I'm going, I'm going

Alright, it took a li'l it to get started, a bit more so than I'd planned even, but I'm writing again. Ya know, one of these days after I'm finished & have, at the very least run spellcheck, I'll post a few bits from the novel. For the time being, my friend Gypsy is the only one reading it. She also NaNos so she doesn't mind the mess quite so much. For her I'll just say this: that thing with the jukebox...? *nods* Based on an actual even. No, seriously. I was there when it happened. Lol, that should drive her sufficiently nuts for a bit as I'm still writing the scene in question & she won't see it 'til it's posted later today.

I'd also like to give a quick Hello! to my new 'followers'. Thanks for stopping by. Also, I haven't done Word of the Day for a few days because the friend that asked for one originally finished her novel the other day, wahoo! But, just for fun & in honor of her oldest boy, I'll give you one last. Today's word is: birthday!

Ok, back in a while, hopefully hauling a fatty wordcount behind me.

Yeah....I know

So, you may have notice, I kidna vanished for a bit there. Sorry. I slammed into the Week Two wall & just could not seem to pry myself off the bricks for a few days. I dunno what the problem was, I just couldn't construct a sentence or figure a direction or anything recently. I've just been completely walloped by this writing malaise & as much as I've hated it, I couldn't seem to get out from under it. Apologies to those couple of you that've been reading this consistantly, I promise I'll try harder to suck it up in the future.

But, on the plus side, as peculiar & nebulous as my gloom, the sun comes again! I dunno & I'm not gonna examine it too hard, lol, but tonight, I WANT to write!! So, pardon as I cut this short. I'm @ 22k & change atm, think I can hit 15k before the night's out??

Today's word is: clarion

Word of the Day

Today's word is: hope. I need some. At the end of week one, I was a couple days ahead & was so excited, but last week....yowzah. My brain/story/ambition just stalled out on me. I've spent a fair bit of time the last few days working on game stuff cuz a) it reeeeeaaally needs done & b) 'oh, well the writing's just my stuff & the game stuff a buncha people need finished.'

It's a lousy reason, I realize, but there it is. Here's hoping Week Three picks up, a lot

*snaps* I forgot

Yesterday's word was: revolution. Sorry 'bout the delay.

And the Question is....

Did anybody see Jeopardy yesterday? They're running their annual Teen Tournament atm. One of the kids does NaNo, how cool is that? Actually, I'm kinda surprised they don't get more people on there that do. Anyway, she was ahead most of the game, but got the final wrong. Still, as it's a tournament, there's still a chance for a Wild Card slot. So, Sarah, wherever you are, good show, kid. I hope you make it through the next round.

Today's word is: luminescent.

New Day, New Chapter

Yesterday was a bit of a mess, I realize. Sorry 'bout that. If you listen very, very closely when reading yesterday's last you'll realize that there's a clanging fading into the distance. That clang you hear is me deciding on something big & then running full tilt at the stretch of faultless adamantium that is the rest of reality.

I decided, I ran, I bounced off that wall hard enough to make even Wolverine's head spin for a moment or two. And, in that moment or two, dazed & spinning & half deaf from the fresh clanging reverberating in my ears...I went a li'l bats for a few. And then, I wrote about it. I promise, I shall endeavor to keep my meltdowns to a bare minimum, lol, unless they'd just make really good reading & then you may get them anyhow.

So, back to work. The last few days have made progress on the novel, though it's been slow. In the last three days I've written no more than 500 words a day on it. I'm not too upset as it's not a complete stall, but I'm not thrilled either. I'm trying to make a point of writing at least something every day. If it's 200 words instead of 2000, well at least it's 200 more than had been there before.

I think I'm also giving up my word counter. Lol, to allay all the 'no!, you can't do that!' I just heard from the room (along with a few snarky 'well, that'd be pretty stupid!') let me explain. I don't mean entirely, I just mean I'm taking it off the toolbar & leaving back where I have to actually go get it. That way, I hope, I won't be so tempted to hit it every other paragraph.

