to a 4-note theme. 100 points for anyone who gets that reference. My money is on Nicole for this one.
So November 1st. Time to state goals for the month. I've already said I'm going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. That's 50,000 words. Which I believe D.B. (the accountant) figured out is between 6-7 pages a day. So, two hours of non-editted typing should pretty much get me there. The non-editted is always the hard part, but is the main point of the whole exercise.
Wow, just felt myself tense up thinking about that. So an addendum to the goal is to do it without hurting myself. My buddy, Geoff, actually ended up in the hospital a few years back from stress and exhaustion. Deep breaths, walks, plenty of sleep. All part of the monthly goal.
For the rest of the week, through Sunday, I'll write 24 pages and attend the Scaring Your Readers Workshop that PPW is sponsoring on Saturday. Tension was one of my weak areas in MMG so an all-day workshop should help.
Good luck to all of us on our goals this month, whether or not we're doing NaNo.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Cheating and Eating
Since I don't belong to the CSFWG Sunday group anymore, but do go out to dinner with the group after the meeting, I decided to go to the Starbucks at the B&N where they meet and do a little writing. I wrote seven pages of the Vesta story while I waited for the meeting to finish. Since my goal for the week was 5-10 pages, I met my goal. But, since one of the rules for NaNoWriMo is that you're supposed to start a new book, it is cheating. Oh well. Pirate.
It was a fun dinner, as usual, but more . . . just more. I was sitting pretty much at the center of the table and at one point there were three different conversations going on around me. I was having a nice conversation with Nicole, Ali and Jenny while Whit was regaling John and Marie with something outrageous at one end of the table and a somewhat political discussion (that I KIND OF [inside joke] wanted to jump into) happened at the other end of the table. Everyone seemed to be wound up. Maybe it was the length of the meeting and the sheer number of critiques.
Some topics of discussion:
--Dumbledore's sexual orientation
--Christian Bale
--Historical accuracy in fiction
--Neil Gaiman
--Strange coworkers
--Halloween costumes and customs
--Russell Crowe
--Slumber parties
--Fortune telling
--Heroes (the television series)
--Acting one's age and what that means
--Joss Whedon
--Dinner auctions (see Ali's blog for more on that)
--Pan's Labyrinth, Solaris, Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon and other disappointing movies
--Do people think your characters are you?
--Having too much to do
--Zombies
--Sherman Alexie
--Cheating at NaNoWriMo
--Bad writing
--Good writing
--Turning bad writing into good writing
--Great Big Sea (briefly, but they must be discussed at each monthly dinner)
--Whiny boy singers (watch this space for more on that and a related topic)
There were more, but I can't remember them right now. All I know is that it was late when we left and we were still chuckling.
Oh, my goal for the week is to write another 12 pages of the Vesta book. Another cheat I'm doing with NaNo is to set my goal at 30,000 words which is 20,000 fewer than what you're supposed to write. That comes to 4 pages a day and since Saturday is the 3rd . . . And I'm going to the PPW Scare Your Writers workshop on Saturday since I need some help with building tension. That's it.
It was a fun dinner, as usual, but more . . . just more. I was sitting pretty much at the center of the table and at one point there were three different conversations going on around me. I was having a nice conversation with Nicole, Ali and Jenny while Whit was regaling John and Marie with something outrageous at one end of the table and a somewhat political discussion (that I KIND OF [inside joke] wanted to jump into) happened at the other end of the table. Everyone seemed to be wound up. Maybe it was the length of the meeting and the sheer number of critiques.
Some topics of discussion:
--Dumbledore's sexual orientation
--Christian Bale
--Historical accuracy in fiction
--Neil Gaiman
--Strange coworkers
--Halloween costumes and customs
--Russell Crowe
--Slumber parties
--Fortune telling
--Heroes (the television series)
--Acting one's age and what that means
--Joss Whedon
--Dinner auctions (see Ali's blog for more on that)
--Pan's Labyrinth, Solaris, Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon and other disappointing movies
--Do people think your characters are you?
