what a weekend!

I'll be posting about my film festival adventures on the Casual Critic blog probably this evening. A more detailed description of the weekend will be there, because most of the weekend was spent participating in the festival and then spending time with the kids.

In case you were wondering, I decided not to participate in Script Frenzy this year, mostly because I... um... forgot about it! I was going to prepare and do an outline and everything, but in all the insanity surrounding getting a new job and everything, it just slipped my mind. Oh well... I didn't have a good idea anyway, so it's not a loss. What I am going to do is to concentrate harder on the Draha outline because it is taking FOREVER to complete! It's my fault, I haven't been committing the time I need to commit to it and it is suffering as a result. I will recommit to it and finish the entire detailed outline (all 5 books) by the time NaNo rolls around. I'm not sure how other writers do this, but my detailed outlines tend to be a chapter by chapter summary, including major plot points and scenes that are important to the chapter, so each chapter may have several long paragraphs describing what happens in it. Of course, this often changes, but it's so useful to have that framework. If it is done sooner, I will go ahead and start over on the first book (so much has changed from the original draft!) and do the second for NaNo. If not, I'll do the first book during NaNo and continue with the others at a pace similar to NaNo (with the detailed outline, that is usually possible) until all five are in first draft form. At least, that's the plan.

I just started a new knitting project that I find very exciting! Details and pictures later.

dreams

I worked on the Draha outline over the weekend, but haven't updated the progress bar. Another really important breakthrough came in the form of a dream on Friday night. I remember most of it, but I need to really reach back into my memory and see if I have all the details. It was great and I want to make sure I get it all down on paper.

outlining, outlining, outlining

I worked on the Draha outline over the weekend, but I don't have a word count. I'll update it later today or tomorrow. The framework of the story is really coming along. I'm glad I decided to start over and outline. It's really helping me organize my thoughts. I'm happy with the new direction and I think it'll make things so much easier when I'm finished with the outline and I actually start writing. My goal now is to finish outlining all five books by October and start over on the first one, probably for NaNo this year. The NaNo goal is only about half of the first novel, but it'll be a good start. Maybe I'll push myself and do NaNo pace through December too, that way I can finish the first book by the end of the year. It's so much easier with an outline, so I know I'll be able to do it. The first NaNo I won was actually easy for me because of the detailed outline I had already created for the story. There are a few other stories dancing around in my head right now, but this one takes priority.

NaNoWriMo: Finished!

Yay! I'm finished with NaNo this year! So happy! But actually, the story isn't complete, not by any means. It's really going well, though. I'm taking a day or so to rest and then getting right back into it. I have some Christmas gifts to make, so I might concentrate on those quite a bit for the next week or so, but I won't lose the momentum of the writing. I'm still going to try to write every day... just not quite so much every day!

One thing I've decided to do in 2008 is to determine a comfortable daily pace. I wrote much more this year than I ever have, but I want to really find out what my pace is and what it should be to challenge myself just a little. I want to finish this first Draha book and have it ready to send out before next year's NaNo.

On another note, I've been a little lax on my 101 in 1001 list. I'm going to take a look at it tonight and decide what I can start working on from it. Some of the items (such as the overseas travel) may have to go to the next list because of finances and time, but I want to do as many items on the list as possible before the deadline. It's such a great way to experience new things!

NaNo Days 20-23

Current Wordcount: 41,325

Haven't posted in a few days, but that doesn't mean I haven't been writing! I'm actually writing more than I thought I would right now, and I feel very good about the progress. Notice I didn't say I feel very good about the writing itself. Yeah, it's going to need a lot of work. But that's what a first draft is, right? It's a skeleton, a place to start. I do think it's a good start, though. That's something anyway. At least it's not the useless story I started at the beginning of NaNoWriMo. That wasn't going to go anywhere. At least this work I'm doing in November is moving me toward something I really want; the completion of the series that has been living in my brain since I was a child. That's the goal. It's bigger than NaNo. It's bigger than me. I have to stay focused on that. And that's what I'm doing. It's not about NaNo anymore. It's about creating the world and telling the story. It's going to take a long time, but I will finish it.

NaNoWriMo Day 19

Current wordcount: 31,039
Two day wordcount: 4,758
Time spent writing: 2 hours
Time spent knitting a writer's block: none, but I'm planning to do a few rows before going to bed
Current mood: Awesome!

