Posts
I will...write every day, at least 1,667 words per day, even if I'm depressed, premenstrual, hating the world, feeling suicidal, ready to jump out the window, or prefer to sleep 24/7. The Well of Self-Pity will NOT suck me dry this year.
I will not...spend too much time dwelling in self-pity instead of writing, doing dishes, doing the laundry, or sleeping instead of writing.
I will...like my story and characters enough to carry me through 30 days of writing frenzy.
I will not... stop after 5,000 words, feeling that it's too much to keep working on.
I will...avoid the "I hate myself and want to die" Nano forum like the plague.
I will not...spend too much time surfing the Nanowrimo forums instead of writing.
I will...remember how Jane Austen wrote in the sitting room among her family members, and despite constant interruptions.
I will not...yell at my family because I am trying to concentrate on the latest wrinkle in my story.
I will...believe in myself.
I will not...think I am the next Charlotte Brontë.
I will...love myself and my writing, no matter how bad the writing seems.
I will not...worry so much about stupid things that don't matter.
(repost from October 21, 2005)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thursday 13: #11
 |
|
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Howmanyofme.com
(Don't know how accurate it is; I tested my daughter's name and it said there were 0 people with that name, and when testing my hub's name, it got 6 matches.)
Monday, October 23, 2006
Movie Review: "The Shaggy Dog"
The second movie we watched this weekend was "The Shaggy Dog," a Disney film starring Tim Allen. I remember being taken to see the original "Shaggy Dog" movie when I was about 4 or 5 years old (I think it was at a movie theatre showing older films; I'm not sure what year the movie came out). My aunt took me to see it, but when we got to the theatre, the tickets were all sold out, so we couldn't see it.
In the movie, Tim Allen plays an assistant district attorney working on a very important case. The case could make or break his career, and possibly a future election to district attorney. But as with Sandler's character in "Click," Allen is spending too much time at work to the detriment of his family life.
He hardly knows his children; his relationship with his wife is becoming distant. The case is whether a social studies teacher set fire to a laboratory because the lab was experimenting on animals. However, no one believes the teacher that animals are undergoing experimentation. The bad guy, Kozak (Robert Downey Jr.), denies that there are any animals in the lab.
But Kozak has acquired a seemingly magical dog, a dog that is purported to be over 300 years old, from Tibet (a Tibetan spaniel, but in the movie, they say it's a sheepdog). He and his assistants are trying to isolate the genetic mutation that is causing the dog's long life, supposedly at the behest of his boss.
The dog breaks free of the lab, and the daughter in the movie, Carly, just happens to be outside the lab when the dog escapes, and she takes it home. She has no way of proving that the dog was in the lab, though. Allen, meanwhile, has made it abundantly clear that he hates dogs, so when he arrives home and sees the dog sitting in the kitchen, he goes ballistic. Carly tries to explain that the dog is from the lab, but he won't listen. The dog brings him yesterday's paper, and Allen just won't believe that the dog is sentient. So, the dog bites him.
His genes begin to mutate, and afraid the dog might have rabies, Allen has animal control officers pick it up, to wait out the rabies quarantine.
A day or so later, Allen turns into a Tibetan spaniel. He does so when his heart speeds up. When it slows down, like when he's asleep, he returns to human form.
So as a dog, he learns much about his children--things they wouldn't share with him because they were afraid of his wrath. For instance, his son wants to be in musicals, but Allen wants him to play football, "just like the old man," even though he hasn't been able to attend any of the football games because he's too busy at work. In fact, he was supposed to attend a parent-teacher conference, and missed it because of work.
So, in the end, he discovers that Kozak is planning to take over the lab by incapacitating his boss. Kozak discovers that Allen can turn into a dog and captures him. But by this time, Allen has convinced his children that he's their dad, not the dog.
So a mass lab breakout ensues. Kozak gets bitten. Somehow, Allen manages to make it to the courthouse in time to tell the judge that Kozak was the real villain all along.
Then they all live happily ever after, taking a vacation to Oahu.
My only problem with this movie was there were a few scenes that were obviously fakey-like at the end when the dog is hanging ten on a surfboard in the ocean. CGI animation can only do so much. The dogs in the movie were gorgeous, but I wouldn't want to have to maintain their coats. All that long hair probably had to be brushed constantly.
I think that most families would enjoy this film. I would say it was all right; however, I don't know if I would want to pay $19.99 to own it. DD enjoyed it, although she was tired and couldn't stay up to watch it all. (She's 6 years old, for the record.) For older kids, they might think it's boring. I thought Tim Allen did a fine job of finding the right doggy mannerisms. Robert Downey, Jr. was good, but he's good in just about every movie he's in. Danny Glover's part as Allen's boss was so small that he was wasted in the film, and so was Jane Curtin as the trial judge.
Rent it if you have nothing better to do on a Sunday night.
