This month I am grateful for my Camp NaNoWriMo buddies, glad I got so much work done on Into the Storm, and happy my ankle kinda healed so I could get back to my BodyPump and BodyCombat hybrid…
With thanks… Friday July 1… Camp NaNoWriMo day 1 – 2000 words…
Happy Day 1 of Camp NaNoWriMo writing buddies! Wishing you love, inspiration and dedication, and the courage to reach inside and express your inner self… I love this quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Although apparently it wasn’t Hemingway who said it (as he wrote standing up due to a war wound, and wrote long hand…) xx
Today I am grateful to my Camp NaNo buddies for inspiration, encouragement and support. I spent a few hours editing my previous writings of Rhiannon’s story, which is a big job – it’s a complex story, and I’m still not sure of the time line and order of events, but it’s really nice to be back in her world and figuring it out. Camp NaNo counts an hour of serious editing as a thousand words, so I’ll count two hours for today’s efforts…
I’m kinda glad I stayed up til 2.30 last night reading, and happy that I spent another hour reading this morning, although I fell asleep on the couch half way through – I woke up when I spilled tea all over myself. Doh! I sometimes ban myself from reading for pleasure when I have a deadline, but I’m committing to do it for at least half an hour a day despite NaNoWriMo…
I’m grateful that my ankle is getting less painful, and my knee is a little less dodgy, and am hoping I can get back to working out very soon! (Am trying to be patient though…)
I’m grateful for political discussions with friends, frustrating as tomorrow’s result will no doubt be…
And I’m grateful for a beautiful night with Juz, a couple of episodes of Outlander and a little more work before bed…
With thanks… Saturday July 2… Camp NaNoWriMo day 2 – 0 words…
Today I am deeply grateful that we have the right to vote, and I really do believe it’s a privilege that should be cherished. Plus, in very basic terms, I don’t think anyone can complain about the outcome if they didn’t bother voting 🙂
I’m grateful for a slow walk/hobble up to the polling place with Juz in the sunshine, and glad it wasn’t raining cos it was an hour in line before we could cast our vote…
I’m a little frustrated by the slow process of my ankle injury, but at least it’s not getting worse…
I’m grateful that I made time to read in the afternoon – I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day, and today was an hour…
I’m grateful for dinner with my aunt and uncle, and political discussion, and a night spent watching the results with bated breath – until we learned it may be a couple of weeks til we know the result!
And I’m disappointed that my stupid migraine returned in full force while we were there, so I didn’t get to writing or editing when we got home, but I was grateful that I did extra yesterday, so I’m still on target for my July word count…
I’m feeling so grateful, that in this country we have the right to vote, to express our opinions, to ask questions, to debate and discuss and learn and grow, and play a small part in the future of our country. It is a right that people have fought and died for, a right denied to so many still, and I am so grateful that we have it. I hobbled up to our polling booth with Juz, in the sunshine, in the peace, and we stood in line for an hour, smiling at other voters, looking at each other’s how to vote cards, no one complaining about the wait, no one aggressive or angry or resentful. Tonight will be frustrating, as we wait for answers, and sadly I don’t feel that optimistic about the result, and yet I am grateful regardless, that the will of the people is heard, that the results of petitions and rallies and protests did have an impact, and that we have this most precious freedom…
With thanks… Sunday July 3… Camp NaNoWriMo day 3 – 400 words… Dark Moon Blessings…
Sending dark moon blessings and love to all. Look within, at this magical time, and get in touch with your inner wisdom and hidden truths, and the passion that can fuel your new moon wishes xx
Today I am grateful for time with my beloved.
I’m grateful for lunch with a friend, and a slow walk in the sunshine (pesky ankle)…
I’m grateful for intriguing election half-results and political conversation…
I’m glad that I read for an hour in the afternoon, and kept up my reading vow…
I’m not so grateful for a nasty migraine, which has been hovering all weekend, which meant I just couldn’t face my NaNo project tonight, but I will catch up over the next week.