Got some more writing done. I'm trying to catch up right now, and it looks like I'm getting close! If you are following the NaNo plan, you should have 31,673 words on day 19. I'm only a little over 600 words shy of that, so I can deal. If I have another 4,000 word day tomorrow I'll be doing great! I'm going to try to do that, but who knows if I can pull it off. I left a LOT of notes for myself again today. There's so much I'll need to go back and puzzle out later. This is a complex world and even though I did a lot of prep work for it, there are a few details I didn't think about until I actually started writing. It's great to get this jump start on the project, though. I can't wait to see how it comes out in the end.

NaNoWriMo Days 17 and 18

Current wordcount: 26,281
Two day wordcount: 10,206
Time spent writing: I have no idea
Time spent knitting a writer's block: 1 hour
Current mood: Pretty good, although I'm feeling a little OLD today!

It's my birthday. This would normally be a happy statement, but I feel so old today! (I'm 31) I won't go into the whole "I feel like I haven't accomplished anything" speech because it's useless and I don't want to repeat myself. Anyway, it was a good birthday. I spent the day with the kids, which is always nice. Yesterday and today I worked hard on the story. I think I may add dragons to the mix. Things are always more fun with dragons! I'll have to go back and incorporate the dragons into the earlier parts of the story, but I'm sure it can be done. It'll be fun. Anyway, that's it for now. I'm off to have dinner with the family.

NaNoWriMo Days 15 and 16

Current wordcount: 16,075
11/15-16 wordcount: 6,264
Current mood: Can't stop me now!

I can't believe I got this much done in these two days! Especially yesterday, the day of the Big Event. But when I got home from work I just wanted to leave everything and escape to the world I'm creating. Some of what I wrote last night and tonight contains some notes to myself for the next draft, or for coming back to fix later. Some of it was almost brainstorming, trying to figure out what things are and what they do. I had a lot of fun figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of the Big Bad and his gang of followers. There was a stroke of inspiration about them and I think it's going to work very well indeed. In fact, I ran it by Noah (my 11 year old nephew who is right at the beginning of the target market for the series) and he said it sounded "very cool." High praise. He wants to draw them for me, which I think is completely adorable. He drew a cover for the first book I ever finished. It was actually really good and the picture was very close to what I imagined the cover should look like. He's extremely talented in art and I'm encouraging it in every way possible.

Anyway, the event yesterday went well and the smaller one today also went well. I feel so much better about everything now that these events are over. Next week is going to be a breeze. I have some contracts and applications to finish, and a grant to look at, as well as some preparation for our fundraiser in May, but other than that, nothing really stressful. I'm glad, because I can use a few stress-free days right about now.

I started a new "writer's block" yesterday in the car on the way to the second event. It's a simple lace pattern and it's so much fun to knit! It really makes me want to tackle a shawl at some point. I marked a few patterns as favorites on Ravelry (which you should check out if you knit or crochet) and I really want to start on one sometime soon. I think a shawl would be a nice gift for my mother. Maybe I could have one finished by Mother's Day next year! I'm so slow, I should probably shoot for next Christmas! I found some great yarn on eBay that I might buy for the project. It's 100% wool, lace weight, and there is enough of it to do several shawls. It's white, so I'm thinking about making several shawls or two shawls and some lacy scarves and then dye them whatever color I want. I'd like to try my hand at dyeing and possibly handpainting, just to see if I can do it. Who would have thought I would enjoy all of this so much? It's just so relaxing. Anyway, time to work a little on the lace block. I'll post a picture when it's finished.

NaNoWriMo Day 14

Current wordcount: 9,811
Today's wordcount: 2,385
Time spent writing: 2 hours
Time spent on NaNo Boards: 5 minutes
Time spent knitting a writer's block: none
Today's soundtrack: Firefly Soundtrack
Today's mood: determined

Didn't quite get the 2500 for the day, but it was a solid writing session and I feel good about it. I had the kids this evening, so I'm actually pretty happy I got the number of words I did in between chasing them around the house and then calming them down after Kohl threw a cell phone at Hannah's head. He hit her in the eye and when I fussed at him about it, he got so upset that he threw up in his bed. Now this may be an overshare, but I have a bad gag reflex. When I see vomit, it makes me feel sick. I had to put him back in the shower (he had just finished his bath) to clean him up and then change the sheets on the bed, while also getting some ice for Hannah's eye. She's going to have a bruise for a few days. For only being four years old, Kohl exhibits a lot of anger and aggression. I'm afraid of what this will mean for his future. I've talked to my sister about it, but she seems to think it's just a phase. Hopefully that's what it is, but I'm watching him just in case it isn't.

Oh, my sister's surgery went well and she's back at home. The kids are staying with me for another week or so because she has to stay in bed and very still, and you can't do that with these kids running around. I'm so relieved it went well. This illness of hers has been one reason I've been so stressed lately. If they had come back with a cancer diagnosis again, I'm not sure how I would have handled it. We're not as close as I want us to be. I'm going to put in a little more effort there so that we can become closer.

The Big Event is tomorrow, so I will be meeting our Very Important Guest in the morning. I hope everything goes well. I've planned this thing so carefully, there is not a single detail that I haven't thought of and taken care of, most of them personally. I will be so glad when it's over. Technically, my part of the day is over at about 10:30 a.m. and then I will ride over to Florida and take pictures and video of the ground breaking ceremony (which was planned by someone else so if it goes wrong it's not my fault!) and then I'll help with the cleanup, ride back to my office, coordinate the cleanup there and get things set for the next day (another event) and then go home. The Friday event is stress-free, though, so I'm okay with it. So that's the way the rest of my week is going to go!

I think I'll bring some knitting for the car ride over to Florida. I'm not driving, so I think I'll sit in the back and work on a Writer's Block, or possibly Noah's blanket. I started a scarf while I was in bed this weekend but didn't get very far on it because of the pain, which is pretty much gone now, thank goodness. Perhaps I'll take the scarf and see how much I can do in the car. It's a simple garter stitch scarf in a dusty blue chenille. It's very soft and extremely mobile since I don't have to bring a pattern along. Maybe I'll do that. I'll see which one strikes me in the morning.

NaNoWriMo Day 13

Current wordcount: 7,426
Today's wordcount: 3,823
Time spent writing: 2 hours
Time spent on NaNo Boards: 10 minutes
Time spent knitting a writer's block: 5 minutes (finished one!)
Today's soundtrack: Serenity Soundtrack
Today's mood: determined

Well, I sat down and worked really hard today, and I'm feeling better about the novel. I actually got some writing done! If my spreadsheet is right I just have to write 2500 words per day to hit 50,000 by the end of the month. I think I can do it. I'm not going to give up because I believe in the story and I want to write it. Even if I don't hit 50,000 by the end of November, I'm going to keep writing. I have a long road ahead of me with this story, and I'm not giving up until all five books are written. And published.

How's that for commitment? :)

Oh, and here's the Writer's Block, just in case anyone wants to see. It's a simple horizontal ridge square, perfect for mindless knitting while plotting. The book is 200 Knitted Blocks, and it's wonderful!

I'll pick the next block tomorrow, but I don't anticipate doing a lot of work on it this week. I'm not spending any time knitting until I finish my 2500 words for the day for the rest of the month! When November is finished, though, I plan to make dishcloths for all my aunts. They are all very "crafty" people, so I know they would appreciate a handmade dishcloth. I found some pretty Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn in Christmas colors and a great pattern with a Christmas tree on it. I think those will be fun to knit!

setback after setback

I planned to write all weekend and try to catch up, but I didn't. I actually spent the entire long weekend in bed with what I can only assume was a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve in my back. I'm not sure if it was the result of the car accident or the work I did on Friday (carrying around very large picture frames, crawling under desks to clean, and picking up extremely heavy things, including trash bags full of paper - which can actually get very heavy) but something really hit me hard. Maybe the combination of the two. Anyway, I could barely sit up, and when I did it was only for a few minutes.

I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but that's not what it is. I really wanted to write this weekend. The story was going so well, and I was really in a groove, but I've never felt this kind of pain in my back before. It was really awful. It's feeling better now, still a dull ache but not the sharp pain I was feeling Saturday, Sunday, and most of the day today.

