It's that Time of the Year!

Sit down. Start writing. I am itching to do that…to start something new. After a year of revising my psychological suspense novel, Net Switch, I’d love to jump into something fresh and different. I even have a title, but that’s it.

The fun month is approaching…National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)…a month where you sit your butt down and write your heart out. The goal is to write a novel of at least 50,000 words. It starts on November 1 and ends at midnight on November 30. There is worldwide  participation. You can sign up on their site at National Novel Writing Month. In the past, I’ve heard some people make it a family event in which they each attempt to write a novel. It’s a great way to write what you like, and utilize your time. Even if you don’t complete the task, you might have the meat for a great short story.

My novel came from my 2008 participation. I joined to see if I could do it—I did—and because of it I received a badge stating I was a “Winner NaNoWriMo 2008” (still on my blog). After that, I put it aside, happy that I accomplished writing 50,100 words in a month. But as fate would have it, someone read it and encouraged me to publish it. 

Three years later, over 75,000 words, my book will be in print just in time for the holiday season.

If you know of anyone with imagination and writing skills, or you want to challenge yourself to a creative competition, then I highly encourage you to signup now and put on your idea cap. It’s the perfect time to prepare for a month of writing—letting your imagination run wild. I’d love to know if anyone is interested in joining. 

I’m pretty busy with things going on in my life, but I can’t seem to ignore this writing itch. Maybe I'll be able to juggle it.

Scratch and create,

Bea

I Got Your Back

My friend, June made this t-shirt for me.

 

Happy New Year! I’m back! We finally arrived in Germany yesterday, but pretty much slept until noon today since our travels lasted 24 hours. During the holidays, I enjoyed my time with family and friends, and now I’m prepared to take on my list of good intentions and challenges this year.

First, I hope to shed weight like part of Germany had shed the snow. Over the past decade, weight seems to top my list, especially since I quit smoking. Hopefully this year it won’t just be an early year want and fade into an end of the year blues. Another challenge is to sell my condo. The real estate market is horrid, and unless I plan on waiting it out for a few years, I’ll be extremely lucky to break even. BUT—I decided to sell and move on. If you’re looking for a condo, or know someone else is looking, just shoot me an email and maybe we can work something out. *smiles and crosses fingers*

Two more huge challenges are for my Love to find a teaching job, or another type of job somewhere in the United States, and for me to get at least ONE of my writings published. We both already started pursuing these challenges, so with a bit of luck something might come out of it. *smiles and crosses toes*

What about you? Are there any big challenges you face this year?

*raises glass* I wish you all a great year. May you keep company with happiness and good health. Remember—when times get tough, there’s always someone out there who’s got your back.