Pink Think: “Nano, Nano.” – Robin Williams as “Mork” from the ‘80s TV show Mork and Mindy
This post doesn’t really have to do with Mork and Mindy, which was one of my favorite TV shows from when I was a kid. But yes, I will be talking about another kind of NaNo, which is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which kicked off this year on November 1.
Ahem.
I am hereby announcing that I, Jewel Allen aka Pink Ink, am unofficially doing NaNoWriMo, berlinwritergirl-style, which means that instead of writing 50k towards a novel from scratch, I will be writing 50k (or until it’s done, whichever comes sooner) towards my current novel, a historical YA romance called “Girl From Gurian”.
Yay, I don’t have to feel like a failure now!
I mentioned my reasons in this earlier post, why I didn’t feel like I could do NaNo this year. I admit, I really, really wanted to start another novel because I wanted an excuse to abandon “Girl From Gurian”. I was 25k into it and felt a little stuck in the plot and I was beginning to throw in fantastical elements about escaping horses when it’s supposed to be realistic fiction…but my husband threatened to cut off my subscription to Hello Kitty magazine, so I’m sticking to “Girl”. (I don’t think there is a HK magazine, but if there were, I’m sure that’s what his threat would have involved.)
On November 1st, with a houseful of guests sleeping in all over the house, and once my husband went to work at 7 a.m., I hunched over my NEO Alphasmart and wrote so fast I left a burning trail on my keyboard.
Okay, so I am stretching the truth a little. Reality: 800 words in 2 hours.
Yikes! The way I figured it, I needed to write 2500 words per day of November not counting Sunday and Thanksgiving.
Alas, I discovered I am no Danielle Steel. She is such a prolific author that she had three bestsellers come out this year at the same time. How does she do it?!! I bet she doesn’t sing karaoke with her siblings until 11 p.m. or feed a house full of people eggs in a nest for breakfast or drive two nights to the airport to pick up guests. All at the same time. (Rumor has it she is starting a blog. That’ll definitely even out the playing field!)
All is not lost. I have until Nov. 30 to reach my goal. I know I can do it because I’ve got a new trick up my sleeve:
A recent, new commenter, Lynette, gave me a link to Dr. Wicked’s online device which really works, despite the dubious name! How it works: I select a word count or time limit, and write into this box. If I stop typing for longer than a few moments, it starts having a pink border, which gets brighter and brighter, and then…it plays disco music!
At first I was laughing so much that I couldn’t keep writing. But it worked. I had to keep typing to make the music Stop. I got 800 words in 30 minutes!
Is that Cool or what? Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to pull a Danielle Steel.
***
I just re-read my post and it sounds like an alien invaded my body. Do I really ramble like this?
Alien Invader: “Nano, Nano!”
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Bwahahahahaha! That thing sounds hilarious – I’m totally going to try it out.
Thanks for the heads up, and good luck with your fauxNaNo! Whatever works, yeah?
Great! Good for you. And best with it.
And I loved Mork and Mindy!
Good luck with FauxNaNo! Anything to get the words down, right? I’ll have to check out that widget, it sounds way cool. 🙂
Hee. That’s a funny idea. I think I’ll try that sometime.
I am also doing a modified NaNo! We shall be abnormal together.
It’s only rambling if you’re not able to string any coherent thoughts together.
You strung your thoughts together quite well.
Not rambling.
Good luck.
She does it because she quit writing good books years ago, which is mean, but true.
And I’m totally checking out that link. I need it!
Way too funny. I’m going to link to it. Did you try NOT writing? If you don’t write for a while it actually starts ERASING your words. ha ha ha
Great compromise Pink! And yes Dr. Wicked works. Of course today I had to stop typing so I could dance for a little while. In my two days of doing NaNo I have accomplished over 3600 words. Not that I am sure that what I am writing is any good. My main goal is to support my daughter in her NaNo. So we are doing some friendly word count competition.
Your goal is MUCH more sensible than the nanowrimo one. Good luck.
My goal is to finish my first draft before Christmas (I started Aug. 30), so that I can revise the rest of the winter and start querying in the spring.
Of course, I have dozens of ready-made beta readers already wanting the ms. But that’s easy when you write YA and teach junior high….
I’m gonna have to give that site a whirl. just for kicks. you know.
Good luck on the NaNo. I can’t do it. PArt of me wishes that I could but really, I think I’m glad that I can’t.
I’m cheering you on Jewel! Get those words written! We don’t want you to come out of November all disco-ish and 70’s on us.
I’m imagining you with a houseful of your family members from all over the world. It must be awesome to be reunited!
Jen: Welcome :-). Yes. It is good for a laugh and then some!
Janna: Thanks!
Melanie A: Not that you need it, eh? You are one fast writer 🙂
Q: Yes!
Georgie: Hey, thanks :-).
Melanie J: It’s been so long since I’ve read her, but I do remember one of her earliest books and thinking how romantic it is. I guess people like to escape and she gives that well, eh? Good luck with NaNo, too!
Shanna: I knew about that (kamikaze mode I think) but I was too chicken to try it :-).
Lynette: Woohoo for you! You are such a cool mom to do this with your daughter. And thanks for the link!!
PW: That’s be so cool and terrifying to have real teens beta read an ms. Though I know someday I’ll have to do something similar! Good luck with your draft!
Heather: Yeah, it’s a fun little toy 🙂
Alison: I hear you :-). Thanks.
Marivic: Thanks for the encouragement. And yes, it’s been happy-crazy around here. Dunno when, but I will post about our reunion hopefully soon.
Makes a lot of sense. Good luck, Pink!
Good luck!
Authors like danielle steele amaze me. They rate they crank out books is just staggering.
YOU CAN DO IT!! I believe in you… and am so jealous of you. With the kid, the blog, the hubby and everything else I rarely get any time to write.
Ya and I’m not Elizabeth Gilbert. And I really really wish I wrote her book.
I’m with you unoffically. I didn’t join this year but still am focused on my own project.
Good Luck Jewel – It sounds like the widget is keeping you on the straight and narrow.
Mork and Mindy? They were great, weren’t they?
That’s hilarious about Dr. Wicked’s evil but wonderful plan. And at least the border is the right color, eh?
Loved Mork & Mindy, then later Perfect Strangers. Remember that one?
Happy Na-No-na-no.
Prince: Thanks!:-)
Rachel: Yeah, love her or not, she is amazing.
Suz: Thanks! Well, you ARE blogging…so you are writing! 🙂
Elizabeth: Good luck to you on your project, too!
Barbara: Thanks. *on the straight and narrow* Heaven knows I need that right now :-).
Jannie: Yeah, the pink was actually kind of fun to see, not much of a deterrent for me :-)Mmm, ‘Perfect Strangers’ sounds familiar…
YOu can do it! I had a slow start last year also and then pulled it off with a few 5,000 word days. I need one of those today! Good Luck!
Look at you!!!!
Thanks for reminding me about Danielle Steele’s blog! I posted there a week ago and have to drop in again. I love it when authors have tips on writing, or stories of How I Was Once A Starving Unpublished Writer Like You.
Best of luck with NaNo. Just keep writing!