Quote of the Moment

"What's Past Is Prologue." - William Shakespeare

Monday, November 29, 2004

Last Comment for NaNoWriMo 2004

No, I haven't written anymore. Yes, I know there are still two days left (a day and a half to be exact). No, I don't consider this giving up. So, I didn't suceed at NaNo this year. I'm not a winner (nothing new there). At least I have the second novel in the trilogy started, and with that start came new insight and ideas for revising the first novel. There's always next year. Maybe I'll be able to convince a few of my friends to join me next time so we can bribe and flog each other into finishing. I had one friend doing it this year, but she likes to be silent for spans of time. And I think she got way less than I did (3k). She's not as serious about writing (she spends more time on fanfiction, which I think would be best spent creating her own works).

So, my final count is at 14k. And I'm not going to strive for more in the next two days because I have other writing stuff that I've been putting off, like revising the first novel, writing my workshop submission for next residency, and filling out module stuff for the residency. I should have sent that in weeks ago.

That's all I'm going to say about NaNoWriMo for now. I feel too pessimisstic right now to actually display it on the blog. ;) So, it's back to weekly updates.

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Days 23 through 26

I do wonder how so many days pass me by. The time fairy is playing tricks on me. That has to be it. Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't make excuses. Oops. Well, I wrote nothing on days 23, 24, and 25. Day 26's count is...

1,100 words

Total...

14,000 words

I wrote more that that in the book in a week I attempted a few months ago. And this has taken me almost 4 weeks? I'm pathetic. Anybody think I can write 36,000 words in 4 days? I could really use some encouragement right now (but the key is, it has to be believable encouragement because the false stuff just depresses me even more). Some of what I write in the next few days might not be on the current novel, since I need to write something for school (workshop for the next residency - I was thinking of writing the first chapter or two of my Shepherd of Dreams idea...if I knew where to start). I'd of course use that toward my NaNo word count - hey it would still be fresh writing.

I'm going to sleep now. Also, I plan on setting the alarm for 8am and see if I can encorage myself out of bed that early, so I can start writing by 9 or 10am. I was supposed to do dishes today...oops. Such is life. Damn time fairy.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Days 21 and 22

Nothing on Day 21. Surprise, surprise. Day 22's total:

1,220 words

Grand Total:

12,900 words

I know it doesn't add up from what the total was last time, but all the times I kept rounding down seem to have caught up with me, and 12,900 is the wordcount according to WordPerfect. I was hoping for 5k on Day 22, but I had issues with my husband to resolve, and crying and arguing always wears me out. Yes, I know, another excuse.

I will catch up. *glares at wordcount*

Sunday, November 21, 2004

Days 15 through 20

*cringes* Ow, that hurt. Oh, that would be myself throwing the rotton tomatoes. *sigh* No, I haven't written anything for most of those days that encompass this post. Day 20 though...

340 words

Total...

11,640 words

I know it's sad and pitiful, but at least I wrote something. I've decided I have some type of writing-related virus or disease (not writer's block - I don't belive in it). Or, it might just be SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I hate Wisconsin. Especially the fall/winter days when you wake up at noon but you swear it's only sunrise because it's so grey and dreary outside. And then 4 hours later, it's totally dark again. It just wears me out.

Okay, I have lots of stuff to catch up on, don't I? I've also been slacking on e-mails, critiques, and everything else that could be condidered tasks that put forth effort to accomplish. Going to bed now. *waves*

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Days 10, 11, 12, and 13 (and possibly 14)

I will pause a moment while anyone who is consistently reading this blog yells at me for not posting for days.

*flinches at the berating*

I haven't written anything. I haven't been feeling too well. So, what I do when I'm not feeling well? I put all my energy into video games and get sucked into them, and in essence make myself even more sick because I've screwed up my sleeping schedule so bad that, well, it's just bad.

I'm not sure if I'll get anything written today. If I don't, I'd have to write 20k each week to reach 50k. *sigh* If I don't reach that, I'll be seriously disappointed. I received the end of term feedback from my mentor today. She says I've self-motivated. Oh, I so haven't felt self-motivated lately. It's interesting how things can be so different - you feel one way, but people perceive you another way. Maybe if I stop feeling like doo-doo I'll actually feel self-motivated. Someone make me go to bed at a decent time tonight, please (last 3 nights, 5am or 4am - way not a decent time). Then I sleep until noon or 1. So not healthy. What's wrong with me? Lately, lack of self-control. I really need to get myself on a schedule. My husband is right (mind you I don't say this often) - at least when I had a day job I had a set schedule because I was forced to go to work.

New schedule starting Monday. If I screw up, well then I can have people help me think of punishments for myself (the reward thing isn't working, so it's back to the old-fashioned way).

