Technically a Loss, But Still a Win

The NaNo gods can judge me and perhaps find me wanting, but I feel like a winner. Okay, I didn't get 50,000 words on one novel, I got 37,000 words of an entirely new novel, plus about 17,000 words of a previously started novel ready to add to the greater whole.

Early Weekend Links

I'm in the throes NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo. And I have a big birthday party weekend for my little guy, so I'm dishing out the weekend links a day early:

Great, and short, read on the "best writing advice ever" by Pico Iyer:
http://theamericanscholar.org/the-best-writing-advice-i-ever-received/#.UoVEI42xOBA

Just in time for NaNo doldrums, here's a quick read on how to create compelling characters:
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-make-ordinary-characters-compelling

And just so you don't lose your sense of humor, here's a seven minute video clip with Mo Willems:

(my favorite: "Don't let the pigeon be an author," teehee)

Weekend Link--Sandra Boynton and Flying Pigs

Doing PiBoIdMo and/or NaNoWriMo? Feeling a bit acronymous? No, it's not in the dictionary, but it should be. It seemed fitting for the feeling I'm having switching back and forth between PiBo and NaNo...or is it PiNo...or NaBo...or BoNo...AAAGH. I'm starting to feel like an Irish rock star with a government job.

Here's one more acronym for your weekend. This time its TED, as in TED Talks and this one is with Sandra Boynton. Just perfect...and its short so you can get back to your PiBo and WriMo ROS. MTFBWY!

The Plunge

Taking myself seriously as a writer has been the biggest hurdle in my progress. I toyed around with ideas I'd had for years, until I finally decided to write them down. Once I had them on paper, I realized I'd taken a step into the territory of a writer.  

I had to decide, do I keep going or cloister my stories in the safety of my hard drive? But there were ideas coming out in my writing that needed their own life, so I made another move, quite literally.