TGIO (Thank God It's OVER)!

Popping back in the blog after hitting 50k words in my NaNo novel.

YES! 50K!

But I haven't validated yet because of the discrepancy in my word processesor. I'll validate sometime later this week, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop after reaching the finish line. I still haven't written "The End" to my story, so the writing doesn't stop just yet. But I'm just over the moon to have crossed the line because it has been worse than hell going through this month. 

Edit: I've finally written the ending, and I've clocked in a total of 55,078 words per NaNo word count verifier.

It's THAT time of the year again

...and I don't mean Christmas.

I look forward to November of each year with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as it usually means I'll have to go through 30 days and nights of anxiety, frustration, and euphoria, thanks to this yearly event called NaNoWriMo. 

And like every week before NaNo commences, I'm always left doing something else (like writing this blog post) instead of finishing my story's plot. 

There's a lot going for me this year as I take on this yearly writing challenge, most of which is work-related schedule conflict. Hopefully once I establish a routine after work, I can stick to it and accomplish my daily writing quota. I'll be doing Reverse NaNoWriMo again to get me ahead of my game. 

I'll be writing contemporary romance again, and I have good vibes with this story. I'm really hoping this euphoria lasts even beyond November, as I plan to hopefully get it published as well. Last year's NaNo novel is still in the process of being edited, but I'm also crossing my fingers I could get it all cleaned up and ready to be sent out to the world next year. 

Despite my not-yet-finished plot, I'm very excited to do NaNo again because of the local support group, PinoyWrimos, and the much-larger, global group of WriMos who'll go through the same roller coaster ride this month. 

And speaking of PinoyWrimos, the Kick-Off event was so much fun! It was one of the biggest turnout in terms of attendance, and it was great to see both new and familiar faces. That round-robin writing exercise was such a nifty game that I got to bond with fellow writers (we collectively call ourselves the Dino WriMos because of our strange affinity for prehistoric reptiles and a certain British supermodel). And I got to talk about Reverse NaNo too and shared my experience on how it helped me reach the finish line way ahead of the deadline. 

I'm definitely looking forward to the write-ins and participating in word wars. I'm going to make 2014 my (NaNo) year! 

And here's to hoping we all get our purple bars!

Book Blog Tour + Updates

I'm having a blog tour for my book happening on December 15-21, organized by Dia of Book Junkie Blog Tours. Sign up if you want to read and review In Over Her Head on your blogs. I will also have a giveaway during the tour.

*****

My dirty notebook where I tallied my daily word count progress.

As of this writing, I'm already at 55k words in my NaNoWriMo project. I've reached 50k words last November 21, but the story hasn't reached its end as of late. I'll probably continue to write even beyond today so I can start working on revisions in January.

I'm really pleased to say that Reverse NaNoWrimo has worked well for me that I got to reach the 50k word mark earlier than usual. I went a few words beyond the daily suggested quota, and I've established a regular writing schedule throughout the duration of November. The only downside was that I began to lose steam after reaching 50k words, and I've given in to the luxury of taking a break from writing after November 21. I still think it's a great technique to finish NaNoWriMo, and I'd definitely use this in next year's attempt.

*****

Me and my co-writers from #romanceclass are coming up with a YA/coming-of-age anthology set in a fictional Philippine high school, Luna East Arts Academy. We're hoping to release the print edition in December, so watch this space for more updates!

A Little Bit of Positivity

Did a little bit of Wordle on my blog, and I found a lot of positive words associated with most of my post. And best of all...books! :)

I'm excited to announce that I'm already at work on my next book, and I'm writing all 50k words in one month! I've been joining NaNoWriMo for five years and this is the first time that I'm hoping to finish with the ultimate plan to have the manuscript published (after major revisions, of course). To do all that, I'm going to do the Reverse NaNoWriMo thingee to help me get through Week 3 and 4 slumps. I have my fingers (and toes) crossed that I hit the finish line by the end of the month. Wish me luck! :)

November agonies

It's just four days left until the end of November and I'm just so stoked. I just want to get over this month after making my fingers go all numb from all that typing for NaNoWriMo. I'm still at 47k-ish and I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, there's still some editing to do because I'm betting my entire bookshelf that I wrote crap for the most part that I've rushed to meet the daily quota. I've been thinking about the loopholes in the plot as well, but thank God for my uncanny ability to shut my inner editor into silence. I'm so sure that I'll be wading through the muck that I've written this December. Hopefully I'll be able to write "The End" to this year's story and I'm crossing all my fingers and toes for that. 

I'm just so not in my element writing this novel in another country. I would have been able to enjoy being here a lot better if not for the daily writing that I have to put up with. Ugh. I just want to get my life back.

Interrupting this long silence...

My Facebook badge of courage. Courtesy of the OLL.

...to say that it's less than 4 hours left 'til the epic madness that is NaNoWriMo! I may have been MIA from the blogosphere, but I'm still around. It's just that I've been so lazy writing anything for the blog lately, and irony of ironies, I'm joining NaNo. Crazy, crazy.

I've got a lot of things going this November, some are not-so-good career-wise, but I'm keeping myself open to possibilities. Taking on this yearly writing challenge is a way for me to zap myself out of my lazy stupor and get creative. Also this year, I've challenged myself not only to reach 50k but to also write the ending to the story I'm working on. Actually, 50k words is not my target, but a definitive "The End" to the story.

To top it all off, I'm gonna be writing my novel in Singapore where I will also challenge my fate and luck in opportunities. Yay!

Big words. Hope I can make the cut. See you at the end of November (or in the next few days as I would probably rant and whine in utter madness this month)!

