NANO WEEK #3 // THOR: RAGNAROK, LESS WORDS, MORE SLEEP!

Saturday, November 18, 2017
Phew, this week of NaNo was an absolute blur. I found myself answering comments that were six days old on my last post -- eek! Usually I do that on Sundays, and I have no idea how it escaped my mind. It's just proof that NaNo is chipping away at my sanity. xD

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DAY ELEVEN: 0
Yup. My total today was a big, fat, stinky, old zero. I intended to keep up my writing daily streak... but once I sat down and opened my document, all of my motivation disappeared. POOF. GONE. (funny how often that seems to happen. -.-) I tried to summon the motivation to find my motivation... but, alas, I closed my computer and went to read instead. (which ended up being an A+++ decision because somehow we're eleven days into the month and I haven't read a single book. *sobs*)

DAY TWELVE: 1,006
TODAY WAS SO BUSY. I feel like I could say that about most days... but today I was busy from nine in the morning until nine at night and it exhausted my poor little soul. (I'm honestly surprised I gathered enough energy to write 1,000 words. :P)

It's weird being an extroverted writer, because once I'm out and about I enjoy connecting with people... but words! editing! novels! <-- those reasons are why I wish I could have more time at home sometimes.

DAY THIRTEEN: 1,297
Currently I'm bemoaning my past plotting self, because I skipped over the details of so many story logistics. Today I literally had to write [insert realistic motives for this character to hate other character] because SOMEHOW I kind of skimmed over that part during plotting?? This is where I need the logical side of my brain to step up and give some input. Usually that side remains suspiciously quiet. xD

DAY FOURTEEN: 3,046
Words were hard today. Despite having most of the day open for writing, it took me nearly the whole day to write 3,000 words. (which is a lot, yes! but usually I would've aimed for 5k+) I don't know exactly why they were so tough in coming... but I'm blaming it on the fact that I saw Thor today, and became distracted thinking about the movie.

It seems like lots of people are raving about the amazingness of Thor: Ragnarok. I enjoyed the movie, but I'm a bit disappointed by the different direction they took. It felt completely disconnected to the previous Thor movies and to Thor's character. It was hard to take him or the life-and-death moments seriously, and the plot was too jerky for my tastes. *shrugs* To each their own.

But the movie did make me laugh out loud a few times. Especially Korg. IF YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE YOU KNOW HOW WONDERFUL KORG IS. I need a miniature Korg. He's basically my favorite character ever now. xD *will rewatch that movie multiple times just for his screen time, hehe*

I also received Renegades in the mail today! It was so hard to gaze upon the beautiful cover and not crack a peek inside. *sniff* But like I mentioned in a previous blog post: since I'm also writing a superhero story for NaNo, I don't want to accidentally borrow anything from her hero world. It's just extra motivation for finishing this novel. o.o

So, after writing all the above... I think it's safe to say that the words were hard because of all the distractions. xD

DAY FIFTEEN: 3,002 
I've been writing for three and a half years. I've written six novels. I've spent hundreds of hours slaving over fictional worlds. I've written about a lot of different things and subjects, but... for the first time ever...

I got to write about pizza today.

'Nuff said.

DAY SIXTEEN: 2,048
Sigh, today was another slow writing day where putting the words onto the paper felt like pulling teeth. Or tugging hair. Or pinching skin. Basically it was just hard.

NaNoWriMo this year has really showed me how much I depend on plotting. Which is weird -- two years ago I was a die hard pantser and didn't plan on changing my ways. But today I'm writing a section where I skimmed over the details during brainstorming. Because of this, progress is sluggishly slow. I need to know what to foreshadow! What are the order of the events?! Help!

I should hopefully finish this tough section tomorrow, and then I'm back onto my outline. AND THE CLIMAX IS NEXT. This book could be finished next week, you guys. How insane is that? o.o

DAY SEVENTEEN: 1,483
Another smaller word count day, but Fridays are always tough for me since they're my blogging days. So I worked on this blog post you're reading right now during the afternoon and night... and during the evening I went to my second write-in!

