From one of the writers in the NYC Latina Writers Group
“Dear Alicia,
Well, how did you do on your "Novel in 3 days"? Were you able to complete the task? What challenges did you discover in your writing? Any anxiety?
I hope that you were able to complete it. Tell us the update, we all want to know!”
Hello dearest!
Happy New Year!
I am so happy to hear you are committing to writing daily - it’s not easy. I applaud you! It's wonderful that you are on week 8 - this is where it counts - keep going - you are almost there. I feel like if you get past 8 you made it past the hump. For whatever reason I never pass 8 - so I am cheering for you.
OK so I didn't write the novel in three days - but I definitely wrote for three days. It was the most challenging thing I've done to date. So you have an idea - here's how it went down:
Friday, Dec. 29
9:00am arrive to work - office closes at 2:30pm (I stay until 5pm)
6:00pm plan was to start writing (never happened as I worked the full day - then I decided to go to Macy's)
8:30pm leave Macy’s (with the most amazing Carlos Santana shoes - 3 pairs - delicious)
9:00pm arrive home - decide to make dinner - return calls - and start writing
10:00pm start writing
12:00am stop - go to sleep - I was exhausted just thinking about writing (figured I would start again at 5:00am - get that fresh start)
Saturday, Dec. 30
5:00am - so not getting up
6:00am - still hitting snooze
7:00am - thinking about getting up
7:30am - finally got up
7:45am - 9:00am - decide I needed to at least drop off laundry (aka procrastination) at the wash n fold - because as we know I have serious writing to do, then off to drop the dry cleaning - so I can start the new year off right...
9:00am - start getting ready to write - decide that I need to leave the house to be productive
10:00am - on 1 train - reading writing
10:30am - arrive to grand central - go to P.O. Box -pay bills - get mail (must get coffee and something to eat - must build strength)
11:00am - 3:37pm wrote non-stop at GCS (for some reason I do my best speed writing there)
3:37pm BREAK - time to leave GC and go grab lunch - headed home
4:00pm walk to 42nd and 6th - entrance to train closed - walk to 40th (since I’m on a break figured I would call my daughter and check in since she was away on vaca... we catch up for a bit and I realize I am near staples -and of course every writer needs supplies... a good friend of mine told me that its good luck to write in purple - that it brings money - so that’s what I went in and bought some purple pens... which write terribly by the way - "too light")
4:45pm time to head home - grab the D train - do some writing on the train
5... somethin I arrive to my hood - walk around a bit with a new friend I made on the train - picked up dinner - did you notice never had lunch...
6:00pm eat dinner - watch the x games/skate boarding competition (seriously will I watch anything to not write?)
6:30pm pick up dry cleaning and laundry
7:00pm realize home is not where I ever need to be to write - too many temptations: to lie down, make a call, or sleep
8:00pm - 12:00am leave home go to starbucks near Columbia - where I write and I write and write some more
12:15am - 2:00am - head home - kept on writing - now I’m on a roll
Sunday, Dec. 31
10:00am started off late - just woke up / started writing - right where I left off
12:00pm stopped to make coffee and breakfast - eat and write/drink and write
1:00pm - 4:30pm serious writing goin on
4:30pm - BREAK - get house in order - decide I want to make a nice dinner for myself - do the dishes - take out the trash - go to the market for pernil. By myself a bottle of champagne... kept it movin
6:00pm - arrived home put food away - season meat - prepare house for New Year’s celebration
7:00pm - start cooking - still organizing - putting laundry away
8:00pm - get myself ready for solo dinner/writing into the new years
10:00pm - dinner
10:30pm 11:53pm - writing
11:53pm - my daughter called me - she wanted to be on the phone with me at midnight
11:55pm - writing my resolution - chatting with my baby girl - glass of champagne
Midnight - daughter and pen in hand - welcoming 2007
12:00am - 12:30am - a little sad to be alone, but happy too (writing is such an isolating endeavor the perfect way for me to start my New Year) / ALL the Happy New Year calls/text messages being made
1:00am - watched the honeymooners
2:00am - went to sleep
Monday, Jan. 1
10:30am - eased into my day
12:30pm - my beloved arrived home - we watched TV together ("Goonies never say die" so much fun)
3:00pm - went to the market together / had dinner and junk food together
6:00pm-11pm - more writing - daughter doing homework
11:00pm - 12:00am - typed two of my daughter’s papers
12:30am - went to sleep
Tuesday, Jan 2
- printed out country maps for my walls at home
- More research for my book
- edited timeline for novel / printed out pages to hang on walls at the house
- Was interviewed by La Prensa - at my house regarding the writers group (article comes out on Sunday)
My conclusion: I have 42 handwritten pages (from this weekend - not including the 100 pages written from weeks prior) completed / 56 pages of historical notes with times lines for every Latin country--from the year 1200 to 2006 which are on my walls for inspiration / as well as maps for every country I am including in my novel. Yeah I’m tryin to rock it!
So all and all - I am quite proud... it was a personal goal to just be working on my new novel before the New Year came and I did that. However, my new goal is to have my manuscript done in 6 months.
I really want to hear how everyone else is doing!
Please share your progress - even if your just thinking about writing - share that.
Ideas are where dreams come to life - plant the seed and it will grow!
Peace and love!
Alicia "Letting go for 2007"
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