That’s right, I made it to 50,000 words! Here’s the proof:

My experience was a challenging one to be sure, but I was able to persevere (thanks in part to a 9,000 writing spree while we drove from Colorado to California and the modern convenience of electricity while camping). It was well worth the stress and time spent to be able to achieve an accomplishment like this.

A highlight was having an evening out at Caribou Coffee to write with my writing buddy “A Mom in the ‘Burbs,” which took me back to the days when my husband and I would spend late nights in local coffee shops attempting to study.

Thanks to everyone who wished me well and supported me, especially to my husband and parents who had to deal with me typing at particularly inappropriate times (i.e., when I should have been packing, unpacking or sitting by a campfire).

I’m really looking forward to the editing/rewriting stage as I still feel like the story is incomplete, but I’m thinking I’ll wait until 2009 for that.

Oh, and I only have a working title, which I’m not quite satisfied with, but here’s the tiny synopsis/teaser of the novel I wrote (I really like saying that):

Tara Donovan, 25, moves from L.A. to Denver to start life over as a freelance writer and part-time nanny for her nephews. A feminine, bookish type, she also has a passionate love for baseball, and may end up closer to the Colorado Rockies than even she could imagine.

• Head over to Boca Beth‘s blog for a chance to win her Gigante Bag of goodies! It’s open until Monday, 11/17. These are great resources for teaching your little one Spanish!
• Teaching and Learning Spanish had a great post letting us know about ShowTime Spanish a podcast you download for free (or listen to via the web)

And now for the update…

As of yesterday I had written 24, 217 words, which is just about 800 words over the targeted word count. I had a bit of a slow week, but thankfully my early word count cushion allowed me to stay in the game and on track. A couple of plot developments have grown out of nothing which has been fun, and so far, I’m still enjoying the process. My local WriMo buddy and I went out to Caribou Coffee to do a little writing the other night, which was great, and made me feel like I was single and in college again, since my husband and i used to go study at coffee shops a lot before we were married.

And I wanted to post this for any other participants out there: a fellow Denver NaNo shared this cool Word Count Calendar that will make keeping track of progress easier!

Rather than just using Word, I’m trying out a program called Scrivener. It has a 30-day trial, which would work perfect for NaNo! But I’m sure I’ll end up purchasing it because I really like it so far. There’s a great video tutorial on the site.

So, I woke up early this morning… I actually felt like a little kid trying to sleep on Christmas Eve. And Chiquita slept in until almost 9 am (!!), so I was able to crank out a little over 1,000 words. It felt good, but I’m still feeling a little doubtful that I can do this (prayers accepted!). But I’m going for it!

Remember you can click the blue NaNoWriMo button in my sidebar to go to my Auther Profile on the NaNo website. I hope to update my word count there as much as possible.

Spanish

• Download free Halloween Spanish worksheets & a coloring page at Foreign Language Fun.
• Teaching and Learning Spanish directs to some free Spanish curriculum online.
• Check out these 3 online resources for Spanish Teachers at Voices en Español.

Language Learning

• Also from Foreign Language Fun is a reference to a good reason why learning a foreign language is beneficial.

Writing

• Ami @ Write Out Loud has a fun exercise on mind mapping called “Webbing Words.”
• This is from a while ago, but I love this post by Writer Dad about when his wife bought him his MacBook. It’s a sweet testimony to supporting and following dreams.

And now for a bit about my writing dreams…

In one week I will attempt to make one of my dreams a reality. I will embark on what I described to a friend as a “month-long journey to insanity.” I’ve mentioned before how crazy I feel doing this, but I also feel like I have to do it.

I have a few friends joining me for the ride, and I’m super excited to see what we come up with. I’ve started brainstorming this week and feel like I have at least a little direction. I’m not too worried about that since I read on the website today that NaNoWriMo‘s founder said he’s “still without a plot or characters and feeling pretty good about it.”

I’m going to try to write weekly updates throughout the month on this blog about my progress with WriMo. But hey, no guarantees– I’ll be writing a 50,000 word novel, packing a house, moving halfway across country, chasing a crazy 18-month old, oh yeah, and eating and sleeping, maybe, too.

You’ll notice a little blue NaNoWriMo badge in my sidebar… feel free to click on over to my “Author Page” at WriMo and see how my “writing buddies” and I are progressing there. And it’s not too late to sign up! I’d love more buddies, aka partners in insanity! It’s going to be fun!

This November, I will attempt to write a 50,000-word novel. (!!!)

Yes, I’m serious. I’m going to be joining thousands of other crazy people who will take part in the annual November endeavor, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.

I first found out about this a few years ago, when I was still in grad school and it seemed much too daunting for a student. This year, I’m planning to pack the house and move halfway across the country in November. Not to mention the fact that we go camping at the beach every Thanksgiving. Do you think I’m crazy yet?

The truth is, I’ve decided there will never be The Perfect Time to take part, so I just decided to do it. I’ve been reading books on writing and pondering possible plot elements, and basically getting totally psyched up for it. I even have a new friend who’s joining me. I’m nervous, anxious, excited and a little intimidated but I’m going to go for it.

What I love about NaNoWriMo is that it’s about accomplishment. Every writer who reaches the 50,000 mark is a winner. The philosophy behind the movement is Quantity, Not Quality. There’s no editing (that’s for the next 11 months), and it doesn’t matter if your “novel” ends up crappy. You can always rework and rewrite later. Even though there’s an insane 30-day deadline, there’s very little pressure.

And the deadline is the most important part. I’m sure everyone who’s had to write a research paper knows that without that deadline it never would have happened. And those of you who know that I’ve attempted (and never finished) fiction projects in the past will believe me when I say, I need the deadline. I think it will help me finally cross-off that item that’s on many people’s lifelong to-do list: write a novel.

I plan to give weekly updates on Saturdays here at Gidget Loves Language, as I countdown throughout October and then as I progress through November.

So wish me luck! And please, pray for my soon-to-be neglected house & family.