NaNo Countdown

Well. NaNo ends tonight, for another year, at 23:59...and I won't be a winner. :phhhbbbbbt:

But, I'm moving on with the novel(la?) so I won't complain; I'll just admire those who have done really well and broken through the 5ok mark.

On a sideways note, Sven is going well - and I'm on target for him! Yay!

However. I have noticed that, despite the outline, I am now on Chapter 5. I say despite, because according to the outline I should still be on Chapter 3. More has gone on than I'd planned out initially. Does that happen to a lot of people? You plan one thing (x will happen in chapter 2 and then y in chapter 3) and then find that a, b, c, d, and z also took place in chapter 3 and lo! chapter 5 has arrived? It was planned as a novella, but at the moment I'm at just over 14K and I've only just started ch.5 of the 12 I was aiming for. :sigh: I won't think about it now. I'll sort it out in the editing process.

It is interesting though, because I had thought that an outline would make the writing easier in the sense that I wouldn't deviate as much but I seem to have had aha! moments along the way, just the same. (Aha! they could do that, here, and then this could happen - which means this will happen and...what does it say in the outline again?)

It's nearly the weekend! Woo-Hoo! I am so tired. I need a holiday, I think. Well, only another 20 days, or so and then it's off to Londres for some exhibition viewing. Sort of relaxing!

Goals for the week

1. Reach 20K on my WiP
2. Make soup (and get to eat it this time)
3. Tidy the back room downstairs - this is not my goal per se; it was assigned to me by chum #1 as she did the front room; and, to be fair, most of the stuff in the back is mine. I just don't have anywhere to put it. I need an attic, and some proper, old sea chests!
   

I do have some housework to do in my room as well, but beyond changing the bed and whipping the hoover round, that may have to wait until next week. (Furniture shifted/ shelves up etc.)

There will also be dog training/ walking etc. in there as well but hopefully I will have some time to myself to press on in both writing and reading.

Carpe diem and all that!

Mood #1: bit peckish - just about to have a coffee break


Mood #2: not too bad. Not brimming with joy and harmony, but I'm okay!

Tempus Fugit

I can hardly believe it's been a week since I last posted, it has been amazingly busy. Not speedy-rushing-around- busy, just constant 'where-has-the-time-gone-and-can-I-collapse-now. Please?

Tha Spa was great! I felt so relaxed (and full, the food was great) I didn't want to do anything for the rest of November! Hot rooms, steam rooms, ice scrubs (refreshing, but you did have to psych yourself up for it the first time, especially when chum #2 helped out by rubbing it all over my back when I was bent over doing my face! It was a bit...brisk, you might say!) Swimming, loungers with twinkly music and sparkly lights and a relaxation room with a giant fish tank - very nice.

Then it was back to work and busyness. :phhbbbbbt!:

Weekend passed in a blur, although I was very tired. Probably need to lose some weight, as I usually get tired if I'm too podgy, so- no more mince pie testing before Christmas. :sigh: Well, I have a load of vegetables (and I still have 2 huge pumpkins) so I shall make soup this weekend. Healthy, keeps the cold out, uses veg up if it's a bit too 'tired' to be steamed.

Writing progress - not very shiny. Unfortunately, I have yet to master the art of writing in my sleep, but I shall work on that. Until then, I'll just have to slog on. It's unlikely I'll achieve the winning of NaNo (not unless I have a raging case of insomnia between now and the end of November) but I'm still Sven-ning so everything is still moving forward; it's just that rather than it being a case of 'Gallop apace ye fiery footed steeds' (apologies to Will S. for potential misquoting - I'm not looking it up this morning) it's more a case of 'Plod on you faithful plough horse, for yea there is hot oat mash at the other end of this wacking great field of malodorous mud' - or some such.

I need more coffee, obviously.

Rain, progress and tangents

First, the rain.
It is wazzing it down. And I was trying (unsuccessfully) to change out a bust headlight bulb in the rain. Left-hand side of the car? No problem. Right-hand side? There's a hose thing in the way, and I can't get a grip on the retaining clips for the bulb with it there. But, I'm worried that if I undo it, I won't remember where to re-connect it when I'm done. So I'll be having a wail at my little man as soon as (or at anyone who does know what goes where and can put it back again without having a case of OCD all over Henry's innards).

Progress.
I have managed to do 11,727 words on NaNo (16,874 with Sven - woot!)

Tangent
I went for a coffee break, thinking I'd write a few more notes on KK or plan a short story due in December, and instead ended up starting a sideways take on Rapunzel. It's partly because I'd been thinking of doing something for Eternal Press' Twisted Fayrie Tales theme. Which was due today. But with doing NaNo, I didn't get the idea formulated. I had a vague notion of the 'twist', but it wasn't until today that I had that fleshed out, and knew how it started. I may work on this tomorrow. Don't know, at the moment, where it could go when done. But, I like the idea so we'll see how it goes.

I'm at a spa with mater and two chums tomorrow (mater's birthday) and although I will take a book, I know that if I don't take any paper/ writing implements I shall be climbing the walls before we get to the three-course lunch, and forget most of the good things I think of. (Eden Hall Day Spa, Nottinghamshire. Chum #1 says it's very nice & she's not very girly in the way of spas and titivation, so high kudos from her. Will let you know if I feel relaxed when I get back!)

