I started the day thinking that I would just write an epilogue, and even titled today's writing "epilogue." Then as I wrote, I realized that what I was writing really fit into the main story perfectly without being sappy or extraneous in any way. And then as I kept writing, I wound it down and came up with the perfect ending that really felt like an ending this time. And I loved it. And, unlike where I left off yesterday (before Reece and Jen had even kissed!), after today's ending I actually feel satisfied. I feel like the novel is complete. Yay! So, if I write any more tomorrow, it truly will be fluff, and I'm not even sure I will. I might. Or I might just take a day off. Or I might just go back to the revision I tried to start in September of last year's NaNo novel.

Whew, what a whirlwind this month has been. I'm not sure I'll look back on all of it fondly. I'm not sure I got a coherent story out of it. But it was fun even while it was the most stressful November I've ever had. Lotsa drama, both in my story and in my life. It was great to see the Indianapolis region explode with enthusiasm. It was fantastic to meet so many people who came and made our write-ins something truly special. Right now I'm not certain that next year can possibly top it. After last year, I never imagined anything like this one being possible.

Finished the novel this morning at Starbucks. Just in time, too. Doctor Who DVDs came in the mail today, and the Russell T Davies book I've been waiting for shipped on Wednesday. =)

I will probably write an epilogue, but I am pretty certain I finished the main part of the story. There is an implied happily ever after for my main couple, and I think everything has been tied up. The epilogue will just be a bit of fluff to write after all the hard stuff. My two main main characters still haven't had an actual happy scene, so they probably deserve it. ;-)

This has certainly been an interesting month. Full of highs and lows. Tomorrow is the last official NaNoWriMo write-in at the coffee house downtown. After that it's back to our normal weekly writers group. I wonder if we'll have any of the newbies from this past month join us for those. I hope so. I've met some really fantastic people this past month.

Back in Indianapolis and exhausted. Did some writing on the planes. I might just like flying if it makes me this productive. ;-)



Almost finished, I think, but not quite. And I still might do an epilogue just to wrap up November. I should be finished with the main story tomorrow. (Tonight if I hadn't just gotten home from a very long day of airports and flights.)

The story continues. I had my little celebration (2 beers at a place called JD's Sports Pub in Grants Pass, Oregon) and I wrote a couple thousand more words and I really don't know how this novel is going to end. It's all up to the MMC, Reece, now. I don't know what he's doing, but so far he's not ready to talk to Jen yet (the FMC) so the story just sits in limbo with time passing and Christmas coming up. I think something will happen at Christmas, but I'm not sure and I don't know what. Waiting for Reece to clue me in.

I don't know what I'm going to do on the flight home. I suppose just write sappy fluffy stuff for them. Or else work on brainstorming ideas for Andrea's story in Third Time's a Charm, last year's NaNo which I sort of started to revise before this November.

I could also go back and read my latest revision of Night Music :::cringe:::

Assuming, of course, I actually get Reece to talk to me. He's not talking to anyone else at the moment. ::sigh::

Day 25


Still unable to sleep, so I was up at 3:00 am local time (6:00 my time) and just sat down to write. I'm only getting sleepier, but I know if I lie down I'll just lie awake. Don't know if I'll get through the day, but I got my 150k. I think I'm gearing up for one of the last scenes. I really don't know how this is going to end. I have one of my couples (David and Hannah) finally together. The other couple is at least in the same place (they're both in Los Angeles) but they haven't talked yet, and they need to, and I don't think one talk is going to resolve things between them. I'm not sure if I'm going to leave it open ended, or follow them all through their getting to know each other better and all that journey. Probably the latter just because I still have a long time on an airplane again on Thursday, and I don't know what else I'll do if I don't write. We'll see.

Day 24


Had very little time to sit and write. Jet lag. Very tired. Unable to sleep. Ugh. :(

Day 23


Wrote in the airport and on the airplane. Nearly missed my connecting flight in Denver due to a late departure in Indy. Thanks to the wonderful people at United, I got on the flight after they'd already called last call and closed the doors (or nearly closed the doors). Whew! Was a very productive flight. Thre was a bit of discomfort me, though, when it turned out I had to write the first sex scene in the book with some strange guy sitting right next to me. (Strange as in unknown to me, not strange as in weird). Fortunately he was sleeping.