In the movie, Tim Allen plays an assistant district attorney working on a very important case. The case could make or break his career, and possibly a future election to district attorney. But as with Sandler's character in "Click," Allen is spending too much time at work to the detriment of his family life.
He hardly knows his children; his relationship with his wife is becoming distant. The case is whether a social studies teacher set fire to a laboratory because the lab was experimenting on animals. However, no one believes the teacher that animals are undergoing experimentation. The bad guy, Kozak (Robert Downey Jr.), denies that there are any animals in the lab.
But Kozak has acquired a seemingly magical dog, a dog that is purported to be over 300 years old, from Tibet (a Tibetan spaniel, but in the movie, they say it's a sheepdog). He and his assistants are trying to isolate the genetic mutation that is causing the dog's long life, supposedly at the behest of his boss.
The dog breaks free of the lab, and the daughter in the movie, Carly, just happens to be outside the lab when the dog escapes, and she takes it home. She has no way of proving that the dog was in the lab, though. Allen, meanwhile, has made it abundantly clear that he hates dogs, so when he arrives home and sees the dog sitting in the kitchen, he goes ballistic. Carly tries to explain that the dog is from the lab, but he won't listen. The dog brings him yesterday's paper, and Allen just won't believe that the dog is sentient. So, the dog bites him.
His genes begin to mutate, and afraid the dog might have rabies, Allen has animal control officers pick it up, to wait out the rabies quarantine.
A day or so later, Allen turns into a Tibetan spaniel. He does so when his heart speeds up. When it slows down, like when he's asleep, he returns to human form.
So as a dog, he learns much about his children--things they wouldn't share with him because they were afraid of his wrath. For instance, his son wants to be in musicals, but Allen wants him to play football, "just like the old man," even though he hasn't been able to attend any of the football games because he's too busy at work. In fact, he was supposed to attend a parent-teacher conference, and missed it because of work.
So, in the end, he discovers that Kozak is planning to take over the lab by incapacitating his boss. Kozak discovers that Allen can turn into a dog and captures him. But by this time, Allen has convinced his children that he's their dad, not the dog.
So a mass lab breakout ensues. Kozak gets bitten. Somehow, Allen manages to make it to the courthouse in time to tell the judge that Kozak was the real villain all along.
Then they all live happily ever after, taking a vacation to Oahu.
My only problem with this movie was there were a few scenes that were obviously fakey-like at the end when the dog is hanging ten on a surfboard in the ocean. CGI animation can only do so much. The dogs in the movie were gorgeous, but I wouldn't want to have to maintain their coats. All that long hair probably had to be brushed constantly.
I think that most families would enjoy this film. I would say it was all right; however, I don't know if I would want to pay $19.99 to own it. DD enjoyed it, although she was tired and couldn't stay up to watch it all. (She's 6 years old, for the record.) For older kids, they might think it's boring. I thought Tim Allen did a fine job of finding the right doggy mannerisms. Robert Downey, Jr. was good, but he's good in just about every movie he's in. Danny Glover's part as Allen's boss was so small that he was wasted in the film, and so was Jane Curtin as the trial judge.
Rent it if you have nothing better to do on a Sunday night.
Movie Review: "Click"
"Click" stars Adam Sandler as an architect who is angling for a huge promotion to partner within his architectural firm. (His boss is played by David Hasselhoff.) In the movie, Sandler never has time for his family, instead needing to work on important projects to get ahead, to give his family the life he always dreamed of as a child.
So one day, he goes to Bed Bath and Beyond, looking for a universal remote control, but he falls asleep on one of the sample beds. When he wakes up, he sees a doorway that says "Beyond." Walking through the door, he goes into the workshop of Morty (Christopher Walken). Morty gives him a state of the art universal remote control, so new it doesn't even have a barcode yet. Morty offers him this remote control for free, but Sandler is suspicious. However, eventually he takes it, assuming that it will run all of his electronics.
He returns home and starts to get some work done. The dog starts barking and he picks up the remote and presses the volume control. Lo and behold, the dog's volume goes down, and then up when he presses the opposite button.
Days pass, and he is able to fast forward to many unpleasant or "annoying" chores. Every time, he chooses work over family.
Eventually the remote control fast-forwards him one year, until he received his promotion. He's excited at first, but wonders what he missed. Then, without his prompting, the remote control auto fast forwards him another few years, when he receives a promotion to CEO, then six years, then to the end of his life. Hardly without realizing what has happened, he is on his deathbed, finally understanding at the end, that family is more important than work.
Is he given a second chance to make things right? You should rent the movie and find out.
In some ways, this movie was a lot like "Family Man," with Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni. In that movie, Nicolas Cage's character wonders what it would have been like if he had chosen to have a family instead of drowning himself in work.
I enjoyed "Click," and for a somewhat sentimental Saturday night, you might enjoy this movie also. Thankfully, Sandler doesn't do a lot of the cheesy schtick he is known for. In fact, Kate Beckinsale (his wife in the movie) and Christopher Walken outshine him. I am not a Sandler fan, but I did like this movie.
