Tag: Writer Confessions

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Self-Care For Writers

Maggie Hemlock

At the time of writing this I’m having a bad writing day. I’ve only written about 1,300 words on book 6 of my Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga. I’ve written a few blogs to save for later. (I’ll likely save this one for later too.) Today, I’ve realized something, though. I’ve fallen into a self-worth pitfall about word count goals.

My writing days usually end one of three ways.

  1. Met my goal: Meh. That’s pretty good. I did my job anyway.
  2. Beat my goal: Go me! You’re getting ahead.
  3. Didn’t reach my goal: You are the worst writer on the face of the earth. You’ll never get this book written or published. You should never write again.

I have some ongoing external conflicts in my life at the moment that are definitely affecting my mood, but this is my pattern all the time. And let me just say I thought I was the only one until I sent out some text messages to some writer friends. I’m not the only one. That made me feel better for maybe two minutes. Then I realized how mean we are to ourselves. Yes, word counts and plot point goals are uber important to our chosen careers. They’re like 50% of our job. (Rewriting, plotting, marketing, etc. take up the other 50%.) But at the end of the day they don’t define us as people. A bad writing day doesn’t make someone lazy or horrible or a complete failure. It’s one day. One writing session. Sure, if it’s an ongoing problem we should examine what’s going on and see what the best way to work through it would be. I’m not giving all of us free reign to never pursue a writing goal again. What would we read if we all quit writing? What would you read, person who’s reading this?

So, what am I saying?

Simply that when we get caught up in creating other people and worlds and epic plot lines and romances we shouldn’t forget about ourselves. Sure, we maybe people with universes of stories living inside of us, but we’re still people. Besides, if we don’t take care of ourselves where will all the stories live until they’re born into books?

So, for all of my fellow writers and creative spirits out there here are some self-care tips to help you birth new worlds into existence.

  1. Be realistic about your goals and leave room for slower writing days.

Not everyday needs to be a writing day. Even if you’re a full time writer. I don’t know where this myth came from but I wish I could summon a dragon to eat it. Think about the other professionals of the world. Sure, some brain surgeons are on call at all hours, but they do have down time. So, sure, if your main character wakes you up at 2am to finish a scene. Go for it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve days off.

Using a word count tracker and planner. I use PaceMaker. When I’m planning out how long it’ll take my to write a novel I make sure to include every upcoming appointment date that will hinder me. I take into account everything from errands to meal prep. Then I add three days to the end of when I think I’ll finish it.

2. Kill the negative self talk before it kills your story.

This just isn’t about word count. It can be about any part of the writing/editing/publishing/marketing process. Tons of information exists out there on how to do this. The same method won’t work for everyone. As I said at the beginning of this blog I still struggle with this.

3. Don’t forget to celebrate victories.

If you totally kick butt on your word goal it’s okay to celebrate. When you finish a first draft (even if you’re behind on your timeline) you should still celebrate. Do something nice for yourself.

4. Make your work area comfy and nice to look at.

If your chair is hurting your back replace is ASAP. If every chair hurts your back talk to your doctor or other medical professional. Hang up inspirational quotes and photos. I like redecorating my wall space with each new novel. Yeah, I pin up a lot of notes about things to remember for the rewriting process, but I add things that remind me of the setting or my main characters. I also have a longstanding love affair with scent candles. Aromatherapy for the win!

5. Get up an move!

As tempting as it may be to sit and stare at a blank screen when you’re having a bad writing day don’t punish yourself like that. Get up and move. Take the dog for a walk. Go for a bike ride. Do a yoga workout video. Do something to get your blood moving and get out of your own head for a minute.

6.Remember writers are always working.

A lot of my friends lift a brow at this one, but it’s true. When we’re planning or writing a book we’re always thinking about it and that’s okay. Today, while having a horrible writing day I figured out a major plot point for the middle of Claiming the Shaman. My brain needed time away from the keyboard and screen to say “HEY! I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!”

7. Alternating word sprints with other activities is a life saver!

Some days I wouldn’t get a thing on the page if it wasn’t for this method. Most writers will be familiar with the concept of a word sprint. If not, it’s basically setting a timer for a per-determined amount of time and writing your heart out until the timer goes off.

On bad writing days I’ll try alternating this with doing household chores or playing quick little games on my phone. This one has really turned around some of my bad writing days.

