Day #6 Nano - Getting Ahead

Well, I closed out today, the sixth day of Nanowrimo, with 3,574 words. That makes a total of 13,469 so far. Woo hoo!

I'm stoked!

I'm a quarter of the way through, one day early. Sweeeeeeet!!!

Its been coming fairly easy, and I must say I'm totally enjoying it. But I have this hideous feeling creeping up my spine that every word I'm writing is crap. Martin came home early today and started reading my first chapter and had some good things to say, but I'll never believe friends or relatives that my writing is good. It just isnt right.

I know my nano novel is filled with typos and disasterous shifts in point of view and tenses, but I'm so pleased with myself that I've ignored the obsessive compulsive side of me that always wants to go back and edit, and have soldiered on. I've ignored the spell check. Ignored the typos. Ignored all the incorrect/bad uses of tenses, and I've even ignored naming my characters.

The latter is a bit stupid really. I've got a working name for my heroine - Ayla (named after the heroine in Clan of the Cave Bear), and I've got a few 'final' names for some of her friends, but I've really gotta spare some time soon to get all the other names sorted. I cant keep referring to Ayla's boss as 'the boss'. And Ayla is about to start falling in love (even though she's dead.. thats a cool trick eh!), but I haven't given her future boyfriend a name yet.

Decisions decisions.

It'll all come together in the end, I'm sure. I'm pretty chuffed that I'm at the quarter mark. I'm hoping to crack 20k if not by Friday, then by Saturday. And be well over the halfway mark of 25K by the following Saturday.. even at the 30k mark. That'd be nice.. Mmmm.. I'm dreaming now... and totally getting ahead of myself.

It was a bit embarassing typing away on Jerry (my Alphasmart 3000) on the train this morning. I was on one of those trains that has the tables on it, but I was too embarassed to use it so I just kept Jerry on my lap, and tried soooo hard not to elbow the sleeping guy next to me.
Thank god I had a slow day at work today and was able to write like the wind. Fingers crossed that tomorrow'll be the same.

*sigh* Its late. I wanted to switch to Beta tonight, but I spent too much time reading other blogs and my email. I'll do it tomorrow while Martin's at the pub.

Now blogger, you listen to me.. Dont even think about deleting any of my posts while my back is turned. I'm always watching you. Got it!

Day #5 Nano - On Target For Success

I'm just 115 words shy of 10,000 and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

I've struggled with myself to NOT go back and correct typos. Most of the 'the's in my story have come out like 'teh' which is so incredibly hard to just leave, and there are misspellings gallore! But I must stay strong. Now is not the time to edit, now is the time to write.

I'm three chapters down (though chapter 3 will need extending when it comes to editing), and its all looking good.

My heroine is dead.

And she's just about to realise it.

I'm going to aim for 2,000 words minimum per day from now on, and at least 5,000 per day on the weekends.

Fingers crossed I dont get the second-week-slump.

I still havent forgiven blogger for stealing posts off me. I'm going to beta later today (day #6).

F***!!!!

Blogger you f***** bastard!!!

This f***** c*** of a stupid program deleted two of my posts!!

What the f***?!?!??!

I'm sooooo pissed off!!

No one deletes my words but me! I feel so up myself saying that, but even if it is the crappest thing I've ever written, no one deletes but me!!!

I f***** hate computers!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!

If anyone who views my blog sees the posts Day #3 & Day #4 please copy and paste them into an email and send them to katewheeler11 at hotmail dot com. Ta muchly! I'm going to go and kill something now.

Day #5 Nano - Sunday Grace

I've started the day off with 2000 words, concluding chapter one. I think this book is going to be a bit more adult than intended. I've already used the words sex, asshole and bitch.

Oh well, that happens when you put in a goth-loving character and her flamboyant Graham-Norton-like gay friend.

I'm really enjoying developing the story. I thought I'd get bored with it having it all planned out. I'm not much of a planner and am more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of girl, but the bare bones of the outline is bare enough to allow room for creativity, yet structured enough to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I'm hoping to crack the 10k barrier by the end of today and I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to kill my heroine in the next chapter or two. Cant wait.

But what is the rest of the book filled with if your heroine is dead? I hear you ask? Why, with her ghostly form trying to figure out life on the other side, of course!

In reference to Deep Thinker's post about blogger - I cant seem to access the last few of my posts to edit them or add to them etc. Wtf? Blogger has never failed on me since I've been signed up. Grrr. I wanted to add a lovely tarot picture to my previous post. Looks like I wont be able to. Oh well. Such is life I guess.. or should I say, such is blogger.

