Have you heard of NaNo WriMo?? No, you say? Let me tell you a bit about it...NaNo WriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is a word count challenge for writers to pen 50,000 words in the month of November to help with completing their novel. The main rule is, WRITE. Write until you can't anymore! Another big rule---DON'T edit, just WRITE. Aaggh! The latter is sooooooo hard for me to do! I over edit. It's a problem I have always dealt with since I began writing. I over edit as I go, I just cannot help myself. I discovered NaNo WriMo last year, mid November when it was all well under way already. I didn't complete the challenge then, but I told myself it was because I had started so late so my failure was justified.
This year I prepped for NaNo WriMo extensively! I had all my word counts set up, posted numerous notes {on cute little papers I'd stamped with a typewriter and all}, and I had my current novel-in-progress ready to be completed.
Well....
NaNo WriMo ended yesterday, and I failed again. Yep. I only added a few thousand words to my existing 10,000 plus. In my defense, I did write. I just didn't write towards the goal of completing my novel. I did character development, researched background settings, etc. I also began on a few more ideas I had, and started on some scripts. I am considering entering a Scriptapalooza., a screenplay competition. Perhaps the stories I have to tell are better suited for movies or television, who knows?
Speaking of stories, here's a short story I wrote for a class a while back. Enjoy!!
She opened the door and tiptoed into
the room, being careful not to make much noise. He stirred in his bed
a bit, and she quickly ducked to the floor so he wouldn't catch a
glimpse of her shadowy figure on the wall. The last thing she wanted
right now was for him to wake up and start asking questions about where she'd been or why she was up at this hour. As she
crouched on the ground, her thoughts turned to the wonderful evening
she had just shared with Matt, the first love of her life.
Only he knew how to erase the stress of
her days. His words melted her, and his kisses sent her heart into a
frenzy. She could still feel the muscles of his strong arms as he
held her while they danced. Oh, how they had danced and danced!
Their evening had begun with dinner at
their favorite restaurant, a small steak joint a mile outside the city
limits. Neither of them had an affinity for trying out trendy new
restaurants, and the food served at Landon's Joint was simple, like
her and Matt. They liked the juicy steaks and burgers that Landon
served with the best sweet potato fries this side of the Rio Grande.
Matt had asked that she wear a nice, flowing dress tonight. She was
surprised by his request because he knew she was a t-shirt and jeans
type of girl. But, she had lost about ten pounds since the last time
he'd seen her in a dress so she obliged, hoping he would be
pleasantly surprised at the dress she had chosen to wear. Still, she
felt a bit uncomfortable and tried not to fidget while they ate
dinner. As they left the restaurant, she couldn't help but wish their
evening together could last longer. She missed Matt terribly when
they were apart, and lately it seemed they rarely spent any time
alone together. When they pulled into the dance studio, she looked at
Matt confused. He had failed to mention they would be going anywhere
after dinner. She was happy, but worried at the same time. What if HE
wakes up? We're never out more than a few hours, she thought. As if
reading her mind, Matt reassured her that everything would be okay.
He said they would leave immediately if HE called. Feeling a bit more
calm, she followed him in. It had been so long since she had danced!
Now she knew why he had asked her to wear a dress. He had already
made a big fuss about how great she looked when he picked her up, and
now he couldn't stop telling her how beautiful she was. She felt like
they were dancing on clouds, and when it was time to leave, Matt
kissed her passionately while whispering that their evening was not
over yet. They giggled like love-struck teenagers as they made their
way to the car.
“Mommy? Why are you hiding under my
bed,” asked sleepy-eyed Nicholas, interrupting her thoughts.
“Mommy was just checking for
monsters, sweetheart,” Bekkah said with a smile as she got to her
feet. Just then, Matt peeked his head through the door.
“Daddy!! Guess what? Mommy saw a
monster under my bed. Can I sleep with you?” Nicholas asked and
began to get out of his bed.
“Sure, sport. We'll take care of
those monsters in the morning, okay?” Matt said as he carried
Nicholas out of the room and mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to Bekkah.
Alas, date night had come to an early
end, and they would have to pick up where they left off some other
evening.
©All original stories posted are the sole property of JustVirginia. Stories may be shared as long as they include a link back to this original post.
