Nano 2014: Status Update

It has been a heck of a ride for me so far!

I planned on being very active in my local Nano community - getting out to events, writing like the wind, generally having a fantastic, social month!

Instead?

My house became the PLAGUE HOUSE!  

Between pinkeye and the flu, I've missed out on every event since the Kick-Off. My writing is still on par - I'm sitting at 33,383 words at the writing of this blog post. I'm not in love with my story anymore, but I can see some potential in the bits and pieces. The romance is not really happening at all. It's becoming apparent that as much I like to read it, I may not be so hot at writing it.

I've also rediscovered my love of editing, not because I've been editing my own stuff but because I've had an opportunity to read another Nano writer's work. Now I'm thinking quite seriously about selling my editorial services in the new year (or at least trying to). 

The Nano novel!

I think I have enough 'business' to keep it chugging through to 50K. I'm resisting pulling out my urban fantasy twist because that material is completely not use-able in drafts moving past this one. But in a pinch... it's there to help with word count!

How is your Nanowrimo journey going so far? Are you having a lot of success? Finding something harder than you expected? Learning anything new? Post to the comments to share!

Update: My Pre-Nano Status

Monday night I went to Toronto's NaNoWriMo kick-off event and I had a fantastic time!

This event really starts off the 'season' for me - I find it impossible not to feel filled with Nano spirit after meeting so many people all gearing up for the event. It's also a treat to spend time with all the friends I've already made through Nanowrimo, but whom I don't really get to see during the rest of the year.

So, my preparations for November this year are mixed right now. I have about four pages of notes on ideas that I could use in my story. I have some vague character ideas, and I know that I want the whole shebang to end happily, of course.  

My big concept this year is an esports-themed contemporary romance, with the new team manager of a team with a pretty big legacy falling for one of the player's on the team. Unfortunately, her manipulative ex is a player for a rival team - a detail that wasn't exactly on her application for the job.

I also have a list of player names and team names and I've got a vague, slightly undefined idea of what the game will look like (think DotA2 with objectives to take that give bonuses to teams, with still that base defense premise).  

What I lack is a solid idea of how the plot will flow. I have a starting point and ideas for little conflict and a few big conflicts along the way, but nothing set 'in stone'. Hopefully that won't come back to bite me ;)

Good luck to you this year! Drop me a note in the comments to tell me how prepared or unprepared you feel as we head into the final pre-Nano hours!