Decisions

So November is here, which has meant NaNoWriMo to me for the past several years. Except, this year...yeah, I won't be doing it. I came to this decision on Sunday the 2ed. I know what you're thinking. "You gave up so soon?" "Only the second day and you decided it wasn't worth your time?" And any other questions you may have asked. Trust me, I wondered them too. But it wasn't on the 2ed that I first considered it. It wasn't like, on the 2ed, after a long time of wanting to do it, I changed my mind. I kept going back and forth and it was on the 2ed, as I was staring at the few thousand words I already had, that I realized this wasn't right for this year.

There are many reasons I decided this. The first being I just don't feel it this year. Again I know what you're thinking, "But you are supposed to write through those moments, otherwise you would rarely write!" That is exactly what I thought, which was why I was unsure until the second day of NaNoWriMo. It isn't just a case of "writer's block." Sometimes writing is hard work, but  I was experiencing that either. This was a complete disinterest from what I was doing. I have written a novel feeling this way before, and when all was said and done it wasn't worth it. I look back on that novel as a lesson and a mistake to not repeat. I love to write, and so I see no need to force it when I am not feeling it.

Second reason I am a quitter is because of time. Yep, time. Such an iconic excuse. But well, maybe November-when school is getting pretty intense, I am working over twice as much because of the holidays, and all the other business that comes with this time of year-is not the best time for me to try to write a novel. I know the whole point of the exercise is to make time, but I am not sure if I am but I feel busier this year, (maybe I am just lazier, I don't know) and I would like some time to just pause every once in a while and rest. The book is longer and more complex than the one last year, and I am  not sure I could keep up the pace, and I hate slowing down in the middle of a book. If I do, I have a hard time getting back into it. I am one of those people that get stressed with a super busy life, even if it is super busy with fun things.

The last, and probably the most important reason, the reason that made the other two relevant. I want to concentrate on editing my other books. Right now I want to work on my older novels to make the better for eventual publishing. This is something I am actually pretty excited about, and I am doing tons of research on self-publishing and the more traditional route. Usually I hate to edit, but right now I am actually enjoying the process of thinking how I can make my books better.  I would have to put my editing on hold while I wrote my novel. I feared that if a did that, I would have lost this editing momentum.

The other two reasons I could put aside, but the last one is what really demanded my attention, and it is definitely what tipped the scales for me. I think seeing Cycle actually availed for sale excited me, and I would like to see the others up there too, (even if no one ever bought them.) It made my hopes of someday being a recognized author more tangible to me.

Very Exciting News

The first of today's very exciting news concerns my family. My sister Megan had a successful delivery of Elizabeth Faith Hafle on Thursday of last week. (Yea, I know, it's been like, a full week. Don't judge. It may take me a while but I get there.)

 

(I stole this picture from Megan off of Facebook. I hope you don't mind. If you do send my a very bitter and judging message.)

 

Second order of exciting news. My book Cycle is now available for sale. You can purchase it at Amazon, or the CreateSpace e-store at this ULR https://www.createspace.com/4626634. If you get it off of Amazon you'll get to it more easily if you search for it under my name, (author name) Alex Quillian, than under Cycle. There are a lot of books out there that have the word "Cycle" in the title. (As cool as the amazon page is, get them at the direct URL if you could. Totally selfish request. I get higher royalties that way.)

 

 

See, it's all official. You can even look inside of it.

 

Third, last, but not least. Dave's Killer Bread is here, in Tennessee! All the way from Oregon I have missed your delightful, rich, wheaty taste. I have longed, and longed for bread this tasty ever since moving down here. They don't really believe in wheat bread down here. Even the wheat bread was white.

 

 

Failures

I have to important failures to discuss today. My first being, my failure to A Thousand Days. Starting in June, I just sort of stopped. I fell out of the habit, and well, never started it up again. A part of me is really upset for doing this, I was over half way done, after all.



Well, for any of you still following, my life is the same, pretty much. My oldest sister is having another baby, my second oldest sister got a new car because her old on kept breaking, and I am in a different semester of school. Same job, same basic interests. Same lame social life. I have accounts on a couple different social media sights, but due to the fact I never do anything I never post. In essence I am living the same monotonous unchanging life that makes for a rather lack luster lif

e on the internet. Maybe I should join Tumblr. Oddly it seems it is those kinds of people who become popular there.

 

On to other failures and potentially exciting news, I am attempting to make it so my book Cycle can be purchased. I am following the steps with CreateSpace, and it mat be available for purchase within the next couple weeks. It might already be available if not for one small thing.

 

The cover was monstrous.

 

When I was done with all of the steps and such, I sent in this picture to be the cover.

 

 

And this is what I got. More or less.





 

So I have reworked the cover to be lighter. I also chose a different picture that would not be as prone to being made dark and dusky I figured I would give it one more go. I don't have the money to keep ordering $7 dollar proofs indefinitely. It mat not seem like much, but this is the third proof. If I like this third cover, I will publish it through as many channels as CreateSpace offers, and maybe look into getting stalls for events, and junk like that. More as it comes up, which it probably won't.

