NaNo is Over

Dear Mom,

I tried something new this month and wrote a fictional novel (50,000 words) in 30 days. And I did it! My official word count is 59,415.

Now the real work will begin. I’m not really sure how to go about it, but it will be quite some time before it’s worth reading. I managed to get in my 50,000 words before Thanksgiving so I could relax (ha) getting everything ready for that meal.

Thanksgiving was good—I suppose I learned from osmosis from you on how to cook. I made the most moist turkey this year by soaking it in a brine mixture for 8 hours, thanks to Ruthie who gave me the recipe. I made the usual mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli with cheese sauce, corn, cranberries, rolls and a relish tray. Then of course cherry pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. This year Jessica wanted to learn how to make cherry pie, which I taught her using my vegetable oil pie crust (instead of shortening). She did a great job. I’m glad she’s taking an interest in cooking as it seems to be another lost art.

Once Thanksgiving was over, it was on to the next occasion—Logan’s birthday party.

It was a hoot (owl themed). I was Mother Owl and may have scared the kids a little.

But I’m sure the cupcakes made up for any scariness going on.

And just when I thought I could breathe, I remembered… oh yeah Christmas.

NaNoWriMo Day 29

I'm official! A NaNoWriMo winner! Woot! Woot! as they say at NaNo. I did have a piece that was missing and after five days of not writing a single word on the story, I thought I'd go insane. I finished it today! Yeah! An additional 2,445 words.

That brings my total word count to: 59,583 (according to my word counter). When I officially turned it in with my word count as 57,140, NaNo said I wrote 56,992. A difference of 148 words. Not sure what's the deal there.

NaNoWriMo's official word count: 59,427 (a difference of 156 words).

Doesn't really matter, I did it!

NaNoWriMo Day 24

I just realized there is a key part to my story that is missing, so it looks like it's not quite finished yet, but that's okay. I'm so excited that my characters told me about this particular piece that needs to be added. It's so strange how these folks are living and acting in my head.

Realistically I know I won't be able to write today or tomorrow with cooking Thanksgiving dinner and all.

No new word count today... yet... maybe.

NaNoWriMo Day 23

I am happy to report that my story came to an end today. I had a fear it was going to go on and on like the Energizer Bunny since that's how a lot of my stories I write seem to go. My husband will say it's because that's how my brain works, because I ramble on and on and there's no real end to it. My children are always waiting for me to make my point and when I see their eyes glazing over, I know I've probably gone on too long. So the fact that the story came to an end, well I'm more than relieved. However, I do plan to continue writing until this NaNoWriMo things is officially over (November 30). But my story ends at the final word count of: 57,140.

Now the real work begins...

And I'd like to thank all of you who supported, encouraged, and downright pushed me in this endeavor.

Giving Thanks

Dear Mom,

There’s no doubt I never thanked you for all your hard work when I was little. But then I was just a kid and other than the everyday please and thank you’s, you didn’t just tell your mom how much you appreciated her doing the laundry, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, sewing clothes, canning food, cooking meals every day, and all of the other endless tasks. When I was a kid I never thought about all the things that magically got completed.

It also may sound crazy and I mean no disrespect when I say that I’m also grateful for your death. It taught me how to be responsible for myself. Naturally I’ve learned a lot along the way from other people and experiences, but I really believe it was a gift. Never thought that way when I was younger after first losing you, but over time I began to see things differently.

To name all the people and things I am grateful for… well the list would be endless. But I am truly grateful for everyone who has come and gone in my life and those still in it. I’m grateful for all experiences even those that appear negative as I’ve always believed something good will come of it. Haven’t been proven wrong yet.

Thank you Mom.

P.S. And thank you everyone.

NaNoWriMo Day 22

I didn't get up quite as early as I had been before I reached my 50,000 word goal for NaNo, but I did write 3,294 words today. It's getting closer to the end. My characters haven't run away, yay!

Total word count: 56,656

Ooopsy

Okay no one can accuse me of being quick - it just dawned on me that I was honored with the Beautiful Blogger award by my blogging buddy, Lisa (Writing in the Buff). I knew she mentioned me in her blog, but I didn't "get it" when I was reading it. Maybe because of all this typing/writing with NaNo, my brain seems to be a little fuzzy lately. Thanks Lisa!

NaNoWriMo Day 21

Now that I've made the 50,000 word goal, I considered taking a day off. My story isn't finished, so I thought I better keep it flowing and today I wrote: 1,010 words (probably my lowest word count per day, but it was better than blowing the day off and not writing at all, yes?)
Grand total: 53,362

NaNoWriMo Day 20

WOOT! WOOT! I hit the 50,000 mark. My word count for today is: 3,468. I didn't have to type that much to hit 50,000 but the story kept on going. It's still not finished, but now I'll be a little less stressed for Thanksgiving since I'm cooking. Anyone who cooks knows there's lots to do. But I love doing it. I'll continue to write until the story is finished. If I finish before the end of November, I plan to continue to write to do this daily NaNo thing. Then again maybe the story will keep on going beyond November. We'll see. It's been a fascinating adventure.

Grand total: 52,352

NaNoWriMo Day 19

I'm getting close to the 50,000 mark, but my story is not going to be finished when I hit that magic number--which is certainly okay. I'm just amazed that it kept up the momentum. I have a busy evening, so my word count for the day is: 1,345

The grand total: 48,884

NaNoWriMo Day 18

I did not want to get up at 5AM today, but I did. Since 1PM I've been dragging and I am going to bed soon. Gee, it's 7:30PM. Word count today: 2,888.

Grand total: 47,539
Look at that line on the widget below, it's almost filled. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh that's so scary!

NaNoWriMo Day 17

Today's count: 2,490

Grand total: 44,651

NaNoWriMo Day 16

Today was my least productive day for writing with a total of 1,084 words. But that's okay since I've exceeded my goal every day (other than the two days I was not able to write at all). My left eyelid is beginning to droop--is it from getting up too early or too much time spent in front of the computer screen?

Total word count: 42,161

More on Mr. Smeag

Dear Mom,

After my daughter leaves here with her two dogs, I have to go find Mr. Smeagol. He’s a true scaredy-cat and hides under the bed while the dogs are here. The next day he is exhausted from all the anxiety he’s dealt with.

Naturally, I had to snap a few pictures. He’s cutest when he sleeps. I just wish he’d do more sleeping when I’m sleeping rather than pulling my hair to get me up or howling like a wolf. Really he does howl.

I took this picture to capture the shadow of his ear, but if you just look at the sunny part, like you would with one of those hidden pictures in a picture—the button on the bench Smeagol is sleeping on looks like an eye to a fish’s head with its mouth opened like it’s going to get ready to eat Smeagol’s head. I think it’s rather unique—a fish getting ready to nab a cat.

If Smeagol could see this, I wonder whether he’d run like he does when he hears the dogs coming in.

NaNoWriMo Day 15

It's getting harder and harder to get up around 5AM heading into week 3 of NaNoWriMo and so I crawled out of bed closer to 6. I was up at 5, does that count? Not that getting up early matters--that's my own little rule I've set for myself during this crazy writing a novel in a month. I know writing in the morning is best for me so I'm taking advantage of it and I suppose the proof is in the word count. Today's count: 4,078. That my friends brings my grand total to: 41,077. That's less than 9,000 words before I finish. I know (I think) how it's going to end and I don't think I'll be able to say it in 9,000 words. I suppose that's a good thing.

NaNoWriMo Day 14

I attended a fundraiser for my daughter's Lacrosse team. She's the coach now. I would have thought these days were over, but actually it's a lot more fun now. We got up early since it was an all-you-can-eat breakfast. I did my writing after we got back. The food must have fueled my fingers as I wrote 3,961.

And my grand total is: 36,999.

Why didn't I type one more word and make it an even 37,000? I stop when I stop.

Within my manuscript I make little notes of what I have written and what time it is - I subtract those "words" from the real total.

To all my writing buddies and fellow NaNo participants--Write On!

PS Happy Birthday to my big sister Suzanne!

NaNoWriMo Day 13

It is my granddaughter's 8th birthday today, so I didn't get as much writing as I thought. Had to make homemade donuts for breakfast you know. Day 13 brings 2,358 words and that brings my total to: 33,038.

NaNoWriMo Day 12

Here I am Day 12. I thought I would be able to do more writing this evening, but my brain just doesn't want to function, so I have to call it quits for the day. My total for the day is 3,096.

Grand total: 30,680

NaNoWriMo Day 11

Ooopsy, just realized I had my days all wrong in previous posts. Today is November 11 so it would be Day 11 of NaNoWriMo. I think getting up early (5ish) is catching up with me. It's been busy, but I still managed to write 2,534 words today.

Grand total: 27,584

NaNoWriMo Day Ten

I think there must be something about not discussing your story with anyone verbally that gives it more power or something. Or the writing Gods have decided I really need help, but whatever it is, I'm happy and my count today is: 3,335. We have dinner plans this evening, so I'm finished for the day. And I hope that whatever is working for me works for all my writing friends doing NaNo or just doing it on their own.

And ta-da I'm HALF WAY THERE! WOOT WOOT!

Total count: 25,050 (The little widget thing below isn't updating...)

NaNoWriMo Day Nine

Today's total: 4,220 And let me tell you, it was pretty tough. Total: 21,716

Hair – Wanted and Unwanted

Dear Mom,

I remember one time coming to visit you in the hospital and a mustache was growing above your lip. I couldn’t understand this. I get it now, growing hairs in unwanted places. Although in your case, I’m sure the medications didn’t help. I also didn’t understand why someone didn’t shave you. I wanted to crawl in bed with you and at the same time I was deathly afraid.

