NaNo - Day 16

Yep - I'm behind.

Several days behind... lovely cold I've had. One of the ones where you are so disguising that you worry your snot will cover the keyboard and you can't type because of the tissue that you are constantly holding to your nose.

I'm behind - but I'm also in love.

In my previous life I was a project manager. There are all sorts of tools out there for managing products and I am now officially in love with Scrivener. I now am the proud owner of Scrivener 2.0 and spent the morning avoiding NaNo and moving two of my projects to it.

Yesterday was the key moment - I was writing a scene that takes place in a oak forest and having trouble imagining what it would look like. So, I went and found a picture I liked - saved it to the Scrivener background, moved to full screen, and made my page translucent - it was like writing on the forest. Everything was there - the light through the trees,  the mossy ground, the gentle rise to the ancient oak tree, and suddenly the words came and I wasn't frustrated with my lack of imagination.

My hope is by playing with my new toy... sorry tool... I'll be able to catch up. Besides keeping all my research materials and text in one place.

Yep - a geek in love. Such a sad sad thing.

Licks!

NaNoWri Mo – Day 4

If you are following you know there were no stats last night… because I suck!

No, actually there was a really good reason. My brain simply told me “Not today love, I’ve got a headache”. ;-)

But today is a new day! And I can’t let my Region down –

We moved from 14^th to 11^th and I can’t help but want us make it into the top 10. Little Portland Oregon is with the likes of Melbourne, Toronto, The Twin Cities, and Chi Town. At the top is “all of Germany” (way to stack the deck guys) Seattle, Holland & Belgium (can you say stacking!), and London. We may never catch them – but it is fun to watch the stats.

I am an obsessive stats watcher –

What I need to be is an obsessive writer.

But yesterday served a purpose of it’s own. I got to watch National Geographic’s 2008 documentary on new archeological research being done around Stonehenge and read more of Ellis Davidson’s book on Northern European myths and symbols. They both gave me some intriguing ideas that will filter down into my novel….

What I really need to do now is turn off all the distractions and keep writing - because the only way to get better at it is to keep doing it. 

That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.

 Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Kind of like Sisyphus (image above) - I'm sure that boulder got easier as time went on.

Licks!

NaNoWriMo – Day 3

Not really how I expected to spend the morning…. But I suppose the bills have to be paid, the house picked up, not to mention garbage and recycling taken out... and yes phone call to the Mother. 

How incredibly mundane!

The plan today is the same – but I admit that there maybe a little wrinkle to my plan – it is absolutely gorgeous outside and I want to go out and play. 65 and sunny with a lovely brisk wind in November is amazing and not to be wasted.

Of course have Mac will travel…

Mmmm… that is a thought.  

I find it interesting that I can do the 3-Day Novel and write 10k a day and right now I’m struggling to write 3k. But then I’m not walking away from my life – rather writing and living at the same time – with all the interruptions that engenders.

Funny how life get in the way of art! Or smut!

But really, there are so many things to day to distract me, and they are things that actually need to get done. Okay, deep breath and onward…

Licks!

Day 2 Stats!!!

It was hard to finish the goals today since I’m also listening to returns… But my day is done!!!!!! Whoop!!!!!

So to the stats… 3,007 new words – 43,762 to go – 14.25% completed.

I have to say thank you to all my new friends at Rose City Romance Writers for their wonderful welcome today. I needed something good to happen and like magic they showed up and made my day.

Now back to the election returns….

Licks!

NaNoWriMo - Day 2

Started this morning with the edits I should have done last night on “The Song’s Ending” – but can’t complain since I’m almost one day up out of the starting gate.

So, Day 2 – the plan is to write until I’ve hit my 3k goal then I can run errands, get rid of the pumpkin that is growing a sparkly white beard, and clean the cat box. My poor cat! But the cause is good.

My plan is to take everything I’ve learned in the last year of writing and take it to the next level. The next level you ask? Well that is an interesting thing – what I want to do is write 5+ days week, 3k when I don’t work, 1.5k when I do (okay 1,667 for NaNoWriMo).

Not a bad idea – we’ll see if I succeed.

Oh, and once this is done I promise I’ll post more of Emma’s Erotic Sketches! Promise!!!

Licks! 

Stats - Day 1

Day 1 was a good day.

3,231 words written - 46,769 to go - 6.91% complete. 

FYI - this is novel only, not counting blogs or editing work. ;-)

Licks!

NaMoWriMo 2010

National Novel Writing Month has commenced… I know it is supposed to be all about writing a novel – but I’m working on one right now and rather than start a new one I’m going to work on finishing my rough draft.

NaMoWriMo is all about writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

Which breaks down to 1,666.666… words per day.

I probably need more that that to finish my story – but it will be a good push through to the middle – and I’m hoping to overshoot and finish it because I have two short stories that I want to write on spec for a couple of collections – they are due on the 15^th of Dec.

The day has not started out auspiciously – I received a very nice rejection and my quarterly revenue statement (which was pathetic – so if you happen to have purchased Hunting for Possibilities and have your statement I would love a copy of the statement – send to emma.greer at Comcast.net) so not a very happy note to start on.

But I didn’t start down this path thinking it was easy. Nothing worth having is easy. So, onward.

I’ll also be posting my trials and tribulations here! So you can all share the pain with me.

For those who are interested – I’ll be using Write or Die by Dr. Wicked and Scrivener by Literature and Latte. Scrivener has been a lifesaver – organizing and researching a novel is not like working on a novella and Scrivener is helping. If I publish this thing I’ll owe them both a debt of gratitude!!!

Into the Breach!

Licks!