A 2005 NaNoWriMo Journal

Blam! And it's done!

2005-11-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

Wow. The last eight days have gone by in flurry of keystrokes. I've nominally finished this novel, but now that it's "done," I need to finish it. Like last year's novel, this one's completion is just the start. I think there are another 100k-150k words still to be written before it's ready for editing. There's no doubt that this will be as good as the first novel, which I have yet to write the last couple of scenes. Then edit. Then edit again. Then smoothe out. Then submit. And by then it'll be time for NaNoWriMo 2006. Gleesh!

Brunch and Typing

2005-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

Way fun time had today. by 11 we had several folks over, and only with reluctance did the last of the writers turn from typing to pie-eating at 3 in the afternoon. New traditions were born: in the Betazoid style of having a triangle rung at each bite of food consumed by important personages, we clutch of writers celebrated each person's completion of one thousand words by ringing a ceremonial chime and then everyone else proclaiming Huzzah! at their accomplishment.

A haiku written for the moment, and the month:

A keystroke rainfall
Words in this monsoon season
Wash minds of their doubt

Getting down and typing seriously. Note the chime on the far right.
	The silence was intense, palpable, and jsut a bit daunting. The flickering of keys, the pauses, were like looking inside a living brain and trying to spot thoughts.

30k and holding

2005-11-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

This is the part I hate. I enjoyed playing the martyr to get this far, but now I've got to bite down and get the last 20k down on virtual paper.

It wouldn't be so bad if I weren't mourning the loss of my laptop, with its gigs of data that I hope was backed up somewhere or another.

Or that I really hoped that I had something to write. Chris Baty's little platitudes are starting to rub raw on me; I'm not freaking bunny nibbling in a garden, I'm a writer, damnit, and I'm trying to write a novel that falls within this 11/1 through 11/30 time period. And the words don't always match the required word count.

Or maybe it's just that I'm balking against the tick-tocking of the NaNoWriMo clock.

Be that as it may, I'm off to write some more. I'm off through Monday, and then from Wednesday on. If I can't get this novel at least to 50k by them, something's gone horribly wrong!

Later that evening...

2005-11-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Postscript on the evening. Even when sick I can knock off about 1,000 words an hour. 2,000 words a night is just not hard. Which is a weird thing to say; even after I did it last year it seemed like an impossible number. Since then I moved 'Induction' from 50,025 to almost 107,000 words, and the process of word production has really gotten easier and easier.

Another thing: my characters have become much more inventive. They've come up with plot complications and solved them much more handily, more honestly, than "I" could. (No, I'm not going schitzoid!)

I'd like to end with a blessing to Jeff, creator and host until now of NaNoProMe: the progress meter (you can see the link to Jeff's page in the links section of this blog). Apparently his feature has died due to success: I think he had over 38Gb of traffic so far this month, and the ISP is wailing on him. Bro, you've done us all an honor. I wish I could host it from work, but parasitic free enterprise is frowned upon there. What am I saying: any free enterprise is frowned upon! (Note to self: FIND ANOTHER JOB!)

Thank you Jeff, for a great tool that I loved. May luck and good karma haunt your works until the end of time!

(I think I need more meds.... )

Yeah, well...

2005-11-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Started out with a bidabang, bidaboom. This week was a simper sigh, though. Went to a local write-in on Sunday and again on Tuesday -- and managed to get little done in the way of word count, but much in the way of socializing. I really need to get out more -- but after NaNoWriMo, shall we? Good thing I'm taking off the Mon/Tues before T-Day. An orgy of writing, a veritable fire hose of words shall (be decree) spew forth. I'm starting to think that this year's NaNoNovel will need a lot more editing than the last one.

Speaking of which, it's _STILL_ not quite done, owing to all the other things I wanna do. Like sleep. Or work. Feh! Details!

Foosh!

2005-11-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

Another quick post; I find myself doing so much writing aside from NaNoing that it amazes me that I can get in my goal of 2,000 words a day (when I write. 15,638 as of today. Last year was harder: I had characters yet to develop, scenes and background I needed to study and research before putting into the novel. I don't know what other people are doing, but my goal is not just to splort 50,000 words together, but create something that, like last year, I can continue to grow into a fully-fledged novel.

My daughter is pushing to get her 10,000 words up by today (which has eight minutes left by my clock -- I hope she's in bed!!!). I am exhilarated by her pushing forward with this lofty goal: I can't imagine me, at her age, being capable of even considering 50,000 words as an achievable goal. I am in awe of this young woman.

