That time of year is drawing near

I can't believe that I just got an e-mail about NaNoWriMo starting soon? And the NaNoWriMo group on live journal is already filling up with posts. Is it that time of year already?

I’m not sure if I’ll do it again this year. I have yet to complete it. Last year I did worse than the year before. There’s a lot going on right now. I’m still trying to edit last year's book and work on Human Decency. Not to mention all the short stories, comic scripts, submissions and other stuff I try to squeeze in. I just don’t think it would be wise. Yet, I love the spirit and idea of NaNoWriMo. It calls to me. I know I could just participate in one of the spin-offs that happen a different time of year but it’s not the same.
One thing I do plan to do this year, providing I have a computer by then, is National Blog Posting Month. Even if I don’t have a computer I’ll give it a try with the library but I’ll probably fail.
I liked NaBloPoMo. Not just because it brought a ton of people to my blog but it really motivated me to post on my blog, which I know I don’t do nearly enough. Well, I feel like I post when there’s a need, which should be enough. Yet, I feel like I came up with some good stuff last time, especially when I received some great suggestions.

I guess I’ll have to wait and see my situation come November. If I’m miraculously done with a ton of my current work than maybe I’ll give NaNoWriMo another shot.
Either way I’ll give NaBloPoMo another try. If I don’t have the ability to post everyday, maybe I can do two posts every other day. I know it’s cheating but the whole point is to motivate people to write.

Currently reading: Batgirl:Volume One

What fills the time when you don't have a computer?

My computer is still nonexistent but I did discover that the library computers have a USB port on the front so I can use my flash drive without having to climb over/around the computer like a weirdo. I already feel awkward enough with the loud clicky keyboards. Anyway, that means that I can write blog posts and long e-mails at work then post or send them once I get to the library.

I have been working on writing but not as much as I thought I would be now that the computer has been down. Of course, it doesn’t help that it’s the new fall season on TV. I know that’s absolutely no excuse not to get any writing done. However, I only have Mondays and Thursdays as must see TV. I watched that new show Chuck which wasn’t too bad and Heroes of course. Then Thursday I watched the Office. 30 Rock and Scrubs will be on soon too.
Although, I think I'm done with CSI. I was disappointed that the season finale was nearly identical to the season finale when Nick(Sara this time around) got kidnapped by someone who felt like CSI had wronged a loved one. Then CSI races to find Nick/Sara just before they die.
Other than too much TV, I have been reading. One of my livejournal friends who’s a writer that I don’t actually know, was talking about a series of books by Megan McCafferty. I checked out the first one, Sloppy First, while I was at the library.
Even though they’re young adult books I still liked it. The main character’s best friend moves away and she feels like she has no one to talk to. They keep in touch through e-mails that have funny endings. Like instead of ‘sincerely’ they say weird stuff. I wish I hadn’t returned the book already because now I can’t remember any of them. Anyway, this reminded me so much of Jenni and I. She moved away and I miss her. We still keep in touch with e-mails that we end in ways that usually involve a shoe something and something else like, hugs and heel grips. Sure we’re weird but apparently so are these fictional teenage characters so that must mean we’re not that odd. Right?
Also for a Christmas present this girl makes her friend a mix tape. We all know how I feel about those. And she loves Captain Crunch, which could be the awesomest cereal of all time.
The book also had a good point about perspective. How people who have experienced bad things in their lives don’t worry about the small things being bad because they realize that it could be much worse. And the main character wanted to get the huge bad things out of the way so she could enjoy the small bad things for the rest of her life.
I'll probably read the next one eventually.

And thanks for voting in the poll to name my novel. I know Going It Alone won but now I feel bad that I can't name it what everyone voted for. Couldn't people just all vote for the same one? Well, no matter what you voted for, thanks for voting. Getting more than one vote made me feel very honored.

A reading recommendation and a novel title to vote for!