8.Relax your shoulders or treat yourself to a massage.

Sitting at a desk all day writing can be hell on your neck and shoulders. Remember not to scrunch your shoulders up like a turtle trying to hide in her shell while typing. I’m 100% guilty of this one.

Also, if you have the time, cash, and inclination treat yourself to a massage! Maybe you could do a massage swap with your SO!

9.Chat with other writers.

If you’re new to publishing speaking with other writers can be down right scary! But if you can make a few good writer friends you’ll have someone to shoot weird questions to. Most of which will include “Is X normal?” or “Do you do X too?” It’s a great way to feel a little more connected despite working in a career of solitude.

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Writing Through Chaos

Maggie Hemlock
Sunflower during Sunset

I should be working on Claiming the Shaman book 6 in my Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga , but my mind is too scattered this morning. It’s one of those days most writers are familiar with. Everyone has them at one time or another, but when chaos erupts they’re more common.

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Some of my books have been called wholesome. I don’t mind that label, because I’m the most old fashion about sex in my friend group. I like writing happy endings where the good guys win and the bad guys get their just desserts. That doesn’t always happen in real life and I believe we need it in the places we escape to.

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With all of that said I wanted to warn my long time readers that this blog may not be as wholesome as most of my books are. I’ll be covering difficult subjects and messy situations to which there are no easy answers. Real life doesn’t tie up as neatly as a book, unfortunately.

Recently, a friend told me I needed to connect with my readers more and perhaps people in general. I’ve always been introverted and keep a lot of things to myself. The older I’ve gotten the more I find myself surrounded by more words than people. Most days I like it that way. No one can write full time surrounded by people demanding their attention.

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As someone who’s always kept my problems to myself in large groups I find it difficult to write about the chaos my life has become this year. Two family members have passed away. Another family member is dealing with addiction and he’s not who he used to be. Most of my other relatives are enablers and think I’m the asshole for not doing the same. I understand that addiction and addiction treatment is a hot button topic these days, but my message to anyone dealing with a similar problem is that it’s fully within your rights to kick anyone out of your life for any reason. You are important and you deserve to be happy. You don’t have to put up with bullshit.

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With all of that said how do we write through chaos? These tips may be more aimed at writers who write full time, but even if you don’t write I hope you draw something from them. I’ve always been the sort to ask “How can I turn this bad thing into something good for someone?” It’s my hope that voicing these problems and tips will not only soothe something within me, but help someone somewhere who reads them.

Please note these tips don’t replace seeking therapy or other professional help. If you’re in need of help please reach out to someone trained to help you.

  1. Accept Some Days Suck

Everyone everywhere has bad days now and then. Sometimes they politely wait in line behind a bunch of good days. Other times a bunch of them push their way to the front of the line and compete to be first. There’s a big movement that real writers must write everyday. That’s bullshit. Writing is required to be a writer and if you plan to publish you’ll need to spend a lot of time writing. It doesn’t have to be everyday. If a bad day pops up and you can’t get words on the page don’t sweat it. Tomorrow will come. Take time for self-care and work on other parts of the process: Planning, plotting, cover work.

2.Take Advantage of the Days That Don’t Suck

If your life has whirled into a chaotic mess the days that are less chaotic are to be taken advantage of. Maybe you have the house to yourself and you’re feeling okay. That’s the day to get the words on the page. Even if you hit your normal word count goal see if you can get more onto the page. These days are your secret weapons against the chaos. Extra words help make up the difference.

3.Don’t Wait For Inspiration or Motivation

This is common advice for all writers, but where chaos rules you might not find motivation easily. Tack up your long term goals for you book or series or whole writing career somewhere you see them everyday. Focus on them. In a lot of cases, they can be the lighthouse in the storm. We all need those lighthouses.

If you’re life is particularly chaotic you may want to make sure you set aside time to plot your novel. I know pantsers everywhere are rolling their eyes at me, but bear with me while I explain why you need a plot to write through chaos. Being creative can be hard if things are upside down for whatever reason. With a plot you know what you’re going to write each day. You can tweak it as you go, but it gives you something to focus on.

