author of celtic, medieval, gothic and fairytale inspired fiction
DAY 9 has been another slow day. I spent it researching and making notes for GILDED ROSES while managing to get some words down.
All up I wrote 1835 words today. I am 2,853 words behind, but I’m making progress. I had hoped to get some drabbles written but inspiration didn’t strike so that’s a job for tomorrow.
Anyway… tomorrow is a new day.
Happy writing.
What can I say it’s November and I’m not perfect. DAY 7 and 8 netted me a combined total of 1800 words.
I’m currently 4,440 words behind and it’s because of that I’ve decided to switch things up and continue with NaNoWriMo as a rebel. I will continue putting words down on my novel and complete any other writing projects that crop up.
It might seem like cheating to some but I’ve proven to myself in the past I can write a 50k word novel. So, for now I’m just going to write.
50k here I come!
Well it’s DAY 6… 11:10pm and I’m having to stop writing for the night.
For anyone doing NaNoWriMo and writing on their phone take breaks. Because I type on my phone solely using my right pointer finger I’ve killed my hand. More knowledgeable minds than me might say I have RSI. It’s quite likely. Basically hurts to move half my right hand. But you can’t win without pain and I’m behind so writing any words are a bonus.
I’m finishing the night off with 8,515… it’s not 10k… but I have a few tricks if I need them.
Also, there’s totally badass unicorn riding fey in my novel… 🙂
Well it was bound to happen sooner or later… I dropped the ball. I wrote 714 words yesterday. I have about 906 words to catch up on. I won’t be doing any massive steps to rectify that today, however but I am aiming for 1,668 words minimum. It’s still early. Fingers crossed. Trying to balance the chores and writing when November comes around is tricky.
How is everybody else going with their writing goals? NaNoWriMo or otherwise? Are you hitting your targets or flailing?
I’ll have another update, for Day #6 later.
Well it’s 9pm on DAY 4 and I was skeptical that I’d actually make it but 2,050 words later and I’m all caught up. Sitting at 6,715 words which means I can ease off on the nano words at least until tomorrow.
Story wise… well unexpected things are starting to crop up. People I presumed were dead this morning are now alive and well and in hiding. If you’ve ever watched Reign or Lost Girl, you’ll get the vibe I’m going for with my story. It’s the Royal drama and romance from Reign melding with the fey shenanigans from Lost Girl.
It’s actually starting to get just a little bit exciting. I have no idea if this story will go the distance or not but I’m starting to see an overarching plot emerge, which is great.
There will be at least two more people dead by the week’s end I think.
I don’t relish killing off characters but these two deserve it.
Well, until tomorrow and for those of you doing NaNoWriMo or just working on other writing projects… happy writing!
And it’s DAY 3!!!
I finished at 3,358 words yesterday. Hit the target but was 200 words shy of reaching 1,667 words for the day. I’m currently at 4,472. With 34 minutes remaining…
I miss my buffer.
This morning I learnt not to fall asleep mid thought. I’ve completely blanked and had to write around whatever it is I was trying to say, which was interesting to say the least.
Today’s words are coming slower than yesterday, probably because I slept in. But the aim is to see out today with at least 5,001 words if not a few more.
I jumped ahead a bit in the story and the plan is to fill in the gaps tomorrow.
Suffice to say it’s been an interesting three days so far. My characters have been misbehaving and are taking me along for the ride.
And DAY 2 has arrived. It’s 3pm and I’m currently sitting on 2,800 words all up and I’m just 500 words shy of today’s minimum word count. I finished out yesterday with 2,001.
The story has a working title. It’s Gilded Roses. It will likely change before November is through.
Other things I know so far…
Riordan has a sister. Nameless at the moment. So if anyone wants to throw Irish names my way that could suit a raven haired girl by all means place them in the comments.
Saoirse is a bit of a mystery still. I mean I know what’s going to happen in the next few thousand words but beyond that nope. Drawing a complete blank.
Here’s hoping i can make this story go the distance. I haven’t written a novel from scratch in so long when it comes to NaNoWriMo and I’m feeling the pressure a little.
I haven’t yet managed to turn of my inner editor and as such the beginning has changed. For the better, I think.
So, here goes… this is the opening to this years novel.
I awoke slowly, drowsy and disoriented. The last thing I remembered was packing my suitcases.
My parents were dead. The reality hit me again, like a punch to the stomach and I sucked in a breath to keep from crying.
But after that there was nothing. I tried to fight the fog but it was impenetrable.
Had I been drugged?
Looking around, it was clear I was on a plane. Possibly thousands of feet up in the air, but as to who had put me here, or where I was headed. That was a mystery.
I wracked my brain, but only pieces of information came back to me. My parents’ death. Their funeral. And then being given two hours to pack my most prized possessions into a few suitcases. My entire life summed up in a few bags.