Post NaNo

I've been putting off writing on this blog post-NaNoWriMo. I admit I've been too lazy to post anything after slugging it out for an entire month of 2k daily word quotas. Although I'm glad to say that I've reached my self-imposed 60k word count goal, but the story is far from over. Looking back at what I've written so far, I've made a few realizations:

• My characters aren't as lovable as I originally perceived them to be.
• Conflict has lost its steam and I have no idea how to write the ending.
• The romance subplot seems forced.

Well, look at that. It looks like my inner editor has managed to get out of the cage without my knowledge and now she's looking over the crap I've written. B-e-a-utiful.

I'm going to give this thing a month before I actually get around to fix it. I might contemplate in joining NaNoFiMo or NaNoEdMo. Or perhaps both. 

In other news, I have the most awesome post-birthday/Christmas gift ever. I have a Kindle Fire! I've been downloading ebooks like crazy and reading until the wee hours. Though I still love flipping books, I can finally relate how great it feels not to lug around a ginormous paperback. I am forever grateful for this awesome gift. :D

Funny how the holidays made me think of a lot of things I want to get for myself. I try not to think so much about it, but the compulsion to buy stuff is just so overwhelming. Although being cooped up at home works wonders in saving money, but when I do go out, I almost always spend stuff in one go. I guess I have to be more strict in my expenses.

I've also been browsing the Adopt a Plot thread in NaNoWriMo and I've been besieged by plot bunnies ever since. I'm thinking of taking up the challenge to submit a manuscript next year, so I need all the practice I can get. This year's novel showed I still need to polish my grammar and refine my plot. I need all the encouragement from myself because admittedly, I am my worst critic.

I still can't help but feel excited on yet another writing project. Let's do this!

Wake me up when November's over

Plotting away

I look up the NaNo website and it says it's 14 days 'til November 1.

Wait...WHAT?!

I'm not yet finished with my chapter outlines. Please don't let it be November just yet.

Project 365: All things geeky & cute

Jan 7: Stuff to do. It just never ends, does it?

Jan 8: Featuring my nifty NaNoWriMo noveling pen & my recent read, Naermyth.

Jan 9: She's snobby when she's not in heat. That's our Minggay.

Jan 10: My entry to Roch's meme: Christmas gifts from Japan

Never too late for Christmas prezzies

Today has just been super. I got an extra day off, thanks to the leave I filed. That gave me the free time to drop by the post office to claim a parcel sent by a friend from the US. I was surprised to see a box waiting for me with the following stuff inside:

Awesome loot!

Did I say that I LOVE notebooks?

Well, now you know.

I have this crazy obsession for notebooks. It's one of the first things I look for when I enter a bookstore (aside from books, that is). Even if I know that I may not be able to write on every single page, I just loooove burning money in buying notebooks that will just probably collect dust in my bookshelf.

But then again, you'd never know when you'll need one, right? Right.

And don't even get me started on the quirky looking ones. Especially this particular treasure:

My officemate brought along his copy last Friday & there was only one thing that flashed in my mind: I just have to get my hands on one. Who ever thought that slumbooks were the stuff of our grade school memories? This one's a lot better & funny too. It would be a blast to get your friends to sign in. Or pati sa crush, pwede din. He. He. He.

My sister got me the NaNoWriMo Noveling Journal as well as the other NaNo loot I wanted. Yay! I will be getting them on December when she comes home for the holidays.

And on that note, I just want to say that I finally made up my mind not to join this year's novel race. There's simply too much on my plate & I don't want to ruin 2 years of successive wins only to lose this year. I will most probably hang out in the forums to lurk and steal plots. I still have a manuscript to finish & will spend most of my free time working on it. Maybe I'll work on the plot for next year's NaNo. Or not.

T minus 3 days to doomsday. Ugh. Do not want to get old.

Do want!

My birthday's coming up *ladieffingda* and I'm salivating over these beauties:

So even if I'm not entirely sure to join this year, I still want these noveling trinkets. I really, really do. Tamaan na ang dapat tamaan. LMAO.

Although I've been meaning to ask...how come the NaNo peeps from the Office of Letters & Light haven't thought of having a notebook merchandise? I've been meaning to get an official NaNo shirt too. But it's always been designed with the noveling year, and it sort of makes it old after...what...2 months? Not practical if you ask me.

More NaNo goodies at the OLL store.

WTF am I doing?

It was a trap. I knew it!

But how could I resist? I read Tina's email containing news of a refreshed NaNo website and forum was just too good to pass up! The prospect of trolling the NaNoWriMo forum was just as seductive as a topless Zanjoe Marudo (yuck, ang jologs! LMAO). I knew that the freaking button would register me as an "official participant", but I still clicked it! Unggghh...

But seriously, I am still considering whether to join this year's race or not. I cannot even begin to fathom the work I have right now, not to mention this manuscript that I'm currently writing. But dammit, just thinking about the mayhem, word wars, forum trolling while killing time at work, writing meet-ups...I need that! Trust me, it's not fun to just lock yourself up in your room and write. I've already spent months holed up at home and refusing social invites just to get some writing done.

Ok. So if I join this year, I have a half-baked plot. I will just shoot myself on the foot if I dived into this insanity without any clear direction. I will be wasting days working on a crap plot, letting the momentum of the current manuscript dry up in my brain.

Wait...why am I explaining this to myself? I thought I've already decided not to join?

Unggghh...I hate bring a Libra! I swear to God this indecisiveness will be the death of me.

A list of random stuff

I just needed to update this space, so I hope you won't mind the mindless rambling. I tend to do that a lot.

Rinse & repeat

Ok, so I just finished editing last year's manuscript, which means I've been delayed for 6 months. That roughly gives me less than 5 months to work on another plot for this year's November novel writing.