October, and More Panic Ensues

Oh my goodness. I just. Gah. Welcome to the month before NaNoWrimo.

There's just so much to do - we've got a relaunch coming up, which means updating novel info and writing novel info and possibly planning a novel and, crazy idea, maybe even coming up with a novel.

I love this season, and I hate this season, for the same reason: it makes me want to drop everything and start gearing up for November. Of course, there's Figment and skyborn and stuff to work on. Blog entries to write. That sort of thing. But I would rather be throwing myself into NaNo.

In fact, I'm just kind of insanely driven to write, period. Only, not on any of the plots I'm already working on. I set up another tumblr last night just so I could spit out all the random quote and streams of concious and random scenes I have flowing through my head that have nothing to do with anything. Who knows - some of the poetry's almost coherent enough to post on Figment.

All in all, I'm just a mess right now. I should really go work on something.

Writing Bucket List

You have one, don't you? It's composed of all those story ideas or concepts that you absolutely love and always swear to yourself that you're going to write someday. 

(That quote "If not now, when?" comes to mind, but that's an entirely different and horrifying topic in and of itself.)

I've recently decided to challenge myself and write down the bucket list in a organized collection, containing everything I know about each idea. It's going to be a page on this blog. Then, whenever I miraculously have nothing to work on (ha - hahahahaha. ha.), or whenever I'm strapped for an idea for NaNo or Camp or something, I'm going to look at that list and sincerely try to write one of the items. Because frankly, the items on the list terrify me. They're the ideas I don't use because I don't think I'll ever be able to do them justice, for whatever reason. Each one is so perfect in my head that I figure if I put it down on paper it will shrivel up and die.

Either that, or they're lovely ideas except that they're missing something crucial. Like a conflict. Or a main character.

Anyway ("anyway" - one of my favorite words that I use too often), I just thought I needed to challenge myself to accomplish something, even if that something is only evaluating other challenges. I'm in a mucky limbo between school and a job and more school, so I'm feeling rather unmotivated. And it's been a long time since I completed a longer writing project. Just look at my current projects page. It's swimming with stuff I need to update more.

Blah. The only way to bring a muse back is to write until she decides to show back up, I suppose.

NaNo Spasms . . .

I have the variety that's like . . . "HEY NANO'S A MONTH AWAY BUT HERE'S A STORY IDEA YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO START RIGHT NOW. BUT NO, YOU MUST WAIT, AND WRITE IT FOR NANO AND HOPEFULLY YOU'LL STILL BE AS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT AS YOU ARE NOW."

*cries*

But, goodness if I'm not swamped with Figment and the book I'm blogging with a friend. So, the idea will have to wait. Besides, I start getting ideas for NaNo in June, most times, and this year I had the pleasure of exorcising one of them during Camp. It's really just a case of what's the latest idea I've fallen in love with once October 31st rolls around. It's plot ADD, people.

Anyway, the idea that has most lately attacked me is about a band of rogue grim reapers mysteriously sending people off before their date of death, at first only seconds early. Then minutes. And then the FMC is targeted a whole whopping eight months before she's supposed to die, and a pair of reapers who are still on the straight-and-narrow intervene. Cue a quest to figure out why people are being reaped early, and who exactly is behind it.

It was one of those ideas where I could immediately hear each of the three main characters in my head, so it's going to be a hard idea to let go of. I guess I'll just have to see what happens.

Camp Aftermath

I will try to post more. Promise. But Camp NaNo just . . . made me forget I even had a writing blog to come home to. Funny how that happens.

I won, anyway - several days early. It's just this business of managing my Figment account and figuring out what to write next that has me totally swamped.

Note to Self (and an Excerpt!)

Don't start a blog right before a NaNo event. You will forget the blog exists.

Anyway, I think I'll try to finish camp today. Current Word Count: 45,611

Yep. This is definitely the best I've ever done - especially since the story is half-way coherent. If that's not an accomplishment, then I surely don't know what is.

Here's a brief excerpt, before I go get to work.

       “So you went down to Unverified Reports and fetched the binder?” he asked.

