Check it out. I'm a winner. I am so happy, I could cry. Actually I am. I always have the 'tone of doubt' about my accomplishments. I don't know what that is probably basic insecurity. I thought I could do this, but then there was always that big black hole of 'what if' lurking somewhere just around the corner.
Anyway...I made the word count. I finished up with 84,596 words. The novel is NOT complete. I have between nine and ten more chapters to go. Since I'm averaging about 2500 words per chapter that approximately another 25,000 words. I told you I can't shut up. When I get to the editing, we are in for some serious slash and burn. I need to come in around 90K max. Oh well,it's easier to get rid of stuff and than come up with new.
I have to say; I could not have done it without you guys. Jon Paul and his tunes. Donna and her encouragement, one of my writing buddies down here in the islands and of course the #nanotramps, particularly Lynn Rush and Kendall Grey. Then there are the bloggers Sommer, DL, Draven, AlexJ and many more. Most of you guys I didn't even know a month ago and I would not have finished out NaNo without you.Thanks.
I learned so much through this experience.It's is particularly interesting to me that the things I learned you can't get from a classroom,you can't buy them, you can't read them, you have to experience them. What an experience it has been. I have loved every minute of this crazy ride.
To any of you still cranking on those words,you can do it. There's like a whole thirty-six hours left. Right? Truthfully,the only way to lose at NaNoWriMo is to NOT start. Everyone who gets even a few thousand words is a winner of sorts.
If your a writer, if you think you might be a writer, if you want to be a writer; you have got to gear up for November 2012 and do NaNoWriMo next year.It is one strange and crazy trip, but I promise you, you won't be the same at the end of the journey. I'm not. Here's hoping that's a good thing.
All those words and I still don't know where the commas go.
I'm going to play one of my favorite songs for you. No,I did not name the books after this song, but I did name the website after it. Nice that it could coincide with my book titles.
Let me take a minute and tell you a narcissistic story about this song. There was a time that whenever I walked into this particular business establishment if Steve was working, he would play this song for me. Thank You Steve. A smart ass friend of mine said to me 'listen to the words, I don't know if that's so complimentary'. She was jealous. If a guy plays a song for you every time you walk in the place take it in a a positive manner. It's not so terrible,at least to me. If you think so, DON'T TELL ME. Let me go on in my delusions. (True story,I promise.)
I wasn't going to write a Thanksgiving,'I am thankful for' post. It's not that I'm not thankful, it's just that so many people have said so many wonderful things so much better than I could. I don't want to sound trite. I'm more into being clever. Then I came to this site and saw my last post. Yeah the one where I took my clothes off and stood in front of you all naked, because I had been such an idiot. I clicked on that song I posted - 'What are Words'
" What are words if you really don't mean them when you say them.
Say them out loud, they never go away... They live on even after we're gone."
I sincerely mean it when I say that I am thankful for every breath. I am thankful for a family that has always supported me in everything. I know that hasn't been easy.I have done and probably will continue to do some hair brained things. I am most thankful for this year 2011 to be right where I am supposed to be on the planet.
It isn't always easy. Living in paradise. I don't get to be on vacation all of the time. Some of the really cool things to do are expensive, real expensive. It's hard at the Holidays to be away from so many people that I love so much. It isn't easy to get here. There are no 'cheap seats'.
But...I am thankful to live in a place where I work with people who break my heart on a continual basis. What you say? You are thankful for a 'broken heart'. You bet. Having your heart broken means you really truly love. I am there 150%. It doesn't always feel good,but it feels like you are alive.
I work with kids, teenagers. Talk about heart break on a stick. I keep thinking, OK I can do this without getting too involved. I can help out a little and back off. After all they are their parents responsibility not mine. Yeah right. We are our brother's keeper. At least, I know I am.
Culturally things are different here. Kids are kids, but some of the things that are a natural part of the cycle handicap them for life. I won't really be able to change that in a big way, but it won't stop me from trying. When I can't, I'll love them anyway and do what I can.
