Cat's NaNoWriMo Adventures

NaNoWriMo 2009 Signature Banner

2009-11-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Instead of writing (like a good NaNoer should be), I've been playing around with signature banners for the NaNoWriMo site. Here's what I came up with for this year's novel.

And I'll be posting the last ten days' worth of word counts in the next twenty-four to forty-eight, so stay tuned!

A Day of Infamy

2009-11-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

This day will live in infamy for two reasons I think are very important.

1. I let myself get distracted by the Phoenix Suns/Orlando Magic game and trash talking through the second half with one of my World Race squad mates... that might have started sooner if I hadn't been at work or on my way home through the first half. The time I spent on that was not time spent writing. Therefore, I did not write a single word for the novel tonight.

2. After all the effort I put into talking smack about the Magic (which was, eh... not much - guess that should teach me a lesson, huh?), they totally handed the Suns their heads on a silver platter. 22 point loss, and the end of a 4-game winning streak. A season opening winning streak, at that.

To add insult to injury, I logged on to Facebook after the game to find my squad mate had posted something on my wall.

Thanks, Mike. I love you too.

In all seriousness, though... I think I came to a writing flow blockage because there are two camps warring inside my head over control of where the novel will go. Poor, unfortunate me has to moderate between them and decide who wins. On top of the Suns losing tonight.

Wow, I'm having a hard time letting that go.

Anyway, to the point. Things don't always go the way I want them to... in the 'real world' or my world. There are times when I have choices to make regarding the next step I take. Depending on what's going on around me, the likelihood is that I will not get what I want. What I have to do is stand up, brush the dirt off, and get back to the business of living...

which means picking up the pen and paper and scrawling out chicken scratch to be typed up later in the day, and embellished as it is typed. 10,000 wasn't in my reach today. But tomorrow's a new day, and I've got a new chance to get there.

Day Four

2009-11-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

Day 4 Word Count: 0
NaNoWriMo Total: 7,386

The sun sets today on a day of shame. Not a stinkin' word on the novel, and no way to spin it otherwise. Guess I'll be spending some extra time at the computer this weekend to catch up.

Switched Plots

2009-11-03T20:19:00.001-08:00

Here's how I imagine the conversation would go if someone I know were to ask me about my NaNo progress.

Them: "Hey, I heard you were doing NaNoWriMo again. How'd that go last year?"
Me: "Good, I guess. I won."
Them: "Awesome. Can I read the novel?"
Me: "Not yet. It isn't anywhere near ready to read."
Them: "Oh... so, how's it going so far this year?"
Me: "Really well. Funny story, though - I had an idea at the beginning of October I was fleshing out, but on November 1st, it decided not to write itself."
Them: "Not to..."
Me: "So I switched plots."
Them: "You switched plots. Um... wow."
Me: "Yeah, I know, crazy. But this plot's been rattling around in my head since November of last year, so these characters are absolutely ready to spill the beans."
Them: "Okay, well... nice to see you, Cat. See you next year."
Me: "Actually, two years."
Them: "Two?"
Me: "Yeah, I'm going around the world next year."
Them: "Oh, yeah... that w... global trek thing?"
Me: "The World Race... yeah. So I'll be in my last month of that at this time next year, and not able to do anything for NaNo. But, you know... you could help me..."
Them: "Bye!"

Yeah, I guess that's a weird sounding conversation... now that I've put it into words on the screen. And maybe I've lost my mind for switching plots, but who are you to question it when the juices are flowing? Hmm?

In general, I don't advocate switching plots during NaNo... but with any rule, there seems to always be at least one exception people are willing to allow. For me and NaNoWriMo, here's the list.

It's November 1st, the plot you've been working with the past month isn't translating into anything in the word processor, and there's another plot that's been simmering for awhile with characters jumping out of the pot for the chance to get a little love.
You started writing November 1st with no plot whatsoever.

Well, those are really the only exceptions to the rule, as far as I'm concerned. If you've got any more, show me some comment love and post them here so I can write a post later on in the month about what fellow NaNoers think constitutes a valid exception to the rule.

Until tomorrow night!

Day Three

2009-11-03T19:59:00.001-08:00

Day 3 Word Count: 2,487
NaNoWriMo Total: 7,386

"Tomorrow" has held up very well for me... at least yesterday's tomorrow, anyway. In three days, I've never seen less than 2,100 words, and two of those days, I've almost encountered 2,500!

The average so far is 2,462 words/day. I want to see if I can raise that average. If I manage to get to over 2,500 by November 15th, then I will adjust my goal for the rest of the month by raising it to 3,000 words a day. At the rate I am writing at this moment, at the end of the month my manuscript will be 73,860 words... not too far short of a length publishers actually like. If the story is anything publishable is another story entirely, though.