She nodded. “She asked me to get them, right after you left. But I made copies before I brought them to her, and I hid them. That was wrong of me too, I guess, and I should have given them to someone right away, but Mr. Mailer was always so nice and I thought I could trust him. Only, once I saw that you were here I thought, well, of course you would have already given him copies, and so, I think . . . Oh, she will fire me won’t she – and if she doesn’t she might lose her job, and I will be unemployed all the same!”

“Hush now,” he said, patting her knee awkwardly, “I’m sure some other department would take you in. Secretaries are a versatile position.”

Margot sniffled. “You’re a very kind man, Mr. Crosswhite. Very kind indeed. I’m so sorry to have caused you trouble tonight – I know you have very important things to talk about with Mr. Mailer, and I’m – I’m quite distracting you, aren’t I? Oh dear . . .”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” he continued to insist softly, still playing with the glass and hoping she would stop crying soon so they could get back to the dining room before anyone suspected anything. But damn it, they would be able to tell by her eyes that she had been crying. He would have to make sure she went and washed her face or something. Lord, he hoped she wasn’t wearing anything on her eyes – mascara or whatever. 

“Is there anything else you can tell me about Ms. Boswell or the Loughford documents?” he asked.

Margot sniffled again, but she wasn’t ducking her head as much, and seemed to have at least stopped shaking. “She called a number of people after you left . . . If she really – if this was really some sort of cover-up, or something . . . I don’t think she was doing it, hiding them, all on her own. I think someone – not you of course, Mr. Crosswhite, or else you wouldn’t be helping right now, I think – was tending to the researchers at Loughford. That is, making sure that their research did not get to anyone else. I think . . . or, poor, poor Mr. Landeck. I think they might have done something to him. These are dangerous people, I think, Mr. Crosswhite. You must be ever so careful.”

Mr. Landeck was Owen. 

“Do you know what happened to Mr. Landeck, Margot?” he asked. 

She shook her head. “But I know Ms. Boswell knows. That’s one of the things I heard her talking on the phone about. Oh, I didn’t know what to do. I should have said something. I should have done something. I was just so afraid. If they can make a director go away, then, then how much more for a secretary? And I was so dull, not knowing that something horrible was going on.”

Afraid that she was going to start sobbing, he gave her the glasses back and told her to go clean herself up and have some of Natalie’s dinner. She agreed, and once he had heard the hall powder room close, he joined the others, who were already well into the pot roast.

And so on.

Camp NaNo - Day 4

I stagger in to merely tell you that I am alive, and am three days ahead of schedule for Camp. It's a lovely feeling, but it's hot out and I feel very tired. Such is writing. And I'm not even done for today.

I rejoice in the fact that I have managed to wrangle a blue whale into the narrative. This will not be the last time. I'm also happy about how the story is developing a plot all on its own, with minimal input from me. I find this to be very considerate.

Word Count: 11,658

750 Words Continues to Be AMAZING

For some reason, it motivates me as much as Write or Die does, even though it's not threatening me with loud, unpleasant noises or electric shocks. I mean, it's 750 words, fast. What else does one need during a NaNo event?

But anyway. The details.

It's basically a motivator to write every day, with the very sweet and simple goal of 750 words. It gives you a space to write, a timer, and a word count, and sends you on your merry way. I suppose it's the mere fact that you're being timed - you develop this need to pump out words as quickly as possible. Everything you write is private. The web site keeps track of how much your write every day, and gives you points based on quantity and (I believe) consecutive days written, and whatnot. You get a score card and everything, and there are monthly challenges to participate in.

What amuses me the most is that the site also builds up statistics on what you write, based on what sorts of words you used. It will give your writing a rating, all movie-style (mine's just PG right now) based on violent or sexual words, or swear words you used. It tells you if you've been writing about death, or food, or family a lot, or if you're mostly positive or negative. And it will give you your averages compared to the site-wide average. So that's fun, plus all the typical averages like number of words and words-per-minute.

Oh, yes. There are also badges to win. Because, honestly, who doesn't like badges? Now, I kind of forget 750 Words during the NaNo off-season (shame on me) so I only have badges for joining, writing three days in a row, and writing five days in a row - but there are a ton of other nifty ones to get. The badges are based on birds, so you can aspire to penguins and a phoenix and what have you.

Anyway, if it's getting into the habit of writing that is giving you trouble, this is definitely a good site to try.