winning and the art of awesomeness

I just did it. I validated my word count on the NaNo website (two, actually: the regular one and the Young Writers Program site, since I did NaNo with my Creative Writing kids this year).

Let me tell you, friends: It feels pretty darn good.

While I'd love to tell you I've written an amazing novel this month, that would be stretching the truth a bit. I'd even love to tell you I followed the guidelines set forth by NaNo (i.e., write a first draft of a new novel), but that would also be a lie. I did write some new stuff: I've got two and a half episodes of Shifted (mostly) written. Though they are, in many ways, even rougher than the first episode was despite the fact I only had a day to write the first one, I'm still excited about them. Tomorrow begins December, which is the month for revising (NaNoReMo?). In addition to these brand new works, I also did the final fixes on Becoming. Since I was already to the point where I was basically rewriting the scenes at the end anyway, I figured it fit in with the spirit of NaNo: writing new stuff.

So, do I feel like a winner? I do indeed.

I'm glad I took on this challenge. I mean, sure, it's fabulous that I was able to actually accomplish the goal I set, but it was also nice giving myself the option to fail.

Now that November is over, what's next? Well, moving forward, I'm officially down to half time at my day job, which means I suddenly have 3-4 hours a day to write. This upcoming week, I plan to see what kind of daily word count goal is attainable and sustainable, and then I want to make plans based on that. How often will I put out an episode of Shifted? How often will I put out a new novel? I don't know the answer to either of these questions for sure yet, except to say that it will not take me a year or more to put out something new.

That alone makes me do a happy dance.

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Speaking of Becoming: It is finally done and for sale on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. It is not yet up on iTunes because for a reason unknown to me, iTunes takes FOREVER to publish stuff.

And this Shifted thing I keep talking about? So far it's just one episode of a larger piece. Since its publication at the end of August, it's been exclusively on Amazon, but that exclusivity has ended. I'm in the process of getting it up on Kobo, B&N, and iTunes. Kobo is giving me sass (though I won't complain too much since Becoming went on sale relatively quickly); iTunes is, as I mentioned, a bit sluggish; and I need to make some modifications to the cover to upload it to B&N. So, I'll let you know when Episode 1 is available for people who don't buy their ebooks through Amazon.

You can find links to all my books here.

changes on the horizon

So, some big changes in my life right now. I'm pretty excited, actually. 

My day job is as a teacher. This year, though, teaching has been tougher than usual. So, here's the change: I'm about to go down to part time at my real job, and I'm about to devote much of that extra time to writing. 

To say I'm excited about this change is an understatement. Don't get me wrong: I'm sad to be saying this temporary farewell to half my classes. I'm fighting the creeping sense of failure at not being able to be Super Woman and handle everything that's on my plate plus all the things I want to put there. But I'm okay with it. I need this change, at least in the short term. 

In related news, I'm thisclose to having Becoming (The Naturals: Book Three) ready for publication. And I've got an episode and a half of SHIFTED written. Honestly, I haven't felt this awesome for a while. 

So, friends, exciting things on the horizon. Stay tuned for updates. Sign up for the mailing list so you can know immediately when new books are ready for you!

nano and procrastination

Yesterday was the last day of the first quarter at school. What should I be doing right now? I should be assessing narratives and finalizing grades. What am I doing? Well, that's clear, isn't it? I'm writing a blog post.

Yesterday also began the month of November. There are several reasons this month is noteworthy: Thanksgiving (U.S.) occurs on the fourth Thursday, my sister will be turning 30 this year, and this month also marks the fifth year since my mother's death.

Oh, and it's National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo is something I've known about for years, yet I've never thrown myself into participating. I think a large part of what's kept me from doing so is the fear of failure. I don't like setting myself up to fail. When I choose to take something on, I generally like to have the opinion that it's something I can handle. NaNo scares me. What if I say I'm going to do it but I can't?

Something I'm learning right now is that I have limitations as a human being. The lesson I seem to have to learn over and over is that I am not the general manager of the universe: If I beg off, the earth will keep spinning. My actions (or lack thereof) will not lead to the destruction of the entirety of existence.

I know this seems like a silly lesson to have to learn, but it's one that my brain oftentimes refuses to accept.

So, how does this tie in to NaNo? Simply this: I've decided to ignore the voice that cringes at the though of committing myself to writing 50,000 in 30 days, the voice that demands, "What if it's too much? What if you can't do it?" I'm attempting to change my mindset. What if I don't finish? For real? Will the NaNo cops come get me? Will I be shunned from society? Will my cats refuse to snuggle with me ever again? No. Of course not. If I don't hit 50,000 words by November 30, the world will still be here on December 1. Will I have failed at the challenge I set for myself? Sure. Is it that big a deal? No. Will I have more words written by then than I do now? I hope so.

So, here, I suppose, is to hope. And grace.

And now, I should get back to grading things so that I can spend time writing later today.

Wish me luck.

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Is there something in your life you're putting off doing because you're afraid you might fail? What is it? Do you think you can be brave like me and attempt it anyway? I'd appreciate some company on my journey.