Now, I'm rambling. Be happy if you see an update at the end of the day - that would mean I wrote something. ;)

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

NaNo - Day 9

This'll be a short one, since it's late and my back is killing me. Day 9 total:

1,090 words

Overall total:

11,300 words

I didn't hit my goal because I got distracted by other things. I know I need to learn how to focus better. And it doesn't help that I'm not sure how to get Bastian out of a certain situation. :p Okay, as I said short.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Cliche Day - NaNo Day 8

I don't know what it was, but everytime I sat down on my loveseat and booted up the computer, I felt like I was going to fall asleep. Anyway, the total for Day 8 is:

2,160 words

Grand total is:

10,210 words

I've eclipsed the 10k mark. Yay! I didn't get as much done today (after midnight again, oops) as I wanted to, but I think I faired pretty well with having the sleepies and all. And as the blog title says, it was cliche day. I used at least 3 cliches in what I was writing. I didn't much care since I need to just plow through this draft, and I can come up with something more creative and original when I have to revise. :p

I think that's it for updating. The sleepies are attacking again.

Monday, November 08, 2004

NaNo - Day 7

Day 7 total:

1,190 words

Overall total:

8,050 words

Well, I made it through week one. I didn't reach my goal for the week (which was 17,500 words), but I think I have a good start. It's more than I've written in a week in a long time. I intend to do better this next week. Somehow, I'll get to work on the things on my list that are more important, instead of putzing with the things that still need to get done but are less important. That makes sense, right? Motivation, that's what I need. I have to remind myself my motivation should be never having to work a day job again. Sadly, I know that's unrealistic, therefore that thought doesn't work for motivation. And the thing I had going with my husband to revise (I revise 2k words, he plays an hour worth of a video game I want to watch). He owes me 12 hours. Shows you how much that's working, since he hasn't paid up on his end, there goes the drive to even consider getting anything done. I so have to revise.

Okay, I think I'm in too much of a whiney mood right now. I should do my backups and go to bed. Maybe I'll dream up some motivation. Hey, it could happen ;)

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Procastination for Day 6...

Going through all of my papers. And do I have a lot of papers to go through. Yes, I'm posting this even later than usual, but I was putzing on the NaNo Forums for the last hour. Anyway, the wordcount for Day 6 is:

720 words (better than yesterday)

Total wordcount is:

6,860 words

I'll catch up, really I will. I have to. If I can;t get at least 50k words, I can't call myself a writer without feeling guilty about it.

Bastian has decided to creep me out a bit - I've discovered a darker side to him that wasn't able to come out in the first novel. As promised though, one beheading and counting (seeing Bastian right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he snaps later in this novel or the next one and we have a wonderful, much needed slaughter...I just have to make sure he doesn't kill Tessa - that would be bad). Why am I so obsessed with blood right now? Maybe I'm channeling Bastian. :p

Saturday, November 06, 2004

NaNoWriMo - Day 5

Am I going to get sick of typing NaNoWriMo in the blog title by the end of the month? Maybe I'll just shorten it to NaNo or NNWM or maybe I need to start getting creative - i.e. Day from Hell 1, Too Damn Tired Day 1

Anyway, I at least wrote today (erm, it's after midnight again, oops, I mean on Day 5), even if it wasn't much.

Day 5 wordcount:

540 words

Total wordcount:

6,140 words

I actually sat on my loveseat for the hour I wrote tonight (erm, last night? - oh, I give up). It's nice and comfy, but the kitties abandoned me. :(

Here's hoping I can finish the week with a bang. ;)

Thursday, November 04, 2004

NaNoWriMo - Day 4

Okay, I hope this is the only day this month I'm going to have to say this: I wrote diddly squat today.

We had an interesting time trying to get my new loveseat through the front door. Anyone watching my husband, my stepmom, and me would have probably laughed their asses off. We still don't know how we actually got it in and up the stairs. Definitely hiring movers when we move. Anyway, I now have a loveseat to stretch out on in my study. Now there's the period of time that it's going to take for me to get used to actually writing in my study. I'm just so used to the livingroom. I also am now have my old handmade cradle in the house (it was sitting in my dad's garage for over a year and they didn't know what to do with it and wanted to give it to me, and I said okay - that was a year ago when I had room for it - no room for it now). Where the fuck am I going to put the thing? Excuse my language, I've also been in a bit of a foul mood all day. If I would have written I most likley would have killed off Simon, the dumbass Head Enforcer, and that would have cretaed all sorts of problems for Bastian and Corinne. Who knows, maybe I'll do it tomorrow anyway and watch Bastian go through more torture. I swear, I need less emotional and mental torture and more physical torture. If they ever run into the group that worships the Ravager, chaos I think is their central ideology, hm...maybe I should skip a few chapters and write a torture chapter. Nah. I'm chronologically attuned. I'll get there eventually.

Okay, now that only half of that mess was about writing... I'm going to read and promise myself I'll have an outstanding wordcount tomorrow. ;) Oh, and any encouraging comments to make me get my butt in gear are welcome. Bye!

