So, it's the last day. Last push for words.
Denver and Glasgow had a word war going.
So far Denver is winning.
It's 2pm in Glasgow, and so they can still come back from behind. And JS can still bump her word count. But ...
Denver: 22,289 per Wrimo with wordcount
Glasgow: 21,907 per Wrimo with wordcount
Me: 204,616 words
JS: 201,334 words
I'm going to try for one large big run at this book this morning, and then tonight I can try to bump the word count if I need to for beating JS. I shouldn't be this competitive, but give I still have half a story to write, I don't think it's going to be hard for me to write.
And the more I get done now, the less I have to do later. Right?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Things I did this Nano, for Next year
So I'm avoiding typing on my Novel for this morning. I don't know why. Maybe I'm not awake enough. I certainly don't hear people knocking around in my head saying 'But what do we do about the dead bodies in the living room?' or 'He can't get away with that, can he?'
There's a few things I did this nano that I want to remember for next Nano.
1- I set up a cool place to write. This year is was the bedroom, with a cool comforter that makes the room somehow feel like a bed and breakfast. I got everything sort of cleaned, and I was able to sit comfortably and type without interruption. The problem I ran into was after a while, I was too comfy and falling asleep. I think next year I should probably set up a desk or something somewhere where I won't be bothered every twenty minutes to do something or talk to people. The bedroom is still a good idea, but next year, I might have to either switch so I'm writing when I'm not tired, or find a way to avoid falling asleep at the keyboard. I still like the environment. I think this year's colors were blue and white. The comforter is blue and white. I had a blue fancy glass I used for drinking white liquid. Next year if the same colors don't work, I might have to try other colors.
2- Writing more than the 1667 words a day. There were a few down days. but for the most part I supposedly wrote about 7k a day. This has put me near 200k so far, and I'll probably break that today and tomorrow. I'd like to keep this next year, but with a little more consistency. The down days with only 1k or 2k need to stop. I'm fully capable of writing 7k a day, so I should try to keep it even. Or even just aim for 5k a day and no less.
3- Planning in October. I didn't over plan, and maybe under planed just a bit. After all, the story isn't over yet. But then, it's a really large story, and I guess I underestimated how long it was going to be. But being able to get the characters in my head, and do an outline in October meant that when NaNo started I had everything fresh. I was able to dive in and do everything without being burned out on it.
4- Allowing myself to do quick on the spot research. If the need arrived for me to look something up, I allowed myself to search Google for it. I gave myself the first 5 results to find the answer I wanted, and if that proved nothing helpful, I just said 'screw it' and kept typing. If it was really important, I posted to the Nano Forum and that helped me keep going.
5- Having a ritual. This goes back to #1. The cool place to type was part of the ritual. The other part was the glass, the drink, the music. I had everything that I did to set the mood. I knew when I went in there, I had to type. I knew I could have my soda, and only that soda, so it kept the mood. But when i was having that soda, I was typing, not lounging in the living room or out with friends. It kept the mind frame for me.
6- Setting up a playlist ahead of time. I added all kinds of songs, and set it to random. I think I had a 50/50 of music with lyrics and music without. This meant I had some that faded to the background, and kept the mood with their beat and music, and then I had some that set the mood with the lyrics. Also, I put some songs on repeat during certain scenes, because they worked to get me into the mind set. Oh, and headphones. There was nothing more helpful that setting a song on and pressing headphones to my ears to drown out everything else, closing my eyes, and just getting into that zone. It was awesome
7- Turning off the inner editor. This might cause issues later on, but honestly, I found I wrote so much better when I didn't have to look at the underlined words and think 'how's that wrong?'. Being able to just keep going was awesome. typing in notepad was a brilliant idea I had.
8- Typing in notepad. Aside form the above, typing in notepad allowed me to sort of view things in book format. It allowed me to size the screen and look at the text to find short paragraphs and long ones. It allowed me to put different scenes in different save files. It allowed me to have one open to read and one open to write. It allowed me to flip between things when a POV died or a muse for that scene died. It allowed me so much freedom.
