NaNo Week #1 // writing retreat, I now like tea(???), + general rambles about the insanity of nano

Saturday, November 5, 2016
Happy NaNoWriMo, everyone! I hope the words are flowing, at least some sleep is happening, and you've eaten lots of chocolate and pizza. Because priorities. 

If you're anything like me, NaNoWriMo kind of takes over the month of November, making it hard to keep track of anything else. I will be "journaling" my NaNo progress throughout the month like I did last year on the blog. That way you can read if you have time and want to (I actually had lots of fun writing these up in 2015), but then you're not missing my normal posts if you take an internet break for NaNo.

Here we go!
DAY ONE: 5,050

Ahh, there's nothing like the first day of NaNoWriMo. Nothing like staying up until midnight to greet the insanity of the month and wonder if you've gone crazy. (spoiler alert: you probably are crazy. all writers are a good sort of crazy. I mean, we kill and torture fictional people in our free time for fun. definitely crazy. (and definitely kind of morbid when I put it like that. :P)

Even though I have a high word count for day one, I didn't feel like I was doing that well. The first day of NaNo is always hard, since I have to figure out the feel and flow of the story. But the beginning sorted itself out, so I am pumped and ready to keep writing! :D

Also... I have been absolutely and incredibly blessed by getting to spend a five day NaNo retreat with the lovely Nadine Brandes. My mind hasn't stopped screaming and asking if this is actually real life. It's been so fun seeing how our writing styles differ and adopting new writing practices. LIKE TEA.

I dislike tea. Or, used to. Now Nadine has hooked on chai and tea so between that and coffee I will be sipping away on caffeine for the rest of my days. Mwahaha.

DAY TWO: 5,209

Today was a FANTASTIC writing day, which makes me allll sorts of happy. I wrote by candlelight for the first time -- EEP. It created such a nice atmosphere for getting into the writing zone. I really like writing in the dark, so having a little light other than my computer screen was nice to have. :D

I reached the incident in my novel where everything starts to go wrong, like a snowball rolling down a hill, collecting more snow and problems until it's too huge to ignore. :P (Alas, but I've never been able to get a snowball to do this in real life. Someday, someday. I can dream!)

DAY THREE: 5,299
(FIIIREEEE. there's something incredibly pleasing about burnt matches. the aesthetic is strong.*happy sigh*)

Today started off as a zombie morning and an, "I'm trying to write but the words are coming so slooowwlyyyy and it seems way easier to just lay down and take a nap." But then there were brownies, and brownies make everything better.

So with brownies and tea and candles, the writing madness began, and didn't stop until midnight. MWAHAH. xD 

On a side note, I've been taking more time with NaNoWriMo this year compared to previous years -- averaging around two hundred words every ten minutes compared to the four or five hundred I can normally do. I think I'm more than capable of still doing it, but it's been good to slow myself down and choose my words carefully, so maybe editing won't be looking at a bunch of NaNo word vomit in disgust. :P It's definitely been weird, but I think it will be so good in the long run. Hopefully. *crosses fingers*

DAY FOUR: 5,003


Ready for me to scream about my day? Because DOCTOR STRAAANGEEE. *excited flailing* Dude. Doctor Strange was epic. It was hard for me to wrap my thoughts about it right away, because it was so different than the other Marvel movies, but I LOVED IT SO MUCH. I love the more mind-bendy and mystical kind of movies, instead of the, "explosion! shoot! die! fire! noise! noise! noise!"

Doctor Strange had lots of twisting realities, epic costumes, and stunning visual effects.
(like. seriously. whoah. it reminded me of inception but even more intense. asdjkfl;.)

The movie took up most of the day, but after tea and photos the writing began! After hitting 5,000 for all the previous days, I became a stupid, foolish overachiever with absolutely no sensible brain and stayed up until two just to finish my word count. I think it's going to be worth it. We'll see -- I still have to finish up this post. (ahh, procrastinating and the nano life)

Once the words started to flow, I ended up being very happy with them. Tomorrow is my crash back into reality, so we'll see how my streak keeps up.

WRAP-UP

*throws snippets into the air*

- - -

  TOTAL WORD COUNT: 20,511

MUSIC:

Nadine introduced me to this song this week, and I'm in love. It fits with my story, and it's just SO PRETTY.
general thoughts?

