NaNoWriMo: Day 2

NaNoWriMo Update

It is Day 2 and I am going strong
(lol, it is only Day 2 - but I know you'll scold me if I don't keep on keeping on!)
Add me as a Writing Buddy!

The hardest thing is to not go back and rewrite. It isn't so much editing (although I fix spelling errors as I go, those squiggly red lines make me crazy), but wanting to change something as I am writing that I've already written. I'm trying to just leave myself a note that it doesn't fit in with something that happened before and hope for the best. 

Luckily my most fabulous friend has already offered to do some editing for me. Unclear passages be warned, I'm sure she is very fond of the red pen!

Na No Wri Mo Begins!!

Na No Wri Mo is the National November Writing Month where writers all over the world take the goal of 50,000 words (or set their own goal) and try to complete it in one month. 

I'd like my goal to be 80,000 words, ideally, because that is the standard length of a YA Novel. However, I also know that this is almost the impossible task as it is, so I'm shooting for 50,000!

I've "cheated" and began writing this past weekend to give myself a head start - I know that I'll be busy this month and I don't want to get discouraged!

Today I'll be working on some character sketches as well as an outline.

What I can tell you right now is that there are two characters: Jenna and Elliott. Jenna is sixteen and was back in the dinky town where she grew up for a funeral. Elliott was Jenna's brother's best friend and seeks answers above all else. 

The book is a twist on the dystopian theme that seems to be everywhere right now.

Good-bye Halloween

Halloween is my favorite Holiday out of the whole year! But, this year's day was a total bust! I got a terrible cold on Tuesday and spent all day yesterday as sniffling mess with a whisper voice. Sigh!

Fancy Nancy and Amelia Bedlia before heading out on the Bookmobile!

However, I did do my first really cool Outreach Librarian thing! I took the bookmobile (that's right, I DROVE the giant traveling library) to the After School Program in our town. All of the after school kiddos are bussed into one school that has a great space and programming for them. After my predecessor retried in January, the bookmobile stopped coming to them. Even through my foggy medicine head, the kids were SOO excited that we were back. 

Then I had such a wonderful time I almost forgot I didn't feel well!

Highlight of the day? Other than when seeing kids I've know since they were little or know because they are regular library patrons, the highlight definitely came while I was reading Cinderella Skeleton (by Robert D. San Souci).

 In afterschool club, I read stories while small groups of kids go out to the bookmobile. I was about five pages into the story when it was time for the second group, as I started to call on kids to go out, no one wanted to go (although they had ALL raised their hands about ten minutes before saying they wanted to go out and checkout books). I tried to entice them by telling them about the fun Halloween goodies we had brought along and one girl said, "I'll go out later, I really want to hear the story first." The other kids (even the boy who, at first, wouldn't even take off his Halloween Mask) were nodding in agreement. I quickly got back to the book! Who knew that storytime with a group of third thru fifth graders would be so rewarding!! 

Thank-you Robert D. San Souci for the GREAT book!!

After my busy day at the library I went straight to Fall Festival. Although I couldn't go cotton candy feeling sicky, I did get to be a costume contest judge! What little cuties were out there last night!! I love how families come as a theme and their teenage children even participate! Brilliant!!