I did do some writing on Friday, but it wasn't for NaNo. I had to rewrite the script for my church's Christmas play to make it a little easier for the actors to memorize. After that, I wrote two press releases for the theatre and made some flyers for the upcoming auditions. This publicity gig is like a second job! I love it, though! It's so much fun and I really feel like I'm a part of the theatre, even if I'm not in the cast of whatever the current play happens to be.

So anyway, that's why my big weekend didn't happen. I feel pretty awful about it, but I can't do anything about it now. I'm going to write tonight, though. I'll write as much as I can. As for NaNo, I'm not sure I can catch up at this point, but any amount of writing I am able to do will help me get closer to my goal of finishing the first book of the Draha series, so that's all that matters to me.

NaNoWriMo Day 9

Current wordcount: 3,603
Today's wordcount: 2,851
Time spent writing: 30 minutes
Time spent on NaNo Boards: 10 minutes
Time spent knitting a writer's block: 5 minutes
Today's soundtrack: Lord of the Rings soundtracks
Today's mood: really great!!!

The only thing I can say about the story is that it really clicked tonight! I'm really feeling it now! I think the Lord of the Rings soundtracks are helping a lot, and I read an ebook about NaNo by the wonderful Devon and that really helped kick me in the butt too, so I'm on my way to being on track again. In fact, I actually joined a Veteran's Weekend challenge and set my own goal of being at or near 25,000 words by Monday night. I'm not sure I can actually reach that, but I'm going to try my hardest to get there. If I can do that, I'll be all caught up! Actually, I'll be a little ahead!

I'm loving the story, by the way. All the planning and world building prepared me for the complexity and wonder of the thing, but it didn't prepare me for the complete immersion I'm feeling right now. I truly feel like everytime I start to write, I am pulled into the world right along with Cindy and Justin. I'm really happy with the names, too. I wanted to weave in a lot of symbolic meaning, especially with these two characters, and I think these names are great for that. The whole story is full of symbols and meanings other than what is on the surface, which is really very interesting to me because I love stories that do that, but I've never actually written one before. These characters and the world have come into my mind almost fully formed, or at least as fully formed ideas that required some research to get things right. I love tying in the elements and working from the map I drew of the islands. I even figured out what I think is a fairly clever reason why there is no magic in my fantasy story. There was once, but for a particular reason, it doesn't work right now. I wondered how I would get away with this, but a quick google search and I found a good reason!

I think I've been having trouble with this year's NaNo because I'm so unfocused right now. Things in my life are going in so many directions that I'm not sure what's going on! At work, our Very Special Guest is arriving on Wednesday, and we spent all day today cleaning and hanging new posters and photos on the walls, and just getting everything in order. Our Big Boss wants to make a good impression. I had my third interview for the university job this Thursday and I think it went well. I hope it went well. I would really love this job, I just know it. My sister's surgery is still set for the 13th, but because of our Very Special Guest, I can't take the morning off to be at the hospital with my family. I'm a little unhappy about that, as you can imagine, but I know how important this is to my organization, so I'm going to do it without complaining. Sometimes you have to do that. On top of all that, my car went into the shop on Thursday, so I had to borrow my mother's car today, but I'm getting a rental tomorrow, thanks to my wonderful insurance company! But tonight I was able to just sit down and turn everything off but the story. Again, I think the music helped. It created just the right mood. I have a hard time turning everything off and focusing on the one thing that needs attention. It's something I'm trying to work on right now and NaNo is a great place to start.

Oh, and I just found out that Misery auditions are November 19-20! Cross your fingers for me!

Regional Word War!

Here's the regional wordcount war so far. My region is a little behind, but hopefully we will all catch up this weekend...

NaNoWriMo Day 7

Current wordcount: 752
Today's wordcount: 752
Time spent writing: 30 minutes
Time spent on NaNo Boards: none
Today's soundtrack: none
Today's mood: pretty awful, actually

Due to the car accident described above and the fact that my head is throbbing and my neck hurts and I feel like someone has an evil plan to destroy my life by taking away everything I love (first the computer crashed and now the car) I didn't get a lot of writing done today. I did start the new story and it is going to be much better. The other one was just not working. I'm going to commit some serious time to catching up this weekend and I have Monday off so I can really work on it then. Right now, I want to take a Tylenol PM, crawl under my covers and forget this day ever happened. So that's what I'm going to do.

