Elizabeth's Blog

So it’s the first day of NaNoWriMo, and after about an hour total, I’m up to 1072 words. At 1000 words per hour, this will take me roughly 50 hours to complete, thus averaging out to about 1 1/2 hours per day to complete. I think this is a low estimate, so either I just have a lot to say, or I’m optimistic about how long I can keep up that pace.

I almost started writing last night at midnight just because I’d really been looking for the excuse to write… but alas I couldn’t stay up that long and conked out at about 11:30. I was able though to get up a little early and get some writing in before anyone else got up. Made me tired as heck this afternoon, but the peace and quiet was glorious.

I’ve been using Google Docs since I’m usually pretty mobile and can switch to up to 4 different computers during the day, depending on who’s around me and if they need the computer I’m currently working on. Since I didn’t have much luck with the USB thing (overwriting info FTL!), and apparently I have never learned my lesson with regard to backups, Google Docs made perfect sense. It basically does everything Open Office and Word does, and even throws in a few extra bonus items. Not only can you share your doc with others (of course) it gives me info I need such as word count, and of course keeps track of revisions so I can roll back if I completely F something up.

One thing I didn’t know about Google Docs, which turned out to be pretty cool is the info they give you on the Flesch- Kincaid Readability Tests (Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level) and the Automated Readability Index . Basically these indicators tell you how easy it is for someone to understand your writing. Right now I’m at a level of 67.5, which is just about at the “Reader’s Digest” level… 8th & 9th graders can easily understand my writing. I haven’t decided yet if that’s a good thing.

At any rate, the first day was/is exciting and even though I have no idea what my novel is about or where it’s going (something I’ve never actually done before- I usually have it all neatly planned out beforehand), I find it refreshing to see how it all pans out. I think I’ll be just as surprised as my reader.

I don’t have a title yet, or a plot, but it’s set in the future and the main character is a space age undertaker who’s job it is to transport and ship dead bodies out into space (since the earth has become so overcrowded, cemeteries on any habitable tract of land have been gobbled up by eminent domain). Wonder what’s going to happen.

So I’ve now broken the 10,000 word mark with Nanowrimo, and it’s been quite a tricky feat. November and December are traditionally our busiest months with the store, and this year has been no exception. While I’m glad business is picking up from a somewhat slow October, I also know that from next week on, my life will be one ginormous workload.

It bothers me that I’m only up to 10,700 words during the lightest part of an uber busy month. I don’t know how I’ll find the time to finish, but at this point, it’s become a Personal Challenge to finish. I won’t get glory, fame, or fortune, but I’ve never backed down from a Personal Challenge and I’m not about to start now. (I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s like once something clicks in my brain, I’m driven to finish it no matter what… it’s getting it to click in the first place that’s the tricky part).

I had some difficulties with writers block earlier today, but one of the best pieces of advice from the nanowrimo staff was to just write something. So I flipped over to a blank page, and just wrote a little bit about my characters. I was finding it hard to keep track of them all anyway, and character development is not my strong suit. As I wrote about them, I could picture each one clearly in my mind, and it really helped sort it all out in my brain. I also started writing a brief synopsis of the plot, then realized I didn’t necessarily want to know. That’s been my goal this time around - to not have things neatly planned out, but to let them unfold naturally. So instead of hashing out the rest of the plot, I returned to my work in progress, refreshed and excited to see what happens next. I also went back in and filled in some character holes to give my people a little more depth now that I had a better idea of who they are.

I am fully aware that this whole thing is not about the end result (I have a feeling that at the end, I will have another steaming pile of crap to add to my collection) but completely about the process. I feel like it’s not only making me a better writer, it’s giving me the discipline to sit down and write every single day, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. It’s making me excited about writing again, when the thought of putting fiction down on paper quite frankly made me want to vomit. It’s giving me hope that someday I might do this full time. Okay, I’d still like to continue to eat, so maybe not so much that last one… but it definitely has given me my creativity back.