9- Going to Write-ins. It feeds the creative and competitive side of me, and if I could get over the fear of talking to new people I think it would help me work out new ideas. I know it's fun, because I do enjoy going. I also get to get out of the house, refresh my thoughts, and eat something. So, while it breaks my routine, it's still cool. If I have the money next year, I want to go to one of the overnights at a hotel or something. Maybe figure out what it would take to do one at the Magnolia. >.> Even if next year I'm not doing the WoD stuff, that would still be cool.
10- Finding someone to 'beat'. As much as I bitch about JS and her word count, she's helped me buckle down and write. Logging in to see I'm 30k behind, not fun. But it makes me type until I catch up and pass her. I enjoy it. I want to rip my hair out half the time, but I still like the moments when I can say 'I passed her!'. Also the war with Glasgow... has helped. I'm usually figuring out how many words I'd have to write to help people catch up if they are being, so that we're still winning. It helps me beat JS and it helps us beat Glasgow. And since both of these are not in Denver, I find I don't have a problem doing th war. It's not like I'm going to come face to face with them and go 'you're going down.' Not that I'd do that to JS... I think I did it to Glasgow however. Which is only fuel for me not eating my words.
11- Hitting the forums in October, and continuing in November. I started in the Adoption forums, and found some lines that helped me find scenes. I found other things too, but mostly it was the lines that got me going. I also found them great for answering questions. I really need to hit them next year. It's been a great help, and now that I know how to bookmark a thread, it's easier getting back to it.
12- Doing a cover. I asked for a cover from someone, and I'm hoping she gets to it. However, I went ahead and made myself one. I can look at it when I need inspiration. It's great. Also, I have all the pictures for the characters, so when I have to think about them, and who they are and how they would react, I can pull up a picture, and look at it for a while, until I get them in my head. Oh, and the background for my laptop. It's a nice picture, with the word count goals on it. Mind you, I blew passed it in a heartbeat, and if I do 5k or 7k next year I'll need to make a new one. But, it's still an awesome background.
13- Notebook and voice recorder. Since I wasn't allowed to write anything down before the 1st, I took the voice recorder and recorded things. It allowed me to talk things out, make notes for later, and get things worked into my head by repeating them. Also, the notebook. Even if I haven't used half the book and probably won't, it gave me a place to write things down, work things out and organize. I even could keep track of all the notepad docs and their word counts for each reference later. It's been nice.
Okay, that's all I can think of at this time. I probably will come up with more, but these are the ones I really want to make sure I do again next year.
There's a few things I did this nano that I want to remember for next Nano.
1- I set up a cool place to write. This year is was the bedroom, with a cool comforter that makes the room somehow feel like a bed and breakfast. I got everything sort of cleaned, and I was able to sit comfortably and type without interruption. The problem I ran into was after a while, I was too comfy and falling asleep. I think next year I should probably set up a desk or something somewhere where I won't be bothered every twenty minutes to do something or talk to people. The bedroom is still a good idea, but next year, I might have to either switch so I'm writing when I'm not tired, or find a way to avoid falling asleep at the keyboard. I still like the environment. I think this year's colors were blue and white. The comforter is blue and white. I had a blue fancy glass I used for drinking white liquid. Next year if the same colors don't work, I might have to try other colors.
2- Writing more than the 1667 words a day. There were a few down days. but for the most part I supposedly wrote about 7k a day. This has put me near 200k so far, and I'll probably break that today and tomorrow. I'd like to keep this next year, but with a little more consistency. The down days with only 1k or 2k need to stop. I'm fully capable of writing 7k a day, so I should try to keep it even. Or even just aim for 5k a day and no less.
3- Planning in October. I didn't over plan, and maybe under planed just a bit. After all, the story isn't over yet. But then, it's a really large story, and I guess I underestimated how long it was going to be. But being able to get the characters in my head, and do an outline in October meant that when NaNo started I had everything fresh. I was able to dive in and do everything without being burned out on it.
4- Allowing myself to do quick on the spot research. If the need arrived for me to look something up, I allowed myself to search Google for it. I gave myself the first 5 results to find the answer I wanted, and if that proved nothing helpful, I just said 'screw it' and kept typing. If it was really important, I posted to the Nano Forum and that helped me keep going.
5- Having a ritual. This goes back to #1. The cool place to type was part of the ritual. The other part was the glass, the drink, the music. I had everything that I did to set the mood. I knew when I went in there, I had to type. I knew I could have my soda, and only that soda, so it kept the mood. But when i was having that soda, I was typing, not lounging in the living room or out with friends. It kept the mind frame for me.
6- Setting up a playlist ahead of time. I added all kinds of songs, and set it to random. I think I had a 50/50 of music with lyrics and music without. This meant I had some that faded to the background, and kept the mood with their beat and music, and then I had some that set the mood with the lyrics. Also, I put some songs on repeat during certain scenes, because they worked to get me into the mind set. Oh, and headphones. There was nothing more helpful that setting a song on and pressing headphones to my ears to drown out everything else, closing my eyes, and just getting into that zone. It was awesome
7- Turning off the inner editor. This might cause issues later on, but honestly, I found I wrote so much better when I didn't have to look at the underlined words and think 'how's that wrong?'. Being able to just keep going was awesome. typing in notepad was a brilliant idea I had.
8- Typing in notepad. Aside form the above, typing in notepad allowed me to sort of view things in book format. It allowed me to size the screen and look at the text to find short paragraphs and long ones. It allowed me to put different scenes in different save files. It allowed me to have one open to read and one open to write. It allowed me to flip between things when a POV died or a muse for that scene died. It allowed me so much freedom.
9- Going to Write-ins. It feeds the creative and competitive side of me, and if I could get over the fear of talking to new people I think it would help me work out new ideas. I know it's fun, because I do enjoy going. I also get to get out of the house, refresh my thoughts, and eat something. So, while it breaks my routine, it's still cool. If I have the money next year, I want to go to one of the overnights at a hotel or something. Maybe figure out what it would take to do one at the Magnolia. >.> Even if next year I'm not doing the WoD stuff, that would still be cool.
10- Finding someone to 'beat'. As much as I bitch about JS and her word count, she's helped me buckle down and write. Logging in to see I'm 30k behind, not fun. But it makes me type until I catch up and pass her. I enjoy it. I want to rip my hair out half the time, but I still like the moments when I can say 'I passed her!'. Also the war with Glasgow... has helped. I'm usually figuring out how many words I'd have to write to help people catch up if they are being, so that we're still winning. It helps me beat JS and it helps us beat Glasgow. And since both of these are not in Denver, I find I don't have a problem doing th war. It's not like I'm going to come face to face with them and go 'you're going down.' Not that I'd do that to JS... I think I did it to Glasgow however. Which is only fuel for me not eating my words.
11- Hitting the forums in October, and continuing in November. I started in the Adoption forums, and found some lines that helped me find scenes. I found other things too, but mostly it was the lines that got me going. I also found them great for answering questions. I really need to hit them next year. It's been a great help, and now that I know how to bookmark a thread, it's easier getting back to it.
12- Doing a cover. I asked for a cover from someone, and I'm hoping she gets to it. However, I went ahead and made myself one. I can look at it when I need inspiration. It's great. Also, I have all the pictures for the characters, so when I have to think about them, and who they are and how they would react, I can pull up a picture, and look at it for a while, until I get them in my head. Oh, and the background for my laptop. It's a nice picture, with the word count goals on it. Mind you, I blew passed it in a heartbeat, and if I do 5k or 7k next year I'll need to make a new one. But, it's still an awesome background.
13- Notebook and voice recorder. Since I wasn't allowed to write anything down before the 1st, I took the voice recorder and recorded things. It allowed me to talk things out, make notes for later, and get things worked into my head by repeating them. Also, the notebook. Even if I haven't used half the book and probably won't, it gave me a place to write things down, work things out and organize. I even could keep track of all the notepad docs and their word counts for each reference later. It's been nice.
Okay, that's all I can think of at this time. I probably will come up with more, but these are the ones I really want to make sure I do again next year.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Design change!
So I liked the old design, but I'm trying out something new. I found this and thought it was cool. I might change the colors a bit but today seemed like a dark gray day!
I know this sucks as a post, but deal with it. I'm still writing.
I know this sucks as a post, but deal with it. I'm still writing.
nano Ate my soul
I finally understand how this can happen.
