Camp NaNo Day 4

Yes, I know - I've already missed a day. BUT, in my defense, yesterday was pretty rough on me and I was too upset to finish my word count or make a post.
Luckily, I had enough free time (and willpower) today to make up for yesterday AND get my words done for today! So...Yay me!

Day: 4
Total words written: 6,720
Words written today: 2,565
Words left: 43,280
Favorite excerpt from the day: 

Meg couldn’t hear words coming out, but there they were, formed on Maeve’s trembling pink lips. Help me, Meg. Help me.

“Wha-” Meg slid to the floor, clenching the towel with white-knuckled hands. Her breathing had become heavy, her whole body shaking with fear. “How-”

Maeve’s face started getting more and more desperate. PLEASE! HELP ME!

“I don’t-” Meg trembled, tears rolling down her pale face.

And then, just like that, Maeve was gone. A spot of darkness filled the mirror, spreading until it engulfed the whole pane of glass, and then - it shattered.

Glass sprayed across the room. Meg put her arms up just in time, covered her vulnerable eyes but leaving the rest of her body bare. There was enough force behind the breakage to send shards into her skin; blood started to drip from scratches where she had been grazed.

But Meg just sat there, still, staring at where the mirror had been.

Where Maeve had been.

A few hours later, Megan’s mother found her sitting against the wall of the bathroom, surrounded by glass, bleeding, and fast asleep from exhaustion.

I got SO many chills writing this. And, I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but I tend to kind of act out the emotion as I write XD (Just another reason to write alone - imagine how weird it would look if I was in a coffee shop writing that part.)

And I have to admit, writing a novel set in the 90s is quite enjoyable, because of the research I get to take part in. Yes, that DOES mean 1. looking up 90s fashion 2. researching obscure things like "what literature was assigned to highschoolers in the 90s" and, my favorite, 3. listening to 90s music.

Let me share some of what that experience was like for me:

This was the first song that came up when I played a Spotify 90s playlist.

So. Bad. *shudders*

Thankfully, the next songs were more like this:

I refuse to be ashamed of the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this song.

And then, of course, there were these types of songs:

And yes, it's just as bad as it sounds.

And of course, thankfully, there were also Nirvana songs that popped up in my research. That made it all worth it, I think.

Well, that's it for today, but thank you all for reading! If you have any suggestions on good 90s music for me to listen to while I write my novel, leave it down in the comments below!

(Hopefully) I'll write to you again tomorrow!

-Trinity

Camp NaNo Day 2

Well, it looks like day two has come and gone, with me finishing my word count for the day in the nick of time. Nothing says writer like staying up into the wee hours (or ten-thirty) trying to get all your words in. And hey, I'm proud of myself for actually finishing it, because I didn't have a great day today. (But I won't bog you down with the details)

Day: 2
Total words written: 3,423
Words written today: 1,704
Words left: 46,577
Favorite excerpt from the day:  “Here,” a whisper said into her ear. She turned and took the box of matches from Aidan’s shaking hands, gingerly plucking a single matchstick from the box and dragging it against the rough side. A flame flared, and Meg lowered it gently onto a waiting candle. The light grew gradually as she watched, flickering in some invisible breeze.

A thought came suddenly to Megan’s head as she stared at a glowing picture of Maeve.

“Wherever you are, Maeve,” she whispered quietly into the still air of the auditorium, “I hope you’re alright.”

This is random, but I want to thank you guys so much for reading. It makes me so happy to see the number of page views I get every time I post. Your following of my misadventures into the world of writing is making me so much more confident in my abilities!

Thanks, everyone!

-Trinity

Camp NaNo Day 1

Hello all,
it's day one of Camp NaNo, and guess what...
I DID IT!!!

Ahhh, I love me some MST3k GIFs...

But, to get back to the point, YES! I actually met my word count goal for the day!

And, trust me, it was difficult. I think the hardest part was the very beginning...coming up with an opening sentence. That's not something I typically have difficulty with, but for some reason, I did today. 

