where I can write 250 words in 15 minutes. If I beat that time, I make myself a cup of coffee, or check FB as a reward. It helps that we’re having theme week at school and I can wear jeans this week, and I’ll be off all next week for Thanksgiving.
It helps, this year, that I’ve started a completely new series, one that spins off of my Boom Town books, and I spent some time in October plotting it. Who knew plotting would make it so much easier, lol? It is set at the winery owned by Jolie’s family (from Blame It on the Texas Stroll) and it is centered around her brothers, though the heroine has kind of taken over this first book. My husband helped me plot her, and he’s pretty good at that, if I do say so.
So far, I haven’t had any blowout days, where I’ve done thousands of words, but I’ve managed to stay steady, and I’m good with that. I’m going to my first write-in on Saturday with a FB friend, at a place owned by my brother’s friend. I’ll stay a couple of hours and see what I can do. I don’t plan to finish the book by the end of the month, but I intend to have a good chunk so I can finish before Christmas and get started on editing it over my vacation. I’m having fun and feeling productive, and that’s what’s important!
I’ve completed NaNoWriMo in the past, successfully. Both Road Signs and Sunrise Over Texas were NaNoWriMo books, 50,000 words written in 30 days. That is 1667 words a day. Some days are easy, some days are more challenging. This year I’ve been waking up between 4 and 4:30 and manage to get my word count most days before work (which is when I’m writing this!) I’ve gotten to where I can write 250 words in 15 minutes. If I beat that time, I make myself a cup of coffee, or check FB as a reward. It helps that we’re having theme week at school and I can wear jeans this week, and I’ll be off all next week for Thanksgiving.
It helps, this year, that I’ve started a completely new series, one that spins off of my Boom Town books, and I spent some time in October plotting it. Who knew plotting would make it so much easier, lol? It is set at the winery owned by Jolie’s family (from Blame It on the Texas Stroll) and it is centered around her brothers, though the heroine has kind of taken over this first book. My husband helped me plot her, and he’s pretty good at that, if I do say so.
So far, I haven’t had any blowout days, where I’ve done thousands of words, but I’ve managed to stay steady, and I’m good with that. I’m going to my first write-in on Saturday with a FB friend, at a place owned by my brother’s friend. I’ll stay a couple of hours and see what I can do. I don’t plan to finish the book by the end of the month, but I intend to have a good chunk so I can finish before Christmas and get started on editing it over my vacation. I’m having fun and feeling productive, and that’s what’s important!
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