And I’m grateful for a quiet night in with Juz, and a conversation about my plot crisis with my NaNo project, and a couple of Outlander episodes, and I’m glad I made it to bed before midnight. Tomorrow is another day!
EDIT – I thought I was going to bed last night having written nothing – but as I was brushing my teeth ideas started circling, and I ended up scribbling several hundred words down in my notebook 🙂 Gotta love inspiration striking when you least expect it 🙂 xx
With thanks… Monday July 4… Camp NaNoWriMo day 4 – 1000 words… New Moon Blessings…
New moon blessings! Wishing you love, joy and the excitement and passion of new beginnings, and the refocusing of intent on something that’s already underway if that is what you need. Love and lunar wishes xx
Last night I’d planned to go to bed by midnight having written nothing, but as I was brushing my teeth I started thinking of new ideas, fresh tangents, possible solutions to a plot problem, and so I sat in bed scribbling furiously for a while. It was only 400 words, but that was 400 more than I had for the day 🙂
And tonight I stayed up editing, trying to wrangle all the different pieces I have into a coherent whole, and figure out Rhiannon’s story. It’s a challenge for sure, but I’m getting there…
I’m glad I got lots done at the magazines, towards this crazy deadline…
I’m glad I stuck with my reading vow and got about forty minutes in, on the train to and from work…
I’m glad I managed to hobble over to the chiropractor, and (kinda) glad he did some work on my ankle too…
I was happy that I had to take a different path through the park to get there, and saw all the rosemary bushes around the entrance to the War Memorial – rosemary for remembrance…
And I’m grateful for time with Juz when I made it home from work, and an interesting/frustrating episode of Q&A…
With thanks… Tuesday July 5… Camp NaNoWriMo day 5 – 1000 words…
Tonight I am grateful for time with Juz when I finally made it home from the office, snuggled up on the couch with a blanket, catching up on our days, drinking tea, and watching an episode of Outlander, which reminded us of our magical Scotland adventure…
I’m glad I got a magazine sent off to print, and lots done on next week’s issue…
I’m glad I kept up my reading pledge, on the train, and while waiting for one…
I’m grateful that painkillers took the edge off my pesky migraine, and I’m not too sore after yesterday’s chiropractor visit.
And I’m glad I got an hour more of editing done on my writing project, so I could log a thousand words for Camp NaNo…
With thanks… Wednesday July 6… Camp NaNoWriMo day 6 – 1000 words…
Today I am grateful to my Camp NaNo buddies, although frustrated that long, and extra, days at the magazines this week have cut into my writing time, and my sharing time with our little group…
I’m glad I got another hour of editing done on my writing project, so I could log a thousand words for Camp NaNo, although I haven’t quite got into the story yet, which is frustrating me a little. Although Juz claims I always say this, so I’m trying to be patient with myself and trust the process…
I’m grateful for warm blankets and cosy jumpers and umbrellas – winter has really hit hard this week, and I finally had to break out my scarf and my jacket, and the winter doona…
And I’m grateful for a little bit of time with Juz when I finally made it home, happy that I squeezed thirty minutes of reading into my day, and that my other challenge – to try to be in bed for seven hours a night – was only an hour off again…
With thanks… Thursday July 7… Camp NaNoWriMo day 7 – 1750 words…
Tonight I am so sad to hear of some news from a friend, but so inspired by her courage and strength, and so grateful for friendship both online and in “real” life… Life is short, life is precious, and it’s the precious moments we share with others that make up a life…
I’m glad I survived another ten-hour day at the magazines…
I’m glad I got my thirty minutes of reading in…
I’m grateful for a little time with Juz when I made it home.
