BOO-YA

Awwwww yeah! Fifty-thousand words completed--I have won my first NaNoWriMo! I told Dan less than 48 hours ago that I was giving up because I only had 41,000 words and didn't think there was any way I'd find the time to get 9,000 more by tonight. But something happens--I haven't yet ruled out divine intervention--and voila, here I am staring at a word count of 50,024. This puts me about 2/3 of the way done with the book and right at the spot where the action really picks up. I can hardly believe it, but I might actually finish this thing by the end of the year as planned.

The plot thickens

Wow.

http://polarik.blogtownhall.com/

Your thoughts?

Slinking into the cave

Got my edits today for Reinventing Rachel. Lots to do by Jan 10 when it's due. Lots. And between a 3-day Thanksgiving trip, a 4-day pre-Christmas trip, a newsletter to write, Abby's 3rd b-day to plan and execute, Guilt to finish writing, and the Colorado trip to take on January 6, I'm not entirely sure how it's going to get done. It *will* get done, I know, the way is just not at all clear at the moment. So I'm going to disappear for a while to make sure I get everything done without neglecting my family.

Just realizing I don't think I've mentioned the whole Colorado thing yet, so here's the official announcement: we're moving! Sometime next year, not sure exactly when, but we'll be out there Jan. 6-20 to house hunt and check out the areas we're looking to move to.

So anyway, unless something really amazing happens that simply demands to be blogged about, I'll probably be absent until the New Year at the earliest. Happy holidays to all, and to all lots of stuffing on Thursday and gallons of egg nog until Christmas. Enjoy!

Ruby Slippers

I promised Jonalyn a couple months back that I would blog this week about her new book Ruby Slippers--How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home, and then I forgot to set a reminder email for myself. Doh! So I snarfed down the book in four days, and honestly, this is not a four-days book. Well, maybe it is if you read uninterrupted and have plenty of time to digest what you've read, but with two kids, a book to write, and a presentation to prepare, I barely had time to consider where to put the book when I was done for the day so I'd be able to find it again, much less journal through the awesome "soul care" questions at the end of each chapter and discuss what I was reading with Dan. So, a note to those who decide to pick up this selection for their own perusal: don't shortchange yourself by trying to squeeze it in here and there. Make sure you've got some time to really think over what you're reading.

Jonalyn's goal with Ruby Slippers is to examine what true femininity is, beyond the roles we shove ourselves into like Cindarella's step-sisters trying to cram their feet into a shoe that wasn't meant for them. Does it always require pastels and makeup, a husband and children, domestic skills and a penchant for scrapbooking? Can a woman be fully feminine if she prefers mountain biking to a manicure? And if God is male, then are women really made in his image?

I've never been much concerned with discussions on femininity and spirituality as they relate to each other. But reading this book gave me some really interesting things to think about, things I'd never considered about what it means to be a Christian woman. I am impressed as well with her credentials--you don't see many female apologists out there.

I'm going to read this book again, and actually do the questions at the end this time. :) I hope you'll check it out, whether you're male or female, and leave a comment about what you think. If nothing else, this book is sure to generate some very interesting conversations!

Abby's portfolio

My Mac laptop has a program called Photo Booth. It's a photo program for the integrated webcam, and it allows you to add all these fun (and sometimes creepy) effects to your photos. Abby loves it, and somehow, in the last couple months, she has learned how to locate it in the dock, launch it, take photos AND add the effects. Keep in mind I not only NEVER showed her how to do ANY of this, but I never even showed her how you use the track pad or select button. Is this stuff programmed into the next generation's DNA or something? Anyway, she hops up to my computer all the time to take pictures, but it's always when I'm putting Penny Jane down for her nap. I've never looked through the photos she's taken until tonight, and I was cracking up and thinking, "I've GOT to post these." So, for your enjoyment, here are just a few self-portraits from Miss Abigail.

Woot!

Just hit fifty thousand words on the manuscript! No clue how long it's going to be once it's done, but I'd guess that's just under halfway. NaNoWriMo is my new best friend.

NaNoWriMo!

Say it real quick and it's a fun nonsense word, but break it down and it's short for National Novel Writing Month. Though now, in its tenth year, it's an international event, so it really should be InNoWriMo. Though it's not nearly as fun to say.

So what the heck is it? It's an opportunity for all those folks who've ever said, "I've always wanted to write a novel" to actually get off their patooties and DO it already by setting a one-month goal of 50,000 words. You pledge solidarity with thousands of other writers all over the world and say, "Yes! I will sit my butt down and write at least 1,667 words every single day in November!" (Yes, I know there's some contradiction there between getting off one's behind then sitting it down again to write. Work with me, alright?) Then you sign up at nanowrimo.org, join a home region so you can contribute to your area's word count, and start writing. After you've procrastinated a little bit by setting up your profile and checking out the forums, that is. I'm such a sucker for forums. Then you can grab a fun little widget like the one on the right that will broadcast to the entire world just how well you're doing on your novel.

I had about 30,000 words when I first read about NaNoWriMo. How I've been a writer this long and never heard of this phenomenon, I don't know. But I read about it on someone's blog on November 1 and thought, "Now that is a cool idea! And if I did that, I'd have my novel nearly done!" And it dawned on me that this would be a great accountability took to keep me from becoming completely depressed over how far behind I was on my writing. And let me tell you, counting words is SO MUCH LESS STRESSFUL than counting scenes. I'm so glad I found this out now and not at the end of the book when I was comatose from panic.

So today marked the end of the first week of this year's NaNoWriMo, but if you want to jump in I don't think anyone would mind. If nothing else, keep it in mind for next year and start working on your outline now. Heck, if you spent eleven months on your snowflake, you'd have the Next Great American (or wherever you are) Novel all ready to go by next November!

And to those who are participating this year, I'm alisonstrobel over at nanowrimo.org--make me a writing buddy if you want. Good luck on your novels!

Deep breath.

This is my Father's world
Oh let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet

This is my Father's world
The battle is not done
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And earth and heav'n be one

--My Father's World, Maltbie Babcock, 1901