I Won Nanowrimo?! – Blogmas 2022

December 3, 2022 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Surprise?

Back in October, when I was knee deep in Whumptober and just generally feeling sorry for myself, I made the decision to go ahead and give Nanowrimo yet another attempt. By my math, this would be my 15th attempt. I’ve never won. And I honestly figured this year would be more of the same.

If you’re not sure what Nanowrimo is, the easiest answer is that it’s an event to encourage writers to write 50,000 words in the month of November. You can write whatever you want, you can use whatever medium you need or want to, but that’s the general thing. 50k in 30 days, 1667 words a day.

With my migraines getting worse, as well as moving from training to actively working at work, I figured I was doomed. But I thought of something. Why not use a tool that I used when I texted to get through each day?

I used speech to text. This method made it possible for me to write while doing other tasks, or when I was laid up in bed, and I didn’t have to look at the screen while I did it. To make it “fair”, at the end of the night, I gave that day’s text file (I made a new one per day) a quick edit if at all possible before entering my word court onto the Nanowrimo website for official tally.

When I wasn’t using speech to text, I was writing on my kindle with keyboard attachment (my “I survived training” present). This was especially helpful when I attended a local write in on by birthday in the middle of the month.

Well, my word count rose steadily each day, with weekends being higher and weekdays (especially Monday’s) being lower. I honestly wasn’t really looking too hard until around 30k when I realized that I was racking up the word count. That was actually the day after my birthday when I saw that. That was when I realized that not only was I on the road to doing this… I was ahead.

So much ahead that when November 23 was coming to a close, I discovered I crossed the 50k mark. That was Thanksgiving Eve.

I cried. A lot.

Okay, seriously, I have never legitimately won. Never. And this year I did. I never expected it, but it happened.

So what exactly did I write? Well… I totally wrote fanfic that will never see the light of day. Basically I wrote a bunch of one-shot fanfics, for the most part simply spite fics to get my annoyance and anger out about different aspects of 9-1-1. Does it count? YEP.

I’m still happy about this. It’s done and finished and I ended up finishing with over 65k words in the can. I’ve been taking the last few days to take a break from writing before I finish my last Whumptober fic and everything else I’ve wanted to work on.

Even with everything else going on right now, this was a good accomplishment to hit.

Until next time!

Happy Halloween! What Comes Next? – Blogtober 2021

October 31, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ 1 Comment

What a Halloween… of doing basically nothing.

No, seriously, I took most of the day to relax and catch up on some of the fanfic I missed this month. No strain, no stress. It was worth the relaxation.

But that leads us into November. And the month is already shaping up to be just busy.

For one thing, I’m going to be attempting Nanowrimo again this year, but I’m not going to be stressing about it. My goal is to use the month to finish the planned sequels/second chapters for some of my Whumptober stories, as well as the holiday gift fic for the exchange I’m doing through my discord (which I really need to plot out). And hopefully I can knock out a few of my bingo squares as well. I do plan on working on an rewrite of an old fanfic as more original fiction, for the writing group that I’m now apart of.

Will I hit 50k? Probably not. And I’m okay with that. I’m not stressing.

Another goal for November is to finally finish a few of the shows that I’ve been putting off. Not really naming them, simply because I know if I do, I’ll watch anything but. I’m trying to take the month to completely destress.

Now, onto what November will entail for this blog. I’m going down to posting twice a week, simply because I’m almost burned out. I’ll be posting my traditional review of each 9-1-1 episode on Tuesdays, and something else on Thursdays. There may be bonus posts (probably around my birthday), but I’m not pushing it. I’ll be back doing daily posting in December, when Blogmas rolls around. And boy, do I have plans for that.

I guess I should make it clear that if certain things I’m hoping for actually happen, most of these plans will change. I don’t want to go into specifics just yet (don’t want to jinx anything), but… there may be some good hope coming down a pipeline.

Alright, thanks for joining me on this crazy Blogtober journey! I’m gonna go sleep for a we- shit, the hostage episode is tomorrow. Okay, ten hours it is.

Until next time!

I did a thing! – Blogtober 2021

October 20, 2021October 19, 2021 ~ Liz Harrison ~ 1 Comment

I am well aware that the title of this post gives you no context. But I couldn’t help it.

