Tag: national novel writing month 2022

NaNoWriMo2022: End of Week Three

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

This week has gone by in a flurry. I took a healthy amount of time off to spend with my partner, it was our ninth anniversary, and we had a fabulous day out going to a hip restaurant and then out for drinks at a local dive bar by the Haight. I was swept up in fun and fell behind in my writing, but I wouldn’t trade our good times for anything.

My novel is over 25k words, but I’ve a solid grasp of where the story’s going and how things will unfold. I find reading for long periods of time refreshing to clear my head.

I finished No Nature by Gary Snyder this week, and I’m almost done with Book #1 of The Scholomance. I’m not in love with The Scholomance. It’s a painful read, and I’ve almost stopped a few times because of the boring inner monologue of the main character.

She’s not relatable, not bright, and unpleasant, but I like the world-building, and the monsters who snatch up and eat students are fascinating and disturbing; definitely good inspiration for how I can craft my own to scare readers, hopefully.

My plans for week four? I need to write about 15k words and build up to the story’s climax; I’m thinking of a fight or death. How’s your NaNoWriMo going? Are you looking for a writing partner? HMU on nanowrimo.org; my username is alinahappyhansen ?

NaNoWriMo2022: End of Week Two

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

It’s the end of NaNoWriMo week two, and I feel I’ve made pretty good progress. At the beginning of the week, me and my boyfriend when to Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation Book Tour at the Castro Theatre. It was fun to get out and enjoy the city after work instead of staying home and watching reruns.

Since I didn’t have time to write that night, I’ve been a little behind since then, but now I’m hovering at around 19k words written. I’ve already written nearly half a book, and I’m not quite sure what my characters will do or how the main conflict will resolve, but I like my momentum.

I’ve focused on making this NaNoWriMo as stress-free as possible, so I’m doing my best not to put any pressure on myself, thinking I’m writing the next big fantasy hit (that’s certainly not the case).

Drink of the night: A splash of pineapple juice and Haku Vodka
Snack: Pretzels
My latest obsession: Sweetened dried orange slices

My plans for week three? I need to sort out the antagonist of my story and decide if my main character’s going to step into a leadership role or solve a mystery, maybe both. How’s your NaNoWriMo going? Are you looking for a writing partner? HMU on nanowrimo.org; my username is alinahappyhansen 🙂

NaNoWriMo2022: End of Week One

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

With a finger of Haku vodka and the rest unsweetened cranberry juice, I type away on my laptop while taking periodic sips of my simple homemade cocktail. It’s supposed to rain, pour today really, but there’s not a whisper of raindrops yet.

I just finished lunch, steaming hot rice topped with tuna and mayo mixed and a sprinkling of Tajín. Is this what happens when you get older, your taste suddenly evolves, and you crave absolute bitterness and savory flavors? I’m not sure. But I am sure that the end of week one of NaNoWriMo went unexpectantly well for me.

For October, I’d been writhing with anxiety, unsure what my upcoming novel would be about. But now, with only a few thousand words down and a fuzzy picture in my head, big surprise, it’s gonna be about witches.

It’s easier than I thought to create something from nothing. The ideas that flow in the back of my head take on an existence of their own. Without careful planning and the millions of compartments that occupy the space between consciousness and my imagination, the hideaway desk that is my mind would be a wreck.

Besides taking an hour to two hours a night to scrap together the minimum word count (or more, if I’m willing), I’ve spent most of my time reading. For the first time in over two years, I have enough time to read and read more.

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik

No Nature: New and Selected Poems by Gary Snyder

A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I’m gravitated towards Fantasy recently and slowly spinning around poetry as usual. Nothing changes. This is far from unusual for me. And sadly, with Halloween 2022 now over, I’ve got the rest of San Francisco’s mild yet wet Fall/Winter to look forward to.

The fog hangs low, and there are dead leaves strewn on sidewalks and streets here and there. Walking through Chinatown, the Transamerica Pyramid often comes in and out of view as I walk southbound on Stockton Street. On most days, a good portion of it is hidden by the fog; on others, the soft lighting and bright colors of the century-or-so-old buildings in the forefront create a pleasant contrast.

Yes, there are days when it feels like I’m walking on a Bladerunner set sometimes, and other times, I get the sense that I’m traversing through a mystical city hanging in the balance between the sea and the rest of the land mass that is North America. Somewhere in between, close but also far away.

There’s plenty of inspiration to go around this city and more than enough details to invigorate a fledging novel. Dead baby sharks for sale on a street corner, pigeons with one foot or crumpled toes hoping in the gutter, a white cat in the window of an herbalist shop, hanging roasted ducks…I could go on forever.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? I want to hear from you. You can connect with me today on nanowrimo.org ~ my username is alinahappyhansen 🙂

Want to get a feel for my novel?

Below you’ll find a link to my WIP’s Pinterest Board visuals and the playlist I’ve been listening to as I write.

Vincent’s Collection of Mystiques ~ Pinterest Board

Spotify Playlist ~ This is Pensees

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, I wish you the best of luck!