Welcome back! Today was a rowdy day of storms and close calls to power outages here! But we slid by on the seat of our pants and for once my small town’s power wasn’t eaten by the wind.
It’s almost my bedtime at the time of writing this so I’ll keep it short and sweet. Today was an awesome writing day! I wrote just over 3k words leaving me about 4.5k words to finish my goal for camp!
There are a few scenes coming up really soon in my novel that I’m psyched to write! I’ve watched them play out in my head so many times that I know them almost word for word! That’s a good thing too! These scenes may just be what I need to push my butt over the finish line of Camp NaNoWriMo!
I think the title of this blog reflects my current ability to title works of writing. This week has been a roller coaster of emotions and drama and word counts. A week that’s made me think about writers and addictions. It’s almost like the chicken and the egg question.
chicken and egg
As any of my long time followers (from FB and other places) will know I quit smoking on January 13th of this year. I used nicotine gum as my form of nicotine replacement therapy. It’s more than three months later and I’m still on it. I’m working on cutting down and every time I do I have the symptoms all over again of quitting. I know a lot of people would say just go cold turkey! It’s only 24 milligrams of nicotine a day. Not all of it even makes it into your bloodstream. Quitting cold turkey isn’t for me at this point. I won’t bore you with all the reasons why. Protecting my quit is very important to me. It’s my biggest will power accomplishment ever. Yes, this from the woman who writes everyday most of the year. Writing is easy. It’s not writing that’s hard. Even when I need to take a break.
All of this thinking has made me add a topic of writers and addiction to my to blog about eventually. It’s everywhere. You see the jokes about full ashtrays and a million empty coffee cups. Sometimes it’s wine glasses. I don’t really drink. Maybe a glass every year or two. So, that’s not my poison of choice, but it’s out there. Not all writers have any of these addictions, but it’s prevalent enough to acquire memes to support the stereotype.
Yes, I wrote more before I quit smoking. Yes, it was easier, but going back isn’t an option for me. So, I can only go through the process of quitting. I’m a little less than 8k words away from the finish line of my 50k Camp Nano goal. I don’t need cigarettes to write, but I do miss them. I wrote 2,091 words today. Now, I’m off to embrace the fog of nicotine withdrawal until my brain adjusts or tomorrow morning arrives to clear it for a little while.
After a three day weekend off to deal with personal matters Monday rolled around. Only the rest of the world didn’t care that it was Camp Nano and they were getting in the way of my main character finally exchanging claiming vows with his true-mate. I’m sure this is the sort of offense one would take to the Hemlock High Courts, but unfortunately we don’t live there. lol So, Blake and Jonah had to wait a bit.
All joking aside, keeping up with Camp NaNoWriMo this week has been an uphill battle in stilettos while fighting off a hungry dragon. But the good news is I managed to stay on the hill. I wrote every day this week (so far) and am on schedule to finish on April 30th.
Monday’s Word Count: 875
Tuesday’s Word Count:1577
Wednesday’s Word Count: 2360
Today, I’m back in the swing of things. I’m tired, but I’m excited for a lot of the scenes coming up. I still have one tweak I have to make towards the end of the plot. Well, around chapter 25 which I’m only 4 chapters away from. I won’t finish this novel by the end of the month, but I will hit my 50k goal. I had planned for this book to be shorter than Healer’s Oath, but Blake and Jonah had different plans.
After Camp ends I’ll likely take a week off to recharge my batteries before charging in to write the remainder of the book. Happy writing, fellow campers!
I don’t have much to say about today’s writing. I’m coming up on some twists that would definitely be spoilers if I talked about them. So, instead I’ll leave you an excerpt from the book.
Sorrow cuts through my life like daggers. Memories of lost laughter echo in the background of my thoughts. During the day I drag my pencil across the page and the pain leaks out. At night it sits on my chest. Then morning comes and I see Duke’s lopsided smile as he climbs into my bed. Two-year-olds are faster than wild horses and he’s the reason I don’t give up. My precious little boy is the light of my life and my daily path out of the darkness.
My parents are gone and
I’m farther from home than I ever wanted to be. Lee’s so happy though. Millie
and Travis run him and Bane ragged, but at the end of the day they get to fall
into bed together exhausted but in love. I don’t begrudge them their bliss. I
just wish it was contagious. Things could be worse, but there’s always room for
improvement.
“Blake!” Zooey’s voice cut through my thoughts. “I thought
we’d find you out here hiding in the trees. What are you doing? Writing the
next great Hemlock novel?”
“Maybe someday,” I laughed and slammed my journal shut.
I smiled at the women who became my best friends after I moved to Hemlock Academy two years ago. What started as a work project to aid in Zoey’s self-produced herbalist manual grew into a mutual affection based on music, annoying brothers, and of course being some of the youngest students at Hemlock Academy. It didn’t take long for Lotus to fall into our circle when she returned from her father’s European business trip. While the rest of the world worked on stepping past what was now just called ‘the tragedies’ the three of us lived in the shadows of the events. Zoey still caught the occasional headache from her injury, Lotus had nightmares about large men dragging her from her bed, and I hovered over Lee like Jeb might sneak through the bathroom window and steal him from me again.