Onward to Day Four!

NaNoWriMo Writing Habits

2009-11-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

I'm curious, as a returning NaNoer myself, about the writing habits of some of my fellow writers. Here are my questions:

Do you do all your writing strictly at your computer? If not, then how often would I find you with a journal where you write odds and ends when you have no way to get to a computer?
Am I likely to find you in a stone cold silent room, or jamming to some hot tunes? If you're a jammer, are you likely to be sporting sound reducing headphones or cranking it up so loud the neighbors are on the verge of calling the police because your music is loud enough to be considered noise pollution?
Does your flow come better early in the morning, or late at night?
How much do distractions throw you off track for your writing target for the day?

Answer any of the above, all of the above, or make up your own question about writing habits and answer it. See you tomorrow!

Day Two

2009-11-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

Day 2 Word Count: 2,164
NaNoWriMo Total: 4,899

Today was a really rough day on the word count. Between the Day One post and two thirty this morning, I added about 2,000 words to my total, and went to bed with bright visions of well over 6,000 words in just two days. I came back to the computer three hours later to find that the computer had somehow erased everything I wrote in that three hour time period. A minor heart attack ensued.

Instead of a very healthy 6,500+ word count tonight like I was anticipating when I went to sleep, I am staring at the 5,000 mark. I'm a little bit ahead of where I was when I went to bed... which is something.

I console myself with the knowledge that I am still well ahead of my goal so far, and that I am light years ahead of where I sat at this time last year. As for what tomorrow holds? We'll see.

A Follow Up to NaNoWriMo CD Share

2009-11-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

When I logged in to post my first NaNo total for the day, I found a comment waiting for me in response to a blog I wrote at the beginning of last month about NaNoWriMo CD Share. I was asked to post an example or two of playlists NaNoers have listened to. I can certainly do that, but with this caveat - no one has exactly the same taste in music, and what is going to work for one NaNoer isn't going to always work for another.

I know, for me, there are a lot of variables when I make up a playlist. A few examples:

What state of mind is my MC in?
Where is he/she during the scene I'm writing?
What type of music does my MC strike me as listening to?

Not everyone writes the same way as I do, though. A lot of people need instrumental music in order to write, because songs with lyrics get to be a distraction (especially when the song is catchy enough to start singing along to). Some people can't write to music, period. No one person writes the same way, so you really do have to find what works for you.

Now, to the playlist examples:

Example #1: (sent to me last year in the CD exchange)

Love I Not Honor Anymore - Gods and Generals Soundtrack
Farewell - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Soundtrack
Mad World - Gary Jules
I'll Be a Virgin, I'll Be A Mountain - Maximillian Hecker
Stormy Weather - Billy Holiday
My Funny Valentine - Frank Sinatra
Baby (Is What He Calls Me) - Peggy Lee
Mornings Eleven - The Magic Numbers
Immaterial White - FreeTEMPO
Dipper Mouth Blues - Arturo Sandoval
We Go Together - Grease Soundtrack
Dancing in the Street - Sister Act II Soundtrack
I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters
Get Away - Matthew West
Liars, Inc - Freakhouse
A Knife in the Dark - Lord of the Rings Soundtrack
Through the Bamboo Forest - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Soundtrack
Theme from Jaws - John Williams

Example #2 (A playlist I put together for a series I've been outlining that wasn't going to be my NaNo this year):

Somebody Told Me - The Killers
You're Not a Reaver - Serenity Soundtrack
Innocent - Fuel
Wild Thing - The Troggs
That Ain't My Truck - Rhett Akins
Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera/Pink/Maya/Lil Kim
Fully Alive - Flyleaf
Name - Goo Goo Dolls
If I Can't Have You - Kelly Clarkson
Windy - The Association
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
Overture - 101 Dalmations Soundtrack
Hicktown (Radio Edit) - Jason Aldrean
Push Me Away - Kutless
Let's Go to Vegas - Faith Hill
The Unwinding Cable Car - Anberlin
Dance, Dance - Fallout Boy
Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel
Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage
Breathe You In - Thousand Foot Krutch

Hope this helps!

Day One

2009-11-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Day 1 Word Count: 2,735
NaNoWriMo Total: 2,735

It was a slow start, but a couple of hours ago, the dam burst. It's certainly looking better than last year's fresh out of the gate total (927 words for the day). But a better start this year doesn't necessarily mean a better finish. This is an encouraging starting point, though. I'm pretty excited about it, and it certainly gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the month!

