NaNoWriMo!

YES! NaNoWriMo starts TODAY!

In case you didn't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National(Na) Novel(No) Writing(Wri) Month(Mo)! It's a motivation website/word counter that requires you to attempt to get in a 50,000 word novel in 30 days(November 1st to the 30th)! They focus on quanity, not quality, so if we mess up, they encourage us to leave it on the page and write on! We update our word count in a handy little verification box, and when midnight of November 30th comes, if we have our 50,000 words in, we send our story in for final verification and it gets displayed on the winner's page!



This is my first year doing it and I'm super excited! My novel(man that sounds weird) is about a

girl and her family that goes to China to get their little boy. It's called Ladybugs and Red Threads. I'm super excited! I'm loading up on China videos and memories, and I can't wait!

Elven year old Audrey is just a regular tween girl growing up in the US. That is, until her family decides to adopt from China. For as long as she can remember, Audrey has wanted a little sibling. Being the youngest has it's advantages, but she always wanted to be an older sister. She even remembers saying she wanted to adopt from China. Things get even better when she finds out that she will be going to China with her parents for three weeks on the journey to get her new brother. Audrey prepares for a long trip, but ends up on the journey of her life that blows her mind completely.

(c) Joy S.

Excerpt(just a little something to get a feel for my characters, I'm not sure if it will go in the actual book or not):

Audrey tucked her Lousia May Alcott book and an extra pair of pajama bottoms into her suitcase, then zipped it up. She then placed a journal and some candy in her carry-on bag and fastened it up. She rolled her bags to the back door, slipped her aqua flip flops on, and rolled her things out to the carport. She looked around her house and smiled. This is it, she thought. I'm about to go on the journey that will change my life forever! She took one last look around to imprint the picture of her house that she would not see for three weeks into her brain and smiled bigger. Her 21 year old brother Lee took her suitcase and carry on bag from her and piled it into the trunk of her family's black Mazda 3. It was dark out, but Audrey could tell that her brother was sleepy by his face. It was 3:17 AM. Of course he was sleepy.

Audrey directed her attention to her older brother's young face. She wouldn't see him for a while either, except for on Skype video talk every now and then. Lee had jet black hair that had a bluish tint to it. It was swooped forward, giving him a half spike look. He had black eyes, but not the beady kind. Audrey liked his eyes, they gave him character and were almost always smiling teasingly. He was short for his age, about 5'6, and many had mistaken him for a sixteen or seventeen year old guy. His nose was small, and so were his ears. He was adopted from South Korea, so he had darker skin then most of the family members. He had lips about the color of Audrey's skin, a little dark, really, but they looked light on his skin. He was fun to be around and liked to sleep. He wore lots of Aeropostale and American Eagle clothes, and always, always wore jeans. He always wore either Toms or Converse, and liked to wear polos, too. He was very athletic, and you could tell by the muscles that showed in his forearms.

Audrey and her family climbed into the car. She was half asleep by the time they reached the Memphis airport in Tennesee, about an hour's drive from where she lived, and the closest airport to her hometown in Arkansas. Audrey's mom was in the back seat with her, while Lee and Audrey's dad were in the front.

She had red hair that came down to her shoulders and had blonde streaks through it. She had pretty sidebangs and dark brown eyes that were very attractive. She had medium skin, like Audrey, and she had pretty hands. Her hands showed her veins clearly, and Audrey loved that. She thought it was very unique. Her mom was almost as excited as Audrey. But she seriously doubted anyone could be as excited as her. She was bubbling over. Entranced. Enticed.

Audrey looked at her dad now. He had black hair, too, and dark skin, but he didn't look Asian. If anything, he looked Indian, just a tad bit. His skin had a reddish tint to it. He had hazel eyes, very pretty, and he was tall and had a strong build. He gave great bear hugs. Now, his face was serious, but Audrey could tell he was excited. But like herself, he was nervous. This was China. Not in the US, not even in North or South America. It was halfway across the world, and they were going to be there for three weeks.

Audrey began to wonder about her new little brother. His Chinese name was Dang HongJie. It was pronounced Dong-Hong-Zhyeah. Audrey went over and over in her head about what little she knew about him. He was very healthy, in spite of his mild form of Spina Bifida that didn't affect him at all, he loved trucks of any kind, he took a while to wake up, and he liked to eat. Audrey smiled. And, he was in China. China. China.

(c)

That's it! Here's the link to my Nano page: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/645458 I'm still working on updating it, the site's having some trouble.

I totally reccomend NaNoWriMo for all you aspired writers like me! Lots of novels and authors started there. If you want to jump in and start writing, it's nanowrimo.org !

Blessings,

Joy :)