Meanwhile, my character still hasn't done much but almost get drowned. I'm alternating chapters in first person with third-person background or weaving events. These are much more exciting, usually, than the first person, although I expect they will weave together. After all, Laramie needs to get off the boat and onto shore to visit all the countries I have planned for him... .

Kid-o-WriMo

2005-11-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

My daughter has been possessed by the NNWM monster. Click on the image to see the short video clip. I wish I had her dedication to the cause. Of course, getting the right fingers on the right keys is also an issue...

Chris Baty, check this one out!

Galumph, galumph, galumph!!!!

2005-11-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

Off to the races. My characters weren't milling around, they were discussing dialog, and scene direction, and practicing action numbers I did't know they had in them. Wow. I needed to go back and read part of my first novel to get continuity, and I am (and I'm not bragging here) amazed at the level and coherence of the 1st novel. Induction needs to get finished so I can tweak the edits; it's really close to getting to a publisher even as it is. (Well, that might be conceit on my part.)

So is this a Mayan god, or just a pregnant skeleton used for a lamp? My character needs to figure some of this out; there's a message buried steganographically in the picture (not this one, silly!), and the message is not just the encrypted data, but also the picture, its meaning, the positioning, etc. I'm going to squeeze every last bit out of it. But does anyone know what this sculture is really about? If you do, drop me a comment! I'm pretty sure it's not Ixtab, suicide goddess, or Ix Chel the fertility, childbirth, etc. goddess. Although some folks have a pretty broad impression as to Ix Chel's scope of powers.

On second thought, maybe there is a link between them...

Snuggling -- Hah!

2005-11-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

Slept ill instead.

And we're off... almost

2005-10-31T20:14:00.000-08:00

So tempting, so tempting!

The core crew are getting set to get a jumpstart on me, writing from midnight to 2AM. Grrr. Snuggle w/honey -- write. Snuggle -- write. Snuggle. Sorry, but priorities are priorities. I'll have plenty of nights to turn the cold shoulder on the spouse.

So I've decided to use pbwiki.com to host the novel. As with last year, I'm not showing my cards, but I promise a nice, slick section of a chapter -- once I've written it.

Last year's novel, originally titled Archival Quality, is now Induction. This one will be titled Infection. We'll see what I end up with.

The characters are ready, milling around backstage. There are bits of scenery and props everywhere, and stage sets are packed in, like a coiled jack-in-the-box, for use. My brain is full of things that might do, they will do, and their betrayals of me and them. There are scraps of plot lines everywhere, in mental boxes, bins, toolchests and 55-gallon drums.

They'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

2 days to go

2005-10-30T14:40:00.000-08:00

I'm fuzzy, muzzy, wuzzy and just plain fretting about what to write. But it will just flow, like it did last time.

I am prepping a podcast for the NaNoWriMo Radio -- we'll see if it makes it out. I've never done one of these before, and it's daunting getting the piece together. I'll figure it out. I hope.

I'm working on weight and food issues at the same time; I wonder if my brain can handle all this plus work and family???

Ah, it's only for a month.

A Wiki for my novel!

2005-10-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! Finally a free wiki I can put my novel's universe in. A dictionary all my own. A fantastic sharing tool; get a peanut butter wiki for yourself today!!! Folks from my reading group, and NaNoWriMoans who sign up can see what's inside. Users can make their wikis public too, to share their intellectual property and destroy their copyright rights at will.

Lowdown is simple: pick a subdomain name, i.e., fred, fork over a password for you and your friends to use, and start wikking! Took me about a half hour to learn wiki style (as opposed to HTML), only to learn that I could use HTML for almost everything anyway. Wikis can be kept private, so only those with the password can enter, or public, which still prevents those without passwords from editing your stuff. David Weekly and his merry band of sleep-deprived gnomes have done a fantastic job.

I say this with the howl of slavering joy only a coffee-inflamed writer can scream: a free wiki frees the writer!

David, you're a genius!

(I think I might need to cut back a bit on the whole coffee thing...)

In Search of Wiki of my Own

2005-10-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

Trying to get my 'universe' onto a Wiki, but my ISP isn't playing, and finding free Wiki sites seems impossible. What use is open-source if you haven't servers on which to run it for free? Sigh, the Internet of yore was a nicer, quieter, space.

BrunchAWriMo!