So, if you don't remember from my previous NaNo update, the last write-in I went to was a bit, erm, quiet. Which was totally productive! Just... not as exciting as I expected. BUT THIS WRITE-IN WAS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

There were snacks! Hot cocoa! A super energetic bookstore host! Prompts and popcorn and lots of giggles! I was able to interact with other writers while writing 1,500 words, which is a definitely win-win situation.

And there were prizes?? I walked away with a journal, a ninja eraser (#NadinesNinjas, anyone? ;), an ARC of the NaNoWriMo Pep Talk book (!!), and a sharpie that said: for signing books when you're famous. <-- that's the cutest thing I've ever seen and I will treasure it until that day.

If you have an opportunity to attend a write-in, I say go for it! The NaNo site should have a list of activities in your region. (and you'll get a fancy NaNo computer sticker only available at write-ins. *ooooh* *aaaah*) I can't promise that all of the write-ins will have snacks and prizes... but for your sake I hope that there will be. :P

WEEK TOTALS:
[i do not know why this image is blurry but it makes my heart sad]
word count: 11,892 [month total: 61,903]
time spent writing: seven hours, forty-six minutes [month total: 36h, 36m]
nights stayed up past midnight: 0! (wut, this might be a record o.o)
mornings with coffee: seven/seven. ahh, it's so lovely to have a working coffeemaker again. <3

This week was a lower word count week, but definitely still a productive one. It's crazy looking forward to next week because THE FINISH LINE IS IN SIGHT. Tomorrow (or... it will be today as you're reading this) I can finally work on the climax. Eek, insanity. o.o

HOW ARE YOU SURVIVING NANOWRIMO? Am I the only one who thinks NaNo is going suspiciously fast this year?? I mean, we only have twelve more days to survive! It's doable! Probably! Maybe! :P 


<3,
katie grace
my nano profile

how is your progress going??

46 comments :

  1. Yay, Katie! The write-in sounds WONDERFUL! Especially compared to te last one. Every writer ever needs one of those pens. Seriously. I love that idea so much. <3

    ~ Ella Marie

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    1. Isn't it the cutest?? I wish I could send one to all my writer friends. <3 (actually... that's a good Christmas present idea, mwahaha)

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  2. My word count is at a meager 10,552. So in terms of reaching my goal, I'm about 1/3 of the way there. I probably won't make it to 30k by the end of NaNo, but hey, even if I make it to 20k that's pretty dang good for my first attempt at NaNo. So I'm happy with how it's going! So glad to hear that you're nearing the climax, those are fun.

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    1. Woohoo! You're getting there! And I agree -- 20k is still a great goal. How are you feeling about your story so far?

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    2. I'm loving my story. I also love the fact that my characters just had a conversation about soup because FOOOOOD.

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    3. Yay! I'm really glad that you're loving it. It makes writing so much more enjoyable.

      PIZZA. SOUP. TOGETHER WE SHALL WRITE ABOUT ALL THE FOOD. xD

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  3. This is exciting - especially with write-ins and such, and getting close to the climax. It sounds like this will be a wonderful story. Good luck in the rest of NaNo! :)

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    1. I hope it turns out to be that way! We'll see, haha. Thanks so much, Clara. <3

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  4. You can do this, Katie! Seriously. Just hold on. I promise you can do it. :) FINISH THAT BOOK!

    Oh, and the write-in sounds AMAZING!

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    1. *pants* Almost... there... finish line... is in sight... :P

      It was so much fun! I'm glad I decided to give it another try after the interesting group of the first one. xD

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  5. Your NaNo posts almost make me wish I was doing NaNo this year. Congrats on your progress!!

    Your excitement over writing about pizza is my new aesthetic.

    THAT WRITE IN SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH FUNNNNNN. That sharpie is the cutest thing ever XD

    <3 Katie katieconfetti.blogspot.com

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    1. Aww! Hopefully next year? Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?

