Nanowrimo word count: 16,014! Keep reading to see how my cat Oreo tried to sabotage my writing goals for this week...

Everyone thinks being a writer is fun. Sure, BEING a writer is fun. It's the WRITING that stinks. It's such hard work! Especially when you sign up for Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month at http://www.nanowrimo.org/) in the hopes of slamming home a 50,000 word minimum novel in one month. I'm not expecting to finish a novel - or 50,000 words - by the end of November. (Here's my page at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/170463).

But I am hoping to finish at least the first act or first ten chapters or first 50-100 pages, whichever comes first, plus an outline. Because this new YA novel involves a ton of research, I find the writing is much harder because I have to make sure I'm not "showing off" all the new knowledge I have based on this research. They always say "show, don't tell," so I'm trying to make sure I'm not letting the telling take over the showing!

Thankfully, I have a wonderful Nanowrimo writing buddy - JORDANNA FRAIBERG! (She's the author of the YA debut novel "In Your Room" from Razorbill. For more info, go here: http://jordannafraiberg.com/) She and I have been emailing each other several times a day to offer support, kind words, and the occasional stern yet loving admonishments of "GET OFF THE INTERNET AND START WRITING!" It's been a fun journey for us both so far!

I'm up to 16,014 words as of 12:56 a.m. on a Wednesday in the middle of November. Not bad! Normally my writing process involves the "vomit draft" where I bang out a first draft really fast and then spend a loooong time revising it over and over.

This time around, I find myself working painstakingly and thoroughly and methodically on each paragraph. I won't continue to the next paragraph until I'm convinced the previous paragraph is as perfect as can be. I've never written this way before, but I think this novel is more involved and challenging and requires this type of writing process. So even if I only write, say, 200 words in one day, they are 200 very solid words that need very little revising later. This is versus my vomit draft writing approach where I'll write 2000 words in one day, only to have 20 words left by the end of revisions!

Anyway, this is just leading up to how I never. leave. my desk. I'm chained to my computer 24 hours a day. As a result, my cat Oreo is really ticked off. He finally decided to start a mutiny. Here's what happened earlier this week, according to Oreo:

"Hey! Stop writing! Pay attention to me!"

"No, really, I mean it! Stop trying to push me off the desk! Stop writing and play with me!"

"Lady, I'm  not joking around. You gotta stop writing. I will not move. I will stare you down."

"What are you writing anyway? Hey, that paragraph is really bad. There's tons of cliches and you split the infinitive. Bad writing!"

"I must sabotage your writing goals today. This draft stinks anyway. I'm going to unplug your computer and make you play with me!"

Well, I think Oreo's sabotage has worked. I must now stop blogging and turn off this computer and go play with my cat!