Young Writers Society

Oh this novel.

I'm currently at 32,780. My goal for NaNo is to finish. I'm shooting for 65,000, so 32220 for the month, which equates to 1074 per day.
I GOT THIS.

I'm in the middle. I planned virtually nothing before I started this novel. This novel is super depressing (part of why I had to take a break from it).

In short, it's a YA contemporary (coming of age) with themes of grief/loss, friendship, and identity. And pretty strong Christian themes. I've never written a non-romance novel before, so this probably good for me, but I obviously don't know how to arc if it's not a romance arc.

Using this thread to update progress, struggles, try to hype myself, etc.

You've got this Carlito!

Day One:

I've decided to listen to a full Christian album on each day of NaNo while I write and simply write for the duration of the album (while also hopefully using the album as inspiration?)

Album of the day: Look Up Child by Lauren Daigle
Rating: 10/10 - her voice is everything <3
Favorite songs: You Say; Everything
Most Meredith (MC) songs: Rescue; Look Up Child

Words today: 1078
Total NaNo words: 1078
Total novel word count: 33858

Thoughts while writing:
-How do I even start because I stopped at such a random place 2 1/2 months ago and what is even going on in this novel?
-I read the last chapter I wrote and maaaaaaaaan the feels. Like this doozy:

“I wasn’t in love with her or anything. I was just hoping that someday I’d have the chance to be.”

-Don't know what this next chapter is really going to be about but here goes nothing!
-Half-way through my goal for today and it's already a fight :p (the album is good though!)
-Lauren's voice is just <3 <3 <3 though
-400 more words uuuuuuggggggh (this is going great :p)
-Well this scene took a turn I wasn't expecting. This is what I enjoy about not planning first drafts
-Made it!

Day Two:

Album of the day: Own It by Francesca Battistelli
Rating: 8.5/10
Favorite songs: The Breakup Song, This could change everything
Most Meredith song: As good as it gets

Words today: 1086
Total NaNo words: 2164
Total novel word count: 34,944

Thoughts while writing:
-procrastinated until 10:30pm to start because I don't know what's happening
-I was going to save this until tomorrow, but I think I'm going to start the Extreme Harry Potter word crawl!
-Okay this word crawl really is a game-changer! I'm writing way faster than I thought I would. Whether or not it's any good is another story but oh well :p
-I got my wand from Ollivander! Tomorrow I'll pick out my pet and see how far I get after that!
-And made it! Glad I sucked it up and started writing!

Day Three:

I knew I should have planned ahead yesterday morning and wrote earlier in the day because boy and I had dinner plans with friends last night. Well, I didn't do that and I didn't get home until 11:30, so no writing :p

Day Four:

Album of the day: Burn the Ships by For King & Country
Rating: 9/10
Favorite song: Burn the ships; Control
Most Meredith song: God Only Knows; Need you more

Double duty since I missed yesterday -
Album of the day: Unleashed by Skillet
Rating: 12/10 <3
Favorite song: Stars <3 (One of my all-time favorite songs); Lions; Watching for Comets; Brave
Most Meredith song: Out of hell; Stay till the daylight

Words today: 2151
Total NaNo words: 4315
Total novel word count: 37,092

Thoughts while writing:
-I'm going to break this up and do one session now and one session later during the write-in to make up for yesterday.
-The HP word crawl plus listening to an album is really doing wonders for my motivation
-I had to take a break towards the end of album 1 because I hit a wall. I'm boarding the train and I had to write a lot of words :p
-Okay I'm back to writing now that I've taken a long break!
-Skillet <3 <3 <3
-I got to Hogwarts and ate a chocolate frog! (In the word crawl :p) I'm almost done with this chapter and I have 0 ideas for what happens next #panster
-jamming to Skillet in my chair <3 (shhhh I'm not distracted I promise!)
-quick break to change out my laundry and make some carrot cake
-back and reallllly struggling with motivation now. I just want this scene/chapter to be over. I still need about 600 words today to be caught up ugggggggggh.
-I feel like I'm saying similar things over and over in the conversation I'm writing....
-If I wasn't listening to this album I would have 100% given up on writing this scene by now :p
-336 more words to write to be back on track. x_x I think this chapter is finally about to be over though.
-This album is so good though. Stars has been my jam for forever. Why did I take so long to listen to the whole album???
-I think I know what's going to happen in the next chapter now!
-New chapter = new motivation. AND I FINALLY MADE IT. (It's trash though. all trash :p) In the crawl I got sorted into my house and now I need to enjoy the feast!

