Well well well, 2/3rds of the way through the month, are we? I applaud you! 

For those that aren’t innit, think of all the words you could be writing by switching to NPI. And that’s not such a bad thing, is it? Like … free fish n’ chips or something. Only they’re not free, but they’re easy. As easy as standing up, some blokes might say. Or sitting down and typing, as it were. Others might even say ‘laid back’.

The break-down:

1. A “Knock-out” is 0-249 words. (After the three Days of Reprieve are exhausted!)
2. An “Update” is 250-999 words.
3. A “Session” is 1,000-1,667 words.
4. A “Tougher-than-NaNo” is anything greater than 1,667.
5. A “THE END!” is when you’ve completed your WIP and type ‘THE END’.

1st: Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, yes. Snippet Saturday was yesterday. And it will be next Saturday, too. It’s just a day to encourage you to share your writing with the group. And is certainly not an obligation; you can share snippets on any day you want, or never.

Did anybody end up sharing a snippet yesterday? I honestly don’t know. I spent most of the day at the hospital, so I didn’t get a chance to copy/paste some text over here into the blogosphere from any of the WIPs I’ve been working on.

December’s fickle like that; snowy days can feel just like those rainy days in March where you’re looking for something to do– and writing is just the ticket. Or, on other days, December can be HECTIC like none other. Just looking at the results so far for this NPI can tell you as much.

Stuff is happening all around us. We have obligations that we tend to make good on because ‘it’s the holidays’. We appease grandmothers, we shop for presents, we deal with the unexpected….

I’m glad this NPI has three days of reprieve or I’d be out already. Thanks for sticking this out with me, everyone.

Here’s a snippet I’d like to share:

The halls of the Aydomarian Royal Palace, their walls so thickly decorated one couldn’t take a pace without admiring a work of art, echoed with the dull, surging sounds of inevitability. Each passing face, be they servant or noble, had fear in their smiles. It was not hard to see. And the grandiose windows, if the gold-weaved drapes happened to be drawn, revealed glimpses of the outside world where a serpentine mob lay in wait, crying for King Rezzik, for retribution, for blood. It then occurred to him his smile was likely the only real one in the palace.

“Ah, there you are, Lord Redmond,” said one of the elder servants with a bow. He was dressed in a black robe with gold-trimmed sleeves. “Giver Greggor is anxious to meet with you. This way, please.”

Making our work presentable; that’s editing in-a-nutshell, right? But editing our work for ourselves in the privacy of our own home versus editing something we’re about to share with other people are two different things, right?

I don’t know about your experiences, but I’ve found that before I post a snippet or let someone read my work, my brain goes into ‘overdrive editor mode’, where I try my best to finalize what I’ve written.

This is a great skill to develop– because, someday, some of us will likely be asked to commit our words to the permanence of paper. Scary thought, eh?

Anyway, I’d very much enjoy reading what all of you have been up to.

Welcome back. It’s impressive you’ve made it this far. But I must warn you– the month’s only a third of the way through. And, outside in the wintery winter,  it grows ever colder.

/begin out-of-sync lips/

Your laid-back-fu is good.

But mine is better.

/end out-of-sync lips/

• 10 days in, guys! Grats!!
  Let’s see how we did…
• The break-down:

1. A “Knock-out” is 0-249 words. (After the three Days of Reprieve are exhausted!)
2. An “Update” is 250-999 words.
3. A  “Session” is 1,000-1,667 words.
4. A “Tougher-than-NaNo” is anything greater than 1,667.
5. A “THE END!” is when you’ve completed your WIP and type ‘THE END’.

1st:

These past five days have been some of the most writerly days I’ve ever experienced. And– Holy gravy, I’m first?!? And you know what? It wasn’t too bad. I didn’t feel too stretched out; still worked each day, and still spent lots of time at the hospital with Max.

Yep, NPI Laid-back Edition: So easy, even a caveman can do it. ;)

2nd: Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, I’m watching each and every one of you, just like the Geico money.

(for those not familiar.)

And so far everyone’s doing an excellent job– OR ARE THEY??? Well, everybody’s still innit at least.

With the first five days done, let’s see where we stand.

• The break-down:

1. A “Knock-out” is 0-249 words. (After the three Days of Reprieve are exhausted!)
2. An “Update” is 250-999 words.
3. A  “Session” is 1,000-1,667 words.
4. A “Tougher-than-NaNo” is anything greater than 1,667.
5. A “THE END!” is when you’ve completed your WIP and type ‘THE END’.

1st:

Merrilee, as usual, is a fierce opponent! But ouch, two Days of Reprieve already. Five days in and this is getting verrrry interesting. Laid-back, but iiiinteresting. Yep, she’s kicking our laid-back butts.

2nd: Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the relaxed version of the Novel-Push Initiative!!!

Remember we’re taking it easy this December; we just want consistency, so write every day if you can—those 250 words will come to you more easily as the month rolls on. Quality above quantity, and progress above no progress! …

So … what I’m trying to say is it’s all about consistency, not quantity. And not necessarily quality, either. Just progress. Yeah. I think…? Um, scratch that. This is a laid-back NPI so you can babble on in your writing as much as I just did if you want. To arms!

Updated Roster (so far):

1. Deb (BklynWriter)

2. Janette Dalgliesh

3. Julie K (Selestial)

4. Kait Nolan

5. L.

6. Merrilee Faber

7. Nick Enlowe

8. Ryan G. Sanders 

9. Terri (angbuf)

Good luck everyone!

((BTW if it wasn’t obvious I changed the text to white, so hopefully it’ll be a little less punishing on your eyes.))