JaNoWriMo!

I am writing to you on December 31st, 2013. It is the last day of the year. For me, 2013 was a year of immense change. The norm of my world continually kept changing. I transitioned into a new person - an adult! (Look at my facial hair, ma!)

Aside from undertaking NaNoWriMo in November while in the middle of an overwhelming move, 2013 was a year of accomplishment. I fulfilled my lifelong wish of riding in a hot air balloon (and hot air balloons are a huge part of my novel if you didn't already know).

I attended my first Comic Con, where my girlfriend and I waited in a line for over 18 hours(!) to see a Breaking Bad panel (damn you, ambitious Doctor Whovians!) We figured we had nothing else to do, so why not wait for the best of the best, bitch? I traveled a bunch, met Damon Lindelof (and told him we have to go back, Kate!), went to a grilled cheese festival (big deal), attended a hippie/electronica fest, saw the best thing ever in the form of Clue: Live Shadowcast, and had some great times with friends and family.

If I learned one thing from 2013, it was to never stop trying and always keep moving forward. In the wise words of Robin Williams from the undisputed classic, Hook: "To live... to live would be an awfully big adventure." *If you want to throw down with me about why Hook is the best movie ever, give it a go!

I love you, Thudbutt!

So, with that in mind, I officially introduce you to JaNoWriMo. No, that is not a typo. No, your computer screen is not displaying the wrong sequence of letters. JaNoWriMo, yes. It is a word I made up. January Novel Writing Month! Isn't that clever? No? Alright, I must carry on then... as does Lady Edith after every sad moment in her life.

The admirable Lady Hedith! She's no Edith!

After finishing NaNoWriMo at the end of November, I still wanted to work on my novel. December was full of travel and moving, so I wasn't able to work on my novel as much as I wanted. I was craving the kind of demanding, time-pressing schedule that NaNoWriMo requires of you. I knew I needed something to keep me to my word when it came to finishing my novel and thus JaNoWriMo was birthed into this beautiful world.

To sum up: January 2014 - I will be continuing my journey as a novelist by dedicating the month to writing each day. My goal word count: 75,000 words. It is possible. Let's finish this bitch.

I will now bid you, adieu. Have a great end of 2013 and best of luck in the New Year. Stay tuned...

- ben josé

50,000 Words Down... and the journey continues!

Day 27
Word Count: 50,522
Mood: Ohhh yeeeeaaaaa, baby! Hear Me Roar!! [In the Lannister slogan way, not the Katy Perry way, just to be clear!]

 "A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." Wise Words, Tyrion.

I did it! 50,000 big ones written down (50,522 to be exact!). It feels great. My novel has really taken shape and developed into something that I am proud of. That being said, I still have a lot more to write to complete it. I have it planned to be around 80 chapters and I'm only around chapter 40 (crazy, I know), which means I'm only halfway there.

Just in case you are worried, my chapters are not that long, so it won't be some huge tome of a book that is never-ending. It has an ending... at least... for now... until the sequel! ;)

After validating my novel, I was greeted by this!

I am steadfast in my dedication to this book, so I plan on continuing my writing through December and until I finish this book. One of the NaNoWriMo Pep-talkers gave advice that was beautifully simple: "Write. And Just Write."

It's that simple.

So, I shall. I shall write, ye naysayers! Wait, don't exit my blog. Keep reading!

I plan on sharing more information about my novel and spotlighting my POV characters in the future. I want my many* blog readers to get to know them!

Until next time, thanks for following my NaNoWriMo dreams! Success, chyaa!

Check out this video for NaNo winners!

- ben josé

*by many, I mean maybe 2 or 3. 

Catching Wriiiiter!

Day 25
Word Count: 47,627 (which means only 2,373 words left)
Mood: Tired, but excited! I'm Tirecited!

Only 2,373 words left! A-yo, a-yo! This is the word count I reached on Friday afternoon. And that is where I am now, on Monday afternoon. I didn't write any words over the weekend and once again my reasons are: a) still in the process of moving and it rocks. November should be called Movember and not for the no-shaving thing, but for my unending process of moving all month, b) Catching Fiyyyyah!, and c) turkey on ma mind.

Johanna. Best part of C.Fiyaaah!

