putting together the book binder and other shenanigans - not in that order

I'm in the process of moving my main internet home over to Wordpress, so the next thing you see here will likely be a link sending you over yonder. I'll probably have it set up round about Monday. It's going to be a sort of website/blog combo, which really is better than having all of my stuff scattered about.  

I’m doing so at the suggestion of a marketing guy named Nick Armstrong. There was email conversation. If you’re interested in marketing, be sure to check out his delightfully profanity-laden email newsletter. He’s real, yo.

http://www.wtfmarketing.com

I'll probably leave the stuff on Google sites in place in case I want to go back at some point.

Anyway, book binder!

I have ideas for books and stories faster than I can write them, so I set up a binder to hold my notes, which are in various stages.

Why make notes if I’m not ready to write the story? Well, because I often forget things. And also, when I have characters and stories other than whatever I'm working on in my head, they distract me. They interfere with my mental zen. I write enough about them to get them to leave me alone, and then I can go back to working in a more orderly fashion.

What's in the book binder? Currently, I have notes for about 8 books and 10 short stories and also a list of random and interesting subjects that could eventually turn into stories. Before I finally got organized, these were scattered everywhere from computer to tablet to pieces of actual paper - not a good situation when you're trying to find something, right? Right.

The binder previously contained notes for the last 2 books I wrote and 1 I haven't written yet. I took the old stuff out first and replaced the old notes with newly organized printouts of the pending projects. They have tabs to make them easier to find. Any excuse to use office supplies is a-ok with me. I'm kind of a nerd that way...and maybe some other ways too.

The notes have a tendency to expand gradually when the stories and characters start to encroach again. I can just pop the additions in later. Then, if all goes as planned, when I'm ready to start a new project, I just snatch one out of the binder. Woo!

Organization is like gold when one has a lot of material to cover.

Nanowrimo Status: Complete...sort of

So then. The thing is done. Did I finish?

The story is finished, yes. I wrote a novella from beginning to end within the month. 

Did I reach the official Nanowrimo word count goal of 50,000 words? Mais no, mon ami. I didn't actually think the story would be that long anyway, so no worries on that account. And it could actually turn into a whole nother thing later during a rewrite. Ya never know.

Completed word count: 25828

They're having an end of nano party in Indy. I thought about going but ultimately remembered that I'm not much of a party person. I do think it would be fun. I just...I don't know. I have other stuff that takes priority. Maybe next year.

Nanowrimo itself was a very interesting experience. I’ve seen some writers bash Nano on their blogs and so forth. They have this idea that it somehow devalues the written word by cramming all of this work into a short time. They think everyone just cranks out all of this drivel and then they ship it off to attempt to get it published. That viewpoint is pretty shallow and not true, for the most part. 

Judging by the message boards, that isn't what Nano is for most people. First, it's more about camaraderie than anything else. These people all over the world attempt this crazy feat at the same time. They encourage each other and engage in community weirdness. They whine about word counts or they offer advice where they can. 

Mostly, they write. It is a marathon, my friends. Make no mistake about that or think for one moment that cranking out a book in 30 days is something that a "lazy" author does. It's a month-long lurch that drains the brainpower considerably.

It's also optimum time for the interferers to interfere because they will observe you working, which reminds them that they aren't working and maybe their lives are a little sadder than they could be. 

Was it worthwhile? Yes! Would I do it again? Probably! I would like to go in with more extensive notes, however. Mine were quite crappified.

movie: The Expendables

Hellllloooo! Time for Monday movie post.

We watched The Expendables 2 this weekend. I didn’t even know it was out until the husband came walking back from the Red Box with it.

Here’s our IMDB description: “Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.”

It had more guys. Van Damme decided he wanted to jump on the money train. Chuck Norris makes an appearance or two.  That cute boy who played Gale in The Hunger Games in the mix, as well.

There are more than a few jokes that are references to the actors’ various previous movies, which makes the movie fun to watch.

It was pretty much more of the same. If you liked the first one, you’ll probably like the second one. We have plenty of boom, plenty of gun shooting and action sequences. All very nice. The Expendables 2 gets an A. 

still trucking

Hey there, internet neighbors! Happy Thanksgiving week if you live in the US! I hope everyone has a chance to spend quality time with the family.

I thought I'd pop in and see what's going on. I'm still working on the Nanowrimo project. I'm at about 24000 words, which probably sounds like a lot, but I'm significantly behind where I should be at this time. In order to hit the official goal of 50,000 words by the end of the month, I would have to write over 2000 words a day. I could probably do it if I didn't work the day job, but alas...

