The Not-velist

Tooooomoroow, tomorrow ...

2011-10-31T13:03:00.004Z

Nanowrimo 2011 starts tomorrow, folks. Tomorrow! Not even a whole sleep left! It starts at midnight tonight! I might actually start at midnight, I've never done that before. It might not be very good, but it would be nice to wake up in November 1st knowing I've already got a K in the bag. Oooh, excited!
I'm also very excited about a new (to me) feature in yWriter: if you open a scene and right click on it, you get a menu where one feature is Full screen with margins!! It blocks out everything else and has a book width area to write in, which is so much better than having the text run from edge to edge on a wide screen ... and you can set a background colour as well if you think it gets too white. Right click again, uncheck the Full screen option, and you're back to the normal editing window to save and exit. Loving that already! Bring on November. I can't wait!

Welcome back, buddies!

2011-10-29T22:32:00.002+01:00

The migration from the old to the new site has started, and some time this weekend all your buddies will come back to you. That means just about all our favourite functions are back: Nanomail, forums, buddies, profiles, which leaves only one thing: Word count!

Oh. Yeah, that won't start until November 1st anyway, after you've been to the Kick-Off event tomorrow at five (Clue: Miss Dayglo in the library with an Alphasmart), procrastinated for another day and had another sleep. And then: Start writing!

Prep talk

2011-10-24T09:37:00.005+01:00

So yesterday, after I had deleted good writing software from my PC and collected all my notes into my Filo, I just couldn't wait any longer to get writing. But actually starting would be cheating ... and I like the 1667 a day for a month challenge ... so I decided to do a test run of the bare bones of the story. I basically wrote a summary of the main events - no dialogue, no emotional or descriptive stuff - and actually found a few weak spots, plot holes and inconsistencies which have now been patched up. This exercise has definitely made my story stronger. If I had run into these problems in November and had to solve them at speed, I might have lost my way completely in an attempt to bridge them. And although veering off the path is one of the great joys of Nanowrimo, I'd rather have 50K of a solid story by the end of November than having to delete 20K of tangents and dead ends straight away.
That's it, I feel ready now, and will spend the last week trying to get as much work done as possible, so I can take more time off in November!

November is looming ...

2011-10-23T11:33:00.010+01:00

Yes, it's that time of year again - how did that happen? The Nanowrimo site has been rebuilt so it's shinier and faster than ever before, the boards have been wiped and are all up and working again, and as soon as they sort the last little niggles it'll all be better than ever. Yay! Bring on Nanowrimo 2011!

This year we've got over 200 affiliates even before November starts, so hopefully we'll see more people in the Write-Ins? Last year all the regulars won with time to spare, so it's definitely working.

And speaking of Write-Ins - what to write? I have rewritten the beginning of my fun project, so the plan is to carry on with - and actually finish - that one. Knowing Jack, though (looong story), he might just show up again. That's okay. November for me is all about writing, so I'll write whatever presents itself.

This last week before Nanowrimo I am going to do a bit of preparation:
I have already deleted possible procrastination programmes from my PC, such as Scrivener (shiny, but I prefer yWriter), PageFour (like it, but prefer OneNote), StorYBook (good for outline, can't write in it), Writing Outliner (great Word plug-in, still prefer CbC); they are all good, but I have tried them, don't use them, and I know that if I leave them there, I'll start fiddling about thinking I missed something. I didn't. Not in 2007, not in 2008, not in 2009 ... not even last year. So they had to go. (And I'll try not to download them again. Or Storybox.)
I have also slowly started going offline by putting stuff into my new database - a Filofax. I love the way I can insert and remove, rearrange and tab it to suit my needs (and the weight of all the lovely noveliness inside), and it's a brilliant way to avoid the laptop and all its evil distractions. I'll be writing on my Neo at Write-ins and probably on trains and in sofas, so that's another big chunk of internet time avoided.
Oh, and I've taken time off work! I still have half a translation to do, but that can be combined with noveling because the Neo has eight file spaces - I can jump from work to Nano at the press of a button!

So I'm ready. As ready as I'll ever be. Pop into the Chester forum lounge, introduce yourself and get to know your fellow Cestrian Wrimos!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/regions/europe-england-chester

Spring cleaning

2011-03-04T12:21:00.009Z

Oops, there seems to be a thick layer of dust on my blog! I haven't posted anything since ... er, since Nano 2010 started, which is ridiculous, seeing as I started it to blog about Nano. It's just, well, with Write-ins and Days of Writing Dangerously and all the writing I had to do, I'm afraid its little cries for attention went completely unnoticed. I profoundly apologise and have now changed the all over look of it to make up for this cruel and heartless neglect.
If you want to know, and maybe you do, I WON! I did my usual thing: Started one project, threw it to one side and started another mid-Nano. But hey, it works for me! In the end I got 35+K written on the story about Jack, who was and still is in the cellar, but this time bleeding. I ironed out a lot of problems and illogical and contrived plot devices along the way and discovered at least ten new characters who belonged in the story. I just love it when that happens. Jack is now my RP, my Research Project, and I keep making notes and gathering info about his times and places in preparation for The Day When I Have Time to Concentrate On It.
But what about the 15+K I threw away? Well, that's another story for another time, a totally different project that needs a different approach. I can't just seat-of-my-pants it. It'll be my PP - my Passion Project. I'll take it slow and make it really special.

At the moment I am trying to make more people coming to Write-Ins so I can carry on with my WIP (Write-In Project/Work In Progress), a Norwegian feelgoody story which is fun to write. I have decided to finish it for the sake of actually finishing something, because without a finished first draft there will never be a finished novel. So there. This year I am going to finish a project, no matter what.

And on that slightly scary note I scurry off to do my work and make my notes and watch some Nordic Combined, as you do.

These are a few of my favourite things ...

2010-10-21T20:58:00.007+01:00

Oooh, excited! I've got a new desk! It's huge! I have spent ages furnishing it with dictionaries, notebooks, boxes of desk things, Nanowrimo mugs filled with pens, different decorative bits and bobs, and now everything is within easy reach no matter what I'm doing. Fabulous! Can't wait to sit there and work and write - I can actually have both going on at the same time and just turn or roll from one work station to the next. Now all I have to do is fix that magnetic notice board above it and it's (I'm) good to go.Yay!
But there's more: No more Mac envy! Not only is Scrivener releasing a beta version for Windows in time for Nanowrimo; if you participate or win and get verified, you get discount vouchers for the release proper early next year! 20% for Nano participants, 50% for winners. Nice!
And so is my new Nano tote bag, seen here: https://store.lettersandlight.org/merchandise/nanowrimo-deconstructed-logo-tote-bag
It has ample room for my Alphasmart Dana/Neo, a folder of related paperwork, has a designated notebook pocket and a narrow pen pocket on the inside, and is made of very sturdy canvas material - this one can handle anything you care to chuck into it!
Not too happy with the Nanowrimo mug though - it's to heavy and lumpy, so it's become a pen holder. But a good looking one!

Chester region now open!

2010-09-25T21:41:00.004+01:00

Third time is indeed a charm, and the Chester Nanowrimo forum region is now open for business! The boards will be wiped clean on the first of October, but after that we will be in business for the first time. More as my ML credentials come through. Now off we all go to flex creative muscle in preparation for the annual awesomeness that is Nanowrimo!

Fingers crossed

2010-09-12T21:35:00.003+01:00

Apparently, third time is a charm. And so, apparently, we are to have our own Nanowrimo region this year - a brand, spanking, glittery, literary Chester region, no less! With yours humbly as ML. But this has gone wrong twice before, so I am keeping fingers crossed until I get the confirmation that we are in fact to have our own little kingdom this year. The Liverpool ML has already challenged us to a word war, so we have to!

Didn't she do well!