Edit From The End?

2009-10-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is more of NaNoEdMo-relevant blog, but it's on my mind tonight...

I'm in the process of revamping the Receptionist Manual at work. Today, I was in the middle of retyping a list of suggestions to help a receptionist in training (or receptionist brushing up on things) better perform their job. One of them was proofreading, and in that tip was something I'd never thought about before.

Edit from the end.

I've only read through these tips about fifty thousand times - whenever I'm looking something up, or just wanting to refresh my memory. I want to ask myself why I missed it before, but I don't know that it's all that important to ask that particular question. The bigger question is - what do I do with this revolutionary thought, now that it has entered my brain?

I have to admit - this guy gets along great with all my other ideas. It's a beautiful idea. But how do I put it into practice... especially in a month where suppressing my inner editor is a requirement for getting through NaNoWriMo?

The simple answer, I guess, is to hack away at whatever stories I have ready to see the axe... to look at the short stories languishing on my memory stick, start at the end, and start editing. But how much time will that take away from writing once November 1st strikes and I barely have enough time to work, write, and get all my have-tos done for The World Race?

I guess I'll just have to dive in and see. Anyone else who can try this? Let me know how it works out!

Detailed Outlines Are For The Birds

2009-10-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

When it comes to writing, I'm much more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of girl than an "every detail needs to be set to paper before I start writing" girl... which sounds incredibly funny, because I love details in real life. I'm getting better, but there was a time when I had to known when everything was happening, who was involved, how long it was going to take, where everyone would be, the color of the trim of the building, the shape the bushes are going to be trimmed to...

Okay, so maybe I wasn't ever that horrible... but there were definitely moments when I felt close to it. I don't know why, but the knowing gives me comfort. It tells me exactly how much of a breather I can take, so I know whether to plan on relaxing or preparing for the next giant hurdle.

Writing is the opposite for me. Once that document is open in front of me (or blog form, or sheet of paper), I forget all about the little things. It's like putting a giant piece of blank canvas in front of a painter. My fingers hit the keyboard (or pick up the pen) and words appear out of nowhere. I don't even realize what is being spit out half the time until I'm nearly to the end of a page and see it full of things I didn't think were possible fifteen or thirty or forty-five minutes ago. It's the bigger picture breathed to life by all of the words swirling around inside my head just waiting to get out and be heard by someone.

That's why I don't like to sit down and write out an outline. Outlines are rigid. A canvas leaves room for my imagination to wander wild and free. For once, the details aren't so important.

If outlines are rigid, then I guess detailed outlines are just stifling. Suffocating, even. Where does imagination fit in? Is there any room for it at all? Maybe detailed outlines should be for the birds.

Even with all of that swirling around in my head, I find myself staring at the word processing document currently open on my computer... a detailed outline of the prologue and half of the first chapter of the novel I will be attempting to write next month. Ten minutes ago, it was beautiful and inspiring, but right now I just want to delete it and start all over again from scratch on November 1st - completely plotless, just aimlessly writing words because I can.

The thing is... I can't work like that this time around. There has to be an agenda. There has to be an outline. I don't have the time or energy to play around trying to figure out what I want to write about November 1st. Playing around will be suicide.

In that case, detailed outlines may be for the birds, but if they are... well, don't call me Cat for the next couple of months. Just call me a birdie.

Target This Year: 60,000

2009-10-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

60,000 words.

That's right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. 60,000 words is my goal this year. Even with a full time job and The World Race looming on the horizon, I aspire for greater heights than a 50,000 word manuscript I probably won't touch again until December of next year. I am determined to pound "60,000 words for the win" into my head, instead of 50,000. It will still be sitting and waiting for me when I get back in December 2010, but it will be longer... and there might be a little bit more to salvage at the end.

Why 60,000?

So I can stretch myself. It's like physical training, really. The more and further I stretch myself, the more and further I can go. I want to work myself up to 100,000 words.

It doesn't seem that unrealistic, if you think about it. When others crank 100,000 and 200,000 word manuscripts in the month of November, it seems like a drop in the bucket, 60,000... and not quite so crazy. 60,000 - here I come!

5 Reasons I Love NaNoWriMo

2009-10-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

5 Reasons I Love National Novel Writing Month (in no particular order) and why:

1. NaNoWriMo CD Swap.
I've already written a blog about it, which you can read here.

2. The Writing Dares
Where else are you going to see people dare you to add killer penguins or pantless characters to that novel brewing in your head? View the bulletin board topic here and wade through it. For those with no ambitions to write a novel, do so for the hilarity and absurdity you will encounter. Well worth your time, I promise.

