How I Wrote A Book In 30 Days (plus a gift idea)

I put one foot in front of the other.  Or, one word after the other, I guess is a better way to say it.  I took the challenge from nanowrimo.org to write a novel in November.  I made a commitment to write a 50,000 word book, 1,667 words every day.  Some days I missed which meant I had to catch up on the other days, which means, some days I wrote zero words, some days I wrote 8,000.

But, in the end, on Thursday, November 29, one day before November 30 because I got panicky I might get sick or fall off a ladder or become otherwise incapacitated on November 30 and miss the deadline, I completed the 51,100th word of the 50,000 word goal.  (Which, I can’t actually believe, because around word 45,000, I felt like I had no more words left in me.)

Every winter for the past 8 years, I’ve “been gonna” write a book.  This year, I finally did it and thanks to EVERYONE who cheered me on!

And, now for a little clarification:  By “I wrote a book”, I mean, I typed all the words into a document, chapter by chapter and it’s pretty much like a rough draft.  It does not mean the book is edited or published or ready for sale or ready for smiley face pictures with the author on my highly anticipated Summer 2019 Freaky Mom Book Tour.  Although I am thrilled there are people who think it could be for sale right this second, I promise I’ll let you know when it hits the streets…hopefully (crossing my fingers and toes) this Spring.

So, for the dirt on “How I Wrote A Book In 30 Days”, read on:

1. I abandoned my family.
2. I did not clean out the refrigerator.
3. I spent lots of dollars and lots of hours at my coffee shop offices (see facebook for details).
4. I hardly ever cooked dinner.
5. I followed a rough outline I created early one morning when I happened to be up alone in the dark with a cup of coffee and some inspiration.
6. I typed it on my laptop and talked it into my phone.
7. I did not fix too many typos or make sure it makes complete sense because that would have taken too long and I would not have finished in time.  (That’s the part that I’ll start in January.)
8. I went on a writer’s retreat all by myself with a bottle of wine, some cheese and some fig jam to an undisclosed location to crank out one of those 8,000 word days.
9. I was held accountable by my facebook fans…I wouldn’t have been able to let myself or them down unless I had been hit by a bus.
10. I accepted the challenge…and if you’ve known me for more than 5 minutes, you know that if I accept a challenge, I don’t go down without a fight.

And now, for some extra tidbits on “How It Affected My Family”,

1. My 11-year-old missed me.
2. My 14-year-old loved that I was either gone at a coffee shop or holed up in my bedroom because it meant I wasn’t harping at him for one thing or another.
3. My husband posted the following on facebook:

As far as the question…What Is It About? Well, it’s not about vampires or romance or murder mystery or anything like that. Actually, I’m still working on a concise way to describe it, but for now, I’ll tell you it’s a gift to my children, a support manual for compulsive entrepreneurs, and a reality look into the life of Yours Truly, Freaky Mom Numero Uno.

And, if you’ve been following me for more than a week, you know about the Christmas list I’m compiling for you.  As for another thing I’ll add to my list of favorite things that I think you should get someone for Christmas, especially if they have ideas in the shower all the time like I do: Aqua Notes. You can get them here and you can read more about my life with them here. They are one of my new favorite things, and the fact that I didn’t have to invent them has saved me lots of time.  (Here’s the first thing on my list of favorite things)

From Your Friend and Future Published Author,

Lindsey (pat on the back…Good Job Mom!)

P.S. Did you enjoy this? If so, comment and share it on facebook…your positive feedback keeps me going!

P.P.S. If you buy something as a result of clicking on a link, picture or ad in this email, thank you. I will get some of the money. Depending on what you click on, I might earn 10 cents or more. I appreciate it. Thanks for reading…and buying.