      PIIIIZZZAAAAA. That was only one scene, though. *sniff* I feel like I need to find another way to insert some pizza into the resolution before the book ends...

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  6. I went to see Ragnarok and LOVED it!! (though I can see why some people didn't, now that I've come back from the theater to see mini-rants about things I didn't even notice, haha! xD) The biggest annoying thing for me was that Dr. Strange was only in for a few minutes!! Unexpected. :/

    Keep up the good work with NaNo, Katie!!! This story sounds like lots of epic!! Especially if there's pizza in it. We need more pizza scenes in YA, if you ask me. :D

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    1. Woohoo, I'm glad you loved it! Yeah, the Dr. Strange part was a bit unexpected. The whole first half felt so jerky and random to me. xD

      YES. WE NEED ALL THE PIZZA. o.o

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  7. Honestly, your progress is amazing even if it's not quite as much as you wanted. Keep going, you'll get there!
    I just watched Thor last night. I loved most of it, though I definitely see what you mean about how it was disconnected from the two previous movies. I actually liked the new directions they took with the plot and stuff, and I thought it worked pretty well when it came to delving into the history of Asgard and developing the secondary characters from the previous films (at least the ones who didn't die after 0.3 seconds of screen time). Thor's development did feel a bit off. The new characters were great, though. Valkyrie is my fave.
    Anyway, ramble aside, I hope you feel well rested and have an awesome week! Meet those goals. You can do it!

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    1. *nodnod* Yes, Valkryrie was an awesome addition to the team. I'm curious as to if she'll be in Infinity Wars or not...

      Thanks so much, Erika! <3

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  8. WOW!!! You ARE DOING SO GOOD ON NANO!!! I didn't do Nano this year, but I'm still trying to write 10K this month. Life has been SO BUSY lately, so all I've got is 4K. *nervous laughter* *runs out of the room*
    Maybe I'll still make my goal????
    And your novel sounds AMAZING!! Keep up the good work! *hugs*

    - Maddy | littlebitofsunshineweb.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh my gosh, YOU CAN TOTALLY CONQUER THIS, MADDY. 6k left! That's about 545 words a day counting today. GO GO GO!

      Eep, thank you! *hugs*

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  9. I've heard about your blog for quite a while now but only just now decided to check it out and follow! I love the beautiful design and all your lovely posts. Best of luck on all your NaNo awesomeness!

    --Madi

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    1. Aww, thanks for checking it out, Madi! I'm excited to have you around. <3

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    2. Whoops, it doesn't show that I'm following, but I follow via my WordPress reader. :P

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    3. Oooh, gotcha! I didn't even know that was a way for people to follow blogs. o.o

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  10. You got to write about pizza????? Well, isn’t that exciting! :D I really want to see the new Thor movie, but I’ll likely have to wait until it’s out. Your write in sounds soooo awesome! *flails* I still am hoping to find one to attend. Have fun writing your climax, Katie!! I just hit 30k yesterday, so it’s going alright, but I’m worried I won’t hit 50? I always have really low word counts...

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    1. I really hope you can find one to attend!

      YESS YOU HIT 30k!! And hey, whatever you get is still awesome. I understand that frustration of wanting to hit 50k, but I'm extremely impressed by your progress so far. Have some confetti. :P

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  11. I haven't seen the new Thor yet, but I think I will love it.
    Wow, you are killing Nano!

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    1. I hope you love it! You'll have to let me know what you think. :)

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  12. So I wasn't the only one who had to come up with random character motivations this week xD I got to my 3rd plot point and suddenly realized my villains had different plans... but I didn't know why :P

    Hopefully I'll be able to finish my novel right before Thanksgiving *crosses fingers* The last quarter of my novels usually goes pretty quick, so that should work.

    CONGRATS ON WRITING ABOUT PIZZA. You should mark your calendar on the day you did that so you can celebrate such a writing milestone xD BECAUSE IT IS SERIOUSLY SO AWESOME.

