An Author?!

So,  you guys know how I was trying to write a 50,000 word novel is thirty days?  Remember that time I went insane and thought I could write an entire novel in a month?
I WROTE A FREAKING NOVEL IN A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy crap, I actually did it.  I actually wrote an entire freaking novel! (Well, I didn't write an "entire" novel because my story isn't actually finished.  Oddly enough, the story doesn't just come to a convenient end once 50,000 words are reached...who knew?!)  I think I am actually in shock.  I mean, I've known for a while that something really crazy would have to happen for me to not finish on time.  But I guess part of me didn't think it would ever actually happen.

I actually can't believe this.  I can now call myself an author.  I'm an author!!!  I am no longer someone who just writes for fun and would love to actually write something significant one day, but hasn't yet.  I have now written something significant!! (And by significant, I mean significant to me, not to society.  This novel is going to require a lot of editing before I let people read it...so don't even ask!)

In other news...I got a job as a lifeguard at the pool at my school (I think I mentioned that already) and Saturday was my first shift, but all I did was shadow some lessons.  Tonight, I actually taught four of my own lessons and it was pretty exciting!  Nerve-wracking, because I had to teach two lessons that I hadn't shadowed and I wasn't entirely sure what the kids were supposed to be learning, so it was a lot of improvising.  But whatever, it worked out well!

High: that I finished my novel!!! And that I now have the best thing to brag about ever!
Low: I was supposed to get groceries this afternoon, but I worked and wrote a novel, so I didn't.  But I still have an hour and twenty minutes until the grocery store closes...hmm.
Thankful: for NaNoWriMo: for giving me the chance, and the pressure, to finally write a novel!

Books read this year: 44

love <3

P.S. The bragging starts now:

life :)

Hello my very lovely readers :) How are you? Good? How is your week going? It's hump day, the week is more than half over. If you're American, it's Thanksgiving. That's a fun way to get some time off.

Sorry I've been kind of MIA this month.  Between school, NaNoWriMo, jobs, Deathly Hallows...well, you can imagine.  While I sincerely want to write a full post, I have neither the time nor the energy to write full sentences, so I am going to pull a hayleyghoover and do this all point form:

• I am now just over 35000 words through my novel. I am a little bit behind schedule (I'm supposed to be at 40000 by today) but I had to take almost a week off from writing to do school (in one week I had four midterms, five assignments and a lab...I may have gone slightly crazy). I will, however, reach 50000 words by next Tuesday night; I refuse to lose!
• Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 1 came out last week.  I made a video about it here before I saw it, but then I went and saw it Saturday afternoon and I absolutely loved it. In my opinion, it was the best movie so far. I have very few complaints about it. I wish they had shown the part in the book, when they go see Xenophilius Lovegood, where they go into Luna's room and see all her paintings of them and that whole bit. I also kind of wish they had done the Portkey part of the Seven Potters, although that wasn't something that I really missed.  All in all, an amazing movie!
• A couple days ago I got a job as a lifeguard/swim instructor at the pool at my school, and I'm pretty freaking excited about it! I have a few hours in the next three weeks, but I'm hoping to pick up a lot more next semester!

I think that is pretty much all there is to tell you.  My life the last couple of weeks has been almost completely consumed by school and NaNoWriMo, but NaNoWriMo is done next Tuesday, and classes end next Friday, and three weeks tomorrow I write my last finals and fly home for Christmas. This means that the next three weeks will be crazy, but after that...pure relaxation :) I am slightly more than excited.

High: that Christmas Eve is a month today, and it is finally close enough to Christmas for music and decorations to be completely acceptable.
Low: I just tried to register for my courses for the winter semester and, of course, it did not go as planned. What else is new?!
Thankful: for very encouraging friends and family :)

Books read this year: 42

love <3

P.S. I still don't have a title for my novel, so if anyone has any ideas, you can leave them in the comments.  And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can go here for my post about a title, and here for an excerpt from my novel. Thanks!

Title?!

Readers, I need your help!  I am slightly over half done my novel and it needs a title!  My novel is about a group of friends, and suddenly the main character, Paul, leaves, without telling anyone that he's going to leave or where he's going or why; the whole novel is written in the form of letters, that Paul is writing to his friends, and that they're writing to him, about the things that happen while he's gone.
So if anyone has any good ideas for a title for my novel, please let me know!  I need some of your creative energy, my lovely readers!  I believe in you!

High: realizing I only have three weeks left of classes!
Low: this coming week might be the worst week of my life: four midterms, four assignments, and a lab.
Thankful:  for my novel. :)

Books read this year: 40

love <3

EXCERPT!!! ...and Being Self-Conscious

Hello lovely readers!  How are your Saturday nights going? Mine's fairly decent.  Of course, now I am being very antisocial by blogging...oops!

So, I've now been writing my NaNoWriMo novel for six days, and as of right now, I'm up to 17 774 words.  I've been kind of less productive in the last couple of days.  It's actually harder than I thought, to keep the plot going for so long!  I didn't do any pre-planning before November first.  I mean, I knew what my novel was going to be about, but I didn't really think about the plot or details about the characters or anything.  I just kind of wanted to see what would happen.  And at first, it was going really well, but now I'm almost two-fifths through my novel, and it's kind of getting boring.  At least for me; it's kind of hard to think of what can keep happening to these characters to keep it interesting.

