Ganymeder

My Nanowrimo Honesty Chart

One of my tried and true methods for making sure I write my 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November is shame. I’m completely serious. The more people I tell that I’m going to do this crazy thing, the more embarrassing it’ll be if I don’t win; won’t it? So in the interest of abject humiliation making defeat unacceptable and thereby insuring I make my monthly quota, I give you my Daily Word Count Goals for the month of November along with what I ACTUALLY write…whether I make my (daily) goals or not. Since this is a motivational tool, it’s important that I’m very honest. My Honesty Chart will be updated weekly (hopefully) inbetween my Fridayflash short stories.*

I also *might* ocassionally update my wordcount on Twitter. My twitter name is also ganymeder, so feel free to follow me.

Day 1: Sunday, November 1st: 1+ words WEEKEND** (daily, from this point on the numbers will be based on the Word Count I should reach for my complete novel)
actually reached: 5:46 a.m. - 2514 words. Not bad for the first day of #Nanowrimo ,especially when fuzzy from lack of sleep. (Woke up 3:50ish unable to sleep) Head to pillow now. ‘Night! Later that same day, I wrote more throughout day in little bursts. I finally finished
by 8:45 p.m. with 4437 words for Day 1.

Day 2: Monday, November 2nd: 2,400 words

actually reached: by 9:25 p.m. wrote 3165 more words (7602 total)

I wrote off and on during the day, inbetween doing other things. I’m actually quite shocked that I got so many words in, especially when I never had any time to just sit down uninterrupted. Also, my son (participating in Young Writer’s Program) wrote 183 words today. Since he’s using my computer, I’ve had to surrender my laptop to him periodically throughout the day.

I’m really proud of him.

**

Day 3: Tuesday, November 3rd: 4,800 words
actually reached: wrote 2,656 more words (10,258 total) by 10:30pm

I’ll admit this day was much harder to get my words in. I overslept, then I had trouble finding the time because I had errands to do throughout the day. Still, I did about 400 words at home before the errands, 400 more when I took the car to be repaired (and minimeder worked on a self guided school lesson), and I squeezed a few more in after we arrive home and finished his lessons for the day.

I wanted to write more, but every time I tried to get on the computer something else demanded my attention. I also just really needed to spend some ‘Mommy time’ with minimeder, so the rest of my daily Nano had to wait til he went to sleep for the night. I’ve learned my lesson. Tomorrow I’ll get up earlier and get a fresh start.

Today, minimeder had a big homeschool day and just a big day in general, so he decided that he’d write more tomorrow. I advised him to write just a little to keep his creative juices flowing until then, so he wrote one additional sentence. He told me some of his story ideas though, and they’re fantastic. I think his story is going to seriously ROCK.

**

Day 4: Wednesday, November 4th: 7,200 words
actually reached:
Day 5: Thursday, November 5th: 9,600 words
actually reached: 15,385 total words to date. I aimed for 2400 today, and my goal based on my previous count from yesterday was 15,255. I forgot to update yesterdays count here obviously, and its late and I’m too lazy to figure it out. But I made both my goals to date, so YAY ME.

My son is at 270+ words so far, he wrote today but has not met his word count yet for today. I’m not worried though, because his total daily goal takes into account days off. So he can still catch up pretty easy. Plus, he’s pretty competative. When I tell him my percentage completed on my Nano, he’ll want to kick my butt.

Keep writing!

Update: Later that night I wrote several hundred more words, so my actual total was 16,206 words for Day 5. Thanks to the Write In I attended and following closely Paul B. I had to stay up and write more to beat his daily total. Thanks!
Day 6: Friday, November 6th: 12,000 words
actually reached: ? (forgot to keep track, but I made my goal).

Day 7: Saturday, November 7th: 1+ words WEEKEND
actually reached: didn’t get to log it on Nanowrimo site, only Twitter, but I broke 20K!  Something like 20,142 words.

Oh, and my son wrote some in the coffee shop and the car on a trip we took Saturday.  So now he has over 500 words, more than 25 percent to his (2000 word) novel.  Way to go!

Budding young writer

GOAL FOR END OF WEEK 1: 12,000 words
actually reached: 21,324  words!

Incidently, I prewrote this blog and chart with my projected word goals. All I have to do for November to post my progress is fill in the blanks and click save. Again, I don’t want to break my novelling momentum once I start. Now, if you are a fellow Wrimo I have only 3 more things to say to you: 1. Good luck, 2. Don’t forget to back up your work (Google Docs is great for this), and 3. Go back to novelling!