So one day, he goes to Bed Bath and Beyond, looking for a universal remote control, but he falls asleep on one of the sample beds. When he wakes up, he sees a doorway that says "Beyond." Walking through the door, he goes into the workshop of Morty (Christopher Walken). Morty gives him a state of the art universal remote control, so new it doesn't even have a barcode yet. Morty offers him this remote control for free, but Sandler is suspicious. However, eventually he takes it, assuming that it will run all of his electronics.
He returns home and starts to get some work done. The dog starts barking and he picks up the remote and presses the volume control. Lo and behold, the dog's volume goes down, and then up when he presses the opposite button.
Days pass, and he is able to fast forward to many unpleasant or "annoying" chores. Every time, he chooses work over family.
Eventually the remote control fast-forwards him one year, until he received his promotion. He's excited at first, but wonders what he missed. Then, without his prompting, the remote control auto fast forwards him another few years, when he receives a promotion to CEO, then six years, then to the end of his life. Hardly without realizing what has happened, he is on his deathbed, finally understanding at the end, that family is more important than work.
Is he given a second chance to make things right? You should rent the movie and find out.
In some ways, this movie was a lot like "Family Man," with Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni. In that movie, Nicolas Cage's character wonders what it would have been like if he had chosen to have a family instead of drowning himself in work.
I enjoyed "Click," and for a somewhat sentimental Saturday night, you might enjoy this movie also. Thankfully, Sandler doesn't do a lot of the cheesy schtick he is known for. In fact, Kate Beckinsale (his wife in the movie) and Christopher Walken outshine him. I am not a Sandler fan, but I did like this movie.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Back On!
Well, the computer guy got the computer fixed, I think. He said that the video card had somehow got deleted. What I think happened was a power surge fried both that and the modem port. He replaced the display driver and updated everything. The reason why I say the modem got fried was because he told DH that one of the ports where you can plug in the phone jack (yes, we're still on dialup) was dead. As far as I know, it wasn't dead before. *shrugs*
I hooked everything back up and after several restarts, I have been able to function okay. I wouldn't say it's functioning "normally" but I was able to get online tonight to update the blog and such. :) I also FINALLY got the darn thing to recognize my USB drive and copied everything from "My Documents" and "My Pictures" to the USB drive. Now the thing can die for all I care—although, I really don't want to have to replace the computer yet. I hope that whatever the computer guy did keeps it limping along for awhile longer.
Ugh. I look around this room at an absolute mess. I recently took over one side of the computer room as a craft area, and since I was doing some ATCs (artist trading cards) this week, that side of the room is rather unkempt. I still have stamps, stamp pads, and other accoutrements sitting out on the table. There are little scraps of paper all over the floor. (I won't even mention all of DD's toys behind me in boxes, spilling out everywhere.)
Not much else has been going on this week. I feel less anxious with internet access regained. Hehe. I'm such an addict. It's not that I'm an addict, at least not as much as I used to be, because I used to be on every night for approximately four hours straight playing Ultima Online. That was addiction. Now I mostly surf writing.com, fmwriters.com, Nanowrimo, or I'm here at Blogger. I have other things I need to work on also, like my website and my online journal. Whatever I work on, I try not to spend as much time online as I once did.
What made me anxious was not having the access. I don't get online every night, but I like for that access to be there if I want to get online to read forums, or whatever.
I live such a thrilling life, don't I? :)
Oh, and in case you were wondering, I moved the Nanowrimo progress icon to a "sticky" post at the top of the blog, so that it wouldn't break the sidebar layout. It will go away after November. :)
I hooked everything back up and after several restarts, I have been able to function okay. I wouldn't say it's functioning "normally" but I was able to get online tonight to update the blog and such. :) I also FINALLY got the darn thing to recognize my USB drive and copied everything from "My Documents" and "My Pictures" to the USB drive. Now the thing can die for all I care—although, I really don't want to have to replace the computer yet. I hope that whatever the computer guy did keeps it limping along for awhile longer.
Ugh. I look around this room at an absolute mess. I recently took over one side of the computer room as a craft area, and since I was doing some ATCs (artist trading cards) this week, that side of the room is rather unkempt. I still have stamps, stamp pads, and other accoutrements sitting out on the table. There are little scraps of paper all over the floor. (I won't even mention all of DD's toys behind me in boxes, spilling out everywhere.)
Not much else has been going on this week. I feel less anxious with internet access regained. Hehe. I'm such an addict. It's not that I'm an addict, at least not as much as I used to be, because I used to be on every night for approximately four hours straight playing Ultima Online. That was addiction. Now I mostly surf writing.com, fmwriters.com, Nanowrimo, or I'm here at Blogger. I have other things I need to work on also, like my website and my online journal. Whatever I work on, I try not to spend as much time online as I once did.
What made me anxious was not having the access. I don't get online every night, but I like for that access to be there if I want to get online to read forums, or whatever.
