I’ll start off by saying: Happy National Novel Writing Month 2016! I’m riding the waves of excitement that numerous writers and authors share, and this year I’m elated to say that I’m partaking in NaNoWriMo for the very first time!

I toyed with the idea all last week, and with my planning came a new idea for a novel. I decided to take a stab at the post-apocalyptic genre, much to my own surprise. I plotted out my main characters in my head, tinkered with the title, and set up my white board for the month of November.

Nothing like a clean calendar to start off!

This month will be full of highs and lows, dead-ends and lights at the end of the tunnel. I’ve mentally prepped by plotting out the main story points of my new novel, which I am tentatively calling Stalder Press to Handstand. Odd, yes. For those who are familiar with Acro Yoga, you may recognize these words. For those who don’t, not to worry. The meaning and thematic weight will become clearer in time 🙂

To celebrate the 1,710 words that I wrote today with Novlr (woo hoo!), I’m relaxing after a long day by reading my next fiction novel, All the Birds, Singing, by Evie Wyld. I’m drawing upon both this book and Josh Malerman’s novel Bird Box as inspiration for my newest manuscript. I’ll let you all know how I’m enjoying the book later this week in a separate post.

For those who would like to follow my NaNoWriMo adventures, I first want to say: Thank you. Thanks for being willing to accompany me on this long, unpredictable, and rewarding journey. Thank you for being by my side as I give birth and life to this new story. If you’re still on board, here is the link to my NaNoWriMo page, complete with stats: Stalder Press to Handstand on NaNoWriMo

Please feel free to comment below with your own NaNoWriMo experiences and stories. I’d love to read them and chat some more with you all!

I’ll see you all on Thursday with a synopsis for Stalder Press to Handstand. Until then, fellow writers!