28 Days Into NaNoWriMo - My Conclusion

   I just beat NaNoWriMo 2016 and I am so exhausted. So exhausted. *collapses* Enjoy my nonsensical rambling (I promise I'm more coherent when it's not the middle of NaNo xD)

   Day 1. I was totally ready to go. My story was going to rock and I couldn't wait to get started. Everything was wonderful and glorious and I basically was wheeling around in excitement, ready to try and write 50k with a bunch of other insane writers.

   The wiser people laughed and told me 'there is no way you will end up with that same attitude at the end of the month'.
   These wise people were correct. Because then came the writer's block. For those of you who don't know, writer's block is not good during NaNoWriMo. Not good. Also, my characters decided to run off and leave me wondering where I was, lost in the middle of some strange story.

   But I carried on and tried as well as I could to wrangle and beat my story into shape. My characters beat me right back, and mostly nothing got done. Somehow. This seemed wrong to me.

   But I think my characters just wanted a smarter author who wouldn't force them to behave for the whole of November. Especially when the author had no idea whatsoever about what was going on in her story.

my characters, complaining about me

   Anyways. Somehow the days kept rolling by, and soon enough I came to the last week of NaNoWriMo (not sure how that happened. I was kind of in a daze, I think) - and I was behind on my word-count. Which I had told myself I wouldn't do. But somehow it had happened, and I was internally freaking out.

   So I sat down and had a nice little chat with my characters, and promised them candy if they would just behave (last resorts, people, last resorts). Of course, they said no.
   So I sharpened my sword pen, decided not to take no for an answer, and went at it with all I had.
 

    Maybe it was my magic Legolas sword that helped - or maybe it was just that my characters thought they might as well indulge me for just one week - but I finished my story.
   I repeat, Savannah Grace completed NaNoWriMo 2016 (not sure how many of my brain cells survived through this endeavor, but still *shrugs*).

   
   But all NaNoWriMo writers know what it feels like to finish a story during this crazy November event. We kind of look at the 50k words we just wrote, and we're not sure what to think.
   I don't even know how half of my scenes (... or characters ...) got into my story, and half the characters I'm simply annoyed at xD.  

   Anyways. That was my little adventure (*cough* that took up the whole month *cough*). I don't know how much of my sanity is left after all that, but insane writers are the best writers.

   Also, BIG thank yous to all the writers who encouraged me to keep going during the whole of November, especially to all of you in the Hangout (and to my sister Skylar for surprising me with gel pens when I finally beat NaNo). Without all of those crazy word sprints (and our ridiculous/writer-ly conversations) I definitely wouldn't have made it xD. You're all the best!

   *deep breath* Okay, I'm done. And I may or may not be sharing some snippets from The Dreamer's Game in my next Monthly Highlights posts - so be on the look out for those *nodnod*.   

~ Savannah Grace

   How was your NaNoWriMo adventure, friends? Are you ready to start editing, or are you simply blocking all thoughts of it? If you didn't do NaNo this year, are you going to next year?
 

Fall-Tastic Favorites Tag

   I kinda wanted to do this in vlog form - but it was rainy and dreary today, so I decided not to. Oh well. Maybe I'll do a Q&A type vlog sometimes, but today is not that day. (plus, Mary already did this tag in vlog form just two days ago, so then I'd be a copycat xD)

   ANYWAYS, I'm rambling left, right, and center now. Onto the tag (thanks, Morgan!). 

   1. Favorite Fall Holiday

   So there are like ... *is lazy and doesn't count* very few major holidays in Autumn. But even if I'm picking out of all the holidays in the whole YEAR, Thanksgiving is one of my top favorites. We have the best time on Thanksgiving - all of us kids are super hyper (... like we are on all holidays ...) and we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade together while waiting for relatives to arrive. Then the real party starts. It's tons of fun xD.

