NaNoWriMo Update #1

I’m going to try to post updates throughout November, partly to keep me inspired and accountable during NaNoWriMo and partly to give me an excuse to do something else for a little while. This first update finds me four days in and only at 3,000-ish words. Four days in and I’m already behind. Sigh. I’m telling myself I’ll catch up this weekend. Yep. That’s right.

For the record, since I’m working on two separate novels this NaNo, I’m tracking my “win” status by combining the two novels. So if I get to 20,000 on one and 30,000 on the other, I’ll consider myself victorious. Yeah, it’s probably not strictly within the rules, but it’s still 50,000 new words of fiction.

So far my stats break down like this:

Avenging Fate: 2,000 words

Idea that has no title but which will not leave my head: 1,000 words and some change.

If you’re curious, here’s some of the music in my rotation this week:

• Another Country, Rod Stewart. As a lifelong Rod Stewart fan, I eagerly awaited this new album. For NaNo, my favorite track is “We Can Win.”
• Shut Up and Dance, Walk the Moon. This song just makes me happy and this video I found on YouTube really makes me smile. It’s a good break from writing. (Or an excuse for procrastination. Whichever.)

• 19 and 21, by Adele. Her third album, 25, comes out 11/20 and I can’t stop listening to her older work in preparation. Her songs are good for the moody scenes.
• Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story soundtrack. I’ve loved this one for years, but it’s great during NaNo. Some pieces are inspiring and others fade into the background.

When not NaNo’ing…

Much as I’d like to write all day, my brain and hands just won’t take it. So, when not writing (or attending to the day job), here are some of the activities I’m engaging in to keep my creativity and energy levels up.

• Watching movies. I’ve got a big library and I like to watch all kinds of things to fuel my creativity. This week I’ve finally gotten around to watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fabulous, both of them.
• Reading. Duh. You can check out my weekly reading lists for more on that.
• Playing board games. Since it was Halloween earlier in the week, I played some horror/spooky-themed games. I lost more than I won, likely due to my brain being fried. At least that’s my excuse.
• Exercise. Yeah, I’m trying to keep up with that.

NaNo Snacks

I try not to binge during NaNo, but I do have some snacks on standby.

• M&M’s: Portable and leave no mess on the computer keyboard.
• Leftover Halloween candy. We had next to no trick-or-treaters, so there are plenty of Almond Joys, Butterfingers, and Snickers left to go around.
• Popcorn. The healthier alternative.
• Nuts. I’d say they’re healthy, but if they’re caramel flavored and mixed with M&M’s, I don’t think it counts. Although there are yogurt covered raisins in there.

Where I’m writing…

So far, mostly at home, although I did make one trek to the library to pick up books so I hauled my laptop along to get in a few words in a new environment. Pretty sure I wasn’t the only NaNo’er in there. There were a couple of other manic, crazed looking people pounding away on laptops. Of course, they could have just been manic or crazy… This time of year it’s hard to tell.

(Photos courtesy of Erdenebayar, Osckar)