This week was filled with writerly wonder, and I'M SO THRILLED WITH HOW THINGS ARE GOING. My story is mostly flowing, I've hit 20k, I have a good streak going, and it was so refreshing to get away from work and school for a week.

But... Sunday is when it'll all start again. Early Church service, seven hour shift, and then the next day school and work and on and on. I'm not looking forward to it, but I have to remind myself that everyone else is dealing with the same thing. I'll just make it a challenge to see how many cups of coffee I can drink and how little sleep I can operate on while still acting a teensy bit sane. Ha.


I hope NaNo is going well for you! Remember that this is only the first week -- and technically it's not even done yet. Take some time to breathe. Also take advantage of the weekend, 'cause your future self will thank you later. ;)

*cheers* Go write the words, you crazy NaNoers! I believe in you, and you can conquer the thing. <3

// katie grace
how are you doing with NaNo? ARE YOU ALIVE?!
and what's your first line? 
(cause I'm curious and snoopy and want to know)

64 comments :

  1. I HAVE BEEN LIVING OFF OF CHAI TEA TBH
    YESSSSS. and i need to go see dr strange cause IT'S BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WITH ALL THAT COOL STUFF.

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    1. CHAI IS THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER BEEN INVENTED (okay okay well except pizza) AND I'M SO GLAD I TASTED IT AND LOVED IT.

      dude right??? bnedict cumberbatch and marvel and strange stuff and mind twisting things it's the best. xD

      Delete
  2. AUGH. It is only the fifth day of NaNo, and YOU'VE WRITTEN 20,000 WORDS. What is this insanity. xD I'm currently at somewhere in the 8,000s, because school. And life. And being a slow writer. My days have definitely been FULL. :P

    YOU DID AN AWESOME JOB THIS WEEK. You're such an awesome and speedy writer. :)

    And I'm still flailing because YOU SPENT THE WEEK WITH NADINE! That must have been a blast. <3

    (Katie, those snippets. What even. Give me more. I love the tense you chose, and just askdfjaldfj. I want moreee. And I hate my first line since I switched story person and yeah it's just a mess. xP BUT I WANT YOUR FIRST LINE.)

    Wow, you're on fire already! Keep going! <3

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    1. YEAH I DON'T KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED.
      dude but STILL. You're ahead and doing awesome. And now that life has crashed and become a thing again, I suspect that my word count won't stay like this for long. xD

      SAME I CAN'T EVEN. asdjkl;

      (eeeep thank youuuuu! I was so unsure about the tense. I've never really struggled picking a tense before? But this time was different and I spent wayyy too long fretting over it. :P

      Well, you've kind of already read my first sentence since it's part of the blurb, buuut... We can't leave, because the shadows won't let us.

      I don't usually focus on first sentences this much so I'm excited. xD

      I'M SURE YOUR FIRST SENTENCE BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S HARD TO SHARE. Do you have any past first sentences that you like and care to share? (I understand if you don't. Before this novel I would've said "no" to that question. xD)

      YOU GOT THIS, EMILY. Thanks for being so awesome and encouraging. <3

      Delete
    2. Life does have a habit of getting in the way sometimes. ;) Writing has been very scarce these past few days, but today I'm heading out on a road trip, so I hope to get some writing done in the car. (even though I'll probably just end up doing school, ha. -.-)

      (ohhh, that's your first sentence! It's so epic. Seriously. New favorite first line. xD

      ahhh, I don't know! I've come up with first sentences for several ideas that I'm hoping to write one day, buuut. :P Good first sentences are harddd.)

      THANK YOU, KATIE. <3

      Delete
    3. Ew school. Ignore it and write instead. But don't actually do that because it's horrible advice. :P

      (eee thank you. <3)

      I hope you enjoy your roadtrip!

      Delete
  3. UGH UGH UGH. IT'S THE FIFTH DAY AND I'M ONLY AT 7,000 AND A HALF. UGH. HOW DO YOU WRITE SO FAASSSTTTT???

    YOU ARE SO AWESOME KATTIIIEEEE!!!

    Okay. Here is my first line; The TV light flares, sending it’s blue-ish light into the dark corners of our living room.

