Sunday, July 31, 2011

Odds and Ends 07.31.2011

Not exactly a linky post, just random stuff I wanted to share:

ONE

I got a bloggy award from Yahong! Thanks for your kind words and all-around awesomeness. :)


TWO


I think it's absolutely insane. I'm too much of  a wimp to sign up, but I do kind of want to give it a shot. Maybe 24 hours would be more doable? I don't know. I meant to try it yesterday but got sucked into TV tropes and didn't find my way out of it until hours later (and look, I am such a good friend I'm not even linking you). On second thought, maybe I really, really need to participate in this marathon. The internet is a dangerous, time-sucking, productivity-wrecking thing, I tell you.

Sigh. I think the only way I can do this is if I cheat and let myself use email. But then I will see blog comments and Twitter mentions (at least I turned off Facebook notifications) and gchat, and Google Reader is only a click away and I'll want to comment on stuff, and... yeah, I can see why it'd be a slippery slope. I guess I'll have to think about it some more.


THREE

Krispy somehow talked me into doing CampNaNoWriMo (basically NaNoWriMo in the summer, which I think works a lot better for me than November). 

I seriously have no idea how that happened. Um, hello, self, are you completely crazy?? This is not going according to plan. I do not have a nice, detailed outline. I have no idea what I am doing. I have never completed NaNo before despite my previous (and very pathetic) attempts. I am sure I will fail.

But you know what? It's ok. I already have quite a few ideas for what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of my story, so I'm not starting with a total blank. I'll mostly be using NaNo to develop my ideas. There will probably be a lot of messy freewriting, things out of order, random scenes, and ramblings on worldbuilding/backstory stuff that nobody needs to know but me. Afterward, when I've discovered most of the things I want to say, I'll organize all my ideas into an outline and use that to write a draft that actually reads like a story. (Who knows, maybe I'll do that for the official NaNo. :P) So I guess it's not that far off my plan. I'm just brainstorming more intensely and starting to write a bit sooner. 

And even if I don't make it to 50k words, or only manage to generate a ton of junk, I think it'll be a good learning experience. I'm terrible at commitment and discipline, so this is a good challenge for me.

So yeah, August will be pretty crazy. I'll still be posting at least once a week (at least, I hope to), and I might also post writing updates. We'll see.

What are your writing goals for August? Any tips for turning off the internet or writing 50k words in a month? Anyone want to join me? :P

21 comments:

  1. <3 :)

    Dude, Internet fast?? That's seriously insane. I don't think I'd survive. D: Which says pretty lame things about me, I think, LOL.

    And GO GO GO for NaNoWriMo! (hehehe. that rhymed.) You can do it, girl -- and, of course, it'll always be something every writer should experience. :)

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  2. Hehe. You're not the only one! I don't think I can do it either!

    I'm getting more and more nervous about NaNoWriMo now. I still don't have names for my characters! And I hardly know anything about my MC! *slightly freaking out* Hope things will work themselves out somehow...

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  3. I don't think I'll join you at Camp NaNo, but I know you'll enjoy it. NaNo in November us every bit as hard and wonderful as they say!

    Are you going to try your many stories in one world idea?

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  4. Ooh, is there still time to sign up for CampNaNo? I have a novel I'd like to finish sometime during August, though I sorely lack the discipline. This seems like a really wonderful thing. I agree, though, that as long as you try -- even if you don't get to 50k by the month's end, it is still great.

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  5. Thanks! I think I'll stick with one story for now... it's already getting way more complicated than I expected (funny how that happens). If I discover that writing a novel doesn't make me hate my very existence, then I'll write the other stories as companion novels. :P

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  6. Yes, definitely! I'm pretty sure you can join any time, you'll just have to writer faster to catch up if you start later. Yeah, I'm terrible at forcing myself to write! Now that I've told all of you about it, I''ll have slightly more motivation than otherwise. Totally agree that the important thing isn't winning but doing your best and getting stuff written. Do it! :D

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  7. Congratulations on the blog award! How exciting!!! I love your blog, it's gorgeous! I'll definