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This year’s NaNoWriMo is almost a week old. It’s always fun starting work on a new book, but the added challenge had made the writing process a whole new experience.

Right now, I’ve written 6,883 words for my new book. This is currently behind the pace of reaching 50,000 words in a month, but that’s okay. My main focus is doing some quality writing For me, finishing the book before December and winning NaNoWriMo are bonuses.

The contributing factor to me lagging behind was day one of the competition. True to form, I only wrote one page when starting the story, which led to a deficit of approximately 1,100 words. I still have confidence I’m going to make this up before the end of the competition.

See you guys next week for more updates!

“I just don’t know, Suzy,” Gillie said, breaking eye contact to look around the office again. She hadn’t stopped taking in the size of the place since she’d arrived. “I feel like I’d be in over my head.”

Suzy waved it off with a laugh. “Can I let you in on a secret? I felt the same way when I first moved in.”

Gillie bit her lower lip as she let her eyes dance around the room again. The place had an allure to it, and Suzy trusted that the longer Gillie sat here with her, the more her friend would get over her cold feet.

Also, the longer Gillie stayed, the longer Suzy could continue to work her.

“It’s just…” Gillie started to launch another protest, “You had it easy. You were replacing someone who announced they were retiring. I’m going to have to fight for the position.

Suzy hated it when people told her she had had it “easy.” She never remembered getting people to buy into her crusade of bringing massive change as being “easy.”

And in the years since Suzy had moved into the office, it had been anything but “easy” initiating a single one of those promised changes. Most of her ideas were butchered beyond recognition by the time they were implemented.

“Gillie, if I could do this, you certainly could,” Suzy assured her. “I’ll let you in on another secret. Err, maybe I told you already, but…I was always a little jealous over how you just breezed through law school.”

“Really?” Gillie almost gushed.

“Just a little,” Suzy said, playfully trying to save face. “You just always seemed to have your hand raised, and even when Professor Abernathy sprung a new question on you trying to stump you, I always believed you’d come up with the right answer.”

Gillie blushed when she smiled, informing Suzy she was warming up to the idea. It was time to make one last pitch.

“Hey. Remember. I’m going to be in your corner every step of the way. Don’t ever feel like you’re going after this alone.”

If Gillie got on board, as Suzy expected she would (with enough gentle nudges), they’d be in it together for the long haul. Her ideas for the sweeping changes she’d promised to bring about might have been stalled for now, but Suzy had a mind to fix that as soon as she could.

“And it will be so good to have an old friend in the building here,” Suzy added. “The two of us can do a lot of good here,” she said, laying the foundation for things to come.

That was how things got done around here. Years of strategizing, waiting for the right opportunity.

Like this one.

“But…they don’t already have someone else in mind?”

Suzy flashed her friend a smile. To Gillie, it would’ve been reassuring., but Suzy knew its true nature was contentedness. She knew she’d won Gillie over.

“I’m putting in a good—no, great—word for you with the higher ups, and I’m not leaving until they know you’re the best candidate.”

Gillie giggled as she smiled. “Alright, but not too great a word. I still need to talk it over with Marco.”

“Of course,” Suzy said jovially.

After a couple of long years of accomplishing next to nothing, she felt this was her first real step toward the changes she’d envisioned.

This year, I’m participating in NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month competition.

For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is a challenge to yourself to write 50,000 words, or one book, during the month of November. So the competition doesn’t pit you against other writers, but against the clock to reach your goal.

I’m excited being a first time participant and giving this a try. I always love trying new things as a writer, and if I take to this competition, November might be the month I start writing all my new novels/novellas.

I feel like I’ve set myself up to have a successful first NaNoWriMo experience. The idea for this latest story came to me in May, festered in my brain until I started jotting down notes for the next two months, and have been actively drafting outlines since August. To say I’m chomping at the bit ready to go is an understatement.

That being said, any and all encouragement is welcome 🙂

Every Tuesday during the month of this competition I’ll be posting updates on my progress.

