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Today, it finally happened. The flu that has been going around the city has finally caught up with me. It hit my husband fully on Sunday when we got home from the write-in just after midnight and he was just starting to feel better today. I stayed home today to take care of him, but now I’m starting to feel it too. It’s going to kill my words for the rest of Nanowrimo, but fortunately, I only need another 4k to meet my goal. I’ll probably end the month near 56k.
That’s only about 2k the next two days, plus however many words I get today. I have 1300+ already so I’m hoping to get my total up to the 1667 word goal before I stop tonight.
Also, I backed up my book and most of my other writing onto a USB tonight. All of my writing came to a measly 19MB… It really reminds you of how little this work that you’ve done amounts to, when compared to the space on my hard drives. It also served to remind me that sometimes big things come in small packages.
In other news, I spent most of the day playing a new video game of mine called Terraria. It’s sort of like a 2D version of Minecraft. It’s strangely addictive and really fun. I expect most of December will be spent randomly building stuff in the world while I get my wits back. I’ll keep you updated on it if it continues to keep me entertained.
Posted in Blogs on November 29th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
For those who were waiting for an update yesterday, I offer my apologies. I had thought that I would be not only home prior to midnight, but that I would also be conscious enough to write a blog post at that time. As you can tell, from my lack of a post yesterday, neither proved true.
So what was I doing all yesterday, you may ask? It’s a good question. Yesterday was Calgary’s longest write-in that happens every year… The Twelve Hour. From 1 pm – 1 am the Calgary writers get together and do a little bit of socializing, a little bit of eating and a lot of writing and word wars.
So, I went there, arriving just prior to the ML’s at 12:45pm. Me, Epic Robot Danni, Tim of the Awesome and a few others set up shop, taking over the back room of a restaurant. We talked, we socialized, we cavorted. And, of course, we wrote. Some lucky people even got a chance to hit their 50k goal during the write in and ring the large bell that the ML’s bought to let everyone know that somebody has won (and if you are like me and wonder what the heck ringing a bell would do to make you feel better about completing such an epic thing, I suggest getting together 10-15 people and that you buy a bell. When one of you makes your word count, go and ring it. Tell me if you don’t smile… Trust me, you will).
Anyways, to make a long story short, I was also one of the lucky ones to ring the bell last night. I won near 10 pm crossing it during a word war in which I reached 50,368 words. I won, I rang the bell and I then proceeded to smile, pack up my stuff and return home. I must admit that when I got home, I didn’t open my laptop. This morning I opened my computer, but I didn’t do any writing on it. It has now been 24 hrs since I last wrote a word on my novel.
And you know what?
I’m fine with that. It’s the end of Nanowrimo, I’m getting quite tired and my squishy-brains are starting to feel like a permanent addition. And tomorrow, I’m going to get back on the horse and write another 2,000 words. Why?
Because I’m a writer. And that means that I write. Perhaps not every day, but I try to do a little each day and so should you.
Don’t keep to an unreasonable goal in non-Nanowrimo times. Taking a day off here and there is fine. Also, I promise that once December rolls around I’m going to lowering my word count goal down to 500 words/day. I know that I’m not the sort of writer who can do that 2k every day (especially while working a full time job as well).
I am a writer, not because I sell books, not because I meet and beat an arbitrary word count goal and not because other people say that I am.
We are writers because we WRITE; Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Posted in Blogs on November 28th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
I don’t know how the rest of the Nanowrimo community is doing but I know that the last few days even with my goal of trying to finish my novel tomorrow, I feel exhausted. I don’t want to write anymore. I want to relax, sleep, play video games to my heart’s content and watch Tangled and High School of the Dead…
I know I can’t though. I’m feel that I’m still too far behind to do anything but keep writing. I will finish my 50k on time without worrying; I’m actually ahead by a full day now. I’m used to prior years when I finish about a week before the end of November. This year, my total is 43,665, so a day and a little bit if I wanted to get technical. Still, I like finishing Nano early and I’ll finish this weekend, even if I miss my Saturday deadline.