 

Also check out this cool T.A.R.D.I.S. thumb drive I got.

 

 

Adventures and Experiments in Writing

Salutations one and all, in this post I will be discussion recent actions I have taken in my most riveting and startling writing career, (career used in the less popular meaning of a pursuit, regardless of your job.) Take this as a warning, or a lovely introduction to a wonderful post.

Free writing. Anyone who likes to write has probably heard of the exercise. For twenty to thirty minutes you write, free hand, not thinking about what you are going to write, and you can't stop writing. 

Sounds easy enough.

Holy cow! It was practically impossible.

This free writing is supposed to help with creativity and brainstorming, as you have to come up with something to write RIGHT THEN!!!! It also is an exercise which is supposed to sharpen your mind, to help you focus on something and not get distracted by other random thoughts. The two approaches are these: One, just start writing. Simple as that. Write blah blah blah, or jabber jabber jabber if nothing else comes to mind. Two, pick a topic and write about that. A spontaneous essay if you will.

It was so freakin' hard. I know some people have a fairly easy time just writing on and on, and at first I thought it would be fairly easy for me as well as I can keep up a monologue for a long time. I never realized though how often I paused in my writing. Not necessarily to plan in general what I was going to say, that was easy enough to do. A single topic can do me for a couple of pages. No, I realized with this exercise how often I pause for grammar purposes. I sound like a total idiot if I don't pause! It went beyond not editing. After reading through what I wrote I literally could not tell what I was trying to say. The funny thing is that I don't even notice these pauses most of the time, unless I'm actively trying not to pause.

As well as free writing, I have also finished the first draft of my most recent novel, Earthly Gods. It's kind of like Pilgrim's Progress and Lord of the Rings combined...I guess...if I had to describe it. It's about a boy, named Ashvik, who goes in search of gods who demanded him to be sacrificed.

Yeah...great stuff that. It's better than it sounds...really.

I've started editing Earthly Gods, had have even made decent head way into the outline for my next book, the third and final in a trilogy. The first was Beyond Happily Ever After, the second, Not Quite True Love's Kiss, and the working title for the third is A Place Not so Far Away.

For those of you who know about NaNoWriMo, I'm sad to say I haven't been doing it this year.. This would be my third year doing it, if I was doing it, but I am not, so it won't be my third year. I considered it for a while, but with completely Earthly Gods only recently, and the move to Tennessee there was no time. It almost doesn't feel like November without the frantic writing. Perhaps that's way Thanksgiving really took me by surprise. There was no NaNo to make it feel like November. 

Ten Words I'm Surprised are Real

The English language is very rich and diverse, receiving a heritage from many languages.Which is probably why it is such a mess. The grammar is convoluted, the spelling arbitrary at best. Why do we say better instead of gooder? Why is it alright to say faster, but not funner? Why is it i before e, except after c, unless there's an a as in neighbor and weigh? Weird, no? Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who who is obsessive about being correct in her grammar, but unlike most grammar Nazis I understand that one must approach the English language with caution and the understanding of the flexible nature of the language. (Spelling can just rot though.)

That brings me to the topic of this post. There are words in the English language that quite frankly don't make sense. Why would we even have that word? As well as the words that seem like they shouldn't be real, that sound made up. Here is a list of ten words I'm surprised are real. This isn't an official list of the ten most bazaar words, just ten words that made me do a double take. Some are fairly common words, some  are obscure, and others are weird slang. 

Splutter-a confused noise (as of hasty speaking)

Now this may be a surprising word to be in the list, but as embarrassing it is to admit, I only realized it was a real word in the last couple years. For the longest time I merely thought it was a deliberate and comical mispronunciation of the word "sputter."

Hooliganism-rowdy, violent, or destructive behavior. 

I knew hooligan was a word, but hooliganism sounds like someone was too lazy to find a different word, so they just slapped an ism at the end of the word hooligan.

Chillax-to calm down

I totally thought I made up this word. I don't remember having ever heard it, and when I first used it, it was after I thought I was being clever for combining the words chill and relax together. I was surprised (and slightly embarrassed) when I finally learned it had been a common slang since the late 90's.

Defenestration-the act of throwing someone or something out a window

Do we really need a word for this? I mean, in what context would you use this word, or even want to? It's like using antidisestablishmentarianism in a sentence. The few times you could use it, there is probably an easier way to say the same thing. 

Finnimbrun-a nick knack* 

An entirely superfluous word, but fun to say. 

Wallah-a person who is associated with a particular work or who performs a specific duty or service. 

It is a common enough word that I have known the meaning of a long time, but I can never take it seriously. 