2009-11-27T01:17:00.003Z

Yes, I am cleverly linking back to the post below and thinking: I did indeed fall behind with a crash, a boom and a right old dusty bang, and am now almost unable to make it. On The Night of Writing Dangerously I managed 7005 words mainly thanks to so called word sprints - and indeed other sprinters via twitter (Hi, Kasi and Katrina!). I have decided the 15 minute sprint works for me; start on the hour, write for 15, break, refreshments, joining the dots and general chilling for 15, then start again on the half hour and repeat. Twenty or thirty minutes is too long for sprinting purposes, I think, even though I sometimes kept on writing for half an hour if I got into it. Now I'm thinking I've got, technically, four days left and 27.500 words missing. Howzat for doing failure properly! Am I creating a dramatic curve with a bit of height or what! Now watch me throw myself maniacally into it (in slow motion and with underdog-about-to-make-it soundtrack if you like) and - well. Either fall on my face or run triumphantly, fuelled by demon refined sugar and caffeine, obviously, wild eyed and acne ridden, over the goal line JUUUUST before the last gong. The race is on!

Now stop blogging and get writing, you (me)!

An old saying ...

2009-11-09T21:13:00.004Z

You know the one; If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
(This, incidentally, does not apply to Nano itself, where the whole object of the exercise is to brutally kidnap, chain and gag your inner editor and lock him or her up somewhere yucky and throw away the key. In broad strokes, anyway.)
So I can proudly say to myself: I have indeed Fallen Properly Behind. No one can accuse me of just lagging or being a tad short on the word count - oh, no, I have done a mighty fine job of it. Currently on 6,000 words and change out of a required 15,000. And this on the day when the first fellow local Wrimo has passed the finishing line. Yay me!
(This, curiously, does not dampen my enthusiasm one bit, as in my typery absence my characters have been working flat out in HQ plotting and scheming, sorting out the strands of the main story, inserting highs and lows and generally developing into rounded and believable people. They must be literature's answer to the birds and mice getting Cinders' dress ready. Thanks, guys!)
So there we have it. The cheeriest girl to be almost 10K short of her Nano target yet.
Week Two has only just begun, there is no need to panic!

Sparks flying!

2009-11-03T23:15:00.005Z

Yes! In any and all directions! Whiteboard Without-a-trace-ish timelines have been Dettol-wiped off in favour of impromptu family trees and names of next of kin of at least five brand new, fictional people that feel like life long, near and dear friends. No dialogues yet, thank ye gods. Just pure, unadulterated background stories, footholds, soap boxes and firm bases for the characters taking part. I wouldn't even be surprised if they met up in a staff room somewhere deep inside my head where they could bitch about stuff to each other. Yay! You know it's Nano when you are getting slightly odd (multiple personalities, conversations with self in public and veeery hard to engage in meaningful interaction in three dimensional surroundings) and you can't help but think it's a down right marvellous and blessed thing!

I know. I'm going to sit in a corner now until it passes. With Nero.

(Yay!)

Day 3

2009-11-03T16:04:00.003Z

Falling behind, but not too much. Find that I am writing very fast, not just technically fast, but that I fall into that white writing very easily when I do find the time to write, as if I were hard wired to just crack on as soon as my hands find the lovely Neo keyboard. As if it has been chugging along up there and been stored up waiting for the next chance to flow out. This is how we like it! Going out tonight and bringing Neo (a charcoal Neo2 by the name of Nero, obviously) to the pub. No problem writing in noisy places last year, apart from the drunk-nurse-kicking-table-and-spilling-my-pint-in-my-Alphie incident. Alphie seemed to recover, though - pint off a duck's back to him. And the nurse might just feature in a different story ... We might as well use and reuse what comes our way!

Hope everyone has had a good start this year, Chet is miles in front already - well done!

... and we're off!

2009-11-01T12:05:00.003Z

Yep, it's that time of year again and Nanowrimo is indeed upon us! I woke up early intending to get started on my magnum opus straight away, but swooshy blusteryness and drummings of rain kept me from getting out of bed. Well, I still have a whole month, right?

This year I have reduced the number of storylines to two at the start (errr), one for each language. We'll see how it goes when stray ideas come crashing the party as per usual.

Best of luck to all of you out there having a go at writing your novels or other texts this November, may your inner editor be silent and your muse ever present! Go go go!

Not my week

2009-10-01T00:24:00.003+01:00

Okay, so the laptop was, quite literally, a non-starter. I even tried to reinstall Vista from scratch, removed every attachment apart from the power cable, put the CD in and did what they told me ... and it said it couldn't do a thing because something connected to it made it crash! Well duh, what was connected to it was ELECTRICITY, and if it can't handle that, I really don't see a bright future for it. So it is going back for a refund. Now there's a week of my life I won't get back. I lost a chunk of work as well and had to do it again, and deadline is looming. And tonight I looked once again for the Chester forum to see if it had popped up without telling me - or had indeed told me but got the pooey laptop and not got through - and there it wasn't. Instead of waiting until it got too late I got in touch with Lindsey, and we decided that since there was now a (much bigger) Liverpool region just around the corner, the Chester region is on hold yet again. If it turns out people want that separate online forum, it can be arranged next year (third time, apparently, is a charm) but organising meet-ups for the Cestrian crowd can be done without it. So to recap:
*I finally got a new laptop but have no useable laptop
*I have translated enough for a book but am not finished
*I have volunteered twice to ML but am not ML
(sigh)
... but on a happier note, next week is Chester Literature Festival, I am hoping to send in my work with large invoice and get my next contract in the mail, and then I will start relaxing and looking forward to Nano as a participant instead. One month to go! Yay!
(does anyone have a suggestion for a good, reliable laptop??)

Dell Hell

2009-09-29T23:11:00.004+01:00

Yes, I did. I ordered a new laptop when good, old Della gave up at least three quarters of the ghost the other week. It was then delivered, so far so good. It then got plugged in and fired up, ditto. From there on in - poo. It does nothing but crash, and I hasten to add that it is most probably the Vista which is the culprit, but still! One week, three reboots and God only knows how many crashes, restarts and lost - YES; LOST - emails, links, settings and shortcuts (the AUTOCORRECTIONS!!! aaargh!) and large chunks of my work for the last week due to spontaneous shutdowns, I have now given up on it. They can have it back. If they can't tell me on the phone how to do it, then they can come and get it, fix it and hand it back when it does what it is supposed to. Like connect to a printer. Or download something without getting a coughing fit. I'm just sayin.

Any lucky charm will do!

2009-09-10T01:07:00.004+01:00

I have always thought it was good to have some sort of little figure or some other lucky charm or quirky inspirational familiar keeping an eye on me and my writing, a pair of painted or button eyes staring sternly at me when i procrastinate and winking encouragingly when I'm on a roll. These days some people even use them in pics instead of themselves online, which has its good points. But you can't really force these things, so after I lost my cuddly owl at the writers' summer course years ago, I have been entirely charm-less. (Don't go there.)
But today, as I sauntered in the sunshine on my way from the hospital to the gym, there she was. Face down on the grassy verge, poor thing. In her best dress; I just had to see if she was okay. Clearly she was vulnerable and alone. I had never seen her before, naturally, and she was not very forthcoming with regards to personal information; secretive, and why not; so I instantly named her Griselda, from the Norwegian word gris, meaning pig. She will be known to many of you under a different name, but that's a totally different thing. That was then, this is now, she took her destiny in her own little hands, escaped and lay in wait in the grass. She might even have had a little nap. Who knows, she might have had a little tipple early on, or been on the run all night and then given in to sleep knowing she was safe. See? Stories sprouting already.
So, without further ado, here she is; Griselda, my unlikely muse and pictorial representative!

Blank page anxiety remover!

