I've done it! I've finished! No more NaNoWriMo (at least not for this year)!!!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Nearly there!
I have just under 5,000 words to go on my NaNoWriMo challenge. I had a look through the winners' list yesterday, and saw that someone on there had already written 200,000 words. In one month. If there were ever the chance to write mindless drivel, that surely had to be it; that represents an average of just over 7,500 words a day. I wonder whether they really wrote all those words, or whether they cheated? Personally, I've found it difficult enough to write what I have, although I have only averaged an hour and a quarter's writing each day on this project.
Anyway.... I'd better get back to it. Procrastinating may be my forte, but it's not helping!
Anyway.... I'd better get back to it. Procrastinating may be my forte, but it's not helping!
Monday, November 20, 2006
NaNoWriMo... What NaNoWriMo?
I was really hoping to catch up on my word count today, but a lot of things intervened.
The afternoon and evening were almost entirely taken up with looking up electonrics components and finding out how things worked, then troubleshooting the circuit boards in our RC tank. We are now close to the problem, having found the point at which no power passes. The capacitor where everything stops doesn't appear to be damaged in any way, however, and neither does the board. I wish I understood this stuff.
Anyway, other than about 300 words last night, just after the midnight cut-off for word count from the 19th, I haven't added a bean today. I have a lot of catching up to do this week. I just hope that I make it!
The afternoon and evening were almost entirely taken up with looking up electonrics components and finding out how things worked, then troubleshooting the circuit boards in our RC tank. We are now close to the problem, having found the point at which no power passes. The capacitor where everything stops doesn't appear to be damaged in any way, however, and neither does the board. I wish I understood this stuff.
Anyway, other than about 300 words last night, just after the midnight cut-off for word count from the 19th, I haven't added a bean today. I have a lot of catching up to do this week. I just hope that I make it!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 19
I've been ill on and off, so have struggled to keep up with the NaNo word limit, but am clawing back my word count today, hoping to be on track again tomorrow. For a moment I thought I wouldn't make it! So long as I can continue to feel OK, then I'll finish with my 50k words behind me. Now that I'm at the 30k mark, it would be silly not to.
We got a second-hand radio-controlled tank, but unfortunately, after a wheel accident (now repaired to be stronger than it was in the first place, lest the same thing happen again), the tank refuses to work at all. All of a sudden, the electronics have died. So far, I can't identify any loose components, and am hoping that the installed speaker which delivers the speed-linked engine noises (ie, when stationary, the tank idles, and when one or other track is in motion, the requisite noise is produced)... yes, anyway, that the installed speaker has caused magnetic problems with a circuit nearby (the speaker was not screwed down and lay on top of a board). I'm going to take the board out tomorrow and see whether there is any visible damage underneath. I don't even have a multimeter to test the circuit, and neither does anyone I know, so I have to get one of those before I move on, too. Then, if it's nothing simple, I have to learn a lot about electronics before coming back to it. I need to, anyway, as the plan is to mod the tank once we understand the basics, adding gun elevation, firing gun and so forth.
That's it from me for now. Not sure when I can get back, as I shall be so busy catching up on the last thousand or so NaNoWriMo words in order to get back on track!
We got a second-hand radio-controlled tank, but unfortunately, after a wheel accident (now repaired to be stronger than it was in the first place, lest the same thing happen again), the tank refuses to work at all. All of a sudden, the electronics have died. So far, I can't identify any loose components, and am hoping that the installed speaker which delivers the speed-linked engine noises (ie, when stationary, the tank idles, and when one or other track is in motion, the requisite noise is produced)... yes, anyway, that the installed speaker has caused magnetic problems with a circuit nearby (the speaker was not screwed down and lay on top of a board). I'm going to take the board out tomorrow and see whether there is any visible damage underneath. I don't even have a multimeter to test the circuit, and neither does anyone I know, so I have to get one of those before I move on, too. Then, if it's nothing simple, I have to learn a lot about electronics before coming back to it. I need to, anyway, as the plan is to mod the tank once we understand the basics, adding gun elevation, firing gun and so forth.