This weekend I spent two nights out at cool bars near my new house. Tis very difficult to have fun in a bar while sober, but I surprisingly managed to sober-dance my way to a great time. When in doubt, just start sober-dancing, it'll fix everything. I've mastered some great moves, such as the "Arm-Crutch" dance and the "White-Man Jumping" dance. Maybe I'll post a video of my moves soon.

I can't believe it is already November 25th! I feel like I barely got to explain more of my book! But, maybe I'll continue this blog after November and include some excerpts from my book or go into more detail about the world and characters. If you don't know what Steampunk is, get on it because the world of my book is all about that Steam & those punks!

Oh, here's a short synopsis of my book that is on my NaNoWriMo page:

In the once grand city of Annonay, a divide has grown between the rich and the poor. The rich prosper and party with reckless abandon up on the hills. The poor struggle to survive the harsh rule of the military police in the dilapidated streets below.

When the sinister Dr. Yann Bel Geddes brings in a naive young scientist to complete the final steps of his powerful new gravitational technology, the city will be forever changed. The sky will be ripped apart and all will float and all will fall. Only those in specialized thermal air balloons will be able to survive the horror that follows...

Adventure, Romance, Mystery, Horror, Tragedy, Hot Air Balloons.

Yeaaaah?? Thoughts?? Side note: I really like hot air balloons.

Oh, look! Ballooooons!

Five days to go!

- ben josé

Day 19 - Donkey Kong that Novel

Day 19
Word Count: 32,028
Mood: First Name Panic, Last Name Attack

Day 19! How is this possible? Time sure does fly when you are having fun (aka stressin' out & movin' & shakin'). As you can see, I only wrote about one thousand-something words since Friday. Yikes! But my excuses are real. I was moving this weekend. And you probably know that moving is not just a walk in the park. It takes a lot out of you (it took out some of the skin on my knee!).

Here are some moving pictures just in case you thought I was lying:

What is this nonsense? A backyard!

New Digs! Chyeah!

Clearly, I was helpful in driving the truck.

U better call Uhaul!

I only moved my big stuff to the new house, so am now occupying two spaces. We have our old apartment until December 3rd, so we are going to gradually move out to the house in the next eleven days because who doesn't want to drag something out until the last possible moment. (Sound familiar, NaNoWrimo?)

Oh, so, my novel. Yeah, it is coming along. I don't think I will be officially done with it when I hit 50,000 words, so lets hope I just keep up the enthusiasm past the end of November and into December so that I can actually finish it.

I've gotten a lot of advice and pep talks from friends and NaNo Coaches, so I'm feeling confident.

Hey, Wine & Beer, y'all don't scare me! No matter how sweet your smoky nectar smells, I will not drink thee!

Unrelated sidenote: I am going to call Day 19, Donkey Kong Day (the day I listened over and over to the soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country). The soundtrack is damn good and upbeat and makes me want to do my thang! DK and Diddy are my bros 4 life! My personal faves include Ice Cave Chant, Vulture Culture, and Aquatic Ambience.

Hate those damn Zingers (cool term for da bees)

Oh, also at one point this weekend, I tried to live-tweet, Mulan 2. I don't know why I shared that information. Eddie Murphy didn't even voice Mushu. Not over it.

It's official: I'm just the coolest. Ok, I should probably stop writing this blog and start writing my novel. BYE.

- ben josé

Halfway There & Losing My Mind

Day 15
Word Count: 30,918
Mood: I don't know if my mood can be defined at the moment.

Wow, what a stressful and crazy week it has been. I haven't had time to update this blog because I've been stressing out majorly as I prepare to move into a house in Hollywood. With 5 other people. And a dog. And a cat. Not joking. If you think I'm a crazy, insane person, you would be correct. Follow my antics on Twitter. Shameless selfish plug. Sorry. (No, I'm Not!).

Okay, but you might be looking at my word count (30,918 big ones) and thinking, "Hey, it's going well! 30K words is not too shabby! Good on ya, Ben José! You get yours!" Think again, intrepid blog reader. The past 15,000 words that I wrote have been hard-fought and tough. I wrote the longest chapter of my novel so-far (a whopping 11 pages) where I had to catch up the reader on the past five days of one of my characters. I decided to write it in the present day, with flashbacks to each former day, throughout.

So, basically, when someone decides to read my book and gets to this chapter, this is where they will decide to stop reading my book because it makes absolutely no sense. I haven't bothered with editing anything I've written so far because I'm afraid I will be consumed in the throes of revision and self-mutilation.