First off I want to mention that Ian at EnBlog now has a short story anthology available. I was honored to read it in advance and I must say it was an excellent read. The short stories are authored by Ian and his brother, Alex. Each story is unique and entertaining. It's a nice mix of work. There are stories that deal with life experience, revolving around the characters and their growth as well as intriguing, darker stories with unpredictable endings and a touch of science-fiction. All of the stories are well-written and I think that most of the people I know that read this blog would enjoy it. I encourage everyone to support a talented writer and artist by following this link and checking out "Chopper" by Ian Castruita, Alex Kaibab and the foreword by Max Castruita.
I believe writers have to support writers so give it a shot. Also, don't forget to stop by EnBlog for more of Ian's work.



Now onto my work.
Okay this week's been crazy so I've gotten much of nothing done. It was lots of things but mostly another week with another family member in the hospital and this time the hospital was more than an hour away rather than right down the road. Not to mention that we are getting our few fall shoes in at work so I've actually had to do work.

However, I have been editing my last Nano novel and am seriously giving consideration to attempting to get it published. In this case it would probably be good to call it something other than "my last Nano novel". So I have put a poll up in my side bar and I would like everyone to vote for what they like the best. Yes, I realize they're all practically the same but I'm just curious which one rolls off the tongue and sticks in the mind better.
Just to recap the novel is about a writer who is struggling through a difficult and clearly lonesome period in her life. She uses writing as therapy and shows how her life affects what she writes.
Now vote please.

Getting back on track

It seems things are getting back to normal computer wise, well as normal as they can get. And now that I don't have to spend all my time working on computer problems I'm hoping to get back to my writing schedule.
When I used to work nights and weekends I had a writing schedule and for a while it worked really well. Then my job changed and it was hard for me to get back into the swing of things. After six months I feel like I’m finally getting back in a groove and a schedule is forming.
So now I’m trying to set the schedule and stick to it. I feel like I have a few projects going on and I need to keep them balanced. I didn’t mean to start editing my NaNo novel until after I finished Human Decency but I’ve got some stuff going on in my life that brings me back to my NaNo novel. I feel like now's a good time to work on it. And I’m having a little trouble pushing through with Human Decency at this time. I’ve got a great idea and terrific characters (so I think, anyway) but I need to come up with some idea of where it’s going. I need a little direction.
Now my tentative schedule for the week is to edit my NaNo novel during the day while I’m at work. After reading through it I made a list of things I want to change or need to think about. I’ve decided to change it to first person point-of –view. I do want to add in the final short story. I liked Jenni’s idea of having her live it then start writing it. I thought it would be cool to just have the story and let the reader decide if it’s real or if it’s another one of the writer’s stories but I can’t think of a way to do it that’s not completely confusing. I’ve yet to decide whether to get rid of the first story. If I keep it I definitely need to add more about how it relates to the writer’s life. And I need to make the story less chunky. There are chunks of the writer’s life and how that affects what she’s writing and then chunks of what she’s writing. I think I need to make the parts smaller and intertwine them more.
I know most of this probably only makes sense to me but I thought I’d share so it seems like I’m actually working on something.
At night I work on Human Decency. Well I try to push through anyway. I’ve been working on introducing the characters and bringing them together but I’m worried it’s not happening fast enough and that this book is going to end up huge. That’s if I think of something past the characters coming together. I also don’t want to cheat it.
On Saturday I work on writing short stories and editing them for submissions. Sundays I work mostly on submissions. I throw in a blog post wherever I can fit it. Occasionally, I go off schedule and work on a few other things like an action/adventure short story series, a Christmas story that I would like to get finished and submitted before the end of the month (*in time for a few literary magazine deadline’s for holiday stories) and anytime I’m around my family I get inspired to write a funny story for a humorous anthology that I really should do.

Well I obviously have a lot to do so I guess it's back to work.

It's done, finally

It's been 3 months and 15 days. A little over schedule, well a lot over schedule depending on which goal we consider. My Nanowrimo goal, Nanofimo or just to finish in three months. Anyway it matters no more because after 98497 words, I am finished with my still untitled novel! Yay!
I really have no idea what to do with it. For now I will let it sit and then I'll go back. Hopefully I won't realize that it is all crap but that's most likely what it is.
Now I think I'm going to write a sci-fi/fantasy short story for a little change of pace. Then I hope to make some edits to my comic book script and figure out something to do with it.
And hopefully I will talk to Jenni soon and we can start planning the next chapters of Behind the Naugahyde.