3. It's a world-wide community of support.
From word sprints to n00b adoption to sharing what songs could make a goth MC want to come out and play next month on the boards... everyone who participates is in this to win this, and to help other participants to do so along the way. Much thanks to The Office of Letters and Light, who work their tails off every year to not only put on NaNoWriMo, but ScriptFrenzy in April as well. They do an incredible job during NaNo with weekly pep talks, constant website updates, and in general encouraging over-caffeinated, slightly crazy novelist-wannabes to crank out 50,000+ words in 30 days. And script-writing wannabes to finish a 100-page script in 30 days - depending whether you're talking about November or April.

4. It's an excuse to write that novel brewing in my head this past year.
Yes, there has been a novel idea brewing in my head for the past year. Several have been, as a matter of fact. If not for NaNoWriMo, I would probably never make myself find the time to flesh them out and see if I can, in fact, turn them into a novel. Thank you for giving me a reason to write.

5. Procrastination... go far, far away.
What better way to fend off procrastination than by emphasizing A) the overwhelming nature of cranking out a 50,000+ word manuscript, and B) the enormously important and quickly looming deadline of 30 days? As much as I love to put a lot of things off as much as I can get away with, with NaNoWriMo, I have no valid excuse. It's do or die, baby.

I realize that almost half these reasons aren't related so much to NaNo as they are to a specific character trait of mine... All I'm trying to say is these are some of my reasons. Agree or disagree, you can't deny that the power of a collective agenda cannot be denied. In this case, the agenda happens to be writing novels.

To all my fellow NaNoWriMoers, this collective jump off a bridge is well worth it. I look forward to seeing what comes out of this year's attempts.

NaNoWriMo CD Share

2009-10-03T14:14:00.001-07:00

I have a borderline addiction to music. It’s pretty sickening how much music I have on my computer, really. But it’s also the reason why I love one of the things I do about NaNoWriMo… the CD swap each year (I really should make a list of all the things I love about NaNoWriMo, but I’ll save that for another blog). Where else can you get music from a fellow writer who wants to help and encourage you to get through your 50,000+ word goal with some great tunes you might never have taken the time or gotten the courage to listen to otherwise?

Last year I came out on the other side with not only 50,183 words, but some great music to boot -- amongst other things. What I received from fellow NaNoers varied from classical to soundtracks to musicals… Not only was I able to do something I dearly love (explore music genres completely new to me), but the music brought new life and inspiration to my novel. I almost think I would dropped out otherwise.

Needless to say, I am definitely on board again. Fellow NaNoers, if you can afford to mail a few CDs, you should definitely get involved in this.

NaNoPrepMo

2009-10-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

It's the month before the biggest month of the year for us aspiring novelists. October, the month where everyone who is going to plot and plan their NaNoWriMo novels to death either starts to or is in over their heads with their scheming. It is also the month where people switch ideas, ditch ideas, and possibly decide by the end of the month to just wing it through November. I call it NaNoPrepMo.

Prep is going well for this year's novel. Instead of creating character bios, I've divided the novel into "themed" chunks, and am outlining each as inspiration strikes. A plot line is emerging, and I am really getting excited for this. Never mind the full time job and preparations for The World Race (if you want to read about what's up with all that, click here), I'm doing it again! I'll be much better about updating my word counts this go round on this blog, and you'll see why in just a matter of days if we're buddies on facebook or otherwise know me.

While we wait for NaNoWriMo to officially kick off, here are a few songs off the 2009 NaNoWriMo playlist that is in progress along with outlines and such! I feel like these songs really have a lot to do with each theme they represent, and I leave it to you to guess what the theme might be for each.

NaNoWriMo 2009
1. "Beautiful" - Bethany Dillon
2. "Be Strong" - Matthew West
3. "Misery Business (Acoustic Version)" - Paramore
4. "Clear The Stage" - Ross King
5. "You Are" - Tenth Avenue North
6. "The Heart of Worship" - Sonicflood
7. "Dead Man (Carry Me)" - Jars of Clay
8. "Faith, Love, and Happiness" - Thousand Foot Krutch
9. "Blood on My Hands" - The Used
10. "Roots Rock Riot" - Skindred

Epic Failure

2009-06-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

NaNoEdMo was a complete bust. I wrote the last blog here, and then completely abandoned the idea. I plead mental insanity induced by far too many hours at work for that blunder. The end result is that I am still sitting staring at a novel that is only mostly finished, and hardly edited.

This week and next week are a no-go on the editing process, but I am finding myself interested in picking up the pen and paper and heading into rewrite land. Maybe I can whip this thing into shape yet.

