Last WCW and Happy Hanukkah!

Today is my final Word Count Wednesday!  I can't believe NaNo is over, and now we can resume our normal lives of writing and rewriting manuscripts, crying over said manuscripts, and tearing our hair out with worry (oh wait, didn't we just do that for a whole month?  Ah well...the life of a writer...)

Congratulations to everyone for participating in NaNo whether you "won" or not!  You've won in my eyes just for attempting it, and if you didn't do it that's still great too- because it really shouldn't be the be-all, end-all of writing.  You can still write that novel, and it doesn't have to be in one month either.  To me, NaNo is just a fun exercise to get those creative juices flowing, and not something to get too worked up over.

So, what's your final word count?  Did you "win" or did you accomplish what you set out to do?  Even if I didn't "win" and get 50k words, I still finished my WIP, which I am very proud of.  Husbies rewarded me today with a new desk chair and keyboard to hook up to my laptop.  So now I can start on edits!  yay....

I also wanted to say Happy Hanukkah!  Today the Festival of Lights starts at sundown, and we celebrated by getting a cute little Menorah and will give Little Monster some Twinkle Toes shoes she has wanted for a while. 

While we don't follow one religion over the other, we like to celebrate some of the major winter holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah and the Solstice.  We usually have a gift for Little Monster on the start of each holiday, and also read about it that night.

Hope you have a wonderful Hanukkah if you celebrate it, and I also hope you are satisfied with your accomplishments either on NaNo, your current WIP or anything in your life right now!  Let me know your final word count, or even if you are just proud of something in your life- I want to be proud with you!

Word Count Wednesday And Contest/Giveaway!

First things first:  My total word count for NaNo is 15,288.  It doesn't seem like much, but 15,000 words in less than a month  is pretty huge for me.  As most of you know, I am using NaNo not to write a whole new novel, but to finish the one I am working on.  And guess what?

Now for the Happy News I hinted to in my last post:


I'm FINISHED!!!

Yep, the total word count for my novel is 94,844 words- about 312 pages.  So even though NaNo won't officially recognize me as "winning", I totally won on a different level.  I accomplished something I never thought I could do.  Something that was just an idea almost 2 years ago.  Something that has become my passion since- something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. 

And honestly I couldn't have done it without the support of my husbsies, family, friends and my new online friends and crit partners!  Everyone is so encouraging and supportive of my ventures, that even though sometimes I wanted to quit, I thought of them and it kept me going.  (Okay seriously, I'm not published yet...jumping the gun a little on the dedication part ;p)

Of course this is only the beginning of a whole new journey: editing.  I've got both my crit partner's edit suggestions- which by-the-way, are totally awesome.  Colene and Andy are the best, and see things that I miss and I'm all like, *facepalm* when I see it. 

***SO, in celebration of finishing my novel, AND of almost making it to 100 followers, and of seeing how many commas I can use in a sentence, I'm going to have a contest/giveaway/HP prize thingy! 

And, in honor if it being Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows mania, I'm giving away a copy of The Socerers Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter by Allan Zola Kronzek

Everything you ever wanted to know about the magic and mythology of Harry Potter all in one book!  It has awesome facts like where wands originated from, who wore the first invisibilty cloak, and what a grindylow really is.  You can look up just about anything from all 7 Harry Potter books, and learn where all these myths and folklores came from!

So, all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite scenes from any of the Harry Potter books or movies!  And here's the cool thing- more comments equal more entries into the contest!  So leave as many as you want with all your favorite tidbits and adventures from Harry Potter!  This contest will end December 10, so get those entries in!

**If you didn't like Harry Potter- you can still enter!  Just tell me your favorite book, and if you win, I'll send you a gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon!

AND there are a couple of my favorite people doing contests right now too:
Colene over at The Journey- bad one liners, make 'em stink people!  That's all you gotta do for a super gift card!
Donea Lee over at Queen of Procrastination- all about the blogging and commenting for entries for gift cards and ornaments!
Fantasy and Sci Fi Lovin News - pick a book you would like to win out of this awesome list of books!
Kiersten White is giving away a copy of a signed ARC of Supernaturally to one lucky winner- all you have to do is donate to a good cause!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American buds out there!  And if you aren't from the 'ol US, go ahead, eat a turkey...because you love me :)

And tell me how you are doing with NaNo! The end is near, are you going to win?

