Today, I am the Wiener!

Hello folks! I know, I’ve been very quiet here at the Emporium. November is always a crazy month for me, what with the semester winding to a close. But this November was even crazier, because I did Nanowrimo for the first time, for real. Yesterday night, I plugged in my fifty thousand words, and I won! Yay! Here’s mah badge:

I’ve blogged all over the place about Nanowrimo, especially about why I think it’s a great teaching tool and what I think people can learn from trying Nano. But I learned some things about myself, too.

First of all, I learned how much I make excuses. I do work a lot and am pretty productive. But there are still days I “just can’t” write, or there are times of the year I falter in my productivity.

And you know when one of those bad times is, when I normally get no writing done because I’m “too busy”? You guessed it: November. Most Novembers find me insane with grading, insisting I just can’t get any writing done.

So I was more than a little surprised that, despite all the stuff I normally have to do, I wrote a fifty thousand word novella. And not only did I finish, I finished five days early.

Meanwhile, one of the reasons I finished early was because I wrote every day. Including on the days I teach, when–of course–I normally tell myself “I’m too busy to write.”

In other words, I’ve spent the last month learning a ton about myself and the way I write, especially when it comes to the excuses I make. In fact, I’m just about to start plotting my sixth, and final, Jane True novel, and I’m looking at the process in a totally different way.

So that’s been my November! Of course I still have grading waiting in the wings, but I discovered that one of the side-effects of Nanoing was not only being more productive in my writing, but also being more productive in my teaching. I knew I had to get those words done every morning, so I’d get my To Do list done everyday, no matter what. At other times, I sometimes let a few things slide till the next day.

As for everything else, there has been TONS going on. I have some really fun things waiting in the wings to tell you, but I have to keep mum just a little while longer. So bear with me, and watch this space! Soon there will be updates on some Jane Trueniverse goodies coming your way. And you might be wondering what, exactly, I was writing for Nano…

I’d tell you now, but then I’d have to kill you. So stay tuned and thanks for all the love and care here, on my FB, and on Twitter, while I’ve been so MIA. I really appreciate it!

Posted by Nicole Peeler

Author, Professor, Lover, Fighter

5 thoughts on “Today, I am the Wiener!”

  1. Carolyn: Thanks, honey! The best part was realizing how nice it was to take a day off, guilt free, when I really needed to, because I was caught up or ahead.

    Natalie: Thanks, doll! 😉 Soon! There will be mucho announcements, soon.

  2. I have to say, it's been great fun following you, a real published author, through the NaNo experience. It's been a wild ride for my first year as well. I can't wait for all your news, hope I don't perish of curiosity in the meantime.

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