February Update

2009-02-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

I mentioned last month that it would be a toss-up as to which novel I would edit during NaNoEdMo, which starts six days from now. That was while I was working a 40-hour week still, and felt like I would have time to devote to fifty hours of editing. Now, I am not so sure that this is the case.

Am I saying that I am giving up on the idea of NaNoEdMo completely? No, far from it. What I am setting for myself as a goal is thirty-one hours - an hour a day every day next month.

Now, to figure out which novel it's going to be!

January Update

2009-01-27T15:22:00.001-08:00

No, I haven't finished my NaNo yet, so I guess NaNoFiMo was a real bust for me. December's a rough time to try to wrap something like that up, and I guess the fact that I'm trying to make excuses says my heart wasn't in FiMo in the first place. I do want to finish it, and I will finish it, but after a month of constant cohabitation, my characters need a break from me, and I... I need a break from them. You forget how exhausting it can be to spend so much time with the same people in such a short number of days until something like this comes up.

Truthfully, I think it would have been a huge bust for me regardless of which month of the year it was, though. Mostly because these characters are as sick of me as I am of them, and space does us good, but also because other novels I have sitting around just waiting to be polished. Those characters are tired of me paying so little attention to them, they want to make sure their story isn't forgotten. And they want to make sure I get it right this time. Seems like a win-win to me. I get a break from one set (and them from me), and another set gets my time and energy for awhile.

We'll see who gets top billing for NaNoEdMo - the fight should get interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Final Word Count/What's Been Happening Since?

2008-12-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

Days 29-30 Combined Total: 3938

NaNoWriMo Total: 50,183

Purple status bar on my NaNo profile? Heck, yes! Success is sweet. It would be sweeter if the novel were finished, but they say that that's what NaNoFiMo is for (National Novel Finishing Month). No, NaNoFiMo is not anything official like NaNoWriMo, but it sounds appealing for the people unable to complete their novels... whether they got to 50K or not during November. And that would be me.

After going back and reading a little bit, I realized I am closer than I thought I was to completing the first draft of this novel. Just a few scenes, and I am done - as long as those scenes don't decide to multiple too much. Once it's done, I will put the novel away for a few weeks, until after the holidays. Then I will be studiously separating each section of the novel so when NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editting Month) comes in March, I can set goals for the number of sections I want to complete in a day.

No, NaNoEdMo is no more official than NaNoFiMo, but anything that propels me towards getting a novel ready for publishing is well worth pursuing. NaNoEdMo's goal? 50 hours spent on editing in 31 days. Should be considerably less nervewrecking than the 50k in 30 days.

Here's to hoping my next blog post will be a general jumping up and down in excitement type of post because I have finished the novel. And that my patience with the internet connection and Blogger will have been restored, so I don't get so upset because I have to spend twenty different times trying to get the blog post up.

Oh... and I am leaving you with the title of the novel. You've been so patient, waiting to be updated, and only getting word counts. Should have the summary and other things soonish, but for now, here you go: Something Beautiful

50K in 30 Days?!

2008-11-30T02:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's about 2:45, and as we speak, I am getting the word processor file ready for the NaNo site to validate it. 50,001 on my computer, but previous experience with this validator tool is telling me I should end up with a word count slightly higher than that.

Is the novel finished? Not hardly. I still have a plot to work out (remember that whole not showing up until late thing? It means I'm far, far away from being done). But I have hit the 50K mark, and it seems crazy after all the work I've put into this in the past month for me to not get the work validated and get the award and stuff. It would be easy for me to forget. Today is Sunday, and Sunday is usually full of things to do. If I don't validate what I have now, I won't remember in time, and I'll be a sad panda come tomorrow morning when I realize I didn't win because of it.

Celebration time, yes? I'll come around in the next week or two and post the final word counts for the month. In the mean time, let's bask in the knowledge that not only did I take on the challenge of writing 50K in 30 days, but I conquered it!

Day Twenty Eight

2008-11-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

Days 26-28 Combined Total: 12,750

NaNoWriMo Total: 46,245

Yes, I am currently less than 4K away from making it to 50K in 30 days. I would feel a lot better about it if the plot hadn't decided to show up at about 40K, but I'll take what I can get. Especially when it comes from an all-nighter resulting from an obnoxious ear ache last night.

You'd think I would be curled up in a ball of misery, but nope... I ended up hunkered down at the computer with a bottle of aspirin and my liquid refreshment of choice for the month (PowerAde, baby...). The pain has proved to be an excellent motivation to write. 10K in 7 hours. I never thought I had that kind of writing power in me... nice to know I can focus and write that much in that amount of time.