But that doesn't matter right now. Like my favorite writing quote says, "it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be there." (I honestly can't remember who said that.)

Now, let's get down to it: the daily log!

Day: 1

Total Words Written: 1719

Words Written Today: 1719

Words Left: 48,281

Favorite excerpt: The sound of an angry seagull jarred Megan out of her peaceful slumber. She blinked in the dim light of the tent, closing her eyes against the glare of her watch as she checked the time: 2:37.

“Maeve,” she croaked, her mouth bitter from the cocoa residue on her teeth. When no reply came, she rolled over, ready to poke awake her sleeping friend. But, much to her surprise, the sleeping bag was empty, not even unrolled from its pack. She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Where is she,” she murmured to herself. Forcing herself to stand despite the still-sleeping feeling in her limbs, she unzipped the tent, peering outside. It was pitch-black, the fire no longer glowing and the peaceful sound of snoring emanating from the boys’ tent next door.

I hope you enjoyed that little snippet of my writing!

Well, keep me in your thoughts as I trudge on through the jungle that is Camp NaNo...and keep reading along as I *attempt* to do a daily log every day throughout April!

Adios!

The Start Line: NaNo Log days 1 & 2

It's here.
National Novel Writing Month is here.
The goal: write 50k words in a month, in an attempt to write a novel.
Yes, it's pretty dang hard. But also incredibly worthwhile. Last year I signed up with the Young Writer's Program (where you can set your own goal) and managed to finish my novel of 35k. I was even able to print a legit, paperback copy of my story. I remember taking it out of the box and thinking, "it's a book. With my name on in. I wrote it." I was so proud of myself. Sure, maybe I didn't do any sort of editing, leaving it instead as a very, very rough draft. But nonetheless, it's a novel, and it's mine.

This NaNo so far:
Starting out, I had issues. Right away I felt like I had writer's block; the words didn't seem to come. But just a few minutes ago that changed.
I started out writing in 3rd person, something I've never really done before. And that, as it turns out, was the issue.
I was just writing a scene that started flowing really well, and I was really enjoying myself. But as I took a break a looked back at what I had written, I realized: I had inadvertently switched to 1st person.
I love writing in 1st person. It flows well, sounds more put-together. There are some worries, especially in this novel's case, but I think I'm going to switch fully to 1st person.
Yes, at some point I'll have to go back and change the POV from the beginning, but I think overall it will be much better for me and the novel.
For today (and yesterday) I'm not going to do a true log, like last year, but I'll give you a little info about what I've accomplished.

Today's wordcount: 1,945
Total words: 3,681

That's it for now. I have some problems with the story (not that I don't like it, just stuff I need to work through) but so far I'm really enjoying myself.
See ya on the flip side!

NaNoWriMo: Revelation

Before I say anything else...
HOLY SHCNITZEL ON A STICK I DID IT
Yes, dear reader, this is the truth. I have officially finished my first NaNoWriMo, and I have officially finished my first novel.
It was hard, it was grueling, but I did it.
Okay, so maybe I did change my word count back down to 35k. But that doesn't really matter, right? That's still a large amount of words. And it was still a full blown story, with plot and characters and EVERYTHING.
So be proud of me. How many of you out there actually won NaNo your first year of it? (Okay, so maybe a lot, but c'mon)
To celebrate, I...I don't know.
Maybe I'll not stay up until 11 every night, trying to get in my word count.
Maybe I'll immediately start writing another novel, now that I know what it's like finishing one (actually, this kind of is my plan...)
Maybe I'll go out and get fat on celebratory doughnuts with my writing partner Abby. (Also likely, we discussed this at the beginning of the month XD)
In any case, I'm done. I've finished a book, I know what it's like, I'm motivated to do that again, outside of NaNo.
Be proud of me, people. Trying to write through schoolwork, an obnoxious little brother at home, and craft fair prep is harder than you think.