    Soo... how did you like it? It's not very cool, but it gives you a sense of description and what's going on... (they're watching TV of course)

    Okay. I need to go write. EVERY SECOND COUNTS!!! :D

    -Anika <3

    ReplyDelete
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    1. "ONLY??"
      "ONLY?"

      Anika, that's awesome! 7,000 is almost 1/5 of a novel. I mean, think about that. You're doing so amazing!

      Ooh, I do like it! It almost sounds a bit ominous. xD

      YES GO WRITE. *pushes you off* Write allll the words!

      Delete
  4. Hahahahaha. Ha.

    At this pace, I'm blessed to hit 10k words by the end of the month.

    Although, I did surprise myself the first day with like +1800 words? Like wow, at least for one day, I was ahead in my word count XD But I have to finish that essay in Eng. Lit (yes, I have three English classes. I'm doing okay? And I love it, but yeah, I'll have to keep up with my assignments. eventually.) and study and...

    Actually, I found a way to be work on my novel (that needs some research I hadn't done before, like how long does it take for someone to die from stabbing?) even with my crazy schedule. Bus rides. I'm telling you, life saver. I can write about 600 words in a bus ride, so that always helps!

    Anyway, you're a machine! I'm so happy for you to have written so many words!!! You may have school and work starting again, but you can easily spend more time sleeping <3 (I love my bed so much, idk about you guys). And your story looks awesome!!!

    Also, chai? My uncle introduced me to those this summer and it is so great *heart eyes emojii* and evil. I won't have any money if I buy those everytime I crave one X)

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    1. Hey, but 10k is basically 1/5 of novel or something so that's pretty amazing when you think about it. If you keep doing 10k a month, you could be done with your novel in less than half a year. That's awesome.

      Dude. Waaaht? XD I love when we surprise ourselves with our word counts. It's always fun. :D
      (threeee English classes? AND NANOWRIMO? How are you alive? o.o)

      Ooh, that is a super great idea! A bus ride is a great idea, since then you have a time limit and have to push yourself to get all the words in.

      (I totally agree. my bed is awesome and sleeeep is so wonderful for writers. xD)

      YES. *also inserts heart eyes emoji* It's so wonderful and fall-like and it makes me happy. <3

      Delete
  5. OMGOSH THIS LOOKS SO FUN! I love reading your nano posts!
    I'm defiantly doing NaNo next year! I can do this! *marches away*

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    1. EEP YES YOU TOTALLY CAN! I'll hopefully be doing it right alongside you!

      Delete
  6. YOU SAW DOCTOR STRANGE OMG I CAN'T EVEN WAIT ANYMORE.

    Also, hello Arrow! I believe it is one of my new favorites.

    I love those snippets! I am very intrigued. :)

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    1. I KNOWW AHH WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SEE IT?

      It's so pretty. o.o

      Eep, thank you! <3

      Delete
  7. OH MY GOSH KATIE YOUR STORY STILL SOUNDS SO AMAZING. I WANT TO READ IT SO BAD. xD

    I’m really happy with how NaNo’s going for me! I’ve been keeping ahead of the target word count, which I’m insanely excited about. I’m at around 12k now, and the story’s going pretty well so far. I almost hit a snag, but I just kind of wrote around it and kept going, and I think I’m about to get to the more exciting stuff. I’ve already killed off one character, so. xD

    My first line will probably change eventually, but at the moment it’s “Time was running away from Sophie.” Which is kind of a double meaning because it’s a time travel story, but the actual time travel hadn’t started yet at that point. :P

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    1. EEEP I HOPE YOU CAN READ IT SOMEDAY. <3 It's going to be so hard to work on editing The Sand Dragon's Song instead of Where Shadows Lie. I just want to work on this novel! :P

      Whoah, 12k already? That's awesome. o.o EEP. (but, it's not awesome that you killed a character. shame on you. *weeps*)

      Ooooh. Double meanings are the best. Now I'm really intrigued. xD

      Delete
    2. Yes, shame on me. It was rather unfortunate, I came up with this one character and then I quickly realized, "Yeah, they're gonna have to die." xD #awkward

      Delete
  8. KATIE I LOVE YOUR POSTS SO MUCH!!!! THEY MAKE ME HAPPY!!! :D

    WOW! You are so far into your book already! That's seriously awesome! But just tell me one thing... HOW DO YOU DO IT? I'm only at 6,000 words and writing an average of 2,000 words a day. Like how. #goals

