Hey again! I'm back with another chapter because I fully intend to get caught up -- and maybe that will spur me back into frantic writing mode. I'm experiencing the dreaded December lag when all of the momentum of NaNoWriMo starts to fade and I tend to focus on sleep and laundry instead of writing.

I hate it when that happens!

Clean clothes are good. Sleep is even better. But I'm also wrapping up a semester and gearing up for the holidays, so if nothing else, I need the frantic writing as a mental health break. I'm also getting to a good part of the story! ^_^

I think I'm sensing some motivation. More soon!




( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Six -- The Key )

So the Indy region TGIO party was last night, and it turns out that most everyone is my writers' group not only turned out 50,000 words in November, but they have also finished their stories already. I still have about 2.5 chapters to write, so the end is in sight, but I'm not there just yet. The end of 2009 is still my goal, so I guess I should consider this NaNoFiMo, though I'm not making it official and joining that site again. I did that one year, and it just wasn't the same...

My homework is already done for the day, and I'm feeling sort of creative today, so I think I'll be able to make some progress toward that final goal today. I want to wrap this story up. And then I want to pick up some previous NaNo projects and wrap them up, too.

Wouldn't it be nice to have all of my NaNo projects wrapped by the time NaNo 2010 starts? XD

One step at a time, though... And in that spirit, here's chapter five -- and we're another step closer!

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Five -- The View from Above )

Ughh. Does anyone else have a NaNoWriMo hangover? Not in the literal sense, though I did a fair amount of tipsy novelling this year, but in the sense that I'm both relieved that I made my 50K and that November is over so that I can get a handle on my real life again, but at the same time, I already miss the thrill of the chase and the constant, looming pressure to write something -- anything -- to make my word count for the day. There has to be a happy medium somewhere that keeps just enough fire under my heels to keep the words flowing without sucking up every last second and costing me so much sleep (and homework time).

*sigh*

But, as always, I thoroughly enjoyed NaNo this year! I went to write-ins more regularly, thanks to my excellent investment in a laptop computer, and I think that made for a more well-rounded experience overall. I had the usual rollercoaster with this story -- I loved it, then I hated it, then I was sure that it was horrible, then I found something I liked again, and now I'm in the homestretch! Just a few more chapters and I'll have a complete first draft... And since there's some good stuff coming up, I'm motivated ti finish -- hopefully by the end of 2009!

In the meantime, I'm several chapters behind in posting my rough draft, so I'll get caught up this week/weekend. This is the first chapter where I really noticed the rambling detours that always mark a NaNoWriMo project, so bear with me. I think the ending will be worth it! ^_^


( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Four -- Child's Play )

I'm making some solid progress in this story, and not just in sheer word count. I know where I'm going with this story, and I think I know how to get there. It's hard enough to stay on track during NaNoWriMo, but when I factor in all of the real life stuff that I have going on right now (along with the meandering nature of writing in first person stream of consciousness), I've been wandering through the most recent chapter (that would be chapter four, so you'll see what I mean in a few days).

But, I'm back on track, and I'm looking forward to making some real progress now. Keeping both Donovan and I on target is a bit like herding cats, but that's part of the NaNoWriMo challenge, ne?

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Three -- Grandson of Sam )

I'm nearing the half-way point of my word count for this November, and that means that I've also reached that point where I have no idea where this story is going, if it's ever going to get there, and I'm no longer sure that I like this story or my main character any more.

The good news is, all of those feelings usually pass once I break 30K. I just have to keep slogging til I get there.

That all sounds so negative -- it really makes you want to read this chapter, doesn't it? I'm writing chapter four right now, so my doubts don't sneak in just yet. And it will all be okay. Or something.

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter Two -- Piece by Piece )

I haven't posted here for 38 weeks. Sad, really. But I won't dwell on that. At least I'm back now, and I even remembered my password to get back in.

NaNoWriMo 2009 has started! And progress is being made!

As usual, my incredibly rough draft will be posted as I write it because I'm just a glutton for punishment. No guts, no glory!

( Shallow Sleep -- Chapter One -- I've Never Liked Cats )

I'm back again with another chapter! Not only did I break 130,000 words, but my .doc file crossed the 200-page mark with this chapter, too. I know that I shouldn't be thinking in terms of quantity anymore since NaNo is over, but I can't help myself -- those are a couple of great big milestones!

Personally, I like this chapter. It was fun to write, and I hope that it's fun to read, too!

( The Devil You Know, chapter fourteen )

The progress continues, even against great odds and my usual attention span related issues! I always seem to make it to about this point -- chapter 13 or 14 -- before I run out of gas and just walk away from the project completely "for a while", which is Pandora-speak for "don't hold your breath for me to come back and finish this any time soon"...

But not this time! Even though I have about six new Rosetta Stone stories started and I'm dying to work on them, I have pressed through chapter 13, and chapter 14 is already well underway, and I'm even looking forward to bringing this story to a full conclusion! I even know how it ends!

There may be hope for me yet...

( The Devil You Know, chapter thirteen )

At long last, here's chapter twelve! I feel like I've been stuck in this chapter forever, and it has been a couple of weeks, but since I've gone back to school, I guess that I should expect the novelling time to shrink a little bit.

This chapter ended up being a little bit different than how I originally thought that it would go, but I think I like the new perspective. We'll see how it all resolves in the next chapter before I firm up that opinion, though. -_-;

( The Devil You Know, chapter twelve )

I wasn't expecting to have a chapter to post tonight, but after reading through what I have so far, I found a natural chapter break, and just like that -- chapter eleven was ready to go. I was stunned, but I'm going with it because I really love this chapter, even though it's really short. It came together just the way I wanted it to, and even as a rough draft, I think it works pretty well.

If nothing else, it smoothed over the rough time that I've had with the last couple of chapters, and made me fall in love with this novel all over again, and that's quite a lot of work for one very short chapter to achieve, so I'm quite happy at the moment.

And now I'm going to get back to work on what used to be the continuation of this chapter, but has now suddenly become chapter twelve.

( The Devil You Know, chapter eleven )