YA

The Giftstretch // Day 28

~ Tracy Erler ~ 1 Comment

Because writing a novel is a gift. Real-time updates from the final three days of NaNoWriMo

This post is made up of the updates I posted on my writer’s Facebook page and Twitter as I stopped to take breaks. I get real numbers crunchy in these posts. It was fun to post these updates.

Monday, 11/28/2022

9:32am

I’ve fallen behind on my NaNoWriMo newsletter updates. I’ve been sick two different times. I’m actually still recovering from this second round.

Currently, my manuscript is a total of 34,438 words.

Because I’m so behind, my new daily minimum for today, tomorrow, and Wednesday (the final day of the month) is 5,187.

My Dream Big Goal is: 12,229.

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Muddling Through the Middle

~ Tracy Erler ~ 1 Comment

Trying to write 50,000 when life doesn’t go as envisioned

Writer’s note: If this post seems familiar, it was originally written and published on the evening of 12/14/22 on Substack. I wrote it in real time during NaNoWriMo 2022. I have since changed platforms for me email newsletter. (If that still interests you, you can sign-up for “Postcards” here.) However, in making future plans for my online writing spaces, I have decided to house my NaNoWriMo 2022 story here on Mrs. Writer. Very little changes, if any, have been made. Enjoy!

Week 2 // Days 8-14

Week 2 started off with a bang: I came home early from my part-time shift at the daycare with the stomach flu. No writing was completed the rest of that week until mid-day Saturday.

Ant stayed home with me on Day 9 because I was so weak the night of the 8th. I did okay that day and he returned to work the next day. I was able to sit up (after spending most of the prior two days reclining on the couch) in the pink rocking chair and binge-watched the rest of Season 1 and started Season 2 of Boy Meets World.

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NaNoWriMo // Day 3–er, Day 4 Update

~ Tracy Erler ~ 1 Comment

The one where I re-discovered Harry Potter Word Crawls and Wrote 3,669 words today

Writer’s note: If this post seems familiar, it was originally written and published on the morning of DATE on Substack. I wrote in real time during NaNoWriMo 2022. I have since changed platforms for me email newsletter. (If that still interests you, you can sign-up for “Postcards” here.) However, in making future plans for my online writing spaces, I have decided to house my NaNoWriMo 2022 story here on Mrs. Writer. Very little changes, if any, have been made. Enjoy!

Greeting ogres! Happy Friday evening =D

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Version:

I wrote 3,669 words in the second half of the day to help me catch on NaNoWriMo! For a total of 7,534 words so far. *virtual confetti*

Goal for tomorrow: To write at least 3,334 words

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NaNoWriMo // Day 2

~ Tracy Erler ~ 1 Comment

Celebrating with imaginary confetti

Writer’s note: If this post seems familiar, it was originally written and published on the evening of 11/2/22 on Substack. I wrote in real time during NaNoWriMo 2022. I have since changed platforms for me email newsletter. (If that still interests you, you can sign-up for “Postcards” here.) However, in making future plans for my online writing spaces, I have decided to house my NaNoWriMo 2022 story here on Mrs. Writer. Very little changes, if any, have been made. Enjoy!

This is coming to you all 51 minutes before the dawn of Day 3 hits, but I did! I achieved another 1,667+ words today. On track to cross that 50,000-word deadline on time.

I wrote 1,804 words today. Cue all the confetti.

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NaNoWriMo // Day 1 Update

~ Tracy Erler ~ 2 Comments

Writing a novel or pulling teeth?

Writer’s note: If this post seems familiar, it was originally written and published on the morning of 11/2/22 on Substack. I wrote in real time during NaNoWriMo 2022. I have since changed platforms for me email newsletter. (If that still interests you, you can sign-up for “Postcards” here.) However, in making future plans for my online writing spaces, I have decided to house my NaNoWriMo 2022 story here on Mrs. Writer. Very little changes, if any, have been made. Enjoy!

Spoiler alert! You get to see that I made (and overachieved by 151 words) Day 1’s daily word goal =D

NaNoWriMo Day 1 ended for me at like 10:30pm. On the couch. In my pajamas.

I’ve spent a lot of time planning this novel that I’ve forgotten what it would be like to write the actual scenes. It was a lot harder than I remember.

This is how we started:

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Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-NaWriMo and Leah

~ Tracy Erler ~ 5 Comments

All the things NaNoWriMo and My Leah Novel

Writer’s note: If this feels familiar, it’s possible you read it way back in November 2022 when I wrote in real time during NaNoWriMo. The original post was on Substack. I have since changed platforms for me email newsletter. (If that still interests you, you can sign-up for “Postcards” here.) However, in making future plans for my online writing spaces, I have decided to house my NaNoWriMo 2022 story here on Mrs. Writer. Very little changes, if any, have been made. Enjoy!

What is NaNoWriMo?

Who? For writers and anyone who has wanted to try write a book 🙂

What? Short National Novel Writing Month. Where writers try and write 50,000 words in a month (1,667 words a day) 😃

When? The entire month of November.

Where? Anywhere in the world 🙂 hometown, on vacation, during the holidays, in your Air BnB or hotel room, at a coffee shop or library, in the comfort of your own home. 

Why? Because we’re crazy and would do anything for our stories 😝

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What I Read This Fall

~ Tracy Erler ~ Leave a comment

The books I read in September, October, and November 2022

These posts are a labor of love. The Fall installment of this series is late, but I’m proud of myself for still putting it here. And! It means I stuck with something for a full year! =D I am resolved to write these posts as I read through this year. It’ll ease the labor of them and I can still maintain the level of detail I want to.

I read 12 books this season. Here are they all are in order from first to last:

  • Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
  • Prismatic: Havok Season 5 by Havok Authors
  • Vox Machina: Kith & Kin by Critical Role and Marieke Nijkamp
  • Redefining Anxiety by John Delony
  • We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman
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What I Read This Summer // 2022

~ Tracy Erler ~ 7 Comments

You guys, this summer was an adventurous reading season!

I spontaneously joined Stephen King Summer hosted by Laura Tremaine. It was a blast! I read two Stephen King novels I didn’t know I actually would haha–IT and Dolores Claiborne. I also watched three Stephen King movies.

I read 14 books this season between the months of June, July, and August 2022.

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Dear Lara Jean

~ Tracy Erler ~ Leave a comment

Dear Lara Jean,

You have revived my love for Young Adult Realistic Contemporary Fiction.

The last YA novel I read was way back in January or February of this year. Seven to eight months between YA novels used to be unheard of. Once I’d heard of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, Lauri Halse Anderson, Gayle Forman . . . there was no turning back.

Granted, this has been my Fantasy year so far.

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