Now if you’ll excuse me, my word processor awaits.

*I prewrote several stories to hopefully get me through the next month. Even if there aren’t enough flash stories, once I start Nanowrimo there is no way I’m going to break my novelling momentum by switching to a short story.
**I do not give myself word count goals on Saturdays or Sundays so that I can spend time with my family. I do write through the weekends to keep the momentum going, but I do not pressure myself to write any particular amount.
***Friday the 13th is traditionally a lucky day for me, because I was married to my highschool sweetheart on that day. We’ve been happily married ever since.

Plain Jane

Jane shuffled through the files on the desk and looked longingly at the clock. Only 10 minutes ’til quitting time. Fridays were the worst; the anticipation nearly drove her mad. Throwing a quick glance at the Office manager’s door, she excused herself to her fellow secretary. Her sensible, low-heeled shoes made an unpleasant clomping noise as she headed for the ladies room. Once inside, she adjusted her black rimmed glasses and combed her mousy brown hair. She really hated her job. Why wasn’t it glamorous like in the movies?

-
On her way back to her desk, her shoes made the same irritating noise. No one even lifted their heads as she walked past. If anything, they tried to ignore the momentary annoyance. After all, it was just Jane. She wasn’t particularly good looking or interesting, but attention wasn’t necessary for her job. In fact, it was a hindrance. And one thing Jane could do was get the job done.

-

She sat at her desk and looked through the files once more. Adjusting her glasses, she deftly clicked the hidden button in the screw, turning off the camera. She allowed herself to smile slightly when she logged out from the office computer. When she left, no one even looked as her heels noisily clomped out the door. No one suspected poor, fashion-challenged Jane to have hidden the company secrets in a chip in her hollowed out heels.

-

After all, she was just Jane.

-

The end
*This will be my last Pre-Nanowrimo #Fridayflash post. During November, any #Fridayflash stories I post will be ones I prewrote. Hopefully, I’ll have enough for the month! Inbetween Fridays I have a few prepared Nanowrimo blogposts and also a Nanowrimo Honesty Chart. The Honesty Chart will (hopefully) be updated daily or weekly (not including Fridays) to show my planned progress, my actual progress, and help me win by making it way too embarrassing for me to lose.

If anyone wishes, they may follow me as “ganymeder” on Twitter or also at the Nanowrimo website.

Imminent Nanowrimo

The madness of Nanowrimo is almost upon us. I’d like to blog about my Nanowrimo past and present. What I’ve learned, what I hope to learn, and how I plan to win while having a blast.

PAST:
My First Nanowrimo (2007) – The Wonderfully Exciting and Awesome Adventures of Monkeyboy

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I heard about Nanowrimo in October 2007, and with just weeks to prepare for writing a 50,000 word story I asked myself, “Why not?” I did most of it on my Palm Pilot with the help of a bluetooth keyboard. I would take it with me and work on it whereever and whenever I happened to be.

My little boy heard stories from me practically his whole life; they were a way to calm him down when he was anxious or uncertain. Waiting in the doctor’s office for his shots, I’d tell him how “Monkey boy” the chimpanzee was nervous when he had to get HIS shots too. So I basically had characters and setting in mind, and I strung together a bunch of short stories about Monkey boy with a loose overall connecting plot. I’d never written ANYTHING before, so of course I broke every single rule. The entire first chapter was an info dump. I used tons of adjectives and adverbs and spent whole paragraphs describing things. I wrote almost everything in the passive voice. In short, it was terrible. BUT, I did finish (won), and my son liked it which was the most important thing to me.

What I learned:
What I took away from it was that I LOVED writing, it filled a space in me that I never knew was empty. I don’t call myself a writer. I’m not driven. I don’t NEED to write every day, nor do I do it for any kind of pay. But doing it weekly helps me feel creative and accomplished in a way that nothing else really has. I also learned to appreciate the enormous amount of work it takes to create a novel, even a bad one, while simultaneously learning that novel writing was not outside my reach. I could do it if I really wanted to. I also discovered that I wanted to learn more about it, so next time I would write better and maybe someday publish. I started subscribing to podcasts like I should be writing, listening to audiobooks (On Writing by Stephen King), and reading about the art of writing well.

