I'm linking myself up again with Pish Posh's Get Fit Challenge and I am encouraging you all to do the same.

Do you have any left over New Year's resolutions that are nagging at you? Do you find yourself complaining more than rejoicing? Do you need to write more? To whine less? To take your own advice and avoid people who make you unhappy?

Link up with Pish every Thursday. We can encourage each other. We can share our successes and our failures. She's giving away a cool prize and best of all when it ends, you might just be in a better place than where you were when it started.

PERSONAL GOALS

I am pecking away at my book and more determined than ever to finish it before the end of this challenge.

On a similar note, I have found some awesome websites that might just help me with the publishing of my other book. Since thing didn't work out with the NAESP contest I really need to get serious on finding another outlet.

Query Tracker and Agent Query may need to become my stomping grounds.

I was beating myself up about not getting on the treadmill but I decided that walking in our hilly neighborhood is probably even better for me.


PROFESSIONAL GOALS

I KICKED ASS on the ServSafe test and got a 92%. I don't think I have ever gotten a 92% on anything. It was a challenge and I am so happy that it is complete. Certified for five years.


MENTAL HEALTH

I am happy to have the house back. All company is gone. We are not traveling for the Easter holiday. It is just a chillaxin' kind of time. I think I need it. The basement project continues and little by little it is starting to look like a room!

Yeah!

Looking forward to hearing how everyone did this week!

Ever since I was a small child, I have been writing stories. Some of these stories are terrible. Some of these stories are incomplete. Some of these stories are still a work in progress.

In November of 2010, I completed a 55,000 word story that is near and dear to my heart. I fell in love with the characters. I became friends with them. I laughed when they laughed and I cried (oh how I cried) when they cried.

For 30 straight days the words of that book flowed out of me. i dreamt about it. I eagerly jumped out of bed at unreasonable times just to write something down.

When the book ended, I felt a little sad. Would I ever know how life turned out for them? Would I ever know if they had regrets? For non-writers, I am sure this sounds like poppycock nonsence but while I was pleased with the ending, I longed to know more.

I walked away from that book for a solid two months and then I actually let someone read it, my dear friend B. It is so hard to let anyone read your words. It is like handing over your heart and asking them to be gentle. I longed for affirmation, but I also sought honesty.

After receiving significantly positive feedback, I offered the manuscript to others to read. A former English teacher turned principal took up the challenge of editing a few things for me and when she came upon a contest she encouraged me to enter.

A national contest.

I let myself dream about what it would be like to win that. To get recognized as the children's book of the year! To finally hold a published copy of my book.

Last week NAESP announced the top 25 finalists and my name WAS ON THERE.

Holy shit!

I let myself imagine just a little bit more what it might be like to be invited to a National conference as a guest of honor so-to-speak. What it would be like to not wear a hairnet and wait on others but to actually have people in line waiting for a signed copy of my book. I visualized it. I saw it.

Doing all of this makes it happen, right?

When I found out that next's years conference is just a hope skip and a jump away in Baltimore, I felt even more certain that I would win.

I. WOULD. BE. SIGNING. MY. NOVELS. LESS. THAN. AN. HOUR. FROM. HOME.

It was sure to happen.

And then it didn't.

The top five finalists were released today and sadly, my name did not make the cut.

And while I know it is just a detour, and while I continue to be proud of my strong finish, I can't help but feel a little heartbroken, as I was certain it was my turn.

I was hoping to finish my NaNoWriMo novel by February 15th. Today is the 21st. It is not complete.

I am trying to convince myself that this does not make me a failure. This just makes my sucess a slower accomplishment. I will finish the book. I will conquer the first draft.

My first NaNoWriMo book flowed much like this one. My characters came to life. My protagonist became my friend.

To not complete this book would be a failure to our friendship...mine and Mandy's. Trust me. I am aware that she isn't real but I think some of her pain, some of her joy really is.

It lives within me. Writing it is an emotional process that I sometimes have to force myself to take.

Even if no eyes ever look upon the story, I will know whether it is complete or not.

I will know if Mandy is whole.

Setting my focus on the ides of March.

It's been 40 days since NaNoWriMo and I thought it was a good time to update you all on my progress or lack their of.

Sadly, I did not reach my goal of 50,000 words in the month of December. I did flesh out about 25,000 words and since then have added a measly 5,000.

Let's face it...I write much better under deadline.

After having a few new people read my Nano Novel from last year, I have had new life breathed into me and I can no longer drowned out the voices of my new novel. They are nagging me to get their story down and I have fallen deeply in love with my protagonist.

She is such a beautiful young adult...faced with a tough life and a lot of teen drama, she shines.

My goal is to have a rough draft complete by February 15th.

I guess I need to set my own deadlines.

I work well under pressure.