And I’m happy/relieved that I finally found my story, my way in and through, and everything is starting to weave together. The only way to find it is to keep on writing, keep on thinking about it, keep on daydreaming it into being… I wrote 1100 words by midnight, then logged out, happy with that and determined to get some sleep – but it was not to be, so I grabbed my notebook and scribbled another 650 words down before I could contemplate sleep. I know enough to know I would have forgotten that train of thought by the morning 🙂
And so, after a frustrating week at the magazines (forty hours instead of twenty-two), I’m very happy that I managed to hit 6950 words of my 7000 word target for the first week of Camp NaNoWriMo 🙂
With thanks… Friday July 8… Camp NaNoWriMo day 8 – 1130 words…
Today I’m grateful for a fun Writers Group meeting with Selina and Laura, for sharing ideas on plotting, time lines, time hops (reassuring me over a question I had regarding this), screenwriting vs novels, blogging, goals, expectations and more, and for all the non-work tangents we went down too.
I’m happy that I got up early and typed in last night’s extra NaNo words before starting my day…
I’m glad I made my train to the Central Coast – it was touch and go though, and not the best idea to sprint down one platform, down one set of stairs, along the concourse, up another flight, and along another platform, all on my still healing ankle. But I made it with seconds to spare, and my ankle doesn’t feel worse – or better – so all good…
I’m glad I got my thirty minutes of reading in for the day, then got back to writing. It’s interesting scribbling long hand, it can access different thought processes I think, and although the typing it in later is annoying, I like doing it. Especially on the train through the forest, along the rivers and lakes, under the black sky and through the mists…
I’m grateful for Cute Night with Juz, and time to chill out, and the unsettling last two episodes of season one of Outlander, and cups of tea, and catching up on our days – and week – and being happy to be together…
And I’m glad I typed in today’s Camp NaNoWriMo words – 1130, which has me back on track (8080 for 8 days). I can’t believe it’s already week two!
With thanks… Saturday July 9… Camp NaNoWriMo day 9 – 2000 words…
Today I’m grateful for a cruisey day at home, and a little sleep in…
I’m happy that I got my thirty-minute minimum of reading in – non-fiction today, after yesterday’s writers group…
I’m glad that I did several hours of editing and a little bit of new writing on Rhiannon’s story…
And I’m grateful for time with Juz to chill out together and try to recharge after a crazy week…
With thanks… Sunday July 10… Camp NaNoWriMo day 10 – 2000 words…
Today I am grateful for the winter sunshine…
I’m grateful for time with Juz, curled up on the couch reading together for hours…
I’m glad my ankle isn’t too sore now, but frustrated by how slowly it’s healing. I still haven’t felt game to work out, which is driving me a little crazy!
But I’m glad I spent a few more hours writing and editing and working on Rhiannon’s story – the time line is becoming clearer the more I write, and although I’m restricted in some ways because she appears in Carlie’s books, so some events and timings are set in stone, I’m weaving my way through…
And I’m happy that I’m only a little bit late for my midnight curfew 🙂 xx
With thanks… Monday July 11… Camp NaNoWriMo day 11 – 0 words…
Ah, life. Sometimes it gets in the way of things 🙂 I’m disappointed that I didn’t get anything done on my story today, but grateful that I was ahead, so I don’t feel as bad as I might have…
But I’m grateful for the beauty of the waxing moon, so golden in the dark sky when I finally got home.
I’m glad I got through Jillian yoga before work – my ankle hurt a bit, and it’s stiff, but I persevered, and I’m trying to see my limitation as a challenge rather than a frustration (although I’m not sure how that will go!)…
I’m happy that I read on the train to work and the bus home, and a bit more before bed, finishing another book and making me glad I vowed to read more this month…
I’m not so grateful that it was a long and stressful 12-hour day at the magazines, which meant I was too brain-drained to get back to my book, or that I had a pesky migraine, but I’m glad I took my lunch at least, so I didn’t starve, ha ha.
And I’m relieved that Juz was watching Q&A when I got home, so I didn’t disturb him, and grateful for a bit of time together before bed. It was a fiery, feisty panel, which made me as frustrated as usual, but also hopeful…
With thanks… Tuesday July 12… Camp NaNoWriMo day 12 – 4000 words…
Today I am grateful for a day to work on my stuff… I edited for a while, then wrote a thousand words, then worked out, then wrote another thousand – so I’ve passed the halfway mark on my Camp NaNoWriMo goal. Much more is needed to finish the book in time for Comic-Con though, so there will be no resting on my laurels, ha ha.