I did get some sleep, when I went to bed at 8 this morning. Slept for a few hours, then pounded out another couple thousand, to get to the total above. And now I am off to bed again, because getting sleep so I can get more coherent writing out is of great interest to me. Goodnight!

Day Twenty Five

2008-11-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

Days 18-25 Combined Word Count: 13,352

NaNoWriMo Total: 33,495

I wish I could say that the 13K or so in the past week was merely an accumulation over the last week, that I kept to the goals I started out with as far as word count, and that I did not kill myself trying to get to this point. The only true statement is that I did not kill myself to get to this point (but that should be evidenced by the fact that I am alive and posting this blog... although I suppose I could be a bot that has just so happened to put together a blog post in a manner coherent enough to sound like it is really coming from a person, as opposed to not. Just trust me, I am no bot).

I'm totally kidding that only one statement is true, though. Truth is that with the help of word sprints on the NaNoWriMo boards, I was able to make it through the 13K this past week. It still doesn't really catch me up, but it does at least allow me to feel slightly productive - although I am feeling grossly unproductive at the sight of all those people who blew by 50K in the first half of the month. Yeah, I know. Don't compare them to me. Just don't do it. First year and all that jazz. Right? Right. So, let's move on.

Thankfully, Thanksgiving is generally quiet around here. I should have some time to get things done and close the gap between here and 50K.

Oh, did I mention that they've got the validator up and going on the NaNo site? The 33.5K I'm posting tonight is from their count, not mine. According to my word processor, I'm about 150 words short of that. Can't complain, though, if they want to count more words than I am. And I won't. I'll take it wherever I can get it, so long as I come by it honestly.

Day Seventeen

2008-11-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

Days 11-17 Combined Total: 4147

NaNoWriMo Total: 20,143

Definitely not where I was wanting to be at this time, but since I'm not too far off the halfway point at just a little bit over halfway, I am trying to not stress out too much. Besides, this weekend was definitely crazy, and there was very little time to find a computer and type even if I wanted to - lock-ins, picnics, helping my brother-in-law pack up the house here in AZ so he could get the stuff to the new house in Maine... yeah, crazy, hectic, and busy don't even begin to describe it.

Guess I'm just going to have to make it up. Now, if only that stupid plotline would show...

Day Eleven

2008-11-11T23:23:00.000-08:00

Days 10 and 11 Combined Word Count: 3433

NaNoWriMo Total: 15,996

Yeah, this not trying to update my word count every time I turn around is turning out to be a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, I'm floundering on the idea of a real, actual plot. Please, make yourself known soon. 16,000 words in isn't the greatest place to start, but better before 25K than after, right?

P.S. - Happy Veteran's Day!

Day Nine

2008-11-09T23:16:00.000-08:00

Days Eight and Nine Combined Word Count: 4,764

NaNoWriMo Total: 12,563

I'm not gonna lie. It's been such a pain in the butt to update on the NaNo site that I probably won't spend much time I don't have to updating. Which means daily updates like I originally planned are out the window. Sad, sad day.

Day Seven

2008-11-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

Day Seven Word Count: 757

NaNoWriMo Total: 7799

Week in Review:

I've spent a lot of time in the past week just writing into a notebook and transfering that to the computer because there is a lot of time during the day where I am in transit to someplace, or am waiting for something to start that I can and do write. It's helped, but the hump is still there. Instead of being at 12,000-14,000 words, I'm a little over half of that. I know it would help if I could get some time doing word sprints, but I don't know yet when I can actually do it. Hopefully, this weekend. That should help with the shortfall.

Day Six

2008-11-06T23:55:00.000-08:00

Day Six Word Count: 2827

NaNoWriMo Total: 7042

Better day. Much better. Of course, it helps that I sat down for more than just a few minutes and wrote beyond what I wrote at work. Still...

Day Five

2008-11-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

Day Five Word Count: 1173

NaNoWriMo Total: 4215

I know slow and steady is supposed to win the race, but really? C'mon...

Day Three

2008-11-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

Day Three Word Count: 2113

NaNoWriMo Total: 3042

Not bad. Just need to get a jump on it and crank it out.

Day One

2008-11-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

Day One Word Count:
929

Ugh. So far short of the daily goal. Gotta step it up!

Tomorrow

2008-10-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (well... technically tonight at midnight) is the start of NaNoWriMo... November 1st is almost upon us, my friends.

Which means this - in other parts of the world, NaNoWriMo has already started, and hundreds (if not thousands) are pounding their keyboards in hopes of producing a novel in thirty days... a novel of at least 50,000 words. Everyone I say that to who isn't a writer and has never heard of NaNo thinks 50,000 is a lot of words. I'm thinking it doesn't sound quite so tough when I really break it down.

