National Novel Writing Month

If you've been following my blog for a while, you probably remember that the last three or four years I've been participating in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo.

This is again the case this month.

If you're interested in writing, during the month of November there is a site at nanowrimo.org where you can sign up for free and keep track of how many words you write. Their goal is 50,000 during the month of November. Your own personal goal can be more or less than that.

I am currently on the third rewrite of my novel, and I'm up to 10,899 words. My cousin, who is amazing, has already hit 50,000 (not that I'm comparing, I just think she's awesome).

My goal this November actually has nothing to do with number of words, though it is oddly motivating for me to see how many I write every day and I still would like to achieve 50,000 by the end of the month. Instead, my goal is to completely finish rewriting before November is over and start submitting my book to agents by the end of the year.

Hopefully 2017 will be the year I finally get published.

I'm pretty excited about my book right now. Sometimes, my brain gets so involved in it, that I can't sleep, which happened last night. I was trying to go to bed early so I could get up and write, but instead my mind was trying to figure out the phases and orbits of three moons around a planet if one of the moons is in geostationary orbit.

Fun, right?

Creating a world is pretty exhilarating. You can basically make anything you want. I like mine to fit within scientific rules that we already know, but after that, the possibilites are endless! Tweak the size of the planet and gravity becomes less. Creatures can get bigger than they can on Earth and lift heavier things.

It's exciting.

I've been writing since I could write. I have some pretty funny books that I wrote in 1st grade that I've kept for years, and one of the stories that I'm writing, I have been working on since 2nd grade. That particular book is on its second rewrite, but it was put on pause because the book I'm rewriting now if much further developed.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in writing a novel this month, it's not too late to sign up. It's been a little difficult for me to write this month, due to the foster care classes, being a mom, and other schedule changes, but I'm still doing it.

You can too, if you want to.

NaNoWriMo Report

Many of you may have noticed that I was a little bit scarce on this blog during November.

Usually, it's because I was busy writing for my NaNoWriMo goal, but it was also because November ended up being a pretty crazy month.

I was really close. I knew if I didn't get most of my story written before Thanksgiving that it would be really difficult to finish while we were in Idaho with family. I did pretty well, but I didn't get as far as I wanted to.

It's hard to write when these two want your attention!

My cousin, who is very good at NaNoWriMo, came to visit during Thanksgiving weekend and we had a writing party. I'm grateful that she encouraged me, because I was able to get quite a bit of writing done last
Friday thanks to her.

By Saturday night, I was at 39,312. Since I don't write on Sundays, that meant I had to write 10,688 words on Monday (yesterday). I knew I was unlikely to finish, but I was going to do my best.

Yesterday, I typed a bit, played with Adam a bit and then wrote a bit more. By evening, I had written over 2,000 words. I had about three hours to write by the time Kevin went to bed.

I did my best, but I didn't quite make it. At 12:00 a.m., I had written 47,406. That means that yesterday, I wrote 8,094 words. So, I was pretty close, but I didn't quite make it.

There were times I could have written, and didn't, but generally when I wasn't writing, I was spending time with family. So I don't really regret the use of time.

However, as usual, NaNoWriMo has helped me do the most important thing. It has helped me establish a pattern of writing. The second draft of my story is going well, and I now have a goal to finish this draft before the end of the year.

I have a lot of blogging and catching up to do in the next week, but this post will suffice for today.

Thank you for those of you who checked up on me and asked me how the writing was going. I really appreciated the encouragement!

I'm hoping to write most days in December. A lot has been happening around here!

NaNoWriMo 2015!

As some of you know, and many of you don't, November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short.

I am super stoked to begin next week.

I am going to be working on the second draft of my story. I'm hoping to complete the book by the end of November and start asking some people to read/edit it for me. If you're interested in doing so, please let me know. I already have a few people who have volunteered.

I have started looking forward to this every year. I've done it the last two years, and it's been really fun for me. I enjoy setting goals and achieving them. The first year, I barely didn't make my goal, and last year I did. I'm hoping to finish the whole draft this time.

I've been trying to finish prepping for my second draft while I wait for November to start, but I'm chomping at the bit. I want to get going. Grig told me I could, but I told him I didn't want to mess up my word count.

If you are interested in writing at all, you can go to the website http://nanowrimo.org/dashboard, and set up an account. It's not necessary to do so in order to participate, but they help you keep track of how many words you write a day. If you're the kind of person who likes to write and talk to other people who are interested in writing, you can also find out who else is in the area and when they're meeting.

Personally, I don't go to any of the meetings, because my husband is the best writing buddy I could ask for. We bounce ideas off of each other for our various stories and we have a pretty good time. We usually both end up getting excited about each other's stories and ideas.

However, if you don't have a spouse or friend who enjoys writing as much as you do, my cousin, who hosts these meetings in her area, find them very enjoyable.