I’ve had my lip hairs removed through laser treatment. Why not? There are a few stragglers here and there, but it beats looking like Sam Elliot only with dark hair. There are some stragglers on my chin. I swear they grow overnight. One time I was driving and I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this black thing hanging off my chin. What? It was a hair. Thinking it was a loose hair, I tried brushing it off, but no, it was attached with a root and all. I tried pulling it. All that did was make the hair curl and then I looked like I had a pubic hair resting on my chin. I continued to pull until that sucker came out. For the life of me I can’t seem to grow hair on my eyebrows in the places that are sparse. Can’t grow hair where you want it and yet it blossoms where you don’t. But I got creative and now have a comb-over eyebrow. Who would’ve thought?

I think everyone has problems with hair—either wanted or unwanted.

NaNoWriMo Day Eight

It's Day Eight. I wasn't able to write on Day Six or Day Seven (Saturday and Sunday) since I was out of town, and although it was tough I managed to fit in 2,051 words today bringing my total count to: 17,486. The NaNoWriMo site is "busy" so I can't log in my words yet. Hope all my other writer pals are doing well! Write on!
PS. I have a blogger friend, Becky Povich who's having a give-away contest, but you have to visit her blog and make a comment in order to win. She's a sweet gal, tell her Lynn sent you! You can get there from this link: www.beckypovich.blogspot.com

NaNoWriMo Day Five

Here's my total count--that widget thingy from NaNoWriMo does update, but today's word count was 2,005. I'm heading out to the annual dinner with North American Rock Garden Society's members. One of the couples decided to host it. She is from Brazil, so we will be having a Brazilian dinner. Tomorrow up early and heading to Springfield and then Jefferson City, so no writing this weekend. Wah. Happy writing to all my writing buddies out there doing NaNo. I'll have some catching up to do when I get back.

Here's the total: 15,247

NaNoWriMo Day Four (again)

I just discovered this cool gadget from the NaNoWriMo site. I can just plug this in and it will give my total count. I'll be curious to see if it automatically updates or if I'll have to repost.

NaNoWriMo Day Four

Today's word count: 2536, total count: 13,239

NaNoWriMo Day Three

Total for the day is: 2,301 and grand total: 10,702
I'm not monkeying around, am I?

NaNoWriMo Day Two

Even though Day 2 didn't go as well as Day 1, I'm still pretty happy with the overall word count. For the day it's 2,627--bringing my total word count to: 8,401. High five to myself!

I Dig Rocks

Dear Mom,

I told you about the DR Power Wagon and how it hauls all of my rocks. Did you know I am a huge fan of rocks? No matter where I visit, I want to pick up a rock and take it home with me.

A man I met at a senior citizen’s home who knew your sisters, (Aunt) Anna and Electa, had a little rock collection in his small apartment. He told me stories about how he collected rocks throughout his life. Whew, I thought I was bad—he put me to shame. I began to wonder whether I was a true rock collector. I am—in my own little way.

Mr. (Joe) Zykan told me a story about when he and his family were on vacation and he collected a huge pile of rocks that he loaded on top of the roof of his car. Before long, the roof started sagging and they had to pull over and remove them. But get this—he then shipped the rocks home! Now that’s a rock collector. If anyone knows my husband and his meticulous way with cars—could anyone imagine him letting me haul a bunch of rocks on the roof of a car!

Bringing home a huge rock would... ah, yeah rock. But I stick with ones small enough to fit in my hand. But unearthing a rock in my own back yard really thrills me. These rocks have items fossilized in them. One rock that was in the shape of a fish, had a sea shell where the eye belonged.



And then there's my other kind of fishy shaped looking rock.



Here’s a rock in the shape of a heart. I thought someone stole it until I realized it had cracked. I put it back together.



Some friends who poured our driveway brought us these rocks from their land.



And some more random—way cool—rocks, all from our yard.







I snagged a few rocks from my mother-in-law's yard after her death.




This rock serves as a place to sit when I'm tired. You can see the pink little rock on top of it (which is the same pink rock in the above picture) to give you a comparison in size.



There’s my small collection of various rocks from various places—one bearing the word HU.


I dig rocks!

NaNoWriMo Day One… still

Total word count: 5,774
W00T! W00T!

NaNoWriMo Day One

When giving updates on my NaNoWriMo status, I decided to leave off the “Dear Mom” and if she’s looking down upon me, well… thank you.

It’s my first day and it’s not even over, but I surpassed my goal of 1,852 words and have written 4,357—that’s what happens when you get up at 5AM and follow a schedule. We’ll see what the rest of the month brings. I do have 3 days that I know I won’t be able to write, so having a bit of a surplus eases my anxiety.

With keeping on a schedule, I took my daughter’s idea (marking a water bottle) to show how much water you need to drink before the day is over. I always forget and who wants to drink 64 ounces of water right before they go to bed? No sleeping then. Thought I’d share the idea with anyone else who has the same trouble. I’m ahead of schedule on the water intake too! Go figure.

A blogger buddy and NaNoWriMo buddy is holding a contest on her blog and so I’m going to share it here if anyone is interested. Lisa (www.writinginthebuff.net) is a sweet Southern gal and I’m sure you’ll enjoy her blog.

Now back to writing because I think I’m on a roll. Did I also mention that I rode 4 miles on the stationary bike and did a little laundry?