--Having too much to do
--Zombies
--Sherman Alexie
--Cheating at NaNoWriMo
--Bad writing
--Good writing
--Turning bad writing into good writing
--Great Big Sea (briefly, but they must be discussed at each monthly dinner)
--Whiny boy singers (watch this space for more on that and a related topic)
There were more, but I can't remember them right now. All I know is that it was late when we left and we were still chuckling.
Oh, my goal for the week is to write another 12 pages of the Vesta book. Another cheat I'm doing with NaNo is to set my goal at 30,000 words which is 20,000 fewer than what you're supposed to write. That comes to 4 pages a day and since Saturday is the 3rd . . . And I'm going to the PPW Scare Your Writers workshop on Saturday since I need some help with building tension. That's it.
Friday, October 26, 2007
NaNoWriMo, aka Masochism
Yeah, I think I'll try it again. I had a bit of success last year--not like D.B. who had a third of HM when the month was over--so I'll try it again. Since I'm in the first flush of the Vesta story--as opposed to the final flush when that's all you really want to do with the book--I'll see if I can get some significant pages under my belt. Can't hurt. It may also keep me from picking up MMG too soon. I'm hearing it whisper to me, but I have to wait until it's shouting directly into my ear and smacking me upside the head before I do the revisions. A month should be good.
I know a couple other Pirates are planning to attack NaNo. Is anyone else officially signed up on the website?
Bret, there's a section for Young Writers and information for teachers. Something you might think about. Because, you know, you've probably got fifteen minutes that you're not already using for anything but sleep.
Think I'd better go do some warm-ups.
I know a couple other Pirates are planning to attack NaNo. Is anyone else officially signed up on the website?
Bret, there's a section for Young Writers and information for teachers. Something you might think about. Because, you know, you've probably got fifteen minutes that you're not already using for anything but sleep.
Think I'd better go do some warm-ups.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The New TV Season - Part Two - Great to Okay
Since my favorite of the new crop of shows is on tonight, I thought I'd finish my reviews. Again, this is not a comprehensive list of all the new shows. I usually skip sitcoms, and I don't get any of the premium channels.
Pushing Daisies is one of the supernatural-type shows that works for me--very well. Lee Pace plays Ned, who can bring the dead back with one touch. If he touches the person, or animal or plant, a second time it is dead forever. And if he leaves the touchee alive for more than a minute, something or someone else dies in its place. Ned revives his childhood sweetheart and leaves her alive. Now he can't touch her, but their romance is growing. There are a lot of heavy-hitting actors, many from Broadway, here. The show is color saturated, in every way. Jim Dale provides the narration. I love it, but it doesn't seem to be getting the numbers it may need to survive.
Chuck is just plain fun. A computer geek accidentally downloads all of the country's encrypted secrets into his brain when he opens an email from a former friend. Now he has a beautiful CIA agent and a big, scary NSA agent following him around. The NSA agent is played by Adam Baldwin--Jayne to fans of Firefly. I'd watch it just for him. A great lead-in to Heroes.
Moonlight. Sorry, Whit, but I'm enjoying the vampire show. And I like some of the messing with the usual vampire mythos. Garlic? Tastes great on pizza. Holy water? Makes you wet. And let's face it, Alex O'Loughlin as Mick St. John is hot. David Boreanaz never really did anything for me. But this guy? Oh, yeah. If you've got nothing else to do on a Friday night, why not?
Women's Murder Club is based on a series by James Patterson--which I haven't read, but may check out now. Three 30-something friends--a homicide detective, an assistant DA and a coroner--solve crime and deal with life in San Francisco. They are joined in their 'club' by a young investigative reporter. The nice thing about these 4 urban professional women who are each juggling work and a personal life with varying degrees of success is that not once did they find it necessary to discuss shoes. At least in the pilot.
So that's it for the winners. Sorry, Viva Laughlin. Had you stuck with people singing along with the radio (or just let Hugh Jackman break into song whenever he hits the casino), it might have worked for me. But Melanie Griffith doesn't have the pipes, and the Blondie song came out of nowhere. Oh well.
As with any review, your mileage may vary.