So, yeah. I'm pretty excited about it. It might mean I miss a blog here or there, but I'm hoping I can do both. I mostly am planning on writing late at night or early in the morning. It's very difficult to write while Kevin is awake. He tends to demand my attention and he doesn't take naps.

We'll see how it goes.

This is the official NaNoWriMo logo.

A Better Week for Sleep

I mentioned last week that Arkhon had been having an upset stomach. This week, he has felt much better.

And he looks so handsome. He's now over 18 weeks old.

So much better, in fact, that he has been sleeping from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Unfortunately for my sleep, I've been waking up anywhere from 3:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. This has been fantastic for my NaNoWriMo goal. Last Friday, I had only written 18,370 words. I was supposed to be at 23,333 words. Due to my lack of sleep, I just couldn't get up early enough in the morning in order to write. I was feeling a bit sad about it. I was worried that I once again wasn't going to complete my goal. Last year I was a little over 7000 short of my goal. I tried my best, but I just didn't get it done.

However, with the extra sleep this week, I've been getting up and writing. As of this morning, I now have written 38,620 words. I'm supposed to be at 35,000. I have exceeded my goal for this point. The story is also getting pretty intense, so it's a lot easier to work on it. Yesterday I wrote 5000 words because I just couldn't stop typing. In a week, I've written over 20,000 words.

I'm pretty excited about the progress on my story. The characters are developing nicely and the plot is moving along.

Kevin has been having a great week as well. I haven't posted videos in a long time, so hopefully I'll be able to put some up tomorrow. We have some pretty great ones with Kevin and his new puppy.

The only interruption to our sleep this week has been Dakota. She hasn't been feeling very well, and the other day she was not eating and sick to her stomach. She's obviously in pain, and we're beginning to wonder if her time is drawing to a close.

Our pretty old lady.

I hope not, but she is old and has lived a good life. I keep praying that we will know what to do for her and when it is time to let her go.

Other than that, it's been a great week! Grig's been getting (a lot) more hours at work, which is good and bad. We're grateful for the extra money, but we kind of miss him. He's a great guy. We talk about our respective plots that we're working on for stories, and bounce ideas off of each other.

One of Kevin's rare naps this week. He was exhausted and as soon as his dad picked him up, he fell asleep.

Dogs (and children) are so funny. We buy a bone for Arkhon and Dakota. It doesn't matter which bone we give them, they always want the one that the other has. There isn't really any dog aggression at our house, but I run a lot of interference. Even if Arkhon has a huge bone, if Dakota is chewing on one, he wants the one that she has. It goes the same both ways.

Kids are kind of like that too. It doesn't matter how great their toy is. If another kid is enjoying a toy, they want to take that one.

I guess that also applies to adults. If someone else has something that they love, it can be pretty easy to get jealous and want the things that others have. However, if we learn to be happy with what we already have, we find that we are a lot more content with our lives. It's something I'm working on.

Stark contrast between father and son. This picture was taken right after Grig got home from work. We have a lot to be grateful for.

Now, if only the dogs would learn to be content with their own bones.

Preparing for NaNoWriMo

Next month is National Novel Writing Month, or as called by those who participate, NaNoWriMo.

Last year, I attempted it, and I just barely didn't get the required number of words written. This year, I'm hoping for a different story.

When I write, I have an idea for a story in my head, but I'm pretty vague on the actual details. I usually have the main character created, and a few major events.

However, this time, I'm trying something different. I've been creating characters beforehand, and story-lining to make sure I know where my story is going. It's been rather enjoyable, and it's been helping me feel ready to write a novel for real this time.

I've noticed that one of my greatest weaknesses when I write is having too much focus on the main character. So much so, that my other characters tend to be two-dimensional. As I've matured a bit, I've realized that books I really enjoy reading have a plethora of characters that I enjoy. I've been working on that lately, and it has really changed my writing. I'm starting to enjoy writing about more than one person. I've also been learning that stories, even more than plot, are about people. The growing, changing, and trials that people go through really are what making the story interesting. A good plot is also important, but if everyone is flat and boring, the plot can't save the story.

 I plan to write between 4-7 in the morning and during nap times. The goal is to write 50,000 words in a month. Divide that by 30, and you have about 1,666 words you need to write a day. I don't like to write on Sundays, so subtract 5 days. Thus, my goal is 2,000. Totally doable. Especially is I have three hours a day. I type fast and I have the story lined out.

I'm going to do it this year!

Now, for a funny Kevin story.

The other morning, Kevin woke up. He kept saying the same thing over and over, and to my surprise, I understood what he was saying.

"Nana," he said.

"Oh," I realized, "you want a banana?"

He nodded his head enthusiastically and repeated, "Nana."

"We don't have any bananas," I told him. "How about an apple instead?"