Wow, I sound so confident right now. Please, come read my book. You'll love it!

HAHHHH.

Well, on a good note, I still haven't had a drop of alcohol in the past 15 days. Go me! It's been nice. I haven't been hungover. I haven't drunkenly offended anyone. This life ain't too bad. I'm definitely going to need a drink when December 1st comes. So, pray for me then.

I guess this is all I have to say right now. BAH. I feel confident about getting to 50,000 words in 15 days. Only 20,000 to go. Halfway point! Woo. Yay. Can I get an "Ohhh yeahhh!?"

Okay. Bye. Ugh.

- ben josé

Day 8

Day 8
Word Count: 15,459
Mood: Stressed/Weird. I just used a neti pot on myself because I'm been sick. It works, but leaves the weirdest sensations in my nose.

I've been fighting a cold/cough/sore throat thingy for the past week, which is perfect. I love being sick. On top of that, I have been stressed because I am in the beginning stages of moving into a new place. I am moving into a house in Hollywood with 5 other people, 1 cat, and 1 dog. Now, there is a sentence I'd never thought I'd say in life!

So, I'm sort of using those two things as excuses as to why I have been procrastinating all week. Ughhhh... this week! As I sit down to write, I distract myself so easily: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the damn INTERNETS are so distracting. Somehow I managed to get 15,000 words though. Which is about um.. more than 1/4th of the way through I think? I used to be good at math. Le Sigh.

Luckily, I've been getting great advice from some awesome NaNoWriMo Pep Talkers. The wise words of authors, James Patterson, Malinda Lo, Catherynne M. Valente, and Pat Rothfuss, saved me from writing destitution. Follow them on Twitter because thanks to them I didn't have a mental breakdown and throw my computer across my office in frustration!

(Side note: things and feelings are happening with my nose. Seriously, try a neti pot! I swear I'm not trying to sell them or something!)

Neti Pots: The Nasal Saviors

As for my novel, things are developing quite nicely. Some exciting things were written in the past week for two of my characters. I don't want to reveal too much about the story and plot twists, but one of my characters is very different and could be considered controversial for a fantasy novel. But, I hope whenever people ever get a chance to read this (ha!), that they see what I was going for in the grander scheme of things.

Coming up, I am about to write a chapter on a character named, Theo. He is a young, naive scientist new to town and he is about to learn some dark things about his employer and his special, secret work. Ooooh.

I have no idea if I am making sense right now. Still sober.

Tomorrow is the official NaNoWriMo Marathon! I plan on donating some moolah and reaching 30,000 words, which may be stretching it, but its good to hope! So, get ready for the NaNoThon! Follow up on Twitter! 

Thanks for reading!

- ben josé

Day 5!

Day 5
Word Count: 9,777
Mood: Wooooohoo, I need a drink. Oh, wait...

I spent a majority of my day today writing and it felt damn good. I got a good chunk of my story in and lots of things developed, including some new things. I wrote over 4,000 words today and caught up with the pace that NaNoWriMo sets for you to write each day (1,667). So, that's nice!

However, once I had written all those words today, my first thought after closing my computer was: I'm going to head next door to the Farmer's Market for a happy hour beer. Yum, yum, beer in ma belly! But, I can't. No alcohol. Damn. It's been less than a week since I stopped and, despite this urge, I feel great about it. I don't need no happy hour beer, y'all!

You can check out my progress below or here or go to Nanowrimo.org to see how everyone is doing. Los Angeles is doing pretty damn good this year.

Onwards and Upwards: Hell yeah graph!

On Monday, I didn't write much because I was finishing fleshing out my story's timeline. I charted out each character's main actions each day and night to make sure everything lined up in the end. I discovered that this novel takes place over only 10 days. Something I didn't know before. Hm. So, good to figure that out. Here's a little snippet of that chart with some of the characters:

Wow, this chart is super complicated and mysterious.

As I mentioned before, "A Song of Ice and Fire" aka "Game of Thrones" is one of the biggest influences on my writing. Like "GOT," each chapter in my book is from the point of view of a different character. In this first book, I have eight point-of-view characters with wildly different experiences and beliefs. It is fun writing for these completely different characters and really getting into the heads of each of the characters. For each character, I listen to a different station on Pandora. It's pretty fun. Maybe a little later on in the month I will go into more depth about each character and their story.