So, until next time...

NaNo Log: Day 11

Ayyy I'm actually keeping up wit dis lyfe. (Insert other stereotypical teenage gobbledygook here.)
Yes, I am sick, and yes, I did get to stay home from co-op today. THOUGH I'm not *exactly* caught up (that would take many, many straight hours of writing), I did get quite a bit done today. Sooo....

Day: 11
Total Words Written: 8,546
Words Written Today: 1,546
Words Left: 36,454
Favorite Line:

“This is Mission Control.” Said the man’s deep voice. “Ready for liftoff?”

            “Affirmative.” Marcus said solemnly, nodding approval to Preston beside him.

            “Starting engines now.” Preston turned a dial and the ship roared to life, rumbling beneath our feet and over our heads.

            “T-minus 60, 59, 58…”

My breath caught as the countdown started. I had nothing to do for now except strap in and organize myself for launch. Red strapped in next to me.

            “45, 44, 43…”

Preston’s fingers flew over the keys and buttons on his panel. Marcus sat in anticipation, his hand poised over a little numerical keyboard.

“39, 38, 37, 36…” Sitting back, Preston set his left hand on the armrest and lingered his other hand over a final lever. Marcus’s fingers started to tremble. Suddenly he sat bolt upright, bright, intense fear in his eyes. His hand dropped from the keyboard.

“What are you doing?” I yelled at him over the tremulous noise.

“I can’t…” Marcus looked back at me, pleading.

“23, 22, 21…”

“You have to!” I screamed. The men on the other side of the screen were apparently oblivious to our situation. Preston and Red were alarmed, but neither could do a thing.

“15, 14, 13…”

I unstrapped myself and stumbled over to the captain’s seat. Marcus sat, statuesque and white as marble.

“10, 9, 8…”

 I tore him out of the seat and strapped myself in. He tripped over to my own seat, and fumbling with the buckles, managed to get himself tied in.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Please key in launch code ‘030’.”

I did as he said, my fingers typing in the numbers as quickly as possible. Nodding, I signaled Preston to complete his final launch duty.

“Liftoff.” Preston threw the lever forward, and we were instantly pressed against our seats at the sheer power of the craft. I wanted to turn my head, to see Marcus as he sat behind me in my own seat. But since the force did not allow me too, I could only imagine his face.

A face of pure fear, of pure shame.

Heheh, sorry for the extensive writing excerpt. I'm just really thrilled with this part :) So, pray that I keep up on the writing a lot a day, because it's necessary. VERY necessary. The motivation is so hard, ya know?

Anywho...see ya!

NaNo Log: Day 10

So, I, uh, KIND OF wrote today. Just a leetle bit. WAITWAITWAIT before you judge, I'm getting sick AND my brother's still home and crying AND I'm still behind on school. And obviously, NaNo isn't my mom's priority for me, right now. But I did what I could, with what I had, where I was. (Teddy Roosevelt, anyone?)
And although this sickness is supposedly just a cold, I'm kind of miserable. Maybe mumsy will let me skip co-op tomorrow, and I will be able to catch up on schoolwork and writing.

Day: 10
Total Words Written: 7,000
Words Written Today: 464
Words Left: 38,000
Favorite Line:

“Good-bye, and good luck.” The official nodded pertinently and strode through the middle of our group. At the other end of the bridge he gave a neat salute and disappeared into the dark corridor. We were all alone now.

LOOKIE LOOKIE HOW BEAUTIFUL THOSE NUMBERS ARE SO EVEN AND PERFECT hehhhhh...

                                          /\ Me right now.../\

Why, yes, that IS how I look at 9:00 at night, sick and wearing no makeup.

Gollum must leave you now. Gollum says goodbye.

NaNo Log: Day .........8?

