NaNoWriMo – Page 3 – commonplacebook.com

NaNoWriMo2011 – Still Cautiously Optimistic

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 13, 2011
Post category:My Writing Writing

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.

Personal Truth

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 12, 2011
Post category:Books Favorite Quotes Writing

I’ve posted this quote before, but it came up in conversation recently, and I was struck again by how very beautiful it is.

May Sarton, from Journal of a Solitude:

“My own belief is that one regards oneself, if one is a serious writer, as an instrument for experiencing. Life–all of it–flows through this instrument and is distilled through it into works of art. How one lives as a private person is intimately bound into the work. And at some point, I believe one has to stop holding back for fear of alienating some imaginary reader or real relative or friend, and come out with personal truth. If we are to understand the human condition, and if we are to accept ourselves in all the complexity, self-doubt, extravagance of feeling, guilt, joy, the slow freeing of the self to its full capacity for action and creation, both as human being and artist, we have to know all we can about one another, and we have to be willing to go naked.”

NaNoWriMo 2011: very tentative outline

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 8, 2011
Post category:My Writing Writing

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

NaNoWriMo2011 – Outlook: Cautiously Optimistic.

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 5, 2011
Post category:My Writing Writing

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.

December? Oh my.

Post author:HFM
Post published:December 1, 2009
Post category:My Knitting Projects Photography Writing

Wow – time to wrap up the year, and I’m utterly at loose ends with various projects. I’ve been working steadily on knitting projects, and organizing the house, two areas where we’ve made some pretty big gains. We’re steadily getting through the mounds of papers that need to be filed or thrown out, with the help of our organization lady. The room is becoming what we want it to be – a guest room where people can visit from out of town, and a crafting room where we can sit and work on craft projects. Don’t get me wrong – it still needs LOTS of work – there are still tons of boxes to go through and purge, and we’re in danger of acquiring new crap to replace all the old, but it’s starting to look more like what it should look like.

The knitting is fun and very relaxing. I’m concerned though, about what I really want to do with it. It’s enjoyable to make things for people, but it’s not exactly a lever that will move the world.
We’ve spend all the weekends of November bagging leaves for the most part (we really grabbed a lot of time back by paying someone to pick them up last year!) which is really satisfying, until the next round of them fall off the trees. We currently need to redo the backyard. I’m completely frustrated by how much time and energy this takes, and we don’t even have that many trees; they’re mostly from the neighbors.

I’ve lost complete track of what I’ve read and am woefully behind on photo editing.

I attempted a brief stint at NaNoWriMo but gave up after a few days. That seems to happen at the utterly wrong time of year for me. Why don’t they do it in March? Except that’s about the time I’m driving hard to get a painting project done somewhere in the house though; last year in March I was painting the staircase room I’m in now. But the writing – it’s so hard to do, and my life is too chaotic to achieve it, I think.

And web projects. Boy oh boy. I’ve been neglecting this blog, and my photoblog, and several other domains to remain nameless.

I think I need to make different use of my time at times. I’m frustrated with how little time I have to accomplish things I think are important, and how much time we spend doing stuff that doesn’t move us forward. I’m frustrated by the sheer number of projects we have that remain unfinished, as well.

November is National Novel Writing Month

Post author:HFM
Post published:October 23, 2007
Post category:Writing

This year, for National Novel Writing Month – I have a plan! I’m going to do something really innovative — I’m going to spend the month of November…

… building a website for my friend Chi.

Yes! I know, it’s not a novel. However…

I actually know how to build websites (unlike novels, which I seem to be unable to achieve).
B. I promised her I’d do it months ago.
It will be fun, and not stressful, like trying to write a novel was.
D. Chi is an actual published writer, so, it’s LIKE I’m getting some writing done, because I’ll be helping her.

So, that’s my grand plan for National Novel Writing month – to once again NOT get a novel written, only this time with less stress and some actual pretty, creative stuff to show for it at the end of the month.

