As I mentioned last month, I was going to try to write a book in the month of November as part of National Novel Writing Month.

Well, guess what.

I did it.

Yup.

After giving up on say… oh… about day 15, I was inspired by a couple of things – specifically one of the ML’s (Municipal Leader) Darla – who asked me during one of the write-ins if I wasn’t going to be reaching 50,000 words, what would my goal be?

At the time I told her that I would probably aim for 25k. My little pea-sized brain (at the time) didn’t think I could come up with more words than that in 8 days. Then Thanksgiving came… and went… without a single word written the entire weekend. Instead, I enjoyed spending time with family on Thursday, Friday & Sunday and just for good measure a long shift working at the healthclub on Saturday. So really, there wasn’t time to write.

And then came Monday.

Sometime mid-day I got this overwhelming urge to see how far I could get with writing. To see just how close I could get to 50,000 by midnight Wednesday night. That afternoon/evening I think I wrote about 8,000 words, putting me close to 24k (although I didn’t log some of the words until after midnight, so… yeah. Darn.) Tuesday morning I woke up and decided I could do this. I could finish.

So I wrote Tuesday night. I went to the write-in early and wrote like a crazy person. By the time I closed my computer that night, I was all the way up to 36,000 words and really on a roll. I had even worked to find someone to work my shift at the healthclub on Wednesday so that I could *REALLY* give it a go.

Wednesday came just like any other day… except with so much anticipation and adrenaline I didn’t really know how to handle it. And by the time I wrote at lunch mid-day at work, I had wished that I had taken the day off so I could write. Ideas were coming to me & I couldn’t do anything about it. I then had to wait until 5pm came before attacking what I had left of my word count. Except I had a work thing to finish & didn’t get out of there until close to 5:30. At which time I drove to the next write-in I was attending & got my fingers a movin’.

And boy did they move. At a couple points that night, I had been writing about 2,000 words an hour. Seriously.

Because of this… at 11:57pm on Wednesday, November 30… I validated my word count and was a qualified WINNER during #NaNoWriMo 2011.

My #NaNoWriMo chart and progress.

What was the best part of this process?
Honestly, it was meeting the people from the “Ottawa County/Grand Rapids Region” that I now call friends. The support, laughter and just all around good times we had at the write-ins, Day of Knock-Out Noveling and in the chatroom… I am truly blessed to know them and am happy that I will be able to continue the friendships and writing support throughout the year.

The other fun thing? Someone posted about this website – I write like on our forums (and here’s the answer it gave me!)

I can honestly say this process of writing a book (albeit a REALLY HORRIBLE one) got me motivated to continue to write. Motivated to continue to develop plot lines and think about character. And maybe, someday soon, write a book that is worth reading.

This morning, after 2 days of essentially being “stuck in the mud” (so to speak) with my writing, I had a revelation of sorts. And just for an update for those of you who aren’t doing NaNoWriMo and are buddies with me there… my official word count (as of midnight on 11/17/2011) is 15,737. Keep in mind that to put me back “on track” according to the NaNoWriMo website, I need to have about 28,333 by the time I go to sleep tonight.

And I can tell you that ain’t happening.

I’m simply hoping that I can get to about 18,333 (or about 2,600 words written today).

Let’s see how this goes.

Hopefully easier after the aforementioned “revelation”.

My character has been travelling the world and meeting new people this way. But I’ve been struggling because I sent her to places that I haven’t been and probably either 1) won’t ever go to or 2) it’s going to be a while before I get there.

So essentially, I’m “starting over”. (Keeping my word count but scrapping the other book.)

So I’m bringing her back to the states – and possibly to places I’ve been here recently – and need your help!

The goal is to have her hit up all 50 states in this novel – or at least the lower 48.

Here’s where I need your help:

I need ideas for great cities (and possibly things in those cities to do). Where are you from? Where do you live now? What is your favorite place to visit? What has been your least favorite place to visit?

Once again I’m excited about this project… the first time all week (since at least last Saturday) where I can say that.

I needed to start writing something today, so I am starting with a blog post. I didn’t know where else to go in my story… so I’m just taking a 5 minute writing warm-up here with Stream of Consciousness Sunday again {even though it’s Saturday}.

The writing is going ok. I’m at about 3,500 words as of this moment and *just* figured out that in order to catch up for the day, I need to have over 8,000. And I’m writing this after 10pm EDT (which yes, the clock does roll back an hour tonight… so yay, another hour of sleep!) so that pretty much means that I have to write about 2250 words an hour. Or more like 2500 since I’m already starting late.

I wonder if that’s even possible.

Maybe I should try for it.

4500 words in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

*pausing blog post*

*45 minutes later*

So apparently I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no way I can make that deadline. In 45 minutes I’ve written another 850 words… and now pretty much know that I’m not going to make – or rather – catch up on my quota today.

At least I tried.

Now back to writing.

Oh… and don’t expect to read this book. It’s creative, just not that good.

