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This is my first year participating in NaNoWriMo (a quirky nickname for National Novel Writing Month). I'm supposed to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. Oh dear! Below I will blog my progress. My BWF and critique group partner, Candie Moonshower, inspired me to try this. I can't stay I'll achieve the word count goal, but I'm going to try.
The title of my NaNoWriMo book is SMARTY-PANTS: A TALE OF COMEUPPANCE. It's a novel for young readers.
Day 1, November 4
Today I wrote my book summary:
Phoebe Zooker is a ninth grade honors student who is oblivious, at first, to the social ostracizing that will soon befall her. From day one at her new school, the entire student body makes fun of her homemade clothes and funky horn-rimmed glasses . . . and her extraordinarily high GPA. The 'it' girls are giving her fits, and the jocks are no better, all except Blake Van Paul, the boy with stunning hazel eyes -- Phoebe has secretly nicknamed him 'Adonis'.
Once she finally realizes that she is being called names like ‘word nerd’ and ‘zooker the looker’, her self-esteem takes a nosedive. Then the pranks start. To even the score, she calculates a brainy mathematical plan, one that unleashes a zany (and highly academic!) revenge on the entire school that involves solving a cryptogram.
Phoebe makes being an intelligent smarty-pants pay off in spades.
Day 1, November 4
All in all, I wrote 699 words the first day. The beginning has begun!
Day 2, November 5
Cumulative word count: 1367
I'm gathering new ideas as I go along, so I imagine what this starts off as will morph drastically! Stay tuned . . .
Day 3, November 6
No progress. I am recovering from a BBQ party. Please pass the aspirin.
Day 4, November 7
Cumulative word count: 1817
Day 5, November 8
No writing today. Pooped from work. Tick, tock....
Day 6, November 9
No writing today either (echo!). In Atlanta doing my 'Emory' thing!
Day 7, November 10
Even though I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck, I forged on this evening. Trying to re-capture that first-day writing groove. Cumulative word count: 2436
Day 8, November 11
Trudging...attempting to dredge a plot. Cumulative word count: 2884
November 17
I have fallen off the literary wagon the last week or so, which has put me further behind everyone, probably. But today I am attempting to re-mount the NaNo Conestoga wagon and chase bad dialogue across the dusty prairie. Cumulative word count: 3036
November 18
My story is in the crock pot, and it's taking a while to warm up. Cumulative word count: 5103
November 19
Time to cook or get outta the kitchen. I'm up to chapter six but my story seems a tad bland. I'm trying to do the NaNo thing and not labor over every stinking word. (Confession: If I reach 20,000 by month end, I'll be stoked.) Cumulative word count: 6792.
November 21
Everything's going swimmingly (not!). I have a stinky, boring plot, and I don't know a darn thing about cryptograms. Gulp. Cumulative word count: 10,090.
November 22
I've made it over the five-figure (10k word count) hump, so now what? You mean I have to keep going? Shazam! Cumulative word count: 10,657.
November 22
Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to NaNoWriMo I go! Cumulative word count: 11,309.
November 26
My poor story is limping along . . . with just days, dare I say hours, to go to reach 50,000 word target. Mayhap Vegas, and my own Mama, is betting against me. Cumulative word count: 12507.
November 27
Alas, no writing at all. Zippo. Mayhap tomorrow I'll be back on the horse.
November 28
I have a hairball, uh, wait. No, that's just the sight of the calendar....two days to go. I hope to make it to 15,000 words. That's my moral victory goal! Cumulative word count: 12,710.
Nano is now officially over, and I have enough words (12,710) to believe that I have a new novel in progress . . . until next year!
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