Day 2 of NaNoWriMo...

...and I've discovered a fellow NaNo'er in my home town! I'd toyed with the idea of trying a write-in event at the local library, but wasn't sure if it would work if the only people to turn up were Lovely Boyfriend and self. But we may be a trio.....if the library agree to us taking up electricity and seating.

As you can see from the widget, I'm keeping up with my slow and steady approach. I now have two chapters and two characters, with another new person to get to know tomorrow. I hope she's as talkative as Martha and Steve have been....

Oh, and fans of Hospital Corners will see how the infamous Dr Bailey is getting on with things nearly two years later!

Slow....

....but steady. Those are the watchwords for this year's NaNoWriMo. Last year I went all out to finish the 50,000 words in as few days as possible. This year I'm making sure I write between 1000 and 2000 words each day, and that's all. Obviously, if I get properly stuck into a scene or situation, I'll keep going....but otherwise I'm doing what needs to be done and no more. I'm also making sure it's writing I'm happy with.

Yes, I "won" NaNoWriMo last year with nearly 51,000 words in something like 27 days. BUT, anyone can do that. If you put your mind and plenty of time to it, anyone can write 50,000 words in 30 days. The trick is writing something you're happy to put your name to. I wasn't happy with last year's effort, even as I wrote it. My character couldn't just order "coffee" - it had to be a double chocolate and vanilla  macchiato with extra whipped cream, caramel sauce and sprinkles, served in a large, cardboard cup with one of those annoying corrugated sleeves that are supposed to protect your fingers from getting burned but don't and a lid you can't drink through.

This year, I'm just ordering coffee.

Excellent News.....

......Hospital Corners has been shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary 2012!

I've spent the past four days feeling rather unwell so this has made my day! Actually, it's made my entire year because it suggests I'm doing something worthwhile with my time after all. Even if I don't win (which I'm not expecting), I get to go to an awards ceremony with the other 9 finalists in London! It's a good job the DWP worked out my benefits because I'm going to need a new posh frock :-)  I just hope the ceremony coincides with a time Lovely Boyfriend is onshore; I'm sure he'll look gorgeous in a tux. :-)

Writing-wise, although I haven't written anything over the past week since completing the first draft of Agoraphobics Anonymous, my mind has been working away for NaNoWriMo. I even came up with an entirely new character in a dream last night and I think I'm narrowing in on the focus of the book.

Moving Meditation: Cosmic harmony, spirituality, inner peace, depression and lies....

Countdown to NaNo....

...has started.

You may have noticed a new NaNoWriMo widget at the top of the blog. It does the same kind of thing as the other widget - show how much I've written - but this one should display a graph of each day's count. That's because I've signed up to the Master Class Skeleton Marathon being held by my local region - Scotland, Elsewhere. I MUST write a minimum of 1000 words each and every day of November, otherwise my name will go up on Anastasia's Wall of Shame....not something I'm keen to happen!

I know I completed NaNo last year, including the basic Skeleton Marathon. I wrote something every day of the month, but some days were 3000 words, some simply a single sentence. Now I HAVE to write the bare bones of a chapter each and every day.....eek!

I haven't been writing today; I'm waiting on a phone call from Lovely Boyfriend to tell me he's ready to come round to Lovely Neighbour's flat and lay some carpet for her. She's the reason I didn't get any writing done yesterday either - we have a tendency to get talking! But I hope to get back to Agoraphobics Anonymous tomorrow and throughout the week, possibly even taking my wee purple netbook round to Lovely Boyfriend's for the evening, in order to get that final 10-15,000 words finished! He'll have to get used to sitting writing of an evening anyway, seeing as he's also participating in NaNo. Good luck, darling xx

Spring clean in autumn.....

....that's how the Twotsies and I have spent our afternoon. Well, we weren't going outside with the rain - it was BUCKETING down all morning! The river at the end of our street is a gushing, brown mess and I'm glad the new flood prevention works (which meant closing the road for about 8 weeks over the summer and another 10 days last week) are, well, working!

We couldn't go out for the last day of our Tattie Holiday's, but we took the opportunity to work our way through the various boxes, drawers and shelves of toys. We now have two big bags for charity and I'm confident there's now room for Christmas to happen!