So I thought I would give you guys a little excerpt from my novel.  Like I said earlier, it's all in letters, but hopefully it won't be too confusing.  But first, I should just tell you guys that I basically never let other people read the stuff I write, because I'm super self-conscious about it.  So if you like it, definitely let me know.  And if you don't...keep your comments to yourself!*

Dear Charli,

If you’re reading this…I’m so sorry.  I didn’t want to leave.  This is not my choice, at all.  But this is just the way things have to be, for now.  I sincerely hope you’ll forgive me and that we can still be friends.  I’ll wait for your letter.  No matter how long it takes, I’ll never stop waiting.  Please don’t disappear from my life, even though I disappeared from yours.  I can’t imagine my life without you.

Paul

Dear Paul,

I can’t believe you’re gone.  I thought this was some kind of cruel joke.  How could you not tell me you were leaving?  Not even tell me it was a possibility?!  I was so, so angry at you.  You just left me in a lurch!  And you made me look like an idiot!  We’re best friends and you didn’t even tell me?!  I had to lie to everyone, saying that I knew you were leaving and hadn’t told them because you’d asked me not to!  Argh, I am so furious with you!!!
But I miss you.  I miss you so, so very much.  It’s so difficult not being able to talk to you every day.  Come back?  I know you can’t, but a girl can dream.  Love you.

Charli

Dear Charli,

I miss you.  My life just doesn’t make sense without you.  I so wish you could come visit me, but that’s just not an option.
I’ve met some really nice people.  No one compared to you, but people I can waste time with.  Of course, I never stop thinking about you, ever, so what’s even the point?!
Hope life isn’t too hard for you, and that things have settled down a bit since I left.  Tell them anything you need to not embarrass yourself.  You have my permission to make any lies you need.

Paul

Dear Paul

I can’t come visit you?  Why not?  I can’t do this Paul!!!  You just disappear to goodness knows where without telling a single person, I can’t call or email you and now I find out that visiting you isn’t even an option!  I wish you would tell me what the hell was going on!  God, you piss me off!
Stacey talked to me today.  She doesn’t know what’s going on either.  I mean, you obviously know that, because you didn’t tell her.  How could you not tell your best friend or your girlfriend that you were leaving?  You can’t just pick up and leave and not tell a single person.  Your actions have repercussions Paul!  You can’t just do what you want, when you want and think that nothing will change for anyone else.  You frustrate me!
Love you

Charli

Dear Charli

You think that I don’t know that my actions have repercussions?!  Are you kidding me, Charli?  All I can think about since I left is how much this is affecting you and Stacey and John..  I should have left months ago, but I kept putting it off, in an attempt to not hurt you guys.  Jeeze, Charli, do you really think I’m not that self-centered?
Life here kind of sucks.  I don’t really get along with anyone, which is so unlike me.  The people here just don’t get me, I hate it.

Paul

Dear Paul

I’m sorry.  Obviously you know your actions have repercussions.  I didn’t mean that.  I was just upset.
So what’s going on with people not liking you?  Everyone likes you.  This town is falling apart without you.  You were the glue that held everyone together.  There is no one in the whole world who doesn’t like you, that’s just ridiculous.
Miss you

Charli

High: spending the day with some really great friends and just having fun.
Low: I honestly don't think I have a low today. Sweet!
Thankful: for chocolate chip cookies! haha

Books read this year: 40

love <3

*I'm kidding...sort of.  If you have some legit, constructive criticism, I'm totally open to that.  But I don't really want to hear stuff like "this is so dumb, you're such a bad writer, just give up" because that is no fun.

12000 say whats now?!

I am currently sitting in my stats lab (which is more than 100% useless...I don't know why I even bother to show up!) and I had every intention of working on my novel for an hour and a half (because I don't pay attention) but for some reason, Word on this computer won't open my NaNoWriMo file from my USB.  I don't know why, but it sucks.  Although it's not like I don't need a break...

Those of you who know me in real life and follow on Facebook and/or Twitter probably already know that I'm kind of ahead of schedule on my novel.  To reach 50 000 words in 30 days at a normal pace, I should have about 5000 words by the end of the day.  At noon today, I had 12 001 words.

I'm not really sure how this happened.  I seriously had no intention of being such a keener and getting a fifth of my novel done in two days.  I'm so lazy, I really don't know how this happened!

That's a lie, I do.  My novel is written in the form of letters that people are writing back and forth to each other, so if I start getting writer's block, I just end that letter and have another character write a letter.  It's unfortunately easy and extremely addicting.  I'm kind of starting to love my characters as people, which is so stupid, because I made them up in my mind!  Obviously I'll love them, I created them!  I can do whatever I want with them!

This weirdly makes me feel like God.  I mean, I created these characters exactly the way I wanted them and I control everything they are going to do, and have already done.  Even if they "wanted" to do something differently (which obviously they can't because, unlike humans, they are not real and can't think for themselves) it would never succeed, because I already know how their future is going to go.

This might sound kind of ridiculous but just go with it: did you ever think that maybe God is like an author, who was just writing a novel, that somehow turned into real life?  And that's why we're all here?

Yea, that was stupid.  I'm sorry.  I've clearly written too much in the last three days to make any sense anymore.  I'll quit now while I'm still somewhat ahead.

High: when I hit 12000 words this morning.  A single number has never made me so happy!
Low: at least half a dozen times in the last 24 hours, I have tried to spell the word "neither" with a G.* I don't know why.
Thankful: that I have some really great people encourageing me through my novel.

Books read this year: 40

love <3

*I almost pressed the G button as I was writing neither.  I don't know what's wrong with me!

P.S.  If you guys would like to read an excerpt from my novel, I could post one in my next blog post, as I don't have access to my novel on this computer.  Let me know in the comments if you would want to read that!