the rules for NaNo ... camping version

My grandmother (and this is not a picture of my grandmother) used to tell me that I needed to look the part.  No matter what I did, I needed to look the part.

Tough thinking I am a writer when I wear grungy sweat pants, old t-shirts, and my dog tells me when my time is up for the day (he's got a small bladder, active appetite, and thinks of me as his favorite toy).

So, I'm instituting a few changes.

1) I'm closing the door when I write.

2) There is a timer set so I won't be late for the dog's meds and meals.

3) I am actually going to brush my teeth and hair before I start slaving over a keyboard ... I scared the mail person the other day doing an imitation of Medusa (and no, I did not look like Uma Thurman)

4) There will be a theme song.  Right now, me thinks it will be either instrumental or in Spanish so I can't scare the puppy when I sing along!

it's back

It is hard enough to do 50K in one month, once a year ... but this year, to make sure I live up to my own expectations of myself (and yes, I am raising them), I am doing it again in April.

I sort of doubt I'll delay my progress on it until the last four days ... that was nuts!

I have my sleeping bag ready, bought some sugar free hot coco, and I think I have drafted a bunkmate ... she likes scary stories, so I don't know that I'll be getting much sleep!

NaNoWriMo Officially over for 2012!

This year I got complacent and expected the trolls who live under my bed to type it for me while I slept.

Evidently there was a troll strike this year and they didn't show up.

Next year I am going to have the union busted.

Anyway, by the time I realized quite how far behind I was, I never thought I'd make it.

I wrote 33,636 words of dubious quality joined together in less than 96 hours.  Most of them at night.  Many fueled by left over Thanksgiving turkey and a few handfuls of Winnie the Pooh Animal Crackers from Costco.

What did I learn?

1) I think in 1000 word increments.

2) I don't need an outline for 1000 words (much - ok, it might make it easier, but that's as far as I'm willing to concede)

3) outlines weren't created by the devil

4) the middle is the best part of writing almost any story - you already know the characters, location, and the voice ... it can take on a life of its own

5) friends don't let friends write while they listen to the Minion Mambo from the Despicable Me Soundtrack

cliche of the day .... word count so far today ...2752

It's a long, long road.

 And I've gotten lost along the way.

I may just make it yet.

can anyone else hear
the theme from
the Mary Tyler Moore Show?

updated progress for 11/28 ... 9263 so far

I love to hate deadlines.

But that's the good news and the bad news.

The muse has been fired - no more playing Mr. Nice Guy - so to speak.

I've enlisted Santa's snoozing and underemployed elves.  

Each one is required to give me 500 words on his or her favorite subject in the next 72 hours.

No idea how that's going because things are picking up at the Pole.

So far today, I've gotten 7366 words out of them ... only 21070 ish to go ...

Classroom full of elves.

cliche of the day ...

Come on... 

don't wind me up and leave me hanging.

cliche of the day ...

All good stories begin at bedtime, right?

It's been a hard days' night and I've been working like a dog.

Searching for the plot bunny. 

Digging for plotlines ... or just a plot

The never ending plot bunny and plot search continues

Killing the first bunny to come along ...

It's 5:00 somewhere!

To rest,.
To sleep.
To dream no more.

opening lines and/or cliches

OK ... so opening lines and cliches are a place to jump start the NaNo muse each day ... this doesn't mean that it will work itself into the overall story or word count.



The news came straight from the horse's mouth.

Funny, I had no idea Mr. Ed actually worked for the TV station.  Then again, based on his accent, he wasn't from these parts.

and so it begins ... a NaNoWriMo journey

By the watch fob, I'm a bit late starting NaNo ... but according to the calendar, I'm write on time (pun intended).  This year, I have an idea of where things are going ... chapter two, anyone?

Long ago desert storm ... shot taken in daylight ...
but this was result of dark, stormy night

Years ago, my brother bought me a book that had horrible book beginnings.  And then there is always Charles Schultz with Snooping using the the 'ultimate' beginning for a novel, "It was a dark and stormy night."  

Okay, so maybe it isn't the ultimate novel beginning, but it really should be. It sets all kinds of things off in my head. Makes me want to put my dog on top of a dog house with a typewriter while he writes stories about being a World War I flying ace.  I would be sitting at a bar, drinking my root beer awaiting the first draft ... preferably it will be cold and windy outside.

There are several problems with this:

First, I have to buy and assemble a dog house.

Second, convince the dog it is safe to get on top of the dog house.

Pair of unconvinced dogs ...

Thirdly, determine if the dog would be better drooling on a manual keyboard or electric.

It is a great image, just fraught with all kinds of problems.

So I need to decide to put my butt in the chair, pay attention to what is going on around me and write.

Well, maybe play just a little ...

The key to a successful NaNoWriMo season?

I have finally figured out the KEY to NaNoWriMo  (other than preloading someone else's work and taking credit for the time they slaved over a hot keyboard, suffered over sticky keys, and pounded their head trying to make one cohesive sentence at a time regurgitate onto the screen)!!! 

1) Find and capture a plot bunny

2) Don't squeeze him or her too tight

3) Enlist aid of pirates if necessary

4) Quit looking at the clock to see if time's up for the night

5) Get someone else to do the laundry

(This looks like a likely volunteer, just don't tell him I volunteered him.)

6) Nose to the grindstone(s)

7) Peddle like crazy

8) Sleep when you can so the muse can inspire you!

a picture is worth a thousand words - can I apply these to NaNo?

My vision of a perfect autumn day ...

Closer to reality in the desert on an autumn day ...

October is a BLUR and NaNo is coming ...

I looked at the calendar this morning and realized something:

Somehow or another, October is vanishing before my eyes.  You might even say it is a bit of a blur.

I'm going to participate in NaNoWriMo again this year.  National Novel Writing Month, is a 50,000 word celebration of November!  It is a mere 1667ish words per day.  

So I'm tanking up.

Fuzzy can do his own ironing.

He can run to the store.

He can even find ways to entertain himself.

I'm actually going to go to some of the meetings and write with others who want to be vampires (meaning no sunlight and lots of time in dark places - no blood please).

 I'm hoping for some fresh ideas this time around.  I'm even banking on it!

Speedbo, is it the next NaNoWriMo?

Writing is a many splendored thing ... it is the opportunity for those of us who hear voices in our heads avoid a trip to the doctor and play with new and interesting people no one else knows about and not worry about the little man in the white suit and the butterfly net.  Or so they say.  Who are THEY anyway?

What is the point?

Easy.

It is easier to write if someone else is reading and feeding you energy.  It is also easier to write if you've got a deadline.

Enter NaNoWriMo.  NaNo is National Novel Writing Month and exists every November to warm up the imagination before some of us have to write holiday letters ... it also exists to help get that novel that is stuck a way to come into existence.  (I know, too many ex words ... at least this isn't fun with line edits.)

In order to 'win' in Nano, you have to complete 50,000 words. A daunting task but doable.

Speedbo is the month of March.  

The good news?

No sweat about word count.

You can go back and revisit your work, if that's your style (something not encouraged in the Nano world).

Write every day and make it a habit.

Oh, prizes. (I haven't done a lot of looking around about that, but the month is young.)

So, I'll be doing a word counter and updating it this time - on the other blog. 

There will be very little looking over my shoulder for the man in the white suit because if he's wearing it this much before Memorial Day, which of us is nuts?