    Your book sounds really interesting, Katie! Will you be sharing more snippets? *hopeful smile*

    My first line? Uh... Heh heh.... Alright. I will show you... But it's not very good and I don't like it, so it will most likely be changing. XD
    "One sunny spring day in a small town near Bristol, England, a large group of families come together to enjoy a lawn party hosted by their kind neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Bellingham."
    *cringes* THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK IS THE WORST TO WRITE. *cries*
    My book is set in the regency era. I wanted to write something like Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, etc. I'm scared it's gonna be boring, but I'm really trying to make it interesting and mysterious. :)
    But yes, I am alive and doing pretty well. I've got some dark chocolate kisses to reward myself with each time I reach a goal of mine, hot chocolate has been my friend, and kettle corn was enjoyed one afternoon of writing, so I'm doing fairly well ;) XD
    ~Jaclynn~

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    1. EEEP JACLYNN YOU MAKE ME SO HAPPY THANK YOU. <3

      But, uhm, 6,000 words? You're writing EXTRA each day. That's so awesome!

      I totally hope to share more snippets! I'll have to see if any non-NaNo-nonsense words come out of my brain worth sharing. :P
      t a But I like your sentence! It seems to set the setting of the book. :D

      Yum, those sound delicious. I've tried to reward myself with chocolate before, but I have no self control, so eat them right away. :P

      Ooh, yes to hot chocolate! Yumm.

      Delete
  9. Oh my word, I'm so dead. *drops dead* Today I'll hit 20k, but I feel so like drowned in school because I may or may not have neglected it...*coughs*
    But yessss it's been going well plot wise!

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    1. *headdesks* And my first sentence is this:
       I duck my head and tighten my grip on Val’s hand as we run towards death.

      Delete
    2. Ooooh, you're doing awesome with NaNo! You're trying for 100k this year, right?

      Oh goodness, that first sentence is already so intense. It makes me scared for how it will grow with the rest of the story. xD

      Delete
  10. Wait, sleep happens during NaNo? HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS O.O (kidding, kidding, I would never loose sleep over words, sorry. I get headaches if I'm tired AND THAT DOESN'T HELP THE WORDS.)

    ACK a writing retreat with Nadine - YOU ARE THE LUCKIEST PERSON EVER *nodnod*. And you wrote SO MANY WORDS. My mind is basically blown XD. GO YOOOOOU!!! *highfive*

    Oh my goodness, YOUR SNIPPETS. I CAN'T EVEN. I NEED TO READ WHERE SHADOWS LIE BECAUSE I AM CERTAIN THAT IT IS /LIFE/. WHEN WILL IT NEED BETAS?! XD

    NaNo is ... WELL let's just say I'm not doing so well XD. My novel abandoned me and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO *panics*. I'm working on switching to a different novel, so things are a wee bit hectic over on my end *nods*. But Abi started a 'NaNo '16 Cabin' Google Hangout (I think you're part of it? I can't remember XD) and they've been helping me along *nods*.

    BY THE WAY, I have a question. After everyone beta-read Song Of The Desert, how did you organize that information? I'm thinking of editing Killing Snow for NaNo, but I haven't decided what I'm going to do with all the information you guys gave me XD. Should I just have the Google Docs open as I edit so I can see what everyone said, or is there a better tactic? (I am a very unorganized butterfly sometimes *nods*)

    Also, you took AH-MAZING pictures for this post, I loveth them. Great job! (AND YES TO BURNT MATCHES)

    ~ Savannah
    scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com

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    1. I LEFT A MONSTER COMMENT. Oops XD.

      ~ Savannah
      scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com

      Delete
    2. SLEEP, SAVANNAH. OCCASIONALLY. MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE THIS WEEK. HEADACHES AREN'T GOOD. :P

      I knowww asdjfkl; I still don't believe that it actually happened. I cannot even.

      EEP THANK YOU. The urge to start editing this and send it to people after NaNo is so strong, but I MUST RESIST. Must. edit. The Sand Dragon's Song.

