NaNoWriMo

It's official. I actually signed up on the NaNoWriMo.org website. I added the Nano badge to my blog as proof. I'm actually going to attempt it this year. I'm so crazy busy in November, but I thought, what the hell, I'll give it a shot. It's only 50,000 words...right?

LOL.

I talked a fellow writing friend into doing NaNoWriMo this year too. He's crazy busy as well, but perhaps this will be a good way for both of us to kick start our writing habits (again?). I tend to want to edit too much as I write, so I'm hoping Nano will free me of that desire--at least for a little while. I also used to write EVERY day, and lately, with work, and the kids, I've started to miss days here and there. I don't like missing writing days -- so hopefully with Nano in mind, I'll get back into the habit of writing daily.

To all of you who may be participating in NaNoWriMo 2008, good luck!! I wish you all the best.

Please...wish me luck too! I'm sure I'm going to need it.

Take care all -- and of course, Happy Halloween!!!

NaNoWriMo

I think I'm going to work my new writing project idea into an attempt at NaNoWriMo this year. I have been working on a new book these past few months, but it just wasn't coming out right. Something seemed missing. I think I may have figured out what it was...I believe I was trying to tell too much story for one book. Or at least, I had perhaps two fairly good ideas for a book, whereas what I really needed was one very good idea. (or at least something resembling a very good idea).

Or maybe I'm just an idiot and I like to torture myself with my writing...

LOL.

Anyway - now that I've sorted out my writing problem (hopefully), and because November is amazingly almost upon us (where the hell did 2008 go? It wasn't a great year, but geez, it seems like we just celebrated New Years--(this is a sign I'm getting old, isn't it?) ), I thought it might be a good way to really stretch the writing muscle by attempting 50,000 words in Nov. Now, the problem with Novemeber is....both my little ones' birthdays are in Nov, TurkeyDay is HUGE with both my family and my wife's family, I've planned a date with my wife on one of the Saturdays, and the weekend after Turkey Day my extended family all gathers together for our traditional Christmas Tree-cutting down event/another family member's birthday party. Soooooo....basically at least some part of every weekend in November is devoted to some sort of family event/outing, which means I need to push a lot of those 50k words into Mon-Fri.

Now, the thing with that is....my wife is going back to work next Monday. She was laid off early in the year (along with hundreds of thousands of other people in 2008). Fortunately, she was able to find another job after an extensive search. I've been working nights mostly the entire time she's been off. So, when she goes back to work, I'll be returning to my Stay-At-Home Dad role (which I love)--then sleeping when she gets home, and working part-time at night.

Long story made not entirely any shorter...(LOL)...I'm going to really have to cram my writing into some brief periods of time. Speed writing. Stream of conscious writing perhaps....

I'm planning on posting updates on this mad-dash writing attempt here. Hopefully, I won't fail tooooooo miserably! Maybe, with some luck, I'll actually succeed! Here's hoping.

:)

Take care all - have a great day!

The Legend and the Dark

I took a mini-break from working on my current project and did some minor edits on The Legend and the Dark recently. I've shared this book with both of my writer's groups. One has finished it already, and the other is nearing the end. Obviously, sharing only a chapter or two with them each month meant they've been 'reading' this book over the span of a couple of years (pretty much the entire time I've been writing it). The edits received on these chapters were mostly of the smaller kind - the occasional typo, perhaps a grammatical suggestion, and sometimes a request for more details in certain sections. A few of my writer friends have read it straight through and were able to give me suggestions and comments about the entire story arc, character growth and critiques pertaining to the bulk of the story. For me, both types of comments were helpful. It allowed me to focus not only on the big picture, but also on some of the tiny details. I have a few readers/fellow writers still in the process of reading the book, and I look forward to their comments as well. One I've been told has an extremely keen editor's eye, so I'm curious to hear/read her comments/critique. I've been warned already about her 'red pen'.

Thank you all who have read The Legend and the Dark and have helped me to improve this manuscript.

Take care all -

Sleeping and writing

For most of the summer I've been working nights. Basically 9 to 5 overnight. I try to sleep during the day, but it's not easy. Neighbors mow their yards. Or play music. Or kids are in their yards playing... I don't fault them for their normal routines, but obviously, it makes sleeping difficult. Also, it's just hard to sleep during those wonderful summer days when the temps in the 70s or low 80s and there's a nice breeze. It's easier to sleep on those dark, rainy days -- except that means my little kids are in the house. To my wife's credit, she was wonderful in keeping them as quiet as she did all summer long. I know that wasn't easy!

