Let the Party Begin

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It's finally here! Nine hours from now, I will have begun my 2013 NaNoNovel, "The Center of the Univers." I will see what stories the characters have to tell and, maybe, have an idea where we're headed.

Tomorrow there will be a color in the first box of my NaNoWordCount box. As long as there isn't a technology glitch. Which often happen at the beginning of NaNoWriMo, as the system is pushed to its limits and beyond. Or maybe it won't crash this year. Sometimes it's not a crash, but some of the features are disabled at the beginning of the event since there is so much activity in the first few days. After the pack thins a bit and we all get under way, there aren't as many writers logging in at the same time.

So there will, hopefully, be a green square in November first early tomorrow morning. I am assuming I will get at least 1,667 words written at the midnight write-in - which is how I earn a green square. (The colors range from red=no wriring recorded; orange=a few words; yellow = a lot of words but less than the daily average.)

Oh, and it's Halloween. Make sure to have a kale and broccli salad, and a healthy protein if you're indulging in the sweetness of the day. Even if you're not into the rampant sources of sugar of this day, some good protein and a large portion of vegetables is a good idea.

And for al the Wrimos getting ready for the start of another period of writing intensity, protein is an essential option for optimal brain function.

Happy Halloween/Samhain and Happy NaNoWriting Day!

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Explosion of Luminous Creation

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Tomorrow is NaNoWriMo Eve. I've been thinking that it was today because, as a late night person and a person who will be showing up at the midnight write-in tomorrow at 11pm, that is Tomorrow. But, technically, I will accept that tomorrow being October 31st makes it the "eve" to November 1st. 

Fine. 

Today I pulled up to the location of an appointment to be greeted by this beauty. Fall is my favorite season, I think. Partly because Fall is so variable, so unpredictable,‎ contains sun and rain and wind and clouds, warm days and cool nights. And sights like this. Trees and bushes exploding colors as they prepare for the (probably) colder days ahead. 

Even with the unseasonably warm and calm Fall we've had, we still get the illuminated leaves, golds, crimson, electric green and everything in between. Trees painting the neighborhood; leaves carpeting the streets. 

A tree of creative fire always catches my attention. 

I'd like to capture some of this energy in my NaNoNovel. 

Speaking of... a quick update. I now have photos to go with each of the main characters. I have ages, hair color, main role in the novel, a few attributes. I'm still working on hobbies, likes and dislikes. One of the characters picked up a pet when I found her photo; I didn't anticipate that - especially not a dog. I have nothing against dogs; this will just be the first time I have a dog in my novel, I realize. Usually there are some cats and two years ago the main cat had a central role in the story. A dog! That's good, too.

I think of the old TV commercial, with customer(s) at the door of a still closed store. It's dark outside. The customer(s) chant, "Open. Open. Open."

I'm chanting (silently), "NaNo. NaNo. NaNo."‎

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Temperature Drops as the Writing Heats Up

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Here is another of my NaNoWriMo creative companions. This doll was made by my partner a couple of years ago and holds an important Tarot card. It's hard to see in this picture, but Serena even made the doll a cute NaNoWriMo t-shirt with the Office of Letters and Light logo.

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On Sunday it rained and on Monday the wind blew. It now feels more like fall; like the end of October. Don't get me wrong! I loved the warm and unusually calm fall days we've had. But I did feel a bit of relief when I woke up to wet tires on the pavement, rain hitting the window, and a tree branch stroking the roof. It was probably the wind knocking over a loose board on the fence and tipping over the empty watering can on the porch which caused disruption in my dream; and that was okay.

The wet sloshing sounded familiar and my blanket felt cozy as I tucked it up under my chin.

I heard that Central Oregon got some snow today. As will Colorado tomorrow and I think somewhere in Montana they are expecting ten inches.

I'm fine with the rain. Which cleared into a cool and crisp and still windy Monday. A nice day which felt like fall.

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Today I am meeting (even as I type) with my Tuesday writing partner for the first time in a few weeks, due to "life happens" events. It feels great to be back here with her, writing, talking about our goals, writing.