Pushing Daisies is one of the supernatural-type shows that works for me--very well. Lee Pace plays Ned, who can bring the dead back with one touch. If he touches the person, or animal or plant, a second time it is dead forever. And if he leaves the touchee alive for more than a minute, something or someone else dies in its place. Ned revives his childhood sweetheart and leaves her alive. Now he can't touch her, but their romance is growing. There are a lot of heavy-hitting actors, many from Broadway, here. The show is color saturated, in every way. Jim Dale provides the narration. I love it, but it doesn't seem to be getting the numbers it may need to survive.
Chuck is just plain fun. A computer geek accidentally downloads all of the country's encrypted secrets into his brain when he opens an email from a former friend. Now he has a beautiful CIA agent and a big, scary NSA agent following him around. The NSA agent is played by Adam Baldwin--Jayne to fans of Firefly. I'd watch it just for him. A great lead-in to Heroes.
Moonlight. Sorry, Whit, but I'm enjoying the vampire show. And I like some of the messing with the usual vampire mythos. Garlic? Tastes great on pizza. Holy water? Makes you wet. And let's face it, Alex O'Loughlin as Mick St. John is hot. David Boreanaz never really did anything for me. But this guy? Oh, yeah. If you've got nothing else to do on a Friday night, why not?
Women's Murder Club is based on a series by James Patterson--which I haven't read, but may check out now. Three 30-something friends--a homicide detective, an assistant DA and a coroner--solve crime and deal with life in San Francisco. They are joined in their 'club' by a young investigative reporter. The nice thing about these 4 urban professional women who are each juggling work and a personal life with varying degrees of success is that not once did they find it necessary to discuss shoes. At least in the pilot.
So that's it for the winners. Sorry, Viva Laughlin. Had you stuck with people singing along with the radio (or just let Hugh Jackman break into song whenever he hits the casino), it might have worked for me. But Melanie Griffith doesn't have the pipes, and the Blondie song came out of nowhere. Oh well.
As with any review, your mileage may vary.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Marathons
We interrupt our review of the new television season by Jenny-decree. Although, I don't remember hearing said decree, but I may have been busy with pizza.
The writing marathon was a very good time. I wrote an okay start to the Vesta novel during three of the five writing periods, which was sort of against the rules. Of course, so was walking around in a clump of 8. Excuse me, two groups of 4 together. But it was what I think I needed to get a jumpstart on writing again. Lots of good ideas percolating. Gotta love that.
And you have love the way the group just feeds off itself. I realize that sounds like a bad thing, but we do tend to inspire and challenge and build on what the others are doing. So it's a good thing. Sometimes it's direct like Jenny and Ali swapping notebooks at the Gold Dust. Usually, it's more taking inspiration from a comment or situation and building on it.
I guess I've procrastinated long enough. Here's what I wrote at the library based on the Huck Finn reading. No edits--
The bloated body floated face up in the stagnant pond. Benjamin thought that dead bodies would do the dead man's float. The belly of the man--Benjamin assumed the thing in front of him had been male because of the shortness of the hair--was as white as an old tree toad.
Ben picked up a stick and prodded the arm, but got little satisfaction from that. He leaned a little farther across the algae-covered water at the edge of the mossy bank. He poked at the belly and the corpse jiggled a bit. He thrust forward a little harder. The corpse heaved over, surprising the boy. His arms pinwheeled, but he fell forward face first into the fetid water and came up still flailing and sputtering. The body bumped into him and he shoved. But instead of propelling the object away, his hand sank into the soft flesh.
Did I mention that I went to my dark place? Or that two of us came up with little boys named Benjamin as characters? Just happens sometimes.
The writing marathon was a very good time. I wrote an okay start to the Vesta novel during three of the five writing periods, which was sort of against the rules. Of course, so was walking around in a clump of 8. Excuse me, two groups of 4 together. But it was what I think I needed to get a jumpstart on writing again. Lots of good ideas percolating. Gotta love that.
And you have love the way the group just feeds off itself. I realize that sounds like a bad thing, but we do tend to inspire and challenge and build on what the others are doing. So it's a good thing. Sometimes it's direct like Jenny and Ali swapping notebooks at the Gold Dust. Usually, it's more taking inspiration from a comment or situation and building on it.