I live such a thrilling life, don't I? :)
Oh, and in case you were wondering, I moved the Nanowrimo progress icon to a "sticky" post at the top of the blog, so that it wouldn't break the sidebar layout. It will go away after November. :)
Sunday, October 15, 2006
The Weekend
It is Day Three of the ongoing Computer Saga. I feel disconnected without my internet access!
Today was supposed to be about nine hours of football watching with DH, but instead, he was exhausted from his outing with DD yesterday to the Pumpkin Patch.
While I was gone with my mom and my sister, DH took DD to a local pumpkin patch to buy a few pumpkins to carve for Halloween. He told me that they only spent a couple of hours there because it was crowded. When I got home, I saw a huge pumpkin and two smaller pumpkins on the back porch, waiting to be carved. He thought he might get to it today, but like I said, he was tired.
So, what did we do today? I was in a foul mood. DD bugged me about carving the pumpkins, but I was not up to doing that. She had a book to read for homework, so we read. She read the book; I followed along. (She is in first grade and learning to read.) I almost took a nap because I was tuckered out from the long day on Saturday, but I somehow stayed awake. Instead of sleeping, I wrote in my paper journal. I tried not to worry about the computer failing me, or feel even worse about not making backups of the stuff I wanted to save.
TV was boring so I flipped over to one of the music channels and had that on as background noise. DD wanted to watch cartoons, but there is only so much Spongebob I can deal with in a day.
Oh, I was domestic! I washed four loads of laundry, and one load of dishes. The laundry took approximately all morning, and the dishes took an hour around dinnertime. I had an egg salad sandwich for supper. DD ate some toast, and DH ate leftover barbeque ribs.
We did watch some football during the afternoon. In the evening, we watched an episode of "Mythbusters" we had not seen before and an episode of "Iron Chef America." At 9pm we watched "Food Network Challenge: Cartoon Cakes." It was a thrilling day.
On Saturday, I went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke Co., Indiana. It was a beautiful day, starting out rather cool, but warming up to about 60 degrees by the afternoon. My sister drove my mother and I to Bridgeton, a tiny town south of Rockville, IN. In 2004, some stupid prankster burned down the town's covered bridge (he went to prison for it), and last year, it was awful to see the empty place where the bridge had stood for so many years. But this year, we were glad to see that the bridge had been rebuilt, with monetary contributions from the public of donations and fundraisers. The red and white bridge looked just like the old one. The only differences could be seen on the interior, where modern techniques were used in the structure. It was great to see it rebuilt.
Many vendors had set up their wares. The first thing my mom always does when we arrive is buy a cinnamon roll for us to share. After that, we started to look at everything for sale. We like to go to Bridgeton because people still make their own stuff. Other places with similar flea markets seem to attract vendors with junky stuff. In fact, in Bridgeton, some of the vending spaces are only allowed to go to vendors who make their own stuff.
We spent almost the entire day walking from one end of town to the other. I have always wanted to return to Bridgeton in the off-season, to see what the town looks like, because during the festival, tourists pack it to the hilt.
We also spent nearly all of our money. I bought some homemade doggie treats (which the dogs loved, by the way), and a glass paperweight with a sun face on it. My sister got some of her Christmas shopping done, and my mom bought a couple of festival mementos. This year is the 50th anniversary of the festival.
Today was supposed to be about nine hours of football watching with DH, but instead, he was exhausted from his outing with DD yesterday to the Pumpkin Patch.
While I was gone with my mom and my sister, DH took DD to a local pumpkin patch to buy a few pumpkins to carve for Halloween. He told me that they only spent a couple of hours there because it was crowded. When I got home, I saw a huge pumpkin and two smaller pumpkins on the back porch, waiting to be carved. He thought he might get to it today, but like I said, he was tired.
So, what did we do today? I was in a foul mood. DD bugged me about carving the pumpkins, but I was not up to doing that. She had a book to read for homework, so we read. She read the book; I followed along. (She is in first grade and learning to read.) I almost took a nap because I was tuckered out from the long day on Saturday, but I somehow stayed awake. Instead of sleeping, I wrote in my paper journal. I tried not to worry about the computer failing me, or feel even worse about not making backups of the stuff I wanted to save.
TV was boring so I flipped over to one of the music channels and had that on as background noise. DD wanted to watch cartoons, but there is only so much Spongebob I can deal with in a day.
Oh, I was domestic! I washed four loads of laundry, and one load of dishes. The laundry took approximately all morning, and the dishes took an hour around dinnertime. I had an egg salad sandwich for supper. DD ate some toast, and DH ate leftover barbeque ribs.
We did watch some football during the afternoon. In the evening, we watched an episode of "Mythbusters" we had not seen before and an episode of "Iron Chef America." At 9pm we watched "Food Network Challenge: Cartoon Cakes." It was a thrilling day.
