What Happened? I Didn’t Finish a Novel for NaNoWriMo2021

Here I am, on the seventh day of December, and yes, I failed NaNoWriMo2021. Last month was hectic. We ended up having to relocate to a hotel for almost two weeks while our apartment was getting worked on. During all the chaos, I kept working and didn’t have the energy to work on Jack’s Story. But that’s ok.

When we finally returned home, I started resettling into my usual routines. It is so nice not to spend $100 a day ordering takeout, and I won’t miss it.

As November sped away from me, I kept thinking about my novel that I completed back in 2018. I’ve done many revisions, had people read it and review it, and edited it to death. But I know it’s not even close to done.

So I broke down yesterday, set a timer for one hour, and worked on the first three chapters. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I feel the characters, the story, and the convoluted ending falls short of everything the plot builds up to. It needs to be rounder, fuller, more complete.

Now, I’m working on my novel again while I get ready for the Holidays. Of course, I’m behind in my Christmas shopping, and I’ve got a stack of cards that need to be mailed soon. But this is good. Working on my novel will help me settle down to relax and enjoy winter in San Francisco.


Did you participate in NaNoWriMo this year? Let’s chat, leave a comment below or send me a message. I’d love to hear about your experience.

Finishing a Novel for NaNoWriMo2021: How’s it going to end?

It’s another year, another November, and NaNoWriMo is here. I’m about nine days too late for writing this introduction post, but better late than never, right? 

Around Halloween, I was starting to agonize over what I was going to write in November. Should I try short stories? Should I even try at all? On the first day of NaNoWriMo, I ended up writing about a thousand words of a nonfiction piece that turned into an assignment for an online workshop I’m taking provided by The Writer’s Studio. Oh well.

I decided I didn’t want to expand on that nonfiction piece for 50,000 words, so I scrapped it and wrote three hundred words about a teen girl being hunted by a coven of witches. I can’t shake witches; they’re in my blood.

No, I don’t want to write another novel about witches, so I chucked that idea out the window and started going over the novels I attempted to complete for NaNoWriMo’s in 2020 and 2019. Low and behold, the two novels I had failed to complete are still vaguely interesting.

I decided to pick up the one from 2019, titled Jack’s Story, and run with it. Now I’m editing about 17k words as I catch up in the story. It’s not that bad, I’m surprised, and for once, it appears I’ve written part of a novel that isn’t tainted by the supernatural…for now.

So that’s where I’m at; I’m going to work on Jack’s Story for this month and see where it takes me.

A brief synopsis of Jack’s Story:

Jack is a twenty-something downbeat guy trying to manage his mental illness when he finds out one of his ex-girlfriends was brutally murdered. As he reconnects with family and friends, his past comes back to haunt him.

Check out my NaNoWriMo2021 project here!

I think finishing this novel is a good challenge for me this month while I juggle the workshop. While I’m working on all of this, I’ve been revamping my Medium blog, prepping to post a selection of nonfiction pieces centered around San Francisco. So far, I have one piece published, and you can check it out here.

Stay tuned!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo 2021? Let’s talk! Leave a comment below or message me. I want to hear from you!


NaNoWriMo 2020 and Staying Busy

Yesterday was Election day, but because this year is weird and COVID-19 has changed how things are done, I think this turned into Election week.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been staying busy and staying home. Utah’s daily case counts have been steadily getting higher, and we’ve already had a few days where ten people die every day.

I finished Inktober. It was a lot of fun and an excellent way to keep my mind off the impending Election. And now, I’m going to stay busy by participating in NaNoWriMo this year.

For NaNoWriMo, I wanted to take a crack at general fiction, but with what I’ve written already, it looks like it’s going to be a ghost story.
Of course.

This year has been brutal, and I feel like I’m running out of steam. I want it to be over. Emotionally drained, tired, and staying focused on work, that’s all I can do for now and make the best out of the rest of the year.

I’m accepting Beta Read inquiries if anyone has any short stories, novellas, or novels they need read and reviewed. I just finished conducting a Beta Read for a short story this week, and I have an open schedule for the rest of the month.

Dear Subscribers,
This week’s newsletter did not go out but expect one on Monday! I am working on some poems, and I would like to write up a quick tip for writers.

I’d love to connect with other writers participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and I am looking for a writing buddy. Leave a comment or message me if you’re interested.

As usual, I’m open to recommended reading, articles, and writer’s resources if you have any you would love to share.

Have a wonderful day and stay safe out there, my friends!

Cheers,
Alina

Failing NaNoWriMo 2019

November has flown by and I have failed NaNoWriMo this year. With only five days left of November, I have over twenty-five thousand words to write if I want to complete the challenge. My fiction piece ‘Jack’s Story’ is a baby, barely over seventeen-thousand words and full to the brim of unnecessary dialogue and weird scene cuts.

Alina’s NaNoWriMo Profile

Am I okay with failing NaNoWriMo this year? Does it matter that I am giving up with five days left? (Hey, if I wrote five thousand words every day until November 30th, I may actually be able to complete the challenge) The answer: Yes, I am okay with failing, and No, I will not give up on ‘Jack’s Story’. It’s good, I think, and turning into an interesting crime/mystery/thriller. I do love my thrillers. It’s got a different flavor from my current novel that I have finished and I am polishing up with the intention of submitting to literary agents starting in January.

Even though November is ending fast, I am planning on finishing ‘Jack’s Story’ whenever that is, ideally by the end of the year. I can juggle working on My First Novel and this one. While I am working on these projects I am having fun reading a selection of books, right now those are,

Face It by Debbie Harry (Memoir)

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Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

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Ulysses by James Joyce

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Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

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It’s been a crazy month, but I am reading some great stuff, and making progress with my writing. I can only hope that my proactivity increases next year with the start of the new decade.

Thank you for reading this update, and thank you to all my followers that continue to keep up with my journey.

-Alina

You can find me on INSTAGRAM

NaNoWriMo 2019 & MCR is BACK!

Although I am still working on editing the final draft I have of MY FIRST NOVEL, I have decided to participate in this year’s National Novel Writing Month.

The intended goal is to write a 50,000 worded novel over the course of the month of November. Each day your writing goal is around 1,600 words in order to accomplish this. So far I have about 3,700 words written and I need around 1,700 written today to keep up.

I love to write Horror, scary stories, fiction in general with disturbing twists and turns that dabble with the strange, unusual, and surreal. For this NaNoWriMo I have decided to try my hand at realistic fiction. Keeping it in the ‘real’ world the best I can. So, of course, the book I’m working on right now is a Mystery/Crime/Thriller. Let’s see if I can pull it off.

What I’m listening to:

Pinterest Board/Inspiration:

Thank you for following me! And coming along on this new and exciting journey!

 

-Alina

Find Alina on INSTAGRAM

p.s. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE is BACK TOGETHER! I could not be more happy or shocked. I’m still trying to process this information so bear with me…

Image result for my chemical romance reunion memes"

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