4.Tell Haters to Shut Their Mouths

There’s nothing worse than going through hell and having everyone else point out why they think your writing, story, book, or whatever is useless. Tell them to shut up. Seriously, I know everyone says keep your head high and ignore them, but honestly if someone is really toxic in your life you need to kick them out if you can. If they’re generally okay in most situations, but still tear down your dreams – that’s toxic. I’m talking about the friend who worries about if you make enough money to live. I’m talking about the haters who just run their mouths for whatever reason. Maybe they think they’re not good enough or that if you do great at something they’ll have to do something too or they’ll look bad. Just cut to the point and tell them to shut their mouths. I don’t mean go online to reply to bad reviews or anything like that. This is in your personal life. Bad reviews happen to everyone. Don’t even react to them. Once your book is in the public people can think whatever they want to about it.

5. Prioritize Your Goals

Maybe the chaos in your life isn’t brought about by other people. Maybe it’s your health. Maybe you need to pick up healthier habits or quit smoking to improve your health. I’m not going to lie these things take time and energy, but the good thing about them is that you can quit smoking while writing a novel. You can find time to write between working out and meal prepping. We find time for the things that are important to us. Sure, maybe we have to cancel that Netflix subscription or uninstall our favorite game for a while, but if you want writing to be part of your life it needs to be in your top 5 priorities.

6.Work Out Your Issues

While we can’t make anyone else do anything (get clean, get healthy, be positive, etc.) we do get to make choices about ourselves. If you need help getting someone out of your life or letting go find a therapist. That’s literally what they’re there for. If you need help getting healthy ask your doctor or join a support group.

If you have fear of failure or are haunted by imposture syndrome figure it out. Everyone has their issues, but if you want to move out of chaos you have to understand and work with your demons.

7.Don’t Turn Your Novel into a Journal

It’s okay to leave pieces of yourself behind in a novel, but not your life story event for event. Have an addict family member and you want a side character to give your beloved MC hell? Sure, they can be an addict, but don’t make it a journal. Let life inspire you, but from personal experience making a novel based too much on your own life never works out. Yes, there are exceptions, but not everyone is an exception.

I’ve read first drafts by fellow writers and my own that are just too journal-like for publication. When we write about something we’re too involved with emotionally it’s hard to create likeable characters. Sure, everyone character doesn’t have to be likeable, but your main character should more or less. If you’re living vicariously through your main character and torturing another character, but the motive isn’t plain for your character (it’s more yours than theirs) it doesn’t make sense in your book.

It’s okay to succeed out of spite. It’s okay to kill off a character named after your ex-fiance or evil aunt, but don’t let your personal feelings override the logic, character development, and plot of your book.

8.Please, Please, Please Finish Your First Draft Before You Start Editing It and Picking it Apart

You can polish up a bad first draft, but you can’t publish half a book. When things are hard it’s easy to pick apart everything we do including our writing, but please don’t fall into this trap. There’s no need to torture yourself. Get your story onto the page and then clean it up. Find a plot hole? Start a separate document and record it there. Name it something like “Draft 2 notes” and move on.

9.Lean on Your Support System

It’s easy to hide under the blankets and not talk to anyone when all hell breaks loose and it’s okay to do that for a while. Sooner rather than later you need to reach out to your real friends. Let them know what’s going on. If there’s something reasonable you need help with ask them. If 2019 has taught me anything is that your friends want to help you more than you think.

10.Remember Nothing Lasts Forever: Chaos Included

There will come a day where you look back and are amazed at what you’ve overcame. Seriously, think back to other hard times you’ve went through. Sometimes you need to make hard changes, but you’re going to be okay.

Keep writing. Write out of passion, desperation, love, hate, or hell, write out spite to show the bastards they can’t keep you down. Whatever reason you find, if you love your craft, please don’t quit writing. Someone out there is waiting to read your book.

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Camp NaNoWriMo Pep Talk: The Importance of Taking Breaks

Maggie Hemlock

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.

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 11: The Day of Blah!

Maggie Hemlock

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!

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 9: The Day of Changes

Maggie Hemlock
Today I was dragging ass to the keyboard. I’m in the middle of cutting down my nicotine gum dosage and it’s kicking my butt. Somehow, I still made it to the keyboard. Though, I confess somewhat reluctantly. In my early twenties I took Aikido classes with my then roommate. Before each class I dreaded it. I came home after working in a small parts factory exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was drag my lazy behind to a class. When I arrived and things got started I usually enjoyed myself. My daily writing usually feels much the same way. So, today I dragged my ass to the keyboard and got to work.