I'm working furiously to finish up my NaNoWriMo Project. I guess I won at NaNo because I crossed the 50k word mark. I'm trying to finish the novel. It turned out to be about something completely different than what I thought when I started. A Writing Professor told me "if you feel strongly about your theme, you can't help but write a moving novel". In other words your WHY had better be a good one. "If your why don't make you cry it ain't good enough." Well, it does. It's inspired by these kids I work with here in the VI. Funny, I didn't know that when I started out.
"What are words if your really don't mean them when you say them."
My Daddy used to say "Put your money where your mouth is". Daddy I'm doing that right now. I love words. I am a self proclaimed 'word junkie".I am thankful for: Faith, Courage, Hope, Strength, Charity, Friends, Family, Words, and the greatest of these Love. I'm thankful that I love enough,that my heart is broken on a daily basis.
Another blogger,whom I follow posted this quote this morning. I lifted it from him. He lifted it from John Lennon.
"When I was 5 years old,my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment and I told them they didn't understand life."
Man, I'm happy and thankful. Have a great Thanksgiving. Here is a song I like. By an artist I've not necessarily been too crazy about, but I love his cover of this song by Leonard Cohen. Enjoy.
Today I'm not even self-conscious about the fact that I don't know where the commas go and I live where "thinking is optional'.
One of my favorite bloggers and a NaNoWriMo writing Buddy was looking for someone to read a new book and write a review. I like writing reviews. I offered. She asked me, "can you be honest?". Yes, I can be painfully honest.
I had an experience today that I need to be painfully honest about. Not because you need that, but because I do.
I like to make mountains out of mole hills. I'm not necessarily a drama queen. It's just that it can be silly making fun of mundane things. In order to do that you have to make them bigger than they really are. Throw in a little self deprecating humor and most people are laughing, hopefully with you, not at you. I like that.
If you know anything about me at all you know I have been consumed by NaNoWriMo this month. Basically, I've having a good time. I've met a whole group of great people who have been encouraging/supportive/partners in crime. Last Thursday I passed the 50k word mark and was feeling pretty good about myself. Even with all of those words I'm a little less than two thirds through the novel. Now, I'm going to have to stretch to finish by the end of the month. Heck, I can do this, right?
Everything I write starts out with a tight outline and after about 10k words it has a mind of it's own. I throw that outline away and work off a mini outline of about the next half dozen scenes, because I really have no idea where we're going. OK, I got to the hard part, I had to write some serious scenes, that were breaking my heart. Add to that a week or so of sleep deprivation and I was pretty fried.
After a pretty good day, Sunday, I went into the NaNo site to update my word count and something happened. My count was completely wiped clean and a 0 word count was posted. I could not get it to update, absolutely nothing was happening. That big fat 0 just kept staring at me from the word count box. I was beside myself. I sent the NaNo people an email and looked in the forums to find that this had happened to a few other people. That did not help one bit. I was getting frantic. I went to bed and slept for a few hours, woke up and was frantic all over again. Got up around 3AM, messed with the site again and started to write.
In an effort to make myself feel better, I started complaining to any one who would listen. It didn't help. I wrote some more. I ended up putting in almost 4k words today and some of it was more of the 'hard stuff'. The good news is, I think it was really good 'hard stuff' and I'm past that. I vowed that I wasn't going back to the NaNo site until I got an email telling me the problem was fixed and I could go update my word count. I felt like such a loser looking at that big fat 0. I broke that vow in about fifteen minutes.
This time at the NaNo site, I tried to update my word count and it worked. It took my number and updated. I was so happy, I cried. Even amid all that relief, I felt pretty pitiful. This was not me making a mountain out of a mole hill. I was really that worked up.
Ready to be back to my old self. I went to check my social media. When I open my twitter account, right there on top is my friend Donna Weaver. Donna keeps me honest. She comments on my blog and reminds me who I am. Donna's tweet says "sniff" and is a link to a YouTube. I'll post it here for you.
Here I am, my clothes are off I'M COMPLETELY NAKED. I'm also totally embarrassed. Not because I'm naked, because I'm an idiot.
You all probably know all about this guy. I spent years living where there was no TV. Now we have 'Basic Cable'. I pay $20/month through the summer to know where the hurricanes are and if their going to get us. I have absolutely no TV habit and don't watch. I don't really know "American Idol" from "Dancing with the Stars" other than what I hear about on Social Media. I did a little research to know the rest of the story. OK,now I'm crying and these are worthwhile tears.
There are things in life that are inconvenience and there are things that are tragedy. My NaNo mishap, which by the way, I find I may have caused myself, was inconvenience, to say the least. Are you kidding me? This story in the video, is tragedy. Today I took my inconvenience and was trying to turn it into tragedy. The guy in this video is taking tragedy and turning it into a miracle. He is building character and becoming a better person. I want to be him and not me.
I can make all kind of excuses for myself, lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of good judgment. I live by the motto "there is no excuse for bad behavior". Actually, that's just one of my many. Today, I exhibited BAD BEHAVIOR. That's why I'm writing this post and standing here naked. I don't want sympathy. I want to remember and not do this again. I never forget taking my clothes off in public.
Thank you Donna. I'm sure you didn't even know it but you rescued me from myself again. If you don't know Donna,go visit her at http://www.weavingataleortwo.blogspot.com she is a great lady. I like her.
I still don't know where the commas go and tomorrow I promise to be back to a place where 'thinking is optional'.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Check this out somebody gave me a 'blog award'. I see these all the time ON OTHER PEOPLES BLOGS. It is so special to get one. A thousand thank yous to Jon Paul over at http://skymeetsground.blogspot.com
Jon has been doing a cool thing during NaNoWriMo he posts a 'musical selection' of the day. Of course,those selections pertain to what he's writing/going through/NaNo for that day, but it's amazing how many of them relate to so many of us.
I have a little procrastination ritual every morning when I 'boot up' ( I bet nobody says that anymore), I visit my sites and see what everybody else is saying. Check out the evil faceBook and twitter. Sometimes I have to really gear up and spend some time on my favorite 'time suck' youtube.
Anyway...I'm way out here in the Atlantic Time Zone, those of you in the states are anywhere from one to four hours behind me. Since I lived in the West for so long, many of my friends are out there. I'm starting between 6 ~ 7 am and it's between 3 ~ 4 for you guys. Jon is six hours ahead of me, so his posts come up before anybody else.
I hope he keeps those tunes coming because they keep me going.
We're supposed to pass this award on to fifteen people. You get the pleasure of checking out their blog. You won't be disappointed. So many of these people have supported my 'crazies' during this month of NaNoWriMo they deserve not only the 'Lovely Blog Award' but also the 'Lovely People Award'.
Go see what they have to say,leave a comment and follow,follow, follow. They each then pass this 'Lovely Award' on to fifteen more people/blogs. Go ahead make someones day. It certainly did mine. Don't forget to follow Jon also. Check out his groovy tunes.
Keyboard just went nuts with the 'link' thing. So that's it for tonight. I really do have five more people. I''ll try again tomorrow. It's late. I'm tired. I'm cyber-challenged. What more do I need to say.
These people are relatively new followers of mine. They are a lot of fun. check 'em out and follow, follow, follow.
I just gotta try to post another howling song. Love this. Makes me want to drive fast. Not much chance for that on an island that is 26 miles by 7 miles.
All you lovely people. I'm Howlin' for You.
Remember I live where the commas don't and 'thinking is optional'.
Today is my thirteenth post on this blog YIKES! Actually I'm telling myself it isn't because I've had some extra posts in there, but I'm not looking back to see for sure, because I am so superstitious it's scary.
I have a morning procrastination ritual before I log in to write. A series of blog posts I visit, twitter, face book, things like that. Of course, since I'm in the Atlantic Time Zone and many of these sites are from the States, nobody is up and posting when I start. No matter, I check out their space anyway and comment my fool head off. Most days, I can't shut up.
Today some body posted about superstition. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I have been so wrapped up in my writing that I have not been thinking about all the 'bad luck' floating around out there. I mean I never take a Fifty Dollar Bill if I can help it, knock wood and throw salt. Never say how good you are doing and don't put your fondest desires out there. Never, never say what you really want, out loud.
I started backing up my WIP fifty different way and even making a hard copy. Yeah, I'm superstitious and a little bit crazy. My husband fondly refers to me as the Gypsy Queen. Whew, I'm glad I got that out of my system. This is not what I wanted to talk about today.
Today,I want to talk about NaNoWriMo.When I first told my husband I wanted to do this. He thought I was crazy. OK, he thought I was more crazy than usual. He asked Why? I told him it was like running a Marathon. You do it so you can say that you did. At least, I think that's why you run a Marathon. I'm not a runner. Hello, look around you. I'm a water person. I can tread water forever and even swim quite a ways, if I vary my stroke and my shoulder holds out.
Well, today I crossed a finish line of sorts. NaNoWriMo is about writing 50k words in the form of a novel in thirty days (the month of November). Today I finished up at 52,673 words. When I say finished up, that's in finished up for the day. The novel is far from done. It will probably end up around 85 - 90k words, so we're looking at another 30 - 40k words. Like I said earlier,I can't seem to shut up.
Anyway...I have a new goal. I want to try to finish up the novel by the 30th of November. I think I can do it or at least come close. Let's put it this way; I'm gonna try.
I do want to say that I've changed my mind about that Marathon thing. NaNoWriMo is something different. I'm not sure what, but I've become involved with a community of superb people. All of them writers, all a little nuts. All of them encouraging, uplifting and caring about each other. The comments and posts I've read about NaNoWriMo have helped me tremendously (ah, come on,this is my one place where I don't spare the adverbs) picked me up when I was down and gave me the courage/drive/persistence to get to the 50k+ point in my WIP. You all have helped me kill or at least silence the Vampires that live in my head.
I like to be clever. In my bios I say I'm a 'word junkie', it's true. I never met a word I didn't like (well,maybe a few) and I like nothing better than the sound of my own voice. Don't let me near an open mike or a blank piece of paper. I live for the applesauce (applause or feedback or comments). Add to that a NaNoWriMo Junkie. I can't imagine not coming back. I'm only half way through and I'm half way crazy in love with the concept. Imagine what I'll be like at the end of the month.
To all you NaNoWriMo Junkies out there. Keep up the good fight. You can do it. You are doing it. It is awesome. You are awesome. Thank you for sharing with me.
Today I found Florence. She helped me write a very difficult scene. Thank you Florence. Enjoy.
OK,I admit it I like to Howl!
Almost forgot the QOD's
11/16 Being dead is complicated.
11/17 What is she doing? Where is she going? And, what is he doing here, on my ranch,following her?
Almost forgot something else IMPORTANT.
I've been hearing a lot of good things about the book Variant by Robin Wells. I want to read it.You should too. I really want to read it for free. My friend Donna is giving away a free copy. Go here http://weavingataleortwo.blogspot.com do what Donna tells you and you could win Variant. Go on.You know you want to.While you're there, follow Donna, she funny,interesting and will share lots of good things with you. I like her.
Not really in the mood today. Not feeling very clever. You definitely don't want to read me when I'm not even feeling clever.
This will just be a NaNoWriMO update post.
Total word count 42,309 (4,647 words today)
It's going good. The story is shaping up nicely and I hope the plot is coming along. Here are the quotes of the days;
11/11 Every time they open the earth in this place I feel it, especially in the winter.
11/12 She's wearing one of those little t-shirts with the skinny straps and nothing else. I could be seriously distracted by that, until I see the bruises on her arms.