I am also in that last week of Nanowrimo where I can’t wait for December to arrive, when I only have to worry about #novelengage-ing instead of worrying about adding a few extra thousand to my stories. And yet I know that when Nanowrimo is gone I will miss it horribly.
This year, I have made a few goals for myself after Nanowrimo is over though. Firstly, I will keep working on this novel and doing at least 20 minutes in it a day, no matter what else I end up doing. Secondly, I will send out queries starting December. Next year is the unofficial “Year of Rejections” and the first one in our group to reach 100 rejections on a single project (or actually get accepted) wins.
Have any of you set extra goals for yourselves this year? What are they and why are you going to be trying them?
Posted in Blogs on November 26th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
Today is simply an update. I’m ahead of my Nanowrimo goal. I wrote just over 1800 words and moved my total word count to 42,410. Not quite where I want it to be but it will do. I will definitely be finishing on time.
Also, on a non-nano note, I have a found a new show that I love. It’s an anime called High School of the Dead. It’s all about (as I’m sure you’ve guessed) how some high school students in Japan survive when the Zombie Apocalypse hits. The best thing about this show is that it’s got a great atmosphere. The show is a fan service, showing bras and panty shots galore and then cutting away to undead people killing living men who are terrified.
This show makes you feel a bit turned on and then makes you wonder if you are some sort of strange pervert for still being interested. Which strangely, is the same sort of feeling I’m trying to get across in my writing. It’s an odd feeling to write something and then be vaguely disturbed by the words on the page.
Anyways, watch the show (in December when you’re not writing anymore). I’m quite enjoying it. Until tomorrow, what’s the weirdest emotion you’ve evoked in your writing this month?
Posted in Blogs on November 24th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
I was asked earlier this year, “What do I do if I get writers block?” I responded without hesitation, “Write the words, “Suddenly, Ninjas…” and continue the story from there. He looked at me confused and I relayed the story told by Chris Baty in his book, “No Plot? No Problem!” wherein he suggests adding in every character, even Ninja’s in a courtroom drama. Who knows, after all? Those Ninja’s could be character witnesses or something, right? My friend rolled their eyes at me and continued to talk herself out of trying out Nanowrimo.
Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever had to take my own advice. I am a plotter and most of the time, I know what I’m writing and have a 200 -300 word plot idea of what I need to happen in that part of the story.
Today however, I was chatting with a friend in our chat and he said that he was having writers block. He’d gotten bored and had just sent his teenaged characters to a petting zoo. I jokingly decided to take the challenge and fulfill my own advice. What I came up with got a laugh and the person writing again, so I consider it to be a good night’s work.
Sometimes all it takes to get our muse going again is to mess with what she thought the story was doing. And when she gets moving again, everything works out.
And for those of you who ask, the line wasn’t good, but if it got people writing again it was well worth the effort.
So remember, it’s Nano and throw in something (Ninja, Flying Guilt Monkeys, Robots or someting) when you get writers block. Half the fun of Nano is following your creative muse around for a month, taking down everything she says… Even if it is “Suddenly Ninja’s jumped down from the trees above the goat, and began to dance and sing. “Visit the Goat, See the Moat, Welcome to Gerry’s Petting Zoo and have an Ice Cream Float!”"
Also, for the remaining 7 days of this month, I promise, any comments left here asking me to add ninja’s to their story will be met with a pithy 2-3 sentences adding in such Ninja’s … A one-time example of how you could add in Ninja’s without destroying your storyline. I can’t promise that they’ll be answered before Nanowrimo ends, but I will answer them. Please leave a 2-3 line synopsis about your novel and the scene you are at. And, of course, keep writing until I get back to you!
Posted in Blogs on November 24th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
Today, I had a topic prepared and then the unthinkable happened. I found out that today we lost a great writer.
Anne McCaffery, at the age of 85, died earlier today of a stroke. She was a truly great writer, putting out dozens of books and short stories that connected with her audience on so many levels. I won’t say that all of these were the best novels I’ve ever read, but I will say that she was one of the first authors I read whose work truly pulled me into the work.
