NaNoWriMo Week 2: Murders, Impending Death, and Vanilla Pudding

Good afternoon, Cyberspace! Sorry for the late post this week, but yowzers. NaNoWriMo week one has been a roller coaster of emotion for me. It’s been phenomenal. Really.

#lies

So NaNoWriMo kicked off last Tuesday, and since then a lot has happened. For starters…

I killed three men. On day one.

Well, technically I only gently murdered them. And they are characters, not men. But they are dead. And I did it.

Sort of.

Anyway, the scene in which they were killed was–sort of horrifically–one of my favorites to write all week. Does that make me a psychotic murderer? A freak? A mad hatter? Possibly all of the above? Either way, it was tons of fun to write. I loved every second of it.

And that sounds totally creepy. Another thing to keep in mind is that this murderfest all happened in the very first chapter.

(That’s right. Three men get murdered in chapter one. #wrong)

But it’s okay, because I swear this book isn’t full of death and destruction. It’s full of love and friendship, with really inspirational themes.

…

Yeah, no one believes that.

Anyway, week one was also a week of discovery for me. A few things happened this week that I had NOT planned at ALL, yet somehow just seem to make sense for the characters and the story.

The first happened to my wonderful character Adaline, who I’ve done an interview on, if you’d like to check that out. Basically, it has come to my knowledge that this strange little bean absolutely loves pudding. And not just any pudding, either.

Vanilla pudding.

Ew. I mean, if she wanted pudding, couldn’t it at least be chocolate? But no. She likes vanilla pudding, and now I’ve got random scenes in my head in which she’s scrounging around in fridges looking for the stuff.

this book is going to be an absolute trainwreck soon please help me

My second wait–what? moment happened with my second female character, who has still not been revealed and probably never will be mwahahahahaha shall still remained cloaked in mystery for today.

Basically, my character now has a disease. And not just a normal disease, like a common cold or something, no. She is now dying. Literally. She’s dying.

And I honestly don’t know how I’m going to fix it.

When I was initially plotting out my book, I thought that all the main characters would survive. Now my book’s just like, “Oop, well, maybe not!”

Joy.

Anway! Enough about my Week 1 recap. It’s time for some

Week 2 Inspiration

Week two is upon us, Cyberspace. Honestly, I think it was around this time last year that I quit.

Yep. Me. A quitter.

I know, I know. It’s so hard to believe, right? But it’s true. I had decided that I just couldn’t take the pressure. I didn’t have the time to write 50,000 words in a month. It was too much to chew, and I just couldn’t swallow it.

So I quit.

And I can honestly tell you right here and now that I have completely regretted that decision a thousand times over since then.

Here’s the thing: You’re probably getting to the point in your story where you’re nearing the slump point. It’s not the beginning, it’s not the final stretch where all your hopes and dreams are right before your eyes, it’s possibly not even the middle–it’s week two. And it is ugly.

If you’re like me, you’re probably right around the point where you have to physically force yourself to sit down and write everyday. The joys of Week 1 have vanished, leaving you with this weird aftertaste of excitement and a passion for procrastination. The wonders of writing you experienced in Week 1 are now just part of the daily routine. You’re tired. You hate your story. Your characters are throwing onions at each other. Your inner editor is whispering lovely things in your ear, such as

“This is lame.”

“Your characters are lame.”

“You’re lame.”

and you just want to quit.

But you can’t.

You have to push through this. You have to duct tape your inner editor’s mouth closed and keep writing. Because the truth is, your story is awesome, your characters are awesome, and you–you wonderful bean, you–are awesome. Even if you’re super behind on your word count, do NOT give up. NaNoWriMo is tough, and it is so super easy to quit. I know. I’ve been there. But pushing through to the end is SO much more rewarding.

And admit it. You secretly love the pain and insanity that comes along with NaNo. You’re a writer. You don’t need a brain.

Week 3 is just around the corner, and after that, Week 4. So keep going, keep writing, and eventually, you will cross that finish line with your head held high.

I believe in you.

–Kenzie

 

P.S. OH MY WORD THIS POST WAS SO INSPIRATIONAL. How disgusting.

P.P.S. Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be writing? Go! Your very own universe awaits!

---

Well, that’s all for today’s Smudge! How are y’all doing with your stories? Has anything bizarre happened that wasn’t initially planned? Are you a pantser? A plotter? A plantser? Do you need a motivational push to keep you going? Tell me all your NaNo woes and WHOAS! down in the comments below(s)! *initiate Smeagol voice*