I should still finish the rough draft by the end of the month because it's actually pretty short, relatively speaking. I probably have a good 10,000 words left and es finito. I will have to go back and expand some scenes from the beginning of the book because I moved through them so very quickly. That's what happens when we rush, kids.

So, what’s it about? Let's see. It's the sequel to What The Dead Fear. We have Juniper and Cricket in Limbo, Gareth too, of course. They discover some strange goings on in the borderland. Someone has decided that God has Heaven, Lucifer has Hell and they should have Limbo for their own. Shenanigans ensue.

This story delves further into the whole guardian/minion mythology and the nature of Limbo, etc. I think that's the way to go when you write paranormal fiction sequels, if you want to keep things fresh. Dig deeper into the ideas.

The book has some aspects in common with Babylon Dragon, not so much in story as ideas. They both take place in the afterlife, although this new book involves Limbo instead of Purgatory. They have ways of viewing and interacting with the mortal world. The guardians are a bit like the Crydh, but considerably more mellow. 

a listening collage and a cat picture

Happy Friday!

current status: watching an episode of Doctor Who called "Let's Kill Hitler".

I have two things. I made a collage of the music I'm listening to while writing for the nanowrimo. That tends to be a common question for some reason - what music do you listen to while writing. It's even on the nanowrimo profile. Somehow music makes the words come more easily. Is it magic? Maybe.

I've been listening to these CDs more than the others while writing the current project. Clockwise starting at the top, they are:

Radiohead: A King of Limbs
Ellie Goulding: Halcyon
Portishead: Dummy
The XX: Coexist
Interpol: My Love to Admire

Current Nano word count =  >20,000 words. 

In unrelated news, Sneaker (the secondary kitty cat) has taken to sitting nearby and staring at me. It's a little weird but she's adorable, so I guess I can let it slide. In this picture, she was using my legs as a piece of furniture. 

That is all. Carry on. Catch you later.

popping in for a Nanowrimo update

Hellloooo!

We watched Snow White and the Huntsman this weekend, and it was really awesome. I don’t have time to write a whole thing, but I recommend it. I hope they make that sequel I’ve been reading rumors about.

I’m still deeply immersed in Nanowrimo. I’m really digging it so far. My word count is over 15,000.

The Nano website has a thing that I want to try to reproduce in some kind of way.

You’re supposed to update the word count on the website to track your progress. When you update it, the site generates a report of average number of words per day, the date the goal will be met if you keep up at that pace, number of words remaining, etc. It’s kind of like a spreadsheet and I do so love spreadsheets.

I think I can make something like it in Excel. There would be math involved but I might be able to handle it. Perhaps after I have completed the Nano task. 

And Now We Wednesday

I’m checking in! I’m still alive and typing words. This is Day 7 of nanowrimo. I’m at about 8000 words. I’m a bit behind, but am still planning to catch up. I created some better notes for myself, so that should help me move more quickly.

Nano is an interesting thing. I get on the website and look at the forums. I saw one lady who was offering up imaginary animals for adoption. These imaginary animals perform various functions to help keep writers focused on their writing. Very strange. Also, people volunteered to take the animals.

They have events for Nano too. Apparently there was a kickoff party at IndyReads. I didn’t find out about that until after the fact. They also have what they call “write-ins” which I’m pretty sure is just a bunch of people gathering in a public place to write. Or they read stuff out loud. Definitely one of those two things. I haven’t researched it thoroughly. Lol.

None of them have been near me so far. I would consider going if there was one close to me.

They do have a party at the end of Nano. I would like to try to go to that if possible. They have snacks and prizes and such.

Hmmm…I think that’s all I have to say about that for now. I’d better get writing if I’m going to get caught up. 

nanowrimo update 1

Hello, love bugs! I'm just popping in for a sec before I head back into writing land. Nanowrimo is going pretty well. I'm at about 5000 words, which is a little behind target but still ok. I'm finding it's more about diligence than speed, with me at least. 

Some people are over 20,000 words. I call them unemployed. Lol, totally kidding. I don't know what they're doing. Seeing as nano just started in 11/1, that's pretty cray cray.

The notes for my book weren't as extensive as I remembered them being. I think I might actually be missing a page or two, but I will power through. I have direction and direction is the necessity. I'm letting the thing be what it wants to be. Should be interesting. 

Max has been "helping". That's him resting his sweet little head on my iPad. The boy does love his snuggles.



The husband seems especially crabby about the whole nano deal, so there's a bit of an obstacle. The cold weather is keeping him indoors more and he doesn't quite seem to know what to do with himself. And he sees me plugging away and it just irks the heck out of him - me and my purpose. I have suggested hobbies other than cleaning. He has declined. Men. 

Anyway, that's all for now. I should go type more words, perhaps in a quiet closet.