I Love November

The weather in Central Texas FINALLY cools off. Ok, yea, not til mid-November, but still...

And there's that holiday with the big bird... Yea, that's nice, too.

And, for the 10th year in a row, there are crazy people ALL OVER THE WORLD writing novels! Whole 50,000 word novels in a mere 30 days. For those of you who do not participate and therefore have not done the math over and over, that works out to 1667 words a day.

Want a reminder or two? I dug through the NaNoWriMo.org calendar forum and found links to several different desktop NaNo calendars for you to download that will flog you into writing more encourage you along the way. If you use one, remember to send it's creator a note saying "Thanks!"

Cool space pic with Carl Sagan quote calendar.
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Simple calendar with daily word count requirement in green, blue, pink, or orange.
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Basic white with encouraging words - Be warned though, this one looks odd because the weeks go Monday-Sunday rather than the more traditional Sunday-Saturday.
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Several basic ones with daily word counts (both 50 & 100k) & various background images and resolutions.
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Orangey Woodgrain with word count only
Orangey Woodgrain with counts AND inspirational quote (I like the quote on this one, fwiw)
Candle with word count only
Candle with counts AND inspirational quote
I shouldn't say anything since I do NOT have the skill to make one of these at all, but that candle pic makes my eyes hurt
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For the truly ambitious, here's an eye-strainingly blue one with daily word counts for those foolish enough to attempt 100k words in November!
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Open Book: 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x800

Cup of Coffee: 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x800

Computer Keyboard: 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x800

Tea and Book: 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x800

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50k is just Beachy
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Desktop Style - I admit, the first thing I thought when I saw this one was that someone spent too much time at J.K. Rowling's website waiting for HP7 hints, but it is spiffy nonetheless.
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Several pretty ones, but they are very slow to load. You've been warned.
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Inspired by an old noirish-Nano poster in800x700 |1024x768 |1280x900
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There is a "Twilight" movie one, but I have standards, if you want that one you have to go find it yourself.
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Speaking of which... When I wrote this post (10/10/08 - you don't really think I'm wasting precious words BLOGGING on November 1st, do you?!) there were the above, and then some, in the forum. I'm stopping here because I've been writing this post for an hour now and I'm tired of scrolling --it's a really full forum, you'll have to scroll through the chaff and comments to find the links (sorry)! I'm sure there will be more by the time it really is November 1st.

Go Nano! See ya'll in December!

Na, Nooooooo!

It's October! The morning air is actually crispy and nice feeling for an hour or two before we go back to the Texas usual. The first cool mornings of autumn always make me happy. Then sad when the heat comes back for another 6-8 weeks, lol.

More importantly, October means that www.nanowrimo.org is open for the business for the new year in preparation for November which, as we should all know by now since this is my 4th year to blog it, is National Novel Writing Month. I'm signed up again this year, and, since the icon off to the right over there is a live update, it has even already reset for 2008.

Wish me luck? I've never tried NaNo while freelancing and holding down a full-time job; this, like the Chinese curse, is going to be interesting. This year I'm doing what I can only call literary fiction. It might be popular fiction, I'm a little unclear (as are many people, I think) on the line between the two. Guess I'll know in 2 months, right?

Oh, yes, and, speaking of freelancing... I am taking new projects again--strictly project work, mostly small stuff and no long-term commitments... After 6 weeks to adjust, mama is back in the writer's seat again - yee haw!

All Over but the Aching

Aching fingers that is...

NaNoWriMo came to an end without my novel coming to an end. I didn't make the 50K goal this year. I'm a bit sad about that, I know it's silly but I wanted another one of those spiffy little winner icons to go with the one from 2006.

I am, however, at peace with it. I have a solid 35K words toward a story I want to tell--last year's NaNo got circular filed when I looked it over after November was over--and I did it the way I wanted to. Had I made a mad dash for the finish line in the last 4 days of November I probably could have made it, but it would not have been the story I wanted to tell.

In all honesty, this on-site thing, combined with the holidays, is kicking my behind. I'm getting it all done, but I only spent two days writing after I started going OUT to work on the 19th. I am tired and moving slow, but I am at peace with where I left my novel. And, when the holidays are over, I'll pick it back up and finish it properly.

That time again...

Well, technically not for another month, but still...

