NaNoWriMo 2019: Days 25-30

Final word count: 50,064 words

This week was manic, as I knew it would be, and reaching that 50k happened purely because I was too stubborn to give up.

This week, I had plans with a friends, did a job interview and fell ill. Everything happened this week! But I managed to write 3-4k words a day for two days in a row, especially while curled up in bed, just to reach that 50k goal. Thankfully, I got done just before the last day of November, so me and mum enjoyed a day out and I enjoyed an a cappella concert that evening, as a reward.

NaNoWriMo 2019 has been a wild ride. Usually, I stick with the one project during NaNoWriMo, and in future, I might stick to that. This year, I finished the first draft of my NA fantasy story, then started a new project with no prep whatsoever, only to use that character and decide I’m going to incorporate her into my first draft of my current story. Phew!

Editing is gonna be a messy adventure.

How was your NaNoWriMo? Did you reach the target goal (50k), or even your own personal goal?

NaNoWriMo 2019: Days 12-24

Current word count: 40,039 words

This week has been surprisingly good for catching back up again when I fell behind and staying more or less on target. I actually got ahead for a day or two, which felt great. A steady week, I’d say.

However, some time during this week, I re-read a previous version of my current story, which featured a different main protagonist, and have now made the decision to incorporate her into my current story. So, when NaNoWriMo’s over and I’m editing what I have, I’ll now need to tweak the story to include this character, which should be a fun challenge to do.

NaNoWriMo has been a hell of an event this year! I’ve managed to stay pretty consistent, but the constant back and forth between projects has been a rollercoaster of a ride!

I’m in the home stretch now, so I’m gonna reach that 50k, then start editing my story since I’ve left the first few chapters long enough. I can do this!

How’s your NaNoWriMo going? Are you excited it’s nearly the end? Or are you sad it’s nearly over for another year?

NaNoWriMo 2019: Days 11-17

Current word count: 24,428 words

So, about that second project… I’ve decided to pause it for now and return back to the first draft of my first story since, when I finished it, I realised it wasn’t long enough. For now, I’m writing filler chapters that will help with world building and character development.

This week, I managed to stay mostly on target, but then I fell behind and got busy over the weekend. Any free time I did have over the weekend, I then wasn’t motivated to write, so I’m now playing catch up again.

From this upcoming weekend, I’m gonna get crazy BUSY, so I not only need to catch back up, but I’m also gonna have to pull ahead. Week two is usually when I start to slip behind, which goes to show some things never change each year.

How’s your NaNoWriMo going so far? Are you ahead, on target, or behind?

NaNoWriMo 2019: Days 4-10

Current word count: 16,731 words

This week has been an interesting writing week.

I’ve managed to finish the first draft of my first story, and even though I was sad to leave those characters, I’ve started my second story, which apparently I’ve been bursting to write. The first chapter feels pretty strong, but I’ve done no prep for it whatsoever, so I have no idea how long this is gonna last.

On the plus side, I’m mostly staying on target, which again, is gonna get tougher with no prep or outline for my second story.

How’s your NaNoWriMo going so far? Are you ahead, on target, or behind?

NaNoWriMo 2019: Days 1-3

Current word count: 4557 words

We’re three days into NaNoWriMo 2019 and I’m already falling behind. Not to worry though, since I have no other commitments this month (so far) and can catch up easily enough.

Despite only being three days in, I’m still not sure if I’ll actually reach 50k. But my first draft is coming along and should be done by the end of the week, so long as everything goes to plan. It’s also taken a direction I hadn’t intended, but it’s made the story stronger.

The next project I’ll be starting afterwards, which I have no plan for, keeps subconsciously writing itself. I swear, I dreamt about it the other night and woke up not knowing what specifically I’d thought, but I knew I wanted to start the story. There’s a fire burning within me, subconsciously, to write this unplanned story.

How’s your NaNoWriMo coming along? Plain sailing, or struggling already?