He thought about it, and then enthusiastically said, "Apple!"

It is weird when you can start understanding your kids. Suddenly, a whole new side of the personality to revealed.

Also, Kevin has started trying to stare us down when he's grumpy. If you tell him no, he'll put his arms down at his side, and give you a hard glare. It's adorable. However, every time I try and grab the camera, he instantly drops it and says, "Cheese!" and gives the cheesiest grin you've ever seen. This is one of my attempts to get his glare:

His dad tried to help me out. 

No success.

Just for kicks, here's a picture of Arkhon and me.

He sure is growing, and my hair is messy. ;)

Finally, a beautiful picture of our old girl, Dakota.

A Hidden Blessing

So, yesterday I discovered that I had accidentally accomplished something amazing with my NaNoWriMo goal. 

It was nap time.  I put Kevin down for a nap and I quietly left the room.  I found myself automatically going to my computer and sitting down to work on my story.

I was surprised.  I realized that I had gained a hidden blessing from having a goal last month. 

I had established a habit.

There is a saying.  It goes something like this: "It takes 21 days to establish a habit, and one day to break it."  Okay, so, maybe that part about breaking it isn't part of the quote, but it sounds about right.

I became curious about where the origin of the "21 day quote" was from, and I discovered the following source:

Busting the 21 Day Habit Formation Myth

This article was very interesting.  It said that this quote originally came from a man named Dr Maxwell Maltz, who was a plastic surgeon turned psychologist.  He told his readers that it generally took 21 days for people to change their self-image in regard to their newly modified features.  Then, he said, ‘Our self-image and our habits tend to go together. Change one and you will automatically change the other.’ (p108)

Thus, the 21 day habit formation myth was born.  According to this article, they did some more research on how long establishing a habit takes and found that association with another event in your day can speed up the creation of a habit.  Some people could develop one in as few as 18 days, while it took others up to 84 days. 

Basically, it depends on you.  They said when you correlate a new habit with an already existing activity (putting the baby to bed) it is much easier to develop a habit.  So, as long as I keep working on my story while Kevin is sleeping, I will continue to make progress. 

Aren't hidden blessings wonderful?

Mormon Monday: Goals

For those of you who don't know, last month I set a goal to write 50,000 words in my novel for National Write a Novel Month (or NaNoWriMo).  I finished up the month by writing over 4,000 words the last day, but it wasn't quite good enough.  I finished my goal at only 42,643 words, leaving 7,357 to go.  Don't worry, I am going to complete my goal, and I am definitely going to try NaNoWriMo again.

I was a little disappointed with myself, but I do feel like I tried my best to get it done.  Yes, there were probably days I could have written more, but I did try and that was a wonderful feeling.  After having something to work on last month, I suddenly felt motivated to set more goals.  I remember how good it feels to set and aim for goals. 

When I was on my mission, we set daily goals, weekly goals, and monthly goals.  We were always working to improve ourselves and it felt wonderful!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its member to ALWAYS set and keep goals, not just on New Years.  I've done the traditional New Years Goals, where I often don't end up keeping them and then I feel bad about it the next year.  However, we shouldn't just set yearly goals. 

An article called "Pursuit of Excellence" says:

Setting goals and working toward those goals can strengthen your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by helping you develop patterns and qualities of discipleship in your life. Pursuit of Excellence can help you to follow the Savior's example of "a more excellent way"  (1 Corinthians 12:31).

Begin by asking the Lord to help you determine what you will work on. Decide how you will evaluate and record your progress. Discover how the Spirit affirms your progress. You will find that your greatest reward will be an increase of the Spirit in your life. Your faith will grow, and your testimony will be strengthened.

Yesterday in church, a lady was saying that if we align our goals with our Father's will, there is no way that we cannot accomplish them.  He will help us where our own strength is lacking. 

We should be constantly trying to become more like the Savior.  Maybe NaNoWriMo wasn't necessarily a spiritual goal, (although I did feel inspired to try it), but it has reminded me how important it is to make and work on goals. 

This month my goal is to read the entire Book of Mormon by Christmas, starting today.  It is a challenging task, but that is the fun of a goal.  If it doesn't challenge you, how can you be growing?

I also going to try to work on making a Quiet Book for Kevin for church.  I loved mine when I was a kid, and I think he will enjoy it too.  If you have any fun quiet book ideas that you want to tell me about, please let me know!

I have a goal to set a monthly goal every month, as well as yearly and daily goals.  I know as I do this, my testimony will be strengthened, and I will become a better person. 

Thanks to all of you who encouraged me while I was working on writing.  I'm going to keep writing, and hopefully next year I can publish my first novel.

That's one of next year's goals. 

Not sure what this picture has to do with my blog, but I love it!

My Little Rant and an Update on NaNoWriMo

Whew, this is a late blog today.

It's because I'm kind of ticked. 