I’m glad I was brave enough to do Pump – I’ve missed it so much! I’m also glad I was sensible, and took two weeks off to help my ankle heal, but mostly I’m happy to be back at it, albeit in a somewhat limited way, and I’m very happy that I’m already feeling that awesome muscle ache 🙂
I’m grateful for a long chat my aunt and uncle…
I’m grateful for time with Juz tonight…
And I’m happy that I started reading a new book – although I was a bit naughty and stayed up way too late and finished it. I’m liking this “read more” vow 🙂 xx
With thanks… Wednesday July 13… Camp NaNoWriMo day 13 – 0 words…
Today I’m grateful that I fitted in P90X3 Yoga before work. My ankle’s still stiff and a few poses were a little uncomfortable, but I’ll get back to normal eventually…
I’m glad I got heaps done at the magazines, although it was another 12-hour day. But next week will be less stressful!
Not so happy that I was too brain-drained to work on my book, but I’m glad I squeezed my reading time in…
And I’m grateful for a chat with Mum and Dad when I finally got home (the time difference often comes in handy…).
With thanks… Thursday July 14… Camp NaNoWriMo day 14 – 4500 words…
Today I am grateful for a day to write – 3500 words written, and an hour plus of editing – nice to make up for yesterday’s zero…
I’m grateful for a lovely catch-up with a sweet friend for coffee, laughter – and the realisation that I have about four weeks to go to get this book finished if I want to launch it at Comic-Con. Yikes!
I’m grateful for blue skies and sunshine…
I’m glad I fit my reading time in – I went a little over cos it’s an awesome book 🙂 – before I got back to writing…
And I’m grateful for a relaxing night in with Juz and precious time together…
With thanks… Friday July 15… Camp NaNoWriMo day 15 – 3000 words…
Today I’m way behind on my notes and trying to remember what happened – too busy writing for my crazy deadline…
Woke up with a shocker migraine, which took ages to even start to dull, but I went back to bed for a while, which helped 🙂 And I let myself read for a little while to relax before starting to write late in the day… Naughty but nice 🙂
I’m glad I finally managed to work out too – Pump Revolution. My ankle was okay, and it’s so nice to feel a bit sore again, in that awesome worked-out way…
And I’m grateful for a quiet night in with Juz, before I headed back to my little purple office…
With thanks… Saturday July 16… Camp NaNoWriMo day 16 – 3000 words…
Today I’m grateful for a sleep in, since I woke up with a bad head again…
I’m grateful for a chilled out day with Juz…
I’m happy that I came across an awesome project to support, which aims to help the homeless in really practical ways – www.sleepbus.org…
I’m glad I finally forced myself to work out – a modified Body Combat session, which my ankle seemed okay with, hooray!
And I’m glad I got lots of writing and editing done (since the panic has set in), and amused that although I finally shut down the computer just after 1am, I had to grab a notebook and start scribbling down a new bit 🙂
With thanks… Sunday July 17… Camp NaNoWriMo day 17 – 4000 words…
Today I’m grateful for a day to chill out at home with Juz, after a much-needed sleep in…
I’m happy that I kept up my 30-minutes-or-more-a-day reading vow…
I’m grateful that I got lots of writing and editing done on my book – although the big word counts are more about the hours I spend editing than actually writing –although today I wrote two thousand words as well…
And I’m grateful for a quiet night in, watching blast from the past Kindred: The Embraced, drinking tea and discussing life, love and politics, before I got back to work…
With thanks… Monday July 18… Camp NaNoWriMo day 18 – 1000 words…
Today I’m happy that I did Jillian’s Yoga Meltdown before heading off to work…
I’m glad I read on the train to work…
I’m happy that I got a fair bit done at the magazines…
I’m grateful that I managed to leave work by 6pm…
I’m grateful for a night in with Juz, for a frustrating but thought-provoking Q&A, and a little bit of reading before bed…
With thanks… Tuesday July 19… Camp NaNoWriMo day 19 – 3000 words…
Lunar blessings on this crisp, clear night, and the early hours of tomorrow morning when it becomes full. Wishing everyone a magical full moon, and an enchanted month ahead, filled with love, motivation, inspiration and passion. Dream big, then take action to make it happen. Much love xx
Today I’m grateful that I started feeling better by the afternoon, after a bad migraine in the morning that made me feel sick as well…
I’m grateful for dinner with Margie and Pete, and lots of laughter and political conversation…
And I’m glad that I stayed up late to get more writing done – and amused that I finally shut down my computer at 1am – then had to type a few more paragraphs into my phone-alarm before I could finally close my eyes…
With thanks… Wednesday July 20… Camp NaNoWriMo day 20 – 1000 words… Full moon blessings…
Wishing everyone love, joy and magic on this beautiful full moon night. May its sweet light illuminate you with inspiration and inner wisdom this month, and with patience and dedication, and love… Bright blessings xx
Today I’m grateful that I squeezed in a Pump workout before work. Love it! I’m still a bit frustrated at having to take it slower than usual, but I’m pushing on…
I’m happy that I scribbled out a thousand words on the train to work…
I’m glad I got lots done at the magazines…
And I’m grateful for a cute date night with Juz, catching up over a quick dinner, then going to the screening of Star Trek: Beyond. I’ve never seen any of them before, but it was pretty cool!
With thanks… Thursday July 21… Camp NaNoWriMo day 21 – 2000 words…
Today I am grateful for a day to work on my book…
I’m grateful for lovely comments on my author page and a hardcover trilogy order…
I’m grateful for the beauty of the sunset sky as I power walked up to the post office, and its evening dark on the way home, and glad my ankle didn’t hurt too much…
And I’m grateful for a quiet night in with Juz, watching the first of the rebooted Star Trek movies (who knew I’d like them, ha ha!), and catching up on our days…
With thanks… Friday July 22… Camp NaNoWriMo day 22 – 1000 words…
Today I am grateful for a busy but productive day at the magazines.
I’m happy that I fitted in a Pump workout before work…
I’m glad I got my reading in for the day 🙂
I’m happy that I managed to get down to T2 to buy some more tea! Gotta keep fuelled up to write 🙂
I’m glad I asked the doctor near work to call to authorise more repeats for my migraine prescription – she didn’t really want to, but getting eight boxes instead of three means I don’t have to go back for six months, instead of 10 weeks, which will save us both time!
And I’m grateful for cute night with Juz, and getting a little bit of work done before bed…
With thanks… Saturday July 23… Camp NaNoWriMo day 23 – 3000 words…
Today I am grateful for a cosy day in the realm, editing my book, and writing a new chapter… It’s slowly coming together!
I’m grateful for time with Juz, reading, drinking tea, a couple of episodes of the old TV Batman, and just chilling out (read: I’m catching up after the fact and can’t remember what I did)…
With thanks… Sunday July 24… Camp NaNoWriMo day 24 – 3000 words…
Today I am grateful for a day at home with Juz…
I’m glad I got lots more rewriting done.
I’m happy that I discovered an awesome book by a Camp NaNo participant, George by Alex Gino, and read it today, curled up on the couch…
And I’m grateful for a quiet night in with Juz, watching The Princess Bride 🙂
With thanks… Monday July 25… Camp NaNoWriMo day 25 – 1000 words…
Today I planned to take a lunch break and continue my editing, but alas, I didn’t leave my desk all day.
But I’m happy that I got up early enough to do a Combat workout before work…
I’m glad I got heaps done at the magazines…
Not so grateful for a stupid migraine – this week has been a bit sucky on that front…
But I’m happy for time with Juz when I made it home, creative D&Ms and plans and dreams, and the first half of Batman Vs Superman. Which already felt long and we only got an hour into it!
With thanks… Tuesday July 26… Camp NaNoWriMo day 26 – 3000 words…
Today I am grateful for a day to work at home, and struggle on with this book. Another couple of chapters edited, and another thousand words written, so it’s slowly getting there!
I’m glad I read for a few hours on the weekend, to make up for less this week – although I have been reading over my story, which I guess could count 🙂
I’m happy that I worked out – I procrastinated for most of the day, but finally did an awesome Pump session just before Juz got home…
I’m grateful for a chat with my aunt and uncle…
And I’m grateful for time with Juz, catching up on our days and our challenges with our projects, chocolate-chilli tea, part two of Batman Vs Superman (quite possibly the longest movie I’ve ever seen), and more writing before bed…
With thanks… Wednesday July 27… Camp NaNoWriMo day 27 – 3000 words…
Oops, catching up on almost a week again – but it’s all for a good cause – I’ve been writing and editing heaps for Camp NaNoWriMo 🙂
Today I took the day off as annual leave, so I could keep working on my book. Which added a little pressure, cos it would be silly to waste the day 🙂 But I wrote another chapter, and did a few more hours of editing…
I’m happy that I did most of a Combat session – Extreme Cardio Fighter – and that my ankle didn’t hurt too much.
And I’m grateful for time with Juz, and the continuing of sharing fave movies from my teen years. Tonight was Valley Girl, which I didn’t really remember (not like Grease 2 or Times Square), but it was kinda fun. Then I got back to work…
With thanks… Thursday July 28… Camp NaNoWriMo day 28 – 3000 words…
Woo hoo! Late tonight I validated my novel, cos I keep forgetting to update my word count on the website, and was worried I’d forget to validate it all on the last day 🙂 I smashed my word count for the month, although much of it was through the hours and hours of editing/rewriting I did, since that counts during Camp NaNoWriMo… I still have a way to go to get the book finished, but I’m getting there…
My head has been pretty nasty of late, which is making me a little less enthusiastic about pretty much everything, but I’m persevering…
With thanks… Friday July 29… Camp NaNoWriMo day 29 – 2000 words…
Today I’m happy I managed to squeeze in a Pump workout before heading to the office.
I’m glad I did a bit of writing on the train, and got lots done at the magazines…
And I’m grateful for a sweet night in with Juz, drinking tea, hanging out, and watching The Invention of Lying before getting back to work…
With thanks… Saturday July 30… Camp NaNoWriMo day 30 – 3000 words…
Today I am grateful for a cruisy day to write and edit, and try to work my way through the book. When Juz wanted to know more about Rhiannon, I thought her story would be fairly simple to write, but it’s turning out to be the most complex of them all! So it’s a bit frustrating, and difficult, but also kinda fascinating. And, well, I always love challenge, or so I keep telling myself!
With thanks… Sunday July 31… Camp NaNoWriMo COMPLETE…
Today I am grateful that I’d already validated my novel, cos my migraine just wouldn’t quit, and I couldn’t face the computer… But I’m happy that I “won” Camp NaNoWriMo this month. I signed up for 30,000 words, but ended up at almost 60,000 – a lot of that was reworking what I’d started with though (this one credits editing time as word count), but it all counts towards getting this book finished 🙂
And I’m grateful for time with Juz…
I’m happy that I read for a few hours, which caught me up on my reading challenge for the week, and month – I’m surprised how many books I managed to read, especially as I was also writing so much.
And I’m so grateful to my Camp NaNoWriMo buddies for sharing the adventure with me this month, and so proud of them all for what they achieved. There was lots of hard work, dedication, inspiration, perspiration, motivation, bravery, and a bit of sacrifice too – of family/friend time, of sleep, of social stuff – but it was all for a great cause – although funnily enough, I also managed to find time to read for 30 minutes a day this month. Ask a busy person and all that – it’s all about priorities and being super-organised…
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