So before I’d head out to the conference floor, every morning I tried to write at least 1000 words. It was hard going, and I had to do some writing on the plane, but I managed to get a total of 10k written. This got me to over the 30k mark by the end of week two.

Am I happy? Oh yeah baby!!

Yesterday marked the beginning of week three and I somehow managed to pound out 3k. If I can keep that pace up for the rest of the week, then I’ll be officially done NaNo by Saturday. Not done the book mind you, but at least I’ll have jumped that first hurdle.

The story itself is still coming on strong. Where this is my first non-romance, I’ve been a bit antsy that the plot isn’t exciting enough to keep the reader engaged. I haven’t been going back to re-read more than a few paragraphs for fear of getting stuck in revising before I have the whole plot worked out. So onward and upward to finish the first draft, then off to clean it up.

I will be happy once the pressure of NaNo is done. I’m starting to miss my TV shows.

Personally, I love it!

So, I’ve jumped head first into my urban paranormal and have really connected with the plot and characters. For me, NaNo helps me get that first draft out of my head and onto the paper as quickly as possible. I know I will have to go back and add to the scenes, but the fundamentals will be there, ready and waiting.

In order to achieve the goal of hitting 50k in 30 days, you need to write 1,667 words a day. For some of you, this sounds like an awful lot. For others, a more than doable goal. For me, I’ve upped that goal to 3,000 words a day in the hopes I’ll get closer to finishing the first draft.

Today marks day six of NaNo, and I’m thrilled to say I’ve crossed the 15,000 word mark already. There is still another day and a half to go before week one is officially done. I’m going to try and push myself to cross 20,000 by end of day Saturday.

Crazy? I didn’t think there was any question of that.

If you are on Twitter, you can follow other NaNo folks by the #NaNoWriMo and #nanocout hash tags. Lots of fantastic people to keep your motivation going. Of course, there is also the official site at www.nanowrimo.org. If you’re interested, you can follow me there by searching for Christine99.

Who else is doing NaNo this year? How are you making out?

So if I actually want to make the goal, I’ll have to write approximately 2,500 words everyday this week. Doable for me easily under normal circumstances. This week? I’m not sure. I’m down, but not out yet. We’ll have to see if I can pull it off.

I’ve been doing some reading, seeing as I haven’t been writing very much. Right now I’m totally fascinated with Doctor Who: A Writer’s Tale. It is a series of emails on the planning, writing, rewriting, and all out creative process of Russell T Davies, the creative force behind Doctor Who. You don’t have to like the show (though it really helps), to appreciate what RTD goes through as a writer. I have to say, it made me feel a lot better about my own creative process, seeing some of the things he goes through. Funny enough, he uses music to help him write the same way I do to help me focus when I’m trying to pin down a story or character. I’m not completely finished the book, but it’s a lot of fun.

How was your weekend? Anything fun and exciting happen?

So, NaNo was going okay, then I fell on my face toward the end of last week. I got my act together on Sunday and managed just over 6,500 words that day…and paid the price on Monday. I have a pinched nerve in my arm that can flare up sometimes. It did on Monday and I wasn’t able to write.

Then I ran into one of the ergonomic girls in the lunchroom Tuesday afternoon. All this time, I thought I was having problems with my writs. After a quick chat, she told me that it sounded like the issue was around my elbow, NOT my wrist. She told me what to do and PRESTO!! I’m feeling so much better today.

So NaNo is back on!

I managed to get 2k written tonight, which brings my word count for The Bond That Saves Us to just a smidge over 31,000 words. I may not clear the 50k by the end of the 30th, but I’m going to try.

I’m going to attack the story this weekend and see if I can get caught up. I’d like to aim for between 4-5k a day, but that will depend on what else is happening.

I’d really like to go out to the movies this weekend. Quantum of Solace looks fantastic, and I’d love to see it on the big screen. Maybe if I’m good, I’ll treat myself LOL!

What about everyone else? How are you making out?

Tonight, I’m aiming for another 2k, just to make sure I don’t fall behind further.

And as promised, here are a few pictures that my husband took while he was in Iceland. They turned out fantastic!

Here is my hubby – he’s my action hero.

Here are some of the mountains.

Crazy Canadian took his coat off…

The little red dots on the bottom right side are people.

So tonight, I have to get back up on the horse and get my butt in gear! I’ve already warned hubby that I’ll be hunkering down to get another few thousand words out, and hopefully, I’ll cross the 20k mark.

I’m going to try and post a few pictures hubby took while he was on his trip. Oh wow is Iceland a beautiful place! He said he’d go back in a heartbeat. The country is amazing, the people are fantastic, and the food was great. Maybe I’ll get to tag along next time.

Tonight, I have to take my daughter to Girl Guides, and then drive to the airport to pick up my husband. That means the kids will have to try and sleep in the car, and we won’t get home until close to midnight.

I plan on drugging my kids…

I’m going to try and get 1k written while my oldest is out tonight. It’s less than I’d like to do, but I realistically can’t see me doing more. At least hubby is home tonight, which means I’ll have a bit of a break.

The story itself is clicking along well. I’m in a major action scene at the moment, and I find that those are easy scenes to write. Fingers crossed that they keep going that way.

My inspiration for today is this video.

Dave Matthews is hands down my favourite musician to listen to. This concert with Tim Reynolds is OMG AMAZING. Tim’s solo near the middle of the song blew my mind when I heard it. He makes that look easy…it’s NOT!

The story itself is going well. No roadblocks yet, and the characters seem to be gelling. I know I’m not going deep enough with their motivations, and there are a few inconsistencies, but I’ll be able to fix those up on the next round.

On another, completely unrelated note, I heard that the BBC and Dick Wolf are going to be producing Law & Order: London in 2009! The show is set to star Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica, Horatio Hornblower) as DS Matt Devlin, and Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who) as Alesha Phillips. Seeing as I adore both of these actors, I’m really excited for this show. I just hope it makes its way quickly to BBC America.

And just because I can…

I wasn’t sure about this story earlier this week, but I think I’m finally starting to get a handle on it. I’m in the middle of a sex scene, which I always enjoy writing, but think I may have to go back later and add some stuff to the earlier chapter, give it more of a lead in. But that’s something I can do in the second draft.

Today, I’m going to aim for a 4k word count, but it will depend on my kids and what else is on my plate.

For now, I leave you with this. Cause Kids Rock!