Novel Writing Month Is Here!

As we all know, NaNoWriMo is the month of November, where you work on a lovely, interesting WIP (work in progress) that you started last year or find a brand new idea. 

The idea is to write 50k a day. So 1500 a day. That can be divided into 3 sprints of 300 words each. Sometimes, during the day, afternoon or evening. 

Last year, I finally finished the second book at 25k (no, it's not fully completed, just the rough draft)

This month, I have decided to devote all my writing time to a project I have been thinking about for the past year. Third book in the Heirloom series.

Heirloom Lost Orenda-Ego. So far, I'm at 21,836. My goal is 25k. Then once I hit that goal, I will set a new one, since I have already started this challenge halfway. 

So far, I have written 4000 fresh new words! I'm very proud of myself. 

How are you doing with your word count???

 

Getting Ready For Q4!!

Yes, the leaves are changing colour, and the smell of dampness of the soil we step lightly on. The sound of crunching fills the air under our heels as we walk to our destination. And of course, let's not forget a time to be grateful for the future of our harvest. 

And Back to School! Along with getting back to routine and schedules. September feels like a reset for me, both personally and in my home life.

Getting back on track with goals and tasks, and seeing the end result of all my hard work. I'm deciding which project to work on this Q4 of 2025. 

I'm sharing with you the link to the HB90 course that I have so much enjoyed! It has helped me a lot. As time goes on, I'll share what I pick as my projects, goals and tasks. I'll also start posting what I am doing and how much I actually get done!

LETS DO THIS! 

🍂Getting ready with all the post-it notes!

🌻Fun high lighters & Important mug!

💖HB90 Q4!💖

 

 

Time Away To Write- Canmore

 This is the view from the balcony of the hotel room my wonderful son had booked for our stay. I'm so grateful for my amazing children. Now that they are older, they understand the past and financial struggles. As a single mother, I took them to Jasper almost every single summer. Now, they treat me with a wonderful trip and tell me. "Don't worry about it, Mom, we got it." I love this so much. I was able to fully relax.

Ignore the Esso sign, ha. Although it still gave the viewer some time, it was a simple character. This is where I sat on the mornings or evenings after a decent hike up mountains or around Canmore. 

When I wasn't sitting here, I took my notebook with me. Practising on my sixth sense while sitting on the grass or rocky ground of the mountain terrain. This was truly wonderful; I felt like I had reached a place I hadn't been in a long time. Felt overwhelmingly free. 

Did you go off somewhere different this summer and do some writing?

Explored a new place? 

New Pen Name! Kaye Archer

Kaye Archer

No, there is nothing wrong with my real name. It's just that I have found it is being overused more than I care for! Haha. When I look up myself, I see many women who are not me. Some of them are also self-published authors.

When working on my branding and writing career. 

So why Kaye Archer? Kaye is for the K, in Katherine, that is my full name. It is a lovely name for sure, but I will use it when I write more of my personal short stories, poems or non-fiction work. As time goes on, I will have more of them done and self-published.

Archer - I am a Sagittarius, full-heartedly. Dec 1st is my birthday. When you look up the fantastic qualities of this sign, I am every single one on the list. Focusing my attention on what I want and going for it. 

Kaye Archer is who I am as a writer in so many ways. Has an excellent ring to it as well for fantasy and fictional writing. 

What do you think? Do you have a pen name you are thinking of or would like to try?

 

Walking and Writing- Reading

🌳One old book and one new book. The blue notebook is one I ordered from the NaNoWriMo website a few years ago, when I reached 50,000 words. A treat for myself. I now use this book for my planner for the second book, Heirloom Lost Evacation. In it, I add pictures of my characters, both good and bad. 

💓Walking- While I go on walks, either in town or in my home forest. This is when my imagination goes wild! So now, I try to always take a notebook with me if I'm going on a longer walk with lovely views. When I go for walks, I daydream, and also end up where I didn't really mean to. Or I walk to where I meant to get to, but got there faster than I was expecting. 

When you go walking, do you find this happens to you as well?

🌳Writing in the forest- When writing in the forest, I try to make sure I have a decent place to sit. This spot in this picture is under my favourite tree, in my little magical forest at my parents' country home, where I grew up. The feeling of writing in a forest is so energizing for me. My soul craves it, so I try to do this as often as I can.

Do you have a favourite place you like to write at outside in nature?

Reading in the forest- I bought this book while my daughter and I were in Canmore, Alberta. The Physiophysics of walking by Frederic Gros. Ever since I was a young teenager. I'd pack my small pleather backpack with water, snacks and a good book. Walking to my favourite destination. Sit and read while the sun sets. One of my very favourite pastimes. 

 

14,383, very close to 15k.

 

Going for walks in the wonderful world of nature in my backyard has always helped my mind explore. What is resting in this sweet little pond? How long have they lived here, and do they like it?

Looking at the glowing green willow leaves on this outstretched branch, the time of day is the evening, close to the witching hour, 8pm/9pm or golden hour. Will this tree, this branch, tell the other trees that my daughter and I are stomping around the area? Are we known as a guest or an intruder? 

I think of these things as I walk, looking at small sticks and bending over branches that look to me like a magical portal to a far-off land. Taking these walks always helps my mind to refresh, ground and imagine all sorts of ideas for my WIP.

Working on my writing every single day. Thinking about it and daydreaming about what will happen in specific timelines, or Act One and Act Two. As I go for walks in nature, it helps my imagination be overly active. But this is a good thing; this is where the stories come from. I just love it!

Do you have small portals in your backyard as well? If so, where do they go? 

Rough Draft Challenge July 2025

 These challenges have become a lot of fun and something I genuinely look forward to now. This time around, I'll ensure that I have it filled out and ready to go, solely for my writing purposes. 

The project for this July will be going over the first draft of the second book. I want to ensure it is fully finished and read it over carefully. Check on my plots. Make sure it flows and is going in the direction I want it to. 

How do I plan to do this?

• Have my story read to me by the AI program I have bought only for my writing purpose.
• Share chapters with my friends to see what they think
• Listen to or read books on plotting and rhythm of adventure writing

I also will take myself away from home for this to get writing done away from house,laundry and other distractions that keep me from sitting down and actually writing!