2009-09-04T17:15:00.007+01:00

I've just been trawling the net for the technical differences between a Neo and a Neo2 - the latter's charcoal grey colour being infinitely preferable to the former's yucky dodgy army green - but in the midst of it all, thinking Why on Earth am I looking at another Neo?? I suddenly realised the answer was: Because with a Neo, there is never ever a blank first page which will ruin the entire, brand new, pretty and perfect notebook you have been lusting after for ever and render it useless and ashamed if you write something lame on it or have a bad handwriting day ... With a Neo, you just glance around quickly to make sure no one is watching you mess up, delete the offending lame-ity (innocent whistling optional) and start again, and it's still as shiny and new and perfect as it was before. Plus it's like eight of them in one! I have probably spent as much on ruined notebooks in the last ten years as I would on a new Neo. Ah, the temptation (it would involve selling the old on eBay, obviously). Present for self after a successful Nano 2009, perhaps?

Intrigued? Have a look: www.renlearn.co.uk/alphasmart_neo2_chart.html

The demise of reliable Della!

2009-08-19T00:45:00.002+01:00

So alas, it seems we have come to the end of the road. My reliable Della can no longer be relied upon to get in touch with her hard drive due to old age (possibly aided by dust bunnies, crumbs and coffee). She keeps crashing and going on the blink, losing data, having geriatric episodes and being generally moody. My formerly reliable Della has been a marvellous little laptop, if a little on the hot side, with a great keyboard and nice stickers. I have been browsing for a replacement on her, even though it feels a bit like cheating and being caught red handed (lusting after the serious hardware in the business section) ... I imagine. Poor thing, I will let her rest now and use ol' Dusty at the back of the pile of papers on the desk until I find a decent lappy to take her place. Bless.

Long time, no blog

2009-08-13T11:17:00.003+01:00

Hi all, yes, I am still here, quietly working away in the corner, not really up to much worth blogging about. This spring and summer has been a bit of a write-off due to illness, but fingers crossed the end is nigh and the meds kick in, hopefully propelling me back into the world of the happy and healthy. (Pain is poo. Don't try it at home, folks.)

Anyhoo, I have - as per usual - managed to come up with three - 3 - ideas for my Nano project this year. One historical and broad story which involves a LOT of research (Liverpool museums, here I come!), one Crime in the Community type whodunnit with a very reluctant heroine requiring a LOT of clever plotting, and one attempt at some sort of light-but-not-too-fluffy chick lit requiring a lot less of both. With so many different tones, themes and possibilities, I will have no excuse whatsoever to sit there staring blankly into the middle distance hysterically thinking WhatnowWhereisthisgoingIcan'trememberanywordsHelp! As I frequently do. With Dana's eight different instantly accessible work spaces I'll just dedicate one for each story and hop between them if and when the mood strikes me. I am really looking forward to it, and hope that there will be a nice group in Chester this year. I suppose I should start going in every so often to check out possible places to meet up, with and without wi-fi etc.

I am enjoying the planning at the moment, but I won't actually start writing until November. In the meantime there are deadlines, as per usual, and a seriously downsized trip to Arles. But unfortunately no proper walking this autumn. I'll just have to make do with sitting at a café in the south of France nursing a glass of nice red and jotting down plot ideas and snippets of description ... it's a hard life.

New classic!

2009-05-04T17:44:00.004+01:00

Those of you who knew me when I proofread my first Chinese Horrorscope will no doubt remember such classics as "Do not go to the market if you are midget" for Don't sell yourself short, or indeed "It's time to blow the bassoon" for blowing your own trumpet. But fret not, there are some good ones in this one too! "You can get a more personal life," frinstance, this is always a good thing. Unlike "being stabbed behind your back." But the best so far is "Do not ruffle more feathers than you can chew." Hear, hear!

And there it was - gone.

2009-05-04T17:05:00.004+01:00

Poo. I was just getting nicely started! Actually started getting the story moving of its own momentum, at least it felt like it - I have no idea where it was/is going. No rule against carrying on between Screnzies, which is good, because I would really like to see where this bare bones, plot obsessed, lines and actions type of writing takes me. This one is not an idea I can use as a skeleton and flesh out for Nano, it has its own dynamic and pace and won't suit the ... confines? of prose. I have always thought prose had a lot more opportunities than any other writing genre, because it can describe the effects of them, but this time it feels as if it wouldn't do the job at all. Is it because it is pure showing, no telling? Or is it the very tempting idea of letting music do half the mood and scene setting, in addition of course to the ... er, setting. Making a note of day or night, forest or café and moving on, because you don't have to describe it in sharp and fresh detail - the audience is supposed to actually see it! Job done. Or at least a part of it. So the sole focus is on the lines, the composition, the flow of the visual story. Very interesting, very fascinating, very new to me, thinking and writing this way. Must do it more. Must try harder.

Screnzy fade-out looming

2009-04-26T22:41:00.004+01:00

Missed it. Again. Can I have another April now, please? Because I really feel like I need to Get Out More (never mind just Getting Out and having an Out-of-house experience), get fresh air and see people and stretch my legs and blink my baffled, rectangular eyes as the light - sunshine, is it? - hits me. Need to have non-scripted events take place - reality, is it? - around me for once. Hear people saying things without quotation marks. Have situations start and end without chapter headings and cliffhangers. Just simply be out there in the - world, see, I know that one. I have been reading up, translating and proofreading for a month solid now, whinge, whinge. How am I going to get freckles this way? Or exercise?

And not just that, but I have obviously been through a few possible stories for Scriptfrenzy - these adrenaline fuelled in-a-month challenges always seem to kick my creativity into overdrive - and now it is just about over, and I have only just begun. No fair! I know, I know, I have a whole year to plan and outline the latest blockbuster screenplay now, but it's not the same, is it? And before I know it, it'll be November and I am to be not just participating, but ML-ing Nanowrimo in Chester! Maybe I should outline the Screnzy plot and use it for a story skeleton to be fleshed out at Nano, and then adapt it back into a screenplay next April ... (groan)

Anyway, on a happy note: I have found yet another interesting idea, and it actually fits into my whodunnit school of thought, so there. I find that sort of story much easier to work on when time is tight, because it starts off like a puzzle to me as well, and I can play about with the different elements until all the pieces fit and the information is correctly spaced. (And yay! I am translating a book by the Queen of Puzzles next! Won't say more until I have got the contract signed ...) As soon as that works, the rest of the story can be light hearted, gritty, litty, noir ... which ever you want, all you have to do is write it. Easy peasy.

All I need now is to win the lottery.

Oops, I did it again ...

2009-04-16T16:12:00.004+01:00

Okay, so it's far into Screnzy and I am lagging behind to say the very least. This year I have tried to adapt one of the (manifold) Nano stories from last November, but I find that two of my three main characters are stood - resolutely - in mortal danger, and all they can do is waffle. I can sort of see the film in my head, but I am getting nowhere near transferring it to the page. Also, of course, with recesson hitting one of the companies I have been working for, leaving them unable to pay me and me chasing the next deadline to get the cash flow sorted, time is at a premium and voluntary, unpaid writing has to go and stand over there at the back.

Never mind, as the title suggests, I have gone and done a by now familiar and expected thing; I have changed the story. I nipped into a Liverpool write-in on the way home from observing the 2 minute silence in remembrance of the Hillsborough tragedy, and they must have inspired me no end, because on the train I whipped good, old Neo (upgraded) out and got three pages down before I almost missed my stop and had to grab everything and get off. I have now added, and will no doubt add more, because all of a sudden I am loving it, having fun with it and wishing I had more time to spend on it! My poor, sodden protagonists from the failed first attempt will have to stay in mortal danger for a while longer at the beginning of the script, though, to prop up the number of pages ...

Hope everyone else is enjoying the process and/or the product! It's not over yet!

Back on my head.

Grrrr ...

