NaNoWriMo Wrap Up + Blogging Hiatus

*squeals* GUYYYYYYS. This has seriously been the best writing month ever. I mean, I participated in Camp NaNo this past July (and it was an epic fail…), but this was my first time doing NaNoWriMo, and wow. I just can’t believe the progress I made. The progress you guys made! It’s been so awesome hearing all about y’all’s progress throughout. And shout out to all my blogging and Instagram buddies who constantly encouraged me this month. Y’all are the best.

I finished my novel. In a month. (Haha, I’m only so shocked because this is my first time.)Guys, how cool is that?? Like, who came up with that goal? Congrats to all you lovely NaNoWriMo winners. And even if you didn’t win, you got started! That’s what matters.

Week One Overview:

I’d been kind of putting off writing this novel already (major writer’s block last month). So, the first couple of days of NaNo weren’t the easiest. You know how it when you have so much backstory? So much to tell, so much to introduce. My story has a lot to do with things that had already taken place, so it was hard to find the right way to say it.

And that would be the reason NaNoWriMo is awesome. It’s not about writing the perfect words- it’s about getting the words down. And that is what I did. And I was so pleased once I got to the first plot point (finally). I’d been dying to write that for like forever! (You know those scenes you just cannot wait to write? And it’s like, slowly killing you, and you have to rush through write all the words before you get to that scene?)

At the end of the first week, my word count was 8,283, which is right about where I should’ve been I think.

Week Two Overview:

SCHOOL AND WRITING DO NOT MIX. I’m sorry, I hermited (is that a word?) a lot this month trying to get all the writing in. My mom was constantly like, “Oh…you’re going to go write?” And I explained all about NaNoWriMo, so everytime she saw me heading off to write after that, she would say, “Ok…see you next month.” *groans dramatically* I”M SORRY.

I did manage to stay caught up this week, though. I ended the week at 21,176 words.

Week Three Overview:

I don’t know how I managed to get ahead on writing this week. Because this week started basketball games. *groans* I love basketball, and even though we lost the first game, I was glad to have it out of the way because I was so stinking nervous.

But…you see… *clasps hands together* We have an assistant coach now. He wasn’t exactly happy with us. Um. And we ended up having an extra practice that week (that had not been planned previously, so again, ahead on the writing?). *tries to avoid too much complaining* Then our second game the following Friday (the seventeenth) was…better. We lost, but only by three points. Twenty-six to twenty-three. We really need to work on rebounds…

I probably got ahead so much because MY PLOT WAS GETTING SO GOOD. GUYS I KNOW I WILL PROBABLY HATE IT WHEN I GET TO THE EDITING PART BUT I SERIOUSLY LOVE IT SO MUCH.

The week ended with a youth event on Sunday. We went bowling and played laser tag. I’ve never had such a good experience with laser tag; it was so much fun. I was like POW. And then I was like PEW PEW. Haha, and then, I enjoy bowling, but here’s the problem: I don’t go often enough. I’ll start off awful. But then by the middle of the second game, I’ll be doing a lot better. But then I won’t be back for like…years. So. It’s a bummer, but. It was lots of fun!

I ended the week with 31,730 words. Oh, and here’s a little playlist I randomly threw together that might actually become my playlist for this novel:

1. My Immortal – Lindsey Stirling Probably the most used.
2. Roast Mutton – Howard Shore
3. Crystalize – Lindsey Stirling
4. The Duel – Harry Gregson-Williams
5. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) [Instrumental] I don’t really know why this one? But I rather enjoyed it on my morning walks, so. I guess it just squeezed its way in.
6. Safe and Sound – Taylor Swift
7. Eyes Open – Taylor Swift
8. Untouchable – Taylor Haha, random bunch of Taylor Swift for you. I got this one stuck in my head during the month and decided it worked nicely for some of the slower scenes.

Week Four Overview:

*grins* Well, this was a good, interesting, and disappointing week all at the same time. I shall start with Monday’s little adventure…

So! School break! *fist pump* I was literally so excited… And I’d been talking to my mom about going to a write in for a while. So, we’d looked up a few to maybe attend that Monday. She called two different libraries that Monday.

My biggest concern was whether or not there would be teens (because I know no writers in person, and how cool would that be??). So, the one that was closer to us was conveniently for ten through eighteen year olds! I was like, alrigthy! That one it is!

It was still almost two hours away from us, but I think it’s worth it. I was literally so excited.

So, that late afternoon (and by the way, I hadn’t written yet that day because, well, duuuuh. Write in) we left for the library. IT. WAS. MASSIVE. Like, I’ve never seen a library so big! The ones in my area are tiny. But the more we looked around (we came a little early to check it out and then picked up some food before hand), the more I was kind of starting to wonder. Like, are we sure that this is it?

So, the library literally had three floors and a basement, which was where the said write in was supposed to take place. We rode the elevator down (is anyone else not really a huge fan of those things?), and saw the program room where it was supposed to take place. And it creepy, too. We rode down later on when we went back with an older man with off-white hair, big glasses, a Marvel bag, and deep, short breaths. Um, hi.

What really kind of gave me a hint in the first place that this was not right was my brother seeing a poster that said something about writing (because duh, it said writing, so it MUST be the write in *rolls eyes*). Well. When we came back later on, guess what? No. No, that wasn’t a teen NaNoWriMo write in. That, my friends, was the writers guild of Texas. The speaker dude was going to be talking about literary citizenship. Uhhhh.

