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The Explanation You Didn't Ask For...OR...Why I'm MIA


I have not been posting much lately on MamaManagement. Not that anyone really noticed. But I've been feeling a bit...uninspired...in the blog post arena, of late. And it isn't going to get any better because I'm about to launch into the busiest month of writing there is: November.

That's right, folks, t-minus 9 days and counting until the big kick-off of National Novel Writing Month 2015!!

I am super psyched for NaNoWriMo!

And a little bit scared.

This will be my third year participating. And, hopefully, my second year finishing!

If you're not familiar with NaNoWriMo, here's the basic premise: Write a novel in one month.

Well, sort of.

The objective is to write like a maniac and finish 50,000 words in 30 days. That's 1667 words per day. Sound tough? Yeah, well, it's not as easy as it sounds. 50,000 words will get you a solid shorter novel or the beginnings of an epic. Last year I wrote two shorter early grade children's novels which I'm still working on revising. But I did manage all 50,000 in those 30 short days. It was a huge accomplishment. (The year before I only got about 25,000 words in...but I was a total newbie, so it was still a huge start for me.)

This year I am tackling my first young adult novel. Something far more complex than what I've written to date. And I'm doing something else I've never done before...plotting. So far I've been what, in the writing world, they call a "pantser"...as in "writing by the seat of your pants." I'd have a basic idea for a story and then just sit down and write. I just followed wherever the story took me.

And it worked. But I think that approach made for more extensive rewriting. And it was an easier approach with a simpler story. This time there's more research involved and more complexity to the story. So, I'm plotting things out and spending a lot of time thinking about everything...the characters, the setting, the lessons to be learned...and, of course, the plot.

Not all of the details, those will come as I write, but the basic structure of the story: the place it will start, a few of the hurdles we'll have to jump, and where it'll all end. How we'll move through things? Well, who knows!

Anyway, the reason I haven't been blogging is that I haven't been inspired by much to blog about...I think that's because my brain is so wrapped up in my other writing: the surge I've put in to finish rewrites on another book before November, and the total and utter preoccupation I currently have with the new novel.

I'm a little obsessed, I'm not gonna lie.

But it has so much potential.

If I can do the story justice, I think it could be really great.

I hope.

So that's the long way of saying, I've been MIA here at MamaManagement because I've been writing/rewriting/plotting books...and it's gonna stay that way for the next month or so. So please excuse me...or forgive me...or whatever.

Though let's be honest, that's the explanation that no one asked for...

Until next time, my friends, be well.




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