Today was a marvelous day. I got a lot of things figured out at work, a whole new section to go up as soon as it gets approved. I weighed in at Weight Watchers, and have lost 1.6 lbs since last week, had a fun dinner with my mom, and then made it to Publish or Perish at the Company of Thieves.

I’ve been having trouble writing this summer, so much stuck in my head, work, other things, and every word was so hard to place on the page.

Tonight was so much better. The short story I’ve been hammering on seems to be settling into a nice cadence. It feels very nice to be creative. I feel like I can finally have the creative space and energy to write and draw again.

I’m flying, creatively. I told them it might have been the caffeine from my Thieves Mocha, but I know it’s not true. I am happily surrounded by creative people, doing creative things, and looking forward to more creative things.

Feels real good.

Now I’m over at K&M’s, watching a bit of Kill Bill 2.

This qualifies as the best monday I’ve had in a long time.

We had a fantastic work night on Monday for our Writing Group. I actually wrote. Really! We all have chosen goals to acomplish between solstices. Mine is to write and polish two short stories. It’s lovely to be writing.

The w0rd-vixens, belleweather, Kim, Heather, and I had lots to chat about; plots and designs, murders and missions, music and madness. (We also had a Gr4mm3r-Fox, Ray, Show up later)

I’ve decided to work with asking casual motivation questions to help fill in the holes of things I’m working on.

Last night, my husband and I met two people, Jason and Stephanie, who tracked me down via the internet, and my Halo tendencies, we sat and chatted, and then played some Halo. They are very nice, and good at Halo. We look forward to seeing them again.

Our A/C is fixed. All hail the cool air that gives life and meaning to our domicile. I think I am sleeping better now that we’re not sleeping on the floor in the basement. I am also feeling less stress this week, which is lovely. This also means I can finally hold art night over at our place tonight! woo.

This weekend is our anniversary. We’re going to spend the day and night in Milwaukee. I’ve booked a room at a B&B near the down town area, The Acanthus, and we plan on wandering about the Milwaukee Museum for the day. I’ve never been there, and am thrilled. We once took a trip to the Chicago Museum. That’s a fond memory. I can’t wait to make more. I’ve never stayed at a B&B, and am very thrilled. Yay! some time for just us!

Sunday we’ll likely share a dinner with my parents, and grandparents at Porta Bella, whom we share an anniversary with. (4 generations, 3 still living) My mother and law and her husband may join us as well. It’s becoming a tradition.

Last night’s writing critique went really well. We met up at Ground Zero and talked writerly things. It was really nice. Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m going to be able keep up, but then I see everyone and I always walk away inspired. It’s going to be a really good thing, going forward, I know it.

After the meeting I spent some time chatting outside in the cold with my favorite cynic. heh. Life rocks, bring on the ass-kickery.

I don’t know if I’m coming down with something, or if it’s a little windburn from last night, but my face has been flushed all day, bright pinky purply. (well, perhaps I’m a bit more sensitive about the color, but it feels warm to the touch) I also have a not fun headache, and I forgot my snacks and food stuff at home.

I’m just going to take a half day, and get myself some lunch, and tuck myself in. I went to bed early last night, but perhaps more sleep would help this, whatever it is. Screw the fact I’m using the last 4 hours of my ETO.

Plus I’m all ready for my meeting tomorrow morning, so things should be fine.

eee!

I am Printing my Novel in it’s raw form!
This is the first time I’ve touched it since last Sunday.
EEEEE!

Nano Wrap-Up This afternoon at cool beans, be there!

Some General Statistics That Might Be Of Interest
Title: Shroud
Single Spaced Pages: 98
Double Spaced Pages: 196
Total Words Written So Far: 50,192
Total Hours Spent Writing: 64.13

Avg Words Written Per Day: 1673
Avg Hours Writing Per Day: 2.14
Avg Words Per Hour: 783
Avg Morale Per Day : 7(scale 1-10)
My novel is one of : 3680 Nanowrimo novels
Day I wrote the most words: Saturday the 29th (4697)
(I broke this into two sessions of ~2000 each. 2000 before noon 2000 at Cool Beans, and the last 500 at home. )
Days I wrote the least words: 6th, 7th, 8th, (0,0,0)
(Though I did write some on paper, I just added them all together on the 9th)

I achieved 50k on the 29th, though much remains to be written, as well as edited and reworked.

