Kick Off of Nano

Today is day 1 of Nano. I am 100% ready. I have my long winded outline all written out in my purple notebook sitting next to me on my desk. Now that picture above is of my cat Olli. As soon as I sat down to start writing, there he was sitting on the keyboard. I managed to write around 500 words with him resting his head on my wrist.

I am so excited! I'm hoping this is going to be a great year. My RWA chapter is all excited and we have a lot of members joining in. We have our own Nano Yahoo Loop where we can all cheer each other on.

My muse has finally come all back. Oh yes. It couldn't have come at a better time. Good luck to all of you who are participating in Nano.

Walk It Out

Back to School! Hmm…not a bad idea for all of us. Come on lets face it, all summer long, the moment we saw the combination of sun and hot weather, we were no where near our computers. Now, it’s time to get into some sort of schedule, along with the kids. The key is structure and a schedule. You would think that with me being home all day that I would be pumping out thousands of words. Absolutely not. I am guilty of dilling and dalling all day long doing…nothing. But I did add some structure in my life during the past few weeks, and plan to expand that into the fall months.

Now you ask, how do you find time to write, let alone think? I have the perfect solution which I’ll walk you through. It will not only open up your mind to endless possibilities, but will keep you trim and fit.

Walking. I find walking is the best way to relax, and get my muse flowing. I walk no matter the weather. I’ve been known to walk during a snow storm. Even if it’s around the block, or walking during your lunch break, use the time to clear your mind and let your characters take over. I always carry colorful index cards with me and a pen, usually sticking out of my ponytail. Believe it or not, this is how I write my outlines. I walk it through one scene at a time. I stop, write my thoughts and continue on my journey.

I’ve used walking to get through some of the toughest scenes that I couldn’t find a resolution to. I have to admit that walking is my salvation. It works wonders for every aspect in my life.

Now, I am going to offer you a challenge. With NaNoWriMo only three weeks away, I challenge you to spend the week putting together a character sketch of both your hero and heroine, include physical and emotional traits. Give your characters a background, a career. Pick your genre and setting. Write a one sentence hook that would describe your book. Believe me, you will be thankful that you created that one liner before you begin your project. I suggest you grab a pair of sneakers, lace them up and get your imagination walking. A simple walk around the block will clear your mind, waking it up to endless creative possibilities.

Nano - Day 6

It's day 6 of Nano and it can't get any more hectic than it has been the past few days. I have to be out of my mind with the list of things I have on my plate, but a little at the time, I am crossing them off. Just when things get crazy, a phone call from a friend gets me right back on the track.

The story that I'm working on I've tentatively titled, The Boardwalk. It revolves around a forty-five year old woman, who loses the love of her life to cancer. I incorporate real life situations that happen to us middle-aged woman. Some things are so bizarre that they are unbelivable, but believe me you don't have to be young to have crazy things happen to you.

Nanowrimo Eve

Isn't that a gorgeous sunrise? I took the picture this morning down at the South Beach Boardwalk in Staten Island, New York. This is where all my brainstorming takes place. The only reason why I love this time of year is because I can watch the sunrise every morning.

Tonight is the eve of Nanowrimo and I'm getting all excited. I have my sixty page outline and character sketches all ready to roll. I wish I would be able to stay up tonight until midnight to start, but unfortunately after being up from six o'clock this morning, I know for a fact that I will never make it as my eyes are already rolling shut at eight o'clock.

I look forward to working on my new project. My fingers are itching, however, I promise not to cheat. Damn...middle age is a beautiful thing.