2009-03-28T12:29:00.008Z

Typical. The Liverpool ScriptFrenzy gang are getting together for a pre-Screnzy meet and greet tonight, and I have still got 140 pages left of the #*<&#*!! proofreading I have been suffering with for OVER A WEEK already. Usually I would have had it done, dusted, invoiced, archived and forgotten by now, but this translator (and I use the word in its most frivolous sense) has chosen to follow the hitherto unknown, unseen and unheard of rule of the comma: Insert in exactly the same place as in original version. Oh, and add a few more for effect. (Which effect, I hear you ask? Why, making the proofreader cry and tear her long locks out, of course.)
Now I know that in English you are for some reason not supposed to put a comma before and, or or but, but I have yet to hear a good reason why. Is there one, or is it just one of those things? I read English sentences the same way I read Norwegian ones; as they stand, with every letter, word, space and symbol. If there is no comma, I will just carry on at speed. The fact that words like and and but suddenly appear does not make me insert a little break or change in tone of voice - I don't see them until I read them, and then it is too late. For me, the comma (and the full stop, colon, semi colon et al) are the conductors of speech, or the director, if you will. If a sentence is long and winding and keeps loading on those ands and buts but never gives me any clear indication that maybe I should make a little break or anything and just leaves me to it I will just read it all out in one single monotone and then put the book or whatever it might be abruptly down and think to myself that I won't be bothering with that then.
So - commas. I know my commas, at least in Norwegian. In this case, the translator has effectively made the whole book unreadable. There is a mistake in just about every single sentence. I have to find commas, delete them, add others, split sentences, rearrange words and rewrite. And it gets worse: There are word-for-word translations of English expressions, rendering them meaningless; misunderstandings regarding tea and tea (I hope I never get served a sausage-and-baked-beans hot water infusion); tests, matches and test matches, not to mention wireless operators becoming puppets without strings ... AAARGH! It would have been easier to just do it all again.
So, my friends, this is the reason why I have to stay home today, tonight and tomorrow to get this thing done and delivered by Monday morning.
Thanks for listening. Comma. I feel better now. Full stop.

Screnzy!!!

2009-03-19T15:06:00.004Z

Hi, it's me again - do you still remember me? I have come back early from my Camino this time for several reasons. Even though it was a great trip all in all, I was actually glad to be home a week early and though I might get a little bit quieter than usual when an Office of Letters and Light event is going on, I have decided to try to get my hunded pages of script done for ScriptFrenzy no matter what. I need to get my creative brain back in shape as much as - or maybe more than - the rest of me. Also this year there is a ScriptFrenzy Municipal Liaison in Liverpool, YAY! so I am hoping for meetings and write-ins and all the stuff that goes with Screnzy. Hopefully I will be able to take part and then learn a thing or two before it's my turn to be ML for Nanowrimo in Chester in November! Join me, I've got stickers ...
But first things first; ScriptFrenzy starts in April and the goal is writing 100 pages of original script before the end of the month. Have a look at the we site for all the info: http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/ and join a group near you!
More when I get going, I'm type247 there as well, so get in touch and we can cheer each other on!

Breaking the surface/silence

2009-02-10T11:39:00.003Z

November madness feels like a different age, a different country now. Since then I have translated not one, but two novels (two different publishers, doesn't do to let them know about each other), had Christmas with parental pneumonia and 'flu (Christmas dinner was vegetable soup) and then, in this new and supposedly marvellous year (the Chinese got it right; it is all Bull so far), my editor cracked up completely and got all her dates in a twist, leaving me with six - 6! - weeks to finish another translation! Hence the complete and resounding silence from this end.

BUT now deadline is fast approaching, and so, luckily, is the last page of this book. Not impressed with having to hurry like this, but on the bright side I get more money for a shorter work period and then two weeks off before I go walking in Spain again. And in these two weeks I WILL get lots of exercise, read several books, get more freckles, visit the Zoo at least twice, break in the hiking trainers and backpack properly, translate the Camino Portugues guide from English to Norwegian so my walking buddy can road test it as we go, get a scan and lose this cold. Yay! And at some point I am going shopping for the ultimate diary and pen (lightweight, of course) to bring to the Camino with me and get some writing done every day.

By the way, I will be asking for sponsorship in aid of Comic Relief as well - I am bringing a camera and a selection of red noses (as you do) and taking pics of me and good, ol' Saint Jim in the Cathedral when I reach Santiago plus a few along the way. And all funds go straight to the cause - I was shocked to find that some people use the donations to pay for their own expenses when they are raising money!? That's not charity, nor is it cricket. Poo on them.

Oh, and then there's April and ScriptFrenzy!! Any of you Nano-ers doing it this year? More fun, more frustration, more caffein and Maltesers and sudden Eureka-moments and itching to delete and all night writing sessions and falling behind and catching up and looking at that sentence with baffled disbelief; did I write that? But it's ... it's ... (brilliant/ridiculous/beautiful/horrendous/just right/so funny!) Have a look at http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/ I'm type247 there too, so feel free to buddy me if you want. Last year I was innundated with ideas during Nano and found it hard to concentrate on just the one, so I am going to use one of the leftovers for my Screnzy project. Think Dr Who gothic ...

And then there is more translation, more training, more books, more walks in the Zoo and more freckles, and then in September I go for The big one; the Camino Frances. Stay tuned.

Addendum

2009-01-06T23:58:00.002Z

+ Buy new laptop, preferably one which is NOT coal powered like poor old Della here
+ Wear my fabulous red Bubblecow badges for extra ooomph and inspiration boost
+ Join or start a writing circle or some such to exercise brain matter properly
+ Use experiences from the Caminos in writing somehow

So many goals, so few days in a year! I definitely don't have time to have this cold. Medicinal whiskey and off to bed to wake up refreshed and full of beans!

New Year's Resolution-ish

2009-01-04T19:48:00.002Z

1. More BICHOK (Bum In Chair, Hands On Keyboard)
2. Less timewasting
3. Walk to Santiago again - and again
4. Do ScriptFrenzy again, and win this time
5. Finish one or more Nano projects before the end of the year
6. Try to get decent pay for my work as an incentive to work, well, less.
7. Take Himself away on a proper holiday
8. Read a LOT more books (preferably whilst on holiday)
9. Feel a warm glow of contentment and achievement in December 2009, knowing I have done my best.

Viking power

2008-12-02T00:40:00.002Z

Well, what do you know? This year there were actually two different Nano winner badge designs, and one of them is a Viking ship! Seeing as I spent the last ten days of Nano in Northern Norway (with my new Neo, for neat alliteration purposes), and also because I am of pure Viking blood - if a little lacking in the sea legs department - I thought I would stick that one on the top of the blog and still keep the other one next to the 2007 badge. Grand! I am already looking forward to the next one ... but don't tell anyone ...

Madness!

2008-12-01T12:48:00.002Z

Thank God that's over. When's the next one?

If anyone looked at my stats in my sudden silence, I can assure you that I didn't do it all in the last days - well, quite a lot, but not as much as the Nano stats made it look! I have been away to Norway for ten days, surprise weddings, fjord trips and what not, and even though I had my Neo with me so I could write, I couldn't always find a pc to download to or to change the stats. I was adding up the different word counts as I went, so I kind of knew how many words I had and that I could still make it ... But the rest of the manuscript was still in my laptop here, and on several different files for good measure, so when I came home last night - LATE last night, courtesy of delays, train replacement services, cancellations and various other hickups - it was a mad scramble to paste all the scraps and bits into one big document and throw it at the validatory elves with nine - NINE - minutes to go!!! I even got about a hundred more than I thought I had, which was nice of them.

Today I'm back at work catching up, so it hasn't really dawned on me yet. But way to go, all of you Nanoers out there! Whether you crossed that 50.000 finishing line or not, you did so much more writing this month than you would have done without it, and it feels brilliant, doesn't it? Enjoy the warm Nano glow and melt it into a Christmas one, you have definitely deserved it!

Oh, and next year I am NOT going anywhere or doing anything else, if I am going to be ML. There will be meet-ups, write-ins, stickers, encouraging emails and a finishing party! Hope to see you again then, or even before - there is still editing to be done!

