Vanessa Barneveld's Blog, page 6

NaNoWriMo – Day 14

Day 14 of NaNoWriMo. Current word count: 21,770. I can tell you I’m not getting much REM sleep. Today, I’m relying on R.E.M.’s “Drive” to propel me forward.

Buy “Drive” on iTunes here.

NaNoWriMo – Day 13

Day 13. I hit a milestone in this manuscript yesterday – 20,000 words! (For anyone keeping track, I have to write 29,947 more words by month’s end.) Not one word has come easy, and it’s going to get tougher as I prepare to write a scene involving a car crash this week. Let’s hope the writing itself isn’t a car crash.

On my playlist today is Kate Miller-Heidke’s “The Last Day on Earth”.

Buy “The Last Day on Earth” on iTunes.

NaNoWriMo – Day 12

Day 12. On my writing playlist today is a cover of “Boom Clap,” performed by sisters Lennon & Maisy from the TV show “Nashville.” Just gorgeous.

Speaking of time, I’m using a handy app on my Mac called Be Focused to help me stay on track during NaNoWriMo. You set the timer for 30 minutes and start writing. (No emailing, no posting cat pics on Insta, no messing around with the music playlist…) When that time’s up, the app will order you to take a five-minute break. (Pat any available cats.) Then it sends an alert when it’s time for another 30-minute block. After that, you get a 15-minute breather. And the cycle continues. I’m endlessly surprised by how much I can get done in half an hour with this method.

Here’s a link to Be Focused for Mac users.

For Windows users, a similar product — which I haven’t tried — is here.

NaNoWriMo – Day 11

Day 11. 15,603 words written so far. Tens of thousands to go.

I’m dedicating this Byrds song to the villain in my ghost book and also to my constant, fatigue-induced eye-twitch. “I’ll probably feel a whole lot better when you’re gone.”

Thanks to my hubby for introducing me to this song (and countless others over the years!).

NaNoWriMo – Day 10

I’m typing to the tune of Sam Cooke’s “Everybody Likes to Cha-Cha-Cha” on day 10 of NaNoWriMo.

When I was around 13 or so, my best friend played this song to me. It was in her parents’ awesome record collection. I’ve been hooked on Sam Cooke ever since. He’s joined by Jackie Wilson in the clip below.

Everybody now! # One, two, cha-cha-cha… #

NaNoWriMo – Day 9

Day 9. Still plugging away at this writing challenge. I’ve put down 13,436 words so far.  36,564 more words in the next few weeks *seems* doable…

Today’s playlist song is “Time Is On My Side” by Irma Thomas. She released it in 1964. That same year, the Rolling Stones released their own version. Which recording do you prefer?

 

NaNoWriMo – Day 8

Day 8. The writing’s getting tougher and exhaustion’s setting in. The M&Ms supply has dried up. I’ve moved on to salty-sweet popcorn to keep me going.

On my playlist today is “Mississippi” by the Cactus Blossoms. Some of you might recognise it from season three of “Twin Peaks.” If you love the Everly Brothers, you’ll love this too.

NaNoWriMo – Day 7

It’s day 7 of NaNo, and I’ve just crashed through the 10,000-word mark. (10,094, to be exact!) I’m not gonna lie — it’s been tough trying to squeeze all these words out of my brain in such a short time.

Today’s playlist song is the soul-reviving “Love Train” by the O’Jays. All aboard the disco dance floor?

 

 

 

 

 

 

NaNoWriMo – Day 6

Six days into this NaNo writing challenge and I’m really making good progress. Today’s playlist song, “Saturn’s Rings,” by the Demon Drink, has little in common with my ghost book, but I just love this song to death. It was written by a friend from way back when. And the music vid was shot at an antiques shop that I used to roam around in for hours. Enjoy!

Buy “Saturn’s Rings” by the Demon Drink on Bandcamp.

Visit the Demon Drink on Facebook.

NaNoWriMo – Day 5

Day 5 and I’m still alive! I was up late last night. I’ve poured 6,739 words into my ghost book so far, and I’m aiming to write another couple of thousand this morning. On today’s playlist is “I Drove All Night.” (Replace “drove” with “wrote.”) The music vid stars Jennifer Connelly and Jason Priestley.

 

Buy “I Drove All Night” on iTunes.