Pre-NaNoWriMo Thoughts (2019)

NaNoWriMo season is nearly upon us.

Am I ready? Nope!

Am I regretting my decision to do it for the 8th year now? Yes.

Am I excited to do NaNoWriMo this year? Uh… well…

My original plan was to get the first draft of my story finished before NaNoWriMo started and do the second draft during NaNoWriMo. However, it’s looking unlikely I’ll get it completed, but on the plus side, I haven’t got too much left to write. About 5-10k words left… ish.

Unfortunately, inspiration has bitten me today, so now, I’m even more erratic about this whole challenge than I already was. I am now planning to write a new story from a female perspective in the same world (probably) with no plan whatsoever.

I’m not a pantser. I used to be when I first started writing and found I’d abandon the projects in the middle of the story, if I even got there. I’d figure out the ending first, but struggle to write from the beginning to that end point. Pantsing seems like a good idea until you do it, like thinking staying up all night will be fun only to crash hard the next day and wonder what possessed you to do such a decision in the first place.

I’m a plantser. A vague outline keeps me going until I reach the end. It’s worked wonders for this latest story.

Although, that being said, there was a time when I wrote a story in a random order and the scenes I wrote weren’t half bad cos I was writing when I wanted to write, instead of waiting until I got to that scene in chronological order. So, with this NaNoWriMo project, I might do that.

Either way, this is certainly going to be a project into the unknown and seeing what happens, and by 2020, it’s looking like I’ll have two projects to edit instead of just one. Why do I do this to myself?

Why does NaNoWriMo make me do insane things like this? Why???

How are you feeling about NaNoWriMo? Are you ready? Are you gonna dive in like me and hope you swim? Or have you actually been doing Preptober properly so you won’t drown?

Soulmates Book Review

Soulmates by Holly Bourne

Synopsis

Poppy Lawson is sceptical when it comes to love, but upon meeting Noah, her viewpoint changes and she becomes infatuated by him. However, their love threatens to cause destruction on a global scale. Can their relationship survive, or will it crumble under the pressure?

First Impressions

The premise had me intrigued. What would happen to Poppy when she met her soulmate? The build up to the reveal was brilliant, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Poppy and Noah’s story arc. Some characters and scenes were a unnecessary, but it was good overall.

Writing Element Thoughts

It was so interesting to have read one of Holly Bourne’s later novels first and then read her debut novel. By comparison, you can see how much she’s improved since this debut novel. For example, she includes scenes that felt unnecessary and slowed the pace at times, whereas in her later novel, she only incorporated the most important scenes.

The overall story arc was consistent and good, and the steady build to the climax did keep me gripped and wanting to read on. The characterisation was interesting in that some of the characters were very well developed, but others felt like they didn’t really serve a purpose. Although Ruth had one redeeming moment, she was only there to undermine Poppy, and Amanda was just there. Lizzie, on the other hand, was a good friend, and the growth between Poppy and Noah was excellent.

But hey, not every first novel can be perfect. It takes those first novels to realise what it is about your writing that needs improving, and what worked really well.

What I Like

• Poppy and Noah’s character growth – going from distain towards Noah to liking him to dating him was such a wonderful experience. I loved watching the pair getting intimate with one another and allowing their guards to drop.
• How they used science to explain why this whole experience was happening – despite my basic knowledge of science, I still understood they put a twist on basic human biology and explained it in a way that actually made sense (even if it’s implausible).

What I Don’t Like

• The melodrama could be too much at times, even for a YA novel – I understand that teenagers are angsty and dramatic, but sometimes it ruined the scene and pulled you out of the story.
• A few too many scenes – some of the scenes felt irrelevant and unnecessary, which slowed the pace of the story.

Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed the overall premise and watching Poppy and Noah’s relationship grow. I wasn’t as hooked as It Only Happens In The Movies, but I did still enjoy picking it up and reading it.