That's it from me for now. Not sure when I can get back, as I shall be so busy catching up on the last thousand or so NaNoWriMo words in order to get back on track!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 11
Ok, started kind of late today (11.10 p.m.) and didn't quite make the word limit, but still ahead, so that's OK. I thought it would be difficult, having left it until I was past my thinking best, but it seemed to work out rather well (perhaps thinking is bad for me, after all). I should be writing 1667 words per day on average, and clocked in today with 1417 today. I can't imagine how that happened in 50 minutes, especially given that I did some aimless Internet surfing too. Mind you, that's a typing speed of only 28 words per minute, so it's not so great. I must have spent whole seconds thinking, here and there. Of course, the quality of the words is not under scrutiny here; if it were, I would have spent a couple of days on the same number of words!
I installed the 'War Chiefs' expansion to Age of Empires III on my husband's computer this evening, and he's playing away merrily colonising the World. It's probably because we watched a programme on TV about the world's most recent dictators and their truly awful taste in interior design, earlier, not that interior design plays any part in AoE III, or any AoE, come to that. Mind you, it would be interesting to play a kind of Sims game with global domination possibilities. Perhaps I should market this idea?
I installed the 'War Chiefs' expansion to Age of Empires III on my husband's computer this evening, and he's playing away merrily colonising the World. It's probably because we watched a programme on TV about the world's most recent dictators and their truly awful taste in interior design, earlier, not that interior design plays any part in AoE III, or any AoE, come to that. Mind you, it would be interesting to play a kind of Sims game with global domination possibilities. Perhaps I should market this idea?
Friday, November 10, 2006
NaNoWriMo Days 9 and 10
So... well... Day 9 didn't really happen for me. I have a little chart courtesy of a fellow Open University A215 survivor (who got it from someone on NaNoWriMo a few years ago); on that chart, there is a column for you to fill in your daily mood rating and notes that may be useful later (when?), along with your word count. My mood rating for yesterday was somewhere around a 3 (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the worst). I've managed to complete my word count on the '4' days, but definitely couldn't do it yesterday. However, the good news is that I had done well over twice the word count the day before, and nearly twice the word count today, so I've definitely made up for the lapses.
Today was not at all difficult in story terms. I described a particular character in more depth and gave her a home life. I didn't look over anything that I had already written, working on a different computer. I really think that made it easier to get into today. It probably also helped that I had taken a day off writing. Either way, I made it to well over two thousand words in an hour and a half, and my 'inner editor' was truly ground into the dirt. I'm hoping not to see her again until December 1st.
The days are very grey now, and it grows dark depressingly early. This is definitely not helping my mood, but it's far too early for this to be happening; normally I'm fairly safe until the beginning of January.
We had steaks for dinner and they weren't horrible! (This is a miracle, as we're talking about Tesco's value British beef here, which is dyed in order to make it look more appetizing than it really is). They didn't have that nasty metallic tang that British beef usually has, actually tasting, well, beefy! We accompanied it with pasta shells in lieu of Spaetzle with Rahmsoße over everything. It was delicious, to the extent that, naturally, I ate too much of it and made my stomach regret the onslaught. Still, for once, it was worth it.
Today was not at all difficult in story terms. I described a particular character in more depth and gave her a home life. I didn't look over anything that I had already written, working on a different computer. I really think that made it easier to get into today. It probably also helped that I had taken a day off writing. Either way, I made it to well over two thousand words in an hour and a half, and my 'inner editor' was truly ground into the dirt. I'm hoping not to see her again until December 1st.
The days are very grey now, and it grows dark depressingly early. This is definitely not helping my mood, but it's far too early for this to be happening; normally I'm fairly safe until the beginning of January.
We had steaks for dinner and they weren't horrible! (This is a miracle, as we're talking about Tesco's value British beef here, which is dyed in order to make it look more appetizing than it really is). They didn't have that nasty metallic tang that British beef usually has, actually tasting, well, beefy! We accompanied it with pasta shells in lieu of Spaetzle with Rahmsoße over everything. It was delicious, to the extent that, naturally, I ate too much of it and made my stomach regret the onslaught. Still, for once, it was worth it.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 8 - Aaargh!
Today is odd. On the one hand I feel as though the story is coming together a lot better now. Nought to novel (OK, novel outline) in a week isn't so bad. On the other hand, I had a telephone interview for another tutoring job today and felt like a total, blithering idiot by the end of it. There is no hardship if I don't get this job, but it's an easy one, and was an easy interview, really, I just didn't anticipate the questions well enough and floundered right at the end when I should have been sewing the whole thing up nicely and exchanging pleasantries. What a bummer.
OK... haven't got my word count today yet, and seem to have ended up leaving it until late in the evening every day.... got to get back to it. Felt good, now I don't. *sigh*
... time passes ...