Nocular-a word which can substitute any word.^ 

Now this word is basically slang, you can't even find it in any reputable dictionaries. The only place I could find  it was the Urban Dictionary There is a weird story behind this word being among the chosen. Many of you will recall a strange ice-cream (sort of) treat called dip an' dots. The containers they came in were roughly shaped like binoculars, and I said as much. Katy, my older sister, misheard me and thought I said the containers were nocular. From then on it became a thing in my family to call something nocular if we weren't sure how else to describe it, more as a joke than anything else. One day I actually looked it up, curious to see if it was a real word. It may only be found in the urban dictionary, but I was surprised to see that the way we had been using the word was a way that others had been using it as well. 

Tyrotoxism-to be poisoned with cheese*

I feel this word speaks for itself. 

Inimitable-not capable of being imitated

This was actually the word of the day at Marriam Webster and when I saw the definition it seemed to break every single assumption I had made about the word. I guess I just though that it should mean the opposite of what it actually does. In is a very strange prefix, at times it mean in the positive, such as the word inflammable  and invaluable. But apparently it can also negate the meaning of something as well. 

She'd've-she would have

Seriously? I admit, I use contractions, but a double contraction seems a little excessive. Unless you're using 'tisn't, but only because it sound Shakespearean.

Even though not everyone will be surprised at this collection of words, it can not be doubted that at least of few of them are truly weird, 

* Definition reworded from my own brain. ``

^Definition from Urban Dictionary ``

``All other definitions from Marriam Webster.  

New Look & Frenzy

New look. Nice, right? When I was changing the look yesterday to make it look more spring-y, I decided to go for a bohemian/vintage look. I do say I have achieved it. What is really cool is that it even has a writing theme to it as well. I did want to make a special header, but alas, I could not find anything I liked. 

 Well, I have decided, after about two days of consideration to do...

I was actually going to do it last year, but then, well, I had this amazing idea for a script and when it became the last week of March I realized I had no idea how I was even going to open the play, or any of the scenes in the middle, or how it would end. Basically all I had was an idea, and no plot. I supposed I could have done the whole flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants thing, but I'm fairly certain that would have gotten me about this far.

Act I

Scene I

                                                                 (There is a stage...)

So I decided not to do it. But this year, this year I have a script that practically threw itself at me. The log line goes something like this.

Four stories interconnect as a mystery unfolds, but in reality, only one of this is actually happening. 

The idea actually come from a dream where there were a bunch of fragmented stories that in my dreamy state seemed like they should connect somehow, but didn't. That combined with a very faint idea of a play, about a radio show, and then, pow! I wrote the outline for the script in a week. 

So...despite being busier than I have in past Aprils I am all signed up and ready to go!

Another poem

Yes I'm back and despite my best effort to at least post once a week...I've failed. The idea is to write once a week about writer's block every Saturday, and if I have something else to post I post it. Fingers crossed, I'll do better. 

So yes, here is a poem I wrote. I spent about fifteen minutes on it, so don't expect anything fantastic. 

Loneliness

Is it when the room is dark?

Or you cannot hear a thing?

So blind. So still,

And life is empty with nothing to cling.

Is it lost in a crowd?

With the voices so loud?

Yet you yell and you yell,

And the people don't hear.

So you plead and you beg,

Yet no one draws near.

When you're the only one,

Or surrounded by lives.

You are all alone,

When no one hears your cries.

I Still Don't Get It...

Hello again, and it has only been a little over a week. I meant to do a couple of book reviews but never got around to them. If you're curious  the two titles where One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Rules of Civility. (Both have language and some adult themes.) But that is not why I am here today. Today I want to share a poem...that...I wrote...because it sounded like a good idea.

Recently at in my American Lit class we studied the Modernist poets. I studied them briefly in high school and I have to say something regarding them.

I still don't get it. 

If you only pay attention to the way the words sound together, its great, the Modernist poets put together some ground sounding lines, but as to actual meaning, DON'T ASK!!! I get analogies, and similes, and metaphors, and being vague so people can read different things into the poem, and therefore get a reflection on oneself, but Modernism is so vague I can't even begin to even point at a general thing that the author meant. I'm not saying it isn't an art form, I'm just here to testify I don't get it. 

One of the hardest ones to understand is e.e cummings. I respect him as an author and poet, and unlike last time I studied him, I was actually intriged by his idea of protraying emotion through grammar, so I wrote a poem mimicking his style. Don't get me wrong, I could never fool anyone into thinking he actually wrote a poem, the meaning of it is way to obvious, but I played around with grammar and language to try to portray an idea.

And like e.e. cummings, I didn't name the piece.

i see You are lost

in the Storm

You are scared You are are desperate You are confused 

                                         You are tired You are angry You are hopeless You are 

                                         lost lost lost lost lost

                                                                                                                 You are

alone

                                          You are shivering

                                                                      kneeling in the cold

                                                                                                 breathing whit puffs

You are standing now

                                          Hope?                                                               a light

                                         You see a light,You...take...a...slow...but...hope...filled...step

                                       but the Storm

                                                                                                       blows 

                                              white

                                                                                 snow

                                                          obscuring

                                                                                                                           the 

                                         dull

                                                                                             landscape 

and the light flickers

                                                                                                  disappears

                                        You fall down again

                                                              and are still

i pull the cover from my lamp to see that.