My Second Nanowrimo (2008) - The Crimefighters’ Club

I knew what I was getting into and was more prepared. Armed with a small laptop (Asus eee 4G), I did most of my Nanowrimo either on my trusty Asus or on the desktop at home. Just like the year before, my son was in school during the day which gave me a definite timeslot when I could sit down undisturbed and give birth to my creation (hehe). I cranked out my novel pretty much without too much trouble because I had a definite, though loose, outline. I’d even done character sketches ahead of time. I knew what wordcount I wanted to hit by a certain chapter, so I gauged my progress pretty well. My first year I reached the end of my prepared plot about halfway to 50K, but for 2008 I finished the actual story at about 53,000 words, I finished several days early,…AND it was a much better novel, one that I hope to finish editing and maybe one day publish.

What I learned:
My writing improved. I stopped info dumping, started showing instead of telling, and applied more things I’d learned in the intervening year. I discovered that a fun, enjoyable, novel is not outside my abilities.

PRESENT:
My Current Nanowrimo (2009) - Title Unknown

My tools are ready. I have another trusty Asus 4g laptop, a shiny new moleskin notebook (no, not leather), and my obligatory gloves with the fingertips cut out. (My hands get cold, but I can’t stand my fingertips being covered when I type.)

As far as my time schedule, I have no idea. Really. The last 2 years I had a set period of time when I had the house to myself. I could type like mad for the first 3 hours, inbetween I would throw in some laundry or wash a dish or two. Then I’d have lunch, and afterwards I’d complete whatever chores I had for the day before I had to prepare dinner. This year, I really don’t know how I’m going to fit the time in. Since I just started homeschooling (well, technically it’s public school at home), I need to adjust to an entirely new schedule. Cris Baty said something like “When you have a million things to do, what’s a million and one?” Sooo…I’m making that my mantra this year.

Right now, my current Pre-Nanowrimo schedule:

Monday through Friday
530 -9 :Wake up, shower, check email, prepare lunches, prep school lessons for the day
9am-3pm (or later depending on whether or not there is a field trip or other things come up)
: School is in session, meaning this is the time we’ve scheduled to do lessons
Inbetween active teaching sessions I do housework, check email, make phonecalls, clean, etc.
4-6pm (depending on when lessons done)
: clean up from school, cook dinner, etc.
6-7 : Dinner and clean up
7-?pm : Finish up any unfinished business for day (such as laundry, cleaning, etc.)
: Prep for next day

Saturday- unscheduled activities, errands, grocery shopping, etc.
Sunday – 10-12:15 Church
inbetween services have lunch, any uncompleted errands and cleaning, quick dinner
7pm-8:15 Church
Afterwards, anything that didn’t get done that needs to be before Monday morning

So…you can see that it’s a big adjustment for me, mostly concerning how I manage my time. This post is even being written in chunks between teaching sessions. While my son completes a self guided assignment, I throw in some laundry, put some dishes on to soak, and pop over to type a bit more for my blog. Time management. *sigh*

Did I also mention that I’m rearranging the furniture to accomadate a new system for storing and organizing all of the new school supplies?

This is what I imagine my time will be like for writing Nanowrimo next month.
Monday through Friday
530 -9 : Wake up, shower, check email, prepare lunches, prep school lessons for the day AND TRY TO SQUEEZE IN SOME NOVELWRITING
9am-3pm (or later depending on whether or not there is a field trip or other things come up)
: School is in session, meaning this is the time we’ve scheduled to do lessons
Inbetween active teaching sessions I do housework, check email, make phonecalls, clean, etc. AND TRY TO SQUEEZE IN MORE NOVELWRITING
4-6pm (depending on when lessons done)
:clean up from school, cook dinner, etc. AND TRY TO NOVEL A BIT
6-7pm : Dinner and clean up AND TRY TO SQUEEZE IN MORE NOVELLING
7-?pm : Finish up any unfinished business for day (such as laundry, cleaning, etc.)
: Prep for next day AND TRY TO FINISH AT LEAST MY MINIMUM WORDCOUNT FOR THE DAY.

Saturday- unscheduled activities, errands, grocery shopping, etc. AND TRY TO MAKE UP WORDCOUNT IF FELL BEHIND DURING WEEK. EVEN IF ONLY 1 PARAGRAPH.
Sunday – 10-12:15 Church
inbetween services have lunch, any uncompleted errands and cleaning, quick dinner AND ANY NOVELLING I CAN FIT IN.
7pm-8:15 Church
Afterwards, anything that didn’t get done that needs to be before Monday morning INCLUDING MAKING SURE I MAKE MY WEEKLY WORDCOUNT GOAL.

My strategy for the past 2 years has been to write 2,500 words (at least) per day, Monday through Friday, with no minimum word count on Saturday or Sunday. Weekends were usually harder for me to write because family events would cut down writing time; for example, it’s hard to write in the car or at Grandma’s house. I would write on weekends, but I wouldn’t pressure myself to meet a minimum word goal because I wrote more during to week to keep me ahead on weekends.

Obviously, I don’t want to shortchange anything else I need to do or anyone else I’m spending time with, especially my son and his schooling. So that is PRIORITY ONE before everything, including Nanowrimo. But I’m sure I’ll be able to do this…somehow.

This year, November 1st falls on a Sunday, and the next month (December) begins on a Tuesday. That leaves me with 21 weekdays to write 50,000 words. That’s roughly 2,381 words (rounding up from the 2380.952380952) to write every weekday during November. I’ll probably round up to 2,400 just to make my goal a nice even number and be extra safe. If I cannot make my minimum goals for each weekday, I will make up the difference on the weekends (HA!). My trusty Asus will be my constant companion anywhere I go for quick novelling sessions inbetween other activities.

Last year, with a goal of 2,500 words every weekday, it took me roughly 3 hours of typing daily (with a few breaks thrown in) to meet my goal. Can I do it this year? I’m going take dares, use dirty word adding tricks, and write competitively against my writing buddies, but I WILL do this.

What I’m learning:
Since my son is also participating in Nanowrimo this year, via the Young Writer’s Program, I’m going to see about using his time spent writing for school credit. Last year, we competitively wrote against each other, and it was a great incentive for both of us. Our word goals were different (50K for me and 1,000 for him), so our competitions revolved around percentages. If I wrote 5,000 words by Day 2, I was 10% done. If he wrote 150 words by Day 2, he was 15% done and that meant he “beat” me for the day. It worked great. He kicked my butt, but it was AWESOME. I plan on heavy competition this year, especially since my 8 year old is aiming for 2,000 words this time!

I still have no clear idea what I’m going to write. I started my outline last night, so at least I finally decided on a topic. I’ve waffled back and forth between Shakespeare, zombies, and a few other things, so I decided to combine them all. The only thing I’m really certain of is that I’m taking Dares from the Dare Thread at the Nanowrimo forums. Also, I’ve challenged myself that no matter what subject I pick there will be 1. an exploding harp and 2. a main character that speaks Esperanto. I don’t know if hubby will be able to help me with the technical aspect this year, so I may or may not have widgets for my word progress on my blog, but no matter what happens it’s going to be a fun and exciting ride.

I can’t wait.

Colors

The man sat hunched over the explosives, beads of concentration pooling on his forehead. Why did it always have to be red or green? No one ever remembers which wire needs to be pulled anyways. Grinning manically, he put the final black wire in place. All black wires. That’ll teach ‘em.

The end

* I hope you like this. Now I’m off to prepare for Nanowrimo (Feel free to make me a writing buddy if you like)!

Saturday, I was lucky enough to go to a Pre-Nanowrimo Meetup!  If you ever get a chance to go to any of the Meetups for Nanowrimo, I really suggest it.  Besides being fun, it’s a great way to brainstorm and motivate yourself for the month of November.  We met in a coffee shop and talked about what we’d like to do for Nano, whether or not we had a plot in mind, and what (or if) we had done anything to prepare for the looming month ahead.

One lady was nice enough to bring homebaked goods (she got the coffee shop’s permission).  Our Municipal Liason was there, as well as several other Nano aspiring writers.  One woman talked about an interesting conversation she had on a plane which could be novel fodder.  Another one mused on the mysterious “Dream man” that there are several websites about.

Have you seen this man?

Due to the mysterious nature of this man appearing in people’s dreams throughout the world, we chatted a bit about how that might be an interesting novel plot.  And thus, the “Nanowrimo secret sign was born.

Our ML trying to frame everyone in a photo….

as we perfect the Secret sign of the Unibrow.

Our “nicest Wrimo” has this pretty much mastered.

Another Wrimo shows her approval.

And lastly, a Wrimo is never complete without a lovely, fashionable hat.

Sadly, I am still without outline or definite plot for next month (less than 2 weeks- Augh!), but the meeting definitely gave me some very useful novelling ideas.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some orange juice to fight this cold.  I don’t want to be sick while I’m cranking out my Great American Novel.

Keep writing!

White

First one pale white hand, and then another, clawed it’s way up through the fresh pile of earth. A rat scurried off the mound as the ground erupted, dirt flying in all directions.  Soon the hole was wide enough for the bride to emerge, using grimy fingers to pull herself out.  She adjusted her veil and vainly sought to put her dress in order.

“Well,” she told her lover wryly, “I guess that’s what I get for wearing white.”

The end

***This week our home schedule has been completely turned upside down. Also, I NEED to start prepping for Nanowrimo next month! Until I get more organized (which will probably take a couple weeks), my #fridayflash stories will probably be either nonexistent or very short. So, I hope you like my very short #fridayflash story.

A Hell of a Job

“Let’s go in here for a drink,” Elsa said, pointing at the bright neon sign. ‘Brimstone Corner’ blinked off and on against the night.

I followed her in, eager to drown my sorrows. She walked to the bar and ordered two Shirley Temples. Who the hell orders Shirley Temples in a bar, for Chris’sake? With one smooth motion the bartender set two bright pink concoctions on the counter before us. “On the house,” he said. He didn’t crack a smile. Nothing. In fact, I bet if he said anything else, his face would have cracked like ice dropped in a cauldron.

“Come on, Sharon, drink up!” she chided as I stared at the sickly pink liquid. “You were the best damned waitress they had. They were fools to let you go!”

“And after I took so much of their crap too,” I sulked. “I can’t believe I wore that stupid housfrau uniform either.”

Elsa smiled. “Too good for them, that’s what you are,” she said, then nodded to the drink in my hand. “Go ahead. Drink up!”

“No thanks,” I said, setting it down. “I’m not really thirsty, after all.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, shrugged, and sipped her drink.

I took a look around. A guy dressed like Genghis Khan sat playing cards with a bald man in a suit and fedora. At another table, a Caesar wannabe read a newspaper while some guy dressed like a Nazi drank tea from a mug. An open area near the karaoke machine served as a makeshift stage for two slinky women in devil costumes singing ‘Copa Cabana’ off key. I mean, WAY off key.

I turned to the barman. A sticker on his shirt pocket said ‘My name is’ with ‘Bub’ printed neatly in black marker underneath. “Uh, sir?” I said. I did NOT want to call this guy ‘Bub’ even if it was his name. He seemed offended by the moon shining in the window; it illuminated the floating dust and cigar smoke hanging in the air.  “Sir?” I said again.

He said nothing. Just stared.

I looked around for a sign or something. Nothing. I looked for Elsa, but she had wandered off to join the two succubi in a chorus of ‘Day-O.’ Curiosity was killing me so I decided to risk the man’s facial fracture for an answer. “What’s tonight? Is it some sort of Halloween party or something?”  Dumb question maybe, but it was July.

“I hear you’re a good waitress,” he said.

“Ummm, thanks,” I responded, taken by surprise. “But as I was saying…”

“We could use a good waitress around here,” Bub continued, not paying any attention to my question.

“Okay, but I wanted to know…wait, huh?”  The place was a dive, but really, I couldn’t be too picky in this economy.

Bub stared off into the distance. The sound of a demonic chorus of ‘Making love out of Nothing at all’ faded into the background. “Yeah, we’ve needed some help ever since our last waiter had…an unfortunate accident.”

“What kind of accident?” I didn’t like the sound of that.

“The kind where he couldn’t work here anymore.”

“Oh, well, uh…okay.”  Maybe he was on Workman’s Comp. I eyed the barman suspiciously. He didn’t seem the violent type, just moody, but he was pretty damn big just the same.

He wiped the counter absentmindedly and watched the karaoke some more. The women were apparently arguing over which selection they’d butcher next.  Elsa gesticulated wildly towards the machine to illustrate her point. After a moment, he continued, “I couldn’t pay you in money, but you don’t really need it here anyway. I’d provide your food and drink, and you’d get a small apartment overhead.”

Shocked, I asked, “Seriously? No money?” I had quite a few debts.

“No,” he said, picking up a glass and wiping the jar. “But like I said, there are other compensations. Besides not having to worry about the necessities of life,” he chuckled softly before continuing. “Besides that, we’re a pretty diverse crowd.” He gestured to the tables spread throughout the room. “There’s really no code here for you to worry about. I couldn’t care less how you conduct your affairs, as long as you do your job and serve the patrons.”

“Do I get to keep my tips, at least?”

“You won’t be getting any tips.”

Disbelief clouded my features. I whispered to him, “Listen, even if the customers are cheap, every once in awhile I’m sure I’ll get a tip. Couldn’t I keep that?”

“No,” he said, setting the glass under the counter. He brought his face inches away from mine. “You don’t understand. You don’t get paid. Sure, the place isn’t fancy, but there are other perks.” He grinned. “You get to live, for one thing.”

I backed up, right into Elsa.  She’d given up singing to come check on me.  “You explain everything to her yet, Bub?”

“I don’t understand…What?”  I turned wildly between the barman and the woman I’d thought was my friend. I looked around again. Demons singing Calypso music. Nazis, Roman Emperors, and Mafioso sat drinking and playing cards.

“I told you,” said Bub slowly, as if speaking to a child. “You get to live. Well, you get an afterlife anyway.” He laughed manically. I never believed anyone truly laughed like that before, but he sounded like some evil, menacing cartoon villain.

Elsa cackled gleefully behind me. “Don’t you get it?” she said. “It’s this or oblivion. Which is it going to be?” She pushed my Shirley Temple closer to me. “If you want the job, all you’ve got to do is take a drink.”

I looked around. It was obvious, really.  Hell, I should have known the moment I stepped in there. The karaoke alone gave it away.

“I’ll take the job,” I said and swigged my drink. After all, I thought as I gazed around the bar, at least there wasn’t a dress code.

The end.

*This week  was crazy so I barely had time to edit this.  I had to make myself stop tweaking so I’d post it in time for Friday.  I hope you like it!

The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing, and Halloween is less than a month away.  That’s right, folks. Nanowrimo is just around the corner!

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, thousands of would-be writers embark on a month long trip into literary abandon. Each participant challenges himself (or herself) to write a 50,000 word rough draft novel in 30 days.  The rules are few and simple.  You cannot write the same word 50,000 times.  You cannot begin before November 1st (a rule that is enforced by flying Monkeys according to Cris Baty’s No Plot! No Problem!), and you must finish by Midnight on November 30th.  That’s it.  The idea is that many people aspire to write a novel in their lifetime, but the demands of work and home and their own insecurity get in the way.  Nanowrimo seeks to help One-day-novelists (“I’ll write a novel ONE DAY) to write their books.  All that’s required is the magic of a deadline and permission to let yourself write badly.

That’s right.  You don’t have to worry about being perfect.  You don’t agonize over correct usage, research, or where to place that #@!!$*##! comma.  Just sign up at the Nanowrimo site and they’ll help you keep track of your progress, and give you tons of support through forums, a podcast, and a many other resources.  If you want to edit after you’ve finished your novel, you are free to do so. Several Nanowrimo authors have actually published their Nanowrimo creations… Sara Gruen’s Nanowrimo book, Water for Elephants, became a New York Time’s No.1 bestseller.  If you don’t want to edit and just wanted to get the novel down, that’s fine too.  Even if you write less than 50k, you still won because you wrote SOMETHING.

So there is my obligatory intro to Nanowrimo for the uninitiated.  I dearly love the month of November now.  I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I actually feel MORE productive when I start writing my novel.  I mean, productive in other areas of my life like housework, cooking, excercise, etc.  I seem to manage my time better because, with the deadline, I know I have to get certain things done by a certain time or else they won’t get done at all.  This has been the case, at least, for the past 2 years – both years that I won Nanowrimo.  In 2007, I wrote “The Wonderfully Exciting and Awesome Adventures of Monkey boy” for my little boy based on a character I told him stories about as he was growing up. I’d never written anything before, so of course I broke every single writing rule there was.  Even after I edited, it has tons of flaws, but I still adore it because it was a labor of love for my son.  In 2008, I wrote “The Crime Fighter’s Club,” which I am still editing.  It’s a speculative fiction novel with super heroes and an alien that I hope to eventually publish (either self or not).

