A change in direction

The more I think about it, the more I realise I have to write a fairy tale for my Nano novel this year. Something about New Zealand and Ireland, the Celts meet the Maoris sort of thing, maybe Neil Gaimen-esque. I don't know, it is calling to me but I can't quite put my finger on it. the scenery I am travelling through is too beautiful and much too magical to be the background for FBI agents and a evolutionist plot. I think the CYZ Files will be put on hold for the time being and I will start working on this new story. If all else fails, I'll just fictionalise my travels with the monster - that's allowed, isn't it?

Disappointing Word Count

I did some word wars with Valpot on Monday but I haven't done any writing since. Feeling bored with my novel. I have no idea where it is going or how to rescue it. Ah well, I suppose it isn't the end of the world if I don't get NaNo done this year. :(

My Monster Blog

Check out my kiwi adventures with the monster on Inkpot and the Monster's Kiwi adventure!

Writing has been slow

This is turning out to be my worst NaNoWriMo ever - writing wise, that is. I haven't done anything in days. I almost killed myself sending off two books to different competitions, and I didn't even get them finished to my satisfaction. I thought I would get loads of writing done on the flights over to NZ, but what with eating, sleeping and watching tv I didn't have any time to write! The first night I wanted to do some writing, but they turned out the lights on the plane and everyone went to sleep! Anyway, now that I am more settled in I must get back to writing. I can't let down my perfect track record. I am really enjoying NZ so far. Christchurch is a lovely city, very quiet and peaceful. All the people we have met have been exceptionally friendly. I'm looking forward to the rest of the month.

Impossible site!

I've been trying for HOURS to log into NaNoWriMo, and the web page keeps on coming up as 'cannot find server'. Even when the main page does load, it times out again when I try to log in. It is absolutely infuriating. I can't update my word count, which is going to mess up my stats, and even worse - I can't check up on my buddies word counts! Today wasn't a good day for my writing anyway. I did lots of shopping for NZ with Pinky, which was great fun and tiring, but not conducive to the production of good literature (ha! as if I should even dare to call my novel that!). Had a lovely meal out with Valpot in the evening, and a Nodpot movie followed by a movie. Wish I could log in to NaNo. Why won't it let me in? WAAAAAAAA

Surprise Surprise

I am pleased with my writing for today. I have no idea where this book is going, but it is turning into a Dean Koontz, come Jeffery Deaver, come Lincoln Preston thriller with a healthy dash of the X Files, and that is all right with me. It is fun to write and I am interested to see what turns up next. I don't know a jot about what I am writing, which I'm sure is obvious, but at the moment I don't really care as long as I get my word count up. I want to be well up on words before I go to NZ, because writing will be difficult the first few days of travelling. I will have to catch some written words when I can, and it is much harder to write your daily quota when you don't have word count function!

It has begun!

The 1st of November has arrived, and with it comes the start of National Novel Writing Month. I had a really busy day today so I didn't get writing until the evening. The bad thing about that is I was tired and had little time to get my word count in for the day. The good thing is I got to see what word count my buddies had and beat them! I am totally winging it this year. I am usually uber controlled about my writing, so this is a departure for me. I never got around to writing a plot summary, character outlines or doing research. I feel very adrift and it is frightening, but it is also good because I am seeing where my characters take me rather than guiding them along the path. Will a readable novel come out of it? I don't know. Will it be fun? I hope so. Tiring, scary fun, but fun.

Nightmares

I had a dream last night. It was set in the future, on 7th November. My bags were packed and I was ready to go on holiday. Pinky was in the house and so was Valpot. We were all ready to go. At around 4.30pm I said to Pinky 'I think we should leave for the airport.' She asked if my bags were packed and ready to be put into the car. I said they were. I was feeling very relaxed as I loaded up the car. Then I realised something - it was 4.40 and the plane was leaving at 5.30! We wouldn't even make it up to the air port in time. The boarding gate would be closed, we had missed our plane! I told Pinky and she started frantically phoning people to get another flight. It was a terrible nightmare.

I know I am going to New Zealand for a month, which really isn't a long time, but I feel I am moving away permanently the amount of work I am telling myself I have to do. Alot of my friends want to meet up with me before I go away. I feel like I'm going away for a year. It is weird.

It has been decided!

Thank you to everyone who voted in my poll. It looks like I am going to be writing a science fiction. This is good, because the idea I have is a science fiction thriller. I have one more day to do some research, write out a plot and some character sketches.

Good luck to everyone else who is starting NaNoWriMo the day after tomorrow.

Count down to New Zealand

Count down to NaNoWriMo

3 Days to Go

I'm starting to get REALLY SCARED now. There are only three days left to go before 1st November and I am totally unprepared. I haven't even thought about my novel, and I am not really that enthusiastic about the vague idea I have for a novel. What am I going to do? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

5 Days to Go

No, I haven't got it wrong. While I may not be flying out to New Zealand until 7th November, NaNoWriMo starts on the 1st - which is only 5 days away. Unlike the previous three years where I have been pretty organised by this stage, this year I have practically nothing done. I have a really bare idea of a plot outline and characters, more a feeling of what I would like it to be about more than anything concrete, and I know New Zealand is going to be a big factor. Other than that, I'm stumped. If I didn't have so much writing to do until the 1st, I might sit down and writing out my outline and characters, but it seems like I will be winging it come D day (or N day, as it should henceforth be known).

Thankfully I am slightly more organised for New Zealand.

Two Weeks To Go

I am sitting on my bed typing this message, my giant suitcase open beside me, already almost full with what I am taking to New Zealand. This time two weeks I will be on the plane flying off to the other side of the world, yet even with the departure date so close, I still don't believe I am really going. I've spent so long planning it and thinking about it that it now seems unreal. I suppose there is a lesson to be learned here about how the human brain functions and its ability to comprehend future events, but I'm not really sure what it is. All I know is that in two weeks time I will be starting the first leg on a looonngg journey and I can't wait. It only seems like yesterday that it was seven weeks to go, and another couple of days since it was six months to go. As Einstein said, time is relative.

New Zealand here I come!

Two years in the planning, almost 12 hours in the difference and a goal of 50,000 words - it's New Zealand and National Novel Writing Month all rolled into one! and the count down has started...