It’s NaNoWriMo time again, campers!
Yes, I’m taking a stab at it. This year, it’s going to be a bit harder, as I have a LOT going on.
What’s Going On?
I’m moving
Hallelujah, I’m finally getting out of the town I’ve been stuck in for-fricking-ever. I’ve been job hunting forever, and there is no growth here. Plus, I’ve priced myself out of the small market. So what I need is a bigger market.
My crappy house has sold, and I’ll be able to move anywhere, though it will probably have to be within Nearby BiggerCity for now. I don’t really want to be there, either. However, the universe has been throwing favorable signs at me, and I’ve thrown a bucket of wishes at it, so we’ll see.
Since I won’t make enough profit to move somewhere cool and then get a job, I will be the literal nerd in her mother’s basement. It’s just temporary, however, until I find something. If I find work out of state, Oliver and I can just tootle away. I can come back for my stored stuff later.
Photo: Elizabeth West
Closing is November 7 and I have to move 200 miles and two locations away before then, so this is going to take some organization.
I’m packing
Since I’ve no clue where I’m going to end up or what I’ll need, the new homeowner, a younger person starting out whose grandparents are buying the house for him (aww), is purchasing some of my furniture. I’ve sold a lot of the rest on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Only a few things are going with me; the rest will be in storage.
Yes, I’ll have to move twice, unless something happens between now and then. The next two weeks will be key. It’s a little difficult to pack while you’re still actually using the things you need to pack.
I submitted Tunerville to Pitch Wars
This may not even happen, but if I’m chosen as a mentee, I will be revising one book at the same time I’m writing another. Gah!
There’s a new idea floating around in my head, though I might actually write Book 3 just to get it out and done. If nothing comes of Pitch Wars, then I can take my time with the conlang and revision of Books 2 and 3. It’s possible to publish earlier works later after you’ve broken through (please, universe, let me break through).
I’m still job hunting
The less said about this, the better.
Image by Gerd Altmann at Pixabay
NaNoWriMo Prep
Several tasks remain before I’m ready to dive into this year’s project.
An outline
Book 3 is already outlined in my head and has plenty of notes. New Idea is currently nothing but a blurb I wrote while practicing query letters. Regardless of which I choose, I should at least hit the high points to keep myself on track.
Music to write by
Last year’s Writing Music playlist will suffice. If I make a new one, I’ll share. I still have loads of albums to pick from.
A routine
I don’t mean a schedule, but the way I prepare and how I get into each session. Since I’m trying to cultivate a better writing habit, I’ve spent some time thinking about what works best for me.
- Sitting in one place at basically the same time of day (usually evening, especially if I’m working)
- Reading a little where I left off (this only works if I’m writing from start to finish, which, as you know, I don’t always do)
- Throat-clearing
I want to talk about that last one. Sometimes, when you sit down to write, it’s hard to get started. Long ago, when I was stuck once, I did an email workshop called Daily Writes, created by Shery Arrieta Russ. I discovered that it helped to free-write for a few minutes about what I intended to accomplish that day. After finishing the workshop, I kept the habit as a way to unblock myself when I couldn’t seem to get started. All the blah-de-blah can be deleted later and doesn’t affect my word count.
I don’t expect to get all the way through Book 3 (or whatever) in November, but last year, I finished Book 2 the following month. Since I’ll be in a new city with no money (until I find a job) and no life, I reckon I’ll have lots of time.
Read more about NaNoWriMo:
A First Timer’s Guide to Prepping for NaNoWriMo | NY Book Editors
The Pitfalls of NaNoWriMo | LitReactor
NaNoWriMo 2019: How to FINALLY Write Your 30-Day Novel | reedsy blog
Graphomaniac - A. Elizabeth West 
Hi, Liz! I hope you find time to . . . take . . . a . . . few . . . breaths. As ever, best of luck to you.
Thanks William!
Packing things into storage, moving with barely any funds, seeking self sustaining work, minimal funds means having minimal life, still seeking work… “are you ok with these hours, you know its a steady schedule, mmm….are you ready to give up your travels and all the fun adventures you must be having?” I do not envy you. The adventure-supposers are a joy compared to the “are you a fugitive like why else would you move” set. “Why did you store your things? Why not just move it all in one trip?” Yes. Just wait.
Some of this resonates with me a bit…. Graduate school = just like bucket of wishes with a loan attached? Good luck, may you find where you want you end up! You must have far better mathematics skills than I, who chose to move for practicality, affordability, AWAY from the trendiest big city. Can’t for the life of me work out a hip city budget on working student pay or regular working person salary- You’d think I have a cognitive problem or something, this needing income like a crutch. You’re gonna be fine though. You will find the right mentor, your work will benefit and become profitable. If your mentor is more of a coach, no one will care or remember the misuse if verbiage. And hey, even though you will realize your imagined future self 100%? Don’t worry if you have to take one of those Tootler jobs for a while. If you have to retype someone’s handwritten work instead of compute your own while they complete both ends of their own? Find out if there is meaning behind those pesky numbers and letters; 24WB36475 might seem easily transposable- not so fast! What if you had been allowed to see the process? Oh, this was made on line 24, by operator WB, on december 30, and it is formula 75? (Huzzah!- theres only 30 packaging lines silly). That will help and remember- you are going to be GREAT! (Its artists’ pigment. Calm yourselves.)
Whoa, this is a very long comment…it sounds like you needed to vent a little. No worries; we all do now and then. And yeah, grad school is often high cost and low return. I don’t recommend it unless it’s absolutely necessary.
I can’t change the job market here, so going bigger has to happen regardless. I’ve done plenty of crap jobs and doubtless will have plenty more, lol. As for writing, there are no guarantees. We writers just have to keep trying. But thank you for the encouragement. I hope all goes well for you too!
On Sat, Oct 19, 2019 at 11:50 PM Graphomaniac – Elizabeth West wrote:
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So many things going on! Good luck with it all! And try to survive NaNo with your sanity intact! :)
Ugggghh totally!