NaNo Week #1 // I BROKE MY COFFEEMAKER AND MIGHT BE GOING INSANE

Saturday, November 4, 2017
NaNoWriMo has arrived, which means my weekly NaNo updates are back! I'm doing them the same way as I have previous years -- daily updates, rambles, and then a few wrap-up questions at the end of the post. 

You'll notice, at the end, that I have a "time spent writing" section. I recently stumbled across a post by Marissa Meyer where she tracked the total time she spent writing/editing/outlining/etc for her novel, Heartless. That was incredibly interesting, so I'm going to do the same thing. Hopefully I can stick with it. xD

It's a short wrap-up this Saturday since there are only three days of NaNo to recap... but that just gives you more time to write. (Mwahaha, SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!)

DAY ONE: 5,339
Like I do every year, I started off NaNo with staying up until midnight, which was really weird because I haven't stayed up until midnight in over a month?? I'm a natural night owl, but just with school and work it makes more sense for me to go to bed early, so I've been trying to do that more. IT'S INSANITY. It's like -- gasp -- being an adult. o.o

But, since I don't have the talent to be a functioning adult, I broke the coffee machine. I was reaching for the microwave, and when I opened the door, my elbow jerked backward and knocked it off the counter and onto the ground. The coffee pot shattered into a hundred tiny pieces and all I could do was stare at it and imitate Luke from Star Wars, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

SERIOUSLY, THOUGH. NaNo is the one month where I consistently drink coffee every morning. (throughout the rest of the year I usually don't if I work later, since I'll just get coffee there.) But with NaNo, I need all the caffeine I can get to act like a semi-normal human. Of course I break it on the first. day. *headdesk* 

(I spontaneously made a pizza at ten o'clock, which was definitely the best way to end the first day of NaNo. It helped offset the broken coffee pot disaster. :P)

DAY TWO: 5,259
Day two of NaNoWriMo is the day in which I realize that this book might turn out to be a monster novel. Long books aren't bad, don't get me wrong, but I prefer reading, writing, and editing smaller books, so I'm hoping that I'm able to condense it without making it awkward.

Also, whoever thinks that writing doesn't take logic is completely WRONG. I made the mistake during plotting of saying, "ehhh, I'll figure out the details later!" So now I'm stuck trying to figure out the motives and the timeline of events with a tired brain. #fail 

DAY THREE: 5,411
Today I discovered this neat writing tool called Fighter's Block! It's an online writing app that is set up like a RPG and motivates you to get the words down, whether they're good or not. It's a nice switch from staring at a word document all day. And if there's no one around to word war, then you can literally war against a fake monster. :P

It also snowed again today. (UGH.) I know that winter comes every year, but for some reason that doesn't stop me from complaining about it. I already can't wait for spring to come. xD (I do agree that the first snow is beautiful... but it's cold. The snow would be perfectly fine if it was warm! Wouldn't that be weird? Just a giant, fluffy heating blanket. o.o Ahem. Anyway.)

TOTALS:

body count: three
word count: 16,009
time spent writing: ten hours, two minutes.
mornings without coffee: three
stayed up past midnight: only once on the first night! woohoo!

<3,
katie grace
nano profile | about my nano novel

(by the way, I'm going to my first ever write-in tomorrow! this is the first one that the library is hosting, so I'm just crossing my fingers and praying that I won't be the only one to show up. :P I'll let you know how it goes next week!!)

how did the first few days of NaNo treat you?
what's your current body count at (hehe)?

47 comments :

  1. I'm literally writing my NaNo novel as we speak. I've been making slow, but steady progress for the past couple days. Current word count is 3,865 words which isn't that bad considering I'm only aiming for around 30k. (Also that would mean I only have to write 1,000 words a day so that's a plus.)

    HOW ON EARTH ARE YOU SURVIVING WITHOUT COFFEE, KATIE GRACE?!? I don't actually drink coffee, but I know it's hard to survive NaNo without it. Chocolate is my coffee since it basically does the same thing (motivation anyone?).

    Good job with your word count! I can't wait to see some snippets if you ever decide to share some. <3 Can't wait for next week's recap!

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    1. YESSS. You're doing amazing! 30k is still a totally impressive goal and I'm so excited for you and your achievements! :D

      I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW. STARBUCKS IS HELPING ME, BUT THAT'S ALL. *sniff* Ooh, and chocolate is a good idea. I'll stock up on that. xD

      Haha, I don't know if there are any snippets worth sharing, but I'll keep that in mind. ;)

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    2. Yes keep going, Katie! You got this!