I guess I've procrastinated long enough. Here's what I wrote at the library based on the Huck Finn reading. No edits--
The bloated body floated face up in the stagnant pond. Benjamin thought that dead bodies would do the dead man's float. The belly of the man--Benjamin assumed the thing in front of him had been male because of the shortness of the hair--was as white as an old tree toad.
Ben picked up a stick and prodded the arm, but got little satisfaction from that. He leaned a little farther across the algae-covered water at the edge of the mossy bank. He poked at the belly and the corpse jiggled a bit. He thrust forward a little harder. The corpse heaved over, surprising the boy. His arms pinwheeled, but he fell forward face first into the fetid water and came up still flailing and sputtering. The body bumped into him and he shoved. But instead of propelling the object away, his hand sank into the soft flesh.
Did I mention that I went to my dark place? Or that two of us came up with little boys named Benjamin as characters? Just happens sometimes.
Friday, October 19, 2007
The New TV Season - Part One - Eh
That's been my reaction to most of the new shows this season. I was really looking forward to many of them, although part of me was a little skeptical of all the 'supernatural' type shows. Was it an attempt to give the viewers something new and different or just jumping on the Lost and Heroes bandwagon. No surprise. Most of them left me flat.
Bionic Woman while a remake, which is always suspect, does give a better starting premise for how Jamie Somers becomes bionic. And there are some real issues for her to deal with. But Michelle Ryan has about three expressions she uses throughout. And all are overblown. So, no.
Life seemed like a good premise. A cop who was framed for a murder is given life in prison, but is released after his appeal goes through 15 years later. He gets a huge settlement for wrongful imprisonment, but still goes back to work as a detective. Zen aphorisms pour forth throughout the day. But---dun, dun, daaaaaaaaa---he's really spending his spare time trying to find out who framed him. Again, the overacting really ruined this one for me. Damien Lewis mugs to the camera. Now I was predisposed against him since he played Soames in The Forsyte Saga, but he did a great job in that. Just not here. And the spunky, younger, female partner who is assigned to him as a punishment but we all know will end up in love with him is just one cliche' too many.
Journeyman doesn't stay in one place long enough for the audience to connect with anyone. Since the main character doesn't know what's happening to him, we're just as confused as he is. This is an example of why protagonists who are active are more interesting than those who are acted upon.
There are also a lot of non-supernatural shows starting this season, too. A lot of those that I've watched also fall into the eh category.
Big Shots is the male version of Desperate Housewives. Don't care about the 'trials and tribulations' of rich, beautiful women. The men aren't any more sympathetic or interesting.
Kid Nation raised so much controversy that I did give in and watch the first episode because it sounded like it was so different from the Survivor/Big Brother kind of reality show (which I can't stand--no offense meant to those who enjoy them). Nope. While the kids were busy working things out for themselves, the producers kept inserting themselves through books with hints and then having them split up the town into four groups and then having a contest to determine who gets to be in which social class. So, Survivor with children without the voting off.
Cane has another interesting premise. Cuban-Americans running a sugar and rum business in South Florida. Lots of attractive people enjoying their money. Of course there is the ick factor of Jimmy Smits' character being married to his adoptive sister. This one I might actually watch, but I read from nine until ten and it wasn't quite compelling enough to tape and watch on Saturday. Maybe on DVD later.
I don't generally watch sitcoms so I won't be talking about those. And I still haven't watched Viva Laughlin or Samantha Who? so those will have to wait. Stay tuned for the ones I liked--there were a couple.
Bionic Woman while a remake, which is always suspect, does give a better starting premise for how Jamie Somers becomes bionic. And there are some real issues for her to deal with. But Michelle Ryan has about three expressions she uses throughout. And all are overblown. So, no.
Life seemed like a good premise. A cop who was framed for a murder is given life in prison, but is released after his appeal goes through 15 years later. He gets a huge settlement for wrongful imprisonment, but still goes back to work as a detective. Zen aphorisms pour forth throughout the day. But---dun, dun, daaaaaaaaa---he's really spending his spare time trying to find out who framed him. Again, the overacting really ruined this one for me. Damien Lewis mugs to the camera. Now I was predisposed against him since he played Soames in The Forsyte Saga, but he did a great job in that. Just not here. And the spunky, younger, female partner who is assigned to him as a punishment but we all know will end up in love with him is just one cliche' too many.