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I’m joining in with Stream of Consciousness Sunday with All Things Fadra…

Want to play along? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post at All Things Fadra.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

I’ve learned a few things during #NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) already.

So I thought I’d pass them along to you.

• It doesn’t matter where in the book you begin each day, just that you write.
• It doesn’t matter if the story makes sense, just that you write.
• It doesn’t matter that you change the names of the characters or the tense that you are writing in, just that you write.
• It doesn’t matter how many spelling or grammatical errors there are on the page (even if you are completely obsessed with not having them), just that you write.
• Check out Write or Die if need a helpful site to keep you writing, primarily so you don’t hear babies crying, someone screaming or Hanson sing “MMM Bop” over and over, just so that you keep the motivation to write.

So if you decide to do #NaNoWriMo in the future, remember that it’s all about the writing.

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Prompt: 3.) Write a post in just eight lines.

This post is linked up with Writer’s Workshop at Mama Kat’s Losin’ It.

For those of you who might be wondering what I’ve been tweeting about recently with the hashtag #NaNoWriMo – it means “National Novel Writing Month”… and I’m participating!

What emotions are going through me right now?

Nervousness.

Fear.

Anxiety.

Excitement.

Yes, more excitement than anything.

I’m about to write a book. Whether it is good or bad… whether it is going to remain private or become a New York Times Bestseller… and which of the 3 ideas is going to be written… are all yet to be determined.

But I’m writing a book.

It’s getting crossed off my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days.

And now I better go write.

So hopefully you all can buy my book.

Because being a published author would just be cool.

And if nothing else, it’ll distract me from all things dating related for a while.

click on image for source - NaNoWriMo.org

Being a tourist in Chicago is a lot of fun. There is so much to do… especially when you are touring the city with a friend that knows what buildings are where and how to find things. Not to mention which bus to take.

{And this is where I tell you that this is a picture-laden post… so bear with me.}

The day before BloggyBootCamp Chicago, I visited Millenium Park with Napwarden and her kiddo’s.

Took the mandatory picture of self in the Bean.

Little Man posing at the Bean

Then we moved on to check out the water area in the park… maybe so that the kiddos could get their feet wet.

The wall spits water out!

And Miss Peach might have gotten more than just her feet wet.

Crossed over the Chicago River, to be greeted by...

Marilyn... right in front of the Chicago Tribune building.

Then on Sunday, Amy, Jackie & I went to the Willis {Sears} Tower (which was on my 101 things to do in 1001 days list!)…

It’s really tall.

Jackie, Amy & I braving a picture {literally} over the city.

It's a long way down...

I just love Chicago.

I went on a little road trip a few weeks ago. I loooooove road trips (which is why this is linked up with “Things I Love Thursday” too.) 1432 miles, 23.5 hours in the car and 6 states later in a matter of 4 days. It was a whirlwind of a weekend that was fun, exciting and a great opportunity to knock another thing off my 101 in 1001 list!

It was a great time to clear my head, really think about life… what I want to do and how I want to do it. Although I can honestly say I’m just as confused about all that as when I left.

Or maybe it was the confusion about where I was?

I mean, after all… I started out in Louisville (pronounced Lou-i-ville, not Lou-e-ville, for those that aren’t familiar) and got to meet up with Dianna and Angie for a crazy-lady-filled-dinner. And trust me when I say we weren’t the crazy ladies.

Here’s the quick {long story short} version of what happened:
We sat. We chatted. We pondered the menu. Dianna ordered Hummus. Angie arrived. We ordered our food. Random Lady walks in & comes up to our table. Random lady asks if there is fish on the hummus. (Um, really?!) Random Lady just stands by table. Julie, Angie & Dianna are uncomfortable. Random lady falls over. Dianna & Angie come to the rescue. Random lady is awake but will not speak. Ambulance & Fire trucks are called. Emergence personnel arrive. Random lady now speaks in full sentences as if nothing happened. Julie lost her appetite after the whole ordeal.

Yeah.

So then I said goodbye to Dianna in the parking lot of Krispy Kreme (oh my goodness, so yum)… and continued my travels southward to Nashville for a visit with Leigh (and then further to Memphis to see Liz on Sunday).

Or maybe I should say Greece… and Egypt? See for yourself in the little slideshow I created to highlight my trip!!

And while I was gone… my 18-month-old nephew taught my brother how to bowl.

Have you done anything fun this summer?

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I’m participating with the Diaper Diaries Things I love Thursday.

It’s been on my list of 101 things to do in a 1001 days. And to be honest, I was a little leery about having a psychic reading. I mean after all, how in the world can someone really know what is going to happen to you in the future. How things will come together. What will lead to that event. That my life could actually change?

But for the fun of it – both out of curiousity and because I said I do it at some point – I went for it and dialed in for my psychic reading. After all, being on the phone is much safer than going somewhere in person. (Or at least that much more anonymous.)

The lovely woman I spoke with gave me information about love, my career and the possibility about me moving away in the near future.