Day Five:

Album of the day: The Struggle by Tenth Avenue North
Rating:
Favorite song: Worn (another one of my all time favorites <3); Losing
Most Meredith song: Worn

Words today: 417
Total NaNo words: 4732
Total novel word count: 37509

Thoughts while writing:
-oh MAN I'm not in the mood to write right now. Yikes. I'm in a knitting mood. I'd rather be knitting. Maybe in addition to listening to an album after every 250 words I can watch a skating video and knit? Yeah. Going with that...
-muddling my way through one sentence and one paragraph at a time.
-okay I'm so unmotivated I need to stop here. I'll finish this album and listen to another tomorrow (day off because of election day! whoo!!)
-hahaha just noticed that I'm struggling as I listen to "the struggle" album

Day Six:

Even though I had the day off, I had 0 motivation to open my computer and try to write something.

Now I need 1145 words daily to hit 65k by the end of the month.

Day Seven:

Okay, finishing The Struggle by Tenth Avenue North! (I'm still going to try and listen to 30 albums...)
Rating: 9/10
Favorite song: Worn
Most Meredith song: Worn; Strangers Here

Album of the day: (technically for day 6) Come to the well by Casting Crowns (to be continued)
Rating:
Favorite song: Jesus, Friend of Sinners
Most Meredith song:

Words today: 1169
Total NaNo words: 5901
Total novel word count: 38677

Thoughts while writing:
-I'm struggling way less today! Maybe I needed that mini writing-break!
-Words are a-flowing today. It's not good writing. Super dialogue heavy and choppy today, but I honestly don't care. I just want to finish this dumpster fire draft :p
-I know so many songs on this Casting Crowns album, but I've never actually listened to the full album
-303 more words today and I still know what's happening in this scene so (getting sleepy though)
-Fading fast now. I'm so close to hitting my new goal! I'm going to power on and try to start writing earlier tomorrow :p
-Ooooh I'm getting close to 40k total!! That means I'm getting close to the final stretch!
-And made it!! I'm about to go down to Hagrid's hut to eat treacle fudge

Day Eight:

Oops didn't write again.
Work was super demanding this week (as it has been for the last three months...) I worked like 12 hours yesterday and all I wanted to do after that was watch youtube videos and knit.

Hoping to play catch-up this weekend because it's going to be COLD and I don't do cold.

Day Nine:

Finishing Come to the well by Casting Crowns (technically day 6 album)
Rating: 9.5/10 (I think the only reason it's not a 10 is that some of the songs are way overplayed on the radio and they don't do much for me anymore)
Favorite song: Jesus, Friend of Sinners; The well
Most Meredith song: The well; My own worst enemy

Album of the day: Chain breaker by Zach Williams (technically day 7 album)
Rating: Didn't think Unleashed would be topped but... 15/10 (so far. we'll see if this continues when I finish tomorrow ($10 it will :p)
Favorite song: Every single one? For real. But Survivor is my favorite of the favorites.
Most Meredith song: Survivor; To the table (strong contender for a 2nd place theme song, right behind Oceans by Hillsong United)
to be continued...

Words today: 881
Total NaNo words: 6782
Total novel word count: 39557 (sooo close to 40k! almost makes me want to keep writing....)