With less than a month til November 1st, I have been prepping myself for my novel.  For the past month or so, I’ve been writing Flash Fiction (stories of less than 1,000 words) on my blog for #fridayflash on Twitter.  I hope that the weekly discipline will help ease me into next month.  I’ve also started reading off and on from a free ebook, ‘Nano for the New and the Insane.’ I’m looking into other types of writing programs, though I’ll probably stick with Open Office running on Linux on my Asus EEE 701 (4G).  I no longer have my trusty Palm Pilot that I’ve used for the past 2 Nanos.  It’s been replaced with a shiny new Tmobile Android G1 phone, which I love for keeping up with emails, blogs, and twitter but isn’t great for actually writing imo. I’ve gotten another trusty moleskin notebook (‘moleskin‘ is not leather) to jot down ideas and inspirations in, but I’ll do most of the actual writing on my EEE laptop or our home desktop. I also use fingerless gloves because I like to keep my hands warm, I hate having my fingertips covered, and they look very cool and “writerly.”

I’m looking forward to writing using my laptop.  I got my first laptop (1 1/2 years ago) when my husband and I exchanged (fairly inexpensive) computers for our 20th wedding anniversary.  Yes, we are THAT kind of couple. :p  When hubby upgraded to a newer model, I got his other one and passed along my old one to my (now) 8 year old son… And so the magic continues.

The nice thing about the laptop is that I can carry it with me like I used to do with my Palm Pilot.  The keyboard and screen are bigger, which is nice, and I can sit on the couch or in bed at home to work.  I’m thinking that this (below) will be my primary work area, especially since it’s already my favorite reading spot.

I had planned on starting my outline for Nanowrimo on October 1st, but life got in the way.  The entire day was spent in my car, and the next day was Friday.  Weekends always toll the deathknoll of my writing plans.  So, I’m going to take what I’ve learned about my writing productivity and style from the past 2 Nanos and apply them this year.

The minimum daily word count for Nanowrimo would be 1,667 words, but I usually aim for about 2,500 words because I KNOW that I will not be able to write much on the weekends.  It never fails, so I bank extra words during the week so on the weekends I can get by with less.  Also, Thanksgiving day is a bust as far as writing is concerned.  It just won’t happen, so I automatically discount the holiday from Nanowrimo.

I set aside time during the day that I know I will not be interupted to attempt my daily word goal.  If I don’t reach my goal within that specified time period, I MAKE the time before the day is done. Seriously, I don’t go to sleep until I’ve at least written my minimum word goal for the day.

I am shameless.  I use the down and dirty tips from Nanowrimo forums, including not using contractions and taking up multiple dares.  I absolutely LOVE the Dare Threads.  They provide tons of interesting plots, ideas, twists, and challenges, and never fail to help me.

I compete with my writing buddies.  I add people I know from different forums and twitter as my “buddies” on the Nanowrimo site.  Then I use the green bar (that indicates percentage completed of 50k) to compete with them.  I’ve been known more than once to stay up and write an extra few hundred words just to “beat” a buddy that was close to me in wordage.

Before November, I make sure to complete any heavy reading I’m doing so that I’m not partway through a new book that I might need to put down.  If I finish way before Nanowrimo starts, I might start reading a book I’ve already read so that I can pick it up and put it down easily.  I also try to read some writing blogs and other research.  I’ve found I work better when I have an idea where I’m going, so I usually create a faily loose outline for my novel that I follow once I start officially “writing” in November.

I brag. I’m not kidding.  It’s not a “Look at what I’m doing” thing so much as making sure that I will be completely embarrassed if I don’t follow through.  Shame, at least for me, is a powerful motivator!

I have fun.  You wouldn’t think that writing that much in such a short time would be fun, but it’s AMAZING.  Again, I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it’s like a vacation!  You get to spend time on your novel doing all the stuff you usually say you can’t find the time for, writing things your characters do that you’ve always wanted to, and it’s just the best experience.  I hope more people do Nanowrimo this year, and if you want…maybe we can be “Writing Buddies.”  Just remember, as almost always on the Internet, I’m “ganymeder.”  Look me up at the Nanowrimo site, and Happy Novelling!

Aeolus

The god looked down from the silver city and smiled. He watched her plummet from the bridge, her arms reaching for churning water below. The cord connected to her ankle harness pulled taught and left her, bobbing and laughing, just a few feet above the waves. So beautiful and fearless. He’d known from the moment he saw her that she was the one for him.

“Watching that mortal, again?” asked his mother. She had never approved of his dalliances with the humans, but he cared little for her disapproval. What mattered ultimately was finding a suitable mate; after all, mortality was optional if you were a god.

