Friday, November 18, 2011

Getting my Butt Kicked

Between life and NaNoWriMo, I'm getting my butt kicked and have NO time at all to be on here.  I'm WAY behind in NaNo and I'm running out of time to find time to make up time.  (it does always seem to be about the time, doesn't it?)

So, never fear, I'll be back on here (and back onto Twitter) after I catch up on NaNo, and keep (get?) everything else in line in my life.

Then I'll get back to regular posting.

Monday, November 7, 2011

NaNoWrimo vs Life

We're all starting Week 2 of National Novel Writing Month and according to Twitter, people are at almost every stage of their novels.  I've seen tweets from some who have already given up.  Others say they aren't going to make it and are thinking about giving in.  Many are on schedule or close and some are way out there in front.  I'm yet to see a post of someone who has already hit the 50K goal.  But hey, anything's possible.

Me?  I'm behind, for now.

For me, November of the past 3 years represents a significant battle between my desire to compete in and win NaNoWriMo, and life in general.  I've been fortunate to win the past 2 years and have every intention of doing the same this year.  But this past weekend was not a winner for me, when it comes to my wordcount.

I participate in local choir and this weekend we had a concert 4 hours from my home.  Being the opening soloist, I didn't have the option to skip it due to NaNo.  With the stress of singing, I didn't even try to write on the way down there, and hitching a ride home left me no chance to write then either.

In the end, Saturday gave LIFE a win over NaNo and I've fallen behind in my wordcount.  But I'm not too concerned just yet.  I'm very happy with the words I DO have down and expect things to pick back up now that the concert is out of the way.

But today?  Life takes another shot at NaNo by waking my youngest child with something like a cold.  She's clingy and I'm tired (late coming home from concert).  Combine the two, and add the housework that needs to get done and I can see a possible NaNo failure again today.

I know I'm not the only one fighting this NaNoWriMo vs Life battle, most everyone does.  I've also been blessed with an ability to put the story down quickly and haven't really hit any plots snags or writing blocks.

I'll keep pushing, finding time to write, catching up and hopefully getting ahead.  I'll watch Twitter for support and ideas, and I'll encourage where I can others who are struggling.

In the end, I hope to find the same balance I did in the previous years and win NaNo without sacrificing Life.

Do you have any suggestions on ways to keep the two balanced? I'd love to hear from you if you do.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Know Me Better for 11.03.2011

"Know Me Better" is a meme hosted by Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. She will answer 5 questions off her author interview list each week and invite other bloggers to do the same.  Find it here.

Here are my answers:




What's your favorite season/weather?
I would prefer hot over cold, I love Spring, but I really love the Christmas Season.

PC or Mac?
My husband maintains our home computers and network so he has us on PC's, and I'm good with that (as long as I don't have to maintain them myself!)

Favorite music?
I enjoy a range of musical genres, but focus on country and soft rock more than others.

Facebook or Twitter?
Both?  I've been a fan of the connection methods presented by Facebook for a long time, but I'm just getting to know Twitter and find it fun and helpful to get to know other people.

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit?
This is an odd question.  If I'd be embarrassed to admit it, and assuming I don't want to be embarrassed, I won't admit it here.  :]



Now join the list and read about others.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop Winners!

It's November 1st, and despite being inundated with NaNoWriMo writing pressure, I thought I'd take a  moment to post the winners list of my first ever Giveaway, the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop.  I want to thank I Am A Reader Not A Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm for hosting this great giveaway.  With 400+ hops, there were SO many chances to win.  I hope everyone had fun entering and getting to know some of the hops!  I know I did!


I had great success in meeting new people, finding new blogs to follow and finding people who now follow my blog.  Thank you to everyone who signed up and entered my First Giveaway!  I'm excited to announce this winner list.  So without further ado ...  Chosen from 136 entries via random.org, the winners of my Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, winning a free copy of my Clean Historical Fiction Romance, Sweetwater Springs are ...

  1. Entry #99 - sweepingtheusa - via Facebook
  2. Entry #7 - Kristie Betts - via Facebook
  3. Entry #81 - Tiffany Drew - via Facebook
  4. Entry #110 - kayswereski - via GFC
  5. Entry #9 - Mamamunky - via GFC
  6. Entry #118 - Mo - via GFC
  7. Entry #70 - Holly Wright - via GFC
  8. Entry #63 - Jess R. - via FB
  9. Entry #85 - Alicia - via GFC
  10. Entry #127 - Ruth - via GFC
And the Grand Prize Winner, the winner of a $10 Gift Card to Amazon, is:

Entry #84, MaryEllenT who entered via Twitter!

Congratulations to the winners and thank you ALL so much for entering.  I look forward to getting to know many of you much better and I look forward to doing more giveaways.  Be sure to check all the other hops to see the winners there too!

Winners will be contacted by their method of winning and will have 10 days to respond. Non-responders will forfeit their prize.