9 comments

Finding the WHEEE

Greetings from Nanowrimo week three, also known as I HAVE NO TIME TO BLOG BECAUSE I’M WRITING ALL THE TIME. As of today I’m 77% of the way done with The Case of the Karaoke Killer which puts me on track to finish by the end of the month. Yay!

My heroine and her buddies are snapping clues together like pieces of a puzzle and the big picture is slowly coming into focus. This is the part of a story I enjoy best, both as a writer and a reader. It’s the big “puzzling out” before the Aha Moment. So much fun!

Writing a book feels — emotionally at least — like climbing a mountain, but when I hit the final act it’s like sliding down that same mountain on my ass going WHEEE!

I’m very happy that I’ve reached the WHEEE point*, but it’s also true that Nanowrimo comes with ups and downs and not every day has felt so easy. Here’s a quick rundown on my last few weeks:

Nanowrimo: An Emotional Rollercoaster Made of Words

Day 1-3: Enthusiasm! My initial scenes feel tentative but good.

Day 4-6: Chugging along. Pacing myself.

Day 7-10: I HATE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. I stop writing and procrastinate by baking cookies, watching the Great British Baking Show, and designing a custom 404 page for my website. When I return to my desk, I write a scene that makes my heart happy and then I LOVE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.

A screencap from Rick and Morty with Rick saying
Tip: Never attempt to “help” with a writer experiencing book-related mood swings. Make an offering of coffee or chocolate and back away slowly.

 

Day 11-15: Treading water. Have I lost the thread of my story? I spend 3 days reviewing and strengthening earlier scenes until I catch back up to my furthest point.

Day 16-18: Speed spurt!

Day 19-20: My gosh. Things are happening in the story. They’re awesome things, but I haven’t properly laid the groundwork for these events, and therefore they lack continuity. I list out my missing subplots and shove them in where they belong. My book feels — at least temporarily — like Frankenstein’s monster, kinda stitched together.

Day 21-22: I’m over the hump and WE’RE SOLVING CRIMES, MOTHERF*CKERS! WHEEE! I can see to the end of the story, and I’m blasting out 3000+ words per day in a state of caffeinated bliss.

So far, so good! But I’ve got plenty left to to this week.

To my readers: By the end of this month, I’ll have two cruise ship mysteries ready to edit and publish. Woot!

To my nano buddies: We’ve got eight days left, friends. Pour some coffee, turn up the music, and let’s crank it!

 

*WHEEE point shouldn’t be confused with poo poo point, an unfortunately named hiking trail in my home state.

*My new heroine doesn’t approve of swearing, but clearly I’m not her. 😉