Tag: nanowrimo

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Blogging Books

Wrapping up before the break

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November, for my third year running, means: NaNoWriMo, that month when crazy people around the world, together or alone, type out a lot of words, hopefully 50,000 of them. So if you don’t see me around so much, you’ll know what I’m doing. As usual, I haven’t planned enough of the novel in advance, but I have a provisional title and a cover that I rather like.

Cover2

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Last night, at my Toastmasters Club, I gave a speech called: A Novel Approach. I’m sure you can guess what that was about. It was my second speech there. I didn’t think my first one was good enough to publicise. This one wasn’t perfect either, but it’s an improvement:

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Today, I discovered a new, comprehensive map of the Machane Yehuda market, which features in my novel: Neither Here Nor There. It’s designed by Joel Haber and includes a complete list of all the stalls, shops, bank and whatnot in the area. I used the map to rewrite part of the novel:

So, Esty is at number 7 when she spies Mrs G and her accomplice marching towards her. She has to get away from them. Along 16 and back along 3 and 4? No, she’d be too visible there. So she goes along 6 and 5, then turns along 12 and hops on a train at 29. But the two women are just behind. Will they catch her?

but I think  prefer the original!

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The other day, I read a blog post that made me angry. I was so angry that I decided to write a blog post about it, even though it wasn’t about anything this blog is about. When I’d finished writing it, I felt less angry and decided it really wasn’t suitable here. So it remains in my draft posts. Perhaps I’ll put the sentiments into a novel one day. Perhaps I’ll put them into the novel I’m about to write. We’ll see.

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Whether you’re doing NaNo or not, I wish you lots of success and will be back on the other side, if not before.

BackInApril

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No, that’s from a different break.

This time it’s December.

Categories
Blogging Books Social anxiety

One one fourteen

I realised what I want from 2014 when I commented on Annalisa’s blog: “I had fun in 2013. I want 2014 to be fun, too, but more productive and fulfilling. I want to push myself more.”

Last night I had more fun when we welcomed 2014 with a little celebration at folk dancing. The January New Year in Israel is always a bit subdued compared to many other parts of the world. Although we know it’s not religious, there’s a feeling that this holiday isn’t really ours. “Happy New Year” refers to a different time and today is a normal working day.

Before that I made a decision about the 100k in 100 days challenge. I’m going to do it. I’m going to write lots of blog posts and stories and more and hope to reach the target. I succeeded at NaNoWriMo in November, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to do this.

The only problem is that I haven’t done enough planning and will have to decide what to write as I go along. Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

One of the ways I think I should push myself is by blogging more about social anxiety and how it comes into play in everything I do. Because not mentioning it is like trying to pretend it doesn’t exist, which I did for much too long. I started writing in order to raise awareness of social anxiety and I need to carry on doing that.

So that’s what my ‘Fourteen will be about: Fun, Fulfilment and Forcing myself to cross new boundaries.

What will your 2014 be about?

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Books

NaNoWriMo Progress Update 4

I did it! It was quite a struggle, but I made it. And this time it’s a novel that’s worth working on.

After having a well-deserved rest catch up with washing, ironing, etc. for a day or two, I’m going to start on it. Hooray!

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Books

NaNoWriMo Progress Update 3

No time to blog, but I had to tell you I’ve just about caught up.

Nano2013pic2Only 3 days left. I might just make it!

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Books

NaNoWriMo Progress Update 2

Day 10 and – amazingly – I’m still on target. This is what it looks like:

Nano 2013 stats, day 10

This is what it looked like last year:

FinalStatsBy day 10 I was beginning to fall behind.

I hope I can keep this up. As usual, I’m not sure I have enough to say to reach 50,000.

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Books

NaNoWriMo Progress Update 1

Not yet three o’clock on day 1 and I’ve reached my target for today.

Wait a mo while I pat myself on the back.

But that was day 1. I knew exactly what I wanted to write, so I just went ahead and wrote it – not exactly straight through from beginning to end, because I never write like that. When I reached the end of chapter 1, I went back and padded it out. If anyone says that’s not how you’re supposed to do NaNo, I’ll say: hard luck, that’s how I’m doing it.