Day #2 Nano Metro & the Jack-o-lantern

Today went a lot better with the chapter planning. I'm up to Chapter 11 now (thats 8 planned today), so I'm a bit happier today. Though I've got an annoying headache.

I was just flipping through the Metro today, on my way home (I scavenged the paper after it was left on the seat) and I noticed a little article about Nanowrimo. My face flushed and I smiled. It felt like they were writing about me.. which is totally ridiculous because it mentions about 75,000 people world wide are participating. I cut it out anyway and I'm going to keep it with all my Nano stuff.

I carved a Jack-o-lantern this week for Halloween. I wanted to put up a picture of it earlier, but havent had the time.

Anyway, here it is.

Day #1 - Nano Nightmare

What a crap day to start Nano on. I've been totally run off my feet and have so much stuff going on in my head I barely got three chapters planned out.

Firstly, we're finally doing something about the huge mould problem in our house - getting the landlord to fix it once and for all before we die of a million different cancers and diseases.

Secondly, I've got this stupid photography shoot thing that I 'won' for free, but dont want to do. I trudged all the way to the studio at lunchtime only to be told that someone was trying to call me to cancel. So that wiped out any chance at doing anything at lunchtime. And;

Thirdly, Wednesdays are piano lesson days. I was ill last week so I couldnt cancel this week as well. Especially since I have some new music for my student.

But all in all the day finally finished up quite nicely. Martin and I did plan on going to Bluewater to buy him some new shoes, which he desperately needs and obviously needs a shoe buff with him when he buys them - but I get home after 8.30pm from the piano lesson, so we decided to have fish and chips and stay in instead.

It turned into a nice evening. I showered and got my shit together, and watched a few episodes of House! (If you havent seen House before, then WATCH IT! Its awesome!!)

The only tragedy of the day is that I discovered my drawer full of all my handbags has been infiltrated with mould! NOT HAPPY! So I'm sure that'll take more precious Nano time away from me to sort that out.

But its ok. I've got three chapters planned. I've got the train journey to and from work to expand on that, and I've also got lunchtime. Its ok. I'm not completely off track. I hope to have it all planned out by Saturday. Then its writing time (of course, after we drive to Essex to pick up our wedding photos and go shoe shopping!).

Sunday will be my saving grace day. Its my aim to have at least 5,000 words done by Sunday eve. I'm hoping it will be more like 10,000.

Fingers crossed.

E-Book Challenge & HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Check out Pbackwriter's blog for the results of the E-Book Challenge!

49 free e-books for you to read at your pleasure!!

As soon as Nano is done I'm going to have a sift through them.

I finished reading Clan of the Cave Bear last night, and its left me wanting more. I so much want to start on the next book in the series, 'Valley of the Horses', but after the emotional journey I've been on I need the break, plus nano is only a day away.

I think I'll hold off finding a new book to read until Christmas because I'm getting the new Terry Goodkind book 'Phantom' and I am absolutely hanging out for it! So it'll be nice to be able to browse through the e-books on PBW's website until Christmas time rolls up.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I carved a pumpkin yesterday. It kinda looks really evil this year. I'll take a photo when I get the chance and post it for all to see (not that anyone in the world ever reads my blog. Hehehe.. I feel like I'm just talking to myself, really. Dear Diary - today blah blah blah. Haha.)

The Clan of the Cave Bear

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel is one of the best books I've ever read. The characters and environment are sooo well described and researched that I feel like I know the era in which it is set so well that I could survive there just as the characters could. Its also made me re-evaluate everything that I've come to know about our modern existence! I dont think I'll ever look at the world in the same way again!

I recommend this book to absolutely everyone. Its so well written that there is absolutely no way you cant fall in love with the characters. On the way to work I was reading a particularly sad and heart-wrenching part and I had to turn towards the window and wipe my tears away. I was effected all thoughout the morning and moped about with a morose look on my face. Even now, just thinking about it, the book is still effecting me.

I'm not far from the end and will probably finish it on the train journey home, but I'm not sad about it because to my delight I've discovered that there are at least 3 or 4 books following this one. Hoorah! There's even a film out with Daryl Hannah as 'Ayla', but I hear it was a crap film, so I'm not sure if I want to ruin the illusion, and will keep my visual version of the story stuffed up in my head.

Here's the blurb:

The Clan of the Cave Bear is the start of Jean M Auel's epic Earth's Children series. When her parents are killed by an earthquake, five-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, has little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others". Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health--a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle.