I am the hardest critic on myself, so I have to learn to let go and just accept my writing for what it is. This is only a first draft, so I don't have to be completely nitpicky (that is until I reread everything when I'm done. Then I will nitpick it up! Is nitpick a real word? The answer is yes!).

Well, the sun has set on another day and only 25 days remain. I have about 41,000 words to go. Thanks for checking in, folks.

Side note: The soundtrack to "Amelie" is beyond beautiful. Ah, to be quirky in Paris...

- ben josé

Day 3

Three days in. Well technically, two days in. It is still in the very early hours of day three. I've been up since 8:30am. Why you ask? Because of this cat.

Dany Bitch: Yes, she has her own Tumblr.

She's very cute, but very annoying. But, I guess I can thank her because now I have a head start on Day 3 of NaNoWriMo. So far my word count is: 3,325. Woo! That is pretty good, I must say. The majority of those words I wrote on Friday. The weekend is not my friend when it comes to productivity. I had two simultaneous birthday parties to go to on opposite sides of LA (Venice and Echo Park). And I resisted the temptation to drink in two party settings. It's really hard not to drink when at Bootie LA. That place almost requires drinking to get by.

Also, my phone suspiciously died/broke on me on Friday, so I had to journey to the seventh layer of hell: The Grove Apple Store, to get it fixed. Luckily, they were able to give me a new phone for free. Woo! This is about the 5th or 6th iPhone I've had replaced in the last year. I am very unlucky with phones. 

Some other crazy things happened this weekend, but I will talk about them later this week. This blog post ain't ready for that jazz this early in the morn.

Despite the drama and busy weekend plans, I still managed to somehow get in 3,325 words. I have also been simultaneously charting out each character's day-to-day activities so as I don't lose track in my story's timeline. Fun stuff! In order to finish 50,000 words by December 1st, I am supposed to type 1,667 words per day. Right now, I am above that word count. Let's hope I can stay that way. 

I guess I shall stop writing this blog and start writing my novel. 27.5 days to go!

- ben josé

The Eve of NaNoWriMo!

Well guys, the time has finally come! NaNoWriMo officially begins tonight at 12:00am. AHHH! Thus, commences 30 days of hardship, sobriety, and creativity. I feel like I'm about to enter the arena in the "Hunger Games" even though I have never been more mentally prepared for a NaNoWriMo before than I am this year. Cinna, give me a Mockingjay pin for protection please. Katniss don't need yo help, Lenny! As you can leave, I've already lost my mind... more on that in a few weeks...

In order to prepare for this NaNoWriMo this year, I have gone through everything I have ever written about my novel and re-read it. I have started new outlines. I charted out the plots with more detail than ever before. I actually know the ending to each book and the ending to the series. I know where each character starts and where each character ends. And folks, you better prepare yourself for one crazy ride.

One of the greatest influences on my novel is "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin. If you haven't read it or don't know what it is than I don't know what you are doing here or if we can be friends. If I said, "Winter is Coming" or "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts," you better damn well know what I am talking about!

While reading Book 3, A Storm of Swords, I threw my book across the room and screamed when I came across a certain scene I will just call the "RW." Damn you, George R.R. Martin!!! Seven hells!

George creates a vast world called Westeros and inhabits it with a multitude of interesting and complex characters! Everyone has both good and bad qualities and no character easily falls into any cliches or boring normalities. The novels are written from the POVs of the main characters. My novel (which is tentatively titled "Buoyancy" at the moment) follows this same procedure. I tell the story from the perspectives of 8 very different characters in one very unique city called Annonay. Through the forced 3rd person limited perspectives of each character, so much creative storytelling has been opened up to me.

Jon Snow: You know nothing

Daenerys Targaryen: Mother of Dragons

Jaime Lannister: A handful

But, enough babbling, I will share more and more with you about my characters and my world as the month continues on... Check out my page on NaNoWriMo.

Now, I must decide if I am going out for one last hurrah on Halloween, or if I really am just going to buckle up and start this bitch... My knuckles are cracked. My fall "cold" is in full swing! My eyeglasses are scratched!

Lessss'go! 11 hours remain!

