I Made It!

Friends... It's been a long and lonely process, but this afternoon, (Sunday) I actually crossed the finish line, and finished my novel. 50,211 words to be exact, in 30 days.

MY NOVEL.. it sounds so odd to say that, but I guess that's what it is, whether I ever do anything with it or not.

It actually is a novel... it has a beginning, middle, and end. There were many times I wanted to quit, to shoot myself....

{This photo was taken at about 30,000 words.}

I got stuck many times in the "middle muddle" but I had someone at my side, always ready to pull me out of the muck.

That someone, was Scott... who for the past 29 days, has cheered me on, watched every Marie Antoinette movie and documentary I could get my hands on, and had to push huge, thick, library books off the bed in order to go to sleep.

He put up with me on my laptop at 3am (in bed) when inspiration struck. He put up with me saying no less than 6 times... "I have nowhere to go with this plot... I'm stuck... help me." Which, he did! He was always ready with an idea... seriously! He's a real history buff, and even though my novel is fiction, I wanted to keep it historically accurate. I couldn't have done it without him.

Then today, when I woke him up, from "watching" the football game, he sat by me while I uploaded my novel to the word counter on the website, and watched my "WINNER" notification come in. The certificate was there, ready to be printed with my name on it... but I needed a novel title! As fast as lightening he simply said...

"Marie Antoinette: Past, Present, and Future"

{The certificate..."winner" just means I finished by the deadline}

I couldn't believe it... it's a great title, and might give you a hint to my plot.

This is the point at which I should be telling you to never give up, follow your dreams, etc... except that writing a book has not been a dream of mine for any length of time. I just took this challenge sight unseen, and managed to finish.

I'm really glad I did.

So, December is here, and it's off to the races of pulling together a great holiday for my friends and family... and hopefully...

a few blogposts!

~Teri~

Blessings!

Taking a blogging break, to celebrate Thanksgiving....

and hopefully cross the finish line with 50,000 words by Nov. 30.

Check back in on December 1.

In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday full of family, food, and fun...

and giving thanks to our Lord Jesus for all that He has done.

Blessings~

Teri

Taking a Break

I've been writing all morning, so I'm taking a break... no, not by drinking as the above picture might indicate, but by blogging. Blogging isn't exactly a break from writing... but I feel I have to fill my blog friends in on my challenge (see previous post, Nov.9).

Just this morning, I crossed the halfway point! I can't believe it... over 25,000 words. It's been a lot harder than I thought, but also a lot more fun. Each night when Scott comes in from work, he says, "So, what's Marie been up to today?" I fill him him, and usually beg him for ideas on how to get her from where she is, to where I need her to be. I know this is hard to understand, but I don't want to give away my plot... not yet!

When I need inspiration, I do one of three things... I put on music, look at photos from our trips to France, or... the worse thing... I EAT. The last being my least effective help for writer's block, but the one I lean on most often :)

I am finding writing to be a little depressing. I know first hand why artists are known to be moody. It's a very lonely occupation, so to speak. I sit here, all alone, in my own private world.

If I'm not writing, I'm thinking about my story constantly. Sometimes when people are talking to me, I realize a few seconds into the conversation, that I haven't heard a word they've said, because I'm thinking of Marie Antoinette. I can't seem to help it.

On a lighter, and more hysterical note... this weekend I went to a Writer's Conference. My mom had asked me to go, way before I even knew about this challenge. Suddenly, it seemed like perfect timing, that we would be going to this conference, in the middle of my first attempt at writing anything other than a 3 page story. The first night, they gave those that wanted, an opportunity to read for five minutes anything they had written, and be critiqued. My mom and her friend, (my forever cheerleaders) begged me to read a little bit of my first chapter. I did....................

Let me just say, the silence was deafening... the critique brutal... this was a Christian writers group, so they were a bit surprised when my character came into the room. It's not that I'm writing a non-Christian book, but it isn't of the Christian Inspirational genre either. They weren't critical of my subject, it was my actual writing that lacked pizazz. As I was reading it, I knew it. I have a looooooooong way to go, so much to learn. Now it seems funny, but at the time, I was SO embarrassed.

Call me crazy, but this just spurred me on to MORE writing.

I will say, even though they did not receive my first chapter with enthusiasm that night, the next day, women kept coming up to me to ask me more about the book. I guess there was a spark of interest after all.