I feel like I've had my head stuffed in the sand. I cant believe this book slipped past me until just a few weeks ago. Makes me wonder what others brilliant books I'm missing out on!

Suggestions on what to read next are welcome!!

Prelude To Nano

I've cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, lounge and done some clothes washing. Anything else can wait until December.

I'm not planning on doing much Monday and Tuesday (except for carving a pumpkin for Halloween and heading out to the pub followed by a trip to some ancient stones to catch naked witches chanting in the night), so today was my only day to get my half of the house-cleaning out of the way before I slack off for a month and focus on writing.

I've got two days to finish reading the book I'm reading at the moment.. which I really really dont want to finish coz its really really good! (I'll devote an entire post to that later!), and I've gotta spend some time figuring out a rough timetable for the month ahead.

I can feel the nano buzz coming on already.

I'm going to finish this post, eat some chinese food and watch a couple of episodes of House. Sweet!

Word Count 2

After lunch I counted up all the words I'd typed from lunchtime until home time and it came to 3873 (and I'm not including all the file closures I had to do).

So for a full day at work I typed 7761 words! Even if I take of 500 words to cover headers etc its still over 7000.

Such a damn shame that they're not my words but the words of boring corporate drones.

Word Count

I was just wondering how much I actually type while I'm at work. Although I didn't have a lot of files/tapes to do this morning I added up the words anyway and it came to 3888! And thats just for stuff I typed before lunchtime.

It definitely makes me feel less worried about reaching the Nano word count in 30 days. In fact it seems positively simple. *touchwood*

The Three C's

I was on my way to work this morning thinking about this whole writing thing. I'm pretty sure I'm still just an amateur, coz I'm hanging out for Nanowrimo to be my motivating force to stop procrastinating while PBW writes almost 200,000 a month and up to 9 books a year.

As far as I can tell there are the three C's to writing.

Confidence
Courage &
Commitment

I know I have the confidence to write a book. I'm getting there on the courage to actually write it (alcohol does wonders when you cant stop cringing at the fluff you think you're writing), its just the commitment factor that I havent quite got wrapped around my finger.

I know I can do commitment - I'm married. But commitment to see a book through to the end? I'm terrible with tying up loose ends. Thats my worry, that at the end of November I'll have a mostly written, almost finished, not quite there, book - and I wont have the three C's to finish it.

I'm thinking that I should probably spend a lot of time drunk at the end of November. If not to help boost my courage to finish the book, then to drown my sorrows at not finishing it.

Actually, scrap the above. The Evil Kate was sitting on my shoulder whispering that into my ear.

If I listen to the Good Kate, she is saying I should just stick with it. Be confident because I CAN do it. Have courage because I WILL do it, and be committed because I WANT to see it through to completion. I'm sure I can do it. ..I think.. Yes, I can.. Or can I?... Yes. I will do it. Umm... ...........The end of November shall show all I guess.

A New Light

Perhaps I was wrong about this job.

There is a communal internet computer that people can use, and it allows access to Hotmail and Blogger. Thats all I need to keep me happy during long boring hours of work.

I'm doped up on Lemsip today, so I'm a bit lightheaded and confused. At least there is absolutely zero work to do. I did a bit of work on the chapter outline for The Chocolatier, but I'm just too screwed up in the head today. I think I'll even cancel the piano lesson tomorrow evening. I'm sure my student can amuse herself with scales etc for another week. I've gotta get my head back into order before Nano starts!

I'm Going Back To Bed

It started with a tickle in my throat ysterday, now its hit with a stuffy head, glands the size of boulders sticking out of my neck, and a weariness that could make me fall asleep standing up.

What a shit way to feel on the roll up to Nano. Is my body trying to tell me I shouldn't do it? Coz I aint listening if it is.

Perhaps its because I forgot my sister's birthday the other day, and will most likely forget my brother's birthday tomorrow. Ha.. its not like they're children anymore so what does it matter.

This sucks. The last thing I need is to go to work, pick up more germs, and type up loads of boring insurance stuff.

Perhaps I could have a nap in one of the meeting rooms at lunchtime. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Gotta get my strength back asap. Nano is in SEVEN days.

Banging My Head Against a Brick Wall

Why is it that when we reach a certain age hangovers start hitting you like two bricks to the side of your head and a kick in the guts?

My cure is vegemite toast and berocca! Cant go wrong! (Berocca is a vitamin drink.. any Aussie would know what I'm talking about!). I'm not a coffee drinker, and I rarely have tea, so loads of water and the above two items are always the first things I have after a night out on the piss.