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  2. You're doing so well! I've been struggling to concentrate and am only just making the minimum word count each day. Good luck getting through NaNo without your normal caffeine fix! :)
    Astrid
    www.astridkaniele.com

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    1. Hey, that's still awesome! Life happens and it's sometimes hard to get the whole word count in. But you got this! I hope your concentration improves, hehe.

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  3. DUDE even without coffee, you are killing this! I am still under 7,000 words total. *covers face in shame and crawls away to hide in the corner* The write-in sounds awesome! It can be boring writing in the same place, so it's awesome to mix it up! Can't wait to read some snippets and hear more about your NaNo adventures. Good luck!! :)

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    1. DUDE, THAT'S NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT. 7K IS SUPER AWESOME. *high-fives* I'm so pumped for you! I want to hear more about your project, speaking of which... *wide eyes*

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  4. KATIE you are killing it! Those word counts man...I only WISH my library had a write in! That would be so cool! With all these fun nano posts I'm starting to regret not signing up haha.
    I wish you the best of luck with this Nano but honestly with a stellar start like that... *fist bumps*

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    1. The write-in was cool! It was definitely... different, but I'm glad I'm went, because I got lots of words in.

      THANK YOU. *pumps fist* And honestly you're so busy I think it's good that you didn't do NaNo so there might be some sanity left in you by the end of the year. xD

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  5. YOU KILLED YOUR COFFEMAKER???
    HOW WILL YOU LIVE.
    If I may quote the Hunger Games, 'stay alive'.

    and fighter's block is super cool and your word counts are super impressive.
    Have a great rest of the week!

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    1. ACK WHEN YOU SAY IT LIKE THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE I MURDERED THE POOR COFFEEMAKER. xD

      Thanks, Daisy! I wish the same to you. <3

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  6. Sounds like NaNo is going great for you! The write-in sounds super fun, and IT JUST STARTED SNOWING HERE, TOO!!!! I am thrilled. I will take all the snow.

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    1. AH REALLY? Okay, take my snow as well. I... I don't want the snow. xD

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  7. NOOO THE POOR COFFEE MAKER. That's so sad. I hope you get a new one soon :P

    Nano has been kind, but my health has not. I caught a really bad cold and on Nov 1st, I took five naps instead of writing five thousand words XP I'm back on track now and should reach my first plot point tonight. I have yet to kill any characters ...yet.

    I hope the words keep coming for you! I've been stalking your stats and trying to keep up with your flying fingers. We'll see how long I can do that ;)

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    1. I really hope so, too. :P

      NOOO. Ugh, that makes me so sad. *sniff* I'm so sorry -- that sucks! I'm glad you're slowly feeling better and hope you can get caught up to your goal. YOU GOT THIS. <3

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  8. A broken coffee maker, I would be so upset. Coffee is my fuel.
    Wow, you got a lot of words written. Good Job!

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    1. RIGHT?! It's a good thing I work at coffeeshop, because otherwise I'd be completely empty and drained. O.O

      Thank you! <3

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  9. Woah, Katie is being a writing beast (again)!! XD XD
    I can't believe you've written so many words so soon! I'm at 9,422 words, which I'm pretty happy about! Yesterday I spent the majority of the night writing! ;)
    Good luck with Nano- especially without coffee! For some reason, coffee makes my face break out, so no coffee for me. XD
    I can't wait for your next NaNo updates! They're always so fun to read. :)
    -Emma-

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    1. Oh my gosh, you're almost already at 10k?? GO YOU, EMMA! *cheers* That's amazing. :D

      Oh nooo, that is sad. *sniff* What do you like to sip on during writing instead, then?

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  10. The real question is: Have you since acquired a new coffee pot? Also, congrats on writing so many words in the first three days. Cheering for you and wishing I was doing NaNo this year! Can't wait to hear how the write-in goes!

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    1. NOO I HAVEN'T. *cries* Hopefully within the next week. We'll see. xD

      The write-in was... interesting! xD It was very quiet. :P

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  11. Yay! Beautiful work! Keep it up! (And hey, you can just get instant coffee, no?) I haven't been doing quite so good, but hey I have been writing! I have an epic Hangouts group to war with so ... :P But I'm in chapter two of my superhero story and about 26 pages in. Also I'm handwriting the entire thing in this 500 pager notebook my sis gave me for my birthday one day before Nano began (wow that was so lucky). I'll hopefully finally have a post tomorrow about my book but you know ... life has messed with my schedule xD

    Good luck!! Can't wait for this book *pumps fist* Let's go conquer November!

