Writing in November 2020

In the writing world, the National Novel Writing Month--or NaNoWriMo as it is affectionately called--is in November. Before last year, I'd never heard of it, but it is an internet-based creative writing project that takes place every year, and participants attempt to complete a 50,000-word manuscript in thirty days. I joined last year, wrote a little over 27,000 words, and then I petered out. 

I don't even remember why. It just wasn't there.

This year, after not writing during any of my COVID quarantine, I got up off my ass--or really, I sat down on my ass--and signed myself up to GET IT DONE! I started with the manuscript I'd begun last year, Book 2, as it has been referred by, and I jumped back to the beginning, tossing out quite a bit of those 27,000 words. I joined a local writing group on the NaNoWriMo website hoping for inspiration and participated in their first night of speed writing, a fifteen-minute timed event, where I learned that sprinting is not for me.

On Facebook, having gone there for the first time in weeks, I saw that one of the writers from my monthly romance writer's chapter was also doing NaNoWriMo, and I asked her to be my buddy on its website. She responded by adding me to a messenger group of other authors attempting this feat, and this group ROCKS. These ladies chat daily, encouraging and pushing, and other than one day, where I wrote zero words, I've written every day in November. I'm currently sitting at 32,248 words, and I'm halfway through my book.

Meanwhile, everything else in my life is on hold. My house is filthy, clothes sit longer in the washer and dryer than normal, dinner is usually via the crockpot, and email is rarely checked and often not answered. My family, however, is behind me, including my MIL, who is waiting patiently for November to end so I can return to finalizing her memoirs. 

As a pantser--one who does not plot on paper--I have most of the scenes in my head, except for the important climatic moment full of major conflict, and concerned that would halt me in my progress, I've even jumped ahead willy-nilly, writing future scenes. Perhaps my romance group of peeps, who meet on Tuesday night Zoom, will assist me with that tonight. I'm crossing my fingers!

If anyone is interested in following my progress and shouting out words of encouragement to keep me going, check me out on the website. I'm under my new pen name--YES, I HAVE A PEN NAME--Caragh Leon. I also have, thanks again to the Tuesday night Zoomers, a TITLE--Tender Secrets. 

I'm so close...