?i am alone 

And you better be pretty darned impressed, because it took me fifteen minutes to type it up with the funky way that I had arranged the sentences. Arranging the words in a weird order was quite a bit easier on paper. 

The Accomplished WriMo and 12 Days of Christmas

Hello everybody! I am back and active in the blog world. I know I haven’t posted in over a month, but if you have followed me for a long time, you know that that was not my longest break. It was mostly due to NaNoWriMo, which was great this year. I wrote 75,000 words (a novel and a half,) this month, and I’m still about 20,000 words short of the complete novel. (Before editing and all that stuff.)

A part of me wishes I was one of those people who barely managed to scrape by through the whole month and during the last week pull it all together and won despite my constant lagging. A part of me wishes I had no idea what I was getting into and getting by just on me creativity and wits. A part of me wishes that I could actually use the dares on the form, and pulled several all-nighters just to reach my word goal.

But I’m not. I’m one of those people who can whip out 1,500 words in an hour typing at a comfortable pace, not hurried with some minor editing, and I had the luxury of having a couple hours a day to write. So I was the smug over achiever who was a bit down that I didn’t finish with twice the number of words needed to win.  

Now we enter December. The holiday month. In honor of this season, I will be doing...

Yes I know there’s a lot of people doing the same thing, and much more officially, but I wanted to do my own thing. For twenty-four days, every other day, I will write a Christmas themed post. There is no general thing, other than the fact that it is Christmas. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Christmas songs, our traditions for this season, random Christmas trivia, and much more.  

1: And so it approaches...

It is now the day before November 1st, or if you want to look at it a different way, October 31st. Either way, it is the day before NaNo. That is what we all have been waiting for, that is what I have been writing my outline for, this is the one adventure that proves to be the same, yet completely different for each person who partakes.  We are no longer counting down by days, but rather by hours. For some, it has already started. Australia and New Zealand for sure...I'm not sure about any other places. 

So today, today the plan is to look over by outline one more time and make sure everything is exactly as I want it. Though as I am writing some things will probably still change. 

And so, if you have never attempted NaNoWriMo, but it sounds just crazy enough that it is right up your ally, I really would encourage you to try it out. It is fun and amazing. If writing isn't really your thing, or even reading, then I guess it wouldn't be a good idea. But even if you don't think you can make a masterpiece, that's all right, it isn't about that. It is about getting outside of you what is longing to be brought out. In the words of Chris Baty himself, "There is a novel in you than only you can write."

2: How I NaNoWriMo

And so begins the penultimate to the count-down. The only difference...this time, it's personal...

and not in a revenge sort of way. Instead of just talking about NaNo, I will be telling how I do NaNo.

I know it says "Becca's Dictionary, but I changed it into my

outline book.

The first thing you should know, simply because it is really obvious if you ever see me during NaNoWriMo, is that I am a total planner. I part of me wants to be a panster, especially during NaNo, but a story needs to be in my head for several years before I even begin to think about writing it. Anything I write isn't worth very much unless it has time to "age," like cheese or wine. All this time is to accumulate plot points for a wonderful plot, otherwise the plot is is forced and reads as stilted and predicable. For having to plot for so long, I don't go too detailed on the plot, surprisingly enough. I used to think I did, but then I looked at some of the more detailed plots people write. A chapter is typically only a couple sentences in my outline, and really I don't even bother separate things into chapters. I do it to the manuscript as I feel fit. 

The inside of my outline book. You can even see the Q
from back in the day when it was still a dictionary.

So, I am a planner, so an outline in an outline book is the first thing on my list of things I need to do NaNoWriMo. Next on my list is my laptop.

A part of me will always like writing with paper and pencil more than the impersonal computer, but it just takes to long too write a novel doing it the old fashioned way.


As I said yesterday, caffeinated beverages are a large part of NaNoWriMo, and while I don't drink chai because it has caffeine in it, I still like to have a cup of it while writing. Oregon Chai is the best kind IN THE WORLD!!!! All chai drinkers I know agree. The only sad thing is that it is hard to get unless you live in Oregon or the surrounding states.

Last but not least, when I write I simply use the Microsoft Word processor that came with my laptop.

Sure, a part of me is attracted to the shiny cool writing programs, but once I research them I still always come to the conclusion that it will be easier to use Word. I know how it works, plus I've built quite a bit of my writing style on using Word, and I have a really good and efficient system for me. Frankly I don't think a really cool program will make my writing any easier or better. The same probably once I get used to the new system, but Word is free, so it has the cheaper card which is dealt quite a bit with me.

Last year I was pretty consistent. I did about 2,000 words a day in about an hour and a half and never had any real trouble in keeping up. Not really slow, but definitely steady wins the race with me.

NaNoWriMo is so close! Only one more day.