You get up, you plan out the day's writing. You think about where your characters are supposed to go and how to get them there.
You sit down to write. Your fingers start moving, the words forming in your head as certianly as if you're typing an email to someone or a blog. And somwhere along the line, you hit a zone where you're not sure what you're typing but it's flowing and you go with the flow. And then, at the end of the day you look over your typed words, make sure that you hit what you needed to do, where you are, and what you have to do for tomorrow. You make some notes, and then update your word count and go to bed.
Or at least, that's how it works in theory. In practice? Not so much. Let me replay that in real life for you.
You get up, you plan out the day's writing. You think about where your characters are supposed to go and how to get them there.
You sit down to write. Your fingers start moving, the words forming in your head as certianly as if you're typing an email to someone or a blog. And somwhere along the line, you hit a zone where you're not sure what you're typing but it's flowing and you go with the flow. And then, at the end of the day you look over your typed words, make sure that you hit what you needed to do, where you are, and what you have to do for tomorrow. You find you haven't done a single thing that you set out to do that day, and that your characters are no closer to the finished goal than they were the day before. You ask 'WTF?' and you read over everything, realizing they took your outline, cut each line of it out, jumbled it together and spit it out in a new form they feel is 'much better'. At this point you realize you've lost control of your novel. You make some notes for how to get back on track the next day, where you want it to try and go, and what not to do more of. Then update your word count and go to bed. You hear your characters plotting in your head how to derail your notes for the next day, and how they're going to take over the novel as you drift off to a fitful sleep.
In the morning, you plan for the first, but again you end up with the second.
I'm at about 180k right now in Novel. That's fantastic. Or it would be if I was mostly done. I'd settle for halfway done. But no.. my characters are avoiding the middle of the story like it's molten silver. They're doing everything they aren't supposed to be doing (like falling in love in a HORROR story) and they're doing nothing they are supposed to be doing.
this is not the story I sat down and started to write.
This is not the plan I made.
This is 180k of something far different. It's driven by the characters, or the muse if you will. I have no control over my own novel.
And I'm just OCD enough that this bothers me.
I only have a few days to get back on track, and they are still plotting against me.
Paranoid much?
Yes. Yes I am.
You get up, you plan out the day's writing. You think about where your characters are supposed to go and how to get them there.
You sit down to write. Your fingers start moving, the words forming in your head as certianly as if you're typing an email to someone or a blog. And somwhere along the line, you hit a zone where you're not sure what you're typing but it's flowing and you go with the flow. And then, at the end of the day you look over your typed words, make sure that you hit what you needed to do, where you are, and what you have to do for tomorrow. You make some notes, and then update your word count and go to bed.
Or at least, that's how it works in theory. In practice? Not so much. Let me replay that in real life for you.
You get up, you plan out the day's writing. You think about where your characters are supposed to go and how to get them there.
You sit down to write. Your fingers start moving, the words forming in your head as certianly as if you're typing an email to someone or a blog. And somwhere along the line, you hit a zone where you're not sure what you're typing but it's flowing and you go with the flow. And then, at the end of the day you look over your typed words, make sure that you hit what you needed to do, where you are, and what you have to do for tomorrow. You find you haven't done a single thing that you set out to do that day, and that your characters are no closer to the finished goal than they were the day before. You ask 'WTF?' and you read over everything, realizing they took your outline, cut each line of it out, jumbled it together and spit it out in a new form they feel is 'much better'. At this point you realize you've lost control of your novel. You make some notes for how to get back on track the next day, where you want it to try and go, and what not to do more of. Then update your word count and go to bed. You hear your characters plotting in your head how to derail your notes for the next day, and how they're going to take over the novel as you drift off to a fitful sleep.
In the morning, you plan for the first, but again you end up with the second.
I'm at about 180k right now in Novel. That's fantastic. Or it would be if I was mostly done. I'd settle for halfway done. But no.. my characters are avoiding the middle of the story like it's molten silver. They're doing everything they aren't supposed to be doing (like falling in love in a HORROR story) and they're doing nothing they are supposed to be doing.
this is not the story I sat down and started to write.
This is not the plan I made.
