Southern Writing

Crazy November

November has been one of the busiest months of my life. Even busier than October, when I was working four jobs.

I've been trying to get into the University of New Orleans's alternate graduate certificate program for teaching and set up a couple of backup programs, just in case. I'm still working 30 hours a week and freelancing on top of that.

I started out writing a NaNoWriMo novel, but due to computer problems and a trip to New Orleans, I gave up the dream and started to work on rewrites of my previous novel, which is more important, anyways.

On top of this, I'm trying to power clean my apartment for the day I move out, which should be December 31. I am 90 percent certain that on January 1 I will be driving to New Orleans and my new apartment.

My New Orleans trip cemented the fact that I want to move there in my mind. I'm tired of quasi city living and want to live life to the fullest. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone next year?

Life up 'til now

I'm still working towards my University of New Orleans goal, but now I have a backup plan. I'm also applying for my professional teaching certificate in Florida, and by this time in January I will either be attending classes in New Orleans or working for the school system in Florida, even if it is as a sub.

I'm also working on a project for NaNoWriMo. During my breaks at Howl O Scream, I've been outlining, fleshing out characters, and setting scenes. By the end of November, I plan to have my second novel in the bag.

That's about all. I'm overworked and tired, and I plan on enjoying some coffee and music at Sacred Grounds tonight.

My EPIC FAIL at NaNoWriMo this year

I really meant to win NaNoWriMo this year. For whatever reason, I thought this year would be different. 50,000 words in one month? No sweat.

Around 5,000 words later, and I have massively failed. Epically failed. In fact, I would consider this an EPIC FAIL.

Except, it's really not. I've come to terms with a lot of things over the past month, including the fact that it's hard to juggle a freelance career, a day job, a family, a faith, friends, and even more freelance work at the same time. NaNoWriMo bit the dust, and I can attribute this failure to one thing.

I saw the goal as a whole, and it made me freeze. The novel I've been working on has been banging around in my head for years. For the past month, I've had one genius idea after yet managed to only write a few of them down.

Don't let this happen to you! Here is a good tip for anyone starting a new project, whether it be a novel, a short story, or an article- Make realistic goals for yourself. If you keep your eyes on the prize without breaking the steps down into manageable chunks, you might succumb to your fear. And, we all know that fear is the mind-killer.

With that said, how did everyone else do this year?