-ben josé

What I Listen To When I Write

I'm a little odd when it comes to my writing process. Basically, it not very consistent and changes everyday dependent on my mood and how "inspired" I am feeling by my novel. Sometimes I need total quiet and sometimes a funky, fresh beat is just what gets me going. I usually open up my Pandora while writing. Frequent channels of mine include: AIR, Au Revoir Simone, Moby, Arcade Fire, Broken Bells, etc. So, all of the electro-pop/rock you can get! I guess my novel is coming from a place of synthesizers and theremins (P.S. Theremins are about the coolest instruments ever!). Does that make you more or less excited to read my stuff?

AIR - Amour, Imagination, Rêve

Au Revoir Simone - a powerful feminine troika of electro pop!

My second choice of music to listen to is the soundtracks of my favorite TV shows, movies, and video games. I am constantly on the channels for "Harry Potter," "Lord of the Rings," "Zelda", and more. Two of my favorite TV shows, "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica", have the most amazing soundtracks I have ever had the pleasure of listening too. Michael Giacchino (of "Lost") and Bear McCreary (of "Battlestar Galactica") are musical geniuses! Listen to all of their stuff, please! Honorable mention for: John Williams (no explanation needed) and Ramin Djawadi ("Game of Thrones").

Fav. song: "Passacaglia"

Fav. Song: "Life and Death"

Fav. Song: "Song of Storms"

However, Pandora feels the need to play ads in the middle of my writing jams and that can severely affect me and my continuation of writing. So, be wary of using Pandora. My alternatives include iTunes, YouTube, ya know... Check out Pogo on YouTube. You won't regret it!

One band I haven't mentioned yet but that continually inspires me is the band, Portishead. The song, "The Rip," by Portishead, was actually the song that inspired me to write my novel. As soon as I heard the haunting lyrics and saw the accompanying music video, my imagination took over and the initial images and characters of my novel came falling into my head. It was quite beautiful. Of course, the world of my novel is now so much more expanded and large, but that song stays with me every step of the way.

So, as November approaches (4 more days, y'all!), I am putting the final touches on my notes and outlines, preparing my body for 30 days of sobriety, and queuing up all my great playlists. The NaNoWriMo journey is about to begin...

- ben josé

My Top 5 Distractions from Writing (And for Drinking)

Writing a novel is no easy task, especially for someone who is easily distracted... like moi. Instead of trying to delve into the reasons of why I am the way I am, I thought it would be fun to share my top 5 excuses for not writing, which coincidentally can also be used as my top 5 excuses to drink. I'm a simple guy.

5. Los Angeles, California

Ah, the City of Angels. The city of endless possibilities–endless possibilities which don't involve sitting at a computer alone typing, and all of which involve going outside, hanging out, and drinking muchos alcohol! I moved to Los Angeles in January 2011 from Texas and never looked back. In LA, at any given moment, you are five minutes away from: the beach, the mountains, the wineries, your homeless friends, the traffic, the roads, the gross Hollywood clubs, the hiking trails, the In-N-Out drive-thru line, that celebrity you saw in that show one time but who you don't really like but will still brag about seeing to your friends, and, also, the traffic. It's all here, folks!! Not to mention: Disneyland, Joshua Tree, Catalina Island, San Diego, the Price is Right...! I could go on... In fact, the entire beautiful state of California is one big reason to procrastinate. I always think to myself: "Why am I sitting inside writing when all of this beauty and adventure awaits me outside? And, they sell liquor in CVS 24/7? Whaaat!?"

4. Weekends & Friends

This photo was taken at an event proudly called "Bootie LA" and no, this was not on Halloween.

Living in LA is hard enough, but spending my time with my friends, who are all young, fun, professional workers, who also happen to like spending their weekends having fun, is very tough. I always say each weekend that I am going to "really take it easy" and try to read or write, but the lure of going out and dancing, laughing, and making memories always seems to pull me off of the metaphorical typewriter* and into an overly stuffed car, driving down the 101 to Koreatown. Jeez, friends, be less fun. And weekends, stop coming around every 5 days!

3.  The Search for a New Place

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Luck would have it that November is going to (possibly) be my last month in my current apartment. MOVING! YAY. We have been in this apartment since May 2011, but it is time for a change and my roomie is moving out. The stress of moving and searching for a new house or apartment is always welcomed and fun. Can't wait! Feeling those happy flames on the side of my face at the thought of dealing with the classy LA realty market!