This is 180k of something far different. It's driven by the characters, or the muse if you will. I have no control over my own novel.
And I'm just OCD enough that this bothers me.
I only have a few days to get back on track, and they are still plotting against me.
Paranoid much?
Yes. Yes I am.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Holiday
I won't say Happy Thanksgiving, for a number of reasons.
One, I think the concept of Thanksgiving, while good, is wrapped in a bunch of things no one ever tells our children.
We say "We celebrate Thanksgiving because the Indians helped the Settlers survive the harsh winters and thus we are thankful."
We never tell them about shooting Indians, or giving them small pox invested blankets to intentionally infect and kill them off so we can take the land. We never mention the progressive drive to make them homeless, corral them like cattle in reservations or the fact that we called them "Red Devils". Now, at Thanksgiving, we dip everything in honey, then sugar coat it and call it candy.
I'm opposed to the hiding of information from young minds. Let them have all the information and then make informed decissions as to how fucked up our ancestors were. Why try to hide it? It only makes us look guilty, and we're only covering up for people who have been dead for how many centuries? Seriously.
Anyways, I do agree the concept is fantastic. I think it's great we have one day in the year where we stop, and tell people how much they mean to us. One day a year where we stop and thank people for doing things, like serving their country, being a cop or firefighter, for being a good person. One day a year where we gather together with family and friends, eat good food and laugh and joke, enjoy each other's company and have a great time.
Because apparently we're too busy/stuck up/elitist bastards/ etc to do it for the rest of the damn year.
Why thank someone for being a good person on November 15th or April 20th? Why tell someone 'Thank you for being a firefighter and keeping us safe' on May 3rd or October 30th? Why tell your family and friends how much they mean to you on Jan 19th or Sept 10th? After all, that's what Thanksgiving is for. Be a dick the rest of the year. It's okay.
((I feel I should point out the sarcasim in that, since apparently it doesn't translate well over the net. ))
The concept is valid. I just think it sucks we only do it once a year. We only allow ourselves to do this one day out of 365 (plus one on leap years). No wonder people are such venomous bastards the rest of the year. We've told ourselves it's okay to be an ass, so long as we're nice come Thanksgiving.
Happy Holidays! Then the next day they try to run you off the roads.
Happy Thanksgiving! Then the next week they're yelling at you over the phone for something.
Happy Turkey Day! :) Then then next month they're punching you out over the last Hannah Montana doll in Toys R Us.
But it's okay, because we're all super nice on Thanksgiving.
How about, we start a novel idea? You know.. once of those wacky, crazy, it will never work but why not give it the old college try ideas?
Here it is.. that idea:
Let's try being nice to each other all year round.
Let's not forget about the homeless guy on the street corner who probably hasn't eatten well since last thanksgiving.
Let's not wait to call up that friend and say 'hey, how are you doing?'
Let's not put off that trip to the family because it's not the holiday and why would you go see them if it's not the holiday, and then come next thanksgiving you've had four funerals and never took the toddler to see their great grandparents.
Let's stop being a society which says 'it can wait until next year' and start being one that says we care year round.
Yeah, it will never work.
Happy Holidays!
One, I think the concept of Thanksgiving, while good, is wrapped in a bunch of things no one ever tells our children.
We say "We celebrate Thanksgiving because the Indians helped the Settlers survive the harsh winters and thus we are thankful."
We never tell them about shooting Indians, or giving them small pox invested blankets to intentionally infect and kill them off so we can take the land. We never mention the progressive drive to make them homeless, corral them like cattle in reservations or the fact that we called them "Red Devils". Now, at Thanksgiving, we dip everything in honey, then sugar coat it and call it candy.
I'm opposed to the hiding of information from young minds. Let them have all the information and then make informed decissions as to how fucked up our ancestors were. Why try to hide it? It only makes us look guilty, and we're only covering up for people who have been dead for how many centuries? Seriously.
Anyways, I do agree the concept is fantastic. I think it's great we have one day in the year where we stop, and tell people how much they mean to us. One day a year where we stop and thank people for doing things, like serving their country, being a cop or firefighter, for being a good person. One day a year where we gather together with family and friends, eat good food and laugh and joke, enjoy each other's company and have a great time.
Because apparently we're too busy/stuck up/elitist bastards/ etc to do it for the rest of the damn year.
Why thank someone for being a good person on November 15th or April 20th? Why tell someone 'Thank you for being a firefighter and keeping us safe' on May 3rd or October 30th? Why tell your family and friends how much they mean to you on Jan 19th or Sept 10th? After all, that's what Thanksgiving is for. Be a dick the rest of the year. It's okay.
((I feel I should point out the sarcasim in that, since apparently it doesn't translate well over the net. ))
The concept is valid. I just think it sucks we only do it once a year. We only allow ourselves to do this one day out of 365 (plus one on leap years). No wonder people are such venomous bastards the rest of the year. We've told ourselves it's okay to be an ass, so long as we're nice come Thanksgiving.
Happy Holidays! Then the next day they try to run you off the roads.
Happy Thanksgiving! Then the next week they're yelling at you over the phone for something.
Happy Turkey Day! :) Then then next month they're punching you out over the last Hannah Montana doll in Toys R Us.
But it's okay, because we're all super nice on Thanksgiving.
How about, we start a novel idea? You know.. once of those wacky, crazy, it will never work but why not give it the old college try ideas?
Here it is.. that idea:
Let's try being nice to each other all year round.
Let's not forget about the homeless guy on the street corner who probably hasn't eatten well since last thanksgiving.
Let's not wait to call up that friend and say 'hey, how are you doing?'
Let's not put off that trip to the family because it's not the holiday and why would you go see them if it's not the holiday, and then come next thanksgiving you've had four funerals and never took the toddler to see their great grandparents.
Let's stop being a society which says 'it can wait until next year' and start being one that says we care year round.
Yeah, it will never work.
Happy Holidays!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wow... reminder to seek anti-depressants.
So I really do love my friends. I just am amazed at how people tend to post things on facebook without wondering how it might effect the people on their friends list to read it, day after day.
I mean, here's some of my favorites.
Wow! Look how skinny I am!
-- Oops, sorry friends, forgot you're struggling with your self esteem issues and weight problems. Didn't mean to make you feel fat(er).
Holy crap, best strawberry encrusted, strawberry cheesecake with strawberry whipped topping, covered in strawberries!
--Oops, sorry friends, didn't think about the people who are allergic to strawberries.
Hey! We're all going out for BURGERS tonight, so everyone come join us and have fun!
--Oops, sorry to all my friends who are vegetarian or allergic to beef. Looks like I forgot about you.
But my favorite of all time?
The constant posts about how wonderful it is to be a mother.
How proud they are to be a Mom
How they wear the title of Mommy with pride.
Like I needed a daily reminder that my uterus doesn't work right, and I'll never have kids. Thanks guys. Really. Love you too. I'll be the one in the corner digging my veins out with a butter knife, because ya know, it can't hurt any worse.
I really wish sometimes people would think, just a bit. Just a tiny bit.
Oh well. Just one more reminder to try and get on some anti-depressants. Because, you know, I'm supposed to need happy pills just to deal with my friends.
I mean, here's some of my favorites.
Wow! Look how skinny I am!
-- Oops, sorry friends, forgot you're struggling with your self esteem issues and weight problems. Didn't mean to make you feel fat(er).
Holy crap, best strawberry encrusted, strawberry cheesecake with strawberry whipped topping, covered in strawberries!
--Oops, sorry friends, didn't think about the people who are allergic to strawberries.
Hey! We're all going out for BURGERS tonight, so everyone come join us and have fun!
--Oops, sorry to all my friends who are vegetarian or allergic to beef. Looks like I forgot about you.
But my favorite of all time?
The constant posts about how wonderful it is to be a mother.
How proud they are to be a Mom
How they wear the title of Mommy with pride.
Like I needed a daily reminder that my uterus doesn't work right, and I'll never have kids. Thanks guys. Really. Love you too. I'll be the one in the corner digging my veins out with a butter knife, because ya know, it can't hurt any worse.
I really wish sometimes people would think, just a bit. Just a tiny bit.
Oh well. Just one more reminder to try and get on some anti-depressants. Because, you know, I'm supposed to need happy pills just to deal with my friends.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
NaNo update
So it's day 11, and I broke 50k back on the 8th. Go me!