When I discovered audio books at my local library (on cassette tape, no less), it was Moreta, DragonLady of Pern that I borrowed, listening to the novel avidly when I was supposed to be sleeping.
It was her short story, Velvet Fields that opened my eyes to the not oft talked about “tragedy” in writing. It was the first story I’d read besides Hans Christian Anderson (yes, I’ve read those too) that didn’t end in a “happily ever after” sort of way.
Her books, the Rowan and Damia took me in to a world of psychic powers that made me wish I could be the main characters, living their lives, a new experience for me.
Her books, whether you counted them as Science Fiction or Fantasy, touched her readers, reaching a large percentage of an entire generation of young women who grew up dreaming of dragons, psychics, spaceships and alien cats. Her readers went on to more fiction, but her strong female characters provided a needed foothold in the sheer cliff that was the male dominated world. Without that handhold, we never could have carved out the spot on the cliff we now hold.
Honestly, I feel that the world is a sadder place without her in it. Today, I am dedicating my writing time to her, to the woman who taught me to think outside the box, to stay strong even in the face of adversity and to tell off any man who thought that he could control me simply based on my gender.
Please, share your stories of this incredible woman in the comments below. I would love to hear what you think of this extraordinary woman’s work, good or bad, or perhaps what your favourite books/stories of hers are?
Posted in Blogs on November 23rd, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
Every Nanowrimo I take this wonderful journey. I delve into the land of story, exhaustion, caffeine and sleep deprivation. Every year, I find myself taking the same journey though. I’m not talking about the stories though; I’m talking about the path. My husband has come to know and understand that no matter how good the sleep is or how long it is in November, it won’t be enough, because my mind is working even while I’m sleeping. He knows that I will eat anything put in front of me, whether it healthy or not. He knows that we will share conversations that I won’t remember later and that I will be mostly absent from his life for most of the month.
And he still loves me and sticks with me through every year of it.
I don’t know how he stands it.
The author is generally not the best spouse to begin with and all I can say is that these people must really love their novelists to stay with us. The average novelist can be described as multiple people trying really hard to be one person. We become so engaged in our own worlds that sometimes the world we live in no longer matters. The characters speak so loudly that we can’t hear any other voices but theirs and I’m sure that more than one spouse has noticed the general lack of intimacy when we are truly engaged and working. ** Note – As with everything else, your mileage may vary.
Yet, these spouses put up with all of our inconsistencies, our issues and our general disregard of everything in existence. They take care of us, bring us out of our slumps when we hit them, help us deal with our emotional issues when the novel isn’t working and understand that they will probably never be thanked for the help they offer us. They do all this, not for Thanks, not for fame and certainly not for wealth. They do it simply because they love us and want to see us happy. And perhaps I’m speaking only for myself, but I am never as happy as when I am engaged in story, writing, discovering and even editing.
Give your Spouse or Significant Other a kiss and ten minutes of your undivided attention today. These, the unsung heroes of Nano, deserve it.
Posted in Blogs on November 21st, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
Also known as, The Bittersweet Goodbye.
Ah, the Twentieth of November. It’s sort of an important day. In just ten more days, Nanowrimo will be over, done and gone. While I will admit that I look forward to sleep schedules, dreams that don’t involve writing and being able to finish sentences without the use of an aid, I will miss not being in the crazy event of Nanowrimo anymore. To me, Nanowrimo means a time when I can let my house chores, my non-writing life and even to a certain extent, how much I care about my day job go. All I have to concentrate on for an entire month is writing.
So many other people are writing as well, that its truly inspiring and make me want to write much more. Unfortunately, because I still have to work a day job I can’t. It would be easy to simply ignore the day job completely, but since I still need that job to be there in December I have to keep caring about being able to work for it. As is this month, even though I’ve only written 32,168 words in my manuscript (plus let’s say another 10k for blog posts), my tendinitis is just starting to flare again. It’s still manageable right now, but I know that I’m going to regret it if I let it get worse before December.
Still, I wouldn’t trade my Nanowrimo for anything. And it will always be a bittersweet good bye when it goes. Squishy brains and being unable to speak coherently aside, I prefer being able to do what I need to for a month… which is writing. It’s my calling and if you can make it yours, you’ll love yourself for it too, no matter what the cost.