What I accomplished today:

Today I deleted my plot and went rouge. I finished chapters 8 and 9. Today, I found my groove. I’ve also resigned myself to the fact this book is likely to be as long as Healer’s Oath. I don’t mind writing longer books. I just feel sometimes they take longer to publish and I make you guys (my readers) wait longer for the next part of the story.

I’m still only aiming to write 50k words this month. It’s a decent writing goal to accomplish. Without taking into account any surprises coming up later this month this is when the Camp NanoWrimo site predicts I’ll finish up the first 50k of the book.

Of course, I’ll be trying to beat this. I’m very competitive with myself.

Snags Along the Way:

Today the biggest snag was being tired, but the most problematic for me was tossing out my plot. I spent a lot of time tweaking it the other day, but I wanted more action in this book. Jonah (the Alpha) is a man of action. He’s been cooped up in the so called civilized world for too long and he’s ready to break loose. I wanted to give him a chance to show off his mad protector skills. So, that meant deleting about 500 words of what I wrote yesterday. Don’t worry I made them up today and my word count reflects my up to date word count for the story. Soon, I’ll need to start thinking of a title. With my first 3 books I didn’t change the titles at all. I knew what they’d be called from the moment I sat down to write. With Ardan’s Oath and Healer’s Oath I went through a handful of titles before I settled on one. This time I’m clueless. Soon, I’ll think of something. But for now it’s still just Blake’s book.

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 14,260

Total Words Written: 3,069

Ending Word Count: 17,329

After thoughts:

As a reader I love the moment at the end of the book where all the pieces of the books add up. As a writer those pieces have to come together a lot sooner for me than the end of my book. I have to know pretty early on how they come together. (Okay, pantser do this differently, but I’m not a pantser. lol) Today, I feel like I’ve found the flow of the story and of both of my main characters. With this discovery I know what’s next for the Hemlock Wolf Pack as a whole. This is building up to some very exciting books for the future! I can’t wait to wake up and write tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another day and another fight scene. Jonah is ready to kick some ass! I hope the world is ready for him! I love Blake and Jonah together! ❤ I can’t wait to share their story with all of you!

Goals for Tomorrow:

Tomorrow I want to break the 20k barrier! I also hope to finish the next plot scene and start working on getting Blake pregnant! Yep! It’s time for me to play matchmaker and fertility goddess. Though, Hemlocks usually ask Juda for help with fertility. Oh well, since I’m his creator Maggie will have to do instead.

After thoughts:

Happy writing fellow campers!

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 8 Recap: The Day I Wrote All the Words

Maggie Hemlock

This morning I felt amazing! (Well, once I had my coffee!) After two days away from my novel I was ready to jump back in head first. Okay, fingers first on the keyboard. Last night I dreamed that Blake took my dog for a walk and came back with a parrot. I swear, he’s not that strange in the book, but my dreams have a way of turning the most sane people into total weirdos. The parrot kept chatting about Hogwarts and the O.W.L.s. I think I could do a whole series on ‘weird dreams I had during Camp NaNoWriMo,’ but I’m too busy writing a novel!

What I accomplished today:

Today was my best day of the month thus far. Not only with word count, but now that the first third of my plot is set in stone I was free just to write what I plotted without stopping to considered what would happen next. I went back through a few earlier chapters and fleshed them out and added tidbits to build on throughout the book.

I finished chapters 6 and 7 and started on chapter 8.

Snags Along the Way:

Today didn’t have any snags. I woke up early while the world was still quiet and wrote my heart out. I wish every day would go as smoothly as today did. lol

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 11,186

Total Words Written: 3,064

Ending Word Count: 14,260

After thoughts:

Today I got the first fight scene out of the way. The first fight scene and first sex scene of any book are the most difficult to write. Not to worry, that sex scene is coming up soon! Today is my best word count day of camp so far. With a little luck tomorrow I’ll beat that record!

Happy writing fellow campers!

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CampNaNoWriMo Pep Talk: How to Make Your Writing Time Sacred

Maggie Hemlock

It’s Day 7 of Camp NaNoWrimo. The excitement of the first week has worn off and you may be feeling the time crunch. Committing to writing a novel in a month isn’t an easy feat! Just attempting it is a courageous act of creation!

