tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58822222007-05-09T14:27:35.928-04:00SyaBlogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-68219521840191721772007-05-09T14:12:00.000-04:002007-05-09T14:18:29.882-04:00

Okay, Here We GoAll righty, so I checked into Script Frenzy a couple days ago to see what was up. Originally, I hadn't planned on participating--after all, what do I know about scripts? I'm still fuzzy on how to format the dang thing. But here I am again to do an outrageous writing challenge. It'll almost be like the first year Nano-ing, except without the exams.As for ideas that I have right

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1165078032279196612006-12-02T11:46:00.000-05:002006-12-03T13:11:33.786-05:00

And FinallySo, this is the last Nano post of the year. However, I'm still blogging over on my main blog which isn't about Nano, but it's a mix of links, commentary, book reviews, science articles, and memes. This blog will be reborn sometime around October 2007 at a similar address (just change the 2006 to 2007).And some final thoughts: This year's writing process has been a bit different than

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164988704147932012006-12-01T10:57:00.000-05:002006-12-01T10:58:24.220-05:00

Game Over Ah, the first of December. And you know what that means, it's the end of Nanowrimo. Congratulations are in order for everyone--whether you've finished or not. Writing 50k in a month is a big challenge, and even trying is a lot more than what most people probably do in their whole lives. Now for some participant stats. This is the percentage of winners divided up by genre. [

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164780073558275632006-11-29T01:00:00.000-05:002006-11-29T12:55:25.853-05:00

Pumping Fists In The AirNovember 28, 2006 at 8:30 PM. It's Over! Take that, you crazy 67k piece of unending drivel!Okay, so this year, I'm feeling a bit more relief than usual. This story has been hard. For some reason, it's been a pain trying to pry it out of my head and putting it into words. There have been points where I could have seriously been driven to drink, just like my main

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164754957935179262006-11-28T18:02:00.000-05:002006-11-28T18:02:37.956-05:00

The Wandering EarRight now, I'm sort of eavesdropping on some nearby students complaining about a creative writing class that they're taking. They feel so self-conscious about the whole course that they're telling each other how relieved they are that their class was canceled due to weather (it has been snowing quite hard the past couple of days).Of course, my first thought was--dang it, why

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164645800659792312006-11-27T11:42:00.000-05:002006-11-27T11:43:20.676-05:00

Dig Me Out of the Electronic GraveyardSomeone actually bothered to interview me. See my Q & A session with Sean Lindsay on Nanowrimo here.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164582770436799552006-11-26T18:12:00.000-05:002006-11-27T10:30:27.776-05:00

Still Going I passed 50k on the evening of the 24th. I just went to bed after that. Saturday was somewhat uninspiring. Today, I'm just chugging along. I have other things to do, and well, I'm really hoping I can finish before the 29th. As for the story itself, I estimate I have about 5k to go. Maybe a little more. But it still won't be the whopper I wrote last year. I just want this

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164398657665101962006-11-24T15:00:00.000-05:002006-11-26T16:50:32.880-05:00

Dang It, A MirageI just realized that there is no way this story is going to be finished by 50k. Oh, joy.**That was sarcasm, by the way.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164301817364840952006-11-23T12:07:00.000-05:002006-11-23T12:10:17.380-05:00

Like Scarlett O'Hara, Shaking Fist To SkyI'm going to get ahead on my word count today, no matter what.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164223597033647072006-11-22T14:26:00.000-05:002006-11-22T14:26:37.050-05:00

Some Links Okay, so writing has not been going well. I guess it's just something about this year that has me preoccupied with other things. Right now, I'm procrastinating by cleaning out my bookmarks. So here are some writing related links: Arin i Asolde. There's some really good advice by Limyaael for wannabe fantasy writers. Making Light. If you don't already know, this is the weblog of

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164160751758408352006-11-21T20:55:00.000-05:002006-11-21T20:59:11.786-05:00

Oh, the Time Wasted I was reading this thread in the Nanowrimo forums--I don't remember exactly which one it was, maybe it was in the Off-Topic forums--and people were discussing agents and publishing and somebody linked to something. Of course I clicked it. Then I was suddenly immersed in reading about the latest blogosphere controversy, or at least the controversy brewing in the sector

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1164046142007313812006-11-20T13:08:00.000-05:002006-11-20T13:09:02.026-05:00

Mini-RantSo I found out today that the student paper at my university has finally printed up an article about Nanowrimo. I'm sort of pissed that they interviewed someone who doesn't even live in town or have attended any of the write-ins. Shouldn't they have at least talked to the municipal liaison to get the low down on Nano? Damn journalists.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163991570475047722006-11-19T21:59:00.000-05:002006-11-19T22:00:41.470-05:00

JabberSo I went to a write-in this afternoon and I was the only one there. That was not surprising. It's Thanksgiving break and half of this college town is abandoned. I got some writing done, although I was quite annoyed with this woman who sat behind me and talked non-stop for two hours. Her companion could hardly get in a word edgewise. And when I left, she was still talking.I'm fairly

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163962629413760892006-11-19T13:55:00.000-05:002006-11-19T13:57:56.783-05:00

