It seems ironic, that I have NOTHING to do and yet can not accomplish anything. We are at the 8th day of November, the 8th day of NaNoWriMo. I have 2 C’s a 1 W on my calendar. Read: I am not keeping up with working out. I just went and ran out of sheer embarrassment that I was going to have to admit that to you.

Writing has been fun, but it definitely still feels like a pressured obligation. I have dawdled most mornings, made coffee, sipped said coffee, swept/done dishes…and otherwise wasted as much time as I could. I would then open my novel, reread it (there’s some implied rule for some reason that you’re not supposed to be doing this, but that has something to do with editing, whereas when I reread I pat myself on the back and add whatever description I can to make each passage more lengthy…) and then maybe I’ll finally type a few new words at the end after lunch. I have not ventured out of the house NEARLY enough, due to the laptop making little odd noises when it gets hot, and as of THIS morning, VIA BLOG, Snippy has given me a sinus cold. Okay, maybe it wasn’t her, but we both have it. You figure it out.

Here are the stats, I thought you might find this interesting:

How many novels have been written through NaNoWriMo?
1999: 21 participants and six winners
2000: 140 participants and 29 winners
2001: 5,000 particpants and more than 700 winners
2002: 13,500 participants and around 2,100 winners
2003: 25,500 participants and about 3,500 winners
2004: 42,000 participants and just shy of 6,000 winners
2005: 59,000 participants and 9,769 winners.


www.bankersonline.com

In good news, I’ve crossed the 10,000 word barrier, a big intimidating one that for some reason had me daunted.
In bad news, I should be somewhere around 12,000 really like 24,000 if I’m going to see this through, due to the end of the month Turkey Day travels. We were in Houston the past two days, and that helped this morning but not at all the day before.

Tomorrow will be a big day. We’ll see what happens.

I’m dividing my time writing and reading, I am halfway through The Emporer’s Children, and it’s GOOD.

I have a little head cold, and I reek like a Starbucks. Seriously. The beans are hiding in my jacket and laptop case somewhere. I need Fabreeze.

Other than that there haven’t been any major writing casualties to speak of!

Remember those? I feel a little like I’m writing a book that is out of my control. The guy who started NaNo was right. You start with this basic frame and scope, and there go the main characters. They propel themselves. My main character has found things and done things as if it was on her own. I didn’t have plans for secondary characters and here they are, helping her on her mission. All of a sudden there a flashbacks and background and chapters and progressions that I hadn’t even planned out.

It’s like they are choosing the adventure and I’m just following along. I feel like a writer. I had been waiting for that. It’s transcendental. At this point also, my writing is improving. It feels more natural and has a strong tone.

For everyone aspiring to be published, check this out: iUniverse.

The opportunity that this provides is remarkable. I of course am a long way off from thinking about becoming published, but it is working as a strong motivator!


www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

The first weekend of the month is here, and I’m fully expecting to do 20,000 words. As though there were other things I’d been doing during the week.

I will be attending my first “Write-in”, where others doing the same silly thing as me get together. We’ll be at Mozart’s. I got a little giddy to meet the other writers. Chicken slash who are these people style.

It’s just that seeing as I’m going to be out of town for the second half of the month, how much will I really get accomplished. So it’s now or bust. And I’m not a non-finisher-of-things-started. Really…


www.mozartscoffee.com

It’s day three, people. THREE. Which means that last night was night two. In my humble un-computer-savvy brain, that’s a little too early in my novel-ing career for my laptop to crap out. SERIOUSLY. So, when the lovely “I have to check the sprinklers” apartment troupe came in (5 of them!) and asked me 10 minutes of questions about the projection screen, I was not very pleased when I returned to my masterpiece restarting itself.

I DIDN’T TOUCH ANYTHING.

(So no user-error jokes like the one my Dad told me this weekend “PICNIC – Problem In Chair, Not In Computer)

So, there goes 300 words or so. I save every couple minutes, but we all know there’s that law about the computer works while you save regularly, just not when you forget for 10 minutes.

In an effort to salvage my evening of writing, I made myself FORGO going out in order to get some work done. Getting behind on day two is unacceptable.

SO, I get back to work. I have been clicking the save button every other sentence.

Windows crashes. MK had to reset all the settings and get in to the programming. This laptop isn’t even two years old. Screen is flashing, goes gray, I’m about to throw the thing out the window. MK miraculously finds a recovered document that is up to the last word I typed. Phew!

I’m still considering a typewriter though. Little harder to count words, but at least I won’t LOSE any.


www.gummy-stuff.org

Right, so I pretty much took the idea I had and ran with it, all the way through the first chapter, 3000 some odd words.

Then stopped. And realized I’ve got nothing. So, today will be full of me just making stuff up as I go. Having never been any good at anything, I have no knowledge of hobbies to give my character (there’s no kickball league where she is). She may end up doing things like brushing her teeth and checking the mail, these are things that I know about. That’s about it. I’m contemplating going back and giving her a pet somewhere in there. Maybe a fish or something. Sheesh.

I’m going to be in trouble if this is all I’ve got in me.

*Puts book about getting published to the side and starts surfing the internet*

Which reminds me, if anyone wants to babysit me, you might call every once in a while and say “Get off myspace!!”

I am DOING THIS!!!

As you will see by glancing to the right, I have already gotten to my daily goal. Yes, I started shortly after midnight. However, my eyes were bugging me and that lasted about 600 words before I decided that since I don’t have a job I don’t really need to be putting in odd hours. The worst part about writing that late is turning your brain off, I had to get up to make notes about things I thought of, and wrote about my novel in my sleep and had to get up first thing and write that down too.

It is interesting to write real conversation, and learn as I go. A neat suggestion from the NPNP (No Plot No Problem) book was to instead of having Strunk and White as your writing etiquette, use your favorite short novel. I’ve got The Great Gatsby and A Separate Peace right here by my side and it gives me a “what would a good writer do” way to approach things.

From here on out, I’m dedicated to posting about the book and also things I notice about Austin while I’m writing, as I’ll be looking for the best in coffee shops and places to write. There are set up dates by the group of Austinites participating in NaNoWriMo, at places I’ve never been, Flightpath and Cafe Caffeine.

I of course welcome any questions and/or words of encouragement and/or invitations out to dinner. I’m not cooking. 🙂


www.babiestravellite.com

I have a plot.

That’s all you need to know. Whether I’m out partying or here working at the stroke of midnight is still up in the air, but that doesn’t even matter now that I have a CLUE what I will be writing. If any one asks, it was all my idea.

You just sit back and watch that meter start moving!


www.phoenix-hrd.com