Justine Manzano Pardon my hyperactivity. I am very excited today, this is a spontaneous post, and I haven’t edited it. Bear with me.
In September, those of you who follow me on social media may have noticed I was gearing up for NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. My plan was to use the website to track my progress, but to be a rebel. I would work on the second half of a YA dystopian novel I started a while back, A Light So Dim, something that I’m starting to believe may be the best thing I’ve ever written. And I’m not joking. I stepped away, walked back and was impressed and in love with my opening pages. I even started workshopping them in the attempt to get myself back into writing mode from the edit/query mode I was stuck in.
And then, something SPECTACULAR happened. At the end of September, I got the news that Black Rose Writing had accepted my novel (another YA, but this time Urban Fantasy), The Order of the Key, for publication. And I got swept up in the edits requested of me by my publisher and I’ve just finally handed them off to my editors last week to await another round.
And then I sat back and did nothing. Well, no. Not nothing. I began working at establishing connections or re-establishing connections in the writing world, because I’m rejoining the published part of it (which I had left after my last publisher for Order crashed). But I wasn’t writing.
It bothered me. I’ve got a ton of projects waiting in the wings, and I’ve been cycling through bits of work on all of them, and now I had to wait to get my edits back, which are due in January, and there is no way I can possibly start writing A Light So Dim again in earnest, because I’ll get thrown off by the return of my edit letter.
So. What to do? How could I keep going and stop myself from feeling dormant on the writing side of my writing career? Because you probably have figured this out already, but in order to promote things you’ve written, you have to write them first.
Therefore, I have declared this Personal Write More Month, or PeWriMoMo. Yes, I’m aware this sounds ridiculous, and yes, I giggle every time I read it out loud. But if you don’t realize I’m ridiculous by now, you need to pay closer attention.
The rules of PeWriMoMo (heh, heh) is as follows. I work on any one of my list of pending projects and get a word count on any work I’ve done. I try for the standard 1,760 words a day that come with NaNoWriMo, but don’t cry if I don’t make it, and I do it across all projects.
And I get myself moving again. These stories ain’t gonna write themselves.
So here is a peak into my mind, aka all the moving parts I have going in my brain at once.
PeWriMoMo Projects
Order of the Key Edits
A Light So Dim Edits and Additions
A Light So Dim Outline
Blog Posts – Because you still deserve to hear from me.
Nightmarescape — that multi-chapter fanfic I’m working on (fanfic is art too, people)
Landmarks — that adorable one-shot fanfic I’m working on (sshhhhh I know these won’t make me money, but I want to work on them.)
Jagged Shards Cut Deep — that new fanfic I literally dreamed up on the train today that won’t shut up so it might as well make this list.
The Lost Key reread/comment for edits — An Order of the Key sequel? It could happen…if I can make what I wrote of it work after completely overhauling chunks of Order. We’ll see.
The Lost Key Outline — Or maybe I can rework the entire thing?
Lucy Dies in the End Outline — my weird YA Fantasy Noir Detective story.
Living in the Past Outline — could this be an actual Adult Supernatural tale?
Superhero Rom Com Outline — sort of New Adult, sort of funny, definitely superheroes, no title to speak of.
Reality Check Outline – I’m still not sure what the hell this story is. I have spectacular ideas for it, and no structure at all, but I refuse to make this once Adult Rom Com, now maybe NA Rom Com die. SHRUG. At some point, I’ll figure it out.
I’m going to be using this blog to keep me accountable, so join me on my weird journey. And feel free to actually join me and write all the things!
While you’re at it, for the love of all that is holy, somebody get me a coffee. Or take away the Halloween Candy. Something.
772 words and counting…