50K words/30 Days = 1667 words/1 day
750 Words = 3 Pages (double spaced, 1 in. margins)
Cat's word count = (abt) 50 words/minute

If I aim for an average of 8 pages (or 2,000 words) a day, I should reach 50K by November 25th. If I can keep my inner editor in check, that means 40 minutes a day at 50 words/minute. If I can't, then I should count on doubling the time, which means about an hour and a half a day.

Heck, with that time frame, I should be able to get through more than 2,000 words a day.

This is starting to sound like a cake walk, but I know that's the optimism talking. I'll only be able to sustain that kind of a pace for so long before the inner editor decides to rebel, or something else happens. It usually does.

But the number break down (besides giving me an awful headache) does let me know this is doable. For that, I am very happy.

NaNoWriMo Countdown: 8 hours, 10 minutes and counting.

The Playlist

2008-10-30T20:45:00.001-07:00

After much deliberation, I am attempting to create a playlist of musical goodness to both sustain me through NaNoWriMo and send off to a few of my fellow NaNoers in other parts of the country. So far, I have a grand total of five songs. It is frustrating because I have so much music, and so little time to figure out what I really want to share.

The songs thusfar:

Paper Thin Hymn - Anberlin
I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath
Set the Fire to the Third Bar - Snow Patrol
Savior - Skillet
Eileen's Song - Burlap to Cashmere

Currently, I am listening to what my mp3 player says is the 25 songs I listen to most to see what is there and if anything is good enough. You would think this would be a good starting place, but the only reason why so many of these songs are at the top is because one of my characters at one time or another would not talk to me without multiple repeats of whatever song they want to hear.

I'd like to give up on this particular project. There are so many other things I could be doing, or blogging about. Finishing character bios. Chasing them down and beating the plot of this novel out of them. All the usual pre-writing stuff I've been neglecting for whatever excuse happens to come into my head.

This is what I get for signing up to do this. Now, I have no way of backing out... now that I have addresses to send to and audio file preferences.

NaNoWriMo Countdown: (including today) 2 days! Well, time to get on the stick!!!

Past Characters

2008-10-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

I said yesterday that I would elaborate further on the reasons why I love and hate writing with characters I've written with in the past, so this is my attempt.

Reasons why I love it:

I don't have to spend time getting to know the characters.
Because I already know them, I know how to make them talk to me.
Because I know how to make them talk to me, writer's block is not much of a concern.

All of this should bode well for NaNoWriMo. But, as you may have guessed, it does not always do so.

Reasons why I hate it:

Because I know the characters, my brain assumes details are not necessary.
Because of above stated assumption, I forget to add details about the characters, and sometimes their surroundings, too.
Because I forget to add these details, I end up with a less than stellar story.

Which equates to lesser word counts for NaNoWriMo. Lesser word counts = no 50K. No 50K = no win. No win =...

I think you get the idea.

But why does any of this matter if NaNoWriMo is about getting everything out without letting the inner editor that will be screaming take control (besides the obvious word count issue)? I'm not sure. What I do know is that the inner editor is already having a fit at the idea of not being allowed more than surface grammar and spelling errors for a month. Everything that comes out is going to be interesting.

NaNoWriMo Countdown: (including today) 3 days

Name Generators

2008-10-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

So my abhorence of character name generators might have come to an end.

Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to do another Google™ search for character name generators (you never know what is going to turn up, right?). After sifting through the usual culprits for such a thing - a fantasy name generator, an RPG generator, an article on how to pick good character names... ugh - why do I always fall for you, and when will I learn that you're an article, not a generator - I was surprised to come out the victor in this ever bloody battle. Check it out!

http://www.adammaxwell.com/writing/extras/character-name-generator.html

The site also has a writing prompt generator that looks promising, but that is far from the point. The point is that I found a character name generator with interesting names. Let's start in the surname category (last name, folks... c'mon).

A Sampling of Typical Surnames to pop up in a generator:

Sanford
Nelson
Ball
McDonald

A Sampling of Surnames in Mr. Maxwell's generator:

Zysett
Javis
Horseford
Brog

I mean, seriously... you probably couldn't find these last names in a list of the 1000 most common surnames in America, could you? Yet they exist, and should be acknowledged in literature for existing. What's the fun in everyone always having the surname Smith, Jones, Johnson, Martin, etc?

I have to say that this generator has greatly energized my pre-NaNoWriMo planning for this novel. The plot is coming together nicely, around characters I have written about in the past... which I love, and hate all at once for a number of reasons I'll explain later. Even a sub-plot or two is starting to emerge because of these characters and their past interactions in my writing. I'm excited to finally have a sense of direction for this project.

