The Lost and Glorious Cause

So, I lost NaNoWriMo 2011: my novel lacked the 23,691 words needed to turn that wordcount bar purple. Am I disappointed? Not really, because I met my goal: I'm still not convinced that I should stop writing. And like everyone at the website and blog are saying, those of us who didn't make it (losers, to say it outright) have a bunch of words we didn't have a month ago. After several months of unimpressive consecutive writing, I am satisfied with my 26,309 words from these last 30 days. 

I hope that that didn't sound too defiantly self-justifying.

The novel did take on that told-of life of its own, with characters switching roles and places of importance being the most surprising surprise. I stayed in third person narration, too, which maybe wasn't too wise: MC's internal monologues are abundant.

I plan to continue to write every day until this novel is done. Bonne chance to all as you finish, rewrite, or edit your literary masterpieces!

Mia

A song for this second day December:

Writing Sisters and Loaded Arsenals

Is it . . . Friday already? These weeks go by so fast, I feel short of breath.

The other night, my sister and I got talking, and our conversation led to a plan to write a novel together.  The next day I got out the laptop and showed her the basics of Word. She is bound and determined to learn how to use that computer, and it's fun stuff to watch her. Right now, she's spending more time comparing fonts than actually writing, but I think we'll reach take off soon. The two of us will write this novel, but she'll be the principal contributor. I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

The arsenal

On a NaNo note, I have my supplies for the month in order. I plan on writing the novel by hand, as the laptop in my possession is rather heavy and gangly, and I'll want to be able to write at school without having to camp out in the computer lab. And of course, the laptop will be otherwise employed by a precocious nine-year-old girl. :) So I have a handsome black notebook, new Sharpie pens and G2s, and a little calculator all lined up. I can't wait to use them, but . . .

. . . I'm also nervous; there are so many difficult assignments going on in school, I still haven't the foggiest about what I'm going to write about for 30 days, and my parents aren't overly pleased about my upcoming foray into a novel. The odds aren't in my favor, but I still have this ambiguous determination to do this thing! Thousands of Wrimos cope with way more than I have to cope with. I understand now why Ellyn included the Emerson quote a few posts back.

My motivation and excitement have fluctuated greatly over the past week.

My goals:
~Write every day.
~Write something I am proud of.
~Be happy that I'm writing! It'll be good to grow in the sport.


Next time I sign in here, I'll have an actual writing log + wordcount to show.

Oohh . . . there goes one of those stabs of excitement. *grin*

~ Mia

PS - Three days!

Raring to Go

Nine days.

I can't wait.  There are butterflies in my stomach and I hyperventilate whenever I look at the countdown clock on the Nano website.

I think I'm finally prepared too.  I've got my pretty little blue folder all filled up with character charts and plot ideas and steampunk-y pictures, and I pulled the plug on outlining yesterday, saying, "NO MORE" so that my ideas will still be fresh when I finally start the book itself.  (Yes, I did draw a little bunny next to the word "Plot.")

A week ago, my dad and I went to the basement booksale at our local library and I found a priceless copy of "Athens at War" for fifty cents.  Since my Nano novel takes place during the first year of the Peloponessian War, you can understand why having a translation of a book written by an eyewitness of the war (Thucydides) would be so valuable.

 

I also went out today and bought an Acer laptop.  I have wanted a laptop for so long and I can't believe I am finally sitting at my desk and typing on my very own computer in the privacy of my room.  This is just what I needed for Nano - there is no way I could have made it on the family computer down in the dining room.  Not in a thousand years.  I would have gone mad.  I'm sure you know how annoying it is to have people walking back and forth, back and forth, while you are trying to diligently pound out your word quota for the day.  But now, I'll be able to write in my room, outside, under my bed, younameit.  And, you know...go on Facebook and Pinterest and stuff.

                            

 In addition to all of this, I've got a secret stockpile of chocolate waiting in my desk drawer, a map, and several original drawings representing scenes from my story.