Progress is being achieved

It is 23:59 as I write this and I have just topped 10K which for me is pretty good! I am feeeling chuffed (although I will soon be going to bed as I am also feeling knackered - very busy two weeks at work with one thing and another).

Sven is going better for me than NaNo, but at the heart of it NaNo is fun and any progress achieved is a good thing, even if I don't hit or top 50K. (And hey, there're two weeks to go and miracles can happen, so who knows?) (Edited to add: not meaning to say that Sven is not fun, it's just that Sven is going on until January, so there's less personal time-management trauma for me!)

So:
NaNo = 10,123

Sven = 15,270

In other news, we may have snow tomorrow (if the weather decides we are high enough). Certainly, on the map, it looks as though we will get it; luckily we have plenty of coal. Even so, one of my tasks tomorrow will be to go into the woods and gather sticks for kindling, just to help get the fire started. This is the third night in a row we've had the fire lit, so I think this is it for the winter and it will be in now until about March.

Luckily, we don't need to light one during the day. It gets banked at night and as it burns down the ash covers the embers so that when we come to light the fire again at 17:00/ 18:00hrs the following night, we've still got glowing embers to work with, and the house is still warm as well. (Although with that, it helps that we now have people living on both sides as that keeps the house warmer).


Well, after that boring update, I'm for a quick Blogroll then off to bed.

And, before I forget (again!) Amanda - the whole album Black Parade is great! Very dark in tone, but melodies are mostly upbeat. My favourites are: The Sharpest Lives, Sleep, and Famous Last Words.

Downhill slide to the weekend

Wednesday has been and gone, and now it's a relatively slow slide to the weekend and - hopefully - a more prolonged writing period. I'm up to 7,303 words for NaNo, which, in comparison to others is quite modest. It's also lagging behind the projected word-count for the 15/11, but I'm not worried. It's going up; I'm building on the outline I've written, and the way it's going it may be a novel rather than 2 novellas, so I may have to make a decision later as to whether it works as a novel or whether I need to split it.

I haven't outlined Phelan's book yet, but most of chapter 2 was devoted to him and Alexei. With it meant to be Kieran & Tamsyn's book this time, it may be that I've devoted too much to A&P. I'll keep going for the moment and see if it's better divided later, or kept as is.

Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top full
Of direst Meriadoc.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

What a day!

Meetings, meetings, no lunch, enquiry desk, lunch at 15:30! I think I shall go home now, while it's still daylight outside. I shall (finally) be able to do some writing when I get home. So much for doing some in my lunchbreak. phbbbt!

Progress Update

Update for Sven/ NaNo

I have written 3,505 words of Kieran's Kiss. As far as NaNo is concerned, I'm about 7,000 words behind where I should be. As far as I, personally, am concerned...yeah, baby!

She are flowing like rivers of hunny. Me liek hunny. Srsly.

No, really. It's going well, and I'm enjoying it. I'd spent so long planning that damn thing that I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to get into the writing, but so far so good. I've just been hindered by work and an inability to get up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later (if I try, it's not a pretty sight!)

So, forward motion is being achieved! (And congratulations to Zette, who has already sailed past the 50K mark)

Progress is being made!

I managed to do some more on NaNo last night when I got home, so, although I'm still behind I'm further ahead than I was so that's a bonus! Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more done over lunch today as well and gradually inch the word count up (while bravely resisting the urge to tweak something 'just before I forget!')

Been at work for 30mins and I'm tired already!

Need. More. Coffee.

Quick lunch...

Back at work - oh, my God, what a morning. Haven't stopped since I got in. Just stopped for some pasta now (rigatoni with Sainsbury's chopped tomatoes with oregano - comes in a carton - v. nice) and then I've got two more meetings this afternoon as well as having to work on a worksheet for some students that I won't be seeing, so it'll have to be fairly comprehensive.

And I'm behind on NaNo :o(

Dog Whisperer came on Saturday, basically, the dogs aren't confident in us being the alphas so they're doing the job; so now we have to convince them that we are it. Going ok so far - they've thrown a few paddys. BB is the best, because he's the youngest I think so is more amenable to change. The girls are being cows at the moment - hopefully this will improve. Soon.

Anyway, more work on NaNo to do (while trying to avoid surfing the interweb - the perils of broadband!)

How are y'all doing? How's Sven going for those who NaNo not?

NaNo Has Begun!

Okay, to be a bit more accurate it 'officially' started 9 hours and 3 minutes ago, but I was in bed because I was to tired to stay up. In my defence, if I was travelling down to London just by train today, then I'd have given it a bash. But I've got to drive most of the way and then get the Thameslink (curse you! Striking Midland Mainline! Grrrrr - :shakes fist:). I will be parking at the house of the grandmother of the chum, and I can crash there on the way back if I'm late...just thought I'd better pack a bag as well then. Nuts McGee, I'm a bit disorganised this morning.


So, NaNo wordcount will be updated on Friday (once I've typed up all of the handwritten notes from today; and then hopefully most, if not all, of the rest will be typed directly onto the pc.

How are you doing? If you're not doing NaNo, how much is Sven making you sweat?