Heheh. Sowwy. Life's just been a little crazy for me. IT'S NOT PERSONAL, I PROMISE GUYS I'm totally behind on my word count, too.
A little summary of my life craziness right now:
The little bro just had a surgery. A BIG surgery. So I've been spending many nights and days with friends, trying to get school done and write while not completely shunning the peeps. It's hard. BUT luckily, on Friday night my friend had to babysit so I got an hour and a half of writing in and caught up a bunch. Yay! So please pray, people, I need it right now as does my fam.
And now...

Day: 8...though I've missed logging what, 6 days?
Total Words Written: Haven't finished my writing for the day, but I suppose I should try to get the base down so you get the idea: 6,382
Words Written Today: 548...heh, again, not finished for today. But I got SO much done on Friday, almost 2k, I believe so DON'T JUDGE
Words Left: 38,930 OHMIGOSH GUYS LOOK WHAT
Favorite Line:

            It was the day.

            The morning sprung bright, glistening with dew and the sound of careless birds singing. I woke up in a puddle of drool on my pillow, still half in my uniform and my arm draped over an open textbook. But the grogginess in my eyes soon cleared up.

            “The day!” was all I could think. “The day! The day!”

            As I brushed my teeth and smiled into the mirror, “The day!”

            As I arranged my light travelling cases by the door, “The day!”

            In every sound, in everything I thought or saw or tasted, “The day!” Nothing more excited had ever happened, it seemed. My life before this, truly, was simply the rising action to the climax of today. I felt a rosy flush in my cheeks and a sparkle in my eye. Nothing could compare to this feeling. Nothing.

Be proud of me. I had to spend like a whole day or two this week trying to find out how to get a relationshippy talk not sound like it's a bunch of Jr. Highers. Thankee Abby, for being my writing partner <3

Aloha!

NaNo Log: Day 2

So, again, late at night-ish, I finish my writing for the day. I'm gonna jump on the bandwagon and make a little log template for myself, to keep track more easily.

Day: 2
Total Words Written: 2,414
Words Written Today: 1,229
Words Left: 42,586
Favorite Line:

"A gasp caught in my throat. The sphere, as shown from the scanners, was not a star or other heavenly body, but instead a planet.  

A planet about ninety million miles from the closest star.

A planet with a diameter of about thirteen thousand kilometers.

A planet like Earth."

 

As I'm sure you've noticed (or not, I don't know how attentive you are), I've bumped up my word goal from 30k to 45k. As I was writing, it just seemed like it was going to be very short, and since it's a sci-fi, I wanted to make it a longer story. Of course, there's a chance I'll change the word goal back if I find I won't have enough content to cover it.

I'm equally as stoked with my story today...but not so much with the writing. It's difficult, sometimes, especially in a sci-fi that deals a lot with technological descriptions. Ever read "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Heinlein? There's literally a whole chapter devoted to explaining the delicate inner workings of the space ship and it's culture. It's still my favorite sci-fi, though. So I though an appropriate geeky meme would fit in nicely with this.

If you don't get this, you're dead to me.

Just kidding. If you don't go watch MST3k* right now, you're dead to me.

*Mystery Science Theater 3000

Adios, peeps. Enjoy life and stuff.

 

NaNoWriMo:Genesis

It's here, people.
It's really, truly, finally here.
My first NaNo has begun.

So, I'm gonna attempt to update my log *at least* once a week, if not every day or so. And I'm sure you can tell, since it's 10:00 at night, that I've spent much of my day writing and also my night writing.
And, congrats to me, I've managed to knock off 1,185 words TODAY.
Maybe this isn't impressive to you, but I'm SO proud of myself.

I have to admit, I wasn't that thrilled with my story plan yesterday and the day before. I was actually scared, scared that I wouldn't like it at all as I tried to write it and have to come up with something new very, very quickly.
But after writing today, I'm really in love.
I'm in love with the story.
In love with the characters.
In love with the relationships.
Really, truly, finally in love.

Thanks for reading. I hope I haven't distracted you from your own NaNo and gotten your word goal all off.
Sayonara.