Just watched: The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock
Just saw: Hannibal Rising
Just read: Dark Tower-The Gunslinger Born #1

It's kind of cold

Goodness, it's cold and I mean 5 below actual temp cold with a wind chill of negative 25. That's what I mean by cold. But I'm not complaining. I prefer this over the heat waves of summer. In fact it's the perfect weather to sit inside and finally finish my NaNo novel because I haven't done that yet. So close though, so close.
I did work on Behind the Naugahyde, which is kind of my Saturday thing. After working and dealing with loony customers each and every Saturday it's quite easy to come home and write about loony customers. I also re-read the whole chapter seven and sent some notes of to Jenni.
Today I worked on submissions and they were boring as usual.
That's been about it this weekend. I didn't get too much done because I had to work both Saturday and Sunday despite the advisory to not leave your house. Why can't they cancel work the way they cancel school? Oh well, I have tomorrow off and hopefully I will finish my novel.

Recently watched: Capote
Listening to: Barenaked Ladies-Are Me

Library blues

Wow! I cannot believe January is now over. And no my NaNo novel is not finished but I'm so close that it's really shameful. If I had just worked a little harder on any given day I could have been done with it in three months but no need to dwell. I'll get over it. And finish it, by the end of this week.

I think I'll make another trip to the library tomorrow. A different branch. There's actually one within walking distance off my house but when I'm there I feel like I'm in a day care. The parent to child ratio is discouraging. I almost think parents drop their children off thinking who's going to kidnap them in a library. And it's horrible if that really is their only alternative or if they have other choices and that's what they go with.
The downtown library is better. Although most of the library has started to become consumed by the DVD section. It's depressing to see it change but I'm sure I'm not the first person nor will I be the last to hate to see something change. I just try hard to remember it the way it was. When I was younger I loved the library. My grandma would walk with me to the library every week. I remember having a goal of reading every book in it. And I used to picture that all the souls of the people in the books came out at night and haunted it. I don't think even now that I'll ever be able to stay in a library at night by myself.
Although if it does become completely dominated by DVD's I might be okay. I don't really get weirded out by video stores.

Just watched: The Devil Wears Prada (and no I did not borrow it from the library.)

You don't need THAT

One more day left in January and I'm not quite done with my NaNo novel so I guess my deadline has been bumped to the end of the week. Of course I do have tomorrow off from work and miracles can happen. After all this is my fourth day in a row of posting so you just never know.
I did learn something today while reading the last bit of my NaNo novel. I had to go back and read the last part I wrote because I couldn't remember exactly where I left off. And yes I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing but oh well. Anyway back to the thing I learned. You really don't need that as much as you think. I write the word that all the time. Way too much to be exact.
I've decided that I can't stand the word that.
See I could have just said that I've decided I can't stand the word that.
And in the last sentence all I need to say was that I could have just said I've decided....
Once again there was no need for that in the last sentence. I could have kept going on but it would never end.
So I learned something new. I can eliminate a good chunk of my word count if I just go through and take out some thats and when NaNoWriMo time comes around I will put that in every sentence and then edit them out in NaNoEdMo.