Right, that's better, I've reached my word count and beyond. I managed a couple of thousand words on the story alongside a couple of thousand of text chat words which were about the story, plot development and a number of jokes and scenarios to include in the story, so I've also pasted in some stuff in my notes section. I thought that this was cheating when I began this a week ago, but have just realised that I am skipping over lots of valuable dialogue and discussion of the story this way, when I could actually take the material on board. It's certainly ironed out a few problems this evening. I definitely won't have a proper or complete story by the end of this month, but I feel a lot more certain that I will have met the word limit and fleshed out the makings of a good story (with my own words, written during the course of the month - no cheating there!)
The past eight days have already taught me some interesting things about the writing process which A215 certainly did not do. It isn't as difficult as I had imagined to leave the 'inner editor' behind, although in the past I have never edited that much. However, my approach has always been to think a lot about what I am going to write, and then to write it, pretty much as I want it to be. I couldn't get to grips with the freewriting method in A215, even though freewriting in itself does not seem to present too many problems. Freewriting on an industrial scale is a lot more challenging, but also a lot more beneficial, from my perspective.
I hope that I can motivate myself to do this every year!
OK... haven't got my word count today yet, and seem to have ended up leaving it until late in the evening every day.... got to get back to it. Felt good, now I don't. *sigh*
... time passes ...
Right, that's better, I've reached my word count and beyond. I managed a couple of thousand words on the story alongside a couple of thousand of text chat words which were about the story, plot development and a number of jokes and scenarios to include in the story, so I've also pasted in some stuff in my notes section. I thought that this was cheating when I began this a week ago, but have just realised that I am skipping over lots of valuable dialogue and discussion of the story this way, when I could actually take the material on board. It's certainly ironed out a few problems this evening. I definitely won't have a proper or complete story by the end of this month, but I feel a lot more certain that I will have met the word limit and fleshed out the makings of a good story (with my own words, written during the course of the month - no cheating there!)
The past eight days have already taught me some interesting things about the writing process which A215 certainly did not do. It isn't as difficult as I had imagined to leave the 'inner editor' behind, although in the past I have never edited that much. However, my approach has always been to think a lot about what I am going to write, and then to write it, pretty much as I want it to be. I couldn't get to grips with the freewriting method in A215, even though freewriting in itself does not seem to present too many problems. Freewriting on an industrial scale is a lot more challenging, but also a lot more beneficial, from my perspective.
I hope that I can motivate myself to do this every year!
NaNoWriMo Day 7
Didn't make the word count today, although it wasn't a disaster, as I had bit up a very small buffer. Must do better tomorrow! I didn't start until the day was almost over, which probably didn't help. Tomorrow I have a telephone interview late in the morning, so as I will need to be alert for it, I will try to get some of my word count out of the way beforehand. I began one of the scenes which needed some thought today, but there ended up with too little time to devote to it. I'm too tired, anyway.
Monday, November 06, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 6
It wasn't working at all well at first, but then I decided that one of my characters (probably the main one) would be a supply-teacher. It's such a crap job that there is plenty to say about it. Every time I run out of things to say, I can always go back to her and have her do another crap day at school. I really need her to be doing something ele, as I dont' particularl want to think about schools, but at least it will help me to get through some of my word count.
My plan for tomorrow is to move onto something more interesting, although it seems unlikely that I'll find anything at the rate I'm going. I suppose that it is helping me to find things that I would rather write about, though, even if it is too late for that this time around.
My plan for tomorrow is to move onto something more interesting, although it seems unlikely that I'll find anything at the rate I'm going. I suppose that it is helping me to find things that I would rather write about, though, even if it is too late for that this time around.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 5
I slept for a large portion of today, but it was worthwhile. I have a bad case of Sneezer's Ribs, but the cold has pretty much dried up. The remaining swelling from my tooth abscess hardly hurts at all and, despite a distinct feeling of muzziness (probably not aided by sleeping too much), I feel much better and can think more clearly again. Hurray!
My novel has crept along a bit further without too much pain. I was chatting to a friend on Skype today and went through a rough plot synopsis of how the plot is panning out and how it will hopefully progress; it was very, very basic, but probably the most detailed of all of my thoughts so far, so I have added it to the beginning of the novel in the accepted (from the NaNo word count perspective) form of 'Writer's Notes'. It's all new and novel-related, after all. I suppose if I get desperate, I can add my ever-increasing scene list (ie contents) and character outline sheet in the form of additional 'Writer's Notes'. Actually, now that I come to think of it, it's highly likely that I will be this desperate.
Anyway, I've also added a new scene as well as continuing with a previous one, so I feel that I have accomplished something. I'm not really in the mood for it at the moment, but I think that it is important to try to keep up. It's definitely easier today, though, so I think that the last few days have really suffered whilst I was feeling unwell.
Having reached my word limit for the day, I'm off to play games for a while.
My novel has crept along a bit further without too much pain. I was chatting to a friend on Skype today and went through a rough plot synopsis of how the plot is panning out and how it will hopefully progress; it was very, very basic, but probably the most detailed of all of my thoughts so far, so I have added it to the beginning of the novel in the accepted (from the NaNo word count perspective) form of 'Writer's Notes'. It's all new and novel-related, after all. I suppose if I get desperate, I can add my ever-increasing scene list (ie contents) and character outline sheet in the form of additional 'Writer's Notes'. Actually, now that I come to think of it, it's highly likely that I will be this desperate.
Anyway, I've also added a new scene as well as continuing with a previous one, so I feel that I have accomplished something. I'm not really in the mood for it at the moment, but I think that it is important to try to keep up. It's definitely easier today, though, so I think that the last few days have really suffered whilst I was feeling unwell.
Having reached my word limit for the day, I'm off to play games for a while.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 4
Well, it's been a busy day, but not writing, unfortunately for my NanoNovel. I added a paltry few words this evening, but also managed to see a good many fireworks. My word allowance will still be waiting for me tomorrow, but the fireworks won't be.
We went to a public display, but didn't pay to go in. Instead, we pressed our nose to the chainlink fence along with the rest of the undeserving poor; who would pay £4 a head for their feeble display? Well, actually, quite a few people. We returned to see that our neighbours in the field had a bonfire blazing and a good deal of alcohol flowing, as well as an exceedingly large stack of fireworks laid by ready to keep the neighbourhood awake. Tosh went off to get fish and chips for his tea, but I went over to the field to enjoy the show. We had already taken a bottle of wine over with a card for Eva, who will be sixty-something tomorrow. We arranged for the possibility of her feeding out cats over Christmas, too, as Ryanair's flights to Friedrichshafen have suddenly plummeted in cost for the Festive Season, and we are now booked for a (hopefully) white Christmas in Bavaria.
The only reason I made it to today's NaNo word count was because I also included excerpts from the blog (which spell check wants to change to 'bog') as it fits a key character. Some other day, I'll work around the blog bits and make them fit properly, but for now, I had to bung in stuff from the last four days before I forgot it. My key character has plenty of aspects of me for convenience, so that I don't have to make up too much stuff - I'm far too busy making up everyone else for that! My actual life is nothing like hers, but we are currently 'enjoying' shared dental experiences and I've just given her a stinking cold for good measure. Some of my other characters have already started running the show, which is very naughty of them, but at least it means I don't have to think of anything for them to do. One or two completely new bods wandered in whilst I was busy elsewhere, but I certainly didn't invite them. They don't seem to want to go away, though, so I suppose they can stay, if they keep themselves in enough trouble to be interesting.
Right, well, I'm very tired, having enjoyed a spot of Beirut in Clacton for the evening (and I caught that cold from my character, curses on her), so I'm off to bed. The cold hasn't helped my NaNoWriMo word allowance on either, so thank goodness for a dull four days' worth of blog, as although the ideas are there, I can't type for long without having a teeth-crushing sneezing fit. I expect it will go tomorrow, and I will be able to type for England.
Night night!
We went to a public display, but didn't pay to go in. Instead, we pressed our nose to the chainlink fence along with the rest of the undeserving poor; who would pay £4 a head for their feeble display? Well, actually, quite a few people. We returned to see that our neighbours in the field had a bonfire blazing and a good deal of alcohol flowing, as well as an exceedingly large stack of fireworks laid by ready to keep the neighbourhood awake. Tosh went off to get fish and chips for his tea, but I went over to the field to enjoy the show. We had already taken a bottle of wine over with a card for Eva, who will be sixty-something tomorrow. We arranged for the possibility of her feeding out cats over Christmas, too, as Ryanair's flights to Friedrichshafen have suddenly plummeted in cost for the Festive Season, and we are now booked for a (hopefully) white Christmas in Bavaria.
