As you know, I committed to NaNoWriMo again this year. I finally hit the 50K mark last night around 11pm.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned from NaNoWriMo over the years:

• I can crack down on myself and write every day – it’s not always easy, especially working 12 hour days, but I can scribble something down during lunch or get up early or stay up later
• 50,000 words isn’t really a novel – mine run about 100K, I’ve learned, so completing NaNoWriMo is a great head-start, but it’s not the end of my journey
• There’s still editing – even once I get those 100K words down, I’m going to have to set it aside for awhile to rest, then get to work editing the thing, which is the hard part for me
• A certificate is a nice thing to have – even if I don’t have a completed novel yet, it’s nice to have that “Winner” certificate to hang on my cork board and remind me that I can do it

What are you thankful for?

We have a lot to be thankful for in today’s world. Here are some things to think about:

• The ability to create
• The ability to imagine
• The ability to dream
• The time to follow your dreams
• The freedom to create
• Like-minded folks who will support your efforts

And, of course, we’re all thankful for the internet, which not only allows us to find out anything we need for our imaginary worlds, but also allows us to gather into like-minded communities and support each other!

Happy Thanksgiving

I’m a sucker for sappy Christmas movies, and they almost always start showing them in November. I spend pretty much two months watching these things!

Here are some of my favorites:

• A Christmas Carol – in pretty much any adaptation
• One Magic Christmas – cowboy angels… how much better does it get?
• The Christmas Card – a Hallmark classic
• The Gathering – Ed Asner as a crusty old goat? Who knew?
• The classic cartoons: Rudolph, Frosty, Peanuts… I’m a cartoon fan
• The Santa Clause trio – especially Chance look-alike Bernard the elf
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Most of the Hallmark movies, actually

And HERE is a list of the Top 100 Christmas Movies of all time – or you can make up your own list!

I feel a bit like I’m on Gilligan’s Island — we drove for 30 minutes once we left the main road before we even got to the beach part of the island, and the beach house has a TV that plays only sports, no internet at all except on your 4G devices, and only a minuscule grocery store stocked with staples.

Of course, this means that I should be able to get the rest of the damn book finished, right? This is assuming I can avoid the rest of this crazy lot who want to spend their vacation driving around looking for Walmart and WiFi signals! I shall persevere, however, despite the slight discomfort of typing on an open deck in the dewy pre-dawn, with only the gnats for company.

I’ve seen a grand total of 4 people who are not in our party so far … I think we might just come back here next year.

Getting geared up for a week’s vacation – from the day job, that is.

I’m not sure writers ever really take vacations. I’m packing the laptop, the iPad, and of course, the cellphone – all of which have writing apps on them. I’m on the final stretch of the novel, and I’m going to have it done by the end of the year … one way or another!

My idea of the ideal vacation is a comfy deck chair and my laptop. WiFi is a nice perk, but we’ll be on a barrier island with no internet hookup, so I might not be posting as often as usual. Have to see how the iPad manages.

What’s your ideal vacation – and do you take a vacation from writing?