NaNoWriMo, November 2020, DAY 25 – 2177 words
Dear Diary,
Today after I was done with my biz work, I started making food for tomorrow, which is Thanksgiving.
I made cranberry sauce, stuffed butternut squash, honey-mustard Brussels sprouts, and non-dairy pumpkin pie (with pumpkin that I baked and peeled myself, and homemade crust, because that’s how we roll). Brent made the stuffing.
We had takeout burritos for dinner. I burned my finger when a potholder slipped. But the food all came out great, and I’m that much closer to being ready for tomorrow’s meal.
Then BlackLion and I sat down to some late-evening sprints. I was pleasantly surprised to get so many words after such a long day!
DAY 26 – 0 words
Dear Diary,
I took the day off from writing in honor of Thanksgiving Day.
That said, it was a fun day, but not particularly restful. I got up and started cooking again! Garlic mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and carrots, this time. My other housemates were cooking up a storm, too.
We had a lovely quiet (and delicious!) feast with just those of us who live here, and delivered food to various relatives at a safe distance. I missed being able to eat with my extended family. Stupid pandemic.
Then I worked the evening shift at the radio station.
Came home and rested. What a day!
DAY 27 – 2195 words
Dear Diary,
Today I could really feel how close we are to the end of the month, and this wild endeavor!
BlackLion and I did sprints before dinner, and got a nice chunk of writing done.
We also worked on making holiday cards, which is super fun. We played holiday music while we were crafting. I’m getting in the spirit!
DAY 28 – 2256 words
Dear Diary,
I wrote a really fun scene today, where my main character met with an archangel on the astral plane. The words just poured out!
This was one of those scenes I probably wouldn’t have planned in advance. I’m thankful for this “pantsing experiment.”
We wrote in the morning today, during the Parallel PlayDate and for a little while after. We’re both getting so close to the goal!
DAY 29 – 3564 words and A WIN!!!
Dear Diary,
BlackLion and I decided that today would be the day we finish NaNoWriMo. We wrote together, doing sprints in the morning after breakfast.
He wanted to stop for a while to watch football, but I was in the groove and determined to finish while I had the momentum.
So I cruised ahead, and finished my 50K in the early afternoon. It feels great!
I’m about 82K into this novel draft, which is about 3/4 of the way done. For now, though, I’m taking a break.
Lessons from this year: I still love sprints for drafting my fiction. They’re my favorite technique, and I’m so glad we first tried them last November!
I’m glad I tried being a pantser, but I think overall I’m happier with my usual plantser middle-ground. It’s good to know, though.
Maybe next year I’ll try being a full-on planner and outline the entire book, scene by scene.
But probably not…
