NaNoWriMo, Turris, and an Omnia

                          Source: imgfave.com via Kelly on Pinterest

It's been absolutely eons since I last posted, I know. Some of you who know me might be surprised that I haven't said a word about NaNo on this blog. Part of that would have to do with the fact that I wasn't terribly excited about it.

HOWEVER! I am doing NaNo, and I am much more excited about my novel than I was when I started. I began outlining late, so I only have eight outlined chapters before I start treading in the darkness of a story without a story. Scary thought. The positive side is, that I haven't reached that eight chapter yet, and I've already written 11,000 words, and discovered another thread that I can really use!

If you're at all interested in discovering what my novel is about (*cringe!*), then you can check out my profile on the NaNoWriMo website. In a few words here, I will tell you that it is about a tower. A really, BIG tower.

One last note. I was annoyed to discover that the name I had chosen for a digital device in the story, Omnia, has already been used for a cellphone. I'm keeping it for now, but will probably change it later. It's just disturbing to learn that I'm not the genius I thought I was.

Gone With the Wind

I have to admit to feeling really overwhelmed right now. After church got out, I checked my phone to find a message from some family members who live a ways off. It turns out they need some help with a big project, and I was one of the first people to come to mind.

I have to say that my parents and I pretty much jumped on the idea, since I have don't have a lot going on here at home right now. I won't be able to host knitting night, and will miss my British Literature class which I do regret greatly, but I am here to serve and here is a perfect opportunity!

Today started out as any other Sunday, with the expectations of any other week. I went to church and was incredibly blessed by the sharing and teaching. Now I am washing clothes and trying to mentally prepare myself for packing up and leaving in such a short amount of time.  I will be gone for a week or two. I feel sure this calls for some Jane Austen reading, so I'll have to be sure and bring her along.

I will be bringing my computer along as well, so you might see me around on Twitter or something. Friends, feel free to shoot me emails!  I would also appreciate your prayers that I might have a servants heart and will be extremely helpful and useful in this project, not only practically, but also to be encouraging and to have a good time while doing it. 

One other note, at this point I do plan on doing NaNoWriMo in November, so I will also have to be working on scraping up some kind of plot! 

I Won NaNoWriMo

Yes, you read the title correctly.  I am quite pleased with myself.  Oh, and I did it with one word to spare, too!  Not too bad.

This is my second year attempting NaNo, and my second year as a winner.  Several things that I can compare about the two years are as follows:

• I actually had a plot this year.  Granted, it was a short plot and didn't get me to 50k, but it's one more plot than I had last year!
• Last year I was in a totally awesome group on Homeschoolblogger.com where we could talk and share about NaNo and other random things.  This year I was part of a totally awesome group with a total of five people, where we talked about NaNo and other random things.  I really miss the old group, but I couldn't dispense with the new.
• Last year's novel was about a small boy caught up in a mystery that basically revolved around child labor and other similar topics that I tried not to touch upon.  I still haven't edited it.  This year's novel is about a young man, a prince, who can only think about trying to please his awful and slightly abusive father (The way that sounds, it makes it seem like a really horrible thing!  I mean, it is, but it's definitely not anything intense.  Please don't mistake that.), and misses a lot of other things in life because this is his one and only focus and drive.  I...still haven't edited it. (Sorry, that's too much to expect from a person!)
• Last year?  Some NaNo people wore Viking hats, I'm pretty sure.  They did that this year, too.  I'm not sure what the whole Viking thing is about.
• This year I am going to get get the CreateSpace proof copy, or whatever it is.  This means that I will get it no matter what, even if I don't have a second draft finished.
• Last year I wrote 50,000 words in a month.  I did it again this year.  It was hard work, and I'm a little disappointed with my novel, but I can't describe how awesome it is to win.  I had forgotten that from last year.  I feel like I'm walking on clouds.

NaNoWriMo: Day 17

Alright, this is my first NaNo post of the year, I think. It might be a little odd to randomly decide to post in the middle of the month, but I've got to update sometime, right?

My novel is about Prince Dev, who has spent almost all of his life trying to prove himself to his Father, and be accepted by him.  Those who truly love Dev had tried to persuade him that he can't be so obsessed with this one thing, but it's useless (of course!).  It takes a new friend, a huge mistake, and the loss of both his father and brother, to make Dev realize that there is more to life than what he had been living and believing.

Amazingly enough, I actually had a basic plot written out for this novel, and I finished it just barely in time for NaNo to begin.  As I have gone on writing, I have been surprised as many plot twists have almost fallen place, and I have been inspired right when I needed to be.

As far as word count goes, I have fallen behind by about 5k, after not writing for a few nights.  Oops.  I'm working on catching it back up, and I still consider myself to be in the way of winning.  If I do, this will be my second, complete first draft!

Are you doing NaNoWriMo?  If so, how is it going for you?