Now all I have to do is wait.

Wait and wonder - can I really pull this off?

- Ellyn

iNano

At the end of September, I was dithering about Nanowrimo.

I had writer's block - by choice or by prescription, I don't know - and I needed something to get me back into writing.  30 days and nights that would make my eyes red and watery, my fingers sore from typing, and send my brain into an insane state of worlds and characters seemed like the perfect event to restart my writing career.

And Nano sounded like so much fun.  I had known about it for years, and I had followed people who had done it.  It was definitely on my do-before-death list.

As I sat in our uncomfortable computer chair, mentally flip-flopping the issue, I tried to figure out why I shouldn't do Nanowrimo.

1.  I'm scared I can't win.
2.  My school may suffer.  (This may not seem like a serious reason to some, but I am very serious about my grades.)
3.  I'm scared I will write a huge mess that will be beyond repair.
4.  My whole November would be committed to writing a novel, potentially not leaving time for anything else. 
5.  I'm scared to take the leap.

As I looked over this list, a favorite quote came to mind: "Do what you are afraid to do." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I've had countless other chances to obey the above quote, and here was another chance that had tumbled into my lap.

I took the leap.

via

Creating my Nano account and starting to outline my story did not abolish all my apprehension completely.  But I have added a great deal of excitement and anticipation to my apprehension.

It's gonna be an adventure.

Here are my goals for Nanowrimo:

1.  Complete the month with a 50,000 word novel (no matter how legalistic Sarah says it is.  Haha.  That was a joke, Sarah.)

2.  Dive so completely into my novel that I believe my hands are flying over the controls of a steamwalker instead of my keyboard.  I want to live and breathe my story while I'm writing, not stopping to worry if I chose a strong enough verb or formulated my sentence just right.

3.  Come out with good grades and have time to ride my horse and be outside, enjoying my favorite season, which doesn't last long.

Why NaNo?

NaNoWriMo is celebrated/dealt with by thousands of people who want to either write a novel or write 50,000 words. According WikiPedia (Of course I trust it!), over 200,000 people took part in NaNo 2010. Even in a world of  nearly 7 billion people, 200,000 is a big number.

But here's my question: Why? Don't we 200,000+ people have better things to do than risk our jobs, GPAs, or sanity over an iffy novel?

I'm sure we do. If nothing else, there is always another good book to read and learn from! So why don't we do those better things and forget about 'literary abandon'?

In the population of Wrimos worldwide, there must be a myriad of reasons for hopping on the NaNo bandwagon. This year, I am a full-time PSEO student without an idea for a novel, plus a part-time job to keep things exciting. There aren't any reasonable reasons for me to participate; why should I risk my passing grades and quality of life for a novel that might be horrendous?

Because . . . it just might not be horrendous. Unlikely, but there's a chance. More importantly, I've got to keep writing. If there was ever a time I was tempted to throw in the writing towel, here it is. I've entered the real world and I think I don't have time.

But no. Writing really isn't something one should grow out of, especially if one loves it. And regardless of what I feel like on a given weekday, I know I love writing. And anything worth loving is worth fighting for.

So this November, I'm starting a war. Or a battle, at least. It's my last stand (probably not as dramatic as those words suggest) to keep being a writer, and so help me, I am going to come out on top. I want to write.

There is my reason. What are yours?

~Mia

A Writer's Introduction to NaNoWriMo

So, why start a blog now? Inkblots has only been in the world, what? Eighteen months? A full two years? It can't be too years. We're not that old. Wow, if I count back to which novel I was writing in my head at the time it is like two years. Thoughts on this Ellyn? Is it really two years?

