National Novel Writing Month Wraps Up

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Remember how freaked out I was about attempting NANOWRIMO, the challenge that asks you to complete a 50,000 word novel during the month of November? 

As of this morning, I have just under 600 words left to meet my 50,000-word goal. Tomorrow morning I plan on completing the challenge and wrapping up a month of "Oh-my-God-this-is-great-why-didn't-I-do-this-before-no-wait-this-sucks-I-suck-my-writing-sucks-this-is-hard-I-want-to-quit-wow-I-had-a-great-writing-session-I'll-never-stop-doing-this-no-wait-I'm-sick-of-this" roller coaster writing drama. 

Here are a few things I learned during my month of NANO'ing: 

  • I do my best writing early in the morning, fresh out of bed. Stumble to my office, no e-mail, no Internet, no anything. Sit. Think. Write. 
  • That being said, I can write anywhere, anytime. To get my NANO words in this month I wrote at the gym, in my car, at the doctor's office, in a hotel room the morning before I ran a marathon, at coffee-houses and occasionally at home at night.
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Vegetarian Cookbooks From Ten Speed Press

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Oh my God. Totally unexpected benefit of being an author published with Ten Speed Press/Random House? When I mentioned in an e-mail to my editor last month that I was going to Ashville to take a vegan soup making class, she offered to send me a couple of Ten Speed's newest cookbooks. A few days later I got a package in the mail with the two books you see below.

SO HAPPY. Blair calls it my cookbook porn. I loooove flipping through cookbooks, picturing all the meals I'll make. I've got about 20 recipies marked in each book to try. Kale Salad with Toasted Coconut & Sesame Oil and Panzanella (grilled tofu, sunflower sprouts, peanut butter, oven-roasted tomatoes) from Super Natural Every Day and Saffron Ravioli with Wild Mushrooms and Cashew Cheese from Candle 79. 

Ready for Thanksgiving to end--Blair won't let me fool around with the traditional dishes--so I can start cooking! 

Back In The Land of Cat Jokes

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November has shaped up to be a busy month. The developmental edit for Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? A Diet Book For Cats came back this week from my editor which means I am once again buried in cat humor. 

A developmental edit is basically just the editor going through the manuscript and pointing out what she likes, what jokes she thinks fall flat, what needs more explanation, etc. For example, I had written: While other diet and exercise books encourage a healthy lifestyle based on portion control and exercise, this book promotes the more feline-friendly approach of retching up most of your calories.

The editor's comment about "retching up" was "Is there a funnier, less gross term we can use here? I know there are a lot of funny slang terms for upchucking." So my edits this morning included sorting through options like "regurgitating, disgorging, heaving up, hurling, blowing chunks, yacking, ralphing..."

Seriously, I get paid to do this. It's awesome.

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