But I'm still writing because the story isn't finished. I'm excited as I watch the characters come to live, and well, some of them are really interesting. I even made a bookcover for the story, not that I'm completely happy with it, but... It's better than nothing.
The white butterfly is on this side of the mirror, and the red one on the other side of the mirror. It's also upside down. And the mirror is cracked, and yes, that's Peacemaker in the mirror. And Annemarie. I'm happy with Annemarie, not so much with the Mirror. It's kinda important, but at the same time I'm thinking of taking Peacemaker out of the mirror. Which is odd given he's been telling most of the damn story. I figure if I go back in Dec and edit, I might add more for AM than him.
Also, yes, I realize that she's AM and he's PM. And I realize Jekyll and Hyde suggest two sides of the same coin, and oh wouldn't it be funny if he was her other side. >.> Stop giving him ideas please!!
Anyway, I'm up to like chapter 11, though the chapters are not really even. I think chapters 1-4 are a full 4 pages *headdesk* Again, it's something I can fix when I go back. I think. I didn't exactly label chapters. So it might not matter. Given I'm not looking at publication, it's not a problem.
'Nyways, it's late and I have to be up in the morning so I'm going to go hit save on the story and go to bed.
But I'm still writing because the story isn't finished. I'm excited as I watch the characters come to live, and well, some of them are really interesting. I even made a bookcover for the story, not that I'm completely happy with it, but... It's better than nothing.
The white butterfly is on this side of the mirror, and the red one on the other side of the mirror. It's also upside down. And the mirror is cracked, and yes, that's Peacemaker in the mirror. And Annemarie. I'm happy with Annemarie, not so much with the Mirror. It's kinda important, but at the same time I'm thinking of taking Peacemaker out of the mirror. Which is odd given he's been telling most of the damn story. I figure if I go back in Dec and edit, I might add more for AM than him.
Also, yes, I realize that she's AM and he's PM. And I realize Jekyll and Hyde suggest two sides of the same coin, and oh wouldn't it be funny if he was her other side. >.> Stop giving him ideas please!!
Anyway, I'm up to like chapter 11, though the chapters are not really even. I think chapters 1-4 are a full 4 pages *headdesk* Again, it's something I can fix when I go back. I think. I didn't exactly label chapters. So it might not matter. Given I'm not looking at publication, it's not a problem.
'Nyways, it's late and I have to be up in the morning so I'm going to go hit save on the story and go to bed.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Famous Dave's
So, Mur took me out for a girl's dinner. Just her and I so it kinda felt oddly like a date. LOL. Anyhow, we went to Famous Dave's. This BBQ joint is actually cool enough I wanted to talk about it.
First of all, it felt familiar because it has that lodge decor going on. Moose head, two deer heads, antlers, etc. Not Mur's cup of tea to be stared down by dead animals during a meal, but I'm used to it. So it was comfortable for me, and brought back memories. We ordered and I will say this, the food is wonderful. My chicken was tender, moist, flavorful and came off the bone without a knife. The apples were to die for, the cornbread perfect. The waitress was fantastic. She kept the drinks full, and I didn't even notice her refill mine. She prebused the table as she went, and listened to every question, or request. She was really fantastic. If you go to the Stapleton Famous Dave's see if you can't get Norma for your waitress. *nods*
I'm not big on actual BBQ, so the chicken I ordered was lemon pepper. Still, the BBQ smelled good, and from what Mur says, is just fantastic. Her short rib came off the bone, and she could cut it with a butter knife. I saw it, there was very little fat. So very tender meat there. Almost makes me wish my feet wouldn't try to kill me if I tried a bite or two.
Their mashed sweet potatoes were perhaps the least impressive thing I ordered, and I tried Mur's coleslaw.. I'm still not a coleslaw fan. She, however, says it's the only coleslaw she's enjoyed. So plus there.