These were the things we couldn’t talk about with the others. The Omega Liberation Front solved the problem and saved the day. Every Tuesday and Sunday we attended chatroom meetings of survivors. Lotus and I were invited because of our proximity to the events. I attended them, because it was the only time I heard Lee say he was okay. Most of the survivors were okay now. They lived their lives and pushed away memories as if they didn’t happen. There was only one memory I couldn’t push away at night, but the past fled from the bright sunlight over Hemlock Academy.
It was time to get down to business, because
Zoey’s thick dark trademark Hemlock hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of
her head. Her shoulders squared and she looked like Darian when he walked into
a pack meeting. I never understood why everyone compared her to Ross. She lacked
his gentle nature and tact. She was all bullheaded like the Patriarch and her other
Alpha brothers. The man she married better have a steel set of balls, because she’d
settle for nothing less. Zoey didn’t hold her punches and I liked that about
her.
“Lotus did it!” She grinned as she plopped down on the grass next to me. “The little vixen actually got in contact with The Grim Howlers’ agent and scheduled a conference call for tonight! I can’t believe the operator even put her through.”
Well, yes, in the literal since, but I didn’t want to drag my butt to the keyboard today. Nicotine withdrawal is still kicking me every chance it gets. If this were any non NaNoWriMo month I wouldn’t have wrote today at all. I would have vegged out and gave my brain a break. But since it is Camp NaNo the show had to go on!
I fell back on my secret weapon. Thee one weapon which never fails me on brain dead days: Writing Sprints! You know the ones. You set a timer and write until the buzzer cuts through your soul. Then you do it again. And some days again. You sprint until the words actually add up. For me, that meant 6 writing sprints of 15 minutes each totaling just under 3.8k words. Bringing me to a total word count of 31,885. I’m technically two days ahead by the NaNoWriMo calendar, but since I’m taking weekends off I’m right on schedule. Speaking of weekends… Is it here yet?
In all honesty, tired or not I really enjoyed the part of the story I was on today. It’s really close to Blake’s first *time* with his mate and though first sex scenes can be challenging I think I’ve gotten the flow of both characters down so it won’t be too difficult. I may even get to it this week.
One thing I keep thinking about today is how many readers have asked me about “Fred the Dragon.’ I didn’t expect this big of a response about a man who never actually appeared on the page. Answers will be given in the next book, but rest assured Fred is gloating in all the adoration and curiosity. What red blooded dragon Alpha, wouldn’t?
Fred would like to apologize to his fans. He will not star as a main pov character in Book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga.
A realistic portrait of me working out the plot of my current WIP.
I didn’t write over the weekend and I didn’t blog yesterday, because I was caught up in perfecting the plot of book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga. My plot’s verging 6k words all by itself. I thought everything was perfect. Then today at the end of my writing time I realized it’s not. I left a gaping hole! I yelled plot twist in my head and moved on. I’ll have to fix that in a few chapters, but for today that’s okay. I can live with the knowledge my plot is only *almost* perfect. lol
Today’s word count was my best of the month. I’m just over 28k words in total. Meaning I’m back to being a little ahead of schedule. Since writing the blog yesterday today the words just rolled off my fingers. This proves it. I’m a plotter at heart and mind.
I wrote 3,690 words today. I’m on chapter 17/37. That final chapter count is subject to change when I go back in to tweak my plot, but for now I’m happy with my progress. I might not finish writing the book this month, but it’s likely I’ll make it to my 50k word goal. I did a couple of fifteen minute writing sprints to get me started today. I think my nicotine levels are evening out. (I’m just over 3 months quit and still using the gum.) So, I’m excited for the rest of my work week. I’ll likely break 30k words tomorrow and then around Monday hit my 40k mark.
Yesterday I wrote about the importance of taking breaks and there’s no better advice for me to give. I took the weekend off and on Monday everything started coming together. So, if you’re feeling burnt out today. Take a break and practice some self-care.
It’s only about 4pm (EDT) and my writing day is over. I plan to settle in and read a book as my part of my O.W.L.s Magical Readathon. Today I’ll be reading The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White.
I won’t talk about this book here, because I plan to talk about all the books I read throughout the month for O.W.L.’s Magical Readathon in a post next month.
That reminds me Amazon is doing a great deal for 2 months of their Kindle Unlimited Membership for just 99 cents. Seriously, if you guys haven’t tried it out go take a look. I’m not sponsored by them or anything like that. I just really enjoy the service. I’ve found some of my favorite books on there. And yes, if you subscribe you can read all the Hemlock Mpreg Universe books as part of the subscription.
How’s your Camp NaNoWriMo going this month? Happy writing and reading! Book on!
Camp NaNoWriMo is the more laid back version of NaNoWriMo. Not everyone tries to push out a novel during Camp, but many people do. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth time there’s a rush and an urgency to the month.