2005-10-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

What could be better than eating home-made pancakes, dripping with syrup, served with bacon (or not!) and thick, spiced Turkish coffee in someone else's house the day after Thanksgiving? Eating home-made pancakes, dripping with syrup, served with bacon (or not!) and thick, spiced Turkish coffee in someone else's house the day after Thanksgiving while racing to finish your 50,000-word novel!

Feeding starts at 11AM and continues until it seamlessly merges with the Pie Party (see #1 below).

Of course, there's a catch. Well, two, really. No, I take that back: Three!

3-9 PM that day is the Sixth famed Annual International Pie Party. I have it on good authority that folks of the musical persuasion will be there, so bring instruments of vibration (strings, vocal chords, etc.). Pie is hereby defined as round and edible (or contained in something round). So rhubarb, strawberry, pizza, humble... those will work. Think of something intriguing. Like a flirtatious Merlot, or a sexy cheesecake. Or get really creative: chili pie with cornbread topping, curried chicken pie in filo dough, and sweetened Japanese rice balls have been weird favorites of the past. Kitchen is available for putting your project together, cooling, warming, or finishing off. (But mommy says you can play only after you finish your writing goal for the day!)
Cleaning of plates and kitchen areas in preparation for the sacred Pie Party. But you're all thoughtful guests, so that's a given. Right?
THIS IS A FUNDRAISER FOR NANOWRIMO'S LIBRARY FUND! BRING $$$ (Well, bring $ at least.) I'll be kicking in some $$$ to ensure that it's a donation, not just a 50% support of Chris Baty's wild life style, fueled on the back of us miserable writers. Seriously, don't let $$$ (or $) stop you. Bring your brain and novel and we'll work from there. I've got pads of paper for you anachronisms out there.

If you're local, NaNoMail me for the precise address and contact info.

Technical comments: We have cats, who are mostly like very self-assured humans. Smogging is verboten but you're welcome to 'check on the car,' as a dear friend put it, out by the curb. There's wifi, children and lots of nooks and crannies to set up shop. If you have special needs, let the ghoddess with the halo know.

Weird Tickers

2005-10-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing to report; just a weird countdown ticker I found....

Novel Warmup

2005-10-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

With words still left to write in my novel-cum-NaNoWriMo 2004 project, I'm leery about writing the next volume just yet. Fortunately I have several dozen story ideas already in summary format regarding the same universe, so I'll be doing one of them, in diary format in 1st person, or as a novel in 3rd person. Induction (the first novel) is in 1st person, and I'm getting a little sick of things happening to me personally .

I feel I've been blessed in an Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Ben Bova or Larry Niven (puppeteers or Kzin) kind of way: an entire universe, with rich history and lots of plot lines to work with. Enough material for me to get good and sick of after the (adult) fanzines cash in.

U-Turn, NaNoWriMoRadio

2005-10-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

50,000 words is going to be too much for the alternate history novel. I'll send Ben Yehuda another one, while I work on the next book in the series from last year's NaNoWriMo. Bummer.

On the technical side, listened to the podcast. Quick review. 1st minute: clearly. speaking. too. slowly. Once Chris and Sam (who dat?) got going, it's a good interview. Might be worth doing a n audio segment for our area.

Getting revved up

2005-10-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last year's mad rush to 50,000 words has turned into over 100,000 officially today -- and there's about 10-15k more to write before I start editing. 497 pages. Woof.

This year's entry will be very focused, since it's for an entry in Ben Yehuda Press' possible anthology of Jewish alternative history stories. Harry Turtledove and company do these stories with panache, but one on a Jewish theme? As in, what happens if the Hashmona'im lose to the Greeks? What if the Third Temple was rebuilt by Shabtai Tsvi? What if Jews really did control the world's finances and press?

NaNoWriMo rules state that one can start taking notes, jotting down ideas, etc. before November 1, but no actual writing. This is a toughie for me; I generally start by plunking down several thousand words before the idea percolates. And what with blogging on other fronts, work, family, community... it's as if November's already upon me.

Starting at the End

2005-09-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

I started writing for NaNoWriMo last year, and I am hooked. It was also my introduction to blogging from a personal sense. I met incredible people and their stuffed animal avatars, and writers of in many genres, using all kinds of methods: PC Word files, spiral-bound notebook with neat scribings, AlphaSmart tablets that are later uploaded, and cursive, longhand manuscripts written on loose sheaf of papers [shudder].

That first novel of 50,000-plus words is now an almost 100,000 word novel, and I'm hoping to write its sequel this year.