Word Count Wednesday And Some Heart-Breaking News

Hola, Peeps.  Welp, it's Word Count Wednesday again!  My word count as of today is 10,462...wah wah wah...I've had a few distractions this past week including but not limited to: Little Monster's new habit of reading (geesh, kids these days...), migraines, work, blogs and naps.

Thats okay, cause we're half way through NaNo, and I am almost done with my book.  I'm at, as they say, the "last battle"...or something.  Anyway, this coming weekend I'm so excited because I get to go to my Secret Writing Place.  I get to write ALL.DAY.LONG.  Without any distractions.  Little Monster is going to my sister-in-law's, Hubsies is working, and I'll be all by my bitty lonesome!

But GUESS WHAT?  I also get to meet my Crit Partner, Colene Murphy from The Journey!  How AWESOME is that??  I'm so excited.  Also nervous- all we've ever done is email back and forth.  I think it might be better for us to sit on opposite sides of the restaurant and just email back and forth for a half an hour- you know, to break the ice.

Okay guys, now for the heart-breaking news.

Wills is engaged.  Le sigh.  I've lost my chance at the crown. 

Oh well, his family is a bit stuffy anyway.  Not really my type with the whole Polo and big ears thing.  It just wouldn't work out...so sorry, Wills.  I've decided to go ahead and just stay in the states and live my humble life as a mother, wife and writer.  I know its hard...but you'll get over it... eventually.


Anywho, what's your word count?  How's NaNo going for y'all? 

Word Count Wednesday!

Can't believe it's Wednesday again!  My word count for NaNo so far is 9,124.  So that brings me to 88,789 words total for my novel.

I didn't get as far as I wanted to in a week, but I have a great excuse- it was my nephew's 1st birthday this weekend and we had to travel a couple hours away and spend some much needed time with him (and my sister and brother-in-law, but seriously...who cares about them when there is the cutest little boy smacking you and head-butting you while you try to take pictures with him?)

BUT- I did get a butt load written today.  I think around 4,000 words?  I was on a roll!

Anyway, I know some of you overachievers are already finished with NaNo. *cough cough* Jen Daiker *cough cough* Melissa Wideen *cough cough*

And some of us, are a little slower *cough* me.  But that's okay.  We all have our own writing pace. 

I do want to say congratulations to my crit partner Andy Thompson for plugging away at NaNo.  I am so proud of him- he's been keeping up his daily word count goal since the beginning of November.  This is huge for him since he had kind of been in a writing slump, and I think his wife (the fabulous GreenBeanTeenQueen) and I were starting to sound like broken records- "you need to write!"  "dude, stop watching Project Runway and write!" "I don't care if your new puppy Zedd is totally cute, you need to write!".  So yeah, pretty awesome. 

Tell me your word count!  I know lots of you have so much done and I love reading your updates!

Word Count Wednesday

I've decided to dedicate Wednesdays in November to word count!  I'll post my updated word count, and you all do the same!  We can cheer each other on.  I won't get up to 50k though, because I don't need that much to finish my WIP.  And if I do, my crit partners have my permission to beat me over the head with my future novel, because it would be WAY too long (only if they appear in a DeLorean).

I'm at 1431 words (80,988 total for my WIP). 

(So I didn't write any yesterday, but I can't help it if I was glued to Anderson Cooper's lovely white hair all night)

Also, please consider donating to NaNo if you are participating- I am going to do that today.  They run on donations only, so anything you can spare will help NaNo be even better in years to come. 

Here is a great anti-NaNo pep talk from Maggie Stiefvater.  She makes some really great points, and even though I feel like I could agree, I think NaNo is fun and brings writers together.  I think it will help push me to sit down and write, rather than watch 5 episodes of House Hunters back-to-back.


So what's your word count?  Even if you aren't doing NaNo, what's your word count on your current WIP?

The Love Triangle

Little Monster:  Mommy, you know, I have two boyfriends.
Me: Really?  Who?
Little Monster: (highly exaggerated sigh) uuggghhhh, Bobby and Tommy*, duh
Me: Oh yeah?
Little Monster: They are totally my boyfriends, dude. 

(This conversation was literally, like yesterday in the car on the way home from school.  She's 5, for the record)

*names have been changed to protect what little masculenity these poor boys have left after doing my daughter's bidding all day


Ah, the love triangle.





"Dude, what's that smell?"






















Love it or hate it?

I for one, am not a big fan of love triangles in books.  I think they've always just annoyed me.  I don't know, I kind of want to focus on just one love interest, and have the conflict be about the journey they face together, or the story around them.  It is almost borderline soap-operaish and those things annoy me to no end.  But some love triangles are written very well, and I'm okay with them.  It really just depends.  Plus TONS of people like love triangles in their books.