Journeyman doesn't stay in one place long enough for the audience to connect with anyone. Since the main character doesn't know what's happening to him, we're just as confused as he is. This is an example of why protagonists who are active are more interesting than those who are acted upon.
There are also a lot of non-supernatural shows starting this season, too. A lot of those that I've watched also fall into the eh category.
Big Shots is the male version of Desperate Housewives. Don't care about the 'trials and tribulations' of rich, beautiful women. The men aren't any more sympathetic or interesting.
Kid Nation raised so much controversy that I did give in and watch the first episode because it sounded like it was so different from the Survivor/Big Brother kind of reality show (which I can't stand--no offense meant to those who enjoy them). Nope. While the kids were busy working things out for themselves, the producers kept inserting themselves through books with hints and then having them split up the town into four groups and then having a contest to determine who gets to be in which social class. So, Survivor with children without the voting off.
Cane has another interesting premise. Cuban-Americans running a sugar and rum business in South Florida. Lots of attractive people enjoying their money. Of course there is the ick factor of Jimmy Smits' character being married to his adoptive sister. This one I might actually watch, but I read from nine until ten and it wasn't quite compelling enough to tape and watch on Saturday. Maybe on DVD later.
I don't generally watch sitcoms so I won't be talking about those. And I still haven't watched Viva Laughlin or Samantha Who? so those will have to wait. Stay tuned for the ones I liked--there were a couple.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Want vs. Need
In my first marketing class back in college we learned that marketing is about taking wants and turning them into perceived needs. I believe the quote was "Because we know that no one really needs three pairs of red shoes" to which I responded "Of course you do--flats, mid-heels, and high heels." Apparently, marketing had been very successful with me.
Then in one of my accounting classes, we talked about money management. In order to create and stick to a budget, you have to identify what your real needs are. You may really want something, but that doesn't mean you need it. In this case, need trumps want.
A few years after I was out of school, I read an article about managing stress. It stated that there are certain words that contribute to our feelings of stress. These include should, ought and need. Need as in "I need to write two chapters today." Instead, it's less stressful to think, "I want to write two chapters today." Only slightly because two chapters after a full day of work....
Anyway, I've been thinking a bit about want vs. need when it comes to my writing. Because I do feel a need to write. And I don't think that's a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I think it's something that is true for each and every one of the Rogue Pirates (of Snickerdoodle). [Aside: I'm listening to an old radio play on i-Tunes and it's about pirates--arrrr] This is something we have to do. But when I write in my morning pages that I need to write x amount, I do feel a tightening across my shoulders. If I write that I want to accomplish x, the tightness doesn't show up.
So, do you need to write? Do you want to write? Is there a difference? Do you think it would matter if you set goals as things you want to accomplish as opposed to need?
Then in one of my accounting classes, we talked about money management. In order to create and stick to a budget, you have to identify what your real needs are. You may really want something, but that doesn't mean you need it. In this case, need trumps want.
A few years after I was out of school, I read an article about managing stress. It stated that there are certain words that contribute to our feelings of stress. These include should, ought and need. Need as in "I need to write two chapters today." Instead, it's less stressful to think, "I want to write two chapters today." Only slightly because two chapters after a full day of work....
Anyway, I've been thinking a bit about want vs. need when it comes to my writing. Because I do feel a need to write. And I don't think that's a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I think it's something that is true for each and every one of the Rogue Pirates (of Snickerdoodle). [Aside: I'm listening to an old radio play on i-Tunes and it's about pirates--arrrr] This is something we have to do. But when I write in my morning pages that I need to write x amount, I do feel a tightening across my shoulders. If I write that I want to accomplish x, the tightness doesn't show up.
So, do you need to write? Do you want to write? Is there a difference? Do you think it would matter if you set goals as things you want to accomplish as opposed to need?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)