Nano 2014: Day 4

My word goal for today was to hit 16k. I haven't finished tonight's writing and I'm at just over 19k, so I'm proud of myself (and also really shocked since I've never done this well before). How many other Wrimos out there are exceeding their expectations for themselves?

I hope that a lot of us are.

For any Wrimos reading this right now, I dare you to have one of your characters do something that you've done today. It can be something as basic as brushing your teeth or doing a chore for someone that you live with, but it can be as profound as meeting a new love interest, getting a promotion, or losing a loved one.

I've been trying this dare out myself, trying to inject real life moments into the story whenever I can. I've found that it increases the realism of the characters and the novel itself. We'll see what stays and goes in revisions, but for now it's been pretty helpful.

The first virtual write in is tomorrow (if you don't count the pre-November one) and I'm looking forward to joining in. It's rejuvenating to connect with other writers, even if the process consists of more watching than actually sharing my own ideas. The prompts and ideas that they share have always been helpful to me. I know I'm not the only one. How many people are planning on tuning in tomorrow at 11am  Pacific time? I'm going to do my best to watch live, though I can always view the YouTube video after the fact.

One thing that I've noticed today is that I don't have too much plot direction. I've been writing out of order (unusual for me) and each scene is just like a little chunk of subplot. I haven't touched too much on the main plot yet because, as I've realized, I have a lot of research to do before I can get most of that right. Has anybody else encountered that problem?

I'm writing about a girl in an equestrian competition. I love horses and have some basic knowledge on their grooming, their tack, their gaits, etc. But I don't know anything about actually competing with them. So I know that I'll be reading up on everything I can find on equestrian competition. Encyclopedias, blogs, YouTube, wherever. If anyone has personal experience in the field or just happens to know of some good resources, I'm certainly open to receiving help.

Good luck everyone and keep Nanoing hard!

--Britni M