So yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the day that I became a novelist. I don’t know if most writers make a note of the day they finish their first book, or if they continue to observe it once they’ve managed more impressive feats (like, you know, getting someone to actually read it) but I certainly… Continue reading A Very Giddy Novel-versary
It is insanely hard for me to read a novel while I’m working on writing one. I know writers are supposed to be voracious readers, gobbling up books constantly to fuel their own brillaint ideas and inspire their own artistic minds, but I always feel like I’m caught up in one or the other. I… Continue reading The Challenge of Reading While Writing
Did anyone else feel that deep, collective breath of relief yesterday as NaNoWriMo ended? Washington state is in one of the last time-zones before the date line, so I usually end up finishing my novel with the last of the last. Fortunately, I clocked in at 50,132 around 4pm on the 30th. Home for Thanksgiving… Continue reading Post-NaNoWriMo
I am thankful for characters who take time out of being imaginary to talk to me. I’m thankful I know more exciting words for dialogue than “said,” and that I don’t feel compelled to constantly use them. I’m thankful I’m only 6,834 words behind on NaNoWriMo and have every hope of winning. I’m glad I… Continue reading A Writer’s Thanksgiving
I like Seattle in November. It gets a lot colder in the winter, but November is the last of the beautiful fall. You have those yellow-gold and sun-orange leaves soggy and mushy like cerel once you get the milk on it. The way the clouds uniformly cover the sky, especially when its not raining…it just… Continue reading Too Few Words
For as much time as I’ve spent noveling in other places and trying to keep pace with NaNoWriMo in California, I’ve actually only ever won NaNoWriMo in Kenmore (my Washington state hometown) and twice in Bellingham (the college town I lived in, 100 miles north of my hometown.) Needless to say, I’m heading home for… Continue reading Prepping for Home: Where Does Your Writing Live?
The infamous end-of-week-two strikes again. Ever since I got out of high school, I’ve found myself falling behind by the thirteenth of the month in NaNoWriMo. Goodness only knows why I should fall behind now that I have only fifteen hours of work a week, instead of a mandatory high-school attendance from 7-in-the-god-forsaken-morning until two-in-the-can’t-get-here-soon-enough-afternoon.… Continue reading Losing Ground on NaNoWriMo
It’s interesting to see at what stages different people lose steam during NaNoWriMo. Sooner or later, that initial burst of enthusiasm and coinciding energy runs out and you’re left to finish the project on the dregs of inspiration and a (hopefully) heaping stash of will power and deep-seated motivation. Looking at my Writing Buddies list,… Continue reading Plot-Bunny People
It’s day seven of my seventh NaNoWriMo, and I’m only moderately behind. As my book has 15 chapters planned, I’ve been focusing more on getting a chapter done every other day than exactly hitting word count. It’s a new strategy for me, but I feel good about it. Rather than focus on the pedantic, quantitative… Continue reading NaNoWriMo: Lucky Number Seven
Christmas lights are so inspiring. Sometimes, I keep them up for half the year, the ones in my bedroom, anyways. It’s like what candy would be if it were visual delight. It’s tiny, fun, colorful… But most of all, it makes sitting in the dark alright. Sometimes I just do not want the lights on,… Continue reading Musing Over Christmas Lights
AUDREY GREATHOUSE 