Day 16: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Tuesday, Day 16 of NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo, was also my birthday, although not my 16th. No, that one is long gone! 🙂 I received phone calls, cards and gifts, emails, texts, e-cards, and hugs. It’s a sweet blessing to be remembered.

My idea for Picture Book Idea Month was along the line of birthdays, rather fitting, wouldn’t you say? I’m still ahead of the game, with this idea bringing my total to 26. I really only need 4 more to win but I will continue to write at least one a day until the end of this challenge.

On the other hand, National Novel Writing Month is quickly getting away from me. I have 14 writing days left in this challenge counting today (which is already Wednesday) and I am not to the halfway point in my word count yet. 43% looks pretty good to me, though. Today I wrote 2029 words, which is not so bad. It just means that I have 28,664 more words to write to make the goal of 50,000. Think I can do it? I have to try!

A couple of times I felt that I had written myself into a corner, but then I just waited. It happened again today. Some thought had to surface eventually, which it did, and onward we forged. It is like breaking new ground since I have never done this before. My main character got angry today, and scared, panicked, jealous, annoyed .. all in one emotional day and 2000 words of story. And like me, she likes to laugh. Things strike her so funny sometimes and I find myself smiling as I’m writing it out.

My story is a bit different, unlike anything I have ever written about before. When I get stuck I just wait. The characters are always waiting to say or do something, so when it starts to happen then I start writing again. It is a mystery to me! 🙂 And actually, the story has a mystery running through it. I wonder if this will ever turn into something …

Do you write, and if so, do you think and plan it all out first? or do you write as it comes to you?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Day15: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Day 15 of writing challenges has not proven to go well for me. I spent time today (besides doing some household things) working on Valley Sunshine publication, though.

Tonight I was out to the chiropractor and while waiting, and with pleasant classical music playing, I came up with two ideas for PiBoIdMo. I had noticed on the way to my appointment that the town has its lighted decorations up on the poles — snowflakes, angels, doves, stars .. and that was working around in my mind. It turned into a picture book idea. Then I had a second idea, also to do with Christmas. I don’t now if I will actually work those up into picture book manuscripts, but they count for the challenge. Now I have 25 ideas for it in 15 days, which is good since the goal is to come up with at least one a day for the 30 days of November. I like being ahead in that because I certainly am not up to speed for NaNoWriMo!

In NaNoWriMo I am still behind. To make matters worse I am so tired tonight I kept dozing off in my chair so that I only got 541 words written increasing my % by only one point to 39%. I think I could do more but I need sleep! *yawn* Hoping I can do much better tomorrow, although … I almost forgot! Tomorrow is my birthday! but I have nothing planned so I should be able to write, write, write.

Have you seen Christmas decorations up anywhere yet?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Day 14: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Today (Sunday) was an interesting day – even a productive one.

I have been heading up Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Christmas Child” in the fellowship where I worship on Sunday’s. It is a small fellowship but we filled almost 60 shoeboxes for children, and I’m delighted to be delivering those to the drop off this week.

Today, also, I wrote as much as I could for my NaNoWriMo challenge. I’m pleased to say that I wrote 2139 words today! Sure needed those, although as I was writing along I stopped and said, “This is boring!” But I kept going, it can be edited out later. It may work in the story with some rewriting, it may have to be cut. Again my characters are very chatty.

I got one idea for PiBoIdMo today. As I was reading a writer’s blog I was inspired with an idea for a picture book. This pushes my ideas in 14 days to 23. Maybe a couple of them will make great picture books, who knows?

Do you have any special giving plans for this Christmas season?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musing! 🙂

Day 13: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Report for Saturday, Day 13 of NaNoWriMo — I wrote 1274 words, not enough to catch up to where I should be by now in this challenge, or even what I need to write for the day, but I’m steadily moving toward the goal. My total word count should be 21671 now, but it is 16627, which means I am 5044 words behind. One day soon I am going to have to take a whole day to write so I can catch up before NaNo gets too far ahead of me. The days are slipping by at a rapid pace! I am at the 34% completion mark, though.

