Happy November, squiders! Hard to believe we’re here, isn’t it? Wasn’t it just summer? Hadn’t school just started? But now we’re in the HalloweenNanowrimoChristmas spiral, and there’s no escaping.
(How was your Halloween? It’s been so cold and snowy here–everything’s been closed or cancelled–but it managed 50 degrees F yesterday for Trick or Treating. Today we’re back down around freezing, which is still better than it’s been.)
I got to go to the Nano Kick-off party for my region last night! I haven’t gotten to go in forever, mostly because I haven’t been doing Nano, and also because Nano waits for no constructs of man, and starts at inopportune times. Not quite sure why I got to go this year, honestly.
I think 2011 was the last year I got to go? And that was at the old place, a lovely used bookstore/coffee shop combo that was open a miraculous 24 hours a day. But, alas, that place closed several years ago. Now the kick-off is at my favorite coffee shop, which is about 7 minutes from my house, so it’s still good, but not open 24 hours a day.
(To be fair, we also used to have write-ins at the old place, which ran from 10 pm to 2 am, and I drank a lot of coffee and actually destroyed my stomach lining and couldn’t drink coffee for about five years, so there’s a lesson there somewhere.)
(One that I haven’t learned, because I still drink coffee.)
And I made new friends, and it’s always fun to talk to other Wrimos, and I have this year’s sticker (where to put it? Traditionally I have a notebook they go on, but it’s so old at this point it’s starting to disintegrate) and a pin for my region.
(I forewent Crowley due to it being cold/not wanting to deal with contacts and went with last year’s shiny Umbreon costume instead, which is one of those pajama/onesie things that are all the rage. But there was an Aziraphale there, and then I regretted my decisions in life.)
I wrote an even 2000 words starting at midnight (not on purpose), which was good, since I have not had time to write during actually waking hours today. I typically aim somewhere between 2-3K a day during Nano, which allows me to get ahead.
(Which is important, because I will invariably miss a few days.)
Are they good words? Maybe! Not important right now!
I tried a slightly more detailed outline this year, so we’ll see how it goes. My previous ones have included percentages of story so I know when plot points need to hit, and this one doesn’t, and I think that may be a mistake. Might go in after a few days and calculate that out. Pacing is always an issue and I find knowing when I need to get somewhere tends to help.
So, so far, so good! But, of course, November is rough, and I’ve got other things that need to get done: I’ve got to re-do the autoresponders on my email list, set up free stories for subscribers (and let them know where they are), get the third book for the nonfiction series up for pre-orders and then launched, audition for a musical, learn all the music for the big Christmas concert, and do general small, mobile ones things, which are mostly medical in nature.
Probably more. Not thinking about that now.
Happy November, squiders!