On Saturday, I went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke Co., Indiana. It was a beautiful day, starting out rather cool, but warming up to about 60 degrees by the afternoon. My sister drove my mother and I to Bridgeton, a tiny town south of Rockville, IN. In 2004, some stupid prankster burned down the town's covered bridge (he went to prison for it), and last year, it was awful to see the empty place where the bridge had stood for so many years. But this year, we were glad to see that the bridge had been rebuilt, with monetary contributions from the public of donations and fundraisers. The red and white bridge looked just like the old one. The only differences could be seen on the interior, where modern techniques were used in the structure. It was great to see it rebuilt.
Many vendors had set up their wares. The first thing my mom always does when we arrive is buy a cinnamon roll for us to share. After that, we started to look at everything for sale. We like to go to Bridgeton because people still make their own stuff. Other places with similar flea markets seem to attract vendors with junky stuff. In fact, in Bridgeton, some of the vending spaces are only allowed to go to vendors who make their own stuff.
We spent almost the entire day walking from one end of town to the other. I have always wanted to return to Bridgeton in the off-season, to see what the town looks like, because during the festival, tourists pack it to the hilt.
We also spent nearly all of our money. I bought some homemade doggie treats (which the dogs loved, by the way), and a glass paperweight with a sun face on it. My sister got some of her Christmas shopping done, and my mom bought a couple of festival mementos. This year is the 50th anniversary of the festival.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Curse of Safe Mode!
Where do I begin? I got home tonight with every intention of doing some writing, and DH tells me that our home computer will only boot up in safe mode.
Safe mode? I could not believe it. It had worked fine on Thursday evening, when I had posted some other writing. I shut down the computer as usual after I was finished posting, and nothing weird happened upon shutdown. So after supper, I spent two hours trying to fix the problem.
Why was it booting into safe mode? I followed the help instructions, but nothing was working. I gave up and told DH to call the computer guy on Monday. But I was devastated; I have been working so hard and making daily writing a real priority. And NaNoWriMo is coming up in November, and I am definitely doing that. I can still do that because I have a laptop, but it doesn't have a modem and I can't log on to the internet with it.
The bad part of the whole situation is that, although I have backups of my writings, we have a lot of family photos on the computer that are too large for floppy disks and the computer won’t recognize my USB drive, so I may lose all of them if the computer guy can't save anything and has to reformat the drive. Sigh.
I should have learned my lesson, right? But I thought with this brand new drive (in 2004), that it would last a long time. Perhaps it is just time to get a new computer entirely.
Withdrawal has been a pain in the butt. I wrote anyway, not willing to give up so easily. I am just so disappointed that this happened!
Safe mode? I could not believe it. It had worked fine on Thursday evening, when I had posted some other writing. I shut down the computer as usual after I was finished posting, and nothing weird happened upon shutdown. So after supper, I spent two hours trying to fix the problem.
Why was it booting into safe mode? I followed the help instructions, but nothing was working. I gave up and told DH to call the computer guy on Monday. But I was devastated; I have been working so hard and making daily writing a real priority. And NaNoWriMo is coming up in November, and I am definitely doing that. I can still do that because I have a laptop, but it doesn't have a modem and I can't log on to the internet with it.
The bad part of the whole situation is that, although I have backups of my writings, we have a lot of family photos on the computer that are too large for floppy disks and the computer won’t recognize my USB drive, so I may lose all of them if the computer guy can't save anything and has to reformat the drive. Sigh.
I should have learned my lesson, right? But I thought with this brand new drive (in 2004), that it would last a long time. Perhaps it is just time to get a new computer entirely.
Withdrawal has been a pain in the butt. I wrote anyway, not willing to give up so easily. I am just so disappointed that this happened!
Friday, October 13, 2006
In My NaNo Survival Kit
(Yes, you will be hearing a lot about NaNo on this blog in the next couple of months, so I apologize in advance.)
Inspired by this post on the NaNo Forums, here is what I deem as must-have items during November:
Inspired by this post on the NaNo Forums, here is what I deem as must-have items during November:
- my NaNo outline (currently residing on a floppy disk; other notes are in a steno pad)
- a floppy disk or my USB drive to make frequent backups
- motivation to do my daily word count BEFORE reading the forums
- my PC (duh!). Some people choose to handwrite their entire NaNo. I think they're nuts. I might make notes or jot down scenes if I have no access to a computer, but the hard work will be done on my PC.
- supportive buddies from the NaNo site (and words of encouragement from my loyal blog readers, of course!)
- generic acetominophen, for when my arms and hands ache from typing and my body aches from sitting in an old, once-ergonomically correct computer chair
- U2 CDs to listen to while I write
- 9 hours of Sunday football (I can get a lot done while hubby watches and I sit there with my laptop, and we're still spending time together!)