Tragic.
I’m not sure how I did it, but I did, because I was here now. Seated on this plane, albeit slightly sleepy and horribly confused, but here nonetheless. It wasn’t a commercial airline I was travelling on, because I was the only passenger and the aircraft itself was small. Maybe a dozen seats all told. Somebody had gone to great lengths to get me away from my home. The question I asked myself was why?
In my pocket I found my cellphone. Turning it on I spied one new text message, sent from a number unknown to me. It read:
Don’t scream. You’re safe. Friends will meet you at the end of your journey.
Well it’s DAY 1 of NaNoWriMo… and it’s going well and my daily target has been met. I’m considering hitting research mode in a little bit because I went into this story knowing virtually nothing but the basic plot and names of the main characters.
Saoirse and Riordan… in case you’re wondering.
In typical me fashion… there’s faeries involved, but it’s totally cut off from anything I’ve written to date. New world and a whole new cast of characters. New slants on faerie courts as well… to a degree. I’m… still figuring it all out, suffice to say scenes are unfolding disjointedly in my head faster than I can type. Which is always fun.
For now though, I’m leaving you with the opening line… which isn’t the greatest, but it’s words on paper and that’s all I’m concerning myself with for now. It’s November after all. My rough draft is rough.
I awoke, drowsy and sluggish, on a plane, one hundred thousand feet in the air with no idea how I had gotten to be on the plane or where I was headed.
Intrigued?
Yeah me too.
Happy first day of NaNoWriMo for those of you who have started… and good luck to those of you who are yet to start.
For those of you who may be keen to follow my progress over the next month, I’m going to try and update this blog once a day.
Yup! It’s that time of year again… no, I’m not talking about Halloween. Although it is coming up awfully fast and I’ll blog about that in another post. I’m talking about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those not in the know)
Every year since November 2005, I’ve participated. And every year, bar 2008, I’ve won.
This year, I’ve decided to not be a rebel and write a novel from scratch. 50,000 words – all of them new. In an effort to kickstart a new series.
So far, beyond the main characters and setting, I’ve done little pre-NaNo planning.
Basically, I’m winging it and pantsing. It’s worked quite well in the past and whatever doesn’t work post NaNoWriMo will be edited out.
I’m thinking I might post snippets every day of November so you can see a little of my progress along the way.
Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments below! I could use some buddies throughout the month.
For those who might want to look me up, I go by Rhiannon Brid on the forums.
Well, I did it! With the acceptance of my poetry and a short story into two different anthologies I now have 56 pieces accepted for publication over the last ten months.
I am so thankful to the publishers who have accepted my stories and poetry over the last ten months, it means the world to me.
In light of this recent milestone, I’ve decided to challenge myself.
My aim now is for 75 acceptances by December 31st 2019.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Ringing in the last day of September having written 1080 words of fantasy featuring wolves and ravens. It’s been an interesting time.
To say it’s been a productive day would be an understatement because I actually haven’t written this much in a while. It feels good.
Not only that but as of September 30th I’ve submitted 54 works ranging from poems and drabbles, right up to stories reaching 12k in length.
Of those 54 submissions, I’ve had five rejections and thirty-five acceptances. Fourteen remain pending.
It’s quite an impressive list and my aim is to see out 2019 with 50 acceptances.
Fingers crossed I can achieve it! If I happen to reach it before December rolls around I’ll push for 60!
Another Sunday has rolled around again and with it comes another installation of Story Prompt Sunday!
I hope you enjoy today’s opening line…
He was not a fighter.
And please, if you’re up for it, and it inspires you, share what you’ve written in the comments below!
Another Sunday has rolled around again and with it comes another installation of Story Prompt Sunday!
Being winter… it’s once again my source of inspiration.
I hope you enjoy today’s opening line…
I woke to the the sound of rain.
And please, if you’re up for it, and it inspires you, share what you’ve written in the comments below!
Another Sunday has rolled around again and with it comes the tenth installation of Story Prompt Sunday!
No inspiration for this prompt… just completely random. I hope you enjoy it.
So, here it is, today’s opening line…
The house looked large and all encompassing but it was still dwarfed by the snow capped mountains that loomed in the distance.
And please, if you’re up for it, and it inspires you, share what you’ve written in the comments below!
Another Sunday has rolled around again and with it comes the ninth installation of Story Prompt Sunday!
Inspiration this week is sunrise. For no other reason than I was awake until almost 5am this morning. Didn’t quite last until the sun rose. I wasn’t really trying to, but I do like the sky at that time of the morning.
So, here it is, today’s opening line…
As the sun rose over the horizon, there was no excitement at the arrival of a new day, merely dread at the realisation I had to repeat yesterday.
And please, if you’re up for it, and it inspires you, share what you’ve written in the comments below!