Month: November 2019

NaNoWriMo 2019 update 4

/ Melanie Marttila

Rough week, being back to work and all.

I had a couple days where I wrote less than 500 words and have slowly increased from there to the point where I wrote 2085 again today and even have time to get this post written and out before I’m to bed at a reasonable-ish time. I need to get to work a little earlier than usual for the training I mentioned.

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I’m up at 27,339 words, so my prediction of between 30 and 40k seems reasonable.

I’ll likely fall behind again during the week. Training kicks my butt, energy-wise, and though I’ve technically recovered from the cold, I’m still clearly out the gunk. Blech.

This will be my last NaNo update for this year. Next weekend marks the end of November and the beginning of December, so I’ll be composing a slightly epic monthly update for October and November combined on Sunday.

It’ll be another week after that before curation resumes, but you should see the first post-NaNo tipsday on the tenth.

That’s it for now.

Until next weekend, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

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NaNoWriMo 2019 update 3

/ Melanie Marttila

In week three, I rallied. A bit. I used four days of vacation and turned a long weekend into a full week off. But, because I’d procrastinated about my DIY MFA column, I had that to do. And my week 2 update, which I put out on Monday.

So, it took me a few days to get into high(er) gear.

I can’t write as much as I used to. Two thousand-ish words seems to be my limit, even on a day when I technically don’t have anything else to do. Except I do have other stuff to do. We all do. It’s not an excuse. Just a fact.

The family health situation I mentioned last week was resolved. The additional tests came back negative. Oddly, being a puddle of relief can be just as distracting as being worried about a loved one. Go figure.

I also got sick. Well, Phil got sick first and, generous man that he is … But I was well enough to go back to work yesterday.

Unfortunately, the cold kind of kicked my butt. I wrote for as long as I could and had nothing left for my update. It was supposed to be posted on Sunday.

The last two days back at work have been crazy. I managed a thousand words yesterday, but tonight, I’m feeling all kinds of busted. So, I’m writing this post and I’ll write what words I can (I’m not giving up, but I need a break). I’ll get back on the horse, so to speak, to the degree that I can for the rest of the week, but one of the crazy things that happening right now is prep for a training course I have to deliver next week.

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As of yesterday, the 18th, I had 21,325 words written. That just under seven thousand words behind. I can’t produce the same volume of words while I’m working that I can when I’m off.

I anticipate that I’ll rack up somewhere between 30 and 40k words by the end of November.

We’ll see if I surprise myself.

Until next time, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

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NaNoWriMo 2019 update 2

/ Melanie Marttila

Week two was a rough one. I struggled, while working, to ramp up my production, but a couple of things happened that pushed me off-course.

The first was that a family member had an operation and is waiting for further test results. We’re all trying not to worry until there’s something to worry about but waiting is the worst. It affected me more than I thought it would.

The second was that former employees and authors of ChiZine Publications spoke out about systemic financial, professional, and personal harassment and abuse. The stories that continue to emerge on social media are horrific and have made it as far as File 770, Publishers Weekly, and the SFWA’s Writer Beware. Though the publisher and managing editor have stepped down, they still own the company. While a statement was released, and a new publisher has taken charge, promising all accounts will be settled by the end of 2019, no apology was made nor was any acknowledgement of the harm done or of trying to make amends other than contractual.

Though I am still trying to process this, I will state categorically that I believe all the testimonies I’ve read. I believe all the victims who have come forward and all the victims who have chosen not to. I know many of them from the SFF community, and I support them unequivocally. I thank those who have come forward for their bravery and hope that justice will ultimately be served for all concerned.

It’s still an unfolding tragedy that is having ripples throughout the Canadian SFF community.

In the midst of this, I was also struggling with story logic issues. I had to work through events in a way that would read well and make sense. That slowed my pace considerably.

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As a result, only yesterday did I approach the daily writing goal for NaNoWriMo, and I’m pleased that I was able to accomplish that. Unfortunately, I will write short for the next couple of days because I have to finish my next DIY MFA column.

I am behind by a considerable margin. I’m not going to stop trying, though.

All this unrest is also why I’m posting this update a day late.

It’s the writer’s life.

Until next week, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

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NaNoWriMo 2019 update

/ Melanie Marttila

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For the month of November, curation stops (sorry, not sorry). The October next chapter update won’t come out until the first weekend in December. In the meantime, I’ll be writing these wee weekly updates. You won’t see much of me on Twitter. I stop looking at Pinterest or YouTube. I devote as much time as I can to the NaNoWriMo challenge.

Still, the first weekend of November is always tough. Wordstock Sudbury, our local literary festival, takes place this weekend and has for the past several years. I want to participate, support the local arts community, see writerly friends, and fill the well a bit. So, I do.

This year, it was also my 50th birthday, and the party was last night.

Accordingly, I didn’t get much done this weekend. It is what it is. I’ll catch up, or I won’t. Regardless, I’m still giving it my all. Within reason. I’ve often reached the first of December with barely a brain cell to spare. I’d rather not exhaust myself like that if I can help it.

Also, I’ll be working for most of the month and possibly training for the last week of it (and the first week of December). It’s going to be a rough go.

This year, for the first time, I’ll be participating in NaNo as a rebel, rewriting a prior NaNo project, Reality Bomb. I received some difficult-to-hear, but on-point critique of the draft I presented to my online critique group. I’ve spent the last two months reconceiving of the novel in anticipation of rewriting it. I’ve learned enough about my proclivities to know that if I work with the existing text, that I’m hella reluctant to change things significantly. And I have a lot of things to change about this novel.

So, to the word count report:

November 1 – 702 words

November 2 – 295 words

November 3 – 967 words

Total – 1964 words

I hope to make more headway this week.

I’ll check in next Sunday.

Until then, be well, be kind, and stay strong (whether you’re tackling NaNoWriMo or not). The world needs your stories!