My first novel is a fantasy with a romance between two people weaved into it.  It's not a romance with a little fantasy on the side.  (which, those are totally fine- I like those sometimes, when I'm looking for a good, steamy book).  But mainly, the story focuses on the journey ahead of my characters, and the romance kinda just blossoms around it. 

But.

I have a second book that I will write while I query this one.  Completely different than this one.  Still a fantasy (with DRAGONS- squeee!), but get ready for this....

It has a love triangle.  *facepalm*

I know, I just totally ranted about how I don't like them.  But then I was thinking of this idea that would be totally cool.  And my main character would have a best friend that she grew up with that she always thought she'd be with.  But then this other guy comes up and, well, without giving too much away, they are basically THROWN together by destiny.  So then the struggle is, she always thought she'd be with her best friend, but now this other guy is here, but she's mad that she basically has no choice on the matter and HAS to be with him, so she sets out on this journey that totally questions who she is and she has to decide if she wants to break all the rules, give up her true self and be with her best friend, or give in to destiny and be with this guy (that she might be kind of crushing on since they made this journey together).

Anyway.  So.  Slap me in the face and go, "Abby, if you hate love triangles don't write one!"  I KNOW, but the thing is...it kinda has to be that way.  Thats what happens to writers.  We get an idea, and we really don't have any control over it.   It has a mind of it's own, and you best be writing that idea...like now.

It's like in my first book.  I have an ensemble cast, with four characters I would consider pretty significant.  Two are the love interests and from their POV, so I would say they are the Main-Main characters.  Then we have the other two- no love interest to each other,  but they will each have their own love story in the sequels after (if I get them).  So as I was writing my second boy character (not the main-main character), he pretty much told me he was gay.  Like, it just came out.  I didn't go along and think, hm, how can I make him more controversial...I know, I'll make him gay!  It totally didn't go like that.  I just...knew.  I started writing him, and the emotions that came with his friend in the beginning really blew me away.  So of course he's gay- he just...is.  But it's not like flamboyent "Just Jack" gay- it's more subtle, and he's a calm, wise-before-his-years guy.  I mean, this is a fantasy set in a world I made up, but with that classic medieval-type tendencies of horses, tunics, kings, and magic.  You normally wouldn't find a gay person in one of those, but I say...why not?  Why can't it just be there.  Like no controversy over it, and no one getting offended.  That's not the issue.  The issue is, why is this insane Mage trying to annialate our kingdom? 

Anyway, I digress...

Besides, his love story isn't the main point- its in the background.  If my book ever gets picked up, I do have sequels planned where each main character gets their own story and own POV (with the others still in the books of course).  But thats way down the line, and I don't get to write any type of sequel until this one sells.

Which brings me back to the squeelightful dragon book I am planning (and any other swimmy ideas in my head right now).  When you have an idea, or start writing a book, sometimes it takes you places you never thought could be possible.  In the beginning you swear you would never kill off a very important character...but then he dies and you cry like a baby because you weren't expecting it.  Or you swear on Edward's life that you would never write a love triangle (which, now that I think about it, that was stupid...Edward is technically dead...so my swearing was totally null and void, which means it was just inevitible for that to happen), but then you have an awesome idea for a love triangle and it HAS to happen.  Your characters are screaming at you to put it down on paper because that is the way they are, and they need to be validated on that paper or computer screen.

And, you never know.  The story might change when I start writing it.  My characters might be like, "Hey, I don't want to be in a love triangle" and I'll be all, "Okay" and see where they take me. 

BUT.  not until I finish this one.  Which, by-the-way, I am at around 75,000 words, and building right up to that spectacular climax.  I can't wait for it to be done, but at the same time I'll be sad.  I love my characters.  Plus I am UBER nervous to start writing a query letter to send out to agents.  Once all that is done, I can start on my new book, and let that journey take me to far off places I've never dreamed. Until then, I'll go snuggle down with my best friends er...I mean the people in my head...erm, my main characters of my book (whew, there we go, thats the right one) and tell their story that has been itching to get out for years.

So, what do you think about love triangles?  In Books or Movies?  Maybe I'll take a whole other post to talk about Buffy and her screwy relationships...hm, that might take several posts...or like a whole blog dedicated to all things Buffy..sigh...Oh um, yeah, you're still here.  Okay, go, find some cool love triangles and tell me whats worked for you.