Wow. Last night was magnificent.
It all started at 5:50 PM, when I began to prepare for my very first NaNoWriMo writing session. My room was perfectly organized, as I spent all day Sunday making the War to End All Wars in there. I love having a perfectly clean place to write in. :) So I moved around my room, turning on Enya, praying, and booting up my computer.
Then I began to write. "The Memory of Trees", one of Enya's best songs, was simply perfect as I typed that first paragraph. I felt like I was embarking on an incredible journey. After ten minutes, my mom came in and gave me a nice little pep talk before. I checked the word count at that point. Under 200. I was a bit a miffed, but then remembered that this is Day 1. Hint: Never check your WC often. Wait a page or so before doing it. And then I kept plugging along.
An hour or so later, my older brother James popped in to ask what I was doing. He doesn't read my blog and I have never talked about NaNo in his presence, so I gave him the nutshell description. He was full of *helpful* questions like, "What's the point?" "To write a novel." I said. "Yes, but what's the main idea of it? What is the thesis?" He is such a student! I was nearly frustrated and said, "I am writing a novel! That is point enough!" Then he relented and left me alone. {After reading that, you may doubt my love for my brother. Don't worry, he just likes making me think and I appreciate that in him. And he's teaching me self defense, and that's really fun. :)}
So then I pecked away for another hour, until I exceeded my daily goal and decided I had better eat something for dinner. It was nearly 9:00, and I gleefully pranced around the kitchen making toast. Then James gave my sister Ruth and I an impromptu karate lesson in my, uh, less than large enough room, which was great. :)
What really made last night special is that I started out with my main character and her friend, but by the time I finished, Cadish had a mother and sisters, all of whom had the makings of personalities. It's amazing where a single character will take you.
Yeah, last night was wonderful. :)
~~~~
Have any of you read Chris Baty's book?
I snagged a copy last week and read it in a day. It was just what I needed, full of advice and comfort for a newbie like me. This is how I looked after reading an especially fabulous page:
I was thrilled. I still am thrilled! NaNoWriMo is just. . . altogether thrilling! I am so happy I signed up. And if you haven't yet, there is are still 29 days in November! You can do it! You seriously do not need a plot in mind. A few characters will give you a plot in return for their lives.
~~~~
Well, I need to go finish up the mundane daily tasks so that I can start writing again! How are your NaNo projects going?
Have a lovely day, everyone!
~Margaret
It all started at 5:50 PM, when I began to prepare for my very first NaNoWriMo writing session. My room was perfectly organized, as I spent all day Sunday making the War to End All Wars in there. I love having a perfectly clean place to write in. :) So I moved around my room, turning on Enya, praying, and booting up my computer.
Then I began to write. "The Memory of Trees", one of Enya's best songs, was simply perfect as I typed that first paragraph. I felt like I was embarking on an incredible journey. After ten minutes, my mom came in and gave me a nice little pep talk before. I checked the word count at that point. Under 200. I was a bit a miffed, but then remembered that this is Day 1. Hint: Never check your WC often. Wait a page or so before doing it. And then I kept plugging along.
An hour or so later, my older brother James popped in to ask what I was doing. He doesn't read my blog and I have never talked about NaNo in his presence, so I gave him the nutshell description. He was full of *helpful* questions like, "What's the point?" "To write a novel." I said. "Yes, but what's the main idea of it? What is the thesis?" He is such a student! I was nearly frustrated and said, "I am writing a novel! That is point enough!" Then he relented and left me alone. {After reading that, you may doubt my love for my brother. Don't worry, he just likes making me think and I appreciate that in him. And he's teaching me self defense, and that's really fun. :)}
So then I pecked away for another hour, until I exceeded my daily goal and decided I had better eat something for dinner. It was nearly 9:00, and I gleefully pranced around the kitchen making toast. Then James gave my sister Ruth and I an impromptu karate lesson in my, uh, less than large enough room, which was great. :)
What really made last night special is that I started out with my main character and her friend, but by the time I finished, Cadish had a mother and sisters, all of whom had the makings of personalities. It's amazing where a single character will take you.
Yeah, last night was wonderful. :)
~~~~
Have any of you read Chris Baty's book?
I snagged a copy last week and read it in a day. It was just what I needed, full of advice and comfort for a newbie like me. This is how I looked after reading an especially fabulous page:
I was thrilled. I still am thrilled! NaNoWriMo is just. . . altogether thrilling! I am so happy I signed up. And if you haven't yet, there is are still 29 days in November! You can do it! You seriously do not need a plot in mind. A few characters will give you a plot in return for their lives.~~~~
Well, I need to go finish up the mundane daily tasks so that I can start writing again! How are your NaNo projects going?
Have a lovely day, everyone!
~Margaret
6 comments:
Oh, wow, our starting Nano routines are almost identical, Margaret! I did the exact same thing--turned on my computer, put on Enya, and prayed. Unfortunately, the rest of my evening didn't go as smoothly and I was in a mess just a few minutes into it, but luckily things have gone much nicer from there. :)
And I LOVE that book!!! It's helped me so much and I've really gotten to know Nano better through out. I'm not sure where'd I'd be without his hilarious advice! :)
And good luck with your word count today! I must go write, too. :)
Oh, and I have to add: your blog looks AWESOME!!! :D :D :D :D
That's awesome! I'm glad to hear you've got a good start :) + I really love your blog design :) It's very nice!
Squeaks.
Oh my gosh I LOVE that book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats on starting off well! Maybe I'll join next year. (:
Isn't his advice the best? I was laughing or at least grinning the whole time I was reading the book. :) The part that was true music to eyes was the "You really do not need a detailed outline in order to succeed." That was simply wonderful. :)
I am glad that you like my new design!
Post a Comment