Tag: camp Nanowrimo

Writing journey

July’s Success and August Goals

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July's Success and August Goals
White Rabbits – hello August and goodbye July

Whooohooo! I did it – I won Camp NaNoWriMo. A week ago I thought I would fail especially when my visitors arrived a week early but I managed it. Phew! I could not face another admission of failure.

And as of today I have made the momentous leap over 50,000 words in my WIP. How many of those will stay once I edit? Who knows, but they are there on the screen for now.

July's Success and August Goals
New month, new word count

And I submitted to 3 competions too. I do not expect any success there but it is enough to be trying at this stage and I wrote that blasted synopsis. I am no longer in Hell.

This month is a difficult one due to said visitors and the expectation that I should be social. So it’s happy smiles and nod in the right places while I dream of places and plots instead of writing them down. The plan is too sneak my phone out to take notes when I can. I do not want to slip after July’s successes.

Currently reading: Mark Edwards The Retreat

Listening to: Lucinda Riley The Pearl Sister

Happy reading and writing!

Kate Kenzie's Blog

 

 

work in progress, Writing journey

Camp NaNoWriMo: Day One Empty Pages

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Day One of this July’s Camp NaNoWriMo is over and the progress I have made is zilch. Nothing. Nada. No increase in my word count nor any interesting snippets of information gathered which could be classed as research. A failure of a day except –

I have tidied my writing room and cleared my desk of clutter. Every writer needs a clean workspace right? I just need to remember where I put everything.

 

Are you joining in Camp NaNoWriMo? Let me know how you are getting on below.

Happy writing!

 

Kate Kenzie's Blog

Word Count: 48, 106

Hours complete: 0

All about Books, Writing journey

July catch up and #NaNoWriMo again

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July is here with a heatwave and beautiful sunny days. Perfect weather for camping but I am not packing my tent up. This month is NaNoWriMo Camp so I have joined a cabin with fellow writers for support. My pen and PC mouse are poised ready to start. In the past I have set a target of words with one success but I have research to do so it is target hours this time. Wish me luck I need it.

Books read in June

  • The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney
  • Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
  • Book Towns by Alex Johnson
  • Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness- keep eye out for review this week
  • The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
  • Mother by Hannah Begbie
  • How to Keep a Secret by Sarah Morgan
  • A Cornish Secret by Emma Burstall

July reads

With NaNo happening I hope to put my hours in there so apart from blog tour books it is research books for me.

  • Druidcraft by Philip Carr-Gomm
  • The Path of Druidry: Walking the Ancient Green Way by Penny Billington
  • Soul Traveler by Albert Taylor
  • An Artsisan Lovestyle by Kiltie Jackson
  • No.More.Plastic by Martin Dorey

Time for a cuppa and say hello to the sun before I get lost in The Ellfaenian Journals to get organised for tomorrow’s big push.

Enjoy the weekend!

Word count for WIP: 48,106

Percy update: he is still alive!

 

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Writing journey

Let the Challenge of Camp NaNoWriMo begin 

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April has galloped in so today I will be celebrating Easter, unraveling the news from the April Fools jokes -this could be difficult, and starting  Camp NaNoWriMo.

It is 3 am and 255 words have been written. How much sense they will make when I wake up who knows. My target is 10,000 words to break through the 50,000 word count barrier and make a dent in the first draft in the tale of Amber Rose, the first book of The Ellfaenian Journals. It feels as if I am creating an epic because I have not got far in the story despite 44,088 words  – gulp.  No one wants a LOTR size novel or if they do, they expect his level of expertise. I don’t have his flair for the English language nor his talent so I believe a heavy edit will be performed at the end.  this novel I may have a written outline but it has not been looked at. I am winging it and making it up as I go along.

The plan for this month is

  • Write
  •  Write some more
  • Think about writing while cuddling  Nigel or Pip.
  • Let Elsie free and listen to her ideas
  • keep stocked up on chocolate and tea – perfect writer’s brain fuel despite the healthy advice.
  • And KEEP OFF SOCIAL MEDIA!

To do this my husband needs to be occupied so he does not suffer while being a writer’s widow. I am hoping the Easter bunny will bring him some wood for a project and he can be happy in his shed. I have been thinking of an acronym for him; my husband sounds too formal, hubby too wrong and using his name would feel even worse especially as he likes to be in the social media shadows. I have my writing and he has his shed so it could be

  • Man in the Shed MITS
  • Him in the Shed as his mug states HITS
  • Guy in the Shed GITS but that is only apt sometimes
  • Writer’s Widower WW

Any suggestions or thoughts let me know below.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter.

Happy writing and for fellow campers – good luck!

 

 

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Writing journey

Mission accomplished! 

kakenzieblog

August is here and Camp NanoWriMo is over but unlike other challenges I have set myself, this  time I can shout “I did it”. I limped past my target of 10,000 words and I have a sticker to prove it.

I feel rather silly,  feeling so proud of an image of a winner sticker; smiling like a 5 year old awarded a gold star for work well done but achieving  something purely for me is rare. It feels uplifting and I am inspired to do more. This is handy as I have only skimmed the surface of scenes my WIP needs to become a fully fledged draft. A target definately helps to focus and write on days when it is easy to say “I will do more tomorrow” while a little squeaky  voice reminds me that “tomorrow never comes.” Hopefully, the writing habit is here to stay. After all,  10,000 words a month equals 120,000 words a year which is a novel and more. On days, I couldn’t the feeling of frustration grew as my words and thoughts longed to be released. Even gobbledygook needs to be written now, it seems,  just in case one sentence proves useful in the future. Is this a temporary phase or is an addiction creeping in? Watch this space to find out.

So hello August and happy writing!

Kate