Well, that didn't work

And having said all that, I have not done any novel writing since. I did make an astonishingly good apple pie! And ate food. And slept. And had a killer headache all day for Thanksgiving, that lasted until the end of pie in the evening (it seems pecan pie is medicinal in its sweetness).

I'll try to get back to it, but frankly I'm making no promises at this point.

Nanowrimo - not winning this year

Let's just say that I will not be winning NaNoWriMo this year. This should not be too surprising, as I abandoned the idea I had been working a few days before it started for a new idea (one I was not as invested in and so would theoretically have an easier time not writing perfectly), which changed during the writing and is now unrecognizable. Seat-of-pants is not my winning approach.

If I write hard, and do more than my average words per day, I may meet my personal goal of 25,000 words (Ignore the fact I have started over several times, and so am only a few thousand words into the current story- some of the rest can be fit in later). I did have ambitions of winning for a while there, but this does not look like the year for that. I did not do the total commitment thing: I tried to reduce my other time commitments, but not drop anything. I have written most days, even if only a few sentences (I got really stuck a few days ago).

I have found this to be a valuable project, though, and I do expect to try again next year. I had hoped to use this month to find a pace I could work at steadily, without burning out. I seem to have found what that is for now.

Good things I have learned:

• I can write about 800 words in half an hour
• Without a plan, I can write about 400-800 words in a burst
• A timer helped me get something on the screen (unless the writing just wasn't going to happen), either an IRC word war or E.ggtimer. com.
• Do not go back and delete anything - it may be useful later.
• The only way out is through- when stuck, write something. Even a different scene. Even write about how and why I'm stuck.
• I need an outline of some kind to keep the story moving forward, or I will wander and dither and backtrack all the time.
• One type of reluctance to write is solvable by writing. Another is solvable by trying again tomorrow. Trying to write reveals the difference (they feel different- like the difference between prying open the lid and having the lid open, but the jar empty)
  

Problems I found:

• I need an actual desk for working at (sofa=back pain)
• I need a full-size keyboard
• My brain is really not working as well as it used to (I blame my job. It's good for that).
• Possibly related- I have headaches more than I had thought- and it is hard to write with a headache.
• I need to break up the file- the one long file unexpectedly freaks my brain out (I'm going to try yWriter when the month is over. I have been tempted to buy a Mac just for Scrivener, but I can resist on account of not having the money to burn).
• I confirmed my suspicion that I have a hard time with plot (I have all these characters, but my plotting is awful- stops and restarts and moves all over the place, while being hackneyed and dull).

Next year I will have to have a bit of an outline for this. That's a good thing to learn. The problem with discovering these things during NaNoWriMo is that I haven't been able to spend the time I need to play and figure things out. (That, like editing, is what December is for, I guess)

So: I need to write a few scenes to find my characters (that's the only way I manage to get a sense of who they are), then I need to figure out the plot, and map it out (in what detail, I am not yet sure). I also need to find the right tools for me to wrangle the text. I can write an average of 800 words a day without major changes to my life. I can double that if it is going well. If the writing doesn't get much easier or faster as I get further in, I'd be looking at about 2-3 months to a rough draft. I'm okay with that.

If I can find solutions to the problems I'm having this year, and do the prep work I need to do, I suspect NaNoWriMo will turn out to be a good way for me to churn out a rough quickly. Just not this year.

Catching up again

Still busy/overwhelmed. Trying to get house in a fit state for company, as that would likely also be a fit state for living. With such a small house, I am surprised at how easily I lose things.

So... It's been a long time. What has changed... the job still bites, the hit to my paycheck hurts a lot (although the extra days off are appreciated). The kitchen is slowly coming together (just finishing the painting & new hardware on the horrible cabinetry). I went on a regrettable ebay/goodwill binge and ended up with a bunch of new-to-me sewing machines (old, metal workhorses), after resisting the lure of a very affordable industrial machine. I don't have any place to put them, but I have them.

The front yard is still a mess- trying to kill bermudagrass is not easy. Professionals were involved, it is still coming back, and probably will be forever. Such is life. The apple and chery are doing wonderfully, the japanese maple I planted out there as well is doing okay (it got a bit stressed before planting). the plum & peach I planted in the backyard are still alive, but not thriving. The area I started with flagstones & thyme between them is really nice, and I probably should work on spreading out from there. At least it now looks like something is being done, even if it is being done very slowly.

And so.... I am doing NaNoWriMo. And I am not finished with today's words. and I am writing here. Bad me. I am also considering various forms of cat-vacuuming- I need to go buy discounted halloween decorations! Produce so I don't get scurvy! And a new keyboard because this &^%(^$*% cheap compact one is not so comfortable to use (very stiff, keep missing letters or doubling them... awkward).

I shall do so. Even if I am only at 800 words. Need to ponder what happens net. Then I can do another burst or two of writing.