So it begins...

Well, readers, tonight is the night we've all been waiting for. In ten minutes time, I will begin my novel writing escapades. I am going to put my word goal for the first day at a good three to five thousand words. I need to keep my word count far ahead if I'm to have any hope of succeeding.

I have very little to say, reader. I am tired, and barely able to comprehend that I'll be writing a novel soon. Join me as I attempt this seemingly impossible feat. Some time tomorrow I'll update and let you know how my word count is going so far.

Tally ho!

- Aimee

It's a little sad, when I look back at my various writing, to see how much depressing stuff I've written over the years. Here, see for yourself just how capable of writing depressing stuff I am!

"I don't need any of you!" She screamed in a passion of frustration and hurtful anger. "I don't need your approval or affection to be happy! I got on just fine without you before, and I can do it again if I have to!" Her friends just stared at her with sad eyes. She had hurt them; That realization just made her more angry at herself, which pushed her defensive mechanisms on to new heights. Her life was a vicious cycle...

Sad, isn't it? And yet writing it makes me feel better when I'm depressed, or just feeling down. I'd share more, but I don't need my readers getting all depressed. Especially not any who are joining me in NaNoWriMo. No use being depressed right before you try writing a novel!

As far as my novel goes, I'm going insane (or more insane, anyway) trying to keep myself from writing before it's time. I have my title all typed up, just waiting for me to fill in the story behind it. My main character Ember won't stop poking me. She's very excited to see how her relationship with my other main character, David, is going to turn out. Romance may not be the main focus of my novel, but it does play a part. What do you expect when you throw several teenagers into a group. Feelings are going to develop. Feelings are going to be hurt. And someone may end up with a broken heart. I'm just glad that I'm not focusing on the romance too much. It will be a key part in the story, at one point. But I'm not planning on focusing on their relationship, or lack thereof, until at least the third book. So any readers who dislike romance can rest assured knowing that I will be focusing more on the war aspect of my story than anything else.

Now, I'd better go pay attention to my cat before he slits my throat. Good day!

- Aimee

Four days

There are roughly four days until November. My novel is finally falling into place. I've fixed plot-holes, developed characters, and decided how to begin it. Now I'm just waiting for November to roll around.

It's a good thing I have so many other things to keep me busy until then.

Today, I am taking the multiple choice question part of my history exam, and tomorrow I will be writing my essay in class. I feel very prepared for both, and hope I will do well on them!

Friday night will be spent playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. I'll be the Dungeon Master, and I have quite the adventure planned for my adventuring company!

On Saturday night, I am going to a birthday party.

And then on Sunday, Halloween, I will be playing a special, spooky dungeon with my D n D friends. My character, Kal-Tyre, consul and right hand to Death himself, is a good-natured, cheerful vampire. Kind of contradictory, isn't it? I'm very excited to be playing him. I sense that his character will definitely go places. Perhaps he'll even find a place in one of my stories!

And then of course, at the stroke of midnight, I'll be writing my novel. I don't care whether or not we've finished the dungeon. I will be writing, and I plan to write a good amount of words on my first day, so I can get as far ahead as possible early on. I think being ahead on my word count is my only hope of winning this November.

- Aimee

I know I haven't been updating, readers. I've been busy preparing for NaNoWriMo. I've got the vague plot, the various conversations playing out in my head, and maybe a couple fight scenes. It's very amusing to go through these things. I still need an opening line, but I'm working on it.

Once November starts, I'll be updating regularly. Hopefully daily. But for now, I'm just focusing on preparing my novel and stuff.

- Aimee

Tests

I despise tests. Their hard enough in high school, when you have one every so often, but when you have one every four weeks or so, it gets ridiculous. I took a psychology test today; I'm making up the geography test I missed last Thursday tomorrow morning; next Thursday I'm taking a history test. There's just too many tests!

At least for this history test I only have to prepare three essay outlines. I've completed about one and a half, and I have just over a week to finish the last one and a half essays. I'm not too worried about it. I'm only worried about the multiple-choice questions part of the exam...

I can't wait for November to start.

-Aimee

School

Sometimes, it's nice to get your schoolwork done before it's due. I know I've always liked to finish my homework as early as possible. A couple times in high school I finished my term papers weeks before they were due. Some people called me an over achiever for doing this. I call it enjoying my free time more because I don't have homework lurking at the back of my mind.

In keeping with that principal, I am going to finish as much homework as possible in the next two weeks or so, so I can enjoy National Novel Writing Month to the fullest. So, I am now working on a paper that is due in my Psychology class on December 2nd. I know, why bother turning in a paper so early? My answer: Because I can.

I actually probably won't turn it in until it's due. But if it's written before then, then I won't have to worry about it at all.

