Weekend Review & Mashup

Obviously Wednesday's wrap up didn't happen... my procrastinator spirit was in full drive as I raced from work to liquor store and grocery story (no one can say I don't have my priorities straight...) home to finish cleaning before in invasion on Thanksgiving.

I'm also getting ready for a little release/count down fun - so be sure to check back starting on December 1 to see what's happening!

So a lot in a little space:

I'm doing one more crock pot meal for the month. Last week's turned out really well - and left overs were still good.. but there was something about the way it smelled that made me less then happy with the cool ranch chicken (sometimes it is the little things) - But this one is different. It's my twist on a lasagna soup. It took me about 45 minute to get everything ready and into a crock pot to simmer all day was the lasagna sauce (my own recipe: tomato sauce; paste; seasonings/spices; garlic; onion, ground beef) + Italian sausage (first time I tried that)
Then it will be buffet style later with gluten and gluten free noodles for the guests... hopefully this will work well?


And onto other things:

WRITERLY

I am almost done!! I have a few bits to add while I'm thinking about them - and then not thinking about them because ideas will always pop into my head when I'm NOT actively writing *grumbles* So as of Monday - I'll be done with NaNo and taking a few days off to reset the mind before jumping back into edits for STATIC

PUBLISHINGLY

We are at t-minus 12 days.... EEEEP!! I'm so excited and so nervous... and I'm working on a bit of fun for the beginning of December.

READERLY

Taking a little of that down time to get some reading started. i have a huge wish list stored for Christmas, which means I need to knock out some more now (twist my arm!)

OTHERLY

Getting ready for a crazy three weeks at work before the nice Christmas break - lots to finish in a short period of time... but if you haven't noticed, I tend to thrive a bit on chaos - so I say bring it! (remind me I said that then I'm losing it later)

So short and sweet - as I have rooms to vacuum, food to prepare and workouts to starts... and obviously words to pound

Chat soon!

Wanderings of Wednesday...

Short and sweet - this week's crock pot - the bourbon chicken was really good. I was afraid that it would be dry and  maybe too full of flavor - but it wasn't either. And leftovers have been yummy!
Now onto other things:

Writerly
NaNo is continuing to roll - some days are easy and I can knock out 8K+ - others I'm fighting to break 1K... I'm hoping to break 40K tonight so I'm in the home stretch to that goal of 50K but feel fairly certain my story will need more then 50K words - but I have time... hehehe
This NaNo continues to amaze me - some times the characters are all but screaming at me - and that's usually when I've stopped for the night and am just about to fall asleep... wow - totally just remembered that I had typed myself a note in my phone that I never reviewed...three cheers for plot help!

Publishingly
I'm trying to spread the word - let people know ETCHED is coming... I'm getting other pages on this Blog ready for release. I'm hoping to get to some local bookstores in the next few days and set up signings and other fun stuff.

Readerly
Same books - little progress... maybe I'll get them finished this weekend...

Otherly
So because of NaNo and student council conferences - I'm behind on grading and housework... and with Thanksgiving coming up, I'm trying to use my time really wisely...

So this will remain short - with the idea that in the future, I'll have more time to really expound on writer life and read life... so until then, keep writing.

Put it in the pot!

So this week's Crock Pot meal will not be prepared until Tuesday.... have I mentioned November
hates me? Not really - but maybe a little.

I have been neck deep in words - pounding keys as quickly as the story will unfold because life just has too many things planned for me - which is why Tuesday will be crock pot day!

Last Christmas, my brother got me a programmable crock pot - the problem that I had previously run into was that I left really early for work - and most meals only needed 7-8 hours to cook - I was usually gone at least 10 (on a good day) - therefore a programmable crock pot + freezer prepped meal = yummy food that was completely over cooked or dried out.

The recipe? Slow Cooker Bourbon Street Chicken - you can get the recipe I'm using via https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2034705

This particular meal has been prepped and waiting in the freezer for a few weeks. I just bought the last ingredient - Apple Juice at the store - so we're ready to go!

Now let's hope I remember to actually (1) put it in the pot (2) turn the pot on... both have not happened before and I didn't even have NaNo to blame...

Wish me luck...
Now get back to writing!

NaNo Prep Ideas

This year will be the fifth time I will NaNo.

I can't believe it's been that many already!

man I feel old

Over the years, there have been a few (only a few....haha) things that I have learned about writing. As time grows closer to that mad rush to 50K and beyond, I want to take a moment to share a few that have helped me over the past few years:

1. Get pictures - rummage through Pinterest or the internet until you find a picture that accurately embodies your characters and/or someone who could become a character later. I print them and glue them into my novel notebook so I don't have to search again later.
2. Get pictures of places my characters will go
3. talk to people. Are you sending your character some place that you've never been? Find out everything you can about it so the setting feels authentic
4. Have an idea - but only an idea. I'd like to consider myself a hybrid - not quite a plotser and not fully a pantser. This year, I know where I'm starting, and I know where i'd like to end - I have the last sentence in mind - but I'm not sure which of my main characters will get the honors yet - and maybe someone will shift by then
5. Write with a notebook open - once November 1 hits, the only thing that will be left on my desk - besides my laptop...and a large cup of tea - will be an open notebook and a writing utensil or two. As I write, I take note of where my characters are taking me and/or phrases/ideas that I may want to use later so I don't forget them. - I also use the notebook to track who my characters are turning into

Are you NaNoing? What tricks do you have to conquer November?

My Nano Survival Kit

Are you ready for November 1st?

While some of you are probably thinking: Aten, it's more than a month away!! I don't even have time to worry about it yet, I am here to tell you time flies and before we all know it, National Novel Writing Month will be well underway...again.

And with that in mind, I decided to sit down and start preparing my own Nano survival kit, incorporating items that I used and lived by during last year's month long mad dash to 50K+ words. While some of the items on the list may feel like Duh moments to any writer, they weren't always so clearly defined for me - SO the pantser in me is taking a back seat to the plotser need to get this list generated!

1. An idea - for the pantser in all of us - just a spark could help....for the plotser in us a little more knowledge is necessary - regardless of your approach you need an idea. I have one flopping around in my head trying desperately to come to life.

2. A notebook and favorite pen. Yes, we live in a digital age, but I still like the feel of ink on paper and like to scratch out ideas while I'm typing away.

3. MUSIC! You know you need to keep your muse happy - so create that play list that will lead you through all the scenes OR for those of you who must live in a bubble of total quiet, grab a pack of ear plugs because you KNOW that someone will call...or cough...or show up at that exact moment when your muse is playing nice and the words are at the tip of your tongue.

4. FOOD! This one is not only for you, but any other people who are unfortunately living with you this month and may have to fend for themselves. Make sure to have a lot of easily prepared meals set aside AND snacks that you can eat in between the meals you skip to hit your daily word goal.

5. TIME!! This year will be different for me. I will be trying to Nano and work at the same time. I was fortunate enough to have the ability to only worry about writing last year. This year, I feel like I'll be batting in the big leagues with all the other writers trying desperately to live a life, work, keep the house away from hazmat suits and quarantine signs AND write a novel....why do I have the sudden urge to laugh uncontrollably??

Other tips? Check out the Nano web page for inspiration and procrastination needs; follow the Nano feeds on twitter for writing sprints. While I didn't sprint with everyone, a few helped me out of writer's block last year, and I'm sure they will again.

Cheer on your fellow Nano-ites as they aim for 50K

The most important aspect?? HAVE FUN and enjoy the ride. I learned so much about myself and the way I thought I had to write a book last year. I can't wait to see what I learn this year! Look forward to another post on that after Nano this year.