complete NaNoWriMo 2008

And I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open, so I’m going to hit the hay. I managed to write 3372 words today, which isn’t too shabby, considering all the distractions I had. Still about 20,000 words to go, but I already feel like I’m on the home stretch. Finishing shouldn’t be a problem. And although some parts of this story totally suck, I think it will nevertheless give me a worthwhile first draft to work from.

so I should hit half-way either tomorrow or Wednesday. Currently the Gang have abandoned the Quest and are getting drunk in London Pub, where a mysterious stranger with a promising Bad Hair Crescendo enlists them in her crisps trial.

I’m having to embellish a fair amount and have been wittering on about the irritating voice in A-lift, my computer’s crap internet connection, and Wednesday afternoon trips to the Co-op with my dad when I was a kid, but I tell myself it’s about getting the words in and all this rubbish can be edited out later.

Am looking forward to the weekend when I should be able to get a solid 10,000 words done and then it will be downhill all the way!

and calling it quits for tonight. Didn’t write as much as I’d originally hoped, but at least made my daily quota, so I’m not behind.

Hoping tomorrow will be a productive writing day!

I’d like to finish today at 25,000 or more. Today is the 15th, halfway through the month, so I should be halfway through 50,000 words. I’m already at 22,808, so I don’t think it will be an issue to reach my minimum. It would nice to even get a little ahead! (Oh, SnowLeopard will be so proud of me when she gets back!)

I’ve written a total of 5535 words today, which is on target, as I’d hoped to write between 5K and 6K. I’m now just 1500 words behind where I should be, so I should easily be able to catch up this weekend – if I keep writing!

I’m over the initial hurdle, and the story is picking up momentum again. It’s funny how you can give your characters something to do, and then they continue off on their own, and you’re left following them along, watching to see where they go next.

Which means I’m still about 4,000 behind where I should be for this point in the month. But that’s not a big deal – a little more dedicated writing time (and a little less procrastinating) and I should be able to catch up again no problem.

Tonight’s writing has been quite fun. Agent Z, being an ace translator, has deciphered the code hidden in the knitting patterns. It says “TWMMH”. Naturally the Gang decide to to Google this and the fourth hit brings up an entry on a rather fabulous website which cannot be named, by someone who goes under the moniker of Wigglypandemonium ShampooTurtle. Some other people called Elk, Parrot-with-a-Thousand-Eyepatches, and Agent X join in on the thread, and I’m in serious danger of being as pleased with myself as Anne Atkins on Thought for the Day ;)

Am still way behind schedule but am telling myself I can and will catch up. It’s not impossible. It takes me about an hour to write 1,000 words when I’m in full flow, so that’s only 30 hours.

I’m now up to 17,500 words. I seem to be spending a lot of time ranting about completely unrelated topics, but I flatter myself that having the narrator talking to the reader is quite Jane Austenish of me. Also I’m writing a lot which will need to be edited out at the end, so I’d better warn anyone who wants to read this later that the version they get will probably only be about 10,000 words ;)

The key developments since I last reported in:

• the Gang have braved an encounter with the giant spider outside Tate Modern. Nothing happened – it’s a piece of art, after all.

• the dossier with the photos of the malfunctioning flying robot has mysteriously been swapped with one containing knitting patterns. Cock-up or conspiracy?

• most importantly, Madam Ish has introduced a new range of coffees down at the Espresso Bar specially for the festive season, including a toffee gingerbread cinnamon latte with extra dark cherries and whipped cream.

I think it’s fair to say I’m still enjoying writing this.

Didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped this evening – G came to do his washing and brought half a bottle of Maranges 2005 and wanted to tell me about his run on Saturday and show me photos. Am far too nice to tell him to bugger off ;)

But I’ve hit the 12,000 mark and revised the schedule – am only 500 words behind where I’d hoped to be by now, and still reasonably confident I can do this. I’ll need to come up with some new plot twists to keep things going, but have a few ideas – there’s always stream-of-consciousness wittering to fall back on and every day 43T provides new inspiration (today it was the Dark Cheery Mochas).

So the Gang now numbers four humanoids plus two poodles. They’ve defeated the dark chocolate trolls, retreated to the river police boat, found a stash of rum, and a tube of Pringles has just mysteriously disappeared. This would have the potential to set the cat among the pigeons and cause intra-Gang strife, if it weren’t so obvious who the culprit must be. _{Clue: it’s not Morten this time ;)}

It seems like a good place to stop for the evening.

which is awesome. It means I have a couple days covered, should something prevent me from being able to write one day later this month.

DH has just taken the Mouse to her swimming lesson, so I have a good hour to myself, to write, write, write!