2. Favorite Fall Ingredient: Caramel, Pumpkin or Pecan? 

   Huh. I actually don't eat much pumpkin stuff (*shields self from all the tomatoes now being thrown*), other than pumpkin pie, and peanuts don't make an appearance in this house much, due to allergies. So ... I guess I shall pick caramel *nodnod*. But seriously, I love caramel, you guys. It's so good.
 

3. Favorite Fall Movie

   What do you consider a Fall movie? *is confused* 

   Oh well. Mary (who, as I said, did this tag a couple days ago) said The Fellowship Of The Ring might be a fall-ish movie, and it seemed like quite a few people agreed. So I pick The Fellowship Of The Ring. If you guys know me, you probably know that I am a Lord Of The Rings addict and probably expected my answer to this question xD. But that movie is epicness. EPICNESS.  

 

4. Favorite Fall Candle

  
   We don't actually have any candles in our house - but I want some. I need some pretty, scented candles to put on my bookshelf and light when I'm writing. My bookshelf + writing space is sadly deprived of decorations. So I need to get some candles.  I would want ... I don't even know what kind of scented candles they have ... do they have pine? Because I would love pine. Or maybe cinnamon. *nodnod*. 

5. Favorite Fall Drink 

   HOT CHOCOLATE. I haven't had it in a shamefully long time, but I love it.

6. Favorite Item Of Clothing For The Fall

   Oooh, this was a pretty easy answer - I have a coat that I'm absolutely adore (*points to 'about me' picture*). Even if it's a little more winter-y, I've been wearing it in the fall because I love it. And then I pair it with boots because boots are epic.  

7. Favorite Fall Outing/Activity

   Oh good grief, this one is hard. One of the things I loved doing last year was going out every night with my sisters (and our friends who lived next door) to watch the stars and just talk. Even though that's not exactly an 'activity', I loved doing that.
   As for a more legit outing/activity thing - I love going to pumpkin patches with my family. We've been to multiple different pumpkin patches, some better and some worse, and it's always fun! 

8. Favorite Candy

   *tries to think of a candy I associate with fall* *fails* Maybe Reese's peanut butter cups? I kind of associate those with Fall, because we eat them a lot around Halloween time.

9. Favorite Fall Weather

   All of it. I love all the Fall weather. Foggy, freezing (well, freezing to other people - I'm not very good at feeling cold when I'm outside xD), raining. So long as it's Fall, I'll love it *nodnod*. 

10. Favorite At Home Meal 

   Basically any of Thanksgiving food ever *nodnod*. There is so much good food cooked around here on Thanksgiving! Especially my mom's mashed potatoes, I love those so much.
   Oh, and pie. Always pie. ALL THE PIE.   

   So there is my contribution to all the Autumn-ish/Thanksgiving posts that have been going up lately xD. Take the tag if ya want it, even if Fall is almost over (what is this tragedy?!).

   *waves goodbye to Autumn* *turns to watch Winter roll in*

~ Savannah Grace 

What kind of scented candle would you want? Should I do a Q&A vlog at some point?

17 Days Into NaNo - My Snippets

   *realizes I've only posted twice during the whole of this month* I thoroughly blame NaNoWriMo for everything. I'm innocent, I tell you!

   I even thought I had done a '3 Days Into NaNo' post earlier in November ... but apparently I didn't. Anyways. Now you're getting a '17 Days Into NaNo' post.

   SO I'm a little lazy and I really should be writing. I'll give you a slew of snippets and be on my merry way *nodnod*. Also, these are entirely unedited. Just saying. Don't judge.

   Oh, did I mention these are all from The Dreamer's Game? Well, they are. I'm still trying to beat that novel into shape. Not sure why *shrugs*.  

   Yup, and there are those. I'm finally at 30k words - and I feel like most of it is junk. But maybe I'll be able to save 1/4 of the final 50k. We'll see *nodnod*.

   Sorry about my lack of posting this month, I'm afraid that my brain has been reduced to nothing by my insane novel *goes back to typing madly*.

   Oh, and if I don't ever come back ... blame my novel.

~ Savannah Grace

    What's the first sentence of your current novel? {and are you excited for Thanksgiving?! I AM)