Regarding love… it’s coming – maybe even this year.

With my career… things could be changing for the better this summer.

And about moving… well that ain’t happening, so I might as well stop dreaming about it.

As you can imagine there was more to it, but I’d rather leave the details of the reading off the public spaces here.

Part of me wanted to ask more questions. Part of me wanted to find out if the love would be long term or for just a short time. But then there was part of me that knew if I asked too many questions… no matter how generic the answers, I would stew over them. I might even miss something that maybe God has in His plan for my life in the coming months that didn’t match up with the words spoken over the phone.

If you are a Christian and know my background, you are probably questioning my judgement right now. Maybe even questioning my faith. After all {mostly in the Old Testament} the Bible does say not to turn to “other mediums” for guidance. There is a verse from 1 John 4:1 (ESV) that I’m holding onto closely right now.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

I prayed about this… for a while. I didn’t go into this without a LOT of thought, a LOT of prayer and to be honest, I still have a LOT of questions. I’m still holding steadfast to the plan God has for me (whatever that plan might be) ~ whether it includes what the psychic said or not.

I’m not advocating this for everyone. It is purely for fun. Purely for the simple entertainment to share with my friends.

Let’s just say though, if by year’s end the love and career items come true {with all the details she provided}… I just might be calling a psychic again.

But only for the fun of it.

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I received a 10 minute psychic reading courtesy of Seer Interactive in exchange for this review. These are my own opinions and I loved sharing the fun I had doing this with you.

I’m recommitting myself to my 101 Things to do in 1001 Days list. Yup, I said it. And I have A LOT of work to do… and a LOT of places to go… but don’t think it’s going to all happen {especially the travel} by the “deadline” (March 1, 2013). In fact… more like I *KNOW* it’s not going to happen by then. First of all, I just don’t have the money for it (or the time off work for that matter.) Now I just want to see how much more I can do!!

Here’s the list of things completed so far…

• Buy something from Etsy (Studio Jewel Necklace ~ 5.4.2011)
  
• Get an iPhone, iPad or iTouch (iPad – 8.24.2010)
• Purchase something from Ikea and assemble it myself (6.12.2010)
• Use my fondue set (6.25.2010 – SIL’s Bachelorette Party)
• See the Pacific Ocean (8.22.2010)
• Write a letter to myself to be opened when the 1001 days is over (6.11.2010)
• Finish a 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle (11.17.2010)
• Start/finish a book in a day (6.27.2010 – Nicholas Sparks “The Rescue”)
• Get my picture taken with Santa (12.23.2010)
• Send/receive 10 postcards via postcrossing.com (as of 11.17.2010 – sent 24/rec’d 21)
• Create a dream board of things that I desire for my life. (11.24.2010)
• Start a collection of something, and stick to it. (Postcards; 10.31.2010)
• Adopt a fish (11.27.2010)
• Wear no makeup for a day and go out in public w/o it (7.5.2010 – checked in 13 places on foursquare.com)

So that’s a pretty good start… except I really should have about 20 more items done to be on track… i think. Well, seeing that I started this list 1 year ago today, I’m recommitting – and going to really try to take care of some things around here. Dive in head first so to speak.

This is the {very short} list of things that I want to try to do this summer…

• Go on a picnic
• Pay for the meal of someone behind me @ a drive thru
• Ride a horse (more than “trail walk”)
• Go to the batting cages
• Track everything I eat/drink for 30 days straight.
• Learn to decorate cakes
• Look over Chicago from the top of the Willis {Sears} Tower
• Make a piece of jewelry
• Learn to knit {finish the scarf}

I know there will be more things that I’m completing… and I’ll share that here in this space. Plus I think I’m going to go write about each one of the things that I’ve done so far in a blog post (if I haven’t already.) It would be a LOT of fun to look back through all the links after I’m done.

Have you created a list like this yet? Have you wanted to?

Catching up on my #Dutch365project posts for this week… hope you enjoy last week & this week!

Here is week 8 of my Project 365

…Wednesday…

The lunch of champions.

…Thursday…

Alternative meds... seems to be the only thing that's working.

…Friday…

The mangled Weight Watchers muffin. Package unopened.

*I really need to email Weight Watcher’s about this. When I opened the package it was rock hard too.*

…Saturday…

Playing along with "Sticky Bun Saturday". Yum.

…Sunday…
*I had a REALLY bad headache tonight… and forgot to take pictures when I could have earlier in the day. Oops.*

…Monday…
*So I made up Sunday’s missing picture tonight.*

Warmed brownie & Moose Tracks Ice Cream. Lovely treat.

Playing Angry Birds on the iPad. Not a good relaxing before bed activity.

…Tuesday…

Watched Amanda on What Not to Wear!!!

I seriously cried during this show… definitely a must see if you can find it in re-runs on TLC. Amanda’s Blog (Parenting By Dummies is great… and she takes amazing photographs!)

Do you have a favorite from the week?

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This post is linked up at: