It's done! In record time!
Word-a-thon Stats: 50,000 words in less than five weeks.
Some Kind of Normal: FINISHED!
I have sent it off to my first beta reader, and I am taking a hiatus for two weeks to lay on the beach and let my brain go to mush and read some really good books and actually enjoy my family without a computer between us.
I thought the more I'd write, the more casual this would feel, but it feels just as thrilling as the first time!
WOOO HOOOO!
Totally not planned, but the last word of the book? Hope.
Seems kinda fitting.
Showing posts with label stats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stats. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Totally Random Thoughts
Ah, my brain is fried. I have no energy left to put several coherent sentences together let alone write a thoughtful or creative post. I do, however, have several incoherent thoughts running through my mind so I thought I'd waste the space and put them here.
1. Nathan Bransford had an interesting post on whether writing is nature or nurture. Actually, he didn't write anything. He pretty much just left it open to the public to decide in the comments section, which is what I suspect he does when he is flooded with work. I didn't write in... I always pass when the comment count is over 40 because I figure at that point no one is reading anymore anyway, and really, there are only two choices, three if you go with both, and that's pretty much covered by the third comment.
But, as it turns out, I have my own blog, so I can write here. And I disagree with all those people who say great writing can be taught. There it is. I put it out there. Me, a former English teacher, am saying it can't be taught. Sure, you can teach someone the technical aspects of writing: the vocabulary, the grammar, the sentence structure. You can teach someone the tips to get published: dump those adjectives and adverbs. You can teach three act structure, rising action, climax, denoument and falling action. But in the end, what you've got is passable writing. Great writing, dare I say, publishing worthy writing, is something inherent. Either you've got it or you don't. And if you don't, you can't always tell.
And yes, I wonder sometimes which category I fit in.
2. Totally non-writing subject, but my foot, which I injured back in September, is finally feeling 100%. For eleven months I couldn't walk without limping, and, per doctor's instructions, kept it restricted in running shoes every moment I was awake. This wasn't a problem, because a running shoe was the only thing keeping me from chopping the thing off. The only time it wasn't killing me was in a good shoe. And now that it's feeling better, my foot has claustrophobia. I put my shoe on and ten minutes later I feel like I am going to go crazy if I can't get it off. It's the weirdest thing ever!
3. The closer I get to finishing the book, the harder it is to put it down. It's always been like that reading. It's like that now writing. I shoo away the kids. I get dinner going late. I stay up all night, which is the only time there isn't someone talking in my ear and pulling me in other directions. I got over the scary part. I think it turned out okay. And I am pushing on. I'm almost done. Not just with the word a thon but with the book. And I think I'm really excited about it.
4. I had more random thoughts and in the writing of this post, they disappeared.
5. As has my grip on reality.
Today's word count: a record breaking 3,070
Total so far in word a thon: 40,015
Percentage done with 9 days left to go: 80%
1. Nathan Bransford had an interesting post on whether writing is nature or nurture. Actually, he didn't write anything. He pretty much just left it open to the public to decide in the comments section, which is what I suspect he does when he is flooded with work. I didn't write in... I always pass when the comment count is over 40 because I figure at that point no one is reading anymore anyway, and really, there are only two choices, three if you go with both, and that's pretty much covered by the third comment.
But, as it turns out, I have my own blog, so I can write here. And I disagree with all those people who say great writing can be taught. There it is. I put it out there. Me, a former English teacher, am saying it can't be taught. Sure, you can teach someone the technical aspects of writing: the vocabulary, the grammar, the sentence structure. You can teach someone the tips to get published: dump those adjectives and adverbs. You can teach three act structure, rising action, climax, denoument and falling action. But in the end, what you've got is passable writing. Great writing, dare I say, publishing worthy writing, is something inherent. Either you've got it or you don't. And if you don't, you can't always tell.
And yes, I wonder sometimes which category I fit in.
2. Totally non-writing subject, but my foot, which I injured back in September, is finally feeling 100%. For eleven months I couldn't walk without limping, and, per doctor's instructions, kept it restricted in running shoes every moment I was awake. This wasn't a problem, because a running shoe was the only thing keeping me from chopping the thing off. The only time it wasn't killing me was in a good shoe. And now that it's feeling better, my foot has claustrophobia. I put my shoe on and ten minutes later I feel like I am going to go crazy if I can't get it off. It's the weirdest thing ever!
3. The closer I get to finishing the book, the harder it is to put it down. It's always been like that reading. It's like that now writing. I shoo away the kids. I get dinner going late. I stay up all night, which is the only time there isn't someone talking in my ear and pulling me in other directions. I got over the scary part. I think it turned out okay. And I am pushing on. I'm almost done. Not just with the word a thon but with the book. And I think I'm really excited about it.
4. I had more random thoughts and in the writing of this post, they disappeared.
5. As has my grip on reality.
Today's word count: a record breaking 3,070
Total so far in word a thon: 40,015
Percentage done with 9 days left to go: 80%
The Bad Thing About Loving What You Do
I've always thought it was ideal to love what you do. Isn't that the advice every career counselor, every Tom, Dick and Oprah, give? Find what you love to do, and then figure out how to make money doing it.
I love to write. How ideal could this be? (Other than getting paid for it, of course). I get to write at home, on my schedule, and still be home full time for my kids and husband. All the things I love most wrapped into one pretty package.
Except there are days I wished I loved writing a little less. And today was one of them.
My daughter's birthday is coming up, and today the grandparents came to take her out and I got a few hours in the afternoon to birthday gift shop. The idea was grand: go to the two stores that have the exact thing I know I want to get, be home in an hour and a half, and have the entire house to myself to write for a few hours. BLISS!
Except the first store didn't have the gift I wanted. Neither did the second. Or the third. Or a fourth. And by the fifth store I was incredibly frustrated because this is the only day I have to shop without my daughter, I have no gift, AND my time to write is slipping away. I felt like a child on the verge of a temper-tantrum standing in front of the shelf where the perfect gift should have been, stamping my foot and saying, "This is really cutting into my writing time! Now I'm going to end up with NONE!"
And how pathetically sad is that? Instead of enjoying the time to shop for something special, I was grumbling that I couldn't get back to work.
So I breathed deep, let it go, and accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get any writing in until the kids were in bed tonight. Goodbye record word day. Hello eeking out whatever I could manage.
I'm not sure that I wrote anything brilliant tonight. I am tired beyond belief. And I come again to the wall of faith: how much should God and Babs faith in him be central to this story? The funny thing is, Babs is dealing with this too. And so in writing I write the way she deals.... a tiny chunk at a time, and when it gets too much the conversation changes or someone walks in. I'm going with it. I hope it will work itself out, cause I really have no idea.
Word count tonight: 1,621
I love to write. How ideal could this be? (Other than getting paid for it, of course). I get to write at home, on my schedule, and still be home full time for my kids and husband. All the things I love most wrapped into one pretty package.
Except there are days I wished I loved writing a little less. And today was one of them.
My daughter's birthday is coming up, and today the grandparents came to take her out and I got a few hours in the afternoon to birthday gift shop. The idea was grand: go to the two stores that have the exact thing I know I want to get, be home in an hour and a half, and have the entire house to myself to write for a few hours. BLISS!
Except the first store didn't have the gift I wanted. Neither did the second. Or the third. Or a fourth. And by the fifth store I was incredibly frustrated because this is the only day I have to shop without my daughter, I have no gift, AND my time to write is slipping away. I felt like a child on the verge of a temper-tantrum standing in front of the shelf where the perfect gift should have been, stamping my foot and saying, "This is really cutting into my writing time! Now I'm going to end up with NONE!"
And how pathetically sad is that? Instead of enjoying the time to shop for something special, I was grumbling that I couldn't get back to work.
So I breathed deep, let it go, and accepted the fact that I wasn't going to get any writing in until the kids were in bed tonight. Goodbye record word day. Hello eeking out whatever I could manage.
I'm not sure that I wrote anything brilliant tonight. I am tired beyond belief. And I come again to the wall of faith: how much should God and Babs faith in him be central to this story? The funny thing is, Babs is dealing with this too. And so in writing I write the way she deals.... a tiny chunk at a time, and when it gets too much the conversation changes or someone walks in. I'm going with it. I hope it will work itself out, cause I really have no idea.
Word count tonight: 1,621
Monday, August 4, 2008
The 100th Post!
You'd think with the 100th post as it's title, I'd think of something great to write, some wonderful commentary on how much this blog has meant to me and how much of life has been contained within these fair blue/grey backgrounds, and how many friends I have made here (okay, that part is true).
You'd think I'd have great words of wisdom, some monumental philosophical post on blogging or life or even writing.
But no, I have none of these. I didn't even realize until I signed in the significance of this post. And all I can think of is: Wow! My great day just got better.
Because today was a great day, which is saying something since the only foray outside my little humble home was to the library to let my kids get more books. There were lots of mundane things, like cleaning the bathroom (such a shock!) and doling out folded laundry for the kids to stuff in their drawers. We baked cookies and I managed to get three different meals on the table and all the respective dishes cleaned. But in a few small hours, I managed to write. Well. I wrote well.
Tomorrow I may look back and say, "This is all crap." And maybe it is. But tonight, the words feel like gold.
I cried writing part of it. And every time I went back through it, I cried again. Everything is coming together. These characters, like the ones in my first book, are like real people to me, and the way they have changed over the course of the book is like watching your child grow up. Though 99% of the time I question everything I write, eye it critically, think I will never make it, tonight I look at it and think, "This stuff is pretty darn good."
And before I start to think otherwise, I am going to bed.
Happy 100th post, friends. I may end up being a writer after all.
Word count for today: 2,451
Word a thon: 71% completed. 11 more days to go.
The song I listened to most of the day?
Ocean Wide by the Afters:
If love is an ocean wide
We 'll swim in the tears we cry
They'll see us through to the other side
We're gonna make it
When love is a raging sea
You can hold on to me
We'll find a way tonight
Love is an ocean wide
You'd think I'd have great words of wisdom, some monumental philosophical post on blogging or life or even writing.
But no, I have none of these. I didn't even realize until I signed in the significance of this post. And all I can think of is: Wow! My great day just got better.
Because today was a great day, which is saying something since the only foray outside my little humble home was to the library to let my kids get more books. There were lots of mundane things, like cleaning the bathroom (such a shock!) and doling out folded laundry for the kids to stuff in their drawers. We baked cookies and I managed to get three different meals on the table and all the respective dishes cleaned. But in a few small hours, I managed to write. Well. I wrote well.
Tomorrow I may look back and say, "This is all crap." And maybe it is. But tonight, the words feel like gold.
I cried writing part of it. And every time I went back through it, I cried again. Everything is coming together. These characters, like the ones in my first book, are like real people to me, and the way they have changed over the course of the book is like watching your child grow up. Though 99% of the time I question everything I write, eye it critically, think I will never make it, tonight I look at it and think, "This stuff is pretty darn good."
And before I start to think otherwise, I am going to bed.
Happy 100th post, friends. I may end up being a writer after all.
Word count for today: 2,451
Word a thon: 71% completed. 11 more days to go.
The song I listened to most of the day?
Ocean Wide by the Afters:
If love is an ocean wide
We 'll swim in the tears we cry
They'll see us through to the other side
We're gonna make it
When love is a raging sea
You can hold on to me
We'll find a way tonight
Love is an ocean wide
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Looking forward...
I had no caffeine today. I am asleep on my feet.
In exactly two weeks I will be here:
Between now and then I have to throw my daughter a birthday party, and finish the remaining 17,127 words left of the write-a-thon. I think this might actually finish the book. Or kill me.
What a better way to go out on vacation, though?
Today's word count? 1,286
Tomorrow will be better.
In exactly two weeks I will be here:
Between now and then I have to throw my daughter a birthday party, and finish the remaining 17,127 words left of the write-a-thon. I think this might actually finish the book. Or kill me.
What a better way to go out on vacation, though?
Today's word count? 1,286
Tomorrow will be better.
WORD-A-THON Update status
No time off for a writer.
Went to the pool with the family. Spent the day writing while overlooking this gorgeous scene:
Managed to write 1,805 words.
Total word-a-thon words: 31,587 words in 21 days.
The total WIP is now 55,000 words.
Can I just say that I realized today I never actually thought I could do this? The fact that every day I manage to get the writing done, that I am still on schedule, that this is still totally possible, blows me away.
Went to the pool with the family. Spent the day writing while overlooking this gorgeous scene:
Managed to write 1,805 words.
Total word-a-thon words: 31,587 words in 21 days.
The total WIP is now 55,000 words.
Can I just say that I realized today I never actually thought I could do this? The fact that every day I manage to get the writing done, that I am still on schedule, that this is still totally possible, blows me away.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Oh the Humanity!
Total word count today: 1
And that was the word chapter at the top of a new page.
AAACK! (and not in the good, "I got partials requests", Jaekaebee kind of way!)
My three-act book has four parts (yeah.... that's the mathematically challenged side of me coming through). The first three parts are done. I arrived today at the fourth, and I suddenly lost my way. The direction I was taking hit a road block and I started rethinking the entire end of the book. And the politics of it all.
The problem? The medical salvation, the miracle that saves Ashley, is a stem cell clinical trial. Adult stem cell. And there isn't a lot of conflict there. Few people really know what it is, mostly because few people oppose it. It doesn't involve any embryos; it involves very few risks to the patient; it's highly successful. There are no laws against it.
The fact that it is adult stem cell is critical for the story. So where lies the resulting conflict?
Thus the stall.
I'm researching more, rethinking the climax of the book as well as some of the lead-up conflicts. I'm pondering. I'm mulling. I think I'll go to bed and see if the answer comes to me in a dream.
And here I was cruising so nicely.
And that was the word chapter at the top of a new page.
AAACK! (and not in the good, "I got partials requests", Jaekaebee kind of way!)
My three-act book has four parts (yeah.... that's the mathematically challenged side of me coming through). The first three parts are done. I arrived today at the fourth, and I suddenly lost my way. The direction I was taking hit a road block and I started rethinking the entire end of the book. And the politics of it all.
The problem? The medical salvation, the miracle that saves Ashley, is a stem cell clinical trial. Adult stem cell. And there isn't a lot of conflict there. Few people really know what it is, mostly because few people oppose it. It doesn't involve any embryos; it involves very few risks to the patient; it's highly successful. There are no laws against it.
The fact that it is adult stem cell is critical for the story. So where lies the resulting conflict?
Thus the stall.
I'm researching more, rethinking the climax of the book as well as some of the lead-up conflicts. I'm pondering. I'm mulling. I think I'll go to bed and see if the answer comes to me in a dream.
And here I was cruising so nicely.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
What I'm Not Doing
So yesterday I listed the books I've read, which, looking back, are pretty embarrassingly fluffy. I could list the books I have on my shelf to read which I haven't because they require too much mental engagement (Kite Runner, Drowning Ruth, A Million Little Pieces, among others).
Instead, lets look today at what I'm NOT doing, because I'm reading and writing.
I'm not getting laundry folded and put away. I will wash several loads of laundry and leave them in the basket or the dryer until I do more laundry and absolutely need the space. At which time I dump them on my bed, where the necessity to put them away become much greater.
I am not returning phone calls. I am the worst at this. I will keep a message blinking on my machine for a week. I will write the number down and hang it on the fridge. But I don't get around to actually picking up the phone and calling.
I am not scrapbooking. Yeah, I started. I think I am caught up to about the year 2000. I started in the year 1998. It's pathetic.
I am not mending clothes. They can sit at the bottom of that laundry basket until two children have outgrown them, but getting a needle and thread out to sew on a missing button or sew up a seam is apparently beyond my capabilities.
I am not cleaning bathrooms. Unless it becomes a health hazard or my in-laws are coming over. I do the quick swish when necessary, but my scrubbing powers are going to complete waste.
I am not watching TV. Okay, sometimes. Mostly on Friday nights when I try to catch up on the DVR shows and my husband and I try to put away our respective electronics and reconnect to each other by engaging conversations over how TV has gone to pot in the last decade. Otherwise, I'm plugged in to the laptop.
I am not gardening. I do not have a green thumb. I have given up trying to make it green. Or to keep the weeds at bay. We have no garden, the rose bushes are eaten down, the flower beds are wild.
I am not shopping. Two stops a week, if I can spare that. Especially in the summer with three kids in tow. Corralling them through a store? No thanks!
I am not getting dinner to the table on time. Although I am making dinner every night, and lunch, and breakfast, and I do clean dishes, so I'm not a total washup on that front.
I am not going to the gym, training for a triathlon, or riding horses every day. I am, however swimming laps when I go to the pool with my kids, but it's a pretty pathetic kind of swimming.
I am not responding to emails fast enough.
I am not critiquing my writer's group submissions in a timely manner.
I am not going to movies. Although I have been known to take in the local baseball game on dollar night now and then.
I am not sleeping.... which is what I should be doing right now. The majority of the writing I do these days is after ten at night. Sometimes until three if I am having trouble getting my word count in.
Today's word count: 1,431
The word-a-thon grand total: 17,066
34% complete.
Slow but steady. I feel like the proverbial turtle in the race against the hare. Still, I'm getting there.
Instead, lets look today at what I'm NOT doing, because I'm reading and writing.
I'm not getting laundry folded and put away. I will wash several loads of laundry and leave them in the basket or the dryer until I do more laundry and absolutely need the space. At which time I dump them on my bed, where the necessity to put them away become much greater.
I am not returning phone calls. I am the worst at this. I will keep a message blinking on my machine for a week. I will write the number down and hang it on the fridge. But I don't get around to actually picking up the phone and calling.
I am not scrapbooking. Yeah, I started. I think I am caught up to about the year 2000. I started in the year 1998. It's pathetic.
I am not mending clothes. They can sit at the bottom of that laundry basket until two children have outgrown them, but getting a needle and thread out to sew on a missing button or sew up a seam is apparently beyond my capabilities.
I am not cleaning bathrooms. Unless it becomes a health hazard or my in-laws are coming over. I do the quick swish when necessary, but my scrubbing powers are going to complete waste.
I am not watching TV. Okay, sometimes. Mostly on Friday nights when I try to catch up on the DVR shows and my husband and I try to put away our respective electronics and reconnect to each other by engaging conversations over how TV has gone to pot in the last decade. Otherwise, I'm plugged in to the laptop.
I am not gardening. I do not have a green thumb. I have given up trying to make it green. Or to keep the weeds at bay. We have no garden, the rose bushes are eaten down, the flower beds are wild.
I am not shopping. Two stops a week, if I can spare that. Especially in the summer with three kids in tow. Corralling them through a store? No thanks!
I am not getting dinner to the table on time. Although I am making dinner every night, and lunch, and breakfast, and I do clean dishes, so I'm not a total washup on that front.
I am not going to the gym, training for a triathlon, or riding horses every day. I am, however swimming laps when I go to the pool with my kids, but it's a pretty pathetic kind of swimming.
I am not responding to emails fast enough.
I am not critiquing my writer's group submissions in a timely manner.
I am not going to movies. Although I have been known to take in the local baseball game on dollar night now and then.
I am not sleeping.... which is what I should be doing right now. The majority of the writing I do these days is after ten at night. Sometimes until three if I am having trouble getting my word count in.
Today's word count: 1,431
The word-a-thon grand total: 17,066
34% complete.
Slow but steady. I feel like the proverbial turtle in the race against the hare. Still, I'm getting there.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Book Lists (or What I Do With All That Free Time of Mine)
Every writer should be a reader. And we are all nosy about what each other is reading. Let's face it, when you visit someone's house, isn't the bookshelf one of the first things you look at to get a feel for who they are? Admittedly shallow, but true nonetheless.
So, for you friends long distance, and blog buddies who never get a chance to see my shelves, in a moment of pure transparency, here is the list of books I've read in the last six months.
(This is most probably not entirely complete. I was relying on the librarything.com, and for a month or so I couldn't remember my password. I think I caught all the books I own, but ones I borrowed from the library might have slipped through.)
Something Borrowed (Emily Giffin)
Something Blue (Emily Giffin)
Baby Proof (Emily Giffin)
Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate (Angus Constam)
Blow Fly (Patricia Cornwell)
Dear John (Nicholas Sparks)
Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend (Laney K. Becker)
The First Five Pages (Noah Lukeman)
The Plot Thickens (Noah Lukeman)
Innocent Man (John Grisham)
King of Torts (John Grisham)
Lottery (Patricia Wood)
On Writing (Stephen King)
Pieces of My Sister's Life (Elizabeth Joy Arnold)
Strange but True (John Searles)
Vanishing Acts (Jodi Picoult)
Wedding in December (Anita Shreve)
Writing Dialogue (Tom Chiarella)
The Year of Fog (Michelle Richmond)
Books read in six months: 19
Writing process books: 4
Books read because they're repped by agents I want: 3
Books I thought were horribly written: 3 (but don't ask which ones!)
Books that left me in such a funk I wish I hasn't read them: 2
The thing about books this year is that, as I've gotten so much more serious about writing, I read them with an eye to writing instead of just enjoying them. What works. What doesn't. Which ones are debut novels and which are by authors who are veterans who may be a little tired or lazy. Which deal well with tricky aspects of writing, like back story and dialect.
It would be hard to pick one favorite. Each book is a little different. I loved Emily Giffin's so much I bought all three for a friend's birthday. Reading King of Torts reminded me of great summers long ago sitting on the beach reading The Firm, The Client, the early works that made John Grisham the powerhouse he is: pure enjoyment. Lottery is a class in itself; a remarkable work that will make you believe good people really exist. The Year of Fog is plain beautiful, but sad and melancholy, and all the same, one I'd recommend to anyone.
So what's your favorites the last six months?
(Oh, I did some writing too!)
Weekend Word Count for Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 3,782
Total word-a-thon words: 15,635
Percentage done of Word-A-Thon words: 31%
Word count for entire book: 39,004
Percentage of book done based on 90,000 words: 43.3%
So, for you friends long distance, and blog buddies who never get a chance to see my shelves, in a moment of pure transparency, here is the list of books I've read in the last six months.
(This is most probably not entirely complete. I was relying on the librarything.com, and for a month or so I couldn't remember my password. I think I caught all the books I own, but ones I borrowed from the library might have slipped through.)
Something Borrowed (Emily Giffin)
Something Blue (Emily Giffin)
Baby Proof (Emily Giffin)
Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate (Angus Constam)
Blow Fly (Patricia Cornwell)
Dear John (Nicholas Sparks)
Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend (Laney K. Becker)
The First Five Pages (Noah Lukeman)
The Plot Thickens (Noah Lukeman)
Innocent Man (John Grisham)
King of Torts (John Grisham)
Lottery (Patricia Wood)
On Writing (Stephen King)
Pieces of My Sister's Life (Elizabeth Joy Arnold)
Strange but True (John Searles)
Vanishing Acts (Jodi Picoult)
Wedding in December (Anita Shreve)
Writing Dialogue (Tom Chiarella)
The Year of Fog (Michelle Richmond)
Books read in six months: 19
Writing process books: 4
Books read because they're repped by agents I want: 3
Books I thought were horribly written: 3 (but don't ask which ones!)
Books that left me in such a funk I wish I hasn't read them: 2
The thing about books this year is that, as I've gotten so much more serious about writing, I read them with an eye to writing instead of just enjoying them. What works. What doesn't. Which ones are debut novels and which are by authors who are veterans who may be a little tired or lazy. Which deal well with tricky aspects of writing, like back story and dialect.
It would be hard to pick one favorite. Each book is a little different. I loved Emily Giffin's so much I bought all three for a friend's birthday. Reading King of Torts reminded me of great summers long ago sitting on the beach reading The Firm, The Client, the early works that made John Grisham the powerhouse he is: pure enjoyment. Lottery is a class in itself; a remarkable work that will make you believe good people really exist. The Year of Fog is plain beautiful, but sad and melancholy, and all the same, one I'd recommend to anyone.
So what's your favorites the last six months?
(Oh, I did some writing too!)
Weekend Word Count for Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 3,782
Total word-a-thon words: 15,635
Percentage done of Word-A-Thon words: 31%
Word count for entire book: 39,004
Percentage of book done based on 90,000 words: 43.3%
Friday, July 18, 2008
WORD-A-THON Update status
Today was a hard writing day. Lots of research. Skipping around between my WIP and the internet, interviews and medical processes. It made it difficult to keep a flow, and so every word was hard wrought.
And, after several really good days, today's writing felt sluggish, and I second-guessed everything I wrote. My mood followed.... or maybe caused it. In any case, I am in a slight depression today.
Still, I made the quota.
Today's word count: 1,550.
That brings to total to 11,853 since last Friday. I am one fifth into the challenge. 38,147 words to go.
Not even coffee can keep me awake tonight.
And, after several really good days, today's writing felt sluggish, and I second-guessed everything I wrote. My mood followed.... or maybe caused it. In any case, I am in a slight depression today.
Still, I made the quota.
Today's word count: 1,550.
That brings to total to 11,853 since last Friday. I am one fifth into the challenge. 38,147 words to go.
Not even coffee can keep me awake tonight.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
There's More to Life than Word-A-Thon's (if you drink enough coffee)
Coffee is the happy drug. I've tried to drag myself through the day without it, but, after many late nights keeping up with the Joneses (and the Jens.... okay, mostly the Jens--- can I just say at least one of them, if not both, are keeping up the ridiculous pace of 5k a day???), I started off the morning with a huge pot.... and kept drinking through the day. And let me tell you.... life seems so much better hopped up on massive doses of caffeine!
I connived my kids to let me write all morning (which goes very fast-the writing, not the morning- when hopped up on caffeine!) with the promise of taking them into Washington D.C. in the late afternoon for a museum (one of their favorite things to do) and a concert on the steps of the Capital Building (one of my favorite things to do).
I wrote, they played. And at three we headed in to D.C. We debated about museums. I have three kids, and of course they have three different favorites, but we finally settled on the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, which offers dinosaurs, live bugs, mummies, and famous jewels. Something to please us all!
We were so enthralled most of the way through (not that they don't already have this all memorized, because we visit so often), I missed photo ops at the bug exhibits and in the dinosaur hall, but here they are in the aquatic skeleton hall:
I love the gems section. It has tons of bright, unbelievable raw crystals. It reminds me of being a kid and disappearing for hours and hours into the woods in back of our house with my best friend, wading through the creek hunting for crystals. Of course, the Smithsonian doesn't have just raw crystals. Oh no! It has jewelry! So as a bonus to taking the kids out for an educational outing they love, I get to do some birthday shopping.
Shall I suggest my husband buy me a nice little tiara for my birthday??
A little over the top? Maybe then just a simple necklace would do.
So when the museum closed we gathered up my husband (who works a block away in downtown D.C. and headed over to the Capital Building.
We love the city. We love the feeling of patriotism here. And what is more patriotic than sitting on the steps of the U.S. Capital building, and listening to the "President's Own" Marine Band play? For my husband, former Army soldier that he is, the answer to that is listening to "Pershing's Own" Army Band, but the Army band wasn't playing tonight, and, for that matter, neither was the full Marine Corp Band. But the Marine Corp Dixie Band was playing, and on a Wednesday night, under a balmy 80 degree sunset, what could be better than a little dixie-land jazz?
So we sat on the steps looking straight out at this:
And my goofy husband tried to hold the Washington Monument in his hands:
While we ate a picnic dinner and took blatant product-placement photos:
Except my middle child, who is hardly ever truly goofy, but does love to pose:
And listened to amazing music while the sun set in front of us. My husband says these men, who are all the most incredible musicians, have masters and PhDs in music, and then join the military as enlisted men, with enlisted pay, to play for their country. Makes me wish I was more musically inclined...
It's so patriotic that my oldest and youngest ceased their feuding:
Mostly because my youngest was almost asleep by this point!
And, after a month and a half of feeling like maybe I made a huge mistake with my new camera, I finally figured out how to take decent photos with it. And almost every one of the 140 photos I took between the hours of three and nine turned out pretty good. And some of them were great.
And the best part? I completely relaxed and enjoyed it, because I managed to exceed my record for writing, and all before the sun went down!
So my word-a-thon totals today? 2,665!
That puts me at a total of 10,303 of 50,000.... one-fifth of the way!
29 days left.... my daily word requirement is down to 1,368 words!
The more I write, the easier it is getting.... and the more I enjoy it! It's getting good now!
Tomorrow... well, that's another day.
I connived my kids to let me write all morning (which goes very fast-the writing, not the morning- when hopped up on caffeine!) with the promise of taking them into Washington D.C. in the late afternoon for a museum (one of their favorite things to do) and a concert on the steps of the Capital Building (one of my favorite things to do).
I wrote, they played. And at three we headed in to D.C. We debated about museums. I have three kids, and of course they have three different favorites, but we finally settled on the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, which offers dinosaurs, live bugs, mummies, and famous jewels. Something to please us all!
We were so enthralled most of the way through (not that they don't already have this all memorized, because we visit so often), I missed photo ops at the bug exhibits and in the dinosaur hall, but here they are in the aquatic skeleton hall:
I love the gems section. It has tons of bright, unbelievable raw crystals. It reminds me of being a kid and disappearing for hours and hours into the woods in back of our house with my best friend, wading through the creek hunting for crystals. Of course, the Smithsonian doesn't have just raw crystals. Oh no! It has jewelry! So as a bonus to taking the kids out for an educational outing they love, I get to do some birthday shopping.
Shall I suggest my husband buy me a nice little tiara for my birthday??
A little over the top? Maybe then just a simple necklace would do.
So when the museum closed we gathered up my husband (who works a block away in downtown D.C. and headed over to the Capital Building.
We love the city. We love the feeling of patriotism here. And what is more patriotic than sitting on the steps of the U.S. Capital building, and listening to the "President's Own" Marine Band play? For my husband, former Army soldier that he is, the answer to that is listening to "Pershing's Own" Army Band, but the Army band wasn't playing tonight, and, for that matter, neither was the full Marine Corp Band. But the Marine Corp Dixie Band was playing, and on a Wednesday night, under a balmy 80 degree sunset, what could be better than a little dixie-land jazz?
So we sat on the steps looking straight out at this:
And my goofy husband tried to hold the Washington Monument in his hands:
While we ate a picnic dinner and took blatant product-placement photos:
Except my middle child, who is hardly ever truly goofy, but does love to pose:
And listened to amazing music while the sun set in front of us. My husband says these men, who are all the most incredible musicians, have masters and PhDs in music, and then join the military as enlisted men, with enlisted pay, to play for their country. Makes me wish I was more musically inclined...
It's so patriotic that my oldest and youngest ceased their feuding:
Mostly because my youngest was almost asleep by this point!
And, after a month and a half of feeling like maybe I made a huge mistake with my new camera, I finally figured out how to take decent photos with it. And almost every one of the 140 photos I took between the hours of three and nine turned out pretty good. And some of them were great.
And the best part? I completely relaxed and enjoyed it, because I managed to exceed my record for writing, and all before the sun went down!
So my word-a-thon totals today? 2,665!
That puts me at a total of 10,303 of 50,000.... one-fifth of the way!
29 days left.... my daily word requirement is down to 1,368 words!
The more I write, the easier it is getting.... and the more I enjoy it! It's getting good now!
Tomorrow... well, that's another day.
WORD-A-THON Update status
I had a whole post today planned about voice, and how I am NEVER - do you hear me????- NEVER going to do first person point of view again, because it is so hard to do well, and because it requires me to find the voice of someone else and not myself, and I miss my own voice when I'm writing this book, and I am probably going to have to rewrite half the book because I keep slipping into my own language and out of Babs, and I never realized I knew so many big words until suddenly I am not allowed to use them because Babs would never use that kind of language. I had this all planned out all day, but now it is after one in the morning and I am exhausted and I just want to go to bed.
I spent the day at the pool again with my kids, but I took my trusty notebook and pen, and this is what I have discovered:
1. Since computers were invented, my handwriting skills have declined considerably.
2. I cannot write a quarter as fast as I can type.
3. I cannot read what I write.
4. It is a pain to write out everything in longhand, and then type the exact same thing hours later.
Still, I am sticking to it. It is both exhausting and exhilarating.
Todays word count: 2,000 (Can you believe it? EXACTLY 2,000!)
That puts my total at 7,638.
15.3 % done. Which doesn't sound like much, except I am only 7% into the 35 days. Which means I am ahead of my goal! And my daily requirement went down to 1,412 words, which, frankly, is starting to look like a cakewalk.
Okay, maybe not. But still, I'm doing it. In the words of Wild Hogs (a movie you must see if you haven't already): "How does that feel?" "It's feels gooooooood!"
Whoo Hoo!
Okay, now to bed!!
I spent the day at the pool again with my kids, but I took my trusty notebook and pen, and this is what I have discovered:
1. Since computers were invented, my handwriting skills have declined considerably.
2. I cannot write a quarter as fast as I can type.
3. I cannot read what I write.
4. It is a pain to write out everything in longhand, and then type the exact same thing hours later.
Still, I am sticking to it. It is both exhausting and exhilarating.
Todays word count: 2,000 (Can you believe it? EXACTLY 2,000!)
That puts my total at 7,638.
15.3 % done. Which doesn't sound like much, except I am only 7% into the 35 days. Which means I am ahead of my goal! And my daily requirement went down to 1,412 words, which, frankly, is starting to look like a cakewalk.
Okay, maybe not. But still, I'm doing it. In the words of Wild Hogs (a movie you must see if you haven't already): "How does that feel?" "It's feels gooooooood!"
Whoo Hoo!
Okay, now to bed!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
WORD-A-THON Update status
"That which does not kill me makes me stronger."
This is my mantra these days. I had to stay up until one in the morning last night to get in my quota for the day, as well as make up for a sub-par writing day on Saturday. Trying to write 50,000 words in five weeks is a major challenge for me, but tackling this in the summer when my kids are home 24/7, and every weekend is packed with interesting activities was not the smartest thing for me to do.
Not that I am complaining. I am still excited about the possibility of doing something I never considered possible. I love the kick-start this has given my book. I love the focus I'm forced to take, and the discipline of writing. As my husband points out, I am very goal oriented. And I hate failure.
But I'm exhausted. And to top it off Jennifer wrote 6,000 words today. 6,000! If I could highlight that and add twinkly starts around it and put it on a billboard for you I would. 6,000! I keep going back to her blog to make sure I read it right. I can't even begin to think that high. I'm reaching for my Motrin as we speak.
And just as I think this MUST be a typo, that she has found some freakish tweak in the time/space continuum, Jenwriter announces she wrote 5,000. Yeah, I'll wait while you take that in and figure out how to breathe again.
Just kill me now. I'm competitive as the next guy (sometimes more), but I know when I'm beat (and humiliated!).
Still, I promised the numbers, so here they are:
Friday: 1231
Saturday: 403 (Pathetic, I know. Sometimes, though, family has to trump writing. Even during a challenge.)
Sunday: 2,147
Monday: 1,857
For a grand total of 5,638.
There are 31 days left. That's 1,431 words a day to average. Tomorrow may be lower because I am hitting a research snag and will have to stop writing briefly to gather more information about medical testing, but I'm on track. Maybe to a fast death, but I'm on track!
This is my mantra these days. I had to stay up until one in the morning last night to get in my quota for the day, as well as make up for a sub-par writing day on Saturday. Trying to write 50,000 words in five weeks is a major challenge for me, but tackling this in the summer when my kids are home 24/7, and every weekend is packed with interesting activities was not the smartest thing for me to do.
Not that I am complaining. I am still excited about the possibility of doing something I never considered possible. I love the kick-start this has given my book. I love the focus I'm forced to take, and the discipline of writing. As my husband points out, I am very goal oriented. And I hate failure.
But I'm exhausted. And to top it off Jennifer wrote 6,000 words today. 6,000! If I could highlight that and add twinkly starts around it and put it on a billboard for you I would. 6,000! I keep going back to her blog to make sure I read it right. I can't even begin to think that high. I'm reaching for my Motrin as we speak.
And just as I think this MUST be a typo, that she has found some freakish tweak in the time/space continuum, Jenwriter announces she wrote 5,000. Yeah, I'll wait while you take that in and figure out how to breathe again.
Just kill me now. I'm competitive as the next guy (sometimes more), but I know when I'm beat (and humiliated!).
Still, I promised the numbers, so here they are:
Friday: 1231
Saturday: 403 (Pathetic, I know. Sometimes, though, family has to trump writing. Even during a challenge.)
Sunday: 2,147
Monday: 1,857
For a grand total of 5,638.
There are 31 days left. That's 1,431 words a day to average. Tomorrow may be lower because I am hitting a research snag and will have to stop writing briefly to gather more information about medical testing, but I'm on track. Maybe to a fast death, but I'm on track!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
So many stories, so little time
When I began writing "the book" several years ago, I didn't see quite past the end of that first work. After all, I'd never finished a book before. I wasn't even sure if it could be done. But about halfway through, after I realized that I really liked writing, that the end was in sight, and that, given great leeway by my family I might actually like to make a go of the writing thing, I began amassing book ideas. After all, agent blogs touted the idea that agents like to see that you already have something else in the works. I guess they like a regular paycheck too.
I began to write ideas down everytime I thought of something that might make a good story and stuff them a little blue index card filing box (enough adjectives for you? I could add that it was faded blue...). I think some of them are intriguing ideas. Some would be amazing if I could figure out how to flesh them out. Some are already dated. And some of them are plain trash. But there they are, all ready for their time in the sun.
January I wrapped up the rewrites, sent my plea out into the world, and marked February 1st as the day to start researching my next attempt. Did I go to the box full of ideas? No. I had this great idea that grew out of a game my kids made up. I watched them and thought, that would make a great series of books for kids! As a bonus, it would be shorter, less intense, and much lighter fare than my last writing. Fun, in short.
And it has been. Fun, I mean. I get to read lots of kids' books, and books about pirates, and eavesdrop on kids conversations, and uncover a whole different world of agents who deal primarily with middle grade and YA books. Different is always fun.
Except when it isn't. Fun, I mean. Because, as it turns out, I'm a bit lost on this project. I'm full up on enthusiasm. I've got my kids and husband throwing ideas out at every turn. I have piles of books with great information. But I can't write. While it seems like it would make a great story, when I sit down to outline it, it's all foggy. I can write the words, start the story, but where it's going is beyond me. And though I think it should be fun, though I want it to be fun, it just isn't.
Of course, I can't let it go. I am obsessive that way. I've gotta finish what I start. But in the meantime, another book has taken hold of me. When I am driving, shopping, watching TV, pretending to have conversations, this book is writing itself in my head. It is adult. It is content heavy. It is going to hit close to home. But it wants to be written.
I don't think I can write both at the same time. Time constraints, for one. But also, they are very different books, and I kind of live in the world of my writing, and to have a leg in both of those worlds wouldn't leave me with a leg in my real life. So which do I abandon? Do I force the one I've started, or leave it by the wayside to pursue something which will no doubt take longer to write and a little piece of my soul?
I wish I had the answer. I'm a bit afraid if I say I'm going to finish the first of the series, my deeper, more important story will somehow fade and be gone when I come back for it.
And to think, neither of these is in my little, faded, blue, index card filing box. Obviously those ideas aren't going to see the light of day anytime soon. Except when I open the lid every day to stuff a few more in.
Did I mention I'm obsessive?
And as a complete aside:
Some interesting stats:
My completed novel, according to MS Word, has a reading level of 5.8. (I think I know why but I won't comment on that now.)
My newly started upper middle grade has a reading level of 10.7.
Go figure.