I'm a big fan of Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, and for some reason today I felt like going and finding out what his critics were saying.  Okay, you have to understand that I know Cesar Millan isn't a perfect man and sometimes while training he makes mistakes.  However, as I've read his critics' arguments, for the most part they all follow the reward training technique.  They often have similar views on dogs but they are arguing semantics.  Anyway, as I've been reading their criticisms, I've slowly being getting more and more angry.  I want to tell them that I have issues with their methods, but I have a personal rule not to get into fights on youtube or other social media.

So, briefly, I'm going to tell you why I have an issue with the rewards system.  I was taught to train my dogs by a wonderful dog trainer.  He didn't use treats. He told me, "Dogs should do what you want them to do for affection, not for food.  They should do it because you want them to do it, not because they are going to get rewarded for it."

As an elementary school teacher, I heard many of the same arguments that I hear about dog training.  I was told not to use rewards and to establish "rules, boundaries, and limitations"-to use Cesar's rules.  Children and dogs do best when they know what the rules are and they are asked to live them with love.

However, the whole world is telling us to use rewards to make our dogs listen to us.  This is why we have a nation of extremely obese dogs and children.  These children have learned that they are all winners, and many of them don't know how to deal with challenges.  In the real world, not everyone gets the job.  They often don't even call you back. Children are not being taught to deal with limitations or rules.  They are being told that they are wonderful human beings, which is great, but that other people will make life easier for them so they don't have to struggle, which isn't so great.

I love dogs and I love children.  They are very different creatures, but both need boundaries.  They shouldn't do things because they are going to get rewarded for it.  Dogs do well if you shower them with affection after they follow the rules.  They don't need treats.  Children do well if they know that you love them and you are establishing rules because it will keep them safe.  They don't really need treats either.

All this talk about 'established scientific methods' drives me nuts. I watched the lady on Animal Planet's "It Me or the Dog," and I couldn't stand her methods.  She was constantly getting mad at the people for the way they were acting, and I watched her storm out of the house a few times because she didn't want to deal with them.  Maybe her methods do work, but I certainly didn't want to learn from someone so unbalanced.

Enough of the rant.  Now I want to tell you how I'm doing with my goal.  I feel better now.

Basically, I wanted to tell you how my goal is going of writing 2,000 words a day.  Some days it is going really well, other days not so well.

Currently, I am at 25,263 words. I'm really enjoying writing, and it has been really fun to have a goal to work on every day.  My story is finally past the beginning, and I'm really starting to get into the meat of the action.  It's been a fun way to keep in touch with friends that I haven't talked to in a while.  Actually, I'm still not really talking to them, but I can check up on their word count and it feels like we're doing something together.  That's been fun.

I'm going to do it.  I've still got a long way to go and only ten days left, but I'm going to get it accomplished.  Thanks for the love and support and for those of you who have been faithful readers.

Ciao!

Okay, They Talked Me into It

 I keep seeing blog posts from my friends where they talk about how they're going to participate in NaNoWriMo.  I couldn't help it, I looked it up.

Evidently, it all about National Novel Writing Month.  During the month of November, authors are asked to try and write 50,000 words.  I've decided to give it a go.

I've had this new story idea that I got from a dream.  I've already written out the entire plot, and it's been sitting in my mind in the back burner.  I think I'm going to write on it for the next month in the morning while Kevin is still asleep and during his nap times.  After I blog, of course.

I think I can do it!  I write quickly, and for once, I have a story mapped out.  This will be a good opportunity to try and push myself to do something.

Even if I don't finish, 50,000 words should definitely get me started.  I have a penchant for writing long stories, and the current one I'm thinking about doing might end up being a trilogy.

Anyway, I'm kind of excited to start tonight/tomorrow.

I'm on the official NaNoWriMo website as clwoolfe, which was originally going to be my penname.  If you're on there, look me up.

For a synopsis of my story, I simply wrote:

A young man is born with some special abilities.  Though his siblings are also unique, they grow jealous of the attention he is getting.  They are approached by a stranger and they make a decision that will change their brother's life forever.

Okay, so maybe I need to beef it up, but I don't want to give anything away either.  So difficult.

Anyway, if you're interested and are a last minute procrastinator like me, the month begins tomorrow!

For an update on the family:

Kevin is feeling better, in case you were wondering.  We think he has another tooth coming out the top.  Poor guy.  He's been pretty miserable.   

Tonight is his first Halloween!  We are pretty excited.  It is also our anniversary of our engagement.  To read that story, go here.

We've got his costume figured out, but you probably won't see it until this Saturday's vlog.  It's adorable though!  Be very excited.

I'm excited.  He can't eat his candy yet, so that means it's all mine!

Bwahahahahaha.

Sorry, just getting in the Halloween mood.  Besides, I have to share it with Grig.