NaNoWriMo 2019

If you've been around the writing community for any amount of time, you will have heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It is a challenge where you start and finish a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I have never done an official NaNoWriMo. One year, I set the goal to write every day. I succeeded, but one day I only wrote two words! Another year, I set the goal of writing 500 words a day (which was quite a bit more than my usual daily output). I never thought I'd be able to write the 1667 words a day that is needed to make the goal of 50,000 in a month. But then I participated in the Author Olympics and wrote that range of words per day several times. My oldest daughter is in the writing club at her high school and they were talking about doing NaNoWriMo. I saw that they have a Young Writers Program where kids under the age of 18 can set their own goals. Thing One is going to aim for 15,000 words and Thing Two said she thought she could do 1,000 words a day. I decided to take the plunge and signed up for the official NaNoWriMo.

Nothing

One of the things that I tend to do when I get overwhelmed or scared or whatever, is that I fold in on myself and don't do anything. Like an armadillo I try to protect myself.

The problem is, sometimes there really isn't any thing that is doing it, but the perceived idea of something that  could  happen.

I have written almost nothing this year. I am afraid that I can't do it right. I am afraid that people won't like it. I am afraid of putting myself out there and being vulnerable. I am afraid of what will I do if I am successful. Will I know how to do the taxes involved? Will I need a business license? So I don't do anything. I have a hard time adding conflict and like my daughter always says, 'To be good, a story needs a problem.'

I put off registrating for Breathe until almost the last moment. I just didn't feel motivated. I felt like an impostor. But I enjoyed going the last 2 years, so I pushed the button.

And so many of the sessions and talks were about exactly the things I've been dealing with. God is so good!

I went back and checked and I've written 1,010 words this year, which surprised me. I thought I had written less than 300! I am encouraged and determined. I will overcome!

Do Your Least...

I went to the session with Tracy Groot where she said this. It really resonated with me. I still need to work on it, but it has helped me tremendously.

A photo posted by Breathe Writers Conference (@breathe_writers) on Nov 11, 2016 at 12:21pm PST

Breathe Writers Conference 2016

This was my 2nd year going to the Breathe Writers Conference. I felt more confident about going for some reason. maybe because I already knew what to expect (as far as location, way it's run, etc.) Last year, I sat down with the list of breakout sessions and pre-planned which ones I wanted to go to. This year, I looked a little, but didn't pin anything down until I was there with the finalized program of events. I didn't sign up for a 1 on 1 as I was going to go through the list of people I could meet with to see who best fit with what I was needing and never got around to doing it! Oops! Last year, they just assigned you with a person and I got Bob Evenhouse. I switched one of the sessions I was going to go to so I'd be able to attend his session before our 1 on 1. This year, I went to Bob's session, too. I wanted to ask him a follow up question, so I found him in the lobby area and asked him.

Name Change

Before I started my blog and Facebook page for my "author persona" I thought about what I wanted to go by as an author. I decided on my full name "Rebecca Dempsey". After having to tell people I went by "Becky" when I had signed something as "Rebecca" (my legal name) I decided I didn't want to be known as "Rebecca" as an author when I've always gone by "Becky". I've already changed the title of my blog and Facebook page, but I will be trying to get the URL's changed, too. The blog would then be found as www.AuthorBeckyDempsey.blogspot.com. I guess this means I need to get new business cards, too...

My One Word for 2016

My one word for this year is REST. I get so overwhelmed with things and end up cocooning myself inside myself. I need to rest in God.

Meet "Flexx"

I have been "in the market" for a mini laptop/chromebook type thing for awhile. I missed the portability of writing in a notebook for when I'm away from home, but writing straight onto the computer was faster in the long run. So my solution was to get a mini laptop that I would be more easily be able to bring with me and write away from home. My husband and I stopped at Staples when we were in the area just to look at them and see what was available and what I liked. I also was looking online. I decided I liked the feature of the 2 in 1 tablets having a touchscreen as I've never been a big fan of the track pads.  I originally thought of getting a 10" tablet, but thought the keyboard might be a little small and since the main reason I was getting it was to type on it, I figured going with the 11.6" was a better idea. Since the 11.6" has a keyboard that is 97% of a full size keyboard, it functions basically as a full sized one would. One thing that I have to get used to, however, is that the right "Shift" key is only half the size as normal, so I keep hitting the up arrow instead of the shift!

I ended up getting the Nextbook Flexx 11 from Walmart using the bonus discount my husband got for working on Black Friday. I've been enjoying it and have written more in the last day than I have the whole month of November!

Breathe Writers Conference

I had the opportunity to attend my very first writers conference over the weekend. The Breathe Writers Conference is held in our neighboring town and took me about 40 minutes to get there. I was looking forward to it, but also a bit nervous, too. I'm not a "go out there and meet new people" type of person. On Friday, it went from 12:30pm to 8:30pm and on Saturday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There were 18 states represented at the conference! I meet people from Ohio, New York, Texas, Illinois, and Tennessee plus Michigan, of course. All of my sessions except one were in class 102! 