Thoughts while writing:
-I watched a sad episode of the OC (one of my all-time favorites) hoping that would get me in the mood to write my depressing book... I'm fighting the strong desire to knit and/or play sims
-Wow I managed to write 500 words without much effort!
-Ooooh I'm close to 40k total! I'm 98% sure I'll get there today.
-Moving on to Zach Williams. I have very high hopes for this album. One track in and I'm all in. LET'S GO ZACH WILLIAMS.
-hahaha I'm about to get very little writing done because I'm jamming right now. We haven't gotten to the songs I turn up loud on the radio :p
-man this album is gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
-got distracted. hit a wall. brother is coordinating our Christmas gift for our parents. I'm going to finish this fab album tomorrow and get caught up!

Day 10:

Haha didn't write again. I have no real excuse or reason other than I was lazy?

Day 11:

Finishing Chain Breaker by Zach Williams (technically day 7 album)
Rating: As I said the other day, this album is fab. 15/10
Favorite song: Still every single one, but Survivor is my favorite of the favorites.
Most Meredith song: Survivor; To the table (strong contender for a 2nd place theme song, right behind Oceans by Hillsong United); Revival

Album of the day: There is a cloud by Elevation Worship (day 8 album)
Rating: 10/10 - gorgeous album!
Favorite song: Do it again <3; Yours
Most Meredith song: Do it again; Uncontainable Love; Here in the presence (whoooooa another contender for a theme song <3)

Words today: 2360 (a record for this NaNo season!)
Total NaNo words: 9142 (whoa so close to 10k for the month!)
Total novel word count: 41,917

Thoughts while writing:
-I've surpassed 40k!!!
-I'm thinking about Thanksgiving *drooling*
-ooooh this Elevation Worship album is already gorgeous <3
-one of my jams came on and I was due for a break so I took a dance break
-I'M ON A ROLL TONIGHT THOUGH. NO STOPPING NOW
-haha this is super talking heads-y oh well
-jamming again. This is a WORSHIP album.
-I FINISHED YEAR ONE OF THE HARRY POTTER WORD CRAWL. As soon as this song finishes, I'm going to take a quick break and come back to finish this album and get started on the next crawl. I'm on a ROLL today
-I'm actually enjoying writing tonight for the first time in months. Don't know why the sudden shift happened, but I'm going to enjoy it!
-wow acoustic Do It Again is gorgeous <333
-I'm getting sleepy. Two more songs then I'm done for the night! I feel so good about how much I accomplished tonight!

Words needed to hit 65k by the end of the month: 1215

Day 12:

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT I'M ACTUALLY WRITING TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

Album of the day: Lifer by MercyMe (technically my day 9 album)
Rating: 7.5/10
Favorite song: Even If; Ghost
Most Meredith song: Even If; Hello Beautiful

Album of the day: Be One by Natalie Grant (technically my day 10 album)
Rating: 10/10
Favorite song: Clean
Most Meredith song: More than anything
(i'm streaming the deluxe version on spotify and i'm pausing before i get to the deluxe parts, which are live and/or acoustic versions of songs on the album. I'll finish tomorrow, but I'm going to stick with my rating and listed songs)

Words today: 1219
Total NaNo words: 10,361 (boom past 10k!)
Total novel word count: 43,135

Thoughts while writing:
-This scene is laaaaaaame so far. But I'm past 42k and quality doesn't matter at this point. I'm looking forward to being done so I can work on the second draft of novel6
-now this scene is turning into some interesting symbolism. I truly had 0 idea where I was taking this and it somehow moved in a possibly useful direction!
-Done with Lifer, on to Be One! I still have 500 words to write today. I will succeed two days in a row!
-Fading fast, but I'm going to write 400 more words.
-I love Natalie Grant's voice.
-Uuuugh I'm so close to my word goal but now I'm on a new scene and what's this scene even going to be about?? I'm not sure how much more exposition I can do to start the scene off :p
-MADE IT. VICTORY IS MINE.

Day 13:

I had a dinner after work and didn't get home until kind of late. Then I got another order for my side knitting business and wanted to knit with my remaining free time before bed so...