December Writing

November has come and gone and what a month it was. It was a whirlwind of activity in our household! From birthday highs to illness lows, I feel like we were run through an obstacle course but we came out of it (somewhat) healthy, (not at all) wealthy, and a little more wise.

We began the month celebrating my birthday with a Monster Movie Marathon with our closest friends. Then I tried my hand a second time at NaNoWriMo. I had the worst migraine I have had in years somewhere in the middle of the month. Then we had a quiet family celebration for my husband's birthday. My son and I caught a ruthless head cold just before Thanksgiving, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some quality family time and turkey (but we kept our germs to ourselves). And now I have a lovely Christmas tree to look at for the rest of the season.

So, how did I fare in NaNoWriMo? Well, thanks to the migraine and the head cold, I never truly got caught up after I fell behind. I started off strong, reaching 25,000 words by the middle of the month; right on target. But by the end of NaNoWriMo, I had written only about 30,000. Am I disappointed? Of course I am. But 30,000 is still about 20,000 more than I wrote last year. And I still plan on finishing my book and (hopefully) going on to the publishing phase . Now, whether that will be going the traditional route or self publishing remains to be seen. Perhaps that will be a topic one month for next year's Writing 12 in 12...

Speaking of next year, just because this is the last month of my challenge, doesn't mean that Writing 12 in 12 is going away. I have plenty of surprises in store for next year, so stay tuned!

For December I have narrowed my choices down to three things:

Great Old Ones Publishing is accepting submissions for stories about cryptids. They are looking for original stories between 3,000 and 8,000 words to include in an anthology. Be creative and be unique are their top requirements. Visit their site for information on how to submit.

Highlights Magazine is looking for mystery stories up to 750 words. This is a children's magazine so the stories can't include crime, violence or derogatory humor. Visit their site for more information.

Litro Magazine's February issue will be centered around 'Diaries'. What do diaries mean to you? They accept short fiction, flash fiction and nonfiction. Visit their site if you are interested in writing about 'Diaries'.

I'm not sure what will inspire me this month, or any month, so I have learned to keep my options open. December is always  busy, what with the holidays and all. At least I still have a few weeks until the kids get out of school to get to work.

How do you plan on balancing your writing and your holiday celebrations this year?

For me? I'm hoping to get rid of this nagging cough. And also to get as much done as possible before the kids are out for their winter break.