For Your Procrastinating PleasureToday, I've added a bunch of links to my links page. This includes online Nanowrimo novels, weblogs, LiveJournals, and other websites.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163807598659915812006-11-17T18:52:00.000-05:002006-11-18T13:56:42.460-05:00

Solution: Get A Good Editor101 Reasons to Stop Writing. Maybe a more accurate blurb would be "101 Reasons Not to Get Published." Yes, there's a lot of dreck on the bookshelves, but wouldn't some fault lie on the shoulders of the publishers and the editors who let it get past the slush pile in the first place? The writer is responsible for actually putting a crappy novel into existence, but is

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163658935973206182006-11-16T01:35:00.000-05:002006-11-16T09:09:45.486-05:00

BlahI was checking on my word count ranking for my region. It is so depressing--there are so many people with more words than me even though I'm in a region where there aren't so many people to begin with. I console myself with the fact that they are all stay-at-home mothers with teenagers who have the sense to leave them alone or are students who only have classes on Saturdays. I guess I'm

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163633592213877232006-11-15T18:32:00.000-05:002006-11-15T18:33:12.510-05:00

Characters and What I'm Actually Listening Do I have any of the following fantasy stock characters? Barbarian hero: NO Powerful wizard: NO Disguised royalty: NO Thief: NO Female warrior: NO Apprentice: NO Beautiful love interest: NO Arrogant villain: NO Precocious teen: NO Then again, I'm not writing traditional high fantasy or sword & sorcery.* * *So I haven't been listening to the music I

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163608698759521272006-11-15T11:38:00.000-05:002006-11-15T11:38:18.796-05:00

Hair PullingThis is going ridiculously slowly. Or rather, it seems that way because there's no Wham! Pow! Bam! type of action going on. There's not supposed to be any breathtaking action going on. I trying to go for the subtle, the innuendo, the atmosphere and it's driving me nuts.Remind me to do something more exciting next year.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163434896843446012006-11-13T11:20:00.000-05:002006-11-15T04:09:29.573-05:00

By PenYesterday afternoon, I went to another write-in and did almost 2,500 words in 2.5 hours, handwritten. I didn't realize that I wrote that fast. I type faster, obviously, but when I'm writing, I have to think. That slows down my typing to about 1,000 words per hour, max.To be honest, I've been having problems actually writing the story on my computer. I sit there and before you know it, I

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163353051209078982006-11-12T12:36:00.000-05:002006-11-13T11:34:02.573-05:00

Stats: Teens vs. "Geezers" Genre, by 18-year-olds Erotic Fiction: 11 (0.4%) Religious, Spiritual & New Age: 11 (0.4%) Chick Lit: 38 (1.3%) Historical: 41 (1.5%) Mystery & Suspense: 67 (2.4%) Humor & Satire: 74 (2.6%) Romance: 76 (2.7%) Horror & Thriller: 83 (2.9%) Young Adult & Youth: 152 (5.4%) Science Fiction: 183 (6.5%) Literary Fiction: 262 (9.3%) Other Genres: 319 (11.3%) Fantasy: 621 (

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163271666735288862006-11-11T14:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T14:01:06.763-05:00

A Write-In and Some Stats Last night, I went to a write-in in another state. This would sound impressive unless you include the fact that I live only a couple of miles away from the Idaho-Washington border. The write-in also occurred in a hospital. This would have been helpful if I had any characters in need of modern medical help. But I don't. I just have characters who end up dead. I got

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163176797749060202006-11-10T11:39:00.000-05:002006-11-10T11:40:34.136-05:00

Slang and Stats I really, really hate the word "charries" as slang for "characters." Maybe it's cutesy for the people who use it, but it looks like "cherries" to me. And my characters are not cherries.* * *Now, on to the genre stats for 25-year-old participants: Historical: 15 Erotic Fiction: 16 Religious, Spiritual & New Age: 17 Humor & Satire: 41 Romance: 45 Mystery & Suspense: 49 Horror &

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1163112438925272632006-11-09T17:46:00.000-05:002006-11-10T09:39:32.186-05:00

Back From The Depths I recently found The NanoMonkeys who are podcasting Nanowrimo throughout November. They dish out some really excellent advice. Oh, and their interview with Chris Baty is particularly good.* * *And I read something on the forums about Nano-ers meeting and later getting married. My first thought was: weird. I mean, good for them, but I can't see Nanowrimo meet-ups as the

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1162920001909562162006-11-07T12:11:00.000-05:002006-11-08T10:08:10.603-05:00

Overload?Gah. This is such a horrible week. I think those flat tires from yesterday totally wrenched it from possibly bad to definitely bad. And I'm really stressed with exams, a kazillion papers I have to read, and a freakin' hypothetical experiment I have to design by tomorrow because a freakin' loudmouth student (not me) had to put ideas in the prof's head.Blah, blah, blah, you might say.

Syatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5882222.post-1162848016314949082006-11-06T16:19:00.000-05:002006-11-06T16:20:16.330-05:00

ARG! (For Various Reasons)I have no idea what's up with flat tires. They're so annoying. I did not get just one flat tire but TWO. Arg. At least I got some writing done while my car was getting new tires.* * *Also here's an article bashing Nanowrimo. It's quite predictable who does it too--literary snobs are always trying to rarefy their art.My opinion on good writing is that it is dependent

Sya