I’m at 28,932 words – above par for the first time since the first week. (Par for day 17 is 28,339.) Around 115 pages. Parts of this story are poor, parts of it make me really happy and there are large chunks that need to be better researched. I know what the end will be but I’m still working out how to arrive there.
But just getting this far makes me pretty giddy. This is definitely more than I thought I could achieve.
It is NaNoWriMo 2011 Day 13, par for yesterday’s work (Day 12) should have been 20,004 words/80 pages. Mine was 17,234 words – about 68 pages. I’m 2770 words behind par, which isn’t too bad.
This is definitely more than I have ever written before in a single sustained effort on any single subject, so I’m proud of myself for getting this far. Some of what I’ve written is really pretty bad. Some of it is pretty good. And I can see that some of it, when I get to the editing phase in December and January, could be really good. And I’m entertaining myself with the story at least.
I’m hoping that at worst I can finish this up, get it cleaned up, and self-publish it. Probably under a pseudonym, to tell you the truth. But I still have a long way to go and there are many potential pitfalls, so I’m not counting chickens yet. I have some vague hope about some chickens, though.
I spent some time yesterday trying to work out how my story is going to go, and came up with some potential chapter titles. Which, looking at them now seem completely over the top and fraught with the possibility of failure, but what the hell. I may as well look stupid. It wouldn’t be the first time.
The Journey – a very dumb working title. This will be the last thing I figure out, probably.
Act I
0) The Kraken
1) Siège Perilous
2) Melusina
3) Daughters of Nyx
4) The Dolorous Stroke
5) Walpurgis Night
Act II
6) Clotho
7) Lachesis
8) Atropos
9) Praxinoscope (Proust’s Lantern)
10) The Blizzard Dream and the Brocken spectre
11) Melusina
Act III
12) The Sangreal
13) amor fati
14) the Wasteland
15) Thumos
I didn’t say anything about joining National Novel Writing Month this year because I haven’t gotten very far with this in the past, and I’ve learned talking about stuff tends to kill projects before they get off the ground. I’m doing much better this year, though, and I’ve managed to keep my word count up four whole days in a row. And I’m realizing that I can indeed actually write 1,667 words per day, if I hit upon the right thing to say. This is not unpossible. My word count right now is 7095 out of a par of 6668 for day 4. (50,000 words in 30 days being the criteria for “winning.”) Not as great as some of the folks in the Indianapolis Facebook group, but definitely a solid effort.
What I’ve written so far is pretty terrible, but I can see where it could be good later, maybe, when I revise. Which will be after November. First drafts, first… editing later. Right now, it’s all about getting words on the page. Which I can do, it seems. So…
And I’ve notice an insane new trend in my writing – lots of ellipses all over the place. I like to imply things. I probably do this all the time without noticing it, but it’s really jumped out at me. Ah well; no editing under after November. Thems the rules.
Fortune Cookie: “Only if you dive for pearls shall you find one.” That is awesome.
In creating my current “recently read” list today, I noticed an oddity in my reading choices…
Previously, my reading list included The Sonambulist, and a few years back, one of my very favorite books was The Intuitionist. I also recently enjoyed The Illusionist on DVD.
I know there’s at least one other “-ist” title in my “recently read” list, but when I started to go back and look for it, I realized I have 11 years worth of book lists to look through, and I decided I was too lazy for that. You’d think I’d keep a running list after all these years, but, well, refer to previous sentence re: lazy.
“The suffix -ist is used to denote a person who either practices something or a person who is concerned with something or a person who holds certain principles, doctrines, etc.”
Yes, well people seem to like to write lots of books about such people, don’t they? I have not read The Alchemist, or The Alienist, but I’m not going to be compulsive about it and put them on my “to read” list. The first doesn’t interest me, and the second I heard about from others and I’m pretty sure I might not like it.
The Impressionist is on my bookshelf now, and I’ll probably give it a read.
Given the prominence of the suffix in published works, I thought I might title my own future novel with an “-ist” ending, so I began reading through 1201 such words.
Alas, both The Balloonists, and The Little Balloonist are taken, so it seems that non-engine powered aeronautics covered.
I could go with the Anarchist – there doesn’t seem to be a novel by that name, although there is a Cookbook, and apparently, they are in the Library of late. (that last one is on my reading list, BTW. The first is probably going to get me on watchlists just for linking.
So, how about the Aviarist, or The Bronchioscopist? Well, maybe not that last one. That sounds a bit squishy. The Anecdotalist? That sounds a bit like Auntie Gert telling stories with endless tangents and no endpoint.
An “aquarellist” is a person who paints water colors.
A “cinquecentist” is a poet or artist in 16th century Italy. Both would require me to do research. See: lazy.
The Deconstructionist! Ugh. I think I’d rather shoot them that write about them.
The Fabulist — I think that’s it. Yes, the Fabulist. Damn it — that’s already written. And about that fine fellow Stephen Glass, too. That title almost makes him seem whimsical.
A Feist is a small dog – or a singer whichever you prefer.
A funambulist is a tight-rope walker.
Where the hell am I in this list? F? This could go on forever. or perhaps all the way to
Z. Best quit now.
la·zy·ish: \-zē-ish\ adjective – a: disinclined to activity or exertion : not energetic or vigorous. Indolent, Slothful.
I did avoid the Anarchist Cookbook. I am still thinking about the The Anarchist in the Library.
And I’m thinking there are more books with -ist since 2008. I may do a revisit. Alas, still la·zy·ish; I may not.
A rather simple site I created for my Fortune Cookies to get the basics of Expression Engine (and by special request from my girlfriend, who enjoys my snark.)
You will enjoy good health, you will be surrounded by luxury.
I take it back fortune cookie – I believe every word you say, I swear!
“You crave your lover when the two of you are apart.”
Ooo la la! Hawt cookie! I couldn’t read it out loud to my co-worker – I had to hand it to her to read, lest I get a case of the giggles. (But I will be reading it out loud to my girlfriend later.)
From lunch today at Changs:
Your skills will accomplish what the force of many cannot.
Damn. I better get some skills quick. Seriously, though, this is one of the better fortunes I’ve ever received. Be neater if it were true.
From lunch last week at Changs:
Everywhere you choose to go, friendly faces will greet you.
I have nothing snarky to say about this one.
From quite a while ago:
Behavior is a mirror in which everyone shows his own reflection.
Yeah, I think my mom stuffed this fortune cookie.
You will always be surrounded by true friends.
Protecting me from the mob of people with pitchforks, I presume.