    -- Lisa
    thisinkwell.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh yeah! Is it that writer hangouts group with all the people? I think I was in that... briefly... but I can't remember. xD BUT YOU'RE HANDWRITING IT?! That's seriously impressive. o.o

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  12. I love how you just casually include the body count at the end as if it's nothing to worry about. xD My body count's at zero so far, but things are going to be getting real pretty soon, so that'll probably change. o.o

    Ugh, sometimes I think starting a story is the worst part. Getting to know your characters and setting up the plot can be the worst. xD The first couple days have been pretty good for me, it's just hard to get out of that blahhh part where you just want stuff to start happening. But as I said before, it shouldn't be too long now, and the spookiness and action will start. I'm excited. :P

    And that website's really fun! I've been using the word sprints on the NaNo site to motivate myself. It's funny how just having something to push you will help you write when you thought you didn't have anything TO write. :P

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    1. Heh, WHOOPS. I thought it would be funny, but all of the characters are very minor, so it isn't that big of a deal. xD

      SAME. I actually don't like the beginning of novels. I like to get to the middle, because then I know what's happening and I understand my characters -- like you said.

      Yes! I haven't taken advantage of the NaNo site too often, but I really should.

      You got this!

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    2. Fair warning though: I just discovered that when you're alone in your room at night writing a tense, eerie nighttime scene where the characters are about to be attacked by wolves? The little alarm at the end of the word sprints make you jump a fair bit. xD

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  13. that thingy to track your writing is amazing. enough said.

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  14. Good luck with the coffee situation. Hopefully your family takes pity on your state and acquires a new pot soon. It looks like you're still doing great, though, even without coffee! Keep up the good work!

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    1. I HOPE SO, TOO. I keep not-so-subtly reminding them. xD

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  15. You broke the coffee maker. Well done, Katie. (kidding, of course!)

    I have been alternating the amount of tea vs. coffee I drink - feel like it's more healthy that way. But I totally understand your predicament. It's a scientific fact that creativity is hampered by a lack of caffeine (again, kidding).

    I got through the first couple days pretty well, actually. I didn't get as much writing time in as I wanted, but it's fine it's fine. Not sure about my word count because I'm adding them up at the end of each week instead of everyday. It's probably around 7k or closer to 8k.


    k.

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    1. I know, how dare I? Shame, shame. *sniff*

      Ooh, that makes sense! I'e been drinking more ta since my coffee maker broke. It works as a substitute... but I still miss my coffee. xD

      Ooh, go you! That sounds like a good way to do it -- you can write without keeping track of the word count every other minute. :P

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  16. AHHH YES YES YES SO EXCITING.
    Now I need to write more words. Bye.
    XD

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  17. WHOO CONGRATS GIRL! Poor coffee maker... :( But yay for pizza! After reading your post, I googled NaNo write-ins near me and it turns out my library is having a NaNo write-in every friday! I'm going to try and go. ^-^ So thank you for that.

    I can't wait to hear how everything goes!

    xx Kenzie

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    1. Also- that fighter's block thing just saved my life.

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    2. Pizza! Coffee! write-ins! I hope that write-in is awesome -- you'll have to let me know how it goes. :)

      YAY FOR THE FIGHER'S BLOCK THING. May it fuel your words nicely. xD

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  18. AHHHH NO COFFEEEEEEE wait, why am i freaking out i dont drink coffee....

    But seems like other than that, your NaNo is going well!

    Don't think I've heard of Fighter's Block...I may have to go check it out!

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    1. Yes! Let me know how you like the Fighter's Block thing. It's super helpful for getting the words down.

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  19. I'm sensing a correlation between "body count" and "mornings without coffee"...

    Also, at this rate, you're going to hit 50,000 waaay before the end of the month! That's awesome! :)

    Serena | poetree

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    1. Pshh, whaaat? I have no idea what you're talking about... xD

      I know! I think my novel is going to be well over 50k, so I'm hoping that I can keep the pace up as well as I can!

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  20. You are doing AMAZING, Katie! :D *cheers* And the poor coffee maker. *gasp* Maybe you can get hot coco or something, too?
    I'm seven days in and reached 25,300 words today. Also started getting sick again yesterday so YAY. -_- :P
    God bless girl!
    -Ang | thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com

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    1. Yes! I've been drinking tea and hot cocoa in exchange for my usual morning coffeee. :P

      YES! You're doing so well! But, I'm so sorry to hear about getting sick. I hope you're feeling better by today!

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  21. You're doing AWESOME, Katie! *sends you cake and coffee* :D

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  22. OH MY GOODNESS I thought you mean like your coffee maker didn't work but you actually broke it broke it XD (It also sounds like something I would do?) Good luck with the rest of NaNo!

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  23. I still can't get over the irony of your coffee maker breaking the first day. BUT SOMEHOW YOU'RE STILL ABSOLUTELY KILLING IT?! You're amazing, Katie Grace. <3

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