One other thing that I think is cool (and that I hadn’t really counted on) is the effect it’s having on my daughter. She has been writing and illustrating stories since she was 4 years old, some of which are hilarious and surprisingly insightful. She would see me writing, and start writing her own stuff… but she would also pick up 2 bad habits of mine; 1) my lack of dedication to finish my stories, and 2) my own harsh self-criticism and perfectionistic nature. It really bothers me when I ask to read something she’s written and she reluctantly hands it over and says “well, it’s not very good. I don’t like it very much.” or “I’m not a very good writer, why do you want to read this?” So Nanowrimo has taught me to finish what you start, and quit worrying about how good it is. If it’s crappy, it’s crappy, but at least it was worth the ride. I hope I can instill that in her before it’s too late and she decides otherwise.

1/5 of the way done and looking forward to the future. If anyone is still up for the challenge, I don’t think it’s too late to get started, as long as you’ll have some time in the foreseeable future to get caught up. If you do pick it up - good luck to you!

Reading Davey Shafik’s recent blog post and the upcoming holiday got me to thinking about what I’m thankful for in my own life.

A while back, when I was feeling particularly stressed out, I came across this book which I treasure and continue to re-read whenever I’m feeling down. There is a lot of good advice in there for keeping things in perspective. One method in there that I’ve found useful is to keep a daily “thanks” journal. The idea is at the end of the day, you quickly jot the first 3 things that come to your mind that you are thankful for from the day. A great method of introspection - it really says a lot about what affects you and what you hold most dear. Whether you’re thankful for seeing a rainbow, getting a raise at work, or simply that the cop chose to pull over the person in front of you instead of you… whatever it is, you should write it down.

So looking back at my days, I see some common themes of things I’m very thankful for:

1) Kids and family. I don’t think a day went by when I didn’t find something funny my kids did or said that made me smile. I’m also very thankful for my husband of ten years and the great times we’ve shared. My parents also make me grateful for being around - they live 8 minutes from my house and I see them all the time. I’m so lucky to still have them with me. I was also able to visit with some distant relatives who made a surprise visit to Cincinnati this year, which I was very happy about.
2) Friends. Either from IRC, irl, OINK-PUG, or somewhere else. I’m very thankful for little things they do or say that make me smile and make the day better.
3) Opportunities. I’ve been blessed with some wonderful opportunities this year, and although I wasn’t able to take advantage of all of them, I’m still extremely grateful for them (my apologies for those employment opportunities I had to turn down because of my current situation). I’m also very blessed to have been able to attend a few PHP conferences this year and to have met in person some of the friends I only knew through IRC and email.
4) Dumb stuff. I find that I’m thankful for even dumb little stuff, which I’m not really sure why. I was thankful for shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” for giving me an hour of dark humor. I was thankful for making it to the post office on time to mail some important letters. I was thankful that the guy at the car wash honored my coupon even though it had already expired (and I’m sure they do that for everyone).
5) Blessings in disguise. I kind of broke the rule a bit because I also wrote down some things that were bothering me – but my rationale is that if you write things down, sometimes it separates them from your brain and you won’t be so bothered by them. And it’s funny - looking back on the things that bothered me made me thankful for them. I was particularly bothered when I lost the novel I’d been working on. But it worked out for the better. I was worried that our October giftsforengineers sales were slower than we projected, but it got our asses in gear and now November’s kicking ass. I was very, very, very upset when I lost my diamond engagement ring at the beach (where we went for our 10th anniversary-oh the irony) but the ring was completely insured, and my husband and I were able to go ring shopping all over again. So although I can never replace the sentimental value of the ring, my husband and I were able to share the experience again 10 years later, and I was able to get a beautiful ring which I love… not exactly “thankful” I lost that ring, but “thankful” that it was at least insured and the insurance company was wonderful to deal with.

I still get depressed, stressed out, upset and frustrated, but I think those times are fewer and far between than they have been. Things are not always great, but somehow they seem to work out for the better eventually. I really do have so much to be grateful for - next time I’m complaining, won’t somebody tell me to stfu?