- a blanket, for when I get cold because I haven't moved from in front of the computer for an hour or more
- my dial-up connection, so that I can logon to the internet and the phone will therefore be busy and won't ring to distract me
- plenty of water to drink when I'm thirsty, and working at the computer makes me very thirsty
- my copies of "Writing Down the Bones" and "Bird by Bird" to remind me to not take my first draft so seriously
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thursday 13 #10
|
|
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Monday, October 09, 2006
NaNovel Planning
Title: Sayonara Sweetheart
Genre: modern, contemporary (ok, if you really have to label it: "literary fiction")
Characters:
Premise: Family means no one gets left behind. OR No one is perfect, not even the "good girl."
NaNo To-Do List:
Genre: modern, contemporary (ok, if you really have to label it: "literary fiction")
Characters:
- Celia March
- Rica March XXXX (Celia's sister
- Josie XXX (Rica's daughter)
- Owen Ellis (potential love interest for Celia)
- XXXX XXXXXX (Josie's boyfriend)
- assorted other friends of Josie's
Premise: Family means no one gets left behind. OR No one is perfect, not even the "good girl."
NaNo To-Do List:
- Decide how many chapters (done, 15)
- Decide on word count needed to make chapters (done, 1667 per day; 1 chapter done every other day)
- Plan plot. (done, roughly)
- Research "scenes." (done)
- Do more character development (working on it)
- 10-15 page character bio (?)
- What does each character carry around with them?
- first sentence
- final sentence (done)
Sunday, October 08, 2006
9 Hours
Nine hours of football! Someone please deliver me from the insanity!
I actually got quite a bit of stuff done today. I created a layout for a traveling journal I'm working on. I took care of DD while she was still sick. I did two loads of laundry. DH did a load of dishes. I wrote about 5,000 words as part of a personal word count challenge.
My hands hurt now from all that typing! Tomorrow is a holiday for some people, but not for me. At least DD won't have to go to school, so she can try to rest up from this bug she has. She hasn't been able to keep much down. :(
I actually got quite a bit of stuff done today. I created a layout for a traveling journal I'm working on. I took care of DD while she was still sick. I did two loads of laundry. DH did a load of dishes. I wrote about 5,000 words as part of a personal word count challenge.
My hands hurt now from all that typing! Tomorrow is a holiday for some people, but not for me. At least DD won't have to go to school, so she can try to rest up from this bug she has. She hasn't been able to keep much down. :(
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Tooth Fairy
Setting: Burger King, Home of the Whopper
Characters: mother, father, 6yrold girl
Action: Family is happily eating, relaxing from a busy day of shopping.
Girl: My tooth!!!!!!!!!! [screams, holds out bottom front tooth that had been loose]
Mother: What? [puts tooth in napkin] Oh, sweetie! How exciting! Now the tooth fairy will leave you a dollar!
Girl: Is it bleeding? [crying]
Father: Calm down, honey. No it's not bleeding.
Girl: Can I go look at it?
Mother: [nods] Come over here so I can give you a hug.
Girl: [goes to bathroom, looks at self in mirror, returns to table] I'm not hungry anymore.
~fade out~
Yes, DD lost her first tooth today. We were so surprised because we were just sitting there eating, talking about nothing in particular, and suddenly she screams that her tooth is out and hands it to me. I can't believe she's old enough to lose a tooth. Time flies.
Characters: mother, father, 6yrold girl
Action: Family is happily eating, relaxing from a busy day of shopping.
Girl: My tooth!!!!!!!!!! [screams, holds out bottom front tooth that had been loose]
Mother: What? [puts tooth in napkin] Oh, sweetie! How exciting! Now the tooth fairy will leave you a dollar!
Girl: Is it bleeding? [crying]
Father: Calm down, honey. No it's not bleeding.
Girl: Can I go look at it?
Mother: [nods] Come over here so I can give you a hug.
Girl: [goes to bathroom, looks at self in mirror, returns to table] I'm not hungry anymore.
~fade out~
Yes, DD lost her first tooth today. We were so surprised because we were just sitting there eating, talking about nothing in particular, and suddenly she screams that her tooth is out and hands it to me. I can't believe she's old enough to lose a tooth. Time flies.
Shopping
DH, the kid, and I went shopping today. It had been a long time since we've gone shopping. I used to shop a lot for fun, but am now trying to pay down debt from my freewheeling youthful spendthrift days.
I still enjoy shopping, to an extent, but it's really no fun when I feel guilty for every purchase, even if I pay with cash (which is what I try to do these days). The dog got a new toy, since his favorite sheep is nearly torn to pieces. I got a couple of sale toys for DD, a doll and a deck of cards with 52 dog breeds on them. For myself, I bought a new pair of boots. Yep, boots are back in style. No, they are not snow boots. They are just a pair of cute black boots, flat, not high-heeled, and come up to about my knee.
Anyway, I didn't even set foot in a bookstore. Can you believe that? So no books for me. My To-Be-Read pile is a mile high.
The only downside to our day out is that when we got home, DD promptly came down with the puke plague. It never fails: whenever we go to Wal-Mart or anywhere that is not our house, DD gets the plague. I hate feeling so helpless! Hopefully, it will be fast and she'll feel better soon.