3:NaNo Culture

When I say "NaNo Culture," I am referring not only to the way people live during NaNoWriMo, but the kind of people who do it, and all the little things idioms and nuances that go along with any culture. It used to be that NaNo was only for "crazy writers." You know the type, the people who are living like it is NaNo all the time. Those "weird" people who spend so much time scribbling words onto paper they don't get to see the sun very often. That was only the first couple years though, now NaNo attracts all sorts of people. There are still the crazy writers of course, but now there are the stay-at-home-moms, the over achieving student, the under-achieving student who are setting themselves up for failure, computer programmers, retired people, and many other clicks that really don't matter, because everyone doing NaNoWriMo care about only one thing. Writing, writing something that is inside of you, even if you don't reach 50,000 words, it's still all about writing...

Okay, I'll admit it, "NaNo Culture," isn't even a real topic. I just couldn't think of anything for today so I thought I would come up with a vague sounding one and come up with it as I went along. I'm not even writing this today. I wrote it yesterday(today?) on Friday and scheduled it because I wasn't sure I could get to it today, (tomorrow?) I am also planing on doing the same thing for tomorrow's(the day after tomorrow's?) post. Another busy day.

Anyhoo, while it isn't an exhaustion list, here a some bits and pieces of "NaNo culture" for your enjoyment. 

Idioms:

NaNo-is a shortened version of NaNoWriMo. It literally means the same thing, it's just two lest syllables. It can also be used as an adjective meaning something is affiliated with NaNoWriMo. Such as, "Oh, I love your NaNo mug!"

WriMo-I've actually only seen this a couple other places, but those few places agree in their use of it, and it means someone who participates in NaNo. In fact, I used it in NaNo Events and Programs. 

Nuances:

The Traveling Shovel of Death-I'm not sure how this got started, but it is a huge part of NaNo now. It is quite random, and one would think most would have found it old after a couple years, but it is still alive and kicking. 

Music-What music you listen to is a huge part of NaNo culture, or at least everyone is always talking about it during NaNo, so I assume it is.

COFFEE!!!!-Coffee is huge in NaNo, or if you're not a coffee drinker, tea, most likely chia. You can't novel without your caffeinated beverage. 

Waiting till the last moment-I personally don't do this, but I should sometime, because apparently that is what most people do. They write the last 25,000 words in the last five days of NaNoWriMo.

4: NaNoWriMo Published

So when I first came up with all the topics for the NaNoWriMo count-down, I thought in this post I would give a short synopsis of all the books written during NaNoWriMo that had been published, but that was before I realized exactly how many NaNo books have been published. A lot, actually, after I did some research. Sooo, since I am lazy I don't want to take the time to compile them all onto this blog post, and since I am also too lazy to come up with a different theme for today's post, here is a link on the NaNoWriMo website that lists most of the published NaNo books. http://www.nanowrimo.org/publishedwrimos.

True, the majority of these books weren't written in November, that be it, and then get published. Many of the novels completely changed during the long and troublesome editing process. After all, NaNoWriMo isn't to make works of art, but rather to write a lot to get it out of you, and then make it a work of art if you so desire. Many of the authors who's books are published didn't even finish the rough draft during NaNoWriMo. Several got 50,000 words of their rough draft done, but several of the novels are many pages longer than that.

Anyway, it is still really cool to know that many books written during this crazy month of literary abandon. It makes m, at least feel a part of something more than just writing a book all by myself.  

5: NaNo Events and Programs

Yesterday we looked at all sorts of fun "goodies" that NaNoWriMo has to offer, but wait, there's more. As well as a website with lots of cool things to do and get, there is also local NaNo stuff. 

Come Write In is a program that libraries and book stores take part in. The library or book store agree to take part, and they get this snazzy poster that says, well, Come Write In. Imagine this, a WriMos desperately needing a place to write that will feed his imagination and motivate him to write happens to pass one of his favorite book stores and sees the Come Write In poster in the window. By the poster there he can tell that this store/library at least knows about NaNoWriMo, and that the a fore mentioned WriMo is perfectly welcomed there to bring either his note book or lap top, sit down at one of the tables, and write. Sometimes it is a planed thing, and WriMos meet together at a specific time and place. Sometimes it is a random thing, and people go in to write as they will.

What better place is there for a writer to write than surrounded by books! Plus the WriMo might be tempted then to buy a book, or as coffee shop book stores are popular in my town, a warm drink to sip as you write. 

Then there is the Night of Writing Dangerously. The official one happens in San Francisco, which makes sense as The Office of Letters and Light is situated somewhere around there, but all over the world WriMos host their own. What is it? It is one night, where a bunch of people participating in NaNoWriMo meet together, and pull an all nighter eating copouise amounts of food, playing games, and writing...dangerously. Sadly enough I have never been to one. There has never been one near enough where I live for me to attend.

"But wait," you ask, "who exactly arranges this stuff?" That would be the municipal liaison. It is a volunteer position, and the municipal liaison is in charge of arranging any events, motivating and helping people reach 50,000 words, and fundraising to keep The Office of Letters and Light going.

