The countdown continues as we are three, yes THREE, days away from NaNoWriMo! As this challenge will be taking over the entire month of November, I thought it would be in my best interest to prepare not only for the writing, but also for the whole "I'm barricading myself in my room until I finish this!" situation. The last thing I want to happen is to be distracted by something like lack of food, energy, or warmth. I wanted to tackle these potential scenarios before they arrive so I can write in the best possible environment.
So here is a list of what I would considered my Survival Kit:
- Macbook
- Word processor (Previously, I used Microsoft Word but from watching a few Youtubers, I decided to try out Scrivener)
- A plethora of coffee/tea/chai (hello Starbucks!)
- Notebook and mechanical pencils (for jotting down ideas when I'm not near my macbook or iPad)
- iPad (easy to jot down things as well as useful apps, such as Pandora or Pinterest)
- Earbuds
- Playlists: Pandora/YouTube (created story soundtracks with both to help set the tone for my writing)
- Pinterest (created a board focused on my story)
- Chocolate/Sweets (I mean, come on! This should be a given!)
- Flash drive (To back up my story, just in case a disaster strikes)
- Comfy clothes: basic tees, leggings, and oversized cardigans
- Candles (currently burning sweet cinnamon pumpkin from Bath & Body Works)
- Water bottle (necessary to stay hydrated!)
- Snacks (banana chips, wheat thins, almonds, yogurt, granola, etc.)
- Posts-its
- Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com on hand
I will also be taking on the challenge of blogging everyday during November, updating on my word count, my feelings about my writing for the day, as well as other random things. It's going to be interesting how I'm fairing on November 30th.
Well that's all from me until November 1st. See you then!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Challenge Accepted!
We are five days away from NaNoWriMo! For those of you who don't know what this is, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is an annual novel writing project, where the goal is to write 50,000 words between November 1st to November 30th.
Yes, it's a crazy challenge, but it is doable as each year there are winners. It's not my first year trying. I did attempt it in 2012 but I lost momentum and gave up halfway through. I didn't participate last year as work and school were preoccupying my life but this year I have made the time and I am really excited about my story. It's a story that I have been trying to write for over two years and I'm hoping during NaNoWriMo, I will be able to complete a rough draft of it.
I'm trying to set myself up for success by prepping before November 1st. By prepping, I mean outlining my story, creating character profiles, and world profiles. I've also been reading blog posts and watching YouTube videos on NaNoWriMo prep.
I'll be posting later this week about my survival kit I'm making for the month as NaNoWriMo will be taking over my November. But for now, I will leave some links for those interested in doing it and/or those who want to check out the prep videos and blog posts I would recommend.
Ciao!
Blogs
WriteWorld (I recommend the whole site! Just check it out for plot and character development, inspiration, and what not)
Vlogs
How I Outline! [3 Acts: 9 Blocks: 27 Chapters] ---> This is the outline template I'm currently using!
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
A small break...
So it's been about a month since my last post. Time really flies sometimes. Grad school and work just take up huge chunks of my days so the first thing I'm thinking when I get home is sleep. Unfortunately, I've been lacking in the sleep department as well as I tend to go to bed late and get up early as I'm more of a morning person.
Luckily, I was able to have the whole weekend off. Well that may only apply to work, I was able to take some time off from my paper writing as well.
Since I'm still knew to Boulder, I decided to go hiking as I live only minutes away from the foothills of some beautiful mountains. So on Saturday, I got up early, had a big breakfast, and went out, hoping to be victorious as I hiked up Flagstaff Mountain.
To make a long story short (if it ever was a long story to begin with), I made it to the summit.
The view from up there was just as amazing as I thought/hoped they would be.
It was a lovely 3.5 hour trek and I was so proud of myself that I made it up there that I decided to treat myself to something marvelous.
This, my friends, was a delicious Pumpkin Pie Smoothie from Nekter Juice Bar. And yes, it tasted exactly like Pumpkin Pie. It was so true to taste that it felt almost as if the employees were placing pies in the blender and just blending it up. Not that I would mind if that was the case but it is an intense smoothie so be prepared to be satisfied!
While I allowed myself to be a little lazy on Saturday, I had to buckle down and get some paper writing out of the way on Sunday. However, after I finished up for the day, I took a walk around the CU campus to take in the fall atmosphere.
I love Fall for so many reasons: football, cool temps, changing colors, cardigans, corduroy pants, pumpkin flavored foods, hot coffee, oh and my birthday (Nov. 2nd!). It's just such a fantastic season. The only downside is that not all Falls are created equal and when Winter comes sooner rather than later, it's quite disappointing.
Well I'm halfway through the semester so if you see me disappearing again for long stretches of time, I think you'll know why. I'm hoping I can do a post or two but the last half of the semester is chalk full of assignments so you never know.
Until we meet again!
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