My name is Alphie, and I'm doused in alcohol

2008-11-20T00:35:00.003Z

So there I am, in the pub again, having taken time out from pooey proofreading to get some Nanoing done, and this nurse - nurse! I ask you! What is the world coming to? - schlumps into our table sending real ale and bubbly lager flying all over the place, including into and all over my brand new and shiny Neo, which is still essentially on probation. Oooh, the scramble for tissues and cloths and other moisture-removers ... but after the commotion died down I realised I had a little nurse (drunk) hanging off my leg begging for forgiveness, and what can you do? Neo seems relatively okay, but it made my Nanoing session grind to a splashy halt - after 1139 words. Poo! Every little helps, is the constant refrain here, but sometimes a drop in the pint is just that - a drop. We're already two thirds through Nano, and Abby hasn't even got down the stairs and into the mysterious dark cellar yet! Pray for me, ducklings, for I might not make it. Go, dearies, go!! We can't have more than one falling by the wayside this year!

Nano on hold - grrrr!

2008-11-15T17:15:00.002Z

Editor wants her proofread manuscript back in November now, not December, so everything is on hold - the gym, training walks before the March Camino, sitting in the Library typing my own stories, going to cafés with my brand spanking new Neo, actually cooking meals every evening - Aaaargh!
Nano is at a complete standstill, the only thing I do every day is get up, make coffee, sit down in chair, hands on keyboard, reading about stupid English people in America in the days of the Settlers. Oh, hurrah. With a bit of luck I should be able to get back to it next week. In the meantime: Yays, applause and all manner of imaginary baked or liquid treats for the rest of you who are still going strong!

The perfect Christmas present!

2008-11-13T00:47:00.003Z

Please, Santa? Buy them at http://www.bubblecow.co.uk/bubblecow_christmas_gifts.html

Also check out their fabulous draw for a free book edit! God, I love this stuff. Oh, and I've just passed 15.000 words! And started on a new story ... I'll be writing a collection of short stories next year if this carries on.

Done/not done

2008-11-12T18:47:00.003Z

Done! I have finished the deadline keeping me from concentrating properly on Nano so far. Obviously there are other deadlines on the horizon, but this was a biggun and I am so relieved to be finished ...

And while I'm on the subject of great news: My replacement, brand new Neo arrived today! I checked if it had the Dvorak keyboard layout straight away, because that apparently means it is one of the most recent models, and it did! It's charging away in its Neopoo-sleeve as I type, and as I obviously can't name this one after Olivia, the faulty one, I am once again at a loss - what to call it? My Dana is just Dana, no change there, I actually like it a lot. Alphie is a strong contender, but all Neos are called Alphie. What if we run into another one? They'd get all confused and possibly think they aren't loved and unique and special to their owners. Not taking that chance! Anwers on a postcard, please.

Bad news is my word count, but this should hopefully be remedied starting tomorrow morning, when The Nameless shall be fully charged and ready for a bus ride into town!

Almost there

2008-11-11T03:15:00.002Z

I am now getting to the end of my deadline- yay! Which hopefully means that I get more time to write, now that I have found a story which Really makes me want to do an Agatha; run away to a posh hotel and sit there with my Dana until I reach 50.000 words.

Yes, I am using my Dana at the moment, Alphasmart got back to me about the battery on my Neo and are sending me a new one out. If I am happy with that, they will Arrange for Collection of my faulty unit. How good is that?? I have told you before, people, get yerselves one of these. They are brilliant, and the customer service must be the best in the world! Especially now, with Nano, I really am impressed and grateful and relieved and quite possibly could do the rest of my daily word count just on the subject of just how deserving these Alphasmart people are of praise, gratitude, fudge brownies and bottles of pretty rare and expensive wine (I also hope they pay them enough that I don't have to fork out for these well earned goodies).

It's not over yet! I have got past 13.000 in a third of the month ...

Pile of Poo

2008-11-09T21:47:00.006Z

Just thought I'd entertain the masses with photographic images of the neoprene sleeve for my Nanoing Neo. I've got two, one for Neo and one for Dana, so I had to do something to make it easier to tell them apart. This girl scout fabric patch seemed just the thing; it's a computer at the back, and in front of it is a ... what the hell is that? It certainly looks like a pile of ... er, well, poo. How very apt. Signifying me half way through Nano, or even better; my output some days. So I chucklingly stitched it on, and it looks really good, I think. Looks like it belongs there.

Lost the plot

2008-11-08T02:16:00.001Z

Yes, it is official - I have lost the plot. Careless, I know; I tossed it out the window with the baby and the bathwater, and I have only Jack to blame. Tilly has taken a break and I am taking dictates from a golden haired, groggy youth in a damp cellar. That's when you know it's that time of year again. It's unmistakably November and Nano and all bets are off, you take your stories and plotlines where you find them.

So help me Jack

2008-11-07T03:44:00.003Z

Okay, I give in. Come on, then. Give it your best. I'm dead curious here; please keep talking, and I'll keep writing. No more jots and notes, scribbles and raised eyebrows - I have got my pen (Neo) and ink (coffee) at the ready. Never mind the quality of the vellum and the salty water blotching the pages.

Yes, I have closed the document entitled 'Tilly' and opened another one by the name of 'Jack'. He has officially gate crashed my Nano 2008. Tilly is peeved off big time and has limped over to the pub to nurse a rather substantial number of consecutive glasses of red wine, and I am chilled to the bone down here in the corridor leading under the city and out to the docks. No, not ducks. Docks. And wait ... is that the sound of footsteps? Could it be Jack coming back to tell me the rest of his tale? Pull the shawl tighter, lass, and raise the nib to strike ...

What the ...?

2008-11-06T18:38:00.002Z

It's November. It's Nano. I've got not one, but two translations on the go and tickets to go to Norway (alliteration, anyone?) for the last ten days of it - with my Neo ... So I really haven't got time to do much besides typing and following the script. But then (drum roll), what happens? Oh, yes, the usual Nanoistic New Novely Naughtyness! (Sorry, I'll stop now. Now, gettit?)
I don't know where it came from, but I have a brand new idea absolutely bursting forth and demanding to take centre stage.
But I can't, I told it.
It looked at me. Quite unnervingly.
We haven't got time, I added and tried to shrug and force a smile.
Later, perhaps? January?
That stare. It crossed its arms and cocked its head to one side, and I'm sure I saw something scurrying away from its shoulder as it did so. And was it getting darker?
I crumbled. Okay, I said; I'll jot a few bits down and look at it later. See? Jotting away.
It looked over my head as I typed and I could have sworn I saw a shadow gliding over the wall. I started writing whole sentences down instead.
Now I daren't look up at all.

And there it was - history

2008-11-05T17:40:00.002Z

Congratulations, USA. Well done you. I stayed up all night watching the election results and didn't get to bed until the dawn light started creeping into the bedroom, so not much writing done today, as I had to work, and besides it is Bonfire Night, so we are going out into the dark and cold now to drink cold beer and eat steaming hot baked potatoes from the fire and watch fireworks. Back on my head tomorrow!

That awkward background

2008-11-05T02:36:00.003Z

Background. I don't like it. Especially not in the beginning of a story. It so easily slips into telling, not showing - I can't very well start copying out official documents either, can I? Or pasting in photos or links to YouTube? So tonight I was going to keep BBC News 24 on the telly to follow the Election while I spent a quiet, pensive evening working on my Nanovel background and plotting.

Oh, come on, of course it never happened. I told you, I don't like background work. Any excuse would do: Himself wanted to watch football, so I took my Neo with me and went to the pub with him, knowing very well that no one would want to bother me for my conversation or opinion on the game. And I managed to knock out almost a whole Nano portion of text! And not just any text; one of those difficult backgroundy ones where I actually think I have shown, not told, what happened and why ... though not all of it, this is supposed to be a mystery, after all. Tried to explain the plot to Himself as well on the way there, and realised that the killer is not at all who I think it is. I like that as a reader, and now I like it even more as a writer! (No, I won't tell you whodunnit.) But then I came home and read a fellow Nanoer's daily output and felt a lot less smug and a lot more worried about voice and tone and rhythm and stuff, which I have decided to stop thinking about - I have written background today. And I don't like it. But I did. I told them.

