Write? But why?

So, here it is. The post in which I tell you that I failed miserably at Nanowrimo this year. The post in which I tell you that I still haven't found my rhythm yet since I've been unemployed. The post in which I remind you that I've been unemployed for, um, almost 6 months now.

In other news, I have been doing some freelancing. And a good chunk of my time every week is often spent figuring out COBRA and all things related to COBRA. And I'm still hung up on this "madly in love" thing that's going on.

I think those are the best reasons possible for any failure on my part of the former. ;)

It's That Time Again

November 1 starts the word count. I'll find a counter, as in the past, and stick it on the left. Help keep me accountable! Oh - and feel free to pass along any great story ideas. I'm fresh out right now.

It's Day Two . . .

And I finally have my idea for this year's Nano: a youth minister and his experiences with the children in his church. Interesting enough that I'll write this from a background I don't have (that of being male), but that I'm also considering writing it in a protestant church. Of course, I don't necessarily have experience as a youth minister, but I could be one, if I wanted, so I'm not so concerned about that.

Regardless, I may not be doing much writing at all this week: I sit for my computer-based APR exam this Friday and I've been severely lax in my studying. I've even avoided my books all weekend because it was just more fun to drive (I have the Miata, you see) than it would have been to study.

So, here are my goals for the week:
1) I don't have to work late.
2) My clients are their normal, non-demanding selves.
3) My car really doesn't need a new clutch and I don't have to go find a convertible to buy this week.
4) I can make up my Nano count this weekend at Jeffi's wedding. (It should only be about 12K by Sunday . . .)
5) Any other calamity which would seriously upset any hope at studying I've got.

And, I've already voted, so that won't be an issue. (Glad I did, too: 3.5 hours on Saturday. Wow.)

"What Happens Next?"

I heard that a lot tonight, from people who call themselves writers. I can't really say whether they are 'writers' or 'people who write;' I don't know them well enough. I haven't read - or heard - enough of their work. For some, their talent shone through while they read their work. Others, it seemed a bit hidden. Nonetheless, I heard a lot of writers read their work this evening, and yes, I was one of those.

I took the first 700 words of the second book (the one I just started writing?). I'm not sure why I went or even why I read. But I did - on both accounts - and it was thrilling.

Others who read shared open letters to grandchildren, bits of memoirs they're writing, short stories, bits of their NaNo novels and there was lots of poetry. Even a really fabulous recitation of an e.e. cummings poem, which had to be told to form the basis of the "response" poem that the author wrote. It was a nicely diverse crowd, and I'm happy to say that I wasn't the youngest there. No, the youngest there was pretty talented himself, discussing his father's soup-making ability. I certainly wasn't the oldest there; my, that was an interesting story about whales and a frozen Neolithic man.

And yet, I know that some part of me went because I wanted to know if those 700 words were as good as I thought they might be. And my answer came, during the break and again at the end of the night, as people made their way to me, and said, "So what happens next?"

Obviously, I've got people's attention for the first 700 words. Let's see if I can keep it up for the next, oh, 50,000 or 60,000.

If nothing else, I can tell stories pretty well in person, it appears.

I Just Couldn't Wait Any Longer

I couldn't. Really.

I've had this idea in my head since the middle of NaNo 2007, trying to keep it quiet, trying not to think about it, trying not to develop the plot or the characters, because I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to use this idea for NaNo 2008. I'd end up having to write it earlier than this November.

And yet, on my way home from the Spinks Banquet tonight, the first chapter blossomed in my brain. And not only the first chapter. The title, too. (It might help to know that I haven't decided on a title for my NaNo 2007 book yet.)

So it's called, "The Million." At least for now. At least until the revision begins.

And seeing as how I've got 627 words, it will be quite a while until the revising process begins.

I guess I'm back in writing mode now - and I've got to find a new idea for Nano 2008.

Two days early, even

You Won!

Yep, I hit 50,117 today. I won. I'm done.

Except not. I've easily got another 10K to write before the first draft is done. Maybe I'll finish that this weekend.

But for now, I'm done. Yeah!

Nanowrimo

Almost done.

No blogging when you've put in as many words as I have in the past three days. I've gone from 22, 700ish to where I am now.

46, 173.

I'm technically ahead of schedule. I'm ready to be done. It's exhausting. And the book may not be neatly finished at 50,000 words. I think it might end up being 60,000 or so before the first draft is all said and done.

Word of the Day

Courtesy of Dictionary.com:


"pro·cras·ti·nate /proʊˈkræstəˌneɪt, prə-/ [proh-kras-tuh-neyt, pruh-]verb, -nat·ed, -nat·ing.

–verb (used without object)
1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.

–verb (used with object)
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.

Origin: 1580–90; pro-1 + -crāstināre, deriv. of crāstinus of tomorrow; crās tomorrow + -tinus suffix forming adjs. from temporal advs.)]"

Yeah, I might get back to my novel this evening. Ok, I will. I just want to clean out my email first. And maybe try to find my lost memory card for my camera and the card reader. And put away the clean clothes. And fill up the new purse. And do the dishes. And go paint the shelf on the shed (Oh, wait, it's dark. Darn . . . hmm, I could just take the ever-so-useful headlamp out to paint . . .).