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

NaNoWriMo Day 3 ...... *sigh*

I know I'm cutting this post close to the midnight mark. Oh, well.

Total for today:

600 words (yes, I'm bad - at least it's not zero, and I was tempted to let it be zero)

Grand total:

5,600 words

So, I din't get my 2,500 words for the day. Oops. I'm too sleepy to argue and make excuses right now. I just didn't want to write, so there.

Oh, and for all I told (I think it might have only been my mentor in my writing program) that my characters would not go back to Sierka most likely - I lied. Tessa didn't go back, but Bastian did with Corinne in tow (um, maybe it's more like Corinne leading Bastian - they're having leadership issues and they haven't even been on their journey for a day). I have such hard-headed, independent characters. Come to think of it, I don't think I have any meek characters. That might be a bad think. Oh, Sinda is more meek. That helps the balance a little.

I've decided to give you all a snippet from yesterday's writing (not from today's since it wasn't the best). Here you go (the first person speaking is Bastian, and Uliah is the new Watcher on the Council - she's usually as cold and calm as Arian, really):

"I’ll find her, and I’ll kill her," he said.

Uliah grabbed Bastian’s wrist and squeezed, and an urgency filled her eyes. "Don’t be so quick to behead her. She holds the keys to many things, including the one to unlock your memory. She also carries a link that has a heartbeat."

Bastian pried her fingers off him. He’d have bruises from her grip. "Enough of this."

Uliah leaned over the arm of her chair and retched. Her entire body trembled. "What did I say?" she asked.

NaNoWriMo Day 2

I know, it's an hour after day two. :P That's all I have to say.

Wordcount for Day 2...

2,500 words (Okay, maybe it was about 3 less than that, but I wasn't about to write a whole other scene for 3 words - too tired, so let me round up)

Total wordcount is...

According to WordPerfect 4,997, so I again say, I round up - 5,000!

The second day was harder than the first. I wasn't sure where to go in parts, and I know one of the scenes I wrote needs to be quite a bit longer. I cut it off at the knees because of my aversion to writing fight scenes (this one would have been a practice sword-fighting scene, and I really don't know where to begin with that). I also admit I padded my last scene horribly with over 100 extra words so I could reach my goal for the day because I didn't want to stop in the middle of a new scene I would have had to start for 100 words. At least I'm admitting my weaknesses.

Oh, and the revisng 1k each day doesn't seem to be working. I'm coming up with wonderful excuses in my mind (like I need a break from revising) to aid in my not revising. Willpower - where the hell are you when I need you? Maybe it will show its face tomorrow (erm, I mean today...). Watch for my post on day 3!

Monday, November 01, 2004

NaNoWriMo - Day 1

The promised update is here. Now, let's see if I can keep this up everyday this month (that includes the writing).

Today's word count is...

2,500

Yay! Which brings the total up to...

2,500

*insert maniacal laughter here*

I know, it's the first day so my overall total is the same as my daily total. I just wanted to be a snot.

This means, I reached my goal. If I can write that much each day, I'll have over 70k by the end of the month. The NaNoWriMo goal is 50k, so even if I only write 1,700 words a day, I'll still be fine with that, but since the rough draft of the first novel in the trilogy was 70k, I figure this one will be too, and I'd like a complete rough draft.

All I have to say is, I forgot how fun it is to write a rough draft. Exploring is the best. It took a while for me to pick up the pace because I was used to revising and was more careful, but now I'm relearning how to just go with my intincts again, just writing down whatever comes out of me (and I know I've written a few cliched lines already).

I still plan on revising 1k a day of the first novel, so I have less to do when my 4th school term starts. It might only be 500 words tonight before bed (I didn't start my NaNoWriMo stuff until later because I had to do all my weekly scans on my laptop, and I had to let the thing cool down after that - I figure the freezing up happens when it overheats), but then I'll have to make myself revise more later in the week. I need to revise 7k a week, so I don't have loads to do in one chunk (until the 2nd revision that is).

So, I think that's my update. I'm off to the NaNoWriMo website to see if I feel like posting anything in the forums and to update my wordcount.

Is it really November First?

Oh, look at that, it is. And yes, I forgot to post my weekly blog (even though I really count this one, since until I wake up in the morning, it's still Sunday in my mind). I had a busy week - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it (have I said something like that before recently? I'm having a deja vu moment).

Anyway, NaNoWriMo officially started about a half hour ago (Central time zone, of course). I, the sleepyhead, will not start writing for that project until it's light out and I'm not so tired. But I promise to update everyday. I also hope to keep a pattern set and revise 1k words in the first The Mind Behind the Mind everyday. Let's see if I can keep up. I have so much to do. *groans*

Okay, that's as far as my mind capacity goes tonight. Must sleep. The short sentences are killing me.