I still enjoy shopping, to an extent, but it's really no fun when I feel guilty for every purchase, even if I pay with cash (which is what I try to do these days). The dog got a new toy, since his favorite sheep is nearly torn to pieces. I got a couple of sale toys for DD, a doll and a deck of cards with 52 dog breeds on them. For myself, I bought a new pair of boots. Yep, boots are back in style. No, they are not snow boots. They are just a pair of cute black boots, flat, not high-heeled, and come up to about my knee.
Anyway, I didn't even set foot in a bookstore. Can you believe that? So no books for me. My To-Be-Read pile is a mile high.
The only downside to our day out is that when we got home, DD promptly came down with the puke plague. It never fails: whenever we go to Wal-Mart or anywhere that is not our house, DD gets the plague. I hate feeling so helpless! Hopefully, it will be fast and she'll feel better soon.
Friday, October 06, 2006
OMG, BSG!
So, as you may know, one of my must-see tv shows is the new version of "Battlestar Galactica" on the Sci-Fi Channel. Tonight was the premiere of season 3, and oh, what a tangled web the writers wove!
My favorite character, the Chief, Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) was prominently featured as a leader of the resistance movement. He, along with Anders and Col. Tigh, were planning bombings to distract the Cylons so that they would not notice if the Galactica returned to orbit. However, their methods were not very moral: they were using suicide bombers to do the dirty work. Now, this was painful to watch because of current events, but one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter (which they actually said in the episode, if I recall correctly!). The character of Tigh actually impressed me. Up to this point, he had been nothing but a drunken coward of a first officer. Adama kept giving him second chances. But as the leader of the resistance, Tigh stepped up to the plate and made the hard decisions, knowing that Adama would bring back Galactica, eventually. He never gave up hope. He also had reason to hate the Cylons; they held him prisoner and tortured him, tearing out his eyeball and showing it to him, like an egg, he said.
The most poignant moment came when (former) president Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) are being led away to what is supposed to be their deaths. Zarek asks her if she tried to fix the election, and she said yes, I did. He responds, well I wish that you had stayed president. They had hated each other so much; Zarek was actually a prisoner in the previous two seasons, a homegrown terrorist/anarchist. But now here they were, friends 'til the end.
The whole two hours kept me reeling. No new Cylon models were revealed, but it was revealed that in last season, when Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) was held prisoner on Caprica by the Cylons, they stole her ovary. Now she supposedly has a daughter, Kasey—half-human, half-Cylon.
The plot thickens. I can't wait to watch more! And if you're not watching it, you should be. The show has amazing characters with a depth of acting (in my opinion) that makes you feel like you are a part of what is going on. Every episode leaves me emotionally drained, but it so worth it!
My favorite character, the Chief, Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) was prominently featured as a leader of the resistance movement. He, along with Anders and Col. Tigh, were planning bombings to distract the Cylons so that they would not notice if the Galactica returned to orbit. However, their methods were not very moral: they were using suicide bombers to do the dirty work. Now, this was painful to watch because of current events, but one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter (which they actually said in the episode, if I recall correctly!). The character of Tigh actually impressed me. Up to this point, he had been nothing but a drunken coward of a first officer. Adama kept giving him second chances. But as the leader of the resistance, Tigh stepped up to the plate and made the hard decisions, knowing that Adama would bring back Galactica, eventually. He never gave up hope. He also had reason to hate the Cylons; they held him prisoner and tortured him, tearing out his eyeball and showing it to him, like an egg, he said.
The most poignant moment came when (former) president Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) are being led away to what is supposed to be their deaths. Zarek asks her if she tried to fix the election, and she said yes, I did. He responds, well I wish that you had stayed president. They had hated each other so much; Zarek was actually a prisoner in the previous two seasons, a homegrown terrorist/anarchist. But now here they were, friends 'til the end.
The whole two hours kept me reeling. No new Cylon models were revealed, but it was revealed that in last season, when Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) was held prisoner on Caprica by the Cylons, they stole her ovary. Now she supposedly has a daughter, Kasey—half-human, half-Cylon.
The plot thickens. I can't wait to watch more! And if you're not watching it, you should be. The show has amazing characters with a depth of acting (in my opinion) that makes you feel like you are a part of what is going on. Every episode leaves me emotionally drained, but it so worth it!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Thursday 13 #9
|
|
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
So This NaNo Thing...
In 2004, I managed to make it to 50,000 words, the goal of National Novel Writing Month. Last year, I was all set to go, but got mired in confusion about 13,000 words into my story, and just gave up. (Don't even ask me about 2002 & 2003!)
This year, I have pledged to not only make it to the 50,000 words, but to actually FINISH the story. So I've been planning.