4. Netflix, Or What I like to Call the Time-Suck from Hell!

Oh, Nicholas Cage, how I loathe thee? But, seriously, Netflix! God damn you! How I wish I could quit you! Every time I try and move away, you put up my new favorite show or movie. Why yes, I do want to watch my favorite Disney movie, "Mulan" at any time. Yes, I do watch to binge watch "Orange is the New Black", "Sherlock", and "House of Cards." Think I'm done? No, I NEED to catch "Nacho Libre" and that obscure documentary about killer whales before they disappear forever into the abyss of broken Netflix dreams. For this process, I am doing the unthinkable: Staying off Netflix for all of November. Well, at least, staying off Netflix when I'm by myself and craving a weird tv binge or a class Nic Cage caper.

5. Ya Know... Life.

My Cat: Captain Daenerys Phoebs Tonks Bluth likes to contemplate life.

Look y'all, I don't have my life figured out yet. I'm still searching for that one thing I want to exactly do (besides writing). There is some quote about how life gets in the way when you are worrying about other things, or something like that. I know I totally butchered it, but I'm too lazy to actually look it up. I want to travel the world, meet people, and visit family and friends. NaNoWriMo is only 8 days away. I can't get too far ahead of myself on the big picture. Just have to keep telling myself to let the small things and little worries go.

Woah, we just got deep. I apologize. I'm gonna go watch some "Lost" on Netflix to raise my spirits. Yes, "Lost" raises my spirits. "We have to go back, Kate! We have to go back!" Gets me every time.

8 days to go.

-benjosé

The Beginning of a Novel Idea!

Hello, all (meaning just one or two people if I'm lucky), I have finally decided to start a blog after much non-anticipation. I've been saying for quite some time—probably five years—that I would blog it up. But, now I am finally taking the plunge and actually doing it. And I actually have a theme (sort of) to it. Everyone, hold your figurative applause... indefinitely.

November is quickly approaching and if you didn't know already, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for those of you not with the times). The goal of each NaNoWriMo is to write a novel that must consist of  at least 50,000 words. For the past two years, I have attempted to write a novel each November with varying success. Check out my past novels. I will quickly recap what happened each year.

November 2011: I started writing a fantasy novel I passionately called "The Rip." I was eager-eyed and fresh-faced. I had just moved to Los Angeles permanently a few months ago. My roommates were willingly participating too. We all sat down on November 1st to write together. It was all just so exciting.
End Result: I wrote one really weird, abstract paragraph. And that was it. FAIL.

*My roommates failed too. So I wasn't alone in failure. There is comfort in failing together, right?

November 2012: This year I wasn't messing around. I made it known I was doing NaNoWriMo again despite last year's failure. I even convinced my coworker to participate too. I decide to expand on my novel (actually, my paragraph) from 2011. While sitting in a Little Caesar's in a K-mart (pure class), inspiration came to me. I had a revelation as to why I had failed the year before—the idea was too big, yet too small. Once I opened it up to the possibility of a book series(!), everything fell into place. So, I created a vast fantastic world full of rich, interesting characters. What could go wrong?

End Result: Well, I did it. I wrote 50,000 words by November 30th. Woo-hoo! The only problem was that my novel was nowhere near completion. I was still in the beginning stages of what I had initially planned and outlined back in October. So, I still didn't have a completed novel. Fail? I'm not sure.

November 2013: Here it comes again! NaNoWriMo 2013! I have been working and further developing my novel and series from 2012. I am extremely confident that I can write another 50,000 words and hopefully finally finish my first novel out of a planned 9-book series (How crazy am I?)

Only 10 days between me and November 1st. I can keep up this positive attitude, right? 

Well, to further my cause, while doing NaNoWriMo this year, I have decided to give up all forms of alcohol for the month of November! You may not think that is a big deal, but if you know me—Ben José Fleck—at all, then you know that's kind of a big deal. I'm not an alcoholic (classic alcoholic denial), but alcohol has often led to bad things for me. So, in order to really focus and do this right, no more alcohol for me! And that includes those delicious Straw-beritas! 

**Side note: The pandora station I was listening to just changed the song and it went from soothing electro-pop to thrashing angry metal. What the hell? Does Pandora ever do this to you? Not cool, Pandora! 

Anyways, follow me on this weird, strange, scary journey to finish my novel while being completely sober! It is sure to be tough and let's all hope I don't have a meltdown! Any advice and encouragement and questions are welcome. And yes, it's probably counterproductive to write a blog about writing a novel, but hey, that's me! 

10 days to go til this starts... Can I do it?

End Result:  to be seen...

-benjosé