So today I'm not going to do anything.

Martin has woken up all excited about jamming with his mate Andy and getting the band up and running again and he wants me out of the house. No prob, coz I've been given the green light to buy some new clothes (WOO HOO!). Although, he's playing Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls at full blast. Is he trying to tell me something?

SO anyway, back to book stuff. I should be writing the above blubber on my other blog.

I walked past a chocolate shop the other day (yes I am a chocoholic but I did manage to walk past without buying any) and started daydreaming about owning my own chocolate shop not unlike in the movie Chocolat... then *smack* a book idea strikes me between the eyes. It'll have a working title of 'The Chocolatier' (not really sure if thats a real word but I dont care!) and it'll be along the same lines of Stephen King's IT. The Chocolatier will be some sort of ghost or evil spirit who feeds off children's souls and when the heroine moves back to the town (after her Grandmother dies and leaves her her house) she starts to investigate into it more and blah blah blah some exciting stuff happens and I think I might end it on a bit of low note. Happy endings are for chumps.

So, yeah. Thats it. On Friday at lunchtime I started planning out about 10 of the chapters, although I really should have done a complete outline first but oh well, and I think I'll continue working on it up until Nano starts and then do my other book with a working title of 'Fleeting Life'. Its about a girl who is killed and walks around as a ghost trying to figure stuff out and find her killer etc. I'll write more about it later.

Hmm.. methinks I've got a bit of a dark streak in me. I cant seem to come up with ideas for books that dont involve dead people. And come to think of it in my epic fantasy, 'Arkehdar', I've got a few grisly deaths planned. At least I've got a chidren's book lurking in the back of my head thats not so depressing or dark, and my book about the cloud people.

Ok, must go, Martin is waving his appendage in my face trying to get me off the computer. Yay, time to go shopping for new clothes!!!

"I Turn To Type Again"

I wrote this while slogging away at a previous crap job. I think it fits nicely with the predicament I'm in now:

"As I sit and type yet another million words dictated by someone less interesting than me in an office with an atmosphere not unlike the ghastly gaseous and unbreathable venus, I watch the clock.

Tick tick tick...

Tick tick tick...

I watch it and wait, then turn to type again.

This existence sucks... it reeks of failure and stagnant servitude. I'm replaceable and unimportant, yet minute to minute I am extremely important.

If I dont type, letters dont go out.

If letters dont go out, people get irate.

If people get irate then they tell other people, who love to take it upon themselves to abuse any and all hapless, replaceable and unimportant servants of the system: Me.

*sigh*

My life is a wheel. It turns and turns, always getting somewhere, but never anywhere new. Punctures, like sneezes and hiccups, become an interesting and entertaining side show, splitting the mundane moments into exciting chapters which carry the day forward faster.

How sad it is to wish time to scurry along faster. Who in their right mind would crave for the days to fly by without depth and intrigue, all for the sake of ending the painful moments of hideous servitude? As time passes we grow older, and who wants to be an old clockwatcher?

Tick tick tick...

I turn to type again."

Crushed Under the Weight of Responsibility

It looks like this new job may be more permanent than I first thought. After briefly discussing it with the hubby, he's of the view that I can not take a job with a salary lower than this one. My dilemma - all the jobs I want have considerably lower salaries. Bugger. I hate money.. and I especially hate this money-driven existence we have survive through. I cant stand slaving away at the keyboard typing up stuff for someone else. It makes me feel crushed and caged. All the more reason why this Nano book MUST be well written and ready to send off to prospective agents/publishers by Christmas. MUST MUST MUST!!! I will not live my life as someone's bitch, typing up their boring corporate letters all day every day. Travelling in sardine cans with imposing pricks pressed up against me, rushing through the sheep-like hordes trying to abide by someone elses strict timetable! F#%&@# H%##!!!!! I WILL make it as a writer. I WILL be successful. I WILL work my own hours. And most importantly - I WILL be happy! I hereby swear that by my 30th birthday (Its only 18 months away - oh f*** is it really that close!) will have at least one book published or in line to be published.

Burning Feet

I started my new job today as an audio typist, and I'm surprised that I still have the energy left to type.

I get an hour at lunch in which to concentrate on my book, and also the time spent on the train to and from work (at a reasonable hour in the morning! My hours are 9.30 - 5.30).

I've got two weeks to settle in before Nano time begins.

The new job is ok.. its incredibly boring work as all insurance/claims stuff is, but the people are nice and my desk is ma-hoo-sive!

