Can you imagine writing with God?  I thought I could until I got myself bogged down in the 2019 NaNoWriMo challenge. I almost quit a few times during the thirty-day marathon.  So what’s the verdict?  Did my fingers walk across the finish line?

Well, despite all my doubts I won NaNoWriMo on God’s coattails.  On November 20^th I wrote a little over one 1,000 words.  At that point, I was still 10,000 words behind.  I gave up, and convincing myself it wasn’t gonna happen.  That night I started writing my blog post No Rules Writing.  Over the next three days, while writing the post and Targeted, I found Philippians 3:14.  The Apostle Paul advised, I only had to “press toward the goal.”  For the rest of the competition, God, family, friends, and the Apostle Paul kept me going.

His Grace pulled me through all the doubt, fatigue, frustration, distractions, and physical pain, one day at a time.  I felt that whisper in my soul.  You know the one.  It’s the one that doesn’t come from your head.  Just a few more words then rest.

When I focused on God and put my hands to the keyboard trusting Him, the words formed faster than I could type.  It was amazing.  When the timer rang thirty minutes later, I would find four to six hundred words on the page.  Then I  took a break, stretched, and rested.  The Holy Spirit silenced the doubting thoughts.  When I didn’t go it alone, it became a Holy Spirit experience!

National Novel Writing Month is all about word counts. and the deadline  Here are a few fun facts about my race this year:

• Lowest word count: 0 words (November 1^st & 5^th)
  • My excuse: Travel Days
• The second-lowest word count: 2 words
  • Yes, I said two words.  On the 14^th  I corrected a sentence then I stared at the screen for twenty minutes.  Total writer’s block.  I recorded my two words and went to bed.
• Lowest point: November 20^th.
• Highest Word Count: 4,592 words (Did you guess it? on November 30^th).  This was also the giddiest point.
• My secret weapon? The Holy Spirit.  If I prayed before I wrote, the ideas flowed.  If I didn’t, I struggled.

Where is the novel now?   I am almost done with this rough draft.  I have to finish the climax and ending.  Maybe an epilogue if the Spirit leads.  At this point in the novel, Nicole Cantera, along with her father Javier, mother Sophia, and siblings Gregory, Andrea, and Jeremy race to save their company from sabotage.

I stopped writing where Gregory has found the rouge computer and is figuring out how to get it out of a locked cabinet.  What he doesn’t know is a sniper has him in his sights.

You may wonder why it is called a ‘rogue computer.’  hmmm.  Can a computer go rouge? Or did a rouge program the computer?  That is just one question I have about this writing endeavor.  I never thought of a rogue computer until Jeremy uttered the term in my speed writing.  I hope you enjoy this tidbit of the first draft of Targeted’s Chapter 21 the NaNoWriMo version:

Jeremy spoke up, “So we just need to find an extra rogue computer lying around here, right?  Can we put together a posse and search the place?  We just need to know what equipment is supposed to be here and look for something out of place.”

Javier bit back a chuckle with a cough.  His youngest had a point.  They could look for the equipment and maybe find a clue to who was trying to sabotage Cantera Locking Systems.  “How about it Pete can we help by searching for a rogue computer?”

That brought a genuine laugh from Pete, “Thank you, Javier, I needed that.  Rogue computer indeed.  I don’t see why not?”

Javier grinned, “Okay, Cantera family there are five us here.  Does that make a posse Jeremy?”

“I suppose,” Jeremy replied.

And what did I learn from this year’s NaNoWriMo win:

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  [Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV]

I learned to not ask; ‘what shall I write?’   I learned to ask the Lord to write with me.  Glory be to God!  He is here for me day by day in the small matters and in the big ones.  God bless you,

Milly

P.S.  Pete is the IT manager at Cantera Locking Systems.

Disclaimer:  I made up all the names on the fly in the fictional side of my brain during the writing challenge.  Names may change in any final drafts or versions of my novel Targeted.  Even the title of the book is subject to change.  The characters, events, and subjects are not intended to describe or portray persons, places or events in real life.