I'm also getting the girls bunk beds and some new storage systems from Ikea; which means it'll be easier for them to amuse themselves when I'm busy writing. At the moment, most of their favourite toys are in stacked crates - which they can't access without Mummy....annoying when they decide they "need" Polly Pocket halfway through Chapter 27.

How's the writing going? Well, I've taken quite a few days off this week - a fun shopping trip (saw boots, bought boots, love my boots), Lovely Boyfriend returning home and Big Toots' birthday yesterday (7....where did the time go?!). But I've been thinking over the ending of Agoraphobics Anonymous carefully and know where I'm taking the next few chapters. Then I simply have to decide how the characters are going to pair up (if at all) and finish off with a "6 months later" epilogue. I'm really pleased with how I've dropped in little clues and tips for the reader, but don't be taken in! There are twists and turns aplenty, as always with my work. Twisted mind = twisted fiction!

As for NaNoWriMo, I'm back with my Moving Meditation idea and I'll just have to see where it goes come November. I have a vague idea for each character, and I'm hoping they'll start talking to me once they're down on paper. Then I can let them lead me where they will to that all important 50,000 word target. I'm glad I've had October as a warm-up; I've managed 22,000 words in just over 2 weeks. And I didn't have a clue where the story was going either....here's hoping November goes as well!

Victory is mine....

...to quote Josh Lyman in "The West Wing".

I checked my bank balance today and nearly fell off the sofa when I saw the total. After 4 months of scrimping, saving and living off packets of Beanfest, the DWP have filled my coffers with back-payments from their erroneous benefits judgement. I can now afford Christmas.....:)

And in other Good News: I've written nearly 15,000 words in the past week! And I think I might even keep most of them....

Agoraphobics Anonymous is at the 2/3rds, nearly 3/4s point. Angela and David are making great strides with their recoveries and are now only a month away from meeting in person. They've admitted their feelings over the phone (awwwww) and poor old Ryan has had to come to terms with the fact the woman of his dreams is now also the woman of someone else's dreams. I feel quite sorry for Ryan - he's a decent bloke at heart; uncomplicated and lonely. His wife's left him, taking the kids with her, and now he 's realising Angie has been using him. He resents that, whilst at the same time wishing she'd use him some more.

I don't know exactly how things are going to turn out for Ryan, Angela or David. I have the big scene planned in my mind, when they meet up for the first time. But I don't know how they're all going to react to the news, and what it will mean for any of their relationships. I guess I'll find out in approximately 21 days (the deadline I've set myself to finish).

NaNoWriMo will re-start on the 1st November, which is why my little word-count-widget has set itself back to 0....I hope someone in NaNoWriMo Officialdom remembers to change the coding to 2012. I'm giving myself 21 days to finish Agoraphobics Anonymous, and therefore 10 days to plan the NaNovel, entitled Moving Meditation.

Yes...the madness continues. But now it's madness with the heating on :-) Thank you DWP.

I must be maaaaad.....

....because I'm setting myself the challenge of completing Agoraphobics Anonymous in the next 30 days! Obviously, a very rough first draft.

And why am I trying to write 1000 words a day? Because I want to start work on another book for NaNoWriMo, and spend November writing 2000 words a day! Like I said....I must be maaaaad!

Originally (heck, not even 24 hours ago), I was going to use NaNoWriMo to complete Ag Anon. I was going to be an official NaNo Rebel - working on a book already in existence. And then I got thinking and completely reversed my opinion.

The new book? Moving Meditation - something like five or six POV characters attending a tai chi class for various reasons of their own. Now, that might sound a little like last year's NaNovel - Tai Chi Choos. Well, yes and no. I haven't looked at last year's NaNovel since I wrote it, as I become increasingly aware that I was hating the whole chick-lit genre.

Now, I'm taking the MC and including her story as only one of the POV characters - and she'll likely be a stronger, tougher, edgier character than the floppy, whimsical, sappy girl I originally created. Maybe - I'll just have to wait and see how she writes herself.

Yes - I'm pantsing it.....writing by the seat of my pants with minimal outline, plot or even an idea as to who is who, why and when. I hated the story last year because I wrote to a strict outline and killed off any chances of spontaneity. I've written Ag Anon btsomp, and it appears to be working. I can only keep my fingers crossed that Moving Meditation will work just as well.

Right.....another 300 words to write today, at the very least, so I'd best get cracking!