    Keep going, you're so close <3

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    1. UGH IT'S SO FRUSTRATING. I'm sorry that you have to struggle through that, too. xD

      EE THAT MIGHT BE MY GOAL AS WELL. I think it's totally possible. o.o *cheers and passes pizza out to both of us*

      Omg, I totally should. *takes out calendar* :P

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  13. I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THOR TO BE IN REDBOX IT'S AWFUL. IT'S AWFULLLLLL.

    but i digress. Your nano stats are impressive as usual, and getting to write about pizza is #goals.

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    1. AWWW I'M SORRY THAT IS THE WORST.

      I feel like every other novel I'll write will pale in comparison because what if it doesn't have pizza??

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  14. Congrats on reaching 50k already and a huge congrats on 60k, too, girl! :D You're doing so well. And the write in sounds epic - hopefully you can use that sharpie when, say, we meet up and exchange our best selling novels. =D ;)
    And also: my novel has had like... over three mentions of pizza already... they go the pizza place a lot! :P PRAISE DA LORD FOR PIZZA.
    My novel is currently at 37k. I didn't have a total step by step plot worked out to begin with... so while I have the GIST... I'm still piecing it together sorta. :P But, hey, we're all writing so that's what counts. ;)
    God bless Katie!
    -Ang | thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com

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    1. YES THAT SOUNDS LIKE A FABULOUS IDEA. We can both use the beloved sharpie for signing. <3

      Wuuut three mentions already? Hand over your book, girl! ;)

      Exactly! You're doing so great -- I hope the rest of the month goes well for you, Angela!

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  15. WOW! You're doing so well in NaNo!!! :D

    Did you get a new coffee maker?

    -Gray Marie | graymariewrites.blogspot.com

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    1. YES I FINALLY DID. I'm extremely happy about it. xD

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    2. That's good! I was honestly worried for you, because I would go completely insane without coffee!! XD

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    3. SAME. I was worried for my own mental sanity. Thankfully everything's back to normal now. xD

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  16. Oohhh, I'm glad your second write-in was a success. And also, I want a sharpie that says that. SO COOL.

    NaNo IS speeding by (and that's surprising because I thought it would drag forever). I can't believe it's almost over. eeekk.

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    1. right?? dude I want to hand them out to everyone because it's so cute. xD

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  17. WOOHOOO SO EXCITING. *flail* YOU'RE DOING EPICLY, KATIE. *throws confetti and pizza everywhere*

    I've been slightly lost because I finished my novel before I was expecting, so I'm just 'huh...now what??' XD

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    1. AHH I DIDN'T KNOW YOU FINISHED YOUR NOVEL I JUST SENT YOU A MESSAGE WITH LOTS OF FLAILING AND CONFETTI. xD

      oooh so are you taking a break for the rest of the month, or? o.o I think I'm going to finish mine early this week so I'm not sure what I'll do with myself either. xD

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  18. you're doing amazing wow!

    Im at 33k, but Im about to attempt to write more. normally I take NaNo slow and steady, and stop when I hit my word count. but Im feeling risky today. lol.

    Also I have the same complaints about the new Thor movie. smh. I wanted to like it so bad so its conflicting. But I adored Loki. but I think they made him the butt of too many jokes as a fan service, which I did not appreciate.

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    1. Eyyy that's so awesome! I hope you get lots of words down. <3

      THANK YOU I AM SO GLAD SOMEONE AGREES WITH ME. I completely agree with you. *sigh*

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  19. Good job girl!! I mean, 61k and still a week left- you're so amazing! And YAY YOU WROTE ABOUT PIZZA GO YOU! that's so exciting! XD keep it up girly, you are so inspiring! <3 <3
    xx

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    1. Aww, thanks Paige! I appreciate how encouraging you are. <3 <3

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  20. This is EXACTLY the kind of week that I've had, so man, I relate. Although I believe that I saw on Twitter that SOMEONE finished her novel ;) YOU ROCK, KATIE!

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