I could just camp on the lottery website and refresh the screen until they update the winning number for this week. Or take the recycling out. Or put the dead houseplant in the composter. Or make brownies. Ooh, or pumpkin bread. Or empty my Google reader. Or blog more. Or call my brother and my sister and my other sister. Or . . .

A real threat . . .

now that I'm doing NaNoWriMo:Some of you are already there.

The Madness Begins

Today is day one of NaNoWriMo. I'm done for today and looking for a widget that shows my word count on the side of the blog. 1671 words. Just 48,329 to go. Wow, that's a big number.

Otherwise, life is trucking along, except for the $1400 bill I got for the hoity-toity frou-frou doctor's exam that I had in APRIL. Yeah, I said APRIL. I got the bill yesterday. Let's see, that's, hmm, SEVEN MONTHS. *&^% who don't know how to do things in a timely manner. I'm going to try to figure out several things about this tomorrow:

1. WHY did it take SEVEN MONTHS to send a bill?
2. WHY it wasn't a covered expense. I understood - as did all parties around me - that it would be.
3. WHY I wasn't told it wasn't a covered expense AT THE TIME.
4. WHO'S going to pay it. If I've got to, I will, but the hoity-toity frou-frou exam wasn't worth $1400. They couldn't even tell me if my osteoporosis was improving.

Grr . . .

My New Marathon

Back in the spring, in a fit of overzealous-ness, Jess and I decided we should train for a marathon.

For a while, we did. But then life got in the way, getting complicated and busy, and was too much fun to find time to run for hours a day (and much too hot). So we realized the insanity of that decision, chalked our $80 fee up to a hard-learned lesson and moved on.

Now, however, we're about to start a new marathon. And we're pulling people down - oops, I mean, convincing them to take the journey - with us. (Jim, you're such a good sport. Ashley, are you in?)

NaNoWriMo begins on Thursday. Our goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. Each of us. At the end of November, there will be at least three more novels in the world. The idea is simply that aspiring authors may never actually write an entire novel if they can't do the hard part in 30 days. They're probably right.

And, because I think we're all starting to realize the insanity of this new "marathon," I went to the Winston-Salem Writers program on how to survive NaNoWriMo tonight.

So, here are the tips. (Sorry, I took lots of notes.)

1. Trick your internal censors - write faster!
2. Accept that your novel will be crap - now. Move on.
3. Stick to your deadline. Set mini deadlines. Reward yourself for meeting them.
4. Don't procrastinate. Make your deadline three weeks instead of four.
5. Brag. Tell everyone you know you're doing NaNoWriMo. Just don't tell the people at your office - unless they'd be ok with you writing at work. This will help keep you accountable - and hopefully, on track.
6. Write a contract with yourself and sign it. Make the penalty significant. (Suggestion: pick the one organization you really hate and write a significant donation check to them. If you don't meet your goal, send it.)
7. Get a writing buddy.
8. Take bets that you'll actually accomplish this goal. Make them good. $5, $10, $50 that you will finish the novel. No dishes for the next six months. Or lawn mowing. Or taking out the trash. Or cleaning toilets. Remember those bets when you seem to have writer's block or you find yourself procrastinating. Definitely remember those bets when you finish your novel and go to collect. You'll deserve it.
9. Create a "good space" in which to write. Clean it before 11/1. Remove all non-novel related distractions. Include your list of Novel Sins (the stuff you hate in books) and Novel Virtues (the stuff you can't get enough of in books). Have snacks and/or coffee nearby. Don't make yourself go to the kitchen to nosh.
10. Find a writing totem. It can be a hat, scarf, gloves, mask - anything. Not only does this help to prepare your mind to write your 1,667 words everyday, it can be an outward sign to others in your family that they're not to bother you.
11. Play music, if it helps. Wear headphones to block out other noises. If you can find music appropriate to your theme, even better.
12. Keep a notebook or recorder with you at all times. You never know when your next plot point will arrive and you don't want to forget it.
13. Get a magical pen. Get two. Bless them, knowing they've got all the characters, plot, settings, etc. inside of them. Use the second when the first runs out of ink (or magic).
14. Ditch the reference books. Italicize/bold/highlight that which needs help and do it later. You don't have time to edit and/or rewrite during NaNoWriMo. If you do, you don't have a life. You can rewrite for the next 11 months of the year, until NaNoWriMo 2008. Let it go.
15. Develop your characters (slightly) now, if you have a chance. If not, it's no big deal. Just don't spend too much time planning when you should be writing later.
16. Don't worry about plot. It will take care of itself.
17. Keep your locations familiar, or, if you must set a scene in an unfamiliar place, don't spend a lot of time on the research of the place. You just don't have that luxury.
18. Create tension. Twist the plot. Include conflict.
19. Don't use the second-person point-of-view. Write from the first person if you must, but you'll get bored somewhere through the novel if you do. If you can write in third person, do. This allows you to "move around" and add perspective to your novel.
20. Everyday, after hitting your 1,667 goal, stop at an exciting point. Don't finish the thought/graph. Give yourself the gift of starting excited every day.

Anyone want to join us? You just have to come up with 50,000 words by the end of November, starting this Thursday. And, I'd say wish us luck, but luck has nothing to do with it.