CHRONICLES OF NANO PLUS ROW80

I don't even know what that means...I mean for me. Except, I made the insane decision to join a bunch of other  sanity challenged folks and signed up for nano to write a 50k word novel in the month of November. Ye-ah baby. And now I shall make you suffer as well.

You are welcome.

I've done this dance before, never winning -- that is, never writing 50k. I have however started December bleary and cranky with 36k. Which aint shabby. And while most of it was not worthy of actual paper it was the start and middle and end of a young adult novel. So, what I had girls and boys was a really shitty first draft -- just like Anne Lamott says you need in Bird by Bird. http://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016

Yay! I had a really (really) shitty first draft. I think I got extra credit for the extent of the shittiness.

I plan on doing it again, only this time I'm aiming for 50k words of crap!

I've somewhat outlined my novel and have scenes brainstormed, so as not to get stuck. So far, so good. I have a respectable amount, not what I need, no. I'm not above cheating though. Here are some of my plans -- already in effect:


I will not use contractions! None of this "aren't" and "we'll" -- those are two words that can magically be made into four!


I will use many pretty adjectives. Many glorious and florid and descriptively seductive adjectives (adverbs as well)!


Full names only! Just like Stanley Gardner in his penny a word Perry Masons -- Tess O'Dell, and Sebastian St. Camael, and Miss Margaret Carmilla, thank you very much.

Duplicate statements ie: "You are a fool! A complete and total idiotic fool!" See? Instead of her saying, "Idiot!" with only one measly word she's saying a slew, a veritable slew of 10 words. Hah!

That's what I've got so far, as I think (and use) more, I'll let you know. Tongue firmly in cheek.

ROW80

I'm kicking a** for my ROW80 goals, well, for my daily word count Row80 goals, since my goal was 100 words a day, last I checked I was at 8,000+ for November -- but I'm changing some of my other goals. 

Blog posts: I'll aim for 2 -- both check-ins, since I've been missing those.

Check-ins with other ROWers: I'll still aim for 5      

Think that was it

I'll also keep you posted as to my nano state.

Are you a participant? Are you a mental basket case? Not yet. Tell me about it.

NaNoWriMo...Here We Go Again!

What am I thinking? Clearly, I've lost the rest of my mind. I have decided to once again try my heart, brain, familial patience, and finger dexterwity (I meant to write dexterity -- Dexterwitty. I like it) at National Novel Writing Month. Here's My author info. So now that I've signed-up again I have to. Dang.

I really think this whole "not quite believing what I've done" will come in handy -- kind of a Zen approach -- I really don't care if I do or not do so I may as well do. 

Green frog will soon hop-to-it (sorry...not really) and get plotting/writing/accomplishing. Can't you feel it?

ROW80 CHECK-IN

The week took unexpected, puffy dog turns*. 

Wrote a minuscule amount.

Did, or rather, am cleaning and re-arranging office.

Gearing up for nano. I know, I know, if I can't keep up with ROW80, how the heck do I think I can do Nano? Who knows?

New math maybe. Some kind of quantum writing physics.

* meaning: Homer Simpson walks down the street, sees man in a suit and monocle who looks exactly like him, "That man looks just like me!" Homer says and runs after him, until his eye is caught by: "That dog has a puffy tail!" and he forgets all about his twin and runs after the dog.

What are your "puffy dog moments?"

LADIES & GENTLEMEN...RRRROW80 CHECK-IN

It's not as if I've conquered any great thing, yet I feel as if I'm more on track (even in this limited amount of ROW80 the 4th time) with my goals than before. So, yay!

Sunday: 128 words
Monday: 172 words -- also a reading day. I finished SAVE THE CAT: Strikes Back! And had a huge epiphany with his book and Sonia's post at ROW80. He is so inspirational http://www.blakesnyder.com/
Tuesday: 109 words. Plus finished the first 2 steps in the snowflake method. http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

I'll leave you with one of the most inspirational songs I know!

ROW80 CHECK-IN, BABY

Feeling (Minnesota) optimistic.
Wednesday:
 242 words
Check-ins with 5 other ROWers

Thursday:
103 words

Friday:
0 words :(

Saturday:
214 words
Blog

So, overall the word count (while measly) is right on track for my goals. Check-ins with other people is good too, blog posts...not so much so. But, I'm not letting that keep me down -- nononono. I'm seriously, seriously setting up a blogging schedule. You'll know when I know.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"Going to the moon's no problem, all we need is a rocket."
Mickey Mouse


I love the simplicity of this quote -- he gets right to it. All we do need is a rocket. Sure we need lots of other things but if we had all those other things, like scientists and trajectories and ground control -- they don't actually get you to the moon. Not in the literal sense. It's the rocket that gets you there.

And I can make a writing analogy! Writing a book's no problem, all you need is a plot.

Sure you need characters, and description and deep point of view, but none of those will write you a book. It might write you something, but it'll be boring. Sorry.

This quote makes me smile -- and makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. What's your fave quote, and tell me why.

WHAT? THERE'S A TEST TODAY?!

So, I'm already behind! But it's okay, it makes me laugh. Only because in my head I was thinking ROW80 started TODAY, not the 3rd -- when I actually posted my goals. Iiiidjit!

Okay, I've also spent the last two days writing a resume. (Confession: I've never had to write a resume, I know. )

So now here I am ready to start my goals. Yay! But now I have to make up for 3 days. Darn.
I did have an epiphany two days ago -- hey, maybe I should make regular epiphanies a goal -- initially I was taking my contemporary paranormal YA (that was finished but, had a distinct who are these people? to it) pulling it apart and using some of the premises and characters but making it historical and adding steampunk elements -- seemed easy.

Well, I stalled and I couldn't figure out why. Then it hit me; these people I was writing about weren't just my contemporary characters with different names. No. They were their own characters, damn it. Oh, and hey, the original characters? yeah, they wanted their lives back, but with purpose and cooler stuff.

So, now I have a YA that needs some major work, but most of the core stuff is done aaand I have my YA steampunkish that can now breath on its own. I am full up with shtuff and I love it.

What's happening with you guys?

OUT WITH A WHIMPER...

So, I realized I haven't been around lately. Oh, I've been around -- to lots of blogs, just not at my own blog.  Natalie Hartford visited and said she liked my goals -- er, um, those were from the first week in September. Talk about a slacker -- actually, let's not.

It's all good though. I'm already motivated for the next go around. I'm just not going to try for the big bang.

Think Small


Yup. No grandiose goals of finishing a WIP in 17 days, or brainstorming an entire plot in a caffeinated induced state of delusional genius-osity. Nope.

ROW80 taught me a few things about myself, I really like coming up with goals and I'm really bad at achieving them. Look, I'm a positive person -- I make Pollyanna look like a crab -- but these goals I made for myself were not conducive to me achieving them. I also learned, I have to actually make time to write, can't just wait for it to happen. Sheesh, who knew?

Goals: 
100 words a day -- no. matter. what. I don't care if I do have a life, I can eek out 100 words a day.


2 blogs a week (ROW80 check-ins do not, do. not. count.


Visit (at least) 5 other Row-ers of the 80 a week. 


That's it girls and boys. This makes me ridiculously happy. Baby goals, yay!