Her face lit up immediately after her cell phone did. She’d been eagerly awaiting the call, which came at the same time every day he was on one of his trips. Usually, while in the midst of this insufferable waiting, she got distracted by something around her and had to run back to her phone to answer before it went to her voicemail. For the first time, her eyes were glued to the phone’s screen when it came alive and said

‘Daddy Calling’

“Hello, Victoria,” his voice cheerily sang to her from far away. “How has my precious little princess been today?”

“Good, daddy,” she said with a smile.

“You haven’t been making any mischief for the nanny?” he asked, following his standard line of questioning for his calls.

“No,” she lied.

“That’s good to hear. How was your day? How was school?”

“Good. Mrs. Stenson lost track of time so we got to spend a lot more time outside for recess.”

Her father didn’t share her enthusiasm for the extra play time. “I’m glad you got some more fresh air, but I’m not paying what I’m paying to send you to that school just for you to play.” Victoria rolled her eyes. Everything was about money with her daddy. “Was Mrs. Stenson still able to go through everything she needed to teach the class that day?”

“Yes,” Victoria replied in an agitated, tired tone.

“And was the class still able to make sure they got through all of Mrs. Stenson’s lessons for the day?” he continued to grill her. She should’ve expected that. Any time she gave her daddy any sort of attitude as a response, he buckled down and became equally gruff in his questioning.

“I don’t know about the rest of the class, but it was no problem for me,” she said, relaxing her tone to a more docile one. She’d picked up that he spoke more reasonably to her when she wasn’t giving him what he called ‘an attitude.’ “She gave us our first homework assignment!” she said excitedly. It’d been the first time she’d ever been given homework, and like the rest of the kids in her class, it was enthralling to finally be treated like big kids.

“Have you finished it already?” her daddy asked after a pause. She had no doubt he’d checked his watch and worked out what time it was back home.

“Yeah, it was pretty easy,” she said with a touch of remorse. “I don’t know if I’m going to get a good grade on it.”

“Why not?” the faraway voice asked.

“We were supposed to make a family tree. Include pictures of our family and relatives, but…you told me you didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and your parents were both only children…and all the photos of them were burned up in the house fire that killed them. So, I don’t know what I’m going to have on the tree besides you, me and mommy.”

Her daddy didn’t take long to come up with a solution. “I’ll find you a picture of your mother’s parents so you can have your mom’s side filled out. For my parents, just draw a picture of what you think they look like, and turn it in. If your teacher gives you a bad grade because of it, I’ll talk to her.”

Victoria smiled, relieved. She usually benefitted when her daddy spoke to someone.

“Okay. Sometimes I’m sad that I’ll never meet them.”

“Well, Victoria, what do I always tell you.”

“’We can’t stay upset over things that will never be,’” she recited.

“That’s right,” he said fondly, then paused. She imagined he was checking his watch again. “Alright, princess, I’ve got to go. I should be back home from my meetings in two days. Love you lots.”

“Love you more,” she said and hung up.

She got to work coloring a picture of her grandparents with markers, and although she was sad she didn’t have a real picture of them to see what they looked like, she soon became engrossed in the coloring itself, instead of what she was drawing. Victoria handed in the assignment the next day, and had it returned to her not only with no problems, but a perfect score.

By the time she came home the following day, she’d forgotten all about the family tree she’d made, and its subject matter.

Nils observed his son was following the same pattern he’d always exhibited when coming home. Axel had pushed past him when he’d opened the front door for his son, and settled on a couch in the living room without a word, waiting for his father to join him.

While Axel did this every year, the callousness of his actions seemed to deepen with each passing year. His son arrived in a greater drunken stupor, and his agitation when he flippantly gestured with a wave of his hand for his father to start talking was more apparent than ever. In a way, it made Nils reflect back fondly on all of Axel’s prior visits, when it oddly felt like Axel at least tolerated returning home.

“We’ll need more this year,” Nils said humbly, earning a sharp glare from his son. Nils couldn’t tell if it was because he dared to ask, or if it was because the amount of neediness in his voice wasn’t to his son’s liking.

“The medication your mother needs to take,” he quickly elaborated, “it, well…my unemployment checks aren’t enough to cover them.”

“Why don’t you get your job back at the factory?” Axel snarled as he rubbed furiously at his temple.