Take my advice, and finish your homework early, even if it means taking an hour or two out of your Saturday and Sunday mornings. It's worth it.

- Aimee

My boyfriend is gone for the weekend. It's a little depressing, but I've got lots to do while he's gone, so I should be okay. Tomorrow I'm going to be babysitting for a long time. While I'm there, the kids will be asleep, so I'm probably just going to bring my laptop and a book, so I can get a lot of writing done. I'll probably just be working on characters.

November can't come fast enough. I have no many ideas, I just need to start writing them down. Once November comes around, I'll be writing almost non-stop. Except when I need to do homework.

Now I've got to go join my friends in our game of D and D.

- Aimee

I have a test this Thursday. But I won't be able to be at college that day. The woes of not having a car are killing me. I'm sure I'll be able to take it on another day, since my teacher seems pretty reasonable about stuff like that.

On another note. Only about 19 and a half more days until I can get writing! I can't wait! It's so exciting to be doing this again! I'll probably post little excerpts from what I write, but mostly my updates next month will be word count, and complaining about my characters. It's really funny, how my characters tend to decide things on their own. I had decided, quite firmly, last year, that my main character was NOT going to have a love interest.

Apparently she had different ideas.

- Aimee

Progress

Do you know what time it is, reader?

That's right, it's time to read a synopsis of the novel I've got planned for this November!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have super powers? Most people have imagined being a super hero at some point in their lives. It’s understandable to wish you could control the weather, fly, or even bring inanimate objects to life. Everyone wants super powers!

Ember never really gave it much thought, but now, essentially, she’s living the life so many people have imagined.

After catching the infamous Novo Flu, being captured by the N.I.D.R and then escaping with a band of new friends, all paling in comparison to the discovery that she can now manipulate fire, Ember is sick and tired of adventures. She, a normal high school senior, had never dreamed she would be caught up in a national conspiracy, and yet there she is.

One of their freinds has betrayed them. David has been captured again by the N.I.D.R, and it is up to Ember to step forward and protect her growing group of friends. But when they’re forced to leave the place they have come to think of as home, will she have to leave David in the clutches of the evil organization?

There you have it, reader! Obviously, it's not the first book about these characters, it's actually the second in a trilogy. But does it sound like something you'd read?

- Aimee

All this past week or so I have been lurking around the National Novel Writing Month website. (I'll post a link at the end of this post). It's finally time to start seriously thinking about my novel. For the last year or so I've been jotting down random ideas in a little notebook. I've developed a few characters, I have a general plot, and several scenes are vivid in my mind. At this point, it's just a matter of killing time until November, so I don't break down and start writing my novel too early!

There are any number of ways to distract myself from actually writing my novel. I can work on developing characters, which I've been doing extensively lately. You can never know a character too well, I think. I should probably be working on figuring out my plot. I have a vague idea of where it's going. And I have several specific scenes playing almost constantly through my head. The only problem is figuring out how to string all those scenes and ideas together so that they make sense.

Maybe I'll focus on that this week, and figure out a solid idea of where my plot is going!

- Aimee

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Fall

It's that time again! The seasons are shifting, the Earth is continuing its revolution around the sun, and we have finally reached my favorite time of year: Fall! I don't know how many times I must have ranted about how much I love fall, but I'm going to do it again, none-the-less!

Fall is my favorite season because:

Candy corn is finally available in bulk!

The leaves have started changing, and falling. I was walking home from a piano lesson last week, and accidentally stepped on a crunchy leaf. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the way home.

National Novel Writing Month is less than a month away!

Those are the reasons I love Fall. If I had candy corn right now, I would be perfectly happy. Mostly.

- Aimee

Life has been sort of hectic lately. I had to take a History exam (which I got an 85/100 on) and then write an essay in History class as the next half of the exam. I'm still not sure how I did on it, but I was the third person to turn my essay in, and then I was only the third because I took the time to read it twice to make sure it was good. And then after that, I was rejected by another agency, and now I'm waiting to hear from yet another agent, who is from the same agency that represented both the Eragon books, and the twilight 'Saga'.

So lately I've just been trying to relax as much as possible. I spend Tuesdays and Thursdays sitting in uncomfortable chairs, surrounded by strange people I barely know, and trying desperately to learn the subjects I'm being taught. So obviously on the weekends I try to relax. This would be a lot easier if I didn't do my homework over the weekend.

Actually, I'm glad I do my homework over the weekend. The only class I really have regular homework in is History, and it's just reading a chapter and then completing the chapter assignment, so by splitting it up over the weekend, I can finish it days before it's even do, and then I don't have to worry about it during the week.

Too bad people would call me an 'over achiever' if they knew I did that. As if being an over achiever is a bad thing.

- Aimee