NaNoWriMo Countdown: (including today) 4 days... whoa.

To Do List Before NaNoWriMo

2008-10-23T22:55:00.001-07:00

Someone started a topic on the NaNoWriMo boards recently asking people to post their list of things to do before NaNoWriMo that are unrelated to it. Obviously, I thought it was a good idea, as I am writing a blog about it now. Below is a list of things that I put together in my head at the time, and a note as to whether or not I've gotten them done).

Sit down and plan budget for month of November. (done)
Decide on costume for Holyween (yeah, I said Holyween… suck it up and deal with it).
Unnamed Trib issues (in progress, probably incomplete before start of NaNo)
Write apologies to a few of the people I owe them to.
Go to Sonic at least once (done)

Now, back to the task at hand. Next blog? Probably my to-do list of NaNo related things.

On a Day Like Today

2008-10-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

On a day like today, I really wish I had bothered to keep up with computer programming.

You can laugh all you want at the fact that I spent many hours in high school sitting at a computer, programming my life away. Bet you didn't know I got a 3 on the Computer Science AP for C++ (because saying something like that makes me feel like an uber-genius, when in all honesty… I'm just an uber-dork who wasted two and a half years of high school on something I barely understood instead of two and a half years of college, thousands of dollars, and GPA points).

But, in all seriousness, today is one of those days.

I wanted to get a start on my NaNoWriMo preplanning. Some people start this process December 1^st(the day after NaNo ends). Some never preplan. I'm starting about ten days early because I want some idea of where I need to go with my story, but I don't want the rigid outline I know I would break if I spent months ahead of time planning it.

My pre-NaNo planning stages:

Characters:
- Biographic info
  - As extensive as the character will allow it to be, plus the effort it will take to pull teeth to get the rest of it
- Relationships
- Identify MC (Male or female)
- Establish POV characters
Plot
- What personal catastrophe is going to hit the MC? How will he/she deal with it?
- POV characters – how are they going to take how the MC is dealing with this?
- What kind of an ending do I want to see it have?
Research
- Maps
  - Familiarize myself with the place where this is supposed to be taking place.
  - Possibly create a map if I end up making up a place
- History (if location is real)
  - What has happened here? What kind of history does this place have, and how do the people here treat it?
Etc., etc…

I think you get the point.

However, in my pursuit of pre-planning, I ran into the one snafu that I always get caught up in when creating a character. The name.

Almost anyone I have collaborated on a writing project with can tell you I am great when it comes to developing plot twists. I chew them up and spit them out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at the same time. Chuck Norris is the only one who can do any better, and that's because he's Chuck Norris. My fatal flaw, my Achilles heel, my poorest showing is in generating character names. I cringe to think about anyone reading my Left Behind fan fiction stories, or Flyboy Club RPG posts, because I have had as many as three or four characters with the same first name.

We'll talk about the fact that I used to write fan fiction about the Left Behind series another time… right now, focus on the character name issue.

I have found tools on different websites which randomly generate names. For a while, they worked – but eventually the same names came popping back up, and I was stuck in the same boat as before.

So I started searching for computer programs whose sole purpose was to generate character names. Multiple exist. However, the freeware versions (the only ones I can afford) suck… because you can't get to the full features without buying the program, which I am apparently too cheap to do.

Picture starting to come clear?

Basically, I would love to be able to write my own random name generator program, but because I focused on other things besides programming in college (i.e. history, creative writing), I couldn't write a program to save my life. I wouldn't even remember where to start. Thus, the reason why today is a day like today.

NaNoWriMo!!!

2008-10-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Maybe I've gone off the deep end on this one, folks, but it has been a long time coming. I signed up this year for NaNoWriMo.

NaNo-wha?

National Novel Writing Month.

Yeah, it's held every November, and thousands of people make it their goal to write a novel of at least 50,000 words between November 1st and November 30th (an average of about 2,000 words a day). I've been wanting to this for years now (try 4 or 5), but either didn't have the courage, or did have too many creative writing classes to consider it. Since this is a November where I am not in school, and will in all likelihood still be jobless, I figure... why not give it a try? What do I have to lose? Right? Right.

I will attempt to document my journey through NaNoWriMo here, with word counts, what kinds of issues I am running into, and maybe a small excerpt or two here and there. It's not that I won't blog about other things, but this is a big deal, and (I think) it deserves some attention here.

Wish me incredible luck (and the ability to reach my daily word count goals)! But remember it doesn't start until November 1st...