“She’s magnificent, mother!” he said, turning to face her frowning face. “Oh, I know you disapprove of…”

“Thinning our golden blood?” she finished for him. “Yes…Yes, I do. Not that it matters much to you, after all. Much you care for the family honor.”

“Mother! How can you be such a bigot?” he retorted, losing patience. “Family honor…are you kidding me? What about Uncle?”

“You know it’s traditional to marry within the family, Aeolus. It’s the only way to insure proper bloodlines.”

“Inbreeding’s more like it,” he muttered.

“What was that, dear?” she asked in icy tones.

“Look, mother, I know there are differences, but it’s not like they can’t be overcome.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Her eyes opened wide in feigned surprise.

“Oh, don’t play dumb, mother. You know exactly what I mean! She could become immortal…”

“Immortal? Well, I’ve never…”

“What about cousin Psyche? She married Eros and became immortal. They’re still happily married, despite Aphrodite’s predictions.”

“Well, if you’re going to use just ANY blood as an example… I don’t care what the Olympians say! Goddess blood indeed… All that rising from the foam business, the strumpet!”

“Well, the point is that she IS goddess of love, and even she had the same reservations you do, but everything worked out. She has tons of grandkids, though she’d never admit it. And all it took was one little serving of Ambrosia.”

“Humph!” retorted his mother.

“I know that she’d be a wonderful goddess…”

She snorted.

“And addition to the family.”

She nearly choked. “Are you INSANE? I know we were talking about mortal-god marriages, but I didn’t seriously think you wanted to MARRY this girl!”

“I love her,” he said simply.

“I mean, having an affair, however ill advised is one thing, but you are a god after all…”

“I love her,” he said again.

“Well, that remains to be seen.”

“I do.”

“As much as that other girl you were interested in awhile ago? What was her name? Jenny…Josie…?”

“Jocelyne? No, that was just a fling.” His mother scoffed, but he continued. “No, really! We parted amicably.”

His mother regarded him a moment before remarking, “Well, at least you don’t turn them into trees or flowers or anything. Your cousin Apollo drives me batty with all that. I mean, seriously? A tree? The man falls for a mortal and she’d rather be a shrub then… oh, never mind.” Her shoulders slumped in resignation. “Go do whatever you want!”

From the balcony, he turned to gape at her.

“Are you serious?”

“That question seems to keep coming up, doesn’t it? Of course, I’m serious!”

“Well, you mean…you aren’t going to interfere?”

“No, darling. Of course not. You’re a grown god, and, frankly, I’ve gotten much too old to meddle in your affairs anymore.”

He grinned. “Oh come on, mother. You don’t look a day over two hundred!”

“You’re such a liar, but a sweet one.”

“Well, do you give me your word?”

“My word? Of course!”

“Not like that.”

“Oh…,” she sighed. “Ohhhh, alright. If you don’t trust your own mother.” She walked over to the small waterfall set into the wall. Dipping her hands beneath the running water, she closed her eyes. The air thickened, the lights dimmed, and thunder rolled dramatically as she said, “I swear by the River Styx that I will not prevent my son from marrying this mortal if she wishes to marry him.” Lightning flashed and the room suddenly brightened.

“Alright! Alright!” she said irritably. “No need to be so theatrical about it!” The light level in the room returned to that of a warm summer day. She grabbed a small handtowel from beside the basin and started drying her hands.

Aeolus looked relieved. “Thank you, mother,” he said. Then he did something completely out of character. He ran over and gave her a hug.

She was so surprised she nearly dropped the towel, but she returned the embrace warmly. “Anything for you, dear,” she said.

He grinned from ear to ear. “I’m going to see about getting to know her better,” he said. “I know where she works! I can get a job there and get to know her like any other mortal. Then once she’s fallen for me, we can break out the nuptial ambrosia!” He looked at his silver tunic in dismay. “I’d better go change. My lady awaits!”

His mother watched him go. She raised a hand in farewell. “Bye, dear. Go woo your mortal. You’re a god, after all! What’s not to love?”

He hurried to his room, pausing to to turn to the goddess once more. “By Olympus, I need to get some pants on! Everyone knows mortals these days wear pants!”

“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll keep my promise,” she said. His mother watched him hurry into his room and shut the door. “As long as the young lady wishes to marry you,” she added quietly to herself in the empty room.

Then she went to find her cousin, Discord.

THE END.

*I wrote this story as a prequel to my previous #fridayflash story, “Falling…”