I sat next to a writer on the trip from Indy to Denver. He was also a Jets fan. So we talked writing and football. Very cool. On the trip from Denver to Medford my neighbor just slept. Just as well. :-)

One week left. I have 14k words left to write. That's only 2k words per day. Wow, I practically just have a normal NaNo month left now. It's a relief because I really don't know how much I'm going to write daily for the next four or five days, so the lower needed word count is a comfort. 2k should be a piece of cake when my average has still been 6k per day so far. Not in the last few days, but overall. :-)

Tomorrow at 4pm I fly off on my way to Oregon. Joy! :^)

Blimey, I'm knackered. I have never felt this drained during a November. A friend of mine brought up a good point. I am a Municipal Liaison (ML) this year, as well as taking on a pretty big word count challenge. Add to that the subject matter of my novel (getting very rough emotionally right now) and the fact that I've booked tickets to visit my family over Thanksgiving week (Yikes!), and I suppose it all adds up. I am so looking forward to December 1.

The novel is actually going remarkably well, despite the rough subject matter. I've just killed my FMC's father for the 3rd time. My husband is getting a real kick out of this. (By the way, he's doing awesome in his first NaNo--and first ever novel!--I'm so excited for him! :-) ). I had originally planned to have her father die at a certain point in the book. When I got near that point, I decided to move it up a bit, and have him die a little closer to Christmas. So I wrote it, and I think I devoted all of 500 words to it, and it was over and forgotten. Realized that didn't work. So then I brought him back to life for a few more weeks and had him die at the place where I'd originally planned. That time got all of about 100 words and it was forgotten. This is the man who raised her all by himself since she was 7. He ought to get more than 100 words when he dies! So I kept writing and then I realized where I really wanted him to die. So, brought him back to life and now he's died 3 months after Christmas and his death and the immediate aftermath have been going on for some 4,000 words. I think that may indicate that I have it right this time. ;-) Not only that, it's led to some other interesting conversations and confessions, and it's been very interesting if emotionally challenging.

The writing process is sure a strange, sometimes frustrating, sometimes wonderful thing.

20k more words to go...

100k by tomorrow is my goal.

Since I am now heading off to Oregon next Sunday, I won't be playing in the concert that same day, so this next week will not be full of the rehearsals I originally had scheduled. So this is a perfect opportunity for me to get very close if not all the way to my word count goal. I'm not sure if I might run out of story before then, I might, but I might not if I keep on being as wordy as I have been. (If I do run out of story, I'll add fluffy epilogues, the characters will deserve it by then.)

I would, however, like to have something to work on on the plane trips both there and back. Not looking forward to that. Ugh...

This feels like the longest November ever....

And I just bought tickets to visit Oregon during Thanksgiving week. With any luck, I'll have my 150k before then. ::fingers crossed::

Another busy day at work meant that writing was all done after work, which makes it hard. I think I'm finally getting to the meat of the story, though. I'm finished with the buildup, it's time for stuff to really start happening.

The last few thousand words have been very boring filler. :( But it's words! :)

Busy day at work, lesson immediately after, barely time to grab dinner before rehearsal, late night writing at Starbucks, doesn't equal a lot of words. Blah.

I've written some very interesting scenes and conversations today. I was actually up at 5:30 this morning and writing because I had too much caffeine yesterday and I couldn't sleep any longer. And some of the stuff that came through my fingers... Wow. I never knew. I learned a lot today.

I am now getting ready to send one of my characters to a place she really doesn't want to go. I hope I'll be able to write about it tomorrow at work, because it's a normal busy Monday for me. But I have Tuesday off from work.

17 people showed up for the write in! :-) It was another fantastic (and exhausting) day.

I have 14 RSVPs for today's write-in. Last week I had 9, and 17 people came. OMG, I'm stressing out here.

Our region has just exploded with enthusiastic people this year, and I'm so excited. It's so wonderful meeting and talking with all these other writers, and watching them write, and watching their word counts soar.

I love NaNoWriMo! :-) Thank you Chris Baty!!

...just throw two people together who have just recently met and need to get to know each other. Have them share their entire back-stories. Good for about 6k words. :-)



I'd actually very much like to write more tonight, and beat my previous one day word count, but I am exhausted and my hands are sore. So it's probably best that I just go to bed.