Anyway, clickbait aside, I actually got the courage up to go to a writing group sponsored by my local library!

I’ve been pretty much stuck in a rut lately. The thought of going out has become almost terrifying, because I just worry about making things unsafe for my family. But I was really happy with the requirements for joining this group. We all had to be masked, vaxxed, and also have a negative COVID test, taken within the last three days. Overkill? Maybe, but it actually made me feel safe.

The group was called “Writer’s Workshop: How to Write A Novel in a Month”. Basically, a good intro into working on NaNoWriMo (which will be a topic later on in the month). I was actually both excited and nervous about it, but I decided what the hell.

They held the group outside on the patio, which for my thin Florida blood was a bit too cold (thanks wind), carefully socially distanced. It was a good mix of people, from young high schoolers to some older seniors. Also, there was a good mix of presenting genders.

The moderator did a great job of engaging everyone. She got us all talking about what we hoped to get out of the group, whether we just wanted writing advice or encouragement to complete NaNoWriMo. She made a point to ask what everyone was planning on focusing on, which led us to discover that it was basically every end of the writing spectrum.

We didn’t get to do too much due to time, but it felt good to be working on something original again. It was kinda nice to see all sorts of people come together with a common target. Even just in this introduction meeting, we were encouraging each other.

I signed up to take part in the week “write-ins”, where we will meet up to write and discuss what we’re working on. It’s great when you’re having massive writer’s block and you need to get through it to continue on with what your writing.

All in all, it was a great little experience! I was real nervous and almost backed out, but I’m really glad that I took the plunge and did it. It was worth it, 100%.

It got me got me excited for next month. Another heavy writing month, who could’ve guessed it?

Until next time!

Prepping for NaNoWriMo 2020 – Blogtober!

October 29, 2020 ~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

After the day I had today, I want to just relax and think about something fun. So, here’s how I’m prepping for NaNoWriMo.

Step One: Pick a Plot

Okay, I did that in a previous post. While being held hostage by Tobias Hankel, Spencer Reid dies after having a seizure caused by the torture and dilaudid. But it’s not the CPR that brings him back. He wakes up as an immortal. Elsewhere in the world, Andy and her team of immortal warriors dream of the young profiler, and travel to Georgia to bring him into their circle. Only, Reid doesn’t want to give up being with the BAU.

The story will start in Georgia, during “Revelations”. After that, it will follow some of Reid’s greatest… moments, I guess you can say, as well as follow Andy and friends on some of their own missions. Including the mission that brings Booker and Copley into the same circle. My goal is to follow the story until after The Old Guard film, which means I get to play with twelve years.

Step Two: Review Materials

Since I’m doing fanfiction instead of original fiction, I can skip the step of creating characters and coming up with backstories. I already know the Criminal Minds characters, and of course I have a good handling on The Old Guard team. Because it has been a while since I watched CM, I am taking the step to watch through several episodes to remind myself on the characters’ voices, especially Reid. I also only watched through about season eight I believe, so I’m going kinda handwave a couple years in there. I don’t have the patience to watch like seven seasons in just a few days.

Step Three: Build Timeline

Since I’m crossing over two different fandoms with pretty set timelines, I’m taking the time to actually lay out an approximate timeline of when everything happens. Of course, nothing is perfect, and I’m probably going to miss some things. But I want to at least give it a shot to get things mostly ok. To make things a bit easier for me, I’m actually setting up the timeline on a piece of white foamboard that I randomly have laying around in my room, so that I can visually see everything.

Step Four: Set Up NaNo Account

Technically this should be higher, but I keep on forgetting to do it. I have a NaNo account, but I haven’t added this project to it yet. I really need to get around to that, as well as seeing if any of the fanfic writers are planning on giving the movie some love. Maybe? We shall see.

Step Five: Gather Notes

Usually this step is where I break out my current planner of choice and make up all sorts of notes and put stickers all over November and basically just completely waste my time because I never go back to it.

Instead, this year I have a simple one subject notebook with a few stray notes, the timeline, and my list of episodes I really want to cover. I also have a running list of different things I want the Guard to get up into, though most of that will never see the light of day.

