That’s a wrap! November 2019
My November has both raced by and dragged by, and I’ve spent most of it lost in a writing trance-slash-frenzy. Aside from participating in NaNoWriMo, I also read 7 fantastic books and am hosting my first online giveaway! Read on for all the details!! →
Unsurprisingly, I’ve been in a bit of a writing trance-slash-frenzy this November! The month has somehow both flown by and crept by, but looking back I have done a few other interesting things. My key “highlights” from the last four-and-a-bit weeks include:
Winning NaNoWriMo. Obviously this is writing-related, but NaNo dominated my time this November. And guess what? I won! More details on this will be given below, and you can also check out my journey to 66.8k words on my NaNo profile here.
Hosting a giveaway. I’ve been hosting my very first online giveaway this month! The prize is a copy of Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell with its edges sprayed red by me. It’s not too late to enter, so check out the Instagram post by December 3rd for your chance to win!
Sleeping…a lot. I’ve definitely been doing a lot of sleeping this November, but who can blame me? The weather has been unseasonably cold, writing every day is hard word, and I’m making the most of my last few months of freedom before I start my new job next year!
This month I published 2 full blog posts, which you can check out below!
As you may be aware, I currently have 2 key writing projects: one a contemporary YA novel, and the other an epic fantasy series. My progress on these is revealed below…and you can click on each heading for more information!
Holding Up the Sky
“The weight of the sky—of the whole world—was pushing down, and it was crushing me.”
Status: Preparing submissions
Word count: 84,878
What’s new: So…November’s plan for my contemporary YA novel Holding Up the Sky was to start querying literary agents. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. I had fully prepared the first submission and was doing a final check through of the agent’s website to make sure I’d followed the rules…only to find they’d just closed to submissions. Damn it! Now it’s back to the drawing board for option no. 2! 😂
Blood of Old (Graceborn #1)
“The Old has returned…and what once was, will be again.”
Status: 2nd draft complete
Word count: 195,170
What’s new: Blood of Old, the first book in my fantasy series Graceborn, was my project for NaNoWriMo 2019, and I well and truly blitzed my goal! Not only did I write the first 50k words of part 3, but I went on to finish the whole book! Next week, I will provide a run-down of how NaNo went for me, and after that I will be starting my search for beta readers. If you’re interested, keep your eyes peeled this December!
I read a total of 7 books this November, which included a couple of books I’ve been wanting to read for ages! I’m now so close to completing my 2019 Goodreads Challenge of reading 75 books. The titles I finished this month are:
“For an instant, at least, they seemed one and the same, as though all anguish exists in the same deep well, no matter what loss or misfortune leads us to it. We might be at odds, hate each other, and desired each others destruction, but in our despair, we are lost in the same darkness, breathing the same air as we choke on our grief.”
— from Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
I had a lot of trouble choosing a single “favourite” quote from the array of stunningly beautiful lines in Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares. In the end, I’ve selected one I think really captures the darker aspects of the duology’s plot, themes, and mood. Characters on both sides of the story’s key conflict are suffering, and without giving too much away, it is largely their grief and despair over what happened in the past that is preventing them from finding a way forwards together. The complexity and nuance here is heartbreaking!
What did you get up to this November? Did you participate in NaNoWriMo? How close are you to achieving your 2019 reading goals?
Rebecca Alasdair
I'm an Australian indie author who hoards books, loves dogs and coffee, and has a tendency of staying up all night!
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Andrew McDowell
Congrats, and best of luck with everything!
Rebecca Alasdair
Thanks Andrew! 😊
Andrew McDowell
You’re welcome.
Lorraine Ambers
I had a slow reading month and a none existent writing/ editing month. Hopefully, December will rectify that.
Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved in November. 👏🙌💜
Rebecca Alasdair
It happens! That was definitely me for a good few months in the middle of the year, and it only made me more eager for November. Thanks Lorraine, and best of luck for December 😊