So, as of today I'm on day 12 of NaNoWriMo, and just yesterday I passed the 50% mark on my brand-new book. For the past two years, I didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo because it just wasn't in the cards for me. Last year I was finishing up the last book of the Nogiku Series, and the year before that I was editing the second book (I had just published the first one). The year before that, in 2012, I did participate, and I wrote REVEALED which publishes next week.
NaNoWriMo is a bit of a beast. It has its own following and its own cult, and you either love it or you hate it. Some years you love it, and other years you hate it. In fact, I just saw someone on Facebook complaining about people who were participating. They were upset that everybody else was so excited. This is pretty typical too. Because NaNoWriMo is not just an event, it is a time of comparison, elation, and depression. Who knew something as innocent as writing a book during November would end up being so controversial?
This year, I’m participating in to NaNoWriMo Facebook groups and having a really great time. It's been fun sharing my word counts every day and seeing how far other people have gone. Sometimes other people need help, and if I have the time, I always chime in. This does get me into trouble, as it did this week when someone didn't like what I said (writers are so sensitive), but overall the experience has been extremely positive.
So I'm working on the first book and my new cozy mystery series! (The teaser above is from the book!) And I'm really loving all the new characters and the new setting I've created. The murder mystery is one of three separate subplots in the story. I have a main character subplot, a romance subplot, and then the murder mystery subplot. I've read a few cozy mysteries, and I think my story fits in with them on the same shelves of Amazon. My heroine wants to solve the crime but she finds herself unable to do much but think about it or talk about it, so giving her agency to solve the crime is the hardest part of the book. I feel as if the action will be ramping up heavily in the second half of the book, so I'm not worried. Plus, there's always revisions! And I already have a few ideas of what could be added in to make the mystery flow smoother.
My current goal is to write 2000 to 3000 words every day until my birthday in mid-January. When I finish book one of this series, I plan to set it aside with some notes and move straight onto book number two. It's been a while since I've worked like this, so I wonder if I can even pull it off. It might be better for me to switch to an entirely different project, but I'm going to try this instead because I'd like to have both books ready in the spring. Then, once the writing is done, I will be moving on to editing both books, my next short story, and outlining the beginning book of a brand-new series (which is going to be part space opera and part colonization). I even have ideas for a few exclusive newsletter short stories, plus I’m participating in a group world in which I need to write novella for late 2016.
2016 is going to be a busy year! I hope I can get it all done. :)
I can see why people like or hate NaNoWriMo, I think it’s interestign hearing who participates and why and having writers all ove rthe world focus onw ritign a book in November. It sound slike it can be pretty motivational.
Oh I like that teaser! So far the cozy mysteries I enjoyed most had multiple sub plots and a great main character and a good romance subplot can really make a cozy mystery shine in my opinion. I am really enjoying the genre, although I am also having a lot of 3 star reads so far. But I like the mystery aspect and figuring out who’s the murderer. I can’t wait to read your cozy mystery book!
I just finished Revealed yesterday evening and it was so good! I really enjoyed reading Jiro and Mark their point of view and I feel like it really adds something to the series. Will write my review later today. Although it also is bittersweet knowing where the characters end up and what happens later in the series.
Revealed is such a bittersweet book. I’d really love to continue the story someday with Sanaa’s children but we’ll see if I make there. I may give myself a year or two off. :)
Yeah, I’m finding that the mystery is only a subplot of the book, but it is definitely driving the story along to its conclusion. The book without that plot would probably be pretty boring.
I’m enjoying the energy of NaNoWriMo this year! And I’ve decided that if I can’t participate next year, I’m going to do the NaBloPoMo, which is the Blog Everyday challenge. I love being a part of something bigger. It’s fun!
I nveer heard fo the NaBloPoMo before. Although I did participate in a blogging challenge last month and I love how motivational it was and I got more posts written than in a normal month. It’s fun to be part of something bigger and hear how others are doing.
I did NaNo last year and I loved the experience. Wish I could have done it again this year, but there’s too much going on with me right now with my homeschooling co-op. (I DID finish writing a play last week for my class though!) I think online reactions to everything can be so extreme – both good and bad. It always surprises me when people react negatively to something like others being excited about something. Sigh.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I saw that you wrote a play! How cool! I hope it was a fun experience for you. :)
And yeah, the people that get upset when other people are having fun? I’m so over them.
No, you’re not busy at all :-). I’m having fun in our group and everyone is so motivating.
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