      Waaht. You switched novels? o.O Dude. That's so scary -- I know from experience. AH YOU CAN DO IT, THOUGH. And yes, I'm in the chat! But I had to end up muting it because otherwise I will not focus one little bit. :P But I plan to hopefully join a few wars once or twice throughout this month. *nodnod*

      UGH SORTING THROUGH THE COMMENTS WAS THE WORST. It was super fun, but I didn't know what to DO with all of them. :P I ended up making a checklist of all the things I needed to make on a piece of paper, and just went through the novel from beginning to end. I imported the comments from Google Docs to my Word Document, so I could edit the little line critiques while I'm going through the whole thing. It worked out nicely - that I really only had to go through my novel once to make all the critiques. I'm sure there are much smarter ways to do beta reader comments, but I have yet to learn the secret. :P

      EEP THANKS. Nadine had a lovely wooden table that I drooled over and couldn't NOT take pictures on. :P Mwahaha, fire. XD

      MONSTER COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE FROM YOU. <3 xD

      Delete
  11. How do you write so many words in one day???!!!

    And how are all of your pictures so aesthetic???

    Dude, you're awesome.

    With love and all joy,
    Allie D.
    www.alliesblogdesigns.blogspot.com
    www.friendlovesatalltimes.blogspot.com
    www.sincerelyallied.blogspot.com
    www.spreadingmyjoy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Lack of sleep and caffeine and who even knows anymore. :P

      Thank you! It was so much fun taking the pictures for this post. I am a teensy bit obsessed with worn, wooden backgrounds like this.

      Delete
  12. YOU DRINK CHAI? *hugs* YOU'RE JUST AS inSANE AS I AM!

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    1. YES I DO AND IT'S AMAZING. *hugs* We'll be insane together! xD

      Delete
  13. THIS WRITING RETREAT SOUNDS SO AMAZING OH MY GOODNESS WOWOWOW.

    I want to go on a writing retreat.

    Your NaNo progress is so amazing, like I BOW BEFORE THE QUEEN!

    My novel has actually been coming better than I thought that it would! I've been pleasantly surprised. I thought that I'd be losing my mind but so far I'm really loving it. I'm still just so excited about my story, and having the commitment to sit down and write every. single. day. has just been amazing oh my goodness. ♥

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    1. dude I wanna go on a writing retreat WITH you that would be epic. o.O

      AH YAY I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU. Seriously. I know you were nervous about NaNo, but hearing that it's going well is the best thing ever. It feels so good to conquer NaNo and feel like you're making great progress. YOU GOT THIS, GRACE ANNE. I believe in you. <3

      Delete
  14. DOCTOR STRANGE. I WENT TO SEE IT TODAY AND ASDFGHJKL.

    I have to admit, I had overly-high expectations it didn't meet, BUT IT WAS STILL AMAZING. ASDFGHJKL. THE CHARACTERS. THE THEMES. THE ANGST.

    When his watch broke I started crying.

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    1. RIGHT? ASJDKFL;.

      I agree. I probably built it up a little too high in my mind, but I still absolutely looooved it. (Like the scene where he's going through nothing and everything when he meets "the ancient one" for the first time and it was just weird and my eyes hurt from all the flashing and weirdness.)

      Ugh. Don't even taaalk to meeee about that. There were some very feelsy parts that I didn't expect. I just loved his character so much. I feel like they could've wrapped up the character arc a little bit better? but if there's going to be another one (*screams*) that probably will become more evident.

      And the colors and the visual aesthetic and everything. Like her yellow epic jacket and the grey, twisting buildings I caNNOT. xD

      Delete
    2. Yeah, same. I normally try to get rid of all expectations before I go in for a movie, but this time it didn't work. (And YES. I love love love the psychedelic trippiness in a dorky way.)

      While the character arc is just amazing, I agree with you, there's something about it that feels incomplete. AND SAME. I love his character a ton. He wasn't what I expected him to be, but it was awesome nevertheless. Also Benedict has so much freaking talent and I'm so glad he got the role.

      One thing that really stood out to me was just how despite the fantastical-ness of it all, it just felt real, y'know? The pain and the brokenness in the beginning weren't glossed-over and idealized, it was so raw and painful, and I think that's my favorite part about it.

      AND YES. Just alllllll the aesthetics.