What about the other days? What’s going to happen when I get to the sticky middle and can’t decide how to continue? I don’t know. I’ll cross those stepping stones when I come to them. If I fall off, I’ll just climb back on.

In Kyoto Heian Shrine gardens
In Kyoto Heian Shrine gardens

In the meantime, I’m happy. 🙂

Hope you are, too.

Categories
Books Holidays Rhymes

And then…

Cock-a-doodle doo!
I don’t know what to do.
Nano starts in just a week
And my brain is made of goo.

See what I mean?

Here’s the problem:

I want to tell you all about my trip to Japan, about the things we did, the people we saw, the food we ate. BUT my mind and my notes are all in a mess, my photos are all over the place. I have a lot of sorting out to do first. And I’m still in limbo – half there and half here.

And that’s not all.

NaNoWriMo is only a week away and I want to do it again. I have part of the plot, but there’s plenty more to plan and research.

So I think Japan will have to be put on hold for a while, although I can tell you some random facts.

The trip lasted for 3 weeks and we were kept busy all the time. We saw temples, shrines, museums. We made our own sushi and chopsticks, and were shown how they make sake, paint kimonos, etc. We travelled on trains and buses, and spent a night with families in a village, so we saw how people live. We spent a night in a Buddhist monastery. We saw children and adults perfoming traditional and other music, dance and plays.

We spent three weeks with a group of Israelis – a feat in itself – and our Japanese guide, who didn’t know how to relate to us at first, but was friendly by the end.

Certain sounds are still ringing in my ears. Cuckoos and other bird tweets every time the pedestrain light was green. Arigato gozaimas – thank you – spoken thousands of times a day. And our guide’s “and then” used to join sentences, whether it fitted what she was saying or not.

Please ask if there’s anything in particular you want to know, and I’ll try and answer in another post.

Categories
Books Israel

Back to Normal

I don’t know if there’s ever a “normal” in this country, but the firing has ceased and so has NaNoWriMo. It was my first attempt and I managed 35,044 words.

FinalStats

I didn’t “win”, but I wrote every day and I now have the first draft of a novel I can work with.

In addition, I met some lovely people in Jerusalem who were also doing NaNo.

So I enjoyed the experience and, whatever they say, I feel I’ve won!

Categories
Books Israel

Write-in

This morning, I kept the Internet off so that it wouldn’t disturb me as I wrote. Then I turned it on despite knowing what I’d find. The usual tweets about writing, books, plumbing, birthdays, etc. are interspersed with serious and worrying tweets about things that are going on not a million miles from here. Facebook is just the same.

I can never get my head round this. I can’t concentrate on the usual everyday discussions when I know what else is happening. I’ll probably turn the Internet off again soon. When the background music gets too loud, it’s better to work without it.

Before I turn it off, I want to say something about NaNoWriMo write-ins, of which there have been two so far in Jerusalem.

The first was held in a central café. About eleven people attended, although three of those sat in a different part of the café  and didn’t find the others until they left! It wasn’t particularly comfortable balancing our laptops on the little tables, there were not enough electric sockets and we were bothered by cigarette smoke that wafted in from outside. But it was great to meet other writers, discuss our novel-writing progress and write together.

For the second write-in, I invited participants to my house. Only three others came, but again we had a very rewarding time, writing much more than we would have done alone.

I would definitely recommend this activity to anyone who is wondering about joining a write-in. Writing is often a lonely activity. Sometimes that’s good, other times it’s good to get together.

Categories
Books

NaNoMe!

I signed up for NaNoWriMo. What’s that? You know – it’s the thirty days when a lot of people hide away, coming out every so often to tweet twaddle, spout stats and flaunt foolishness.

During the month of November, I am going to write a 50,000-word novel. Maybe.

And what Neeks said applies to me. Well – partly. Not the small pieces of driftwood on the coffee table or the painted rocks. I’m thinking of the nervousness and the excitement.

And now that I’ve told you, I’d better try, at least.