Saturday night I woke up about three times, feeling anxiety over the fact that I needed to ‘finish’ and what was I doing sleeping. (Even though, of course, I had finished for Nanowrimo, though didn’t have time to validate until Sunday morning)

Even after spending a month with these characters and the story, I still feel good about it, so I’m hoping that means I’ve got a solid start.

This is the year I wrote my novel.

Nanowrimo.org

National Novel Writing Month is November.
NanoWrimo Sign up is now open! Please take this chance to get that novel you’ve ‘always’ been thinking about out on paper. It’s a special time too, the 5th anniversary of Nanowrimo. The forums are also open, so sign up and drop a few lines in our Madison, WI forum.

Also please drop into the LJ community
madnanowrimo.

I’m going to be a Municipal Liaison for Madison again this year, along with Heather, and it’s really going to be grand.

It’s a really great experience. Don’t worry about the Plot, just the wordcount.

Come on, You Can Do It! What are you waiting for!

um. I told myself I wouldn’t do Nanowrimo this year… but I think I will anyway. Somehow.

Argh, Why can’t I resist the call of an actual novel in 30 days.

But… a lot of things I didn’t know were possible, I’ve been doing, this year. Who knows?

I even have a story idea…

You have not been wasting your time.

When I was in junior high I wanted to be a writer, badly, and I did a lot of research, reading books on how to submit, where, what format, and also reading articles by authors, looking for that *secret* that would make me a real author.

More recently, I’ve become more focused on visual stories, comics, manga, and have been researching how to do that, how to break in, learning things like better visual storytelling, layout, design, techniques, and reading articles by authors and artists, looking for that *secret* that will make me a real artist.

And they all say the same thing. The most important thing is… to do it. If possible, every day, if you want to write, write, if you want to be an illustrator, draw. Over and over, focus on your passion. Shine it, hone it, sharpen it.

The work is never wasted. Ever. Every word you write, and every line I draw is a step, in a series of steps to the goals we aspire to. Many other people feel the same way you do sometimes, I certainly do, but several things keep me going.

1. I am not the best artist around, I know this, but, a simple google search shows I’m not the worst.
2. more importantly than comparison to other artists, compared to my earlier work, my recent works are better. Progress! Hey, how did that happen. What makes me excited isn’t where I am now, but wondering where I’ll be in three years!
3. An aside, I seem to learn more by doing, than reading all these books and articles, and am coming to a point where I just have to experiment, and teach myself these techniques I’m lusting after.
4. There is always a Golden Child. Someone who is better, more prolific, more noticed, or just more aware of their own talent. I remember the one I knew in high school, she was an amazing artist, very encouraged by the staff. I was very jealous… but… looking back, I can see that she was the one putting in all the extra work for her pieces that were often displayed. So, she started a bit earlier, she had more encouragement. She was still working through the same process we are, the hard way. There is no substitution for pure insane stubbornness in pursuit of your art.

That said, you can learn lots working on short stories/exercises/koan’s that your prof sets up for you. His job is likely to push you and your art in directions you may not have thought of before, and you can bet he’s going to try challenging Golden Child as well.

I know you can do it, and do it well. Now it’s up to you to show the world what the rest of us already know about you.

originally a response to a post by Gamerchick.

One Hundred Years of Solitude
He was buried in the spring and married in the autumn. He kept inside a silver ring a pill of poison if they caught him. An eye fixed upon his fate, Peter calls him to the gate. He was buried in the spring.

His sister’s daughter raised the dead or so they spoke of her beauty. With no simple mind she did not hate or feel affection or sense of duty. She shaved her head and of her name her very legend says the same. She simply rose and flew away.

Now his brothers they were twins. One was heavy one was thin. They could never think about why he kept himself so within. One of their children bore his name, and grew to be the same he too was buried in the spring.

He rode off to start a war. He knew his people to be hungry. About the time his sister born, he won and lost with desperate fury. He should have died out on the field with his solitude and shield, but to time he had to yield… and age in misery.

His very home had lost its face. More then once been laid to waste. His mother who outlived them all, tried to keep the place in shape. But with the ticking of their fate, she grew old withered away, died alone and in disgrace.

No there has never been a trace, only phantom waves and shapes. Of any force they left behind or any history in time. Pre-designed to be confined buried in forgotten mines, a tiny shadow on our race.
~~~~
here is the mp3
click to listen

I’m thinking of putting these people in my novel.

Well, people with these attributes.

Been thinking about it for quite a while. lots of good places to start.

if I can’t hit it with them… then I’ll fall back to this

http://www.rain-street.org/fightcrime.htm