First, the good news. I am about 8,200 words from completing my National Novel Writing Month challenge of 50,000 words in 30 days. Actually I am at approximately 41,800 words. I say approximately, because every time I have done this, the official counter at NaNoWriMo Central has short changed me by several hundred words. November … More Five Days and 8,200 Words
Sunday I finally got to a plateau with my #NaNoWriMo project. I had a short-term goal that kept motivating me to write–the point where the protagonist in my Pilgrim’s Project story finally makes it across the Mississippi River. Now she’s across, and…I am having a hard time getting going again. Novels are best written in … More Plateau
A writer friend of mine just put together a video blog answering questions about National Novel Writing Month. Here is a link. Video blogs are another thing to put on my to do list. Later, dudes and dudettes.
No, I am not going to Paris like some of my colleagues are. Yes, I probably will need to come into the office and get stuff done. But despite all that, I am elated that Thanksgiving break is finally here. My first priority: get a lot of writing done. NaNoWriMo continues and I am on … More Break Dancing
The NaNoWriMo Experience continues. When I write my books, there are always sections that I build up in my mind. That does two things; it ups that stakes and challenges me to do better on them, and it also makes it harder for me to write. There are certain chapters in any book that are … More Spectacle in St. Louis
We spend a great deal of our waking lives trying to maintain or gain control of our personal situation. What we do before work or school, how we drive, what we do once we are in our offices or classrooms, and what we do when we get home are all based on the idea that … More Control Is An Illusion
I’m hobbling along today. We spent the weekend helping my son and his family move from a very small apartment to a not-so-small in Austin. I spent the entire weekend going up and down stairs, carrying heavy things. Yesterday my feet were hurting very badly. When I took my shoes and socks off, I found … More Moving Right Along…
Over the years, I have learned to give myself different rules than I give everyone else. Whenever I have a deadline, I demand that I finish a day or two before the deadline. When I have a word count for a certain day, I try to do more. This process of adding a cushion has … More Reality Bites Back
Well, I got a good chunk–2,500 words–written yesterday, and I haven’t given up on my NaNoWriMo project. In fact, finally it’s starting to get fun. My weakling, whiny main character just went through survival training and was faced with the realization that she would be alone for much of her trip across post-apocalyptic America. In … More A Good Chunk
I have a young friend who sees himself as a writer of screenplays. He has education along those lines, with some of it coming from me. He’s currently working on a short film that he has high hopes for. I’ve read the script, and I also believe that it shows some promise. I’ve actually read … More Give a Man a Fish
The Great Adventure 