Friday, November 7, 2008

Week One

At 11:59 tonight, the first week of NaNoWriMo 2008 comes to an end. That means any participant on track to write 50,000 words by the end of November will have 11,667 words by midnight.

This morning, all participants received an email pep talk from Philip Pullman that said in part, "...you have to keep going. One of the hardest things to do with a novel is to stop writing it for a while, do something else, fulfill this engagement or that commitment or whatever, and pick it up exactly where you left it and carry on as if nothing had happened. " And, "...once you've established a daily rhythm of work, you'll find it energising and sustaining in itself. Even when it's not going well."

Sure wish I had heard these words of wisdom earlier in the week. Guess who has some catching up to do to reach 11, 667 words by midnight? On the bright side, my kitchen has never been cleaner, my bike's tires have been inflated, and my "to do" has visibly shrunk.

I've also been working on this blog and have some guests lined up for the coming weeks. I've already told you about Mayra Calvani and her book The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. Ms. Calvani will be her on Monday, Nov. 10.

On November 24, M. K. Scott will be here to answer questions about her new book Zamora's Ultimate Challenge.

Jean Henry Mead, who's mystery, A Village Shattered, should arrive December 1, will be our guest blogger on December 12.

Be sure and stop by on those days and meet the authors, ask questions, enjoy their posts.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll be stopping in for the guest visits, fo sho. Good luck with the NaNo. I think you guys are nuts. (smile) but I can see the upside of the discipline. 2K words a day is my min when I'm in flat out write mode, which totals 60K a month, so I know what you are experiencing. It's exhilarating. Go for it!

Unknown said...

You can do it, Charlotte! I believe in you! If you ever feel a block coming on, sit at your computer and type something like "Type, type, type. I am typing. Typey-type." It will give you a laugh, and maybe a boost!

Charlotte Phillips said...

Thanks for your confidence Emma. And, thanks for the tip. That certainly sounds more entertaining than staring at a blank screen or typing "Now is the time for all good men..."

Charlotte Phillips said...

Marvin,

We'll be looking for you.

Char

Helen Ginger said...

Good luck Charlotte. I've never signed up for this event. But I admire those who do.

I'm doing my own mini-version of it, though. I signed a contract to write a tech book and it's due January 1. Got a little longer than one month, but it also involves many interviews, which means setting them up, conducting them, transcribing, then writing profiles.

The contract is what keeps me going. And my house is a wreck and I've got 6 adults and one dog coming for the holidays.

So I admire you for doing this not because you have to but because you want to. You go girl!

Charlotte Phillips said...

Wow Helen,

That sounds nuts even for a (former) mermaid! I don't envy you trying to set up interviews in Nov. and Dec. Everyone seems to overbook themselves in those months. And you are hosting Christmas to boot. I'd have to have a cleaning party. My friends are familiar with my lack of domestic skills and most of them love to bake, oook, and decorate. I'm sure I could supply enough wine to convince them it would be fun to prep my house for company. And I'm sure they'd bake if fun, even if they did ban me from my own kitchen. Friends are jewells.

Best of luck to you on your tech book. What's the topic? Will it be available to the general public?