Last but not least there is even a special forum for specific places. At the website you choose your region, and anyone else living in your region will be able to access the forum for that region. So even if you live in a town like mine, with no Come Write In, Night of Writing Dangerously, or municipal liaisons, you can still chat and converse with the other WriMos in your area. 

6:NaNo Goodies

Along with the benefit of feeling motivated to write a novel because thousands of other people will be doing it, NaNoWriMo offers several goodies to not only help motivate you even more, but to put a smile on your face. The site in of itself is a wonderful source of inspiration and random funness for any crazy noveler. (Yes, I know that funness and noveler aren't real words...No, I'll have you know I hold much respect for grammar and using it correctly...Look, there is a difference between using "me" when I should say "I," and then using words that are obviously made up...I don't care whom you tell that I have poor grammar.) 

Anyway, to start off, At the NaNo site there is a lovely forum where you can chat about noveling, (yes, another made up word,) learn and give tips on how to reach the fate 50,000, learn rules about grammar and the nuts and bolts of writing, get other people to name your titles and characters for you, and even dare people to do the most crazy and random things in their novels.  

Then there are the pep talks, written by an assortment of well-respected authors. Though technically they aren't actually talks; they're written, so...pep writes? Found either at the NaNo website, or through e-mail, pep talks are one of the ways used to motivate us WriMos to keep at it and keep writing.

To keep the ball rolling, there are the wonderful NaNo videos, a fun way to kill a few minutes of you're loosing steam.

For those of you who want a memento of this crazy month (other than 50,000 words,) check out the store, where you'll find all sorts of NaNo themed merchandise. Coffee cups, totes, books, stickers, and badges; they're all there.  

There are also cool web badges, like the one you can see to the right at the top of the column. There are several different kinds to choose from, but they each have a general "theme." The cool thing is that each year, the "theme" changes. I liked last year's theme better, but I still like how it changes. 

Last, but certainly not least, there are the word count widgets. I know how they worked last year, but I can't really say for this year, because they actually haven't come out this year, and I don't think they do until November. Each year though, there are all sorts of cool widgets that you can put on your personal website/blog. When you update you word count on the NaNo website, the widget updates as well and keeps track of your word count in a variety of cool graphs. 

7:Introduction

The music swells, reaching a piercing crescendo as the sun filters through the stained glass window, the frenzied  musicians bathed in glorious light. 

That sentence probably aptly captures how may people are feeling around this time of year. Why? you ask. The answer is simply. NaNoWriMo. 

For any of you who may not know, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It is an even pretty much described by its title, though now this event has become so popular that it is INTERnational. Run by The Office of Letters and Light, NoNoWriMo takes place all during the month of November, and is a great chance for everyone who loves to write.  

The basic idea of it is to get you writing, to challenge yourself to write during a time of year when people are officially challenging themselves to write. 50,000 words is the goal for those who dare this month. Why 50,000? Will apparently it is the smallest length that a manuscript can be and still be considered a "novel." Less and it is a novelette or novella. It doesn't matter the quality of what you write. During NaNoWriMo, it is all about the quantity. Revising and editing come later, when you're not preoccupied with writing about  1,667 words a day.

It is a community and challenge and event all rolled into one. I, as you may have guessed, am planing to partake of NaNoWriMo this year. I did last year and it was AWESOME!!!!!! Being extremely excited, I have taken upon myself to count-down the last week before it officially start. So every day, I will be posting something equally NaNo-y as the days tick off. 

Hey, I could be worse. There are actually people who stay up all night before the day NaNoWriMo starts and begin writing right at 12:00 AM the first day of November. Where as that would be fun...my typing would be even more riddled with mistakes than usually and I would...be...going...very...slow...ly. 

So join the insanity, or at least check it out. 

Words, words, words

As you have probably assumed, today's Writer's Block is all about words. It probably won't be the last post about words, as I have a deep affection for words, and most of the Writer's Blocks are based on writing exercise. I have two today that I would like to share.

First, find five words you did not know the definition of, them use them to write a few paragraphs.

The words*

lassitude-weariness of mind/body; a condition of indifference.

indolent-having a disposition to be lazy; causing little pain/benign.

adust-scorched/burned

biblioclast-someone who destroys books.

gelid-very cold

The paragraph

 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is the story of a certain biblioclast named Guy Montage who must face what destroying books really means. At first he views what he does as most of his profession, as a favor to the world. But when he meets a young girl, Clarisse McClellan, he begins to realize that in truth the way he has been living is marked with lassitude. At first indolent, but soon growing to a dangerous proportion, Montages feelings of revulsion and disgust at what he does grows. Much like the he has burned laying in scorched heaps, he feels his living in a word adust, marked by burned out lives. As things come to a head, Montage must leave his home, and step out in an abandoned world that at first feels gelid to him, empty, and without hope. But as he finds some unexpected companions, he realizes that is the very place hopes lies.

*All definitions are paraphrases with Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary from 2006 being the original source.

Second, make up definitions for five words you did not previously know the meaning of.

kibitz-the child version of a monkey. 