So, I'm off to more writing. Thought I'd share a few pictures of the places Marie has been in my book so far...

~Teri~

Marie and Louis' Bedchamber

An Outer Courtyard

The Gardens at Versailles

Quick, Hurry, Fast...

I have no time and I've had no sleep. When I finally finished writing last night, (late) I was about to turn off my light, and okay... I had to catch up in blogland!

OMGOODNESS... I cried when I read Ruth's post. It expressed perfectly how I feel about blogging. All I can say is ditto, because I couldn't have expressed it better myself.

I have so much to do...

Write, write, write... attend a seminar tonight and all day tomorrow. Get ready to throw a fifteenth birthday party for my daughter, as soon as church is out on Sunday. Sixteen teenagers... at my house... HEEEEEEEEEEEELP.

I made my dear husband a teeny, tiny, list of things to do, while I'm gone tomorrow. He's thrilled :) of course.

So, why am I blogging right now when I should be writing, cleaning, wrapping presents, baking, shopping for party ware... even taking a shower???? Because last night, when Scott brought in the mail, the MOST AMAZING gift was waiting for me... from... you guessed it...

A BLOG FRIEND!

A person who I've never met, but that I've connected with through blog and email. Many of you know her, but if you don't, her name is Adrienne, and her blog is awesome. Here's a picture of my gift...

{told you I needed a shower...}

Wasn't that the sweetest, most thoughtful thing? Adrienne knew I took the 30 day challenge to write a novel (see word count on sidebar). She knew my main character was Marie Antoinette, and she sent me this for inspiration. I love it, and it now sits proudly by my computer.

How sweet is that????

And as if that's not enough... another blog announcement! A friend of mine from 25 years ago, started a blog this week. She is HILARIOUS, and her post yesterday was the SWEETEST. Check it out. It will remind you somewhat of Ruth's post. All us gals think alike! Here's the Link... confidentiallykel. Her blog is already adorable! I love it.

Friendship is awesome whether in person or by computer. I never knew this was going to happen when I started blogging, but I'm so glad it did.

I LOVE ALL OF YOU!

Teri

A Challenge for November

Here is a picture of my bedside table in Paris recently.

I brought the top two books with me, and bought the Julia Child Cookbook at the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris. Yes, I paid WAY more than I just saw it for at Costco, but surely it will have special cooking powers because I bought it in France... right???

The special powers I need it to have, is the ability for it to get up and cook a meal all by itself~ yes, I had dreams and thoughts of all the meals I would cook from this book when I got home... and... well... Scott is still waiting! My personal goal is to roast a PERFECT chicken, like we have when in Paris.

We did go by the E. Dehillerin cookware store, and I bought 4 tiny tart pans, and a deal for getting the juice out of lemons...I'm such a devoted cook, I don't even know what it's called (my mother and my daughter are wonderful cooks but I missed that gene somehow).

A few days later, do you notice a slight change in my beside table when I returned from London?

This magazine was FABULOUS. Even though I didn't know 90% of the people they were talking about, I felt like I was a part of royalty as I read about their weddings and parties.

I'm focusing on books and reading today, because my blog friend Simply Colette and I, have taken a challenge at nanowrimo.org, to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November!!!!

I'm telling you all this, to keep me going. I love a challenge, but I usually start strong, and lose steam. I have written 12,600 words, and to be on track, I need to get to 15,000 by tonight. I've never written a piece of fiction in my life, and it's REALLY hard to do. The sub-genre I've chosen is historical fiction.

My main character???? MARIE ANTOINETTE. That's all I'm saying...stay tuned.

I was going to write and write when I was in Paris this year, but for some reason, I didn't write a thing! Here I am in a restaurant, all poised to write.... suffice it to say, I didn't get very far.

I'm hoping the pressure of writing a novel in 30 days, will at least get me going.

So I'm off to enter Marie's world. I will squeeze in a very special post later this week...just waiting for a few photos.

Teri

P.S. As you watch this video, notice when this store was established. Doesn't that give you chills??? It was opened only 27 years after Marie Antoinette met her fate. Oh- the sense of history in Paris is just awesome! The lighting is weird in this video, but I hope you get a sense of the fabulousness of all the copper pots!