The only reason I made it to today's NaNo word count was because I also included excerpts from the blog (which spell check wants to change to 'bog') as it fits a key character. Some other day, I'll work around the blog bits and make them fit properly, but for now, I had to bung in stuff from the last four days before I forgot it. My key character has plenty of aspects of me for convenience, so that I don't have to make up too much stuff - I'm far too busy making up everyone else for that! My actual life is nothing like hers, but we are currently 'enjoying' shared dental experiences and I've just given her a stinking cold for good measure. Some of my other characters have already started running the show, which is very naughty of them, but at least it means I don't have to think of anything for them to do. One or two completely new bods wandered in whilst I was busy elsewhere, but I certainly didn't invite them. They don't seem to want to go away, though, so I suppose they can stay, if they keep themselves in enough trouble to be interesting.
Right, well, I'm very tired, having enjoyed a spot of Beirut in Clacton for the evening (and I caught that cold from my character, curses on her), so I'm off to bed. The cold hasn't helped my NaNoWriMo word allowance on either, so thank goodness for a dull four days' worth of blog, as although the ideas are there, I can't type for long without having a teeth-crushing sneezing fit. I expect it will go tomorrow, and I will be able to type for England.
Night night!
Friday, November 03, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 3
The roof of my mouth is still swollen, the antibiotics are giving my stomach what for, something else is up and I now have to have an appointment to sort that out and, surprise surprise, it has taken a toll on my word count. Still, I'm clawing my way back tonight. I'm not sure why my mouth should still be swollen after the dentist drilled a dirty great hole to let all of the yuck drain out, but there you go. It's tenacious yuck.
I must get back to my ailing word count - another few hundred words before midnight and I'm still on track, otherwise I'll have a bit of catching up to do tomorrow!
I must get back to my ailing word count - another few hundred words before midnight and I'm still on track, otherwise I'll have a bit of catching up to do tomorrow!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 2
I can see a theme developing for this month already. It can't be helped.
Today didn't go too badly, in NaNoWriMo terms. I have continued to develop my key characters (including one I made up last year) in order to have as many as possible to carry the plot and various sub-plots along (I have those? Yes, it seems that I do, although I've only just realised).
I had to go to the dentist's again today, and spent a lot of the day feeling fairly grotty, but my time in the chair was not wasted, as a plot began to emerge. I came home to an email from Amazon saying that my NaNoWriMo aid, No Plot? No Problem! by the founder of N... has been dispatched; my memory clearly isn't what it ought to be, as I had completely forgotten that I had ordered it. Yippee anyway - I need that book!
And now... I have a headache and the painkillers for my tooth have worn off, so I'm off to stock up before settling down with one of the books on writing which I found in the second-hand book shop opposite the dentist's today.
Night night... *yawn*
Today didn't go too badly, in NaNoWriMo terms. I have continued to develop my key characters (including one I made up last year) in order to have as many as possible to carry the plot and various sub-plots along (I have those? Yes, it seems that I do, although I've only just realised).
I had to go to the dentist's again today, and spent a lot of the day feeling fairly grotty, but my time in the chair was not wasted, as a plot began to emerge. I came home to an email from Amazon saying that my NaNoWriMo aid, No Plot? No Problem! by the founder of N... has been dispatched; my memory clearly isn't what it ought to be, as I had completely forgotten that I had ordered it. Yippee anyway - I need that book!
And now... I have a headache and the painkillers for my tooth have worn off, so I'm off to stock up before settling down with one of the books on writing which I found in the second-hand book shop opposite the dentist's today.
Night night... *yawn*
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
NaNoWriMo Day 1
It's here! And I haven't made the first day's word count, yet! Still, there are still over five hours to go until midnight, so it's possible.
If my dratted tooth infection would give me a break, I might be able to concentrate on formulating sentences. Vaguely forming sentences will have to do for now, though, as I still have a golfball-sized swelling in the roof of my mouth masquerading as overflow from the root of my tooth. I still wish they would take it out.
That's enough from me. I'm clearly going to grumble.
If my dratted tooth infection would give me a break, I might be able to concentrate on formulating sentences. Vaguely forming sentences will have to do for now, though, as I still have a golfball-sized swelling in the roof of my mouth masquerading as overflow from the root of my tooth. I still wish they would take it out.
That's enough from me. I'm clearly going to grumble.
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