On average, if you go, for dinner you're looking at about $12-$18 bucks for your main, your two sides, and cornbread muffin. If you're on a date, try the 1/2 family meal. About $35 if I remember, but there's alot of variety there. Full family meal is like $59, and feeds 4-6 people, depending on how hearty an eater you are. In all, we ordered 3 meals (hers was $19, mine was $12, and I think Dig's take home was $15.) Our whole bill was $52. so for 3 people, about $17 and some change a piece, but Mur ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, so really, it does bump our total cost up a bit.
Will I go back? You betcha. I loved the chicken, and while it's one of only a few things on the menu I could eat, it was that good.
First of all, it felt familiar because it has that lodge decor going on. Moose head, two deer heads, antlers, etc. Not Mur's cup of tea to be stared down by dead animals during a meal, but I'm used to it. So it was comfortable for me, and brought back memories. We ordered and I will say this, the food is wonderful. My chicken was tender, moist, flavorful and came off the bone without a knife. The apples were to die for, the cornbread perfect. The waitress was fantastic. She kept the drinks full, and I didn't even notice her refill mine. She prebused the table as she went, and listened to every question, or request. She was really fantastic. If you go to the Stapleton Famous Dave's see if you can't get Norma for your waitress. *nods*
I'm not big on actual BBQ, so the chicken I ordered was lemon pepper. Still, the BBQ smelled good, and from what Mur says, is just fantastic. Her short rib came off the bone, and she could cut it with a butter knife. I saw it, there was very little fat. So very tender meat there. Almost makes me wish my feet wouldn't try to kill me if I tried a bite or two.
Their mashed sweet potatoes were perhaps the least impressive thing I ordered, and I tried Mur's coleslaw.. I'm still not a coleslaw fan. She, however, says it's the only coleslaw she's enjoyed. So plus there.
On average, if you go, for dinner you're looking at about $12-$18 bucks for your main, your two sides, and cornbread muffin. If you're on a date, try the 1/2 family meal. About $35 if I remember, but there's alot of variety there. Full family meal is like $59, and feeds 4-6 people, depending on how hearty an eater you are. In all, we ordered 3 meals (hers was $19, mine was $12, and I think Dig's take home was $15.) Our whole bill was $52. so for 3 people, about $17 and some change a piece, but Mur ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, so really, it does bump our total cost up a bit.
Will I go back? You betcha. I loved the chicken, and while it's one of only a few things on the menu I could eat, it was that good.
Keep updated.
I suck at embeding things, so this might not work at all, but I was hoping for an easy way to keep updated on my NaNo progress. Unlike other posts, I plan to come pack to this and update as I go. November 1st is Day one, so keep that in mind.
Day 1: 8000 words
Day 2: 9100 total
Day 3: 13480 total
Day 4: 19752 total
Day 5: 23084 total
Day 6: 33377 total
Day 7: 36281 total
Day 8: 52699 total <-- Yes! Broke 50k already!!
Day 9: 61580 total
Day 10: 66482 total
Day 11: 69202 total (so far)
Day 1: 8000 words
Day 2: 9100 total
Day 3: 13480 total
Day 4: 19752 total
Day 5: 23084 total
Day 6: 33377 total
Day 7: 36281 total
Day 8: 52699 total <-- Yes! Broke 50k already!!
Day 9: 61580 total
Day 10: 66482 total
Day 11: 69202 total (so far)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Mini-NaNo update.
So I wrote 8k words in NaNo on the first day. Here's day two, and I'm only up to 9K.
Watching Kiki's Delivery with the Bug isn't helping my mindset for a horror story. And then there's the fact that of the 9k, maybe only the last 1k is really set in the world she's in for the rest of the book. I suppose 8k for the set up isn't bad. I had figured 2-3 chapters for it after all.
My biggest stumble right now is keeping it believable for the characters, as to what's going on and how they run into each other. I had a few ideas, but one or the other involved vetoed it, saying it wasn't something they'd do. Damn them both.
Watching Kiki's Delivery with the Bug isn't helping my mindset for a horror story. And then there's the fact that of the 9k, maybe only the last 1k is really set in the world she's in for the rest of the book. I suppose 8k for the set up isn't bad. I had figured 2-3 chapters for it after all.
My biggest stumble right now is keeping it believable for the characters, as to what's going on and how they run into each other. I had a few ideas, but one or the other involved vetoed it, saying it wasn't something they'd do. Damn them both.
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