The kibitz would often play rough with the others around his age.

nabe-a foolish and often mean person.

The bully was quite the nabe.

perdition-being a person/object that fills a prophecy.

In the fifth book, Percy Jackson realized it was in truth Luke who was the perdition to Delphine's prophecy.

regrate-a piece of art that only became famous after the artist has died.

As sad as it is to say, most of Van Gogh works ended up regrates.

sumac-a move in karate

John surprised his attacker by taking him down with a powerful sumac.

The Journal

Blank, empty, soulless, nothing but page after page of lined paper pressed tightly between my covers. My patterned cover attracts a young girl. She picks me up, and runs her hands across the cover and along my spiral edge which binds me. She flips me open and ruffles my pages. I revel in the caress of air around my still leaves. She traces the tips of her fingers along my lined pages. Suddenly I realized something lacked within me, and it pains me to be without it. I still did not know what it was. I only knew, as the girl ran her fingers across me, that she could give me something I needed.

I was expecting to be fill up right then, my pages nearly rustled with my excitement, but the girl closes me with a harsh "snap!" I am placed in a bag that rustles and crinkles. I stay there for a while, wishing for the girl to pick me up again. Eventually she does, but not to open and fill me, but to give me to another, who waves me around under a  red light. I am handed back to the girl, and placed once again in the bag. I swing, sit, jerk, and tumble in the bag as I am taken somewhere. I know not where.

Finally, being taken out of the bag, I am placed on a shelf by the girl, and that is all.

I wait.

Before the girl, I had sat on a shelf, my only knowledge of the world the other books which were around me, which I know realize where just as empty as I am. It makes me wonder if they too feel the emptiness inside of them and wished to be filled. Now though, I am surrounded by all sorts of companions.

I wait.

They are very worldly and kowledgable, these other books. Some are story books. They are full of character and plots. Other are picture books. They show amazing scenes of the world, capturing a singe moment of life on their pages. They whisper things to me, telling me of the world. Some laugh at me, mocking my bare pages, tittering about the dullness of my repetitive lines. They say what point can there be in a book like me?

I wait.

Others comfort me. They search their own pages for clues to what I am, and how I am to be filled. They never found out though. The books come and go. Sometimes I lose a friend, sometimes I gain one.

I wait.

And then...

Then girl picks me up, only she is different, unlike me; I have not changed at all. She opens me and I think she is going to trace my lines again, but instead she lays me on a table. Gently, she places the tip of a pen a little above the very first line, on my very first page, and then she writes...

                    I had forgotten about his journal, lost among the regular books on my

                    shelf. I needed I new journal, and I happened to find you...

The girl was filling me! Filling me with words, wonderful words she means for me and only me. Line by line and page be page.

The girl places me back on the shelf and I show the others the few pages the girl had filled with her messy script. I can talk about nothing else.

I grow thicker, as if the words the girl writes in me somehow add substance to me. It isn't everyday the  girl writes, but she does several times a week, filling me with more of her words.

Then the day comes when the girl writes upon the last line of my last page. She closes me, and places me on the shelf again. For a moment, just before she put me down, she ran her fingers along my spine and cover, like she had done the day she first picked me up.

I never felt the girl's touch again. A few other people picked me up casually, even flipped open my pages, but never with the tenderness of the girl.

But it doesn't end there, for I tell others of the girl who filled me. Like a picture I have captured her, and like a story I tell her adventures. But more than that is laced through my pages. The girl herself lives in me, her heart beating and her laugh echoing. I am her dreams, her fears, her sorrows, her joys, her wishes, triumphs, failures, life, losses, and loves. Even as the girl changes and fades, I will hold her, young and vibrant.

Forever.

78 Words

So Esquire, along with Aspen Writers' Foundation are hosting a short, short fiction contest. I first saw it on KatySue's blog.  I didn't have the sense to click on this picture,

so I was in the dark, and wondered what on earth the 78 word thing was about. I follow NaNoWriMo on facebook, and later that day I saw that they had posted about the Esquire contest, so I assumed that KatySue got it from that. Little did I know she got it from a blog she followed, and not from facebook at all.

While Esquire isn't exactly the type of reading material I would choose, the challenge intrigued me. So I did it, wrote a story in 78 words. I did enter it in the contest, even though I didn't like the looks of the magazine I figured it couldn't hurt to enter. In fact, I probably would have blogged about this before, but I am paranoid and didn't want to put my short, short on the web till I had entered it into the contest, because it is just so good I know someone would try to steal my idea.

78 Words

(or When Words Appear)

The story of humanity came to a man as he sat, idly holding his pen. The story spoke of all the pain in the world, and all the joy. The man realized what he had written only after the last word had been penned. In his excitement, he accidentally spilled his glass of water onto the paper, washing the story away. He tried to capture it again, but each time he tried, only an ugly perversion would appear.