Starting over

I started writing on November 1, just like everyone else. I wrote and wrote and wrote. And then I stopped. The story isn't working. I hate everything about it and I can't believe I thought I could do it. I started over today with the story I should have been writing all along. Check out the new graphic! This world is already so richly formed in my mind that it's flowing so much better. The other story was depressing me and I just couldn't continue. This one is so much better for escape. I think everything is going to be okay now.

NaNoWriMo Eve!

It begins at midnight, but I'm not staying up that late! I'm going to get a mass email out to everyone in my region and then go to bed so I can be productive tomorrow. I have to really be on my game to get everything done. Luckily, I shouldn't have too many interruptions, so I can really focus on the newsletter and a grant application.

So good luck, NaNoWriMo participants! We will be going on this journey together. It should be an interesting one.

a day like any other

I had an interview yesterday. I think it went well, but I'm not sure what will come of it. It was with the HR dept, so the department will still have to call me in if they want me, so it's not over. We'll see what happens. There's another opportunity on the horizon, but I haven't heard any specifics on it. I like the idea of it, but the position isn't open yet, so I'll have to wait and see what happens with it.

Today was okay. I did a ton of editing at work. Everything that goes out has to go through me, so the entire staff emails letters and other communication materials to me all the time to approve before they send them. Today was a big day for that. I was going to start a grant, but it didn't happen because of all the editing! Tomorrow I'm going to do the grant, finish the articles for the newsletter, and do a little more work on the website. I also have to get invitations out for our ribbon cutting ceremony. All in a day's work...

The outlining for Downward Spiral is still going well. I'm really looking forward to starting it. I'm already spending way too much time on the NaNo forums, especially in the Singles Lounge. The people there are always so great! It's one thing I love about NaNo. You really get to connect with other writers and for one month you are all feeling the same emotions and experiencing the same journey. It's magical.

so sweet

Today I had a brief reminder of why I used to love my job so much. I went to a retirement community to speak to the residents and pick up food they had collected in a food drive. The residents were so sweet. They collected almost 300 pounds of food, which is really good for a food drive. I love speaking in front of people, especially when the audience is so great. I've had tough audiences before, and those present their own challenges, but I find that I'm always able to find a way to connect. It feels great to make that connection. I think in this crazy, hectic world, people don't connect with other people the way they used to. It's sad.

Anyway, it was nice. Then I got back to work and was pulled back into my current reality. But for a moment, I enjoyed myself.

We had a fundraiser meeting tonight, so I got home late. I did manage to add a few points to my outline for NaNo and browse the forums a little. Now I'm going to do a little knitting and go to bed. Oh, such an exciting life!

projects

I worked on a special project tonight (for my dad for Christmas) and it was great, but also frustrating. There is some computer work involved and it was going very slowly. How annoying. Anyway, I spent a few hours on that and then gave up for the night. I'll go back to it again tomorrow. Luckily, there is plenty of time.

My ML package came in the mail today and I love the new stickers! I wasn't fond of the NaNo tattoos from last year, so I'm really glad they didn't appear again! I'm planning to order a t-shirt but just haven't gotten around to it. I'll donate again this year too, but that will also have to wait.

I did some more outlining tonight and I think I finally decided how I want to approach the story, which is good. I like this story already. I think it's going to be good. I couldn't sleep last night so I kept going over and over what will be the opening line. I have several options, but since I can't write anything down before November 1, I just have to remember them!

I'm going to knit for awhile before going to sleep. I'm working on Noah's blanket now. I need to research patterns a little more before starting on Kohl's again. I want to choose a different one for him now that I know what the previous pattern actually looks like (a little too frilly for a little boy, in my opinion!) I had a thought about Hannah's blanket that would be really cute if I can pull it off. It would be a modification of a pattern in one of my books. I just have to do the math and figure out if I can do it.

weekends are too short

It was such a nice weekend that I hate to see it end. I remember when I loved Mondays. I loved my job and my coworkers then too. One day, I'll feel that way again. One day... when I find a better job.

I spent some time today working on my NaNo plotting. Someone on the NaNo site talked about FreeMind, a mind-mapping program that they said helped them brainstorm their novel. I decided to download it and see what it was all about, and I have to say, it has been very helpful! The story seems to be taking shape. I'm feeling that familiar itch in my fingers that means I'm totally ready to start writing!