Sure, I know the tagline for NaNo is "No Plot? No Problem!" but because I've had no plan of where my story is going, I mostly just rambled on. When I made the word count goal in 2004, my story was only probably about half-finished. I haven't touched it since. :)
A great place to read some helpful articles on planning out a novel is Holly Lisle's website. She's a professionally published author, and her articles get down to the nuts and bolts of how to get a draft written. I have many "how to write a novel" books, but she breaks it down into easy, readable steps. After reading some of the articles on her site and then going back to the books, some of the stuff in the books makes more sense.
Join up with NaNo. I promise it can be fun.
This year, I have pledged to not only make it to the 50,000 words, but to actually FINISH the story. So I've been planning.
Sure, I know the tagline for NaNo is "No Plot? No Problem!" but because I've had no plan of where my story is going, I mostly just rambled on. When I made the word count goal in 2004, my story was only probably about half-finished. I haven't touched it since. :)
A great place to read some helpful articles on planning out a novel is Holly Lisle's website. She's a professionally published author, and her articles get down to the nuts and bolts of how to get a draft written. I have many "how to write a novel" books, but she breaks it down into easy, readable steps. After reading some of the articles on her site and then going back to the books, some of the stuff in the books makes more sense.
Join up with NaNo. I promise it can be fun.
Monday, October 02, 2006
30 Reasons for 30 Days
Yep, it's that time of year again. Signups and the forums are now reopened for the insanity that is National Novel Writing Month, more affectionately known as Nanowrimo. You too can sign up to write 50,000 words in one month; that's only 1,667 words a day. It's not too difficult. The key is to JUST DO IT! :)
(Reposted from 10/08/04; original taken from the Nanowrimo Forums)
Thirty Reasons for Thirty Days
Why you [yes, you!] should participate in National Novel Writing Month!
(Reposted from 10/08/04; original taken from the Nanowrimo Forums)
Thirty Reasons for Thirty Days
Why you [yes, you!] should participate in National Novel Writing Month!
- Completing a novel (or for some, even starting a novel) is one more thing to cross off the life goals list.
- Camaraderie with people are suffering the same pains at the same time as you are is so wonderful.
- Nanowrimo forums! Links to really awesome website, games, etc.
- It's another excuse to sit in front of the computer (or notebook) and gulp mass quantities of caffeine.
- The realization that, contrary to popular belief, you are not the busiest person in the world, even with Nanowrimo.
- If you've never written a paper in one night (or two, or three) before, you eventually will. Nanowrimo is good practice.
- If you're still in school, you can procrastinate writing by doing homework. The opposite procrastination technique works equally well. If you're not in school, you can procrastinate in this way by doing something that you should actually be doing, such as laundry or taking out the trash.
- Nanowrimo t-shirts to buy so you can declare your insanity to the world.
- If you break 50,000 words before 30 November and get it verified, you get a super-cool certificate and winner's icon.
- Even if you don't finish, you can still brag by saying, "I'm writing a novel this month. What are you doing?"
- Haven't you ever wanted to answer "How are you?" with a number?
- Most people [cough...teachers] say, "Write about this topic." With Nanowrimo, any imaginable topic can be your novel, even butt-kicking pirates from Jupiter. [Hey, there's an idea...]
- It's a chance to let your inner critic loose for thirty days. Let a typo become a part of your novel. Invent swear words for your characters to use. Watch what comes out when you don't have an inner critic to stop you.
- It only truly costs time, sanity, and social life.
- How long it takes for cyanide to kill someone? What kind of knives did the Greeks use? Get the answers from fellow Wrimos.
- The number one reason that people don't pass 50,000 words is because [surprise!] they don't begin. If you write just one measly word, you're ahead of more than half the Wrimos who signed up in 2003.
- Thousands of people around the world--different everything--participate. They share a love of writing...and their ideas with you.
- Just because your character is stuck doesn't mean that you have to be. Use a deus ex machina or a snide reference to whatever you want. Kill your main character if you want to. Just get your novel out of that block!
- Your participation will mock those authors who take a lot more time writing novels. Those novels are typically much better novels, but it really is possible to write a draft in a month.
- Allow others around you to question your sanity [assuming they don't already question it, that is.]
- You can become a hermit for thirty days...or at least while you're writing. This excuse will only work for a month at a time, though.
- You can threaten someone with, "If you don't [annoying action], I'll write you into my novel and kill you there!"
- It helps you to realize the value of sleep.
- Writing a novel is an excuse not to go out with friends or to that annoying event that you just can't stand going to.
- The adrenaline rush that comes along when you've just written 1500 words in an hour is wonderful. Nanowrimo should be a drug.
- Nanowrimo gives you an opportunity to improve your typing or scribbling skills without those boring lessons.
- Even though you're procrastinating on something, you're also learning the art of time management.
- There's a story in your head that must come to life. If it doesn't, those characters will hate you forever.
- It's fun!
- It really is possible.Are you convinced yet? Good. Go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and sign up today. Actual novel-writing begins 1 November 2006, local time. Good luck!
Ah, yes. Feel free to pass this list around. Just pass around the material in its entirety. And when you do sign up, do let me know so we can cheer each other on and bug each other about word count!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)