Let the State Inspector show up in the cafeteria on the holiday meal. Our stuffing balls will be hot and fresh.

That's why I love nanowrimo because it forces me to write 1667 words a day.

I know what you are thinking? How does a non-profit organization force me to write 1667 words a day. That takes a lot of people more than a month to write. That takes a lot of people even longer.

Here's how...I don't want to fail. I am perfectly aware that this first draft will likely make little sense, i am perfectly aware that by not reading anything I've previously written except the last sentence is crazy. I am perfectly aware that making up the plot as I go sounds outlandishly stupid, but it works for me.

I am falling in love with my characters and as of Halloween they didn't exist. I want to be friends with Mandy, my protagonist. I want to visit the Center library in Indianapolis to see if my description even comes close to capturing its beauty. I want to fall madly and deeply in love again.

I participate in Nanowrimo to remind myself that I still have an imagination.

Are you participating? Why not be my writing buddy. We can encourage each other.

You can find me on nanowrimo as kisatrtle.

Drum roll.............

I completed my NaNoWriMo novel!

Even faced with a lot of crap out of my control, I managed to write more than 50,000 words during the month of November.

That being said, I also neglected my blog, and a lot of housework, forgot to feed the dog (don't worry he can use a few less meals) and decided to give up cooking.

All for the love of writing.

As for whether or not the story is any good, I can't say.  I love the characters I created.  In fact when one of them died unexpectedly in a car accident I was quite upset.  This story seemed to come to life for me.  Often I would sit at the computer, totally clueless as to what I was going to type and soon I would have 2000 more words. 

I had no idea how it would end and I'm happy with the way it turned out. 

December I will spend a lot of time editing and making sure I didn't change any one's name half-way through the piece.  But as for Nano, I may be addicted.  The entire experience for me was excellent.

I'll hopefully be back in the swing of things at this here blog starting December 1st!

I decided to take a chance this year and participate in NaNoWriMo.

I thought about it last year and then I waited too long and didn't do it.

This year I felt prepared.  Even excited.  I mean it's only 1667 words a day.  That doesn't sound insurmountable.  That doesn't sound too difficult.  I felt certain that I could accomplish that with the utmost frequency.

I was ready.

Since signing up in late October I've received numerous pep talks and I've loved each and every one of them.  I've also fallen in love with my characters.  Sometimes I don't want to stop writing about them.  There have been quite a few occasions when I have written well over 1667 words on that particular day.

I'm proud to tell you in this Week Two of NaNoWriMo I have written over 17,000 words.  In this Week Two where many others have given up.  I have continued.

I have written these words even though I'm acting manager at the cafeteria and have numerous reasons for being exhausted.

I have written these words even though I cut my finger on Monday on a irresponsibly placed steak knife (but we aren't talking about that).

I have written these words even though because of the Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving Day holidays my evening work schedule is all askew.  Instead of having two meetings, some weeks I have four!

I have written these words in between soccer practice, cheerleading practice and boy scouts.

I have written these words in the car, at the beach, near the soccer field and even at an occasional meeting.

I have written these words and even if I don't reach that 50,000 word goal, no one can take away the 17,000 I've already written.

Here's to 33,000 words more by the end of the month.

I feel overwhelmed.

I feel like my battery is completely drained.

I feel like my hands are tied.

Here are a few reasons why...

1. My boss had an accident.  The head cook had a car accident over the weekend and messed up her leg.  As you will recall I really don't like being in charge  That being said, I find myself running things again and realizing how little money I make.
2. My MIL might be sick.  Again.  But I'm not ready to talk about that.
3. My beach trip is THIS WEEKEND.  As much as I'm trying to have a 'it's not my problem' kind of attitude it is hard for me to say that.  I mean there are only three of us who feed the entire school.  With one already down for the count and the other one being a bus driver who has a very limited schedule, Friday is going to be a hellish kind of day.  Here's hoping the admin comes down to help.
4. I have to meet with the superintendent.  Much to my surprise our district superintendent is visiting on Thursday and has decided that she wants to meet with me.  Why?  I have no freaking idea.  Should be interesting.
5. I have nothing packed.  I am trying to pack for my trip.  I have no idea what to bring as we all usually email each other into a frenzy but this trip we are just all so spent that we haven't even the time to email.
6. I am likely driving this beach trip and I really hate driving at night and on the highway.  I could let my friend J drive my new van but I still feel a little possessive of her.  After all I've only made two payments.
7. Sprinkle in a little soccer practice, a little cheerleading practice and a few meetings for the paper and you now have an understanding what my evenings are like.
8. And just because I'm a complete idiot I signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) because I thought it would encourage me to get my tween novel done.
9. NaNo is completely AWESOME and I highly recommend your participation.  That being said sometimes 1667 words a day is a mountain of a task.

How is your week going?