Word counting every other paragraph; rather that at the end of a session/the end of the day, may sound helpful, but to me it isn't. You type away & it feels like you've been going forever because this bit is just flying or that one drags so long. And then, all excited & knowing you've written acres of words, you check you count & find...yeah, not so much. Your mind (and sometimes your fingers) felt like you'd just put miles behind you until that little total popped up to burst your bubble. So, give
the count a rest for a bit. It'll be waiting for you at the end of the day.

Today's word is: sanguine.


Ever had a writing meltdown? What set yours off? Bad word count? RL messes? Chars that are screaming for a timeout? Conversely, any writing triumphs? Deciding to become a professional? Seeing your name in print? Just a really great bit of dialog? Let us know, we love stories here ;)

Word of the Day

I watched 'Clone Wars' last night & due to a series of convoluted mental jumps between Star Wars references that I'll spare you, today's word is: republic

Word of the Day

Well, as a RL friend of mine has been telling me about how he thinks his house may be haunted, today's word is : spectral.

Word of the Day

Well, as I and the girl I pick these words for are both happy about things atm, today's word is: Fantastic.

Almost There: Reprised

So after sprinting during the day, rather than sensibly sleeping, lol, & having dinner guest last night, I was beat & in bed before 10. It may not seem like much, but I assure you, that never happens to me, lol. My grandparents came over for supper last night, at which point they regaled me with tales of their little medical idiosyncrasies & anecdotes of various old people they knew over the years, including a charming side trip down 'who went to X's funeral'. Good times. All this while the TADIS was calling me from the next room....grr.....LOL. Still, I stayed, listened politely & reassured myself that this was what DVRs were for.

By the time they'd left & things got cleaned up, I was tired enough to get in about 20 minutes or so of Doctor Who before calling it night. Thus, my 17 & change hasn't cleared 20 as I'd planned for my post-supper evening, lol. But that's what today is for. So I was thinking the other day, back when 20k seemed totally pie-in-the-sky, 25 isn't that far from 20 really. And at 25, I'd be half way through! That seems astounding to me, that tonight or tomorrow, I could be halfway to 50k. My previous longest NaNo attempt was just shy of 14k & they've (I know, it sounds backwards, but it's true) gone DOWN in word count since. This is, as of some time yesterday, the longest single piece of fiction I've ever written, and that is pretty mind blowing to me.

The only aspect that gives me pause atm, is pacing. I know not everyone finishes exactly on 50 & the idea isn't to make a perfectly polished book in one go. Side trips to nonsequitors are in fact sometimes encouraged, but I'm afraid I'll run out of story before I hit my target. I've been told by a few people in the past, and most recently by someone that's been reading this year's NaNo, that I'm pretty good with description. And, generally speaking, I would agree. But I've been doing long, detailed descriptions of things in this year's & tho' it's been well recieved thus far, as i'm writing them they sometimes feel plodding & overworked. I'm not sure how to get past that feeling aside from lumping it in with the 'that was too literal' or 'that part was revealed too soon', etc things that I'm trying like hell to keep stuff in my 'You can always fix it later, but first you have to finish!!' file. Still, sometimes when I write the descriptive passages, I can't quite shake the voice going 'oh c'mon! Get to the point already!!' I guess I'll work on that.

I'll post more after today's session. Hope your novels are all going well.

Today's word is: undulate.

The Race for 20k

Ty for the support guys :) I appreciate it. So, last night I finished at just over 13k & today, it's more sprints. I'm starting to think 20 is pretty downright attainable, possibly by day's end even, but certainly before the week end is out.


Today's word is: Argyle.

Welcome to a brand new day

So yesterday was kind of a bust. I just felt very....meh all day. I didn't sleep a lot & that combined with the glut of words I dredged the day before combined to make me feel a li'l tapped out, I suppose. I know, I shoulda worked through it anyway. The ironic thing is, I spent a lotta time yesterday encouraging other people to put the time in & not give up on their novels. Anyway, this morning I got home from work, I had a li'l breakfast, a li'l Doctor Who & am on my second big thermos mug of coffee, so I should be getting down to work in a few here. Today feels better. Technically, I guess I could not write at all today & not be 'officially' behind, but ya know what? I think, if I can make it to 50 & am looking back on this NaNo later, the thing that'll stand out & really bug me most, won't be the quality(or lack of) work, it'll be the days I didn't work at all. Still, it's a long way to 20k if I'm going to make it by week's end. I'll post a new count later.

