Nicole M. Miller

At more than 37,000 words in my National Novel Writing Month project, I get the inpsiration to expand my plot, add this, add that…So I imagine this will be much, much longer than the 50,000 words for November. Thus, I know this will not be “finished” by November 30. But I am excited for this project and I’m so excited to see all my other writer buddies doing well with their manuscripts as well. I know it sounds silly, but I’m already looking forward to next November! 😉

In efforts to avoid working on the much-needed editing of my other WIP, I have been getting lots of “NaNo-ing” done. I passed the 30,000-word mark today and am getting to the “good” parts of the novel. Things are moving faster, emotions higher, much more at stake… I realize I haven’t posted much about this book, so here is an excerpt for you! PROLOGUE 1931 “Madeline! Wait!” Twelve-year-old Madeline Barker pushed through the brush of the apple orchard and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Her heart raced, not from the sprint, but at the news she’d received. This isn’t fair. “Madeline?” She reached Apple Creek and...

I received my entries from a contest with judge’s notes and was both thrilled and disappointed. While I didn’t final in the contest, I did get a very high score and soaring praises from one judge. The other one, not so much. I am always grateful for critique and take the chance to learn and grow from my mistakes. This came at a strange time, because I am not focusing on that story right now with National Novel Writing Month in full swing. But these comments got me thinking more and more about tweaking that novel just a little. So much to do, so little time. I guess I’d better...

So far, National Novel Writing Month has been a dream come true. I am writing, not critically editing and spending time rearranging, fussing here and there. The goal is not perfect prose, but prose in quantity! I feel fortunate that I had a story burning for the past few months and was able to use that for this month. While it is different from my typical suspense/intrigue historical novels, it is still gripping and a blast to write. The only road bumps I have come across is forcing myself to stop writing! Since I am limited to work lunch hours and my evenings, there is so little time for so...

I have crossed the 10,000-word threshold! Perhaps I’m just really inspired, but the first 1/5th of the book has flowed onto the computer screen. I love the characters, the conflict and the break from my other WIP. Okay – no more distracting blogging. Back to work, then when I take my lunch break, more writing!