I began to write ideas down everytime I thought of something that might make a good story and stuff them a little blue index card filing box (enough adjectives for you? I could add that it was faded blue...). I think some of them are intriguing ideas. Some would be amazing if I could figure out how to flesh them out. Some are already dated. And some of them are plain trash. But there they are, all ready for their time in the sun.
January I wrapped up the rewrites, sent my plea out into the world, and marked February 1st as the day to start researching my next attempt. Did I go to the box full of ideas? No. I had this great idea that grew out of a game my kids made up. I watched them and thought, that would make a great series of books for kids! As a bonus, it would be shorter, less intense, and much lighter fare than my last writing. Fun, in short.
And it has been. Fun, I mean. I get to read lots of kids' books, and books about pirates, and eavesdrop on kids conversations, and uncover a whole different world of agents who deal primarily with middle grade and YA books. Different is always fun.
Except when it isn't. Fun, I mean. Because, as it turns out, I'm a bit lost on this project. I'm full up on enthusiasm. I've got my kids and husband throwing ideas out at every turn. I have piles of books with great information. But I can't write. While it seems like it would make a great story, when I sit down to outline it, it's all foggy. I can write the words, start the story, but where it's going is beyond me. And though I think it should be fun, though I want it to be fun, it just isn't.
Of course, I can't let it go. I am obsessive that way. I've gotta finish what I start. But in the meantime, another book has taken hold of me. When I am driving, shopping, watching TV, pretending to have conversations, this book is writing itself in my head. It is adult. It is content heavy. It is going to hit close to home. But it wants to be written.
I don't think I can write both at the same time. Time constraints, for one. But also, they are very different books, and I kind of live in the world of my writing, and to have a leg in both of those worlds wouldn't leave me with a leg in my real life. So which do I abandon? Do I force the one I've started, or leave it by the wayside to pursue something which will no doubt take longer to write and a little piece of my soul?
I wish I had the answer. I'm a bit afraid if I say I'm going to finish the first of the series, my deeper, more important story will somehow fade and be gone when I come back for it.
And to think, neither of these is in my little, faded, blue, index card filing box. Obviously those ideas aren't going to see the light of day anytime soon. Except when I open the lid every day to stuff a few more in.
Did I mention I'm obsessive?
And as a complete aside:
Some interesting stats:
My completed novel, according to MS Word, has a reading level of 5.8. (I think I know why but I won't comment on that now.)
My newly started upper middle grade has a reading level of 10.7.
Go figure.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Three for Three!
Update on my query status:
Friday afternoon I sent out three queries. By Friday night I had two requests for partials. Today I received a request from the third agent. Three for three!
I am beyond thrilled. Still very nervous. I suppose that doesn't get any better until you see the book on the bookshelf. When I set out to write, it was just to write. Then it seemed like such a waste of time to do all that work and let it sit around in a drawer (my husband says I am leaving a legacy for our kids, whether or not it is published), so I started looking into publishing. Who would have thought it was such a long road??? Still, after months of researching the process, I am floored by all the obstacles. Friends keep asking, "So when is it going to be published?" As if just finishing the book makes the rest follow by default.
I always thought of myself as an optimist, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall. I am waiting for the inevitable rejections, and having some interest almost makes that harder. How twisted is that?
I sent a few more queries off today, but I think I'll wait a while to do anymore, and see what the agents that have the partials think of my writing.
I am taking a break for a few days to get my house in order (I have been extremely neglectful as the end of the writing drew closer). Then I am starting a new book. This one will be very different, hopefully very fun. A new journey.
Friday afternoon I sent out three queries. By Friday night I had two requests for partials. Today I received a request from the third agent. Three for three!
I am beyond thrilled. Still very nervous. I suppose that doesn't get any better until you see the book on the bookshelf. When I set out to write, it was just to write. Then it seemed like such a waste of time to do all that work and let it sit around in a drawer (my husband says I am leaving a legacy for our kids, whether or not it is published), so I started looking into publishing. Who would have thought it was such a long road??? Still, after months of researching the process, I am floored by all the obstacles. Friends keep asking, "So when is it going to be published?" As if just finishing the book makes the rest follow by default.
I always thought of myself as an optimist, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall. I am waiting for the inevitable rejections, and having some interest almost makes that harder. How twisted is that?
I sent a few more queries off today, but I think I'll wait a while to do anymore, and see what the agents that have the partials think of my writing.
I am taking a break for a few days to get my house in order (I have been extremely neglectful as the end of the writing drew closer). Then I am starting a new book. This one will be very different, hopefully very fun. A new journey.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Time To Toast!
Everything is moving so fast I hardly know what I am toasting anymore. Late, late Thursday night I finished my first novel. Well, as finished as a writing can be, which is to say, I stopped rewriting and said, "That's it. I'm done." Because honestly I could keep rewriting for the next 50 years, but at some point I am just replacing one set of words with another that may or may not be any better. For better or worse, I am done.
Friday, I began putting together the query letters I have been working on in between writing the novel, and sent out my first three. Time to celebrate. I put champagne on ice, called all the people who have been rooting for me to tell them. And then, before I could drink it, two of those agents wrote back asking for partials.
I want to celebrate, but suddenly the fear sets in. So I can write a query. Yay for me. But a query only gets my feet in the door. The question still hangs in the air, can I write? Sometimes I read it and I think, this isn't half-bad. I've read much worse. And other times I think, this seems so tired and old.
I am throwing it out there. I will wait and see what happens. I have a few other agents I want to send it to, but at the end of that, if nothing comes, I don't know if I'll look for more, or just move on to something else. At the beginning of this journey my object was to write a book. I'd always said I would, I could, but I hadn't. I didn't want to be on my death-bed and wonder, could I have? So I did.
The rest: the queries and all that come after that: they are all just icing on the cake.
So for tonight, until the rejections begin flooding in, I am celebrating. I'm just not buying those stilettos yet.
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