Think it will work? I hope so.

NaNoWRiMo Update

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 12, 2006
Post category:My Writing

I’m hopelessly behind and have no reasonable expectation of ever catching up by the end of November deadline. I know what the general story is, but when it comes to writing scenes that make any sort of sense, I’m completely stalled. And the stress of being so far behind is really interfering with my actually sitting down and getting any writing done. The idea of this is no longer fun, it’s a chore, and a painful one. I realized yesterday, after I had a big argument with Stephanie about how we scheduled our time this weekend, that this is ridiculous, because this is a stress I can control.

Unlike the other stress that is occurring in my life right now, which includes, but is not limited to:

The Stress of The House that Would Not Sell
The Stress of Attending Meetings with Potential Renters Who Do Not Show Up to Appointments 2/3rds of the Time
The Stress of the Shitty Roofers Who Would Not Show Up To Complete Their Work
The Stress of Attempting to Merge Two Households Worth of Stuff and Not Knowing What to Get Rid Of
The Stress of The Weather that Rains Every time I Want to Rake Leaves
The Stress of the Looming Apocalyptic Chaos That is The Impending Holiday Season (refer to Ghosts of Holidays Past)
The Stress of Four Cats Who Just Don’t Want to Be Roommates
The Stress of Not Being Able to Get a Good Night’s Sleep And the Ensuing Problems of Walking Through Every Day Fuzzy Headed and Bleary-Eyed
The Stress of the Work Projects That Spiral Out of Control
The Stress of the Cascading Style Sheets That Just Don’t Seem to Work in IE6, No Matter What Hacks I Apply (AKA, I Hate Microsoft, Part 987)

The stress of NaNoWriMo is one I imposed upon myself. So I hereby release myself from the the deadline, in the hope that I’ll actually be able to accomplish the task at some point in time, because at the very least, the story I was planning on writing cracked me up, and I got much further in the task than I was ever able to do before.

Nanowrimo: Day 3

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 3, 2006
Post category:My Writing Writing

Okay, I really, really have the plot all worked out and I’m very excited by my idea, which I think is fun, entertaining, and a Big Idea, also.

But I have to do some more research, in the form of purchasing the Historic Plan for our neighborhood, at a cost of $5, from the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Society.

Back in a flash to get caught up on the actually writing. And if you been following along with my blog posts over the past several days, you can see hints and drops of my idea scattered among them. Except for the Slush Mug commercial; that’s just silly fun.

National Novel Writer's Month

Nanowrimo: Day 1

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 2, 2006
Post category:My Writing Writing

My word count for day 1: 1281 words.
That sucks! I spent most of the day trying to figure out the plot, which I should have had outline in October. It didn’t help that I had my teeth cleaning appointment and the chimney sweeping appointment. Also, the dog barked all day along. Apparently Cthulhu is hiding under our deck again. Pesky elder god.
And today I have a cardiologist’s appointment, and the furnace guy is coming to work on our radiators. Ah, well. I’ll do my best.
National Novel Writer's Month

Veronica Mars & Fall TV Schedule 2006

Post author:HFM
Post published:October 4, 2006
Post category:Journal Television

“Here it is… first day of college. What do you say Veronica? New school, fresh start, how about you try not to piss anyone off this time around.” Heh.

Barely made it home to watch the season premiere after water aerobics last night — which I must repeat, I am really enjoying. We managed to watch an episode of the Amazing Race and the Daily Show before it got too late to stay up.

This plan I have, where I watch all these shows… not working so much. Our DVR is 88% full and we seem to be falling further and further behind, what with the gardening, house repair, house rental, ball room dancing, dressing up like pirates, etc. Curse you, real life, for getting in the way of my television!

I have no idea how I’m going to manage National Novel Writing Month, but I did sign up today, and am and official participant. Perhaps I’ll cheat, and make my characters thinly disguised real people. Hmmm, who’s pissed me off lately?