And today I am already having a NaNoWriMo character rebellion. Only one, but it has already started. The short story character I wrote about earlier, who would be joining this cast for NaNo2013, said "no." Not even with a "thank you" added, she has declined the offer to be in the novel. Or perhaps it was the original character who convinced her that she needed to stay in her own story. The change has been made in my Scrivener character notes and I am underway finding out more information about the original character. The short story beach walker will linger in the wind and sand with her KFC and girlfriend, until I can get back to them.

Ah, NaNo.

*smiling*

ASL Storytelling: Douglas the Space Boy

I won't take you through my process of how I landed on this ASL Storytelling video - except to say that it started with an online search about something NaNoWriMo. Of course it started with NaNoWriMo, which is just three days, eleven hours, ten minutes away from now.

This is a story in American Sign Language (ASL) by Peter Cook, an excellent storyteller who is Deaf. There are open captions and voice over for the signing impaired. And in the entertainment there is some information about the solar system.

Anytime is storytime. And NaNoTime is especially about stories, exploring how we tell stories, exploring the content in stories, exploration. Stories. It seems a perfect time to share a story told in ASL.
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Non-Writing NaNoPrep

NaNoWriMo is about writing. And having fun doing it, and more. NaNoWriMo is about a lot of things, but for me, one important aspect of the month is making time for writing. Moving writing up the ladder of Things That Must Be Done.

So my preparation for NaNovember has included doing more writing, stepping back up to writing every day, and thinking about what I might write. I've made several changes in potential topics, titles, and so forth. I think I have a plan, though I can't say as I have a plot. What I do have is ten characters with names and I'm fleshing out their details, writing up character sketches. I do have one of the major settings of the novel and have even come up with a name for the place - it's a theater. I'm writing up some history about the theater company and where they rehearse and sometimes perform, which isn't the same as the theater company's name.

A character from a short story which is currently out of consideration at a magazine, is making an appearance in this larger novel. She seems to want to be one of the major ten, so I have altered one of the original names and will let her play. And with that, I do know that the book's theater company is going to either take a company retreat to the coast or they might be performing at the coast. That part isn't clear, but this character insists on a trip to the beach, so they will.

But every year I have a few projects I want to get done before NaNovember starts so they are not distractions. There are plenty of things to draw my attention away from the novel without significant items on my to-do list. I didn't have many this year, but there are some.

One thing I will do on Thursday - a day off from all work - is laundry. NaNoEve and my clothes will be all clean and ready for the new novel to begin. Yes, I will have to do laundry during the month, but in the first few days, when the writing energy is high, I want as little else to do as possible so I can capitalize on the first flurry of words. Especially this year when I will be off on NaNoEve, NaNoDayOne, and the day after. I should be able to get this novel going with a large word count.

Today I finished cleaning up the garden, mulching, and putting it to bed for the winter. The late spinach never did take off and I pulled out the one surviving plant and had a bitty snack. I discovered two more ripe spaghetti squash and brought them in. And the garden beds are composted over and we will have awesome soil for next season.

Another major, albeit boring task was to replace all the toilet seats. I made a trip to Home Depot (and then to Lowe's for something Home Depot doesn't carry and Lowe's said they had in stock - but it turned out to not be what I wanted, so that project is actually going on hold until spring or until we find someone to do the actual job than my intended temporary fix). Boring, boring, I know. But the seats needed replacing and now they are. And we have shiny, new, better than the original toilet seats and I don't have to think about it while I'm writing.

I also have spinach bagged up in the freezer and fresh in the refrigerator; frozen homemade chicken soup stock, a bunch of apples and a couple of jars of organic crunchy peanut butter. And tea - I already had the tea from our favorite store in Taos, Wabi Sabi, and from a nice cafe and tea store in Yachats; but I now have soy milk to go with it, and I bought some cans of Amy's lentil soups for quick, healthy meals (which goes really well with the spinach).

I am NaNoReady. And still working on the characters. In five days, two hours and thirty minutes, NaNoWriMo 2013 will begin. Then I will be writing about my Novel In Progress rather than my NaNoPrep.
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Growing a Writing Group

The Friday night writing group is still meeting. We've undergone a few big changes in our short history; lost a member, gained a member, had a couple of weeks off, now a change of schedule. We're also still finding our way with what it is that we want to do as a group.