11/13 DAY OFF
11/14 If we don't bury him, maybe he won't really be gone.
11/15 I still need someone to tie this damn noose and I have got to get my wallet.
Everyone is crazy busy with NaNoWriMo,so the blogs are a little slow. Do you want to know how I'm doing with NaNo check out http://babsinparadise.blogspot.com to see just how busy crazy I've been.
Here's a fun little diversion,sent to me by a good friend Donna Weaver from http://weavingataleortwo.blogspot.com I'm not sure if Donna found me or I found her, but since that time she has introduced me to some wonderful people. Apparently, she would also like to introduce me to you. Last night she sent me this:
TAG
If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be? Interesting that this moment is similar to the one Donna posted. Although I was twice her age at the time and should have known better.
My mother died three days after I got married. In actuality, she died a few days before I got married, but my father had her resuscitated and put on life support. Momma had been sick for a long time. This was my second marriage. We were getting married just outside the Colorado Ski Town where we lived. My folks were supposed to fly in the day before. Daddy made some excuse about the doctors not wanting Momma to fly and never told me how ill she was.
We left on a cross country honeymoon the next day that was supposed to end in Southern California where friends of ours were taking my four old daughter. We would wind up the trip by taking her to Disneyland and then coming on home. That first day of our honeymoon, after we had left town and our friends left for CA with my daughter, Daddy told me Momma was in bad shape and I should come home. He still did not give me all the gory details, but he did tell me to come home.
My new husband didn't really know my parents. Daddy did not like him. He wanted to go on and get our daughter, ultimately the decision was mine and I choose not to return to Chicago right away.
This was before I had a cellphone,so every night when we would stop to camp I would call Daddy and see how Momma was doing. Daddy must have been pretty disgusted with me because his reports where pretty clinical. When we stopped in Telluride, Colorado we met up with some friends. I found a pay phone in the back of a bar and called. Daddy told me everything then. He also told me that Momma had died that day. I went back into the bar and got so drunk, I don't remember anything after that. I woke up the next morning in our little tent.
I asked Daddy to fly me back to Chicago, so my husband could go to CA and get my daughter. We didn't have enough money and no credit cards. Daddy said no. He would wait three days to bury Momma and if I wasn't there he would do it without me. We broke camp and drove straight through, taking turns driving, from Telluride, Colorado to Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois. We pulled up in front of the Mortuary with about ten minutes to spare.
I have made peace with myself over this extreme error in judgement. I have every confidence I will see my mother again. I also have every confidence she loved me then and still loves me. I believe she has forgiven my neglect. But, you better believe if I could relive that moment, when I made such a poor choice; I WOULD DO IT.
What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality? When I read this, I immediately went to my husband for suggestions. His answer; "I'm not going to touch that with a ten foot pole. But you know me, I wouldn't let it rest. Finally he says OK the first person who came to mind was Shirley MacLaine in 'Terms of Endearment'. My response: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Husband(who BTY is the master of the 'great save') says or maybe Molly Wesley,or Scarlett O'Hara because you're FORMIDABLE.
OK, I could see he was going to be no help. Trying to be honest and remembering the post I had just put upon my other blog (see first paragraph) I thought, this is probably who I resemble most in personality:
After all I never met a Tea Party I didn't like, I can't solve a riddle to save my life, and I don't mind if you call me crazy.
If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would you choose? When I first read this, I didn't imagine that this would be such a tough question for me.(Maybe it's the having to choose only one- but seriously) I can't think of anyone. I suppose I could lump all the persons who ever have or ever will hurt those I love, into one, and say THEM. I'm getting better at brushing personal 'hurts' aside, but when you hurt one of mine; look out.
Name one habit you want to change with yourself? My inability to take NO for an answer. When I was growing up Daddy told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be and that I didn't have to take NO for an answer (from everybody but him, of course). Most times that's sound, but there are those times when NO is the answer and we have to exercise wisdom and patience to see it. Unfortunately, I get a lot of practice with this.