Well, we walked in the room anyway and inquired about the write in. She said some of the attendees were NaNo participants, but that wasn’t what the event was for. Then another younger lady stood from her seat, introduced herself, asked my about my NaNo word count. I told her about 31,000. She congratulated me, said she’d only won one, and then failed the last two years. She also said I was welcome to stay, but (thank you, mom) she said we’d think about it.

Well, that was a bummer.

Oh, but! But then, we get back up to the front desk and ask about it, and the lady says that really was on the calendar…

So, she brings us back down to the basement, this time to the large reference room. She asked the lady down there to pull up the email about the write in. She found it, and said that the “group” had been using one of the study rooms. Well, I didn’t see anyone.

“Oh, maybe this man knows about it.”

Oh. No. And guess who she was referring to? That old man we’d ridden the elevator down with. Please no. Please no. “Yep. This is your guy.” *dies*

So, we walk over to the guy (and again, thank you mom, for talking for your nervous, introverted daughter) and she asks about it. He said that, yep, a group normally meets there, but it was just him that night apparently. She explained that we were trying to find a write in, and that we’d been under the impression that it was for teens.

Nope. This group, is a first amendment group. So, they write what they want, so their members are ALL over eighteen. TALK ABOUT MISINFORMATION. He asked how old I was, I said 16. He asked what kind of stuff I wrote. “Uhh…I um. Well, I, I write contemporary.” Well, congrats to me. That was just about the greatest first impression on the planet. Then my mom tells him I’m published on amazon, and I thought my head was going to explode. MOMMMM. NO. HE WILL SO NOT BE IMPRESSED.

To end the whole fiasco, he offered to sit there and talk to me about writing, or we could just write or whatever. *looks at mommy* *wants to hide behind her leg like a toddler* Um. Creepy old man + library basement + two hours + being incredibly introverted = HECK TO THE NO.

And once again, my mom saved my little dying, introverted life, by saying that we were going to check on my little siblings upstairs and talk about it. So, we left and she was like, “You don’t want to do that, do you? I didn’t want to leave you down there like that.”

“Nope. Thank you [so much from the bottom of my scared to death heart].”

Well, you know, at least we got sushi, so the night was ok.

Except, the sushi wasn’t all that great.

Anyway, that was a super long story. I think I’ll move on now.

Tuesday, we had another basketball game. We lost again, but I actually enjoyed the game. Later in the week, of course, was Thanksgiving. We didn’t really do anything with family, but we went to our church’s dinner (at lunch time), and then we got to take some food to one of the ladies in our church who hasn’t been doing very well. She is the sweetest lady ever, and it was so good to see her. She was so excited, too.

I also STARTED WORKING ON MY NEW BLOG. *squeals* I LOVE IT.

Also…if you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw my story… My protagonist and my sidekick were fighting… And like, this was not planned. No where in my outline did I write “and then they fought” or “thou shalt fight thy sidekicketh.” No. It just…happened. And I was both dying and LOVING IT at the same time. It was so great. HAHA.

I ended the week at 43,845 words.

Week Five Overview:

So, I stayed up until like, one something I believe on Monday night? I never stay up that late, so it was weird. But I reached my climax, so it was getting good, and I didn’t want to sleep.

I finally put it up, knowing I’d be smack dab in the middle of a good part when I sat down to write next.

Tuesday. Was. Awful. In fact, it was almost the first day ever. I was just out of whack.

I already get stressed out enough with math. It’s awful. Most of the time occasionally, I cry when I get super frustrated with it and don’t understand. Well, yesterday, I was just UGHHHH. We sat there at the table for four hours straight working on the same problems over and over and over, and apparently I kept skipping a step? I was sooo frustrated. My mom finally just told me to put my school books up and go write.

So, it would’ve been the worst day ever. But.

I FINISHED MY NOVEL!!! *does happy dance* I WAS SO EXCITED! Actually, I’m still trying to decide whether or not I want to include an epilogue (I wanted an epic cliffhanger sentence, but I feel like it might need to be explained before the moment is over? So yeah, I’m back and forth). But HEY. It was awesome! I’m really happy with it. I’ve already been making a mental list of changes, and considering some things, but I probably won’t mess with it until January. I may read over it this December (this is going to be my blogging and reading month).

Wednesday, I didn’t touch my novel. *gasp* It was a weird feeling, but I guess I didn’t need to. Also, (I’m more of a scrambled egg person) I made fried eggs for the first time!! Can you tell I am not a cook? I thought I was doing fantastic. I didn’t bust a single one, and even my mom and sister (who rocks in the kitchen) pop the yolks sometimes.

I finished making all ten eggs, and I went to put the stuff I used away. And you know what I realized? The salt shaker had sat next to the stove untouched.

If you don’t understand what that meant… I DIDN”T SALT THE EGGS. EPIC FAIL xD

Oh, and here’s a little thing I did…

If you wanna here more about my book, go check out the My Books page. Buuuuut, here’s this. I kind of really like how it turned out.

Well, my friends, NaNoWriMo is over. I hope you all did well, and even if you didn’t win, I hope you at least got started on your novel. I ended at 50,186 words.

Did you participate in NaNoWriMo? How many words did you write? Did you win? I hope you all have a great December! I’ll be back at the end of the month with a 2017 wrap up, and then I’ll have my new blog set up in January!