The other thing I've noticed about sleeping during the day is -- people just assume that your sleep schedule is 'flexible'. Just sleep in the morning and do this or that in the afternoon. Or, stay up after work and do this or that in the morning and sleep in the afternoon or evening before going back to work. Now I ask you - do most people do that when they work during the day and sleep at night? How often have you gone straight to bed after work (say 6pm) and woke up at 1 or 2am to attend some function and then stayed up until the following night?

No, I'm not ranting. In fact, I did that to myself many times too. I enjoy walking with my little guy to the bus stop in the morning. I enjoy having dinner with my family. I've rarely slept the same exact hours during the day multiple days in a row. Sometimes, I'd take two or three two-or-three hour naps in a day. Of course, those nights at work, I'd be hurting.

What's the point of all this? Well, lately I've felt like a zombie. If I'm not at work, it feels like I'm trying to sleep. Or write. And as I mentioned in a comment to another post, writing while feeling like a zombie only makes that first rough draft even crappier. And then, inevitably, when I go back to look at what I've written on those rare days when I'm less zombie-like, I am discouraged by what I read. My wife tells me I'm just being overly critical of my writing (and she's usually right, I often am), but that doesn't make it any less crappy.

Or maybe I'm just overly tired, and cranky and truly being overly critical...

Perhaps it would be better (and wiser) to simply write the first draft and worry about making it better in rewrites. I know, it sounds so simple, and I have done that before on my other books, but I have a hard time putting that critical, perfectionist-driven editing voice aside at times (especially when I'm tired). If you're a writer, you probably know about this little voice, right? You shouldn't listen to that voice when you're working on the first draft. I know this, you know this--but as I've said, it's so much harder to push that voice aside and quiet it when you're tired.

Fortunately, it looks as if life might be returning to some sort of normalcy soon. A routine of sorts may be returning to our lives here and hopefully with that routine will come a set sleeping cycle for me-which in turn will provide me with a set (relatively speaking) writing schedule.

At least, despite all the turmoil of the summer, I have managed to add significantly to my current WIP, I've done some minor edits to both of my novels, I've polished off my query letter for The Legend and the Dark (again) and I have written the first drafts of a couple of short stories--probably not much compared to some, and perhaps more than others.

Oh - and I started this blog and dabbled into learning a bit about twitter.

Thanks for listening. It's almost time for me to get ready for work now. Take care.

Writing

Well...with no more baseball to watch--okay, okay, I'll probably still catch some of the World Series, I do love baseball even if the Cubs aren't playing--I 'should' have more time for writing now. Ah. There it is. The silver lining. I knew I could find it if I looked for it.

Okay - no more procrastination! Back to writing!

The Chicago Cubs

It's over. Finished. Swept..again. 8 straight playoff losses...

I really was hoping I wouldn't have to say...'wait 'til next year' again this year.

.....'wait 'til next year'....

The Chicago Cubs

Ouch! It's not looking good for the Cubs! Down two games to none. Down 3-0 and entering the 7th inning of the do-or-die Game 3 in LA....unless the team wakes up and plays like they did when they won 97 in the regular season, tonight is going to be the end of the line for 2008.

I'd hate to think we'll have to say 'wait 'til next year' again...

This was supposed to be their year.

100 years...and waiting.

I'm not giving up, yet. They still have 9 outs to work with...they've come from behind and won so many games over the season...

DeRosa out...8 outs left.

Theriot singles. Let's get something going!

Fukudome at the plate. I hope he finds his swing--if not at the plate tonight--hopefully over the off season. He's a great defensive player, has a great arm. I'd love to see him return next year and hit like he did in the early part of the season. Lately, he looks lost at the plate.

Oh my! Fukudome just got a hit! Yes!!

Soriano at the plate now. 2 on. Only 1 out. Pitching change. The Dodger fans are giving their pitcher a standing ovation. Gotta give it to him--he had some good stuff tonight. Hopefully the Cubs can jump all over the bullpen and score 4...5...runs or more. If I recall correctly, they led the league this year with scoring 5 or more runs in an inning...

Soriano is the tying run now....no double play. No double play. No double play....

Soriano pops out to right field on the first pitch. 0-4 for the day...

2 outs.

Fontenot is up now. For a little guy he sure has some power. A home run would be awesome, but a hit would be nice...

Wild pitch. Theriot advances to 3rd. Fukudome stayed at 1st.

3-2 on Fontenot. 2 outs. 2 on. D-Lee on deck...

Line drive to center field......caught.

6 outs left.

I'll suffer the rest of this alone now....

Take care all -