Why do you blog? (Answer in one sentence - Are You Kidding Me?) Blog one started as my Journal of our big move, blog two started to promote my writing, in the end, I find the real reason is that I can't shut up.
Thank you Donna for the opportunity to stand here naked.
Who else wants a turn?
I think I would like to tag three of my newer followers:
Hey everybody, how are ya doin'. I'm exhausted. I went to be around 2am and still could not sleep. (I hate it when blogger will not recognize contractions) Got up fairly early and started back in on the 'project that haunts me'. This would be my NaNoWriMo project. It's taking on a life of it's own and writing the story for me. That should be a good thing. Right? Well,I'm not so sure.
I'm over 30k word into this thing and I feel like somebody else is writing it. Is anyone else experiencing this. Maybe it a NaNo phenomena. This is my first time, so I really don't know what to expect. I like my characters too much. I'm having a hard time doing terrible things to them, but if I don't where is the tension? Nobody wants to see the nice guy win? or do they? I'm not sure anymore.
From some of the blogs that I follow I see NaNo taking it's toll on a lot of people. When I first decided to do this my husband was appalled.(That happens a lot, with things I want to do. Don't get me wrong, he always let's me, encourages me even, but he's appalled a lot.) He wanted to know why? I told him it was like running a Marathon (like I have any idea what that is). Primarily, it's to know you did it. Now it's changed. I really want to tell this story. I'm addicted, attached, committed, in over my head. Please tell me it's not just me.
Before I go completely off the deep end here are the quotes from the last two days.
11/9 - If this is what a thirty percent chance of survival looks like I can't imagine twenty or ten.
11/10 - This morning I have a whole new respect for folks needing their friends to grieve with them.
Yeah, I've been busy.
I'm done for tonight. I have got to get some sleep. Let me know what you think. I'm enjoying this music thing,so let me post another song that relates to my NaNo project. Again one of my favorite artists. Ray LaMontagne. "Hold You in My Arms". ENJOY!
Tonight I'm so fried, who knows where the commas live.
Good Morning to you all. Last night I was checking in on this blog and I noticed a few new 'followers". To them and to all of you I want to say welcome and Thank You.
I'm having one of those days when I'm feeling very unloved, undeserved, untalented, or in other words totally insecure. Not sure why. Maybe it's all of the sad songs on my playlist. Maybe it's because I'm at a turning point in my Nano project where I'm about to pull the rug out from under my MC. Whatever the reason, today, I need all the love and adoration that I can get. Like I don't always. I don't want to whine and moan here anymore than necessary. Please leave hugs and I'll get through.
One of the blogs that I follow, of another writer who is also participating in Nano, is doing a Quote Of the Day. I've been picking quotes out of my story and posting them there. I'll give you the four I've posted so far,and you can let me know what you think. Of course,I have intentionally picked quotes that are a little shocking and misleading (not ready to give too much away).
QOD 11/3 Folks say Cat Baker, Sandra's grand-daddy, all but stole the place, and he got the bad luck for free.
QOD 11/4 But the place where her face should be is a mass of blood, bone, and guts.
QOD 11/7 As an afterthought I take Daniel's sweatshirt off and toss it back to him. "She'll smell you on this. Better if I leave it."
QOD 11/8 I think he meant it to make me look like his whore.
That's it so far. I know there have been more days than this, but those are the days the blog called for QOD's. They are all from the writing of that particular day,so they come in chronological order. That was kind of fun. Let me know what you think.I'll keep picking them out of my current days writing and post them here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I get some comments, that is.
So far the Nano project is coming along nicely. I'm currently at 24,024 words in only 8 days. I hope I can keep up the pace. I really want to finish this novel in the month of November. We'll see what happens.
I also learned how to post YouTube songs on the blog. So, here is one of my favorites from one of my favorite artists. It is on my playlist for this novel BIG TIME.
See you back here on Thursday, at my favorite spot where the commas don't live.