Step Six: Regret

… Why am I doing this. Why do I do this to myself every November. This is the bane of my birthday month I have too much to do just say NO.

Step Seven: Ignore Regret and Get On With It

Yes, steps six and seven are necessary. It’s my way of surviving the coming thirty days.

While I won’t be posting every day in November, as I’m aiming to return to my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule until December, I will post updates, as well as little tidbits and what not throughout the month. I’m hoping that by promising that, I’ll actually have the motivation to get through and finish.

Until next time!

Let’s Talk Fanfic and NaNoWrimo- Blogtober!

October 26, 2020 ~ Liz Harrison ~ 1 Comment

At the time I’m starting today’s post, it is 8:00pm PST. Which means I’m late. Very late. By the time it goes live, it will probably be 11:00pm.

But there’s a reason.

For over ten years now, I have taken part in NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 50,000 words during the month, which is the approximate size of a novella, or about half to two thirds of a novel. I usually get about to my birthday in the middle of the month and fall off.

I’ve been avoiding thinking about it all year, because I always say I’ll do it, sign up and then fail yet again. Very demoralizing. Some years (pre-2015) was because of school, as November is right before finals. I was an English/Creative Writing major, I had enough writing to do for a grade. In years past, it’s been because I was working (or, 2018 when we moved across the damn country in the middle of the month. I did write a bit of a travel log, but it was only like eight thousand words, nothing to even feel remotely proud of).

So I wasn’t planning on doing it. A couple people on the Immortal Disasters Discord (The Old Guard fandom, but much smaller and with less bullshit than the other two big ones) were talking about doing Nano. I have been firm in my beliefs. No no no.

And then.

I was looking through my old bookmarks on FF.Net last night during the Dodgers game (during the commercials, I’m not that damn stupid). I kept on finding old Criminal Minds fics that I used to love, most of which were written before the end of Season 8. I used to be love the show, but I had to stop watching when it started giving my mom nightmares. I still wear mismatched socks in honor of my favorite character, Dr. Spencer Reid.

So there I was, looking at all these old fanfics, and a thought crossed my mind. What if, during Season Two, when Reid is kidnapped and tortured by Tobias Hankel, something happened. Reid is killed in the episode due to a seizure, after being drugged with dilaudid (cut with a hallusinagetic) and beaten. It’s a whole thing. But Reid is clinically dead. Hankel administers CPR which saves his life.

What if, when Reid died, he came back immortal? Yeah, I’m going there. Let’s cross Criminal Minds with The Old Guard

Now, this episode, Revelations, took place in February 2007, which places The Old Guard about 12 years into the future (Sunday April 21 is what Nile’s phone shows at about an hour and fifteen minutes, and the nearest year that would be is 2019, when the movie was filmed). So that actually gives me a lot to work with. It’s before the first time the team worked with Copley (9 years? prior to the film’s beginning). It could be fun.

I’ve been meaning to do a CM rewatch anyway, since I never finished off the series, and I find that to be, well, criminal. So. I’m gonna be blasting through seasons one and two before November 1st. And yes, this is possible, surprisingly. We’re not doing Halloween this year, so I don’t have to post up next to the door (where I end up watching a random movie over the course of the evening. Two years ago, it was Dylan O’Brien’s American Assassin. 2017 was Spider-Man: Homecoming.). The Dodgers’ game should be over by 8 or 9 pm, which leaves a bit of time. We’re planning a movie night after the end of the World Series, but that’s just one film. There’s enough time to watch… 40ish episodes (there’s a few I do skip for reasons. Most of which are in Season One anyway…)

So yeah. How would The Old Guard have changed if they had a 25-year-old FBI agent on the team. Obviously Reid couldn’t travel with the team, as I think it would be more fun to explore some of the later episodes that Reid has a major role in, but with an immortal twist. Does he tell the BAU? Probably not. Am I planning on shipping him with anyone? Nah. At least, I’m not actively thinking about it.

But this will be fun. And I get to play in two worlds I love.

Maybe if I do this, I’ll finally get around to the other fifty or so prompt ideas I have floating around my head.

(Of this I doubt.)

Until next time!