NaNoWriMo: The Mid-Month Edition

Here we are at November 15th.

I’m nowhere near my NaNo goal.  Not surprised, of course, but not there, either.  My month-to-date total is roughly 7,500 words.  By the end of today, I’m supposed to be sitting on 25,000.  Yeah… not gonna happen.

I wish I could say I had some valid excuse for not writing, but I really don’t.  My only excuse is that I’m pregnant and have become lazy.  Lazy to the point where all I want to do is sleep.

There are multiple ideas floating around in my head for blog posts and new stories, but I’ve already told myself that I am not starting anything new until I finish at least one of these monstrosities that I’ve already started.

Plus I have another blog to update now.  This split-personality thing is getting out of control.  And here I thought it was hard enough to promote one version of me.   Yeah, you’re right… I probably won’t ever learn.

But enough about me – how are all of you out there in NaNo-Land?  Anyone having better progress?  There have been several rumors that many people are already done with their 50K… if you’re one of them, congratulations.  I envy your work ethic.

IN OTHER NEWS…

I managed to pick up a new contract!  Rebel Ink Press has bought the sequel to Something in the Air!  It’s called Letting Go, and while I don’t have a release date yet, I will be sure to keep the world at large posted on both of these stories.

I’m now anxiously awaiting my cover art for Something in the Air so the face-smashing can begin.

Stay tuned for more.

11/11/11, Veterans, and NaNo

We’re thinking in binary, now!

Happy Veterans Day for those who celebrate it.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but it means something to me.  My Dad is an Army vet.  Two of my nephews are going into/currently in the Army.  Many of my friends are either former Army or Air Force.  There are Marines and police in my family as well.  I’m not much for war of any kind, but I appreciate these people in my life, and I love them all.

How is everyone’s NaNo so far?  As you can see by the bar to the left, mine isn’t as productive as I’d like yet.  Today has been a decent day – the first since November started, as a matter of fact – with just over 2,100 words.  There’s still a huge gap between here I am and where I should be, but there is still time.

I have opted not to use the NaNo site simply because it’s a little convoluted and some of the features are hard to find now.  The progress meter is much easier, and less of a hassle.

The key to my NaNo success, I have realized, is a small group of friends and constant writing sprints.  To be able to take an hour and devote it to getting more words on paper than everyone else naturally appeals to my competitive side, and the girls with whom I do this are so wonderful.  In a way they have become my little writing family, and it feels good to be part of something where we can just be ourselves, rant, rave, and still at the end of the day know that we’re all still friends.

That feeling of community is nice, particularly this time of year when I sign up for crazy things like NaNo, yet have no motivation to complete them.

Plus, I need them so that I can get ahead and stay ahead of my friend, Amy.  She thinks I’m going to owe her dinner at the end of the month…

That remains to be seen.

Good luck to everyone, have a safe and happy holiday, and if you get the opportunity, kiss a vet for me.

It Was A Dark and Stormy NaNo…

Tags

NaNoWriMo, recipe, soup

Good morning, world!

It is officially 11/1/11, which means today is the kick-off for NaNoWriMo.  Which also means that I need to get my lazy butt in gear and actually get to writing.  See that shiny, purple progress bar to the left? That’s how I plan to keep up with my progress for the world to see.

Yeah, I haven’t gotten very far yet today, but I will be updating it on a daily basis.  And on the NaNo site, too, if I can ever figure out how to work it.

So this morning hasn’t exactly been the best introduction to November ever, but I’m doing my best to turn it around.  It’s been a busy morning in the real world at the real job, but even before that I managed an attempt at dismemberment – while tossing dinner in the crock pot this morning, I tried to cut my thumb off.  Luckily it’s a finger that isn’t used regularly in my typing rotation, since I only use one thumb on the space bar.  Lucky me, huh?

It’s not quite noon and I’m hungry, but I still have to wait until 1:00 to go to lunch.  Again, lucky for me that I have crackers and a laptop to keep myself entertained.

And because I’m feeling so generous today – and because I know many of you NaNoers don’t have the time to build a huge dinner and still get your word counts in, I’m going to share with you the recipe for my family’s dinner tonight:

Taco Soup

1 tbsp. oil
2 lb ground beef
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans (seasoned or not)
2 cans light red kidney beans
2 cans corn (any combination of whole kernel and creamed – I use one of each)
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans stewed tomatoes, chopped OR tomato sauce
1 can green chiles (optional)
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1 package dry taco seasoning

Tortilla or corn chips
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Cornbread (cheat! use Jiffy corn muffin mix – recipe on the box)

~+~

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until tender.  Add beef and brown, crumbling well.  Drain.

Mix together next 8 ingredients in a crock pot.  Add browned beef and onions.

Cook on low 8 hours, or on high 4-6 hours.  Soup can also be made in a pot on the stove – bring to a boil and simmer at least 1 hour before serving.

Serve with chips, cheese, sour cream, and cornbread.

~+~

*Note:  This recipe will FILL a 6-quart crock pot and will feed 8 people with leftovers.  And the leftovers are just as good reheated.