The basic plan has been that we send writing to each other a couple of days before we meet. We read the writing ahead of time and make feedback notes. When we meet, the writer reads his or her piece and we discuss it. This week we had one piece from a writer, along with accompanying correspondence related to the piece. It was a good conversation.

We also spend some time each week talking about writing, submitting, current project, and so on. These are valuable writing conversations to have, too.

We've also made a temporary schedule change - to every other week for the time being, for the whole group. Partly due to the upcoming holidays and partly due to other commitments; it is hard to find a time which is consistent for all of us and Friday is the only day where all of our schedules overlap. So we'll make do with what we have and keep writing. On the group "off" weeks, a couple of us will still get together for writing support and, during November, for NaNoWriMo writing time.

The group is still working - it is also changing. And I still have my Tuesday midday writing time with another writer, although we've also missed a few due to "life happens" events. I've mostly managed to keep the Tuesday writing time for writing, even on the weeks when we haven't met.

Take two weekly writing dates, add an online poetry workshop/class (starts November 3rd), add NaNoWriMo, and I think I have a fairly strong writing practice. My hope this year will be to continue the strong writing practice after November 30th.

And I am thinking that I would like to add a manuscript writing/critique group into the mix. That one will take a little more searching and a little more time to find the right fit.

Writing is happening
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Rubber Duckie Fun

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This is real. I saw a picture and wondered if it was digitally altered or a real event, so I went on an internet hunt.

It seems that there have been several of these 40-foot tall rubber ducks in cities around the world. Each city in which the ducks have appeared, have built their own duck from plans from the original by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

According to one article there is no political agenda. Yellow rubber ducks make people smile and that makes people happy. Simple. End of story.

This video is the London duck, floating down the Thames. 

Here's to smiling.



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Plot? What Plot? Who Needs a Plot?

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I've been searching the internet for a story that fits my criteria for the NaNoWriMo idea I had. That did include a plot. Or part of a plot, anyway, because the actual plot would be based on said story or book.

So far I haven't found anything which caught my attention or looks interesting. Not in the way the first novel I wrote did - and that original story was stumbled on as I was writing my 2008 NaNoNovel.

I've been thinking that I am going to toss that idea out. No, I'm going to put it on hold. I still have this idea for a series. The first book is in revision. And I need to find the subject books/stories for books two and three. But it appears it is going to take more time than I have and I don't want to get bogged down in the search and lose any momentum for writing my story.

Not to worry, though, as I have come up with another idea. But there is no plot. Not yet. The plot will come as I write; I have confidence. I'm going to approach it from a completely different angle. I still have a week to wait until NaNoWriMo officially starts and I'm itching to get doing. But I can't for one week and 23 1/2 hours.

What I'm going to do over this next week is work with my muse on creating characters. Finding their names, getting some back story, maybe writing out some character sketches. Hopefully in that process, a setting will emerge. That's my hope. Gather in a few characters and let them play and let them tell me their story.

This could work. I've never taken this approach before, but I like it. And I do have a secret file of potential names I've been gathering over the years, here and there. I think I do even have a couple of character sketches in that secret file.

This could even be fun!

Plot, shmlot.

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Writing Through ______(fill in the blank)

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Writing is not something that happens when life is smooth sailing. When the stars are aligned and everything is calm, everyone satisfied, the cat sated and asleep, family members smiling and getting along.

Or maybe I should say that those things are not required for writing to happen. They help! I agree. But not required. I would even argue that life's little knocks are often fodder for story, for getting us to the feeling state - in the body, as I'm sure Lidia Y and Dorothy A would say - which can help keep our writing alive.

I am in one of those states. There is something happening in the circle of my life which threatens to pull me into an eyes forward, hunker down for the storm to hit, kind of state. I'm standing up to it and I am writing. I haven't written about the situation yet - but I'm not letting it shut me down.

I said I was going to post more here as I step up my writing practice in preparation for NaNoWriMo. This morning I did more editing on the professional standard practice paper. That writing was research and formatting of our resources page; not creative writing, but it got my butt in the chair.

So here I am. Writing through the family drama. Writing through the professional paper and related article for our newsletter/magazine. Writing through fighting the cold which is going around and threatening to get in to my body (but it won't win; I'm heavily armed with Wellness tabs and fizzies).

Showing up.