As a full time writer my friends always ask me how I keep going. I promise I’m not a mythical creature with extraordinary endurance for pounding my fingertips against the keyboard. I have my good, bad, and ugly days. I’ve just made my writing time sacred. I don’t have another job in the mix, but I do balance family,friends, free time, and hobbies with work. There’s no one formula that works for everyone, but here are 4 tips to be a magical unicorn with a daily writing schedule.

1.Be Realistic

When I first started writing I had outrageous daily word counts. I could easily pump out 5-7k of words 5 days a week. No problem. I can still do that in sprints, but as a lifestyle it’s not maintainable or realistic to me.

Like forming any other good habit you have to really consider where it fits into your schedule. Did you need to wake up 30 minutes earlier and squeeze in some writing before the kids wake up? Do you need to write on your lunch break? Can you clear Sunday evenings?

Figure out how much time you can realistically devote to writing. Sure, there are times where I’ve sacrificed other things to write. The muse is a demanding asshat some days. He’s there and he’s ready and screw the book I started reading last night and the errands I really intended to run. But if you intend to stick with writing and make your writing time sacred you need to set the time aside daily or weekly and stick to it.

2.Don’t Wait for Inspiration or Motivation

This advice is everywhere, but it’s worth repeating. Writers are writers because they write! If I sat around waiting for inspiration to slap me upside the head and invite me to the keyboard I’d never finish a book. Inspiration and motivation are fickle bedfellows and should be treated as such. Some days they’re randy and ready to go. Other days they go out and play with their other friends. Learn to work without them.

3.Close the Door and Hang Your Do Not Disturb Sign

It’s never easy telling our friends and family we need time to spend on something without them, but sometimes you have to. We’ve all encountered those in our lives who don’t take our passion or work seriously. They’re the hardest ones to get the point across to. Be firm and do your thing. If it’s your writing time. Turn off your phone and don’t answer the door. Remember, this is your sacred time to dedicate to your craft.

4.Aim for Scenes Not Words

This may go against the Camp NaNoWriMo spirit, but it’s in the best interest of finishing your project. Sit down with an intention of writing your characters from point A to point B. Don’t worry about how many words it takes to get there. Words make up your books, but it’s the scenes that make your story worth reading.

How do you make your writing time sacred?

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Of Plots, Ideas, and Trying NOT to Write on the Story: Day 5 Camp NaNoWriMo Recap

Maggie Hemlock

At 9:46 AM this morning I felt like I was chronically running behind schedule from a much needed lie in this morning. I was up and eager to get plotting. My first step to finalizing and tweaking my plot was to read through what I’d already written. I knew any of my official word count today would come from this and I had to walk to the fine line of only fleshing out what was necessary to connect the beginning to the plot that was to come.

What I accomplished today:

What I learned from Bane and Lee is that quitting smoking changed the way I write and plot. I now divide my plots into 3 sections. (Yep. The 3 Act Formula). Today I finalized the plot for the first 3rd of the book. This means there will be more days of plotting in my future, but I think overall it saves me time on tweaking a million times throughout the process.

Snags Along the Way:

My biggest snag was that I was breaking my normal schedule of writing and rest. I usually write for 3 or 4 days and then take a day off. It was day 5 of working straight and my brain was ready for a day of reading and just not thinking about the book. In the spirit of camp and with the promise of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon tomorrow (Well, today by the time you read this and if you’re reading this why not participate? Reading is a great way to spend a Saturday!)

The other snag was simply having too many ideas of how to take Blake and Jonah from point A to point B. Before I ever sit down to write a book I know two things: Where my characters start and where I want them to end up. The middle is a riddle until the first few chapters are written and I finalize a plot. I also had this problem with Bane and Lee in Healer’s Oath.

Bane and Lee taught me a few things, though. There are many roads to travel and as a writer plotting I should take the most direct path that also has the most interesting sights to see. Yesterday I wrote a scene where Bane interacts with Blake and Jonah and I missed him so much. He was one of my favorite Alphas to write. Maybe I need to read this blog post again myself. As evidenced below of what I caught myself typing. It was meant to be Blake, but I typed Lee. lol

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 11,053

Total Words Written: 143

Ending Word Count: 11186

After thoughts:

I’m enjoying camp so far, but I am so ready for the break tomorrow brings! I’m ready to shove my nose in the book and refill my fingers with some words!