My hope was to make some connections with some people local to me so we could form a writers group. I had wanted to go to another session by Susie Finkbeiner, but it was the same time as the one by Amelia Rhodes. I was thinking later that maybe Susie's might have been more what I needed, but then I remembered that it was in Amelia's class that one of the other participants mentioned also wanting to find a writers group. This precipitated me asking her if she wanted to see about forming one together. We exchanged emails along with another friend of hers.

When filling out the registration, it asked if I wanted a one on one with an agent/publisher/author/etc and my instinct was to check 'no', but I figured it was a good way to learn, so I checked 'yes' instead! Mine was with Bob Evenhouse, a local author. I talked to him about where I was in my journey and what I need to work on.

I learned:

• Reduce "time vampires" from my life so I can get more creativity time. 
• Authenticity wins over perfection any time
• It comes down to taste. Not everyone will like everyone's voice
• Use words to create a deep and vivid "dream"
• Take advantage of 'Idea Friendly Times'
• Create in the way God created you to create
• Strive for excellence
• Take joy in quiet accomplishements
• Ultimately, we have an audience of One

Friday:

Susie Finkbeiner: Claim Your Voice

Cynthia Beach: Capturing the Intensity

Plenary Session: Editor's Panel

Amelia Rhodes: Making Time to Write

Dinner table decoration

Evening session monologue: Alison Hodgson

Keynote Speaker: Steven James

Saturday:

Sarah Grimm: Writing Flash Fiction that Sells

Bob Evenhouse: Worldbuilding

Plenary Session: Don Perini

I almost forgot to take a picture of Ann Byle: Best Practices for the Living the Writing Life
with her is Zach Bartels who I forgot to take a picture of during "Morning Words"

Last Session with Steven James

My "Idea Friendly Time Capture Machines" for writing down ideas as soon as I have them.

I bought some "craft" books based on recommendations from the weekend

Home & School Mosaics Article: "Blossoms and Butterflies"

Today, my last article for Home & School Mosaics was posted. They are closing, so I won't have any more articles published there.

Home & School Mosaics Article: Scavenger Hunts

Here is my article for June.

Home & School Mosaics Article: Motherhood

My article for Home & School Mosaics posted today.

Blurb to Book Update

I didn't make it on to Stage 2 of the Blurb to Book contest from Love Inspired, but I'll keep working and improving. They had 326 entrants for the 75 spots they had to fill!

Home & School Mosaics Article: "Our Experience with Selective Mutism"

I wrote an article telling some of our experience with Selective Mutism

Home and School Mosaics Article: "Crafting With Kids-Potato Printing"

My first article for April.

I Completed a Manuscript ! !

I finished typing up all the words I had written in my spiral bound notebook! My novel is now all in one 243 page place!! What an amazing (and scary) feeling! Now on to edits....

Blurb to Book

Love Inspired is hosting a contest to possibly end up getting published with them. They are calling it "Blurb to Book". There are three stages. The first stage is to give a 100 word blurb (like a book's back copy) and the first page (250 words) of your manuscript.

Here is my blurb:

Kelly Murphy’s been compared to others her whole life and never measured up. In order to appease her mother, she agrees to go to a singles group.  In Jeff Davidson she finds a mentor who accepts her for who she is, but is he the one who can give her the happily ever after she’s been longing for?

Jeff was young when he married, and didn’t know all that went into having a loving, godly marriage and it didn’t last long enough for him to learn. When Kelly joins the singles group he administers, he desperately wants a second chance.

and my first page:

Kelly Murphy dumped a bag of potato chips into a bowl before putting it on the table. If it were up to her, she would have just put the bag of chips on the table. But it was her brother's house and his son. She didn't have kids, or a husband, or even a boyfriend. Kelly tucked her honey colored hair behind her ear and glanced into the living room where Tom's three oldest kids were playing with her dad and a wave of longing swept over her.

Kelly went to the kitchen. "Sue, is there anything --" A wail sounded from the other room. Sue stepped away from the counter and Kelly held up her hand. "I'll get her. You finish up here."

Tricia stopped crying as soon as she saw her aunt walk into the room. "What's up Baby Bee? Ready to get up from your nap, huh?" The baby rewarded Kelly for picking her up by planting a wet, open-mouth baby kiss on her cheek.

Kelly returned to the kitchen, the baby on her hip. "So was there anything you want me to help with?"

Sue responded without looking away from the pork she was shredding. "You keeping an eye on Tricia will be a big help. Now that's she's crawling, she disappears quicker than a wink. She's trying to keep up with her brothers. And you're so good with her. Maybe one day you'll have some of your own."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Kelly sighed.

Home & School Mosaics Article: "Fostering Individuality"

Here is my article for March.

"The End"

I finally wrote "The End" on my story!!  Happy dance!

BUT, it's not finished, yet.  I still have to fill in those missing scenes in the middle that I skipped over when they were not coming to me.

Speedbo 2015

Seekerville challenges authors to participate in "Speedbo" during the month of March. It is a way for people to step up their writing and reach self set goals. 

My goal for Speedbo is "to finish my WIP. I have a couple of scenes at the end of the book that I'm working on now, which will leave the middle section I skipped over earlier to finish during March."

Home & School Mosaics Article: "Caution: Curves Ahead"

My article for February deals with the new stage of parenthood we are entering: puberty.