Day 3 - Open up them pearly floodgates!

2008-11-03T14:03:00.003Z

See, that's better! Last night I wrote 1008 words in one sitting before my foot died and desperately needed moving - all this was just plotlining, asking and answering questions about the people, the plot, the places and times involved in the story. This made a lot of things a lot clearer and solved a few problems I wasn't aware I was about to run into, and I have now run rings around them for good luck and carried straight on running with it. The story is suddenly much richer and stretches a lot further in all directions; into people's lives, into their pasts and motives. This is why we love Nano! Tilly (my MC, shake hands nicely, she'll be with us for quite some time - don't squeeze her hand too hard, though, she's in pain) is a bit ruffled after I suddenly had someone break into her house, but other than that I am still on target for a crime novel without blood splatter, swearing or nudity. (Speak for yourself! Tilly)

Oh, well, back to it, got villains to brief for break-in!

Day 1

2008-11-01T23:09:00.002Z

Okay, people, the fun has started, and it's not at all all fun. I have managed to do my day's work today, as well as actual work (the for-money kind) and it feels like I have been sitting for waaay to long today, but I can't go for a walk at this time. Besides, have to blog! Part of the exercise!

Thank God for Neo though, such a great thing to be able to write anywhere and with no cables or battery worries, connect to pc, place cursor in right place in Word document, press send and insert the day's text in the right place straight away. Great!

Have no idea where this plot's going to go, by the way - starting to think I want to go one shade beyond reality in some parts. People in pain spend a lot of time not thinking about it, don't they, so why not use that and make it a feature, a plot device? Have to think more about that one.

Hope everybody else is happy with their daily dose of Nano output!
LM

November!

2008-11-01T01:32:00.003Z

So you thought Halloween was scary and thrilling? Well, it gets worse/better:

The clock has at long last ticked and tocked itself bravely over the the last little steep Halloween hill and started rolled into November, and yes, it will gather speed in a big, fat, frightening way now that the month of Nanowrimo is indeed upon us - yay and whoo-hoo and ohmygod and no, no, nooo; I am NOT doing THAT aGAIN!! - so stop chewing those nails (you'll need the use of your fingers, remember), replace with high octane bikkies, stick the kettle on, warn friends and family, lock doors and windows and by all means start chanting your new mantra 'bichok' (Bum In Chair, Hands On Keyboard) whenever you find yourself having an out-of-creative-frame-of-mind-experience ...

You want it, you need it, you can do it, you know you are going to love it and hate it and learn so much from it, and you know you deserve a huge present from self for Christmas after you have crossed the 50.000 word finishing line before midnight on the 30th of November!

Can I add those words to my total, or is that cheating?

Linda (Bichok, bichok, bichok ...)

All LM and no ML

2008-10-29T20:11:00.002Z

Hmph. Got an email today from the Chief Nanowrimo Municipal Liaison sorter-outer lady, who was very kind and apologetic and told me that with her going away, getting help with the mechanics of it all and me applying so very, very last minute, she had put my name on the ML mailing lists but I had not managed to get on the directory, and therefore the region hadn't ended up in the Regions either. So much for the North West, then! No ML in Manchester, as far as I know, none in Liverpool (in 2008! dear, dear, dear.) and now none in Chester either. Oh, well. She promised it would be there for 2009, so I suppose I'll just concentrate more on managing 50K this Nano and planning for my ML-hood next year. And meanwhile I suppose I'll just have to join my nearest regional lounge; Wales.

Better luck next time,
LM (not ML)

Pre-Nano cleanup

2008-10-28T18:43:00.002Z

Can you tell that I have changed the blog? No? Me neither. I have tried every single one (bar the pinks and very darks) of the templates, and this one seems to stick. So that's it really. This is what it will look like for Nanowrimo 2008. Oh, and I've put the old sofa over in the corner there, so sit yourself down and feel right at home; I'll stick the kettle on and get some bikkies. Do you need a pen?

Got it!

2008-10-21T20:34:00.004+01:00

So here she is - the colour isn't far off the real thing, a not exactly flattering, but not too bad, sort of sludgy, camo dark green. Or is it ...

Yes it is! It is indeed a dark olive, so say nicely hi to my new friend Olivia! Most Neos end up boys, but this one is a girl, I have decided. It somehow all falls into place when you get the right name. Welcome, Olivia! Have you met Dana? She's the one with the bigger screen and shorter battery life over there. You'll have to share the neoprene sleeve like good girls.

Definitely exciting new Neo!

2008-10-21T16:06:00.002+01:00

Still no news or clarification on the ML situation. BUT:

My bargain can't-believe-I-got-one-before-they-were-gone-and-at-that-price-Neo has arrived and is sleeping sweetly in his Alphasmart cardboard box charging. I type quietly so as not to wake him. He's not at all a ghastly green, but I am already thinking about potential PlastiKote colours ... The keyboard feels very comfortable, and I am going to play with him later on, when he's had his fill off the mains. Dana is starting to double up a lot of letters, and it gets quite annoying having to clean up the text all the time. So when the rechargeable Neo came along ... well. I just had to. You would too, you know. So bring on Nano; all I have to do now is give this latest gadget a name other than Neo or Alphie! (Suggestions very welcome.)

Yay again!

LM

Exciting news ... I think!?

2008-10-21T00:47:00.003+01:00

How's this for (possible) news:

I just got an e-mail tonight confirming that I was elevated into the hallowed status of Nano ML (Municipal Liaison, or just my initials backwards ...)!! Which I did apply for at the very last minute before they took the application form off line Monday a week ago!! I hadn't heard anything, so I assumed it had been too late or I hadn't been picked or my suggested region, Chester, was too small, but there the e-mail was!! Whoop-te-doo!

Only problem is, I can't seem to fint the corresponding new buttons and menus on my personal account page, so I'm still in the dark, ML-wise. Could it be a false alarm? Or just time difference? Or something? I should find out pretty soon though, and if I am indeed Chester ML now, I am definitely coming to the Bear and Billet in my Nano T-shirt - which I obviously bought months ago just to support a good cause. And tomorrow I get my brand new Alphasmart Neo delivered too! How good is this?? Whoop-te-double-doo-dah!

Mind you, it might be a mistake. Let's not get carried away (here I go) - I shall keep you all (both) informed!!

Fingers crossed,
LM (ML)

Two weeks to go!

2008-10-17T17:02:00.002+01:00

Only two weeks ... I must admit I have started sort of sneakily preparing and taking notes already, but only a little - besides, I'll have to work a lot all through November, so I think I'm allowed. It's great walking around with the weight of the Dana in my bag, just waiting for inspiration to strike. It takes a second, literally a second, to boot her up, and then she automatically displays the text you were working on last, cursor at the end, waiting for you to carry on. I can really see the attraction of taking Alphasmarts to cafés and other public places and writing there, no electronic distractions, but lots of faces, movement, words spoken and printed everywhere. Brilliant. I will (I WILL!) take a day off and do just that at some point. And in the meantime I have to work like a thing possessed to make time for Nano. I'll always make time for Nano. I can't not.

Twooo weeeeks!
LM

October! Guess what comes next??

2008-10-05T18:27:00.003+01:00

Yes, you got it in one. November is just around the corner. The smell of cold rain in the air, the naked trees shivering in the icy wind, nights falling ever sooner and staying darker for longer, red wine replacing the chilled whites of summer, stars coming out in the afternoon - that's when your spirits lift and you let out a tiny, rejoicing Yay!, for this means that it's almost time for Nanowrimo again!

I have already started. I have. I have dusted off my Dana and recharged her batteries, I have downloaded yWriter and started getting to grips with it - seems marvellous so far - and added a few interesting links to the list. I am almost ready. And I am sooooo looking forward to nanoing again!!

