NaNoWriMo'ers, you're in the home stretch. Only seven days left! How are you holding up?
Today I have a guest post by author Laura Kirwan that perfectly sums up this stage of the NaNo experience. And she has some great advice and cheerleading for all writers.
And only seven days left to enter the November NaNo Book Giveaway with loads of books from 5+ authors. Many chances to win - Rafflecopter at the end of the post.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy ThanksNano!
Ready for Thanksgiving?
For many of us that answer isn't “No,” or even “Hell, no!”
It's NaNo!
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| A festive NaNoWriMo place setting brightens your holiday table! |
Along with being a sugar, caffeine, and adrenaline laced literary frenzy, NaNoWriMo is an excellent excuse for dodging Thanksgiving food assignments.
“Oh, Mom, I'd love to bring Great Aunt Edna's traditional marshmallow, sweet potato, fruitcake Jello salad with the maraschino cherry-pecan-coconut topping, but I'm at a crucial point in the story and I've only got six days to finish and WHEN WILL YOU PEOPLE STOP STEPPING ON MY DREAMS?!?!?!”
Admit it. We've all had that conversation at some point, right?
But with only six days left, what if you have twenty five thousand words to go? You keep telling yourself--hyperventilatingly (how's that for an adverb?)--“I don't want to lose NaNoWriMo! I want to be a writer, not a failure!”
Shhh. Relax. It's okay . . .
I've done NaNoWriMo twice. The first time I didn't officially sign up and only managed fifteen thousand words. The second time, I registered and managed not quite twenty thousand words.
But here's the thing. That first NaNo “failure” grew into my first published novel. The second “failure” will soon be my third published novel.
Don't get me wrong. NaNoWriMo is a great thing to do. I highly recommend it. But, what separates a NaNo participant from a published author is what you do the other eleven months.
So, if that arbitrary November 30 finish line seems unreachable, and you really want to throw in the towel and enjoy Thanksgiving?
Do it.
Remember, if you hit the finish line with only twenty thousand words, you still win. You have a solid start and you've accomplished what most people who claim they want to write never even attempt. YOU GO, YOU!!!
Only don't tell the family until you show up for dinner so you can dodge making that scary Jello salad. Instead, bring homemade cranberry sauce. Totally easy, better than the canned stuff, and everyone except the die hard traditionalists will enjoy it much more than Great Aunt Edna's festive pile of crap.
Cranberry Sauce:
Rinse a bag of fresh (not frozen) cranberries. Drain and place in a saucepan with enough liquid to cover. (I use orange juice for the extra flavor.) Many recipes will tell you to add a cup of sugar, but I don't like it that sweet, so start with less and taste it as it cooks. Keep in mind that you can add more sugar later if you need it, but you can't take it out. Bring the pan to a boil and simmer until the berries have all popped and the sauce has thickened a bit (the longer you cook it the thicker it will get.) Add sugar if needed while still hot. Refrigerate before serving.
Then, pour yourself a tasty beverage, pat yourself on the back, and celebrate the words you've already written. You own NaNoWriMo, and you own Thanksgiving. GO, YOU!!!
Impervious (City of Eldrich-Book One)
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| Impervious by Laura Kirwan |
Meaghan Keele faces menopause with no husband, no kids, and a job she hates. At her brother's request, she moves to Pennsylvania to help care for their dying father, taking over his job as lawyer for the town of Eldrich.
What Meaghan doesn't know is that law was her father's day job. Gateways to magic worlds riddle the nearby forest. Impervious to magic, he solved magical disputes and guarded the human world. Without him, old enemies are stirring.
Meaghan knows people are keeping secrets and soon finds out why. She's impervious too. Her office manager and her secretary are witches. Jamie, her handsome young assistant, isn't exactly human. And Meaghan is expected to take over both of her father's jobs.
Struggling to accept her destiny, Meaghan is soon drawn into a brutal struggle in another world and a budding romance with John Smith—exiled king, town drunk, and Jamie's estranged father.
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| Laura Kirwan, Author |
Laura Kirwan is the author of Impervious and Crushed, the first two books in the seven-book City of Eldrich contemporary fantasy series. The third book in the series, Gods and Swindlers, will be published in December, 2015. A former municipal attorney, Laura grew up in Pennsylvania and now lives in Arizona. Learn more about Laura and her books at laurakirwan.com.
Links:
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