NaNo Diaries #2 - Week One

This first week didn't start off as I'd hoped, but read on to see how things went as the story gained traction, despite life's little interruptions. 

Monday, November 1

Word Count Goal: 3000/ Actual Word Count: 1925

Okay, not off to a perfect start, but I nearly reached 2/3rds of my goal. I got a late start because I needed to get my mind back into Alburnium, so I spent some time on Pinterest.

Do you use Pinterest? If so, you might know what a total time suck it is.
However, it did its job and got the creative cogs turning and ideas forming. I forgot to time myself to see how many words an hour I'm writing now, but I'm guessing it's close to 1000, because I started writing around 11 and didn't stop until 1pm when my stomach said it was break time. 

Actually, my stomach began nudging me around 12:30 but by then I was on a roll and couldn't stop until I came to the scene break. 

If you'd like to check out my Pinterest board for the Phoenix series, hop on over to HERE.

Tuesday, November 2

Goal: 3000/ Actual World Count: 0

My excuse? See picture below. That's why. 
What's a Gammy to do? Right? ​ ​?

Wednesday, Nov. 3rd

​Goal: 3000/ Actual World Count: 2166

I'm back on track, baby! 
Bartram was sporting a big headache. Was it from too much partying at the Gala, or something else? Guess we'll have to see.

Rillion, feeling defeated and confused, gets a big surprise she did not see coming. 

Once I got started, the words came easy. I love when that happens. I timed myself and had hoped to get 5 sprint sessions in at 25 minutes each. Why not just keep writing, you might ask? Because sitting for so long #1 makes me achy. I need to get up at least every hour to move around, rest my eyes from the computer screen, and let my mind rest and refresh itself. 

It's raining today. Great lazing around... I mean, great writing weather. For real. I didn't reach my goal again. I set it kind of high, as you'll see over time. My low goal is 2000 and the median is 2500 words a day. So, I did okay. Once the story starts flowing, so will my words.

​Here's to Hump-day progress. =D 

via GIPHY

Thursday, Nov. 4th
​​Goal: 3000/ Actual World Count: 3660

I only managed three sprints in the morning. Early starts have not been my forte this week. I generally start writing about an hour late. ?

Three sprints later, I feared that I'd not even reach this week's low goal of 10,000 words. My high goal is 15,000, but I'd like to reach at least 12,500 so that I won't have to write as much during Thanksgiving week.

Now that I'm on this NaNo roll and now that the story is starting to flow, reaching my goals has become more important.

So, this evening I found a sprinting group on one of my facebook groups and joined it with two more sprints. That helped me finally reach my 3,000 word daily goal. Yippie!! 

Friday, Nov. 5th

This was my make or break day. I needed at least 2100 words to reach 10k. 

Today, I got an earlier start. Today, I found group sprints early. Sprints with other authors really helps me to stay on track. I set the mood...

 It's crazy how despite how I outline, the story picks its own way to go. 
I have an outline. Then yesterday, a couple of scenes came to me and I jotted them down, figuring where I would put them. Then today, as I began writing, my characters did something else entirely. 

Ha! I truly love it. When that starts to happen, then I know the story is coming alive and all I need to do is enjoy the ride.  ? 

I joined two sprinting groups, though by this time, the words were just flowing and I didn't really want to stop- except for lunch. (My stomach demanded that I stop for lunch.)

And...in the end, this is how I did:​ Goal: 3000/ Actual World Count: 3260

I do love badges! Yes, I'm like a kid wanting to win stickers. Even better was the final count for this week. That's right, I bypassed 10k!! 

And that's it for this week. I try not to write on the weekends. Saturdays are family time and Sundays are God's day. Check back next week for my weekly diary series. And enjoy the little excerpt below I'm sharing with you. 

Petya chuckled. “You think he doesn’t already know this?” She rolled her eyes again. “Humans…I like your species, but…” She shook her head and followed him outside into the cool evening air. 

“We are not the easiest to understand, I’m sure.” Sterlyn stopped on the bottom step of the stone building. The dinner he’d eaten at the tavern now sat heavy in his stomach. “What if Issah doesn’t—”

“You will not know until you ask. Better to ask. If he tells you that you need to stay here, then know that it is for a good reason. Our Prince is good and wants only good for us. He will not send us into danger without a good reason, am I right?”

Sterlyn nodded. “Yes you are, Petya. Smart centaur. I’m so glad you came here. You will be a big asset to your people when you return.”
​
She shook her head. “I’ll not return, Prior. I told my father before I left. Sol saw it long ago. He has visions, sometimes, you know. He told me that if I ever left on the White Path, it would only go one way.”