Happy writing fellow campers!

 

 

 

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 4 Recap:The Day of Good Distractions

Maggie Hemlock

At 7 AM this morning I felt better than I have all week. I slept like the dead last night and woke up with Blake and Jonah on my mind. No, Blake didn’t steal all of my avocados this time 😛 I sent off a few quick e-mails to a friend who’s also participating in camp and then it was time to get down to work. I love starting the day on a new chapter that I haven’t worked on. Most of the time my flow stops in the middle of a scene or chapter, but yesterday’s stopping place left me ready to start chapter 5.

Karsyn @ KaKiJoKoJa Hope you had a great writing day too! You guys should go check her out! She’s participating in Camp for the first time and recording her experience on her blog! Go say hi, show some love, and let her know I sent you!

What I accomplished today:

Today was my best word count day of camp so far! I’m halfway through chapter 6 and tomorrow will be the day I sit down and finalize the plot for book 5. I’m so excited! That will put me coming back after the readathon ready to get down to business. I’ll also have a rough idea of how long the book will be. I originally thought Healer’s Oath would be about 80k words and it ended up being just over 93k at publication. So, I’m a bad guesser. lol *shrugs* What can I say a man like Bane Hemlock demands a lengthy book.

Snags Along the Way:

My biggest distraction today was chatting with other campers. I love hearing/reading about everyone’s camp experience and the progress they’re making on their current projects. Though, eventually I did pull myself out of the social media/blog world to work on my book.

I have a secret project in the works to release later this month. It’s taking a little bit of my time every day, but not much.

Today was the first day I spent a lot of time referencing my Hemlock Wolf Pack Series notes and making more notes for future books I have planned in the series and the Hemlock Mpreg Universe books. I’m getting a chance to introduce a new ‘family’ that I’ve only hinted at before. They’re still mostly hinted at in this book, but they’re super important for future books. That’s one of the things I both love and hate about writing a series. I love layering things together, but all the fact checking can be tedious.

The only other snag I’ve ran into is I don’t have a tentative title for this book. I spent some time staring into space thinking about it. Then I got back to the keyboard, because a book that’s not written has no need of a title.

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 8585

Ending Word Count: 11,053

Total Words Written: 2,468

After thoughts:

Today was a great day writing wise. Going into camp I was concerned I was jumping into a new book too soon, but I think camp was the motivation I need to jump into book 5. I’m really looking forward to messing around with the plot tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’ll get any words on the book itself tomorrow, but I’ll do a recap update either way. 🙂

Happy writing fellow campers! What’s your biggest distraction this month?

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Camp NaNoWriMo: Day 3 Recap: The Day I Wrote Anyway

Maggie Hemlock

This morning the universe conspired to keep me away from the keyboard or at least away from my Camp NaNoWriMo project! But alas, as a writer I have learned to laugh at the universe and jump over boulders. lol

But no really. If this morning happened during any other month (well maybe not Novemeber) I would have stayed away from my book for the day! But it’s April. It’s Camp NaNoWriMo! So, I carried on like a good like book zombie. After switching the weight of todays and tomorrows word count I only needed to write 900 words to stay on track. There was no way 900 words was going to stand between me and staying up to date!

What I accomplished today:

Today was all about chapter 3 and 4! Both of which are finished. I think tomorrow I’ll be ready to go ahead and work out the rest of the plot. If not tomorrow then definitely Friday which was my original plan. I sprinted past my word goal for the day and came in just at 2k words. I can feel myself settling into my main characters and really getting inside their heads.

Snags Along the Way:

Today errands sprung up out of nowhere and a reader messaged me to say Healer’s Oath isn’t showing up on Amazon.au! I’m so sorry if any of you reading this have been patiently waiting in Australia for Healer’s Oath! I’ve contacted Amazon to find out what the problem is. I’ve published four previous books without any problems and this morning I discover Amazon is hiding my book from a whole country!

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 6,578

Ending Word Count: 8585

Total Words Written: 2007

After thoughts:

I’m a little on the nervous side about figuring out just how many chapters book 5 will have. Once I do I’ll have a better idea of how long the book will be. If the chapter lengths so far tell me anything I think it’s going to be *slightly* longer than just 50k words.

Happy writing fellow campers!