Merry Christmas! Hope it will be just the way you want it to be. Mine is white, which is wonderful! I love snow! :)

Words today: 410

Words yesterday: 3271
Nothing today.

Teresa wrote: "How about a cross breed? Or would that leave you with something that isn't right either way? :)"

Now there's something to think about, LOL!

Jaimey wrote: "I loved NaNo and will probably do it again next year. When I reached 50k my story was far from over, however. I'm still writing it. I'm up to 66k now and starting to wonder if the story will ever e..."
How about a cross breed? Or would that leave you with something that isn't right either way? :)

Thank you, Paul! I will remember that! The thing with English is that I can never be sure about anything. The old dear on the front lawn might have two legs and a bunch of grandchildren, or it might have four legs ending in hoofs.

I loved NaNo and will probably do it again next year. When I reached 50k my story was far from over, however. I'm still writing it. I'm up to 66k now and starting to wonder if the story will ever end, LOL. I have learned that I like writing fantasy but I'm starting to miss my Regency era. :o)

Teresa, any time you want me to read or dritique something, let me know. The offer stands :)

Thank you very much, Jaimey! I'm not sure I believe I went and finished on time, I never finish anything on time! :) Congratulations to you too, you were very quick! Did you have fun? Will you do it again?

I agree, Wendy! I almost like playing around with the ideas better than making them stick to paper (or documents) right now.

I'm glad you have ideads sparking. THat's always fun mulling them over and discovering what comes out.

Hi, Teresa! Belated congrats on winning NaNo! Way to go! :o)

Paul wrote: "If you want, a bit later this month, I'll have a look at it and critique, or even do a bit of editing. I'm a nice critiquer, and I'm sure I'd find lots to praise :)"
I'm sure you'd be a wonderful critiquer, I just can't bear the thought of translating something I like as little as I like that text right now. I know, I sound like a spoilt child for saying that, especially when I have been offered your help like this. Do you think I can come back to you when I'm done sulking?

(I'm only sulking about this though, otherwise I'm as happy as can be, reading the Menage-a-20 book and soaking up Christmas happiness for all I'm worth! And I'm falling in love with other ideas again too!)

*blushes* awww thanks Teresa. I'm glad you like it.

I like how you said that too; "breathed hope."

I think I like the idea of being one who breathes hope rather than one who sucks it from the lungs of everyone they meet.

I work at the ticket booth on the local commuter trains for the Stockholm area. It's the best job in the world except I do get a bit tired working to three am. I rewind a bit before going to bed when I get home, so I'm here at very odd hours sometimes.

Oh, and I just couldn't help myself skipping about a bit in the book so I read your second story already. I liked it a lot, it felt real and it breathed hope. I was very surpriced over the ending too! Congratulations again! To me too, for having good stuff to read! :)

You are working tonight on what? WHat has your poor self up so late?

You must have second sight, Wendy! Just what I needed! :)

I'm working night tonight and was just wondering what I could find to read to keep me awake!

Words this week: 5020. All by hand.

Teresa, now that your Nano is done, you might be in need of some reading material, so here's a shameless plug for Menage-a-20, a Free and fun download. If you like tales with a hook, here is 30 fun/scary/romantic/thought-provoking stories that are perfect for you.

http://www.menage-a-20.com/

My 2 shorts are called "Letting Go" and "The Foundation" and you can find them towards the back of the book. All of us helped with the 30th tale as a great big joint writing project, and all of our pictures can be seen on the author's cover art link.

You might recognise a few of the other authors as well: our very own Renee, Gwen, Paul, Rita, Henry..

If you want, a bit later this month, I'll have a look at it and critique, or even do a bit of editing. I'm a nice critiquer, and I'm sure I'd find lots to praise :)

Words today: 935.

Thank you Paul, and congratulations on your own success! I always knew you would do wonderfully well! :)

I think I must leave that awful text for a while and focus on something I enjoy! My one goal is to have something I don't feel ashamed about, something I could feel good about and show others. I have had that a couple of times, but not too often and I have no recipe that I can trust.