If you forget this month, and especially in this last ten days, why you love Nanowrimo, Remember these two phrases. They are almost mantras to me at this point, calming and reaffirming me in my goals, almost more than any other phrase does.
The first is “This Day, WE WRITE!” (Attributed to Robert Dugoni) and the second is “Write to your Joy.” (Attributed to Alastair Stephens and Lani Diane Rich).
Say these whenever you start questioning yourself and then sit back down and do what you were put here to do… Write.
Posted in Blogs on November 20th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
Today, on the 19th day of Nanowrimo, I can honestly say that it is 9:48 pm and I haven’t written a word. Not word one, certainly not word two and word three… well, that is simply a pipe dream.
Why? Well, because I know that sometimes, even during the month of Nanowrimo (yes that is deliberate) I have to do something other than write all day long. I love writing and I want to do it for a living, but I know that I enjoy time with my spouse and my friends. It helps keep me sane, it helps to remind me of why my writing time is precious and gives me life experience to draw on when I’m writing. For me it’s more of a sanity thing than it is anything else, but it really helps to ground me and remind me (when the writing is hard) why I want to do this
And even during Nanowrimo, there is no reason to feel bad for taking a day off. Sometimes our brains need to recharge and a day off does that. Sometimes (for those of us with physical determinants like tendinitis and such) our bodies give out on us and we need to relax and let our bodies heal. Sometimes we just need a day to turn off our brains and sleep. Whatever it is, taking a day off Nanowrimo is completely acceptable. Making up your word count over the next week will only be an additional 238 words a day.
What I’m saying is that you’ll still be able to pick up from where you left off and you may be happier, healthier and not-quite-so-squishy-brained afterwards.
The problem therein lies when you take more than one day off. Longer than that away from your novel will start making you forget why you’re doing this crazy trek in the first place. You don’t want to do that. You want to win an brag to everyone you know! Heck, even I enjoy bragging to my noveling and non-noveling friends about my accomplishment.
Personally speaking, tomorrow I’ll be back on that horse and I’m even going to one of the write-ins here in Calgary, so that I can catch up my word count. And I hope, that you’ll all be joining me there.
Posted in Blogs on November 20th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
A very quick post for November 18. My Nanowrimo word count for today is 29,363 words. It’s not quite where I wanted it to be, but it’s only 642 away from that goal.
Today I want to talk to you about tools. I’m also going to go so far as to say that anything that helps you to get your writing work done is a tool. In this way, you can figure out what tools you have and what you may wish to get to help you with your own writing.
I have a few tools that I nearly require to do my work. The first is my computer. I have two unit that I work with. One is my full size 17” Acer laptop. It’s a great unit and has served me well for about two and a half years now. It came with a demo for Word 7 on it, a program that I came to love so much that I have been pushing for them to come out with a copy of Android. I do as much of my writing as possible on it.
I also have my small tablet, the Asus Transformer. The Asus transformer is a 10” (approx) tablet. It’s a great toy and the removable keyboard makes it great. However, it’s also not very usable. It’s missing a lot of great programs that would help it to be worth more to me as a writing unit. Then I found out about the program “Note Everything” and its sister program “Note Everything Google Docs”. The two programs allow me write on my note everything and then transfer it onto my laptop and back via Google Documents. Very useful, and when I can’t use Word 7, it’s now my Go-To Program.
I have a Notebook that I keep with me for when I have random ideas or thoughts that need a place to be written down. I prefer the moleskin notebooks, preferably, with a great pen(gel pens) in great colours to go with it.
I always have music playing when I write. If I’m not on my cell phone and playing music via it, then I am using VLC. I’ve tried a few of the different players, but it’s the one that plays all of my music and videos. It’s easy to use and its now my default media player.
I also have a set of arm warmers, a FIR Tech wrist warmer and a few wrist restraints.
This, (not counting furniture) is what I use on a daily basis to make sure I’m always writing. What about you?
Posted in Blogs on November 19th, 2011 by B.A. Matthews | | No Comments »