“The plant closed down,” Nils reminded his son. He had a sneaking suspicion Axel knew this, just like he had a sneaking suspicion that Axel had been the one who acquired the plant seven years ago just to lay everyone in it off and shutter its doors.

“So go find another plant or warehouse to work in.”

“I’ve tried,” Nils cried, desperately. “They all think I’m too old to do the work.”

Axel snorted. “Seems like it’s a bad idea trying to always rely on a company to give you steady work instead of creating one yourself.”

Nils clamped his mouth shut. There it was. Axel’s annual lesson he was teaching his father. He appreciated that his son had at least gotten to it quickly this year, faster than any year prior. Perhaps it was a sign that Axel was finally getting tired of delivering his annual tutelage of what happened when you didn’t believe in him. Perhaps it was a sign Axel was finally ready to forgive him and move on.

Nils hoped so.

“How much more did you need?” Axel barked. Nils gave an amount, and Axel quickly stated he would only be granting him half. Nils feigned like this would create a hardship, but this was one of Axel’s lessons that he’d learned: Nils had been asking for over double and sometimes triple what he really needed, knowing Axel would never give him the full amount.

“You’re not staying?” Nils asked when Axel rose unsteadily from the couch and began to stagger for the door. He glanced out the window to see his son’s cab was still idly in front of his yard.

“I’ve got an amazing room at a five star hotel waiting for me. Why would I stay here?” His son didn’t react to the stifled sob that came from the kitchen.

“Please,” Nils said, grabbing his son’s shoulder to stop him from leaving. Axel wrenched himself free of Nils’ grasp, then turned on him, the fury in his eyes accentuated by how bloodshot they were.

“I’ve amended your allowance,” Axel snarled. “You’ll now only receive a quarter of what you’ve asked for this year.”

“Please,” Nils persisted. “If you want to punish me, fine, but don’t punish your mother. Please. Her health is failing. Bring our granddaughter here, so that at least your mother can see her. Just once.”

Axel opened the front door, then turned to face his father one last time.

“I told you, promised you, that you both would never see your grandchild as long as you were alive. She’ll never know who you are. Do you not get how this arrangement works? I will never grant you even the smallest of victories.”

And with that, he shut the door behind him, and his visit was over.

After watching countless YouTube videos and listening to hours of podcasts offering advice on how to build an author platform, I decided that an author website was necessary. I’d never made a website before, but there was a series of YouTube videos that broke the process down step by step that I felt I could use as a guideline for what to do.

Following the first of the three videos was smooth sailing. It was all about paying for the website, entering in your payment information, and selecting the website package that fit your needs. I was able to follow along with the instructor.

Then…came the second video.

When it came time to actually start formatting the aesthetic of my website, I noticed that the website I was looking at looked slightly different from what the YouTuber was navigating through. This is because companies will constantly update the look and functionality of their website. The goal is to make it a smoother, easier experience for the user. But anyone with a Facebook account knows that that’s not always the case when they make these changes.

Suddenly, the whole interface looks different, and functions that you’ve gotten used to finding in certain places and have accepted as the most logical place for them now are nowhere to be found. Or are cut entirely, even though you may have found them to be some of the most useful applications.

The YouTube videos I was watching weren’t even that old. They had just been published 6 months before I had ventured into making my own website. Sure, they weren’t recently uploaded, but it’s not like I was attempting to follow instructions that were made five years ago and wondering why they were out of date.

Instead of getting the website done in an afternoon or so, as the videos convinced me it might be possible to do, this ended up taking multiple sessions of guess work, with me going “This link sounds like it could be what I’m looking for, let me see….no, that’s not it either. Hmmmmmm.”

This may seem like it was a minor inconvenience that only held me back a couple days, and in a way, that’s true. But in addition to trying to set up this website, I was also working on everything else I needed to do to bring Dig Down to market, was still in the process of working with the editor to polish Dig Down, and was outlining and writing another project that I hoped I’d be able to publish within a year after my first novel.

And these were just the writing goals I had at the time. There was still everything else I had going on in my life that I couldn’t just put on hold to build a website. I usually allotted time on Sundays to work solely on the website, so while it was only a couple of days of trial and error before I figured out how the new interface operated, those couple of days stretched out over an entire month.