Well done Teresa! Have a glass or two in celebration. Put the horrible work aside and leave it to simmer (fester?) for a month or so. Then go back to it and refine all those wonderful nuggets you didn't realise you'd written, and make it into something masterful and compelling.

Pulitzer? Oscar? Hugo? Booker? Nobel?

All of the above?

Words today: 3262. It's finally over and the only thing that kept me going for the last couple of hours is the thought that once I've finished this, I can write something else, with characters I like better! :)

Not cheating at all, Teresa. If there's a scene that doesn't seem to want to fit in right now, skip it, and write it in later. This is a first draft, after all. I know lots of mine will be reordered, or cut, or drastically chaged in the second draft.

At about 43000 and onwards nothing felt right, or good enough, or seemed to fit in with anything else, so I left out the scene that wouldn't work and skipped ahead a bit. You can do that I hope? Or is that cheating?

6000 words to you is only about 6 hours work, Paul, I'm sure that you will zoom past me again before the week is over! :)

You'll do that easily, you have 5 days left. And you're ahead of me. I've been stuck on 44,000 since Sunday. I'll get the 50K this weekend though, then plough on to the end of the story.

Thanks! The NaNo novel is at 45066 words, so I have a chance at least at winning. That would be great!

Still doing well, Teresa. Keep going.

How's the word count for the NaNo novel coming along then?

Words today: 1421

Word today: 2573 so far.

Unless you think up a way to include your Twitter and Facebook in your book. If I could afford a daily woman or man I could spend all day typing happily away, but then I'd probably be too interested in chatting to him or her to do any work anyway. :)

Ah, I need to get to the end of the book. Then I'll celebrate! Thing is, I could do it more often if I kept away from GR and Twitter and Facebook and Solitaire :)

Thanks, I will! And congratulations on another amazing wordsprint today! Will you celebrate when you reach 50 000 or wait till the end of the month?

That's the spirit. Keep going, Teresa!

Words today: 1656. Sadly lost plotwise, but I have almost a week to get it right!

Thanks, I will definitely look at your first drafts! I will save that for a treat for myself once I've caught up with myself again. :)

Words today: 1272

Books you won't find yet. There are some short stories and articles published in the anthologies Dark Side of the Sun, Volumes 1, 2 & 3, available from Lulu.

And a lot of my stuff is in My Writing, here on GR. The first drafts anyway. The polished stuff is touring the world looking for a home. As are the filmscripts.

My writing is here if you want to have a look. Remember they are 1st drafts.

Amazing. So if you only got your weekend writing done (which I doubt) you'd still make 520 000 words! By the way, if I wanted to read some of your books, whereabouts are they published?

Forgot to add my words for today: 1225.

Most weekdays are retty hopeless, but the weekend's OK. I can usually churn out 10,000 words then.

I don't mind one bit, Jamiey! As soon as I find you there, I'll add you too if I may! :)

Thanks Paul, I will try to keep up! If it's a quiet night at work tomorrow I might get some writing done then. Are weekdays or weekends better for you, or do you get as much writing done regardless?

Keep going Teresa, you'll make it. Plenty of time left yet.

You're doing fine. Don't worry.

I just wanted to stop by your cubicle to say hi and noticed you are doing NaNo. How did I miss that? I added you as a buddy; I hope you don't mind.

Have a great day!

Words today: 1371. A little bit behind, but no panic yet.

Words today: 1142. Nearly falling asleep on the keys, and it's not even 8 pm!

A bit more, so a total of 2620 today.

Words today: 1025

Words today: 1718. All of them very reluctant and taking ever so long to hop into place.
Some more after that made a total of 2394 words for Friday.

Words today: 1829

Thanks, Tink! Yes, it's good to practise even if the result is a bit off from time to time. If I keep this up I might even make it to the end of the month.

Words today: 664

Teresa wrote: "Oh Tink, you really are amazing, and so clever! I love every bit of it! I can't think how you managed to get it so exactly right just from what I told you.

The only trouble now is that I'd hate t..."

Awww, thanks. *blushes* I'm glad you like it!!! :) My work here is done.

Great WC's, by the way!!! Any writing is good, even if it's not good writing... because even if it's not what you want it to be, you can still learn from it. :)

Please do get carried away! It's very inspiring reading.