As for PiBoIdMo — my thinker didn’t do very well there either today, but I came up with one idea — idea #22 for this challenge.

My husband and I have friends who live a few miles from us and who invited us up to dinner at their house this evening. His birthday is exactly one week ahead of mine on the calendar, so we celebrate at the same time this way. It was an enjoyable evening out, as it always is with them. Their daughter came to cook the dinner this time as her mom is not well enough and it took the pressure off her dad. What a lovely meal she prepared. I took a dessert which they can enjoy later when the birthday cake is gone. 🙂

It was a gloriously sunny, fresh and crisp Autumn day here. Did you get a chance to enjoy it?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings. 🙂

Day 12: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

For Friday’s Day 12 of National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo – I wrote 1222 words on my quest to reach the 50,000 mark. That puts my total to 15353, which is 4651 words short of what it should be for today. But, my ‘novel’ is up to 31% completed now with 18 writing days left! 🙂

I have five NaNo writing buddies. Today I discovered that one of my buddies finished her challenge way early, having reached the 50K mark with 29 words to spare! How cool is that! Of my other four buddies, one is ahead of me, and three have less words written than I do, unless they just have not recorded them on the site yet.

My idea for Picture Book Idea Month – PiBoIdMo – came to me late in the evening. It is basically a title with a vague idea of what the book would be about. That counts, though, so now I have 21 ideas.

You can check my NaNoWriMo updates page for the daily count in one place.

If you are doing NaNo this year, how is it coming along for you? If you aren’t taking part in the challenge do you plan to write next November?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Day 11: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo & Remembrance Day

Day 11 (Thursday) of NaNoWriMo I was able to eke out 1415 words, which took my total up to 14131. Because my word count has been low each day this week, I am behind by 4206 words. Since I am writing this post after midnight (now into Friday) my stats tell me “At this rate you will finish on Dec 12.” Judging by that, I have a lot of writing to do to catch up. The first three days of this writing challenge I was ahead but that didn’t last long. I’m up to 29% completion, though, which is encouraging.

I’m still finding that my characters are very chatty, especially my MC (main character) and her best friend. Yes they are girls, but girls are usually more expressive and use more words, are more creative in thought. So, I get girls as my main characters and much of my story is dialogue. I say “I get” because I didn’t choose them, they chose me.

Any writers out there relating to this?

For Day 11 of PiBoIdMo three ideas came to me. As picture books, one would make a child think, one would be comforting, one would be funny. I am so inspired by these challenges and finding them to be quite fun. 🙂

Today (Thursday) was Remembrance Day. Here in Nova Scotia we give honour to our war Veterans, but that same respect is not practiced in every province. That is sad and unfortunate. If our Canadian soldiers in World War II had not put forth the effort and sacrifice that they did, this world would be a lot different now as Hitler was winning the war. But, I won’t get on a tirade about that now. 😉 I’m just proud of my dad and very touched by what he and thousands of others chose to do for this country’s freedom.

Have you really thought about how different a world we could be living in?

And my question for you writers is .. do you create your characters or do they choose you?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Day 10: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

I could get discouraged if I looked only at how little I have been writing of my word challenge each day this week . But, in general I am writing more than ever before, so that is where I have to focus — write something every day and reach the goal. 🙂

For Day 10 (Wednesday) of NaNoWriMo I wrote 645 words. My characters are leading the story, I’m just writing it out. Interesting how that is happening. I’m about 4000 words behind where I should be, though, not counting Thursday when this update will actually be posted. But I’m not stressing over it, just sayin’.

The ideas were flowing for PiBoIdMo today, though. I got four ideas, one in particular I really like and which was inspired by Remembrance Day and my dad – a WWII Veteran.

It was a very cool and windy day, not a day that encouraged me to leave my warm house, but tonight I went to the Alzheimer’s support group meeting that is held once a month. This is the second one I attended for the time of sharing and listening to others facing that dread disease in someone they love.

I am very thankful to the Lord for His strength and encouragement.

Anything you are facing that is relieved by writing?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