One tragedy though - NO INTERNET!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! I'm ok with no hotmail. Thats expected. But no other access??? That means no casual surfing at lunch time, and more importantly NO BLOGGING. Bugger. I suppose I could post via email, but if my email account is monitored then I dont want any work people seeing my posts when I should be working.

I suppose its a good thing, though. It means any spare time available I should devote it to my book!

Ok, I'll grudgingly accept 'no internet' as a positive point.

My feet hurt though.

Vodka

Drinking Vodka and Orange last night (The Screwdriver!) brought my early drinking years flooding back. It was when I was just a little innocent youngling starting out at university.

The main thing it has brought back from the darkest corners of my memory, is the nights of experiemental witchcraft, gothic nightclubs, and carving pumpkins for Halloween.

I had an email recently from my Uni friend who I used to drink with and do all of the above, and she seems to be doing well. It took until yesterday with a few drinks in my system to realise that there was a character staring me in the face! My friend Allison is so unique, and if I'm to write this book in a month then I need characters that are going to come easily. There's nothing easier than basing a character on an actual person.

So, having said that, I searched through the rough ideas I've got spinning around in my head for this book to see what other characers I could base on people (I cant believe I didn't think of this before. How daft am I!!). After reading The Lovely Bones the grandmother character stood out quite a bit as being a little bit similar to my own real grandmother. So, I've decided to work her into my story. I think it would also be nice for her memory, and for myself, to weave her into the book so that she becomes immortal.

I hope to get a rough synopsis fully formed in my head by the first day or two of November. But basically the story goes like this:

Introduce Girl, she works at a cafe. Life is ok, she's on the brink of starting new and wonderful things.
Girl is killed.
Girl doesn't realise she's dead.
Girl wanders around, trying to find her killer.
While wandering around and waiting for her killer to show himself, girl falls in love with boy.
Girl learns how to 'appear' to the living. Girl and boy meet and fall in love etc.
Girl finds killer as boy realises girl is dead...

Ummm.... and I'll leave it there. I wouldn't want to spoil the ending for you all. I think I've got a nice twist planned.

So, Vodka, thank you for your help. Thats two characters down - a few more to go!

The Lovely Bones?

I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and I'm not really sure what to think.

Personally I think it dragged in the first half, started to get a bit better, then had a wierd-ass bit at the end, and then just an ending. Its like things almost got explained, but then the story moved on to something else.

I dunno. I think I'm just a bit annoyed because I expected to be blown away. Dont get me wrong, the actual writing was really really good (and made me feel inadequate!), its just the plot etc that annoyed me. That whole falling to Earth thing in Ruth's body just made me screw my face up, and not in a good way.

This sucks. I dont want to write or think badly of a book. I'm not a reviewer, and I dont ever plan on being one. I think if I'm really honest with myself I'm not angry at this book at all, I'm angry at myself because I feel like I dont have the vocabulary to be able to pull together enough threads to weave a satisfying, cloaking book. I feel like that even with all the words in the English language stuffed in my head, its like they're stuffed in too tight.. or stuffed into separate rooms that I've forgotten about and I can seem to pull them out.

I'm going to try to write this NaNoWriMo novel using simple words to start with. Just so that I can get the story down. Someone once told me that that was how Hemmingway wrote, and that its really a lot more difficult than it sounds. I tried it once when I was particularly fired up about my Epic Fantasy, Arkedhar, and although it was difficult it wasn't difficult in the way I thought it would be.

In order to strip down a story to its barest bones you have to fight all the creativity in your head to stay back, like putting up a dam. That was the difficult part. I decided, though, to let through any creative descriptions/words that came easily to me. If I had to pause and try to think up the perfect adjective for a certain scene, then I stopped myself and just moved on with simplistic words. It was my sort of compromise, and I think it will work perfectly for my Nano book.

I'm hoping to start November with a few days of solid outlining and planning, plus a bit of research etc. Then have about 25-20 days of solid writing. I figure that if I do at least 3000 words a day then I should be able to cover it. Then the remainder of the month is for editing and adding in more creativity. I worry that this part is actually going to take the longest, but to be honest, the idea behind Nano is to write 50,000 words in a month. It doesn't state that it has to be perfectly edited and ready to send. If I finish the editing process within November, then thats fantastic, if I dont then I can still continue to work on it after November but the point is I actually achieved the 50,000 in that month. I hope thats right. It sounds right in my head.

I'm also hoping that I blitz the 50,000 and even go way overboard. Fingers crossed on that one.

Time will tell, I guess.

Other books I've read...