(Yay!)

How to fail miserably

2008-08-10T11:24:00.002+01:00

Yep. Well. That didn't quite work out for me - too much work and not enough time and energy left over to play. Never mind write one. No worries, though, there's always Nano 2008 in November, and Dana and I are ready and waiting (but not quite wishing my life away waiting). Again I have made a few notes and set out a few plot lines, and again I am expecting things to turn out completely different. But half the fun is in the planning and the taking part! I have decided to try the whodunnit this time, I imagine that it'll be a lot of fun. For those of you who know me, I intend to start (over) with the Paint Pot Plot ... saying no more until November!

See you then,
LM

Pardon? The which date was that?

2008-04-05T13:58:00.002+01:00

Oh, poo. It's already the fifth, and I have only three pages. Okay, so I have never written a script before, but that's no excuse, because I have downloaded Celtx, which makes it a doddle anyway. I've just not had the time at all, but I feel the pressure now. I don't like not making deadlines or finishing projects. So we'll see if I can get going over the next week - even if the amount of paying jobs actually increases then ... I have got my plot sort of sorted and my outline kinda outlined, but no log line or anything. Dang! But I'll see what I can get done. It's actually great fun writing only the dialogue and describing only the physical surroundings and actions instead of all the emotional doodahs. If you know what I mean. So I have not given up, just a bit of a late starter! More later.

Questioning my sanity

2008-03-14T17:21:00.002Z

Oh, dear, I seem to have gone and signed up for NaNoWriMo's sort of sister event, ScriptFrenzy, starting on April the first - but this is no joke. 30 days to write 100 pages of film, TV, graphic novel or any other type of script. Have a look at the website and join in!

www.scriptfrenzy.org

naaay ...

2008-02-11T00:25:00.001Z

So far, so good, and then I set about (after a nice break from all things creative and writerly) editing a few choice bits of text for a novel beginning competition. I wasn't actually aware of how Many ReWrites it was possible to do of a mere 1000 words! But after all that, I finally printed out the last and so far final draft, put it in an envelope and sent it off with a big kiss for luck.
And then they posted the long list on the web site, and ... naaay. But strangely that didn't make me feel as disappointed and rejected as I had thought it would. Maybe it's because I have already started doodeling on an idea for NaNo 2008, maybe it's because I knew in myself that it wasn't really how I wanted to start the novel anyway, maybe I'm getting better at taking it on the chin and shrugging it off - I don't know. But at least now I don't have to fret about the short list!
Have finally printed the entire NaNovel 2007 though, and am planning to start editing on paper with an actual red pen as soon as the sun hits the garden and work allows. It might happen yet.

Yaaaay!

2007-11-30T18:33:00.001Z

I am now officially a NaNoWriMo winner!
Still a bit jittery after that big sugar rush, not to mention the caffeine, but hey - if it works, who cares?
Excitement all around and general confusion when I totally forgot which files were which on the Dana and how many words they should be to add up to the required number, and nagging doubts started creeping in; had I pasted them into the Novel already? But we got there in the end, with no double pastings to my knowledge, and the validatory elves did their thing and even made an extra fifty odd words in the process!
Got my certificate and then closed the whole thing down in a rush to read the rest of the page, so have no idea what the last bit was, but as long as the word count is over 50,000 I am made up.
Actually feel tired in my jittery state, and have no urge to write more today at all. Got some good scenes down in the last hour or so, though, so I will definitely be carrying on, hopefully making it a readable finished manuscript!
And again:
YAAAAY!
Thanks to all the people who have cheered me on - it is very much appreciated.

Last day!

2007-11-30T10:33:00.001Z

It's the last day of Nano, and I have until midnight to get from 46,500 to 50,000 - should be doable, but it still feels extra difficult because it's my last day. I really have enjoyed the experience, more so as it has come nearer the end, and I hope I can get some white writing done. I can tell by looking at the text whether I was white writing or just plodding along, so I guess the trick is to just plod along until something drags me into the - zone. I hate that expression, but it is true.

43.000!

2007-11-28T17:44:00.000Z

Just thought I would shout it from the rooftops/mountains/blog ... Feels good now. I might get to the winners' lounge yet.

Ohmygod

2007-11-28T15:12:00.001Z

Today I have had more story-structural upheaval, but then an hour of solid white writing put it all back together again in the order nature - or at least my fictional characters - clearly intended. Taking a break now to order a new magnetic bracelet as RSI repellent (trust me, it works). Actually feeling a teensy weensy bit dejected at having the whole thing shuffled about and also about having to have break, even though I have no idea at all what I would be writing or where I would start. 8000 words left before midnight on Friday - I'll get there.

God, it's late!

2007-11-28T01:39:00.000Z

Not just my effort to become a Nano winner, but the hour ... Feels nice, though, sometimes, staying up all engrossed in what you're doing and forgetting about time and place. And so quiet at night ...
A big cup of lovely coffee to all you people still working away out there.

What's going on here, then?

2007-11-27T23:55:00.001Z

OKay. So my timid little victim has started standing up for herself and telling stories very different from the one I was trying to write, her mate turns out not to be a mate at all, in fact they have never met and never will - unless something else unforeseen should happen. I have passed 41.000 words today (YAY!) and feel pretty pleased with myself, as the end is now definitely nigh. What a rollercoaster, though! The poor story, which I thought I had full control over, has changed so much its own creator - me - don't even recognise it anymore. The tone has changed, the mood, the places and connecting events, very little remains apart from an old lady named Poppy and a bottle of champagne broken under very unfortunate circumstances. There is a painting which means something, but none of the characters have yet bothered to fill me in on exactly what. Oh, well. At least I have made it this far, and the last three days I think I'll just go with them and if need be take notes instead of writing full sentences.
We can do this, people. NaNo 2007 is drawing to a close - get your words down!

New beginning

2007-11-26T01:58:00.000Z

Can you believe I thought I was writing the middle, and it turned out to be the beginning. Tired now; too many strange shifts in the whole story for me to get them all down correctly and quickly. Start again tomorrow, with my brand new beginning ...

Eureka!

2007-11-25T23:27:00.002Z

I have actually just brewed my first post-10-pm coffee of the Nano experience, and not because I have to, but because I am getting ever so slightly hooked. On the white writing, not the caffeine, although I must say I do love a big NaNo cup of milky coffee ...
I have really gotten used to having my Dana nearby at all times now, so I have made my 3200 words for the day, but I had an epiphany an hour ago (as you do); I have been going about it all wrong. Which, incidentally, might turn out to be all right: I have been churning out these words just counting them and sort of stacked them on top of each other like a big block of incoherent text, and then somewhere along the way my mind has started attacking and chiseling away at the matter in a frenzy, and now I can see it all really clearly in my head like a film. I can see the people, the places, I realise why they are doing the things they do, why they are behaving in strange ways (ie not like we agreed at the beginning of the month) AND at the end of this week I will have thousands and thousands of words to edit, in stead of a blank page! Brilliant! I love Nano! Why isn't there one every month?! I really hope I can keep up the writing habit. Anyway, back to the coffee and keyboard. Wish me luck; I'm going in.

Ooops, I did it again ...

2007-11-25T17:23:00.002Z

Yep, got too cocky thinking there was no way I could fail now - a mere 3000 words a day until midnight local time on the 30th, but guess what; I am now depending on being given random words to get me started each time I stop. So far today I have written 1576 words, only half of what I need to finish comfortably. And my girls keep doing and saying things which don't fit in at all! Okay, yes, I was singing their praises for doing just that, but ladies, we haven't got time to change it now! Just please do what we agreed on, stick to the script for another week, and then you can run in any and all directions as soon as we hit 50K!
But no. Like talking to a brick wall. Next year remind me to invent less stubbornly determined characters. I shall make them feeble and susceptible - that shall be my gruesome revenge!

Half way there ...