An epic challenge has been laid out before you. It’s a duel you can’t turn away from. The month starts in a mad rush of words flung across the page. We move just as quickly as the heroes of our books jumping into their own new adventure.
As the month goes on we discover we don’t have the stamnia of our heroes. We’re not magical unicorns who never need to sleep! Burnout does happen. I lov the buzzy atmosphere of Camp NaNo, but in my expereince a break will help you write more in the long run. Feeling burnt out today? Take the day off. Tomorrow you’ll wake up refreshed and likely itching to get back to work on your book.
At the end of the day novel writing is like everything else in life: Best in moderation and balance.
Today was about as great as yesterday. I’m just dragging along, but I’m still on track to finish 50k words by the end of the month. I’m looking forward to two days off this weekend to recharge my batteries and squeeze in some reading time. (I need to work on my books for O.W.L.s Magical Readathon). Blake’s story (Yep. I still need a title. lol) is moving along fine, but thank Juda it’s Friday!
****For those of you who haven’t read The Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga, Juda Hemlock is one of the two founders of the Hemlock Wolf Pack bloodline.****
What I accomplished today:
Despite being really tired today I did write through the ending of chapter 15. I have some fleshing out to do come Monday, but that’s Monday Maggie’s problem. lol
Snags Along the Way:
I had a major case of the Fridays. I’m ready for a weekend of not dancing and sparring with my keyboard.
How today went:
Starting Word Count: 22,224
Total Words Written: 1,988
Ending Word Count: 24,212
After thoughts:
TJIF! Seriously! I’ll be happy to get back to work on Monday, but for now I’m off to enjoy the weekend!
Some writing days are just better than others. I woke up pretty exhausted this morning despite sleeping in an hour later than usual. I’ve recently cut my nicotine gum down by a 1/4 and I think that’s taking its toll on me. It’s about 5 PM at the time I’m writing this and I’m ready for bed. I’m going to try to stay up a few more hours before crashing.
I’m trying not to get caught up in the fact that quitting smoking is slowing me down in every other area of my life. It’s a good thing to do, but that little ‘nicotine addict monster’ likes to claim I could write so much more if I just smoked. I don’t want to smoke. At this point it’d likely make me sick. I just don’t want to be tired anymore. Oh, tomorrow is another day. I’m so ready for this weekend!
What I accomplished today:
Today I wrote chapter 11 and 12.
Snags Along the Way:
Mostly just being tired. I think I need to write out another plot soon too, but I’m too tired to do that today.
How today went:
Starting Word Count: 20,074
Total Words Written: 2,150
Ending Word Count: 22,224
After thoughts:
I’m going to have to remember slow and steady wins the race. No matter whether I finish this book this month or next – I tried despite being in the process of quitting nicotine.
Goals for Tomorrow:
Tomorrow I just want to meet my word count goals and start my weekend early!
This morning I woke up feeling great! Which was a
good thing since we’re a third of the way through camp! Though, as I was
writing today an odd thought occurred to me. I’ve trashed two plots so far for
this novel! The beginning is still coherent and it’s still moving towards the
same ending. I knew the ending since before I started writing the book, but the
middle has evolved more than any book I’ve written before. For most of my life,
I’ve been a hardcore plotter. Knowing what I was going to write the next day
and the day after was what kept me going. Now, I know what I’m writing
tomorrow. I know what happens in the next few chapters. (Inside my head at least)
but I don’t have a plot outlined. Please don’t take my plotter’s membership
card away! Lol
In some ways, this has been more fun than usual. I’m not saying I’m converted to pantsing forever, but this book I might be half-pantsing. I feel like I’ve written more in a shorter amount of time since taking the stress of an outline out of the picture. Maybe it changed when I quit smoking. I’m just 3 days shy of 3 months quit now. Maybe it’s unfolding this way, because I didn’t decide for certain I was participating in camp until the last minute (so to speak.)
Whatever’s happening, I’m enjoying it.
What I accomplished today:
Today I fleshed
out chapters 7-9 and wrote chapter 10. It’s an exciting part of the story that
I can’t wait for you guys to read.
Snags Along the Way:
I really
didn’t hit any snags today. It was a nice normal boring (around the house not in
my book) writing day. Which, of course, are my favorite sort of writing days!
How today went:
Starting Word Count: 17,329
Total Words Written: 2,745
Ending Word Count: 20,074
After thoughts:
I’m almost 4k ahead of schedule!
Which is freaking awesome! But I’ve reworked my schedule to take weekends off.
I’m bad at taking vacations from work. They usually last two or three days and
I’m back to work. Maybe, I can start taking off days for the sake of taking
them off instead of just for errands or sick days.
I’m really excited to write chapter
11 tomorrow. It’s a very unique chapter the likes of which haven’t been seen in
one of my books yet. Y’all can’t see my devil horns, but they’re there. I
swear! Lol
Goals for Tomorrow:
I’m just aiming for about 1.2k words tomorrow and I hope to finish chapter 11 tomorrow. I spent this afternoon cross checking characters to make sure I had all my details ready for tomorrow.
Maggie Hemlock Books 