Insecure once again...

Hello my dear fellow Insecure-ists!!

Welcome to the December post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, and thank you for stopping by even if I did miss last month's post and have not, in fact, posted since mid-October. I'm plenty insecure about that, let me tell you.

I mean, I used to be so good at the whole blogging thing... commenting on other people's blogs (sorry guys, I've been really, really bad at that), posting about my writing, telling stories for blogfests... I did it all, but I don't any more, because I do not seem to be able to find the time. I don't know why not, since my workload hasn't increased all that much. Has my Mr Muse left me? Am I tired of the online life, so to speak? Maybe a little, for both. Mr Muse is definitely a little put out by my lack of attention (he's sensitive that way).

I did dedicate part of November to him, though - I participated in NaNo and managed to get my 50.000 words down on paper, so that's definitely something. It's mostly rubbish - I admit I did include character interviews and long descriptions of settings that recur in the story, along with some background stuff that wouldn't actually show up if I ever (ever) get to the publishing point. But still, 50.000 words are 50.000 words, right?

How about you? What are you feeling particularly insecure about? Do you fear losing touch with the whole online community sometimes, no matter how much fun it is and how helpful? Did you take part in NaNo? How did it go? Or did you do something completely different?

Birth of a Novel - sort of, anyway

Today, I'm a Winner.

Yes, you read correctly. I finished my NaNo-Experience of the year at 50,800 words. Good thing, too, since I won't be able to do any writing tomorrow! 

Just over 50 000 words of utter nonesense, now that I'm re-reading it, but it's there, so YAY! I went ahead and ordered myself a Winner T-Shirt. Spend when you're winning, I say. The story, as it stands, will probaby live at the bottom of my endless story drawer (endless coz the stories will never end - get it, huh, huh?), never again to see the light of day until I'm brave enough to do a re-write. 

Instead of touching that particular story now, I'm off to work on last year's NaNo, instead. I'm even considering the whole write one, sub one thing for next year - that's like NaNo all year long, pressure wise. 

No idea if I'll dare, but maybe...who knows...

Thank you to everyone who popped in on my sporadic blogposts - I love you guys!!! 

*HUGS*

And special hello and thanks to my fellow Birth-of-a-Novel-ers - sorry I've been so uncommunicative, but not updating my wordcount regularly and being offline a lot helped me get to the end this year. I'm gonna go say hi to you now....

Angela H. Anna M. Brooke Busse Charity Bradford Elizabeth Davis Elizabeth Poole Fida Islaih Huntress Jen McConnel Lena Hoppe Mia Hayson Miranda Hardy Nyxie Moon Tessa C Zoe

Ten Things about my NaNo 2011

Yep, I'm doing it again, starting today.

1. I'll be writing 1,667 words each day this November, or at least that's the plan. 
2. This year, I'm also part of the Birth of a Novel Blogchain hosted by Charity. The aim of the game is to post updates on our NaNo progress every Tuesday, pop in on the others and generally revel in the madness. 
3. I'm actually writing this post late on the 31st of October, and as of yet, I have NO CLUE what I'll be writing tomorrow. This will be the ultimate pantsing experience for me. 
4. Actually, I'm always a pantser. Whenever I try to plan (too much or even at all) my characters go on strike and my Muse wrinkles his cute little nose at me in disdain before flouncing off to make someone else happy. Bitch. 
5. I'm in a really busy place, job wise, so doing NANo is probably not the most intelligent thing. But hey, it's all about the rush, no?
6. I really wish I wasn't such a pantser. I'd love to be able to outline properly, just once, without it killing the mojo. 
7. I love - LOVE - drawing maps. Yep, maps. What! I write fantasy. I'm allowed. Only problem? I have yet to figure out how to fit 1677 words onto a map. 
8. Maybe I'll start off my NaNo with a map anyway. 
9. I hope I'll be waking up tomorrow with my Muse at my side. The imaginary one, that is. The most I can hope for physically speaking is one of my two dogs. *sigh* 
10. Please do pop in again next Tuesday and say hi! It'll make my NaNo week, really it will. And maybe, if you have time, say hi to the others, too? Here's the list of The Birth of a Novel-ers: 

Brooke Busse  http://brookerbusse.blogspot.com

Charity Bradford   http://charitywrites.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Poole  http://writerelizabethpoole.blogspot.com/

Fida Islaih http://fida-islaih.blogspot.com

Huntress  http://spiritcalled.blogspot.com/

Lena Hoppe  http://lenalothanas.blogspot.com/

Mia Hayson  http://literaryjamandtoast.blogspot.com/

Miranda Hardy   http://www.mirandahardy.blogspot.com/

Nyxie Moon  http://creativedawdle.blogspot.com

Post-Nano blur and The Hating Game Splash

So....

I made it!!! 

Only just, but I managed the requisite 50.000 words in 30 days. What a rush! And what an adventure! 

And, let me tell you, it was an excruciatingly painful experience of extreme creativity and typing frenzy. The outcome is dubious, no question. To the NaNo-Doubters out there, no, I will not print out my...ehm..."manuscript" and send it to the next editor/agent/publisher on my list. I wouldn't do that to anyone. I also refuse to waste paper on what is clearly a very very first draft. 

An incomplete one at that. I have a collection of scenes, but no cohesive story. Yet. I still like my characters (though they have transformed, over the last 30 days, into completely different people than I had imagined at first), so I don't want to relegate them to my "forgitabboutit" box of unfinished things and random ideas. 

I can always do that later. 

So now I'm done with NaNo. 

...

...

...

ehm....

ok now what? 

....

I've also moved house now (well mostly). 

...

..

So..... I'm back to the blogging life! Sorry I've been 'absent' the last month!! I'm back now, promise! Right now I'm getting prepared for my Outside the Box-Blogontest... if you haven't read about it yet, what are you waiting for? You have until Dec 5th to enter, and there's great prizes !! 

For info on the contest, click HERE

To see the prizes, click HERE. 

If you sign up, don't forget to sign up with the DIRECT LINK to your entry! 

And if you're not entering, don't forget you can VOTE on the winner from a shortlist of 5 entries on Dec 7th!! 

OK, that's all for today, I'll be back tomorrow...probably with a review, but we'll see.

ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING:

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com andAmazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers. Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/hNBkJk Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/hX2ieD No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more. Coming soon in paperback.  Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com. About THE HATING GAME: When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?