2007-11-22T13:55:00.002Z

So, today, on the 22nd day of Nano, I finally passed the major hurdle - the 25.000 mark. Needless to say I have very little time left, and needless to say I'll never make it unless I speed up and write like mad for the next week, but then, being me, that's the way I usually do things. This is how I deal with most deadlines. I'm not really worried; one thing I have decided is that I won't cheat, another is that this has been such a great experience and has taught me so much that I am definitely going to carry on regardless of whether I win or not. It really is interesting, fascinating, to see what your own head can come up with as long as you run with it. The plot is twisting and turning a bit too much for my control-freak liking, but that's the really encouraging bit. I'll get back to it now; I'm sure I'm still only at the beginning of the story, you know. What an amazing ride. Everyone should do this at least once in their life time!

Days? What days?

2007-11-18T11:59:00.001Z

Where did they go? Was I there? My Dana has arrived, and she is gorgeous and wonderful and fabulous and I can't believe I didn't get one years ago! Luckily not much of a manual to read through to learn how to use her - it's pretty much straight forward - type in, plug into pc, press function+sync and it transfers the text into a nice Word document in the Your Documents folder, where it waits patiently to be copied and pasted into the novel and duly word counted.
Speaking of which ... I now have to make 2588 words every day for the next 13 days, and I have no idea where thy will come from. I seem to be still writing the intro to the thing, and as soon as I start on a new scene or chapter or part, thinking it will be more interesting than waht I have been struggling with, that starts sounding boring too. But as the wise woman once said; you can't edit a blank page. So I best crack on.
I think the biggest problem is that I feel this story doesn't belong anywhere. I have been rolling my eyes over people in the forums going: Is this the right genre? Will my story fit into this category? I've been thinking: Just get on with it, and then you can worry about that later, or even better, get the marketing people to worry about it. But it does matter. When you are trying to churn out a story in this way, it matters what tone of voice you have in your head, how many digressions you can make, all sorts of things. I don't know whether to be serious or just make it all a farcical comedy. I want it to be funny and sad - if I get two belly laughs and a good cry from the reader, I'll be made up.
Anyway. More of that later. One of my writing buddies has already finished her 50.000 words and is still counting. I want that. I want to have made it. I want to have 50.000 words I can edit down to a usable 20.000 and then build on to.

But if I want that, I'm going to have to get back down to the kitchen table and the Dana ...
Wish me luck.

Back into it

2007-11-07T11:57:00.000Z

Got to get more done today, and so far the word count and all my characters are all developing very nicely. So far, so good. I am still waiting for the postman; he'll be in the story soon! Fingers crossed I'll manage a few thousand words more before I down tools this evening.

Eerrr ...

2007-11-06T18:01:00.001Z

Well, yes, it didn't last. I knew it wouldn't. But then how is a girl supposed to say no to a day shopping in Manchester? I told myself that it would be a day of research, and so it was; as one of my characters is in deep debt from luxury spending, we trawled through Harvey Nichs and Selfridges; one of the others is a very chic urbanite, so we duly spent an hour in a café people-watching; one is working in a bar, so ... No, I didn't. But I looked through the windows into all the posh bars we went past, and to top it all I think I now know every parking facility in the city centre. And today I saw someone smiling in Primark! That just made it all worth it!

My poor Dana is still in the post, bless her, but the SD card has arrived, so I'm all ready for her when she decides to descend on me. Watch this space - the last word is not yet counted!

Easy Peasy

2007-11-04T14:21:00.001Z

Well, today, anyway. I was seriously starting to think I would never ever get anything written, but today I made over 2000 words in essentially one sitting, so now I feel relaxed and clever and all sorts of Sunday happy. Yay! Still only half what my average should be, though.
It is true, you know, the story just takes over, and you can only watch these people sorting the events out by themselves - you're only there to observe and record, thank you very much. No butting in required. Not from you, anyway; other characters seem to be very welcome and ruin my plotline completely. (The nice chapter plan I made in Excel is now ready for the bin.) I have got a few naughty words at the bottom of the document; headings like Olivia's flat, flatmates, Nina's house and family and stuff like that, but that's just to keep the word count going if it stops - if they all leave me and go to the pub or something. Then I'll just start doing the descriptions instead. So yes, I feel rather clever and smug today.
Note to self; start preparing for fall.

Danger, danger

2007-11-02T16:06:00.000Z

There is danger all around me. Things and entities stealing time and concentration; the fridge, the TV, the Net, the NaNo, the Dana which is still in the mail somewhere, and makes me lift my head every time a car drives past outside, the radio blaring out (you have no idea how LOUDly) next door, the fact that it's friday and I'd like to go out and deep down know I will, the thought that I should have a shower, sooner rather than later, might as well, get it out of the way, and then I just get distracted again and sort of hover about getting nothing really done. Lots of planning going on in ye olde grey cells, though, after Himself mispronounced an expression very intelligently last night and gave me a new title for my magnum NanOpus. Which, I have to say, sparked off a few very interesting potential changes to the plan ... I suppose this is the sort of thing seasoned NaNoers talk about in the forums (another danger zone), how stuff changes if you just go with it. So I will. Okay, so I've only got just over 2000 words so far, but it's not over yet.

NaNoWriMo has started!

2007-11-01T11:47:00.000Z

Oooo - Nanoween is indeed upon us (me) and I've got my NaNo T-shirt on, my NaNo mug at the side and my AS Dana ... still in the mail somewhere. The Jornada, light and compact and clever as it was, refused to talk to my pc and had to go. Sad, really. I liked it. Anyway, Ive got 1050 words for the day so far and hope to get more done after I've tidied up a bit - November is not just novelling, but also tidying month. When I'm sick of the one, I can do the other. That should make me write loads, seing as I HATE tidying! Best of luck to anyone else having a go at either, may your word counts soar and your dust never settle!

Dana vs Jornada

2007-10-29T09:39:00.000Z

Seems I didn't manage to keep my cool and wait quietly for the much expected Dana - I've gone and bought a used Jornada off eBay as well. Oh, well, it had to happen one day, and now at least I'll get to compare the two before I sell one on. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

NaNoWriMo 2007!

2007-10-26T15:36:00.001+01:00

Okay, so the old BICHOK routine (bum in chair, hands on keyboard) doesn't seem to have worked. I am still doing lots of stuff for money and not nearly enough stuff for potential money, so I have nothing to even edit. Therefore I have signed up for National Novel Writing Month 2007, starting November 1st - in a very, very short time ...

The point is to smother your inner editor and cram as much writing as possible into November; anyone and everyone who have managed 50.000 words by midnight local time on the 31st is a NaNo winner! I am determined. I am set. I have ordered an Alphasmart Dana. I have notebooks and pens and pencils at the ready, I have told Himself not to expect much company or undivided attention, I have even bought all the Christmas presents!

If you are doing it too, I wish you the best of luck. Get in touch! The Book and Barrel is always open!

Welcome, velkommen, come on in!

2007-10-26T15:33:00.002+01:00

Welcome to the Book and Barrel, a highly improbable pub in the heart of Here, licenced to purvey all manner of silliness and seriousness in generous - if not equal - measures on or indeed off the premises.

Please note that the bar area is strictly out of bounds for those in search of selfimportant reading matter, but try not to disturb or tarnish the decor mid-read. No swearing, backstabbing, raving or ranting will be tolerated unless deserved and/or to the point. Also keep your feet securely off the ground at any and all times.

Please don't hesitate to ask for pens, pencils, quills or crayons, and help yourself to napkins, beermats and old brochures to write on - or for longer pieces use the tablecloth. That's what it's there for.

Feel free to sit down at any or all tables and strike up conversations with whoever. You may be surprised what skips and leaps of imagination a single mind can make, not to mention several at once. And no, the pictures aren’t just in your head. Some of them are actually off the wall.

The bar is always open from time to time, and all manner of food, drink or other refreshments are free, if only you can imagine and describe them to your own satisfaction. Enjoy your stay!