So there it is. A story in 78 words, the best I could make them. For me, it was surprisingly hard to write. (KatySue wrote and finished hers in about five minutes.) Sure, initially when I wrote it, I told myself I would not look at the word count and just write till I had finished, then work on any extra words there may happen to be. I finished in about 5 minutes, with 110 words. It took quite a while to figure out what 30 or so words to scratch so the story would still say all I wanted it to say, but not be too long. There was quite a bit of condensing, turning two sentences into one, rephrasing things so they held the same meaning, but used fewer words. For someone who is naturally long winded, it was quite a challenge.

Writing the short, short was more like writing poetry as opposed to a story. It was all about making sure the words fit together nicely while working in a certain amount of space. It was annoying having such restrictions, and I certainly felt at times that the story would be better if I could have had at least 100 words. It's not only about saying what you want to say, but knowing which words to say it with, and how to say it to make it work. It was a good exercise though, especially for someone long winded like me. The process of using fewer words to say as much, (if not more) is a good talent to learn.

Even so, I didn't write in it all that I wanted to. It was, in fact, supposed to end with the man giving up and simply writing a few words that "explained" the metaphor of the story. When I was editing it though, either I could get rid of how it sounded at the beginning, or get rid of that ending. I chose the later. The story sounded clipped and sparse other wise, and I kind of like how now it is kind of left up to the reader to see what the story means to them. One of those instances, actually, where I have said more with fewer words. Before the reader would have had to seen it the way I wrote it, but now the story may move the reader in which ever way the reader needs to be moved.

Busy life and writer's block

I know, I know, it has been quite a while since I have last blogged. I have trouble finding stuff to blog about, but fear not my six faithful followers, (and even more due to those who follow without their loverly faces appearing under “Stalkers,” life will be probably getting busier for me...I’m not sure if that mean I will blog more, because there is stuff to blog about, or if it means I’ll blog less because I am too busy to blog. Either way, my life will be more eventful, which is the important thing.

 Anyhoo, some exciting things to say. First off, guess what I got to do a week after spending six weeks in Latvia helping out at a camp? I got to go to my church’s family camp! Despite being a little tired of camp, I had a great time there, hanging out with my friends and family.

 And now for the exciting news. Notice the picture below.

That is the header for a new column called, (you guessed it,) Writer’s Block, (which, by the way, is supposed to be a pun.) Because I use the other columns soOOoo much, I wanted to add this one. Writing is a huge part of my life, ad in fact it was for that part of my life I mainly made the blog in the first place; (it was called, “Random Scribbles then.) I thought this column would help. I have started doing daily, (well, every couple day) writing exercises in my journal. In fact this started with the writing themed thirty day challenge I did. I really enjoyed doing those random exercises on regular bases. Under Writer’s Block you will see more of those exercises. Not all of them mind you, just the ones I like best and think are particularly good or unique. Also, under Writer’s Block, will be random thoughts I have as a writer; tips for other writer’s, struggles I have, opinions on writing I would like to share, and the sort.

And as a final treat, here is the first Writer’s Block. I had to write something that declared the glory of God’s works.

Formless, cold. Nothing but water stretched for mile after mile, darkness enveloped eternity.

The first day there was light.

By light we see and know the world. It pushes back the darkness that would otherwise blind us. Light offers us guidance where we would stumble, and direction where without, we would be lost. The light made day, so there could be night. The darkness was no longer endless.
And it was good.

The second day there was sky.
The sky is open and free. We reach up to touch is, but never quite make it. It gives us freedom to move and wonder where we would be confined. It is a place for clouds and dreams to rest, gives us on opening to gaze upon the world and feel small.
And it was good.

The third day there was land and sea, and plants to grow to fill them.

By the land we live. We make our homes and we thrive off the dirt. By the waters we live. The clouds release the rain and it waters the dry land. The seas roar with all their power, giving us not only the vision of power and beauty, but moister and food as well. Trees grow from the earth, branching out and growing. Flowers opened up in an expression of beauty. They offer food for the hungry and they decorate the earth.
And it was good.

The fourth day there was a sun, and a moon, and the stares.
By day the sun governs, shining with glory and power. It reaches down its rays and touches the earth. Sometimes gently, small caresses of warmth; sometimes fierce, beating down on the land with wild heat. The sun drives out the cold and offers life. The moon governs the night, offering a gentle light, even as the night brings a cool touch to our world. The stars guide us, showing us our way when the land becomes a blur, or go on and on without direction.
And it was good.

The fifth day there was birds and fish.

The first creatures to be created. One to fill the open sky the other to fill the roaring seas. The birds ruled the sky, flying high in the air, beating their powerful wings. The fish rule the seas, swimming through the waves and fill the waters of the earth with life.
And it was good.

The sixth day there were beast of the land.

They roam the earth, giving cycle to life. While they feed us they can also offer companionship. How diverse they are! They come in so many shapes and sizes, they fill the land with wonder and beauty.
And it was good.
Also that day there was man.
Created not only to live, but to love, created in the image of God. Not only existing, but thinking. Able to see and comprehend, and gibe back ot God with praise and worship.
In the image of God was man created.
And it was good.