OK, I said I would try to tell a story right here today, but I don't think that is going to happen. I am consumed with NaNoWriMo. I put in about 4500 words today. And wrote some really hard stuff. Hard stuff for me anyway.
I have been having a great time with the blog posts. I was really getting into it and going strong,but this is what I really want to do - write novels - tell stories. The one I'm working on may be my best yet. I am so excited.
Please don't give up on me. Keep checking in. I might even post and except or two, but for tonight I have got to get some sleep.
Whatever it is in life that you want GO FOR IT. May every one of your righteous desires come true!
I'm such a loner that it doesn't occur to me to look for support. Looking or not it seems to come. You know that old saying about "mad dogs and Englishmen, most days I'm both. What I'm trying to say is that so many of you take such good care of me, even though I don't have the good sense to ask for help.
I write goofy things on this blog (Just Another Day in Paradise), of course, it's like my Journal, so what ever is in my head that day shows up here. That's not always good. This would be the reason I started the Far Away Series Blog (actually THIS blog) where I try to sound a little more sane and promote my writing. At either site it feels good to write and write I do. Often I post something and think; 'oh, this will really mean something to so and so', I can't wait to see what they comment. Well, most often so and so never comments, but someone completely off the wall will say the sweetest thing or be touched by something I've said. That's what makes it worthwhile. That's why I write.
I stated in an earlier post how we all live for the applesauce (applause - old theater joke), those comments are the applause, whether good, bad or indifferent ( BTW - there is no such thing as an indifferent comment, if you cared enough to say it, you cared enough). Keep them coming. They keep us alive. They keep us in touch with each other and with our own reality.
I am such a loner that sometimes I don't even recognize that I am outcast. No matter. If I do not know it, I am not it. If you do not tell me that you love me. I will not know it.
I was speaking to a friend from Idaho last night who is still astounded to hear I have written two novels and am working on a third in this month of November. Ahh, the things we assume we know about someone, but forgot to ask. My husband says that I like nothing better than the sound of my own voice. While I do love that sound, I like even better the sound of your voice telling me about mine.
NaNoWri Mo is working out good for me so far. I have to keep reining in the muse,it likes to get ahead of me (Bird by Bird, I keep reminding myself). It's important to tell the whole story, in the right order. I know what's in my head, but you don't. Well, maybe some days even I don't.
When the insecurities get too big, scary, dark, overwhelming, nerve wracking, about to gobble you up, get yourself in some water. That what's I do. I know it sounds crazy, but it works. If you are lucky enough to live at the beach, salt water is my favorite. If you have a pool nearby, go there. If nothing else take a shower or bath. Let that velvet flow of water wash over you and rinse all the scary stuff away. Your muse will thank you. You will thank you. Try it, you'll like it.
OK, I admit maybe this is the craziest advice you will find in any blog on this support group, but it's practical advice, something everyone can do. You don't need to wrap your head around it, just wrap some water around yourself.
OK,maybe I'm more than a little crazy. Remember I live where the commas don't and thinking is optional.
Thinking is so optional today I posted this on: http://babsinparadise.blogspot.com and later realized that I signed up for the Support Group with this site. Sooooo, same post both sites today. What can I say, I'm blond and cyber-challenged.
Today was day one of National Novel Writing Month. I managed to put in 4632 words and four chapters. Yeah! I think I can do this. The story is coming together better than I had thought. I like to write in First Person and although I'm still doing that, I'm trying something different this time. I think it's working. I have also found that I can write a sixteen year old boy, a pretty raunchy one at that. Let's not even go there to think about what that might mean.
Thinking a lot today about the things we hear. More than once I've been involved in one of those 'shoot themessenger' situations. It ain't always the messengers fault, because sometimes no matter what the message, we hear what we want to hear not what is being said.
Remember no edits at this site ' commas are optional'. Good Luck to any of you fellow NaNo's who might read this. May your muse ever be bright or dark as the case may be. I'll try real hard to tell you a story on Thursday.
