A Reflection of Thanks

I'll forever think of November as days filled with an insane amount of writing, thanks to NaNoWriMo. Like thousands of other writers, I've been hunkering down all month long, stealing time that wasn't really there just to fit in 50,000 words on my new work in progress. Yesterday I finally hit that golden mark, in effect "winning" the personal challenge I had set for myself. Sadly enough, there wasn't any confetti, or any monetary reward per say (I did purchase a new coat in celebration, and had my own personal "Elf" moment), but there was a grand feeling of satisfaction that comes with the creation of a story and achieving a challenging goal.

The most gratifying thing I can walk away with from this experience is that I reached 60,000 on my newest book Paranormal Keepers, and can see the first draft being finished up by the end of December. The bad news is that it seems I've unleashed my inner writing demon and don't know how to put it back in its cage. I've caught myself structuring sentences before I say them out loud in regular conversation. If I don't get at least 1,000 words in a day, I become irritated with everyone and everything. Last night I had three consecutive dreams that were separate stories I was writing as they progressed (one very bazaar one even involving John Green). Sometimes writing is more like a relentless addiction than a job.

Still, I'm glad this was a successful month, and I'm thankful that my creativity continues to flow plentiful. If it didn't, I know I would lose my mind with all of these ideas trying to claw their way out. I'm also extremely thankful for all of you who have supported me by taking the time to read my books, write reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, tweet and blog and Facebook how much you enjoyed them, and continue to buy each of my new releases! You'll never know just how much I appreciate all you do! I wish I could give each and every one of you a tackling hug.

To all my US peeps, I wish you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Knock yourself out with turkey, football and good times.

A visual telling of PARANORMAL KEEPERS

I've been a visual junkie my whole life. As a teen I would buy the biggest magazines available and spending hours pouring over every page, marveling at the ridiculously good looking models inside, wondering what their stories may be. I seriously don't think I ever read any of the articles. The walls in my bedroom were plastered with Benetton ads and gorgeous models to feed my constant day-dreams into the mysterious lives of others. They're what inspired my first full-length novel somewhere around sixth or seventh grade. I also got into photography later in life, taking online courses on the craft before starting up my own independent business. And my favorite part about vacations has always been the opportunity to just take in the different scenery.

So it wasn't too surprising when I became a Pinterest addict. I'll go to the site with a certain purpose in mind, and end up spending hours looking through pictures. While it really is the biggest suckage of free time, there are days when it can actually be inspiring. I first started boards of each of my novels after they were completed, but for the first time I'm creating one as the story is being written.

Paranormal Keepers is flowing like gangbusters as I charge through National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). My characters are living in such an exciting world with witches, zombies, ghosts, and just about every other paranormal creature you can think of. And creating its corresponding Pinterest board has been extra fun because I get to bring out my inner goth side with dark, sometimes twisted images. To celebrate the success of Paranormal Keepers (without going into detail on the plot as there will still be major tweaking to be done before it's released), I give you a little visual preview of the current work in progress. To my fellow visual junkies, you're welcome.

 

Want more? Check out the entire board here.

My Crazy November

Ah, it's that time of year when we get to break out warm boots, sweaters and jeans, pumpkin anything and everything, watch as the leaves turn breathtaking colors, and celebrate the spooky awesomeness of Halloween (I especially can't wait for Halloween this year as I'm helping my 13-year-old throw her first big party this coming weekend).

But there's one event that's overshadowing my excitement for fall right now: NaNoWriMo.

For those of you who haven't heard of this, and are wondering what language that was, let me break it down for you. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a nationwide event that was created to entice writer's to challenge themselves to write 50,000 in the month of November. There's no prize or reward, other than the satisfaction that you can pump that many words out in that short of a time period. The first time I participated in NaNoWriMo, I finished my first full-length novel in over a decade, and actually published it a few months later. It's a great way for writers to break past all their fears, and train themselves to write faithfully. Anyone can sign up on their website, and it's free.

Originally I wasn't going to take the challenge this year as my personal life has been pretty crazy with busy children and the craziest harvest season I've seen in 20 years, but I've been running across giant instances of writer's block, and decided this is probably what I need to break through them, and get back on track. My goal in NaNoWriMo will be to complete the new adult romance novel I started last week. Still, I think I'll be lucky if I can complete the targeted number of words.

To any of my fellow authors also taking the leap with me this month, best of luck to you, and let's connect (my username: "jnau"). For those of you who aren't, please excuse my spotty absences and neglected blog posts. Hopefully by December I'll still be sane enough for things to go back to "normal".

NaNoWriMo 2012 - Major Success!

Once again this year, I made the commitment to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). What's this madness you ask? For the sane people out there, NaNoWriMo is a free for all in which hundreds of thousands of writers commit to put 50k words into a new story during the month of November. Although I hit the magic number about a week ago (not surprisingly, I'm still waiting for the champagne and confetti), I kept on charging ahead. While technically I still have today to keep working on it (and I plan to, believe me), my word count is over 68k.

My friends on Twitter have been saying how amazed they are that I have such a high word count. You have to take in consideration, however, that I did leave my office job over a year ago to write full time, so it's not the great feat it was last year when I had to steal every second of my social life to finish. Still, it's not as easy-peasy as one would think. Writers face many obstacles like gaping plot holes, a drive to delete and self-edit, and the dreaded writer's block.

One of the rules of NaNoWriMo is that you can't go back and rewrite/edit/delete at any time during the month. When I first participated last year, this about killed me as I was infamous for going back and rewriting when something bothered me. But once I got past it and kept moving forward, I was able to finish my first novel in over a decade. Keep in mind, dear reader, that a story is not done by any means just because you've written 50,000 words. My first published book, What I've Done, was a product of last year's NaNoWriMo. I continued writing it for a month or two after NaNoWriMo was over. Next it was sent to my editor for ideas, then I engaged in some major rewrites. By the time the story was finished in March, the total word count was over 75,000.

But the great thing about NaNoWriMo if you're a full-time author is that it really gives you a boost on your next novel. The new story that I'm working on involving mind control (title still in progress) has just exploded out of my fingertips and taken on a life of its own. The tale begins with a girl named Kianna having strange things happen to her on her eighteenth birthday. It gets out of control to the point where she actually entertains the idea that there is such thing as a birthday fairy (as Kianna says in her own defense, "Like mind control is any more believable?"). I hope you will see this story come to live early spring of 2013.

To all the fans who have been razzing me about writing sequels, The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life is up next and the sequel to Shymers will be one or two after that. I truly appreciate the great feedback and reviews I've been getting on these books and apologize for leaving you hanging with the giant cliffhangers! But be patient, my friends, and hopefully you'll be blown away by what happens next!

So what exactly is the prize for NaNoWriMo you ask? Nothing. Unless, of course, you count a whole world filled with shiny new characters for readers to enjoy and an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment. As a writer, I can't imagine anything better (well, other than maybe a movie deal or an around the world signing tour).