National Novel Writing Month is less than a month away! The 2007 NaNoWriMo site is up and running as of this morning for returning participants to sign in/up again or for new novelists to join the fun. Try it, then you, too can have one of these nifty icons on your website/blog/tattoo:

NaNo Winners - Get a Free Copy of Your Book

Lulu.com is offering a single black and white paperback copy of your NaNo novel for all NaNo 06 winners, if you get it to them before January 16, 2007. For more info, click on the link in the post title.

FYI

Halfway There... Only 10 Days left!

Yep, broke the halfway point tonight. Ten days left and 24Kwords... I am so wigging!

NaNo ‘06 - 26, 208 & counting! 50K or bust, Baby!

It's Broken!

The 10K barrier, that is.

I broke 10K today and the day is not yet over :-) Most people who give up (I knew the stats before the month started but they've floated clean out of my head!) do so prior to the 10K mark. Of those who make 10K I *think* over 50 or 60% of them finish.

Based on missing a few days over the weekend I can still be on target if I up my daily word min to a little over 1800. A bit scary, but Monday was a banner 2400+ word day, so 1800 should be doable- right? Certainly sounds less intimidating that way than saying 50,000 words in 30 days. Don't ask me why, it means the same, but smaller numbers are less panic-inducing.

As a side note - my NaNo is still pulling teeth, but everything non-NaNo I've written this week has come **so** much easier, whether it's blogging or work stuff, it's just all flowing better.

NaNo Tips from an (almost) Novice

I changed my mind and brought him back - he's not dead, just missing. I haven't decided yet if I want to kill him off or not. It would be closer to the true story my novel is loosely based on to let him live, but, from a plot perspective it would be a lot easier on me if he dies. I'll have to think about it some more.

So... On to the Nano tips:

1. Get a calendar JUST for Nano. I got one from my municipal liaison at the kick-off meeting and 30 stickers. Ours are stars, but get whatever floats your boat. Mark each day with the total word count you should be at, ending with 50K on the 30th. Each day you make the count (which is a minimum based on 50K divided by 30 and assuming you write every day) give yourself a sticker.

Ex. We had a five year-old emergency at 4am today. She went back to sleep, but I didn't. By the time 2pm rolled around I only had 900 words for the day and really wanted a nap. She went to bed at 830 and the only thing that kept me up was that I desperately wanted to put that damn star on the calendar, which meant heading back to the keyboard. It may or may not be dreck, but by golly, there's 5300 words of it now.

2. Go to the events. I was so stoked after the kick-off on the 29th that the 30th and 31st felt like the slowest days ever. Knowing you are not the only insane person in your geographic area and that other people have, in fact, managed to do this helps. Real people, that you can have a cup of coffee with during a write-in rather than the faceless handles on the NaNo forums. Here in Austin we have the youngest NaNo winner (someone who achieves the 50K in 30 days) ever at 13 (2005). She's 14 this year and by golly if she can do it, so can I. Right?

3. Turn OFF the inline spell/grammar check on your word processing software. The whole point is to free yourself from your inner editor and just crank it out. If you don't see those little wavy red lines from where you were typing too fast it is a LOT easier.

4. Turn off your monitor. This has been a big help to me this year. I'm a full-time notebook computer user, but have an LCD panel & dock on my desk. When I turn off the monitor I am freed from the editor since I cannot see what I am typing (and can stare at the keyboard, if necessary, if you're worried over typos). I am also freed from the pressure. It's much easier to resist the urge to constantly hit the "Recount" button in Word if I can't see the screen. And if things are going slowly, I cannot see how little space I've filled. If I'm on a roll there's no visual cue telling me, "Quit, you made it already."

That's it, so far. Thanks to these handy tricks (oh, yea, quoting lyrics or poetry is good for upping your word count, too. Just remember, if you want to work your manuscript up for publication you must either remove these sections or trim them to "Fair Use" snippets, and receive permission to use them from the copyright holders.) I am THREE HUNDRED TEN words over my minimum word count on day three. Which is good since my ILs are coming tomorrow and my time with the keyboard is going to be a little short over the weekend.

Good luck & happy writing--I got my red star and I'm going to bed.

NaNo '06 - Day One

Woohoo!

I made my word count for the day with 97 to spare! On the other hand, that is pretty much ALL i got done today. Good thing I scheduled the day for it, since I probably won't be able to get away with that kind of time at the coffee house (2 1/2 hours) more than once a week or so...

Keep an eye on this year's participant icon to the right, it's keeping a running score on my word count.

50K or Bust, baby!