Today's word is: swindle.

Today's Word

Today's word is : groundbreaking

Retribution

I have really, really annoying neighbors. Rude, loud, sauced, sloppy, antagonistic pack of vulgarians. Over the last couple years, the cops have been called by various people around the neighborhood about...oh, maybe 8-10 times. I know at least two people called the Health Dept. on them & the Fire Dept. has been here 3 times. No...no, four times. I, by no means, live in the Biltmore estate or anything, but their yard looks like someone took the bastard child of a flea market & city dump, took said child to the most rinky-dink carnival it could find, loaded the child up on elephant ears & onion rings, put them on the Scrambler a good half a dozen times & then took them to this yard t throw up. It's not pretty.

they have, on more occasions than I care to count, held curse filled screaming matches on the front lawn in the middle of the night. They sit & karaoke, badly even by karaoke standards, off their front porch. They play the stereo ALL HOURS of the day & night to a volume that runs through my entire house. They've set their own porch on fire at least twice(because, not only should you not drink & drive, you should not drink & grill either.)
They are seemingly not at all equipped with even the most basic grasp of decorum, the rights of others, or indeed the kindergarten concept of 'the inside voice'. They are, in short, a menace.

You may ask why I bring this up. It's because, I decided today, as I had headphones on & could still hear them banging things & yelling all afternoon, that they are going in the book. I'm not sure how & I'm not sure where, but they' going in the book & I shall have some truly dreadful fate befall them. Any suggestions for a suitably terrible end would be welcomed.

I didn't hit my count goal for the day, but I did add about 500 words, which is better than none at all, I suppose.

Oh, and the word for tomorrow is 'mutation'.

Today's word

As she popped up and asked for her word just as I was finishing watching Iron Man, for about the 25th time lol, today's word is 'hero'.

Today's Word

And today's word is: 'Marcasite'. I know, it's getting to be a weird collection, isn't it? Anyway, enjoy. I'll post more after my next word count.

Welcome to Week One

So the first day of my '08 novel went, I think, fairly well. I finished out the day at 3032 words, nearly twice my daily minimum. Plus, I figured out a few things that might be helpful, like oh, say...the point of the story, lol. I don't wanna get too ahead of myself, but I think I figured out why these people are all coming together & what their goal will be before the end. I'm very excited! The short, short explanation is, they're going to notice a trend in their particular community & will have to decide whether to fall to it themselves or try to change things to stop it where it is. The one will make them all individually reassess their place in the world & what they think on how life is going, while the other will risk toppling their current lives, exposing their true nature & possibly failing anyway. It should be fun.

I'd like to end today above 5k somewhere. But, before I start, I have GOT to go hunting for names, lol. I'm into my second chapter & no one's been properly names yet. And, I can't go through the whole book calling people by pronouns & descriptions. True, there's only one 'the Asian girl' or 'the red haired woman' or 'the pompous guy', but that doesn't mean I want to refer to them as that 3,700 more times. I know who they are; that one's Zeus, this one's Clotho, etc, etc, I just can't go around calling them that in their modern, everyday life all the time. I thought about keeping them with names from their original regions, but that won't always work either. Hathor, for instance, is an Egyptian goddess. Most 'popular' Egyptian names are, in fact, other goddesses. Pass, ty. It wouldn't be too hard to come up with a Greek name for Zeus, but his char's on tv & something like....'Stavros Anatopolis' isn't a very 'tv friendly' name. I don't wanna just have them be 'John' & 'Mary' (which are perfectly fine names, just not ones I want an entire coterie of gods to be called) or what have you, so I have some digging to do today, so, wish my luck as I go name hunting.

Oh, the link to my anniversary pep talk anthology thing came today, so I've been reading that. It was one of the thank you gifts from my OLL donation & it was sooo worth the money. Lol, I really dig Chris(the NaNo founder), he's a riot & at the same time, really encouraging.

Ok, I'm off to find things to call people....Ya think 'Hey you!' #1-5 would be too much??
Oh, and to whom it may concern, today's word is 'accentuate'.