Tag: #NaNoWriMo

What worked? What didn’t?

Published on by Jan Sikes26 Comments

NaNoWriMo 2019 ended yesterday. Was it a success? I suppose, like most things in life, it’s the perspective with which you look at it, as to the answer to the question.

The original goal for NaNoWriMo was to write 50,000 words in the month of November.

After the second weekend, I realized I was not going to make that goal. So, I reduced my goal to 30,000 words and ended the month with 30,105. At least, then it didn’t look like an epic fail. 🙂 That brought my story to 56,724 words. And I’m now in the wrap-up phase of “Jagged Feathers.”

Here’s what worked:

  1. The motivation to participate was a huge propelling factor
  2. Knowing where my story needed to go (even though I don’t outline, I knew what needed to happen)
  3. Having my characters fully developed, and what each had to hide and had to learn
  4. Finding determination to write as much as I could without verging on the edge of insanity.
  5. Having personal experience with an amputation.

What didn’t work:

  1. I had to stop multiple times and do some research (for instance, what are the residual effects of being shot with an assault rifle wearing a bullet-proof vest, where in Dallas, Texas can you buy a certain kind of ammo, Can you buy live hand grenades in Dallas, Texas, Where is a military clothing store, are there storage lockers at the bus station, etc…) – So, note to self: try and do the research ahead of time. If someone was to look at my search history, they’d probably think I was a terrorist. 🙂
  2. Family events ( I wound up keeping all five grandchildren – three one time and two the next – for several days in a row) That interfered with writing for sure.
  3. Thanksgiving holiday (no matter how much I wanted to kid myself about having all this extra time, Thanksgiving was taken up with quality family time and I don’t regret it one bit!)
  4. Going back and reading what I’d written (one of the proponents of NaNoWriMo is to just write and not worry about sentence structure, plot points, grammar or punctuation. I found that I couldn’t do that.)
  5. Even though I had NaNoWriMo Buddies, there was little communication between us, so I don’t think I quite understood that part.

Will I do it again?
I can’t say yes and I can’t say no. So, I’ll just say, “we’ll see.” 🙂

It was certainly an experience and I’m very glad I did it. At least it got me back to the story that I’d abandoned a year ago.

To everyone who reached or exceeded the 50,000 word goal, my hat is off to you! Congratulations!

My progress – or lack thereof #NaNoWriMo

Published on by Jan Sikes32 Comments

So, I committed to participate in #NaNoWriMo.

Then life happened in a really big way. And my word count progress is pitiful. But, I am not giving up. Any word count is good, right?

So here’s a snippet from my WIP, “JAGGED FEATHERS”:

Nakina understood more about him than he knew. He was keeping something from her. Something big enough, that he would go to any lengths for it to remain hidden.

Her heart broke for the soldier who took on her fight without hesitation. He’d simply been trying to rebuild his own life and find some semblance of peace. Then she came along with her baggage and disrupted his entire world.

Truth be told, she was happy it was Vann Noble that found her that cold morning. Perhaps there was such a thing as fate or kismet. She couldn’t imagine that anyone else would have so willingly jumped in to rescue her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. They had to somehow get out of this alive.

So far, my word count for the month is around 7,500, while according to NaNoWriMo, to reach my goal, I should be over 10,000. But, as I said, any progress is good progress. At least I’ve returned to the story after almost a year. 🙂

I hope everyone participating in #NaNoWriMo is having less interruptions and more writing success!

#NaNoWriMo – Taking the Challenge

Published on by Jan Sikes37 Comments

For the first time, I have thrown my hat in the ring for National Novel Writing Month with the goal to write 50,000 words on my current WIP during the month.

This will require some schedule adjustments on my part. I normally start my day by going through emails, visiting blogs and doing social media. For the month of November, I will make my word count the top priority of the day then move on to the rest. That means I may not make it to all the blogs I love to follow every day and that’s okay. I know you bloggers will understand. That also means my own blogs will be limited in November. I will continue with my #TarotTuesday Blog and I am participating in the RWISA Rise-Up Blog Tour, but that’s it for me.

So, here’s what I will be working on. I started this story last year and it is book 2 of the White Rune Series.

This is only a working cover, as is the title. It is a Contemporary Romance with Paranormal aspects. I currently have 27,604 words. I will report my total word count at the end of November!

Here’s my SYNOPSIS:

JAGGED FEATHERS

In a desperate bid to reclaim his body, mind and spirit, after a devastating IED in Afghanistan took most of one leg, VANN NOBLE settles in a remote cabin on Wolf Creek. He quiets the noise in his head by creating art with pieces of wood he picks up along the creek bank, and sells them in a nearby town, Cedar Springs, Tx. He has in his possession, a White Rune with the Wunjo symbol given to him by a friend on her wedding day. It symbolizes a happy-ever-after. Vann is convinced that the war stole any chance he ever had of that.

His military counselors told him, ‘if you can’t find a reason to live, then find a reason not to die.’

He finds that reason when a severely injured dog that he names Champion, appears on his doorstep. 

Then, early one morning while in town, his reason for living multiplies when he spots a young woman with a backpack running as if the devil himself is chasing her. When she collapses in the street, he cannot leave her there. Two SUVs approach and his military training kicks in. He helps the woman into his jeep, tosses her backpack inside and he and Champion assume the role of protectors. Bullets fly and Vann zigzags down alleyways until he loses the pursuers.

NAKINA BIRD has a psychic gift. However, she can’t always determine if her visions are in the future, past or present. Guilt over deaths she believes she could have prevented torture her. Her only solace is painting intricate art scenes on feathers.  She’s seriously ill, having been exposed to the elements for days before Vann rescues her.

Her plight began several days prior, when her disheveled and distraught boss had thrust a package, key and bus ticket in her hand with instructions to go to Dallas. She realizes she’s being followed and in danger, so gets off the bus in Cedar Springs.

A Columbian drug cartel will kill to get the package and key from Nakina, and Vann will do whatever he must to see that they don’t. The stakes are raised when the cartel uses Nakina’s younger sister as a bargaining chip.

Neither Vann nor Nakina have any intention of falling in love. In fact, the odds are against it. But odds can’t dictate to the heart.

Together, Nakina, Vann, and Champion find what they need most; love, acceptance and healing.

I hope the story line was enough to interest you. This is a different kind of story for me as I have no military background or experience, so research has been huge. I also have no experience with a drug cartel other than watching “Queen of the South” on Netflix. 🙂

Wish me luck and I hope that within the next year, I have this book published along with “When Two Worlds Collide,” Book 1 of The White Rune Series!

Snow Quartz Runes

Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!