Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving Eve already?

I have written. A few days after that previous post (okay, around the 13th), I got out another couple thousand words written, from 2,000 and something to 4,423. And I'm proud of that even though I haven't nearly reached the goal I would have liked to reach, and haven't fully gotten back in the writing habit. Even now I am only taking a few quick minutes to update here, but then I have grades to update.


And tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the history of which I have great issues with--I know I've been raised in a privileged home, even if we were never more than middle-middle class (lower-middle class even, though I didn't think of life in those terms and never felt deprived), and I try my hardest to learn all I can about history and other cultures and traditions, while trying to get rid of any prejudices I may have (I won't claim to have none, but I don't like it, so I try to recognize it and reverse it). Thanksgiving is steeped like a dark, bitter tea in twisted symbolism and skewed events.

But I can't help but like the (more modern?) idea behind it, of taking time in a busy world to show gratitude for what you have and to say thank you for the wonderful people who stand beside you--both literally for those near at hand, and figuratively, for friends and family who live in the colder places, but whose warmth still reaches across the distance.

On a stressful day when my timecard was giving me trouble, a small thanks to the IT guy for walking me through the fix. And thanks to a fellow writer for encouraging the writer in me who just wants to curl up and sleep all too often these days (for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which has been a cold and chillier nights), and a thank you to the people who thank me, because something as small as that makes my day, knowing my words however few and faint, reached someone and meant something to them.

So thank you to my readers here, to my friends, to my fellow writers.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Day 1 of my Word Counting

524 words. Which were actually written this morning, but I am counting as yesterday's word count.

I like these words, too, even though I am rushing because I have to water the plants and get dressed (not in that order) before heading out for the day. It's a good start, and even though I still have a lot of other work to do, I am going to try and get in another short writing session tonight.

Happy writing everyone,
Sabrina

Saturday, November 6, 2010

My Own Personal NaNo

So I -have- to get more writing time in. Today has not been a good example of that, but considering the number of novel drafts I've completed, I know I cna do it, which means I have no excuse.

[Note how much I have to bully myself, though?]

So I have the sorta-steampunk ghost story, "Clockwork Seams," about a girl who knows how to sew, but wants to follow in her inventor-mother's footsteps, and the ghost who follows her around, making quips and acting as guinea pig for her ghost-geared inventions.

Together they stumble upon plans to turn the ghosts of Charleton into the fuel for...something. The guy has plans centered on power and greed (don't they all? It's that or revenge). They also learn the girl's father, long thought dead, might be alive and fighting behind the scenes to stop Mr. Villain. Miriam and Ambrose are determined to stop him and find her father, the task which led to her mother's death. [You can see where my idea for the plot flounders a tad.]

As of right now, I have 2,267 words typed. I also have some pages hand-written but not transcribed. So my goal, even though I am starting six days late, is to end up with 50,000 words by December 1. When I transcribed a portion I'll mention they aren't "new" words, but I'll count them towards the total anyway. The underlying goal is to get back in the habit of writing every day. [And if I write on another story, like the YA pirate fantasy or something short for my writer's group, I'll post those numbers, too, but they won't count towards the total.]

It'll also get me back on my laptop more regularly (no more "I'm tired" as an excuse there, either!), and blogging more often; so every night, or the next morning, I'll post my word count. Beginning tonight. Expect a new post, either before I go to bed or before I leave the house tomorrow morning, with an updated word count on "Clockwork Seams." And if that number is the same, well, feel free to call me on it.

Wish me luck, and to everyone out there working on their WIPs or doing NaNo, good luck and happy writing!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Three weeks, really Sabrina!?

I scold myself, I really do. I feel like I've hardly been on my computer in this time, let alone thought about blogging. Even now this must be short because there is other work glaring at me and tapping its foot impatiently.

Long story short, work is eating my brain.

But I was thinking about NaNo (National Novel Writing Month--and why does my hand stay on shift key with I type the abbreviation, so it comes out NaNO?), and although I haven't signed up on the official website, and don't intend to, I was thinking of using it as a chance to write again.

I've been distracted and busy and have plenty of excuses that can get more obscure, entertaining and convoluted if I had the time, but I figured I'd drop in really quick and ask my readers:

What do you do when you're so busy, it feels like there's no time to write, and in the free time you do have, you're so tired even watching t.v. is too much effort?

This is what I've been asking myself lately without an answer to grab onto floating by (along with "Why don't recovering perfectionists have support groups or well known methods of changing both the behavior and the thinking?"). Any ideas?