It's kind of like a weekly update

If I'm not going to post everyday I should come up with a better posting schedule. Sometimes I don't post for a week and then I post two days in a row. That's okay I like to be unpredictable.
Once again it is Sunday and I kind of felt like giving a weekly update on my writing since I didn't post much this week.
Since today was Sunday it was submission day. Sometimes submissions remind me of preparation for the SAS shoe sale. For those of you who have never worked in a particular crappy shoe store this is what it includes. It starts with going through the computer system and trying to find anyone who has bought an SAS in the last six months but isn't on the list and put them on the list. This may or may not include looking up the address in the phone book and/or fixing several errors. Also you want to keep an eye out for customers who haven't shopped there in years and remove them because they've mostly likely passed away and their family will call or even come in and complain that you sent mail to the deceased and that conversation is not pleasant. I think of that part as looking up different companies and then doing research to make sure my story would fit and trying to avoid letters that have rude comments about how I clearly didn't look into guidelines. After that comes the best part. Folding, stuff, sealing, labeling and sorting by zip code over 3,000 envelopes and if you're lucky your boss will get them at a reasonable time so it doesn't have to be done in four days (but you're not lucky). Needless to say that part reminds me of printing, folding, stuffing, sealing, addressing and recording all submissions.
Speaking of ridiculous tales about a shoe store, I did work on Behind the Naugahyde this week. I try to make Saturdays my Behind the Naugahyde day but I got sidetracked with blog reading yesterday so I didn't get as much done as I hoped. I did however get a surprise visit from the awesome Jenni while I was working at the previously mentioned crappy shoe store.
I'm still attempting to finish my still not titled NaNo novel before January's over. It can be done but if not, I'm certain it will be done by the end of the week which won't be too far off target, only about two months and three days.

Just watched: the Simpsons (yay! Bartman), King of the Hill(yay! Dale Gribble who has a freakishly scary resemblance to my dad) and Family Guy (yay! Rupert they really don't feature him enough)
Currently reading: Illness as a Metaphor and AIDS as a Metaphor by Susan Sontag

Real Life, Not Fiction

I know there are sometimes when I don't post too often but I really hate to write a post just to post something. I take writing very seriously and I attempt to put a lot of thought into things before I let others read them.
Usually I post about what I'm writing. The story that I'm working on right now is one of those stories that is more non-fiction than fiction. I like to use fiction to write about my life rather than posting it here. Many people may not care about the boring life I lead but I feel vulnerable sharing my personal life with random strangers that may happen by this blog. There are lots of reasons I feel this way and to share them would be putting myself out there, which is exactly what I hate to do.
There are people who are willing to put themselves out there and share the most personal things about themselves. They are not like me. I hide bits and pieces of my life in fiction because there people don't know if that's what really happened to me and if that's I really felt. They don't know if it's the truth or some tale that my mind weaved.
Anyway, I hope anyone reading this is still with me because there's a reason for this post, I swear. I read a blog today that was written by someone who did not hide behind fiction but was brave enough to tell an unbelievable but very true story. Read it if you get a chance. Start at the "fire" entries. It may take a while to read through all of it but it's worth it.

Here's the plan

My NaNo novel should be done by the end of January. I'm nearly finished and I definitely think it's a realistic goal even though I did absolutely no work on it today. I know I'm super far behind but the last three months have been crazy hectic. To be honest I'm surprised I wrote anything at all. Besides most books about writing say three months is average time for writing a book and I know there are authors that have taken a lot longer than that.

Anyway, as I get closer to the end of a project that has consumed my writing time for the last three months I wonder what I will do when I'm done. Obviously, I'll continue to work with Jenni on Behind the Naugahyde but that isn't something I can work on non-stop because it requires communication between Jenni and I.
There is a novel I've been thinking about that I'm sure I've mentioned it before. Not by title or by idea just that it's a book that is about a very serious topic and that I'm scared to write it. That hasn't changed, I'm still scared to write it. And I think it's time is coming but not just yet. I think I'm going to take a quick break from novel writing and work on a few other things. The first being my comic script that I had come up with a million changes for during NaNo months. There is also a short story contest that I'm interested in entering. I don't have any current works that would qualify so I'm thinking of writing something specifically for it. I'll need to do a little research so I'll know what they're looking for and then I'll decide on that. And of course, I'll work on Behind the Naugahyde.
That's the tentative plan for now. Tomorrow's my day off so I hope to take out a big chunk of my NaNo novel. Then maybe when I'm finished I can come up with a title so I can stop calling it NaNo novel.

Also I just want to thank everyone who's been reading lately and leaving really great comments. I appreciate them but I often feel pressure about responding to them because I can never think of anything to say that might be good enough. Just know that I love them. And from now on I'm going to try hard to respond to them. Thanks!

And speaking of giving thanks don't forget that tomorrow is Hug A Writer Day!