      Delete
  15. I am currently taking a break from writing to read this post.XD I absolutely love reading these kinds of posts about how people are doing with NaNo! I am currently nearing 10k words in my story- I have no idea how you write so much, every day for me has been a pretty solid 2k day.XD I AM IN AWE OF YOUR ABILITY!XD LOL! You're doing such an awesome job with NaNo!:) And to answer your question- I am alive, but I'm really not sure if I will be in another week.O.o
    -Emma-

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    1. Oh, I didn't read all of the questions! LOL! My first line is--
      Cephas lay in his bed, staring out into the darkness around him. He didn't breathe, didn't blink while he waited.
      I did my first two lines actually since the first line literally says hardly anything.;D LOL!
      -Emma-

      Delete
    2. YAY I totally approve of taking breaks from writing to read my posts. It makes me happy. XD

      Whoaahh, already 10k? You are on a roll, goal! And that's super impressive for dealing with life -- something I was graciously able to ignore for this past week. :P

      I know, same. I survived one week of NaNo, but another THREE weeks? Ha. Ha.

      Oooh, that's intriguing. It makes me wonder what he's waiting for. o.o

      Delete
  16. AWESOME POST!!!! I love that you went with the 1st person present tense Nadine uses in Out of Time! Very cool/unique concept for your book. I love that stuff :)

    btw, I found out about NaNo from your blog. Too late to do it this year, but I think I'll be joining the insanity next year. XD

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    1. THANK YOU. <3
      I love how first person present flows, and I think it will be perfect for this novel.

      YES YOU MUST JOIN THE INSANITY NEXT YEAR. Mwahaha -- hopefully I'll be doing it as well so we can send encouragement to each other!

      Delete
  17. Aaaah those snippets. I sooo want to read your book when it's done.

    I FOUND A SONG THAT FIT MY BOOK SOOO WELL, TOO! It's Cross the Line, by Superchick... Which is weird, because I discovered this week that I like Superchick a lot, but even though we'd had it before, I hadn't listened to it before NaNo. And now I'm listening to it ALL THE TIME.

    You write crazy fast.

    I'm writing in first person, present tense, too. Cool.

    Gaaahhh I'm so jealous of your NaNo retreat. Grrr. xP

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    1. Aaand even though I haven't had any snippets from your novel (which... should really change), I want to read yours. I just want to read something you've written. Send me all the things! xD

      Oooh, I must listen to that! *rushes off* *well, will rush off after I finish this comment*

      Awesome. So that's what you finally decided on? xP

      *sigh* ugh I wish I could've taken you with me. Sorry. :P

      Delete
    2. ALL the things? That would be impressive. xP But maybe after NaNo is over I'll post a snippet or two on my blog for y'all to read. xP

      Yup. xD I pinned it to my Pinterest board, so it shouldn't be hard to find it.

      Yup. It was a little hard getting into one of my POV character's heads in first, present, but it worked as soon as I gave him someone to talk to. xP

      *sigh* It's fiiine. xP
      We WILL eventually do a Mitchtam cabin retreat. *crosses fingers*

      Delete
  18. Eeep, I love this!! I love getting a peek at writers' processes and seeing how it's going for everyone!! 😊 My NaNo was pretty good *nods* mostly word vomit *nods again and cringes* But I'm okay with that, because it's part of my process and I'll do a hard rewrite next year sometime. OR NEVER HAHAHA. Ha ha...ha...ahem. I will edit I promise.

    Also chai tea = the only acceptable tea there is.😍

    (The aesthetic of your photos are amazing, yes?!! I LOVE THIS!)

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    1. YES me too! It was awesome reading your 60k in three days post. like, what even. you're insane. XD

      Never sounds like a plan, because CURSE EDITING. It's the worst ugh. :P

      (AWH THANK YOU. It means a lot coming from you because you always have the beeest aesthetics. *happiness*

      Delete
  19. First of all, how you achieve such aesthetic is beyond me.

    I used to dislike tea to but now it's like one of the loveliest things ever next to espresso.

    OVERALL THIS POST WAS WONDERFULLY FANTASTIC, i loved your snippets btw.

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    1. How you achieve such kindness in your comments is also beyond me. You're awesome. <3

      ESPRESSO, mwahaha. Now I love tea and coffee and I feel like I have all the power in the world. xD

      EEP thank you for reading the snippets! *happy flailing* I'm glad you enjoyed them. :D

      Delete
  20. Yes, I am alive! (barely) I have a little over 20k, but have taken a short break because of some stuff. Plus my mind couldn't handle not knowing what to write next, and if my story will make it to 50k. :) But I am soon going to be back in the game.

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    1. DUDE, you're over 20k? Wow. I'm in awe. XD

      Taking a short break makes total sense, and sometimes that's needed in November so you totally don't wear out your brain. I hope you can get back into the story easily when you need to!

      Delete
  21. OH MY GOODNESS YOU WRITE OVER 5K A DAY??? That's extremely impressive, my dear. You're going to conquer this world someday.

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    1. EEP, thank you! Mwahaha, conquering the world sounds wonderfully epic. xD

      Delete
  22. One week down-- three to go.
    I appreciate what you said about slowing down and doing only 200-300 in ten minutes. Now I haven't been doing 5k a day (goodness Katie you're on a roll) but I've been averaging 2-3k so I want to slow it down and save myself a leeetle bit of sanity when I go to edit this monster.
    That is so crazy awesome that you got to hang out and NaNo with Nadine for five days. And you drank tea.
    Now back to reality. XP
    (glad to see you enjoy tea now. tea is lovely.)
    Jeneca Writes

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    1. *blows out a long breath*
      gah. three more weeks. *dies* :P

      Yes! I'm so glad you're doing the same thing. And I love how "2-3k is slowing down." :P

      (ew reality. BUT OH WELL WE CAN STILL CONQUER THE THING. xD)

      <3

      Delete
  23. I mean, we kill and torture fictional people in our free time for fun. definitely crazy. (and definitely kind of morbid when I put it like that. :P)

    SO TRUE!

    I love hearing about your NaNo experience! It reminds me that I'm not alone. (Even if you are 28,000 words ahead of me. haha!)

    My novel is going well, but we had a youth group retreat this weekend that got me even more behind schedule. But priorities, man.

    My first line (because that is not nosy but a totally valid curiosity!):

    He left me like the tide—slowly, slowly retreating, then all at once.

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    1. I'm always a teensy bit worried posting about my NaNo experiences, since it might sound like I'm bragging, but I hope that other writers can just relate through the struggles and craziness and have a glimpse into other writing methods.

      Gah, a retreat during NaNo? o.O That would be so incredibly crazy. Eek, I hope you can catch up well!

      Ooh, that's a neat first line. o.o

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  24. Good grief you got at least 5k EVERY SINGLE DAY!?! You are officially a writing ninja. Like the mother of all writer ninjas. Officially. *applause*

    I am going to be writing like a madman this week because I did not get much done my first week at ALL. I failed to take into account the ridiculous business of my November. :p We'll see what I can do!

    ~Megan<333
    (megans-journals.blogspot.com)

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    1. YEAH I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT HAPPENED. It's kind of crazy and I'm telling myself that it's okay to stop my 5k streak, BUT I SO BADLY WANT TO KEEP IT UP. :P

      Awh, that's hard. I hope the words will come extra easily to you this month! <3 YOU GOT THIS.

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  25. AAAAHHDKDJOKDKSOSKD I'm so jealous you got to spend and ENTIRE 5 DAYS with Nadine!!!!! BUT ALSO SUPER EXCITED FOR YOU :DDDD

    oh, wow. 20k in five days?! I was only at 12 then... And i still am 😬 I should actually probably go write instead of commenting, so yeah...

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    1. I KNOW EEEP IT WAS FANTASTIC. o.o

      12 is still absolutely amazing, so go you! <3 WRITE ALL THE WORDS. (thanks for taking the time to comment anyways. xD)

      Delete
  26. Katie, good job! I'm so jealous of your blog! XD Keep up the good work!

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  27. I'm glad your first week of Nano is going good!

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    1. Thank you! I am, too. It would've been sad to have this week been a total bomb. :P

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  28. my thoughts "Wow this NANO thing sounds really intense" most of the blogs I've read with people who are doing it seem to all be giving that same feeling! i hope it goes well for you.

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    1. It IS intense and I 100% recommend it if you're up for no sleep and insanity. xD
      Thank you! :D

      Delete

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