La-Tessa Montgomery

Final Word count for 2009 NaNoWriMo effort:

I didn’t quite meet my 50k word goal, but that was 100% my fault.  I flaked out on my daily writing schedule more times that I care to admit for a variety of reasons.  I could make excuses, but I won’t. 

I’m actually proud of my progress this year, I managed to do 662% better than I did in NaNo ‘08.  Last year, I only managed 3,980 words (yeah, I really sucked). So maybe 2010 will be my NaNo year

Ok, back to the grind.  I have a manucript to finish & polish, and another to brainstorm and outline.

Oh, and ROCK ON to my 14 NaNo buddies that won this year!!!!

Decided to do a NaNo check in today, so here goes.  It’s Day 6 and I’ve not written today yet (but I plan to, no worries.) 

And I will admit, Day 1 & 2 were more than a bit rocky.  For one, I’m still actively writing and polishing up my contemporary romance (Worth Fighting For), so that keeps me busy.  But determined to get a good, more than good actually, start on my Urban Fantasy, I decided to challenge myself this month and give working on two manuscripts a chance.

It’s also been slow going because I decided to undertake this challenge without a plot overview/outline or character sketches.  Apparently, just jumping in feet first is soooo not my style. 

Now, I knew this going in, but I am always trying to make myself a better, more productive writer; and that means I have to challenge my established procedures from time to time to make sure I’m not bogging myself down with unnecessary processes.

So I decided to spend time during my lunch break this week to work on character profiles for my main characters.  So far, I have 3 out of 5 done, and the story opens up more and more each time I complete one.  Yesterday, I had my best day yet, clocking 700 words on my NaNo project. 

Yes, is far below the daily word goal of 1,667, but I’m very encouraged by it.  Now that I have I clearer view on my story, I know longer have to wonder around in wide circles, waxing poetic about nonsensical things.  (Because trust me, I have.  If you could only see some of what I’ve written thus far-lol) 

I’ve been rolling along nicely, and I hope the trend continues.

It’s Dec 1, 2008, and I am checking in with my final NaNoWriMo word count.  So for the month of Novemeber, I wrote a grand total of….. (you ready for this?)… 3,980 words!!!

No, it’s not the 50,000 needed to actually “win” NaNoWriMo, but it is almost 4,000 words that I wouldn’t have ordinarily had if I had not participated.  So I am actually proud of my modest accomplishment; with all the things I had going on in November, it’s a wonder I got more than 100 words written.

So, what did I learn by participating in NaNo this year?  I learned the importance of setting a daily writing schedule and being disciplined enough to stick to it.  Another thing, and probably the most important, I learned is to just write.  This is something I have to train myself on, and literally would not have done it if not for NaNo.

Published authors have been drilling this mantra into my head the entire year; be it at conferences, reader events, or in my local RWA chapter meetings.  When you’re trying to crank out 50,000+ words in a month, you have NO CHOICE but to tell your inner editor to take a hike.  Not only does this help you get your word count, but for me, it helped to spark my creativity.  I was able to pull some things together that really helped me with my overall story.  And if I could do this with just 3,980 words, imagine what I could do with 15,000, 30,000, or even 60,000+ words.

So NaNo was not a total lost for me this year.  It was a fun exercise that taught me quite a bit about being a writer and all the intangibles needed to be a successful one.

~La-Tessa
Someday I’ll fly…

Ok, half of November has officially gone by, which means I have about 2 weeks and 3 days left to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge this year.  I am somewhat embarrassment to post about my progress thus far, but here goes.  As of today, this minute, I have a grand total of…. 2,933 words.   Now, I admit this is a FAR cry from the 50,000 words I need to complete the challenge, but I still got 2 weeks and change to go, so don’t count me out just yet . 

Ok, enough procrastination, back to the writing desk. 

~La-Tessa
“Someday I’ll fly, someday I’ll soar”

Ok, since I decided to get serious about my writing this year, I have signed up NaNoWriMo next month.  In case you didn’t know, November is National Novel Writing month, and NaNoWriMo serves as a fun, supportive way to help writers get their butts in gear and complete a 50,000 word novel (in one month–yikes). 

A dauting task, I know, but with emphasis being on quanity, not quality, , I figured why not!  I have been working on the structure & outline for my story, and I should be done by the end of October.  So I am accepting the NaNoWriMo challenge as a way to jump start my first draft. 

So know you all have a goal to hold me accoutable for.  And for any of your nursing the desire to put pen to paper, sign up and add me as one of your writing buddies so we can keep tabs on one another. 

Lata,
~La-Tessa
Someday I’ll fly, someday I’ll soar