Anywho, this blog has sprung from the attic of my mind also. This is what the phrase attic of my mind makes me think of;

The real reason for this blog is the Almighty NaNoWriMo. Which I have never done before and I guess am doing this year. Ellyn for sure is going NaNoWriMo this year. I'm doing it a tad bit. What is NaNoWriMo you ask. It's an acronym. Above all, that is what it is. It stands for National Novel Writing Month. Mostly it's where writers celebrate their craft in November by swearing off procrastination devices (like the devious blogs and deplorable Facebook we all indulge in) and vow instead to crank out 50,000 words. If not a whole novel.

To be honest, in the past I haven't been a fan of either blogging or NaNoWriMo. But know I'm doing both. Blogging was something I really loathed for awhile. I would read blogs. I loved doing that and still do. The idea of writing a blog was repulsive to me. I wrote a book filled with reasons I could never really have my own blog in which I tortured a protagonist who had a blog. Not literally, but like all writers I ruined her life for a wee bit. (It was called Complications of a Pen Name, it lives in a drawer, and they were all happy in the end. Ellyn read it. Audrie may have a copy. I cannot remember) That has dissipated over time. I still don't have a personal blog. I have a blog which I keep for an art class I teach and this blog here. Maybe one day in the future, I will have a personal blog.

You never know.

NaNoWriMo annoyed me for a long time and still does. I can put my finger right on why too. It's so legalized. You NEED 50,000 words you you are not a REAL NaNoWriMo writer. I'm sure that's not true, but it's always felt like that to me. And I can do that too. 50,000 words is accomplishable by me, but I do not want to do it if you obligate me to do it. But, when everyone started getting goosebumps about the coming month of November, I found myself with my own set too. I had never had anything to work on for the write time in November before. I was always editing. An activity I hate, so maybe that made me crabby to NaNoWriMo. We'll never truly know what editing does to the brain.

This year, I had friends doing it, a book that needed finishing, a huge schoolwork load that is bound to make it even more challenging than having a social life. So of course I wanted to do it this year. I just had to legalize it in my own way. But I didn't want to be doing NaNoWriMo all by myself and then have Inkblots meet once in November and everyone talk about it. I wanted an email chain or something. Top this with the fact I had to get down to nitty gritty with my book. I'm going to hit the climax probably before the week is even over. I can't just diddle daddy with it. I had to get down and serious.

What I usually do when this opportune times comes is write down how often I've been writing. Which days, how long, how dedicated, how distracted. A blog seemed like the perfect place to do that. Plus, everyone in Inkblots suffered writer's block over the summer in differing severity and it would have been great not to have to realize once everyone mostly got over the worst part that we were all miserable at the same time. We needed an online forum. The attic of my mind demanded a blog.

Thus here we are! Hurrah.

This blog's first and foremost use is to record hours writing. Like a log book, if you don't mind a simile. Everyday I am going to write down how long I've written, how many words, and how focused I was. Everyone is free to decide how often they want to do this. Some people may just want to write once a week and accomplish 500 words. Some people just want to write. Some might want words. I simply want a finished book.

That leads us to number two. Everyone logging hours on here should, and this is important, write down their goal for NaNoWriMo. A goal might be 50,000 words, or a finished book, or to make a conscious effort to write for a month straight. It does not matter what your goal is, it matters that you have one.

Three. Ellyn has very clearly outlined what this blog is not a place for. I'd like to make clear that this is a writing forum. Everyone on here is more than happy to gush about how much they love writing and gives loads of unnecessary advice. If you get stuck, write it on here. If you have a question, write it on here. If you are overflowing with love for what you just wrote, write it on here. (The joy, not the actual paragraph).

Fourth, I'd like to encourage everyone to add to their author's pages. I will do this once I figure out how to. Add a quick blip about yourself. Like what you're favorite book is and why. How long you've been writing. How many novels you have in a drawer. A favorite writing quote. But most importantly, add some synopsises. Everyone wants to know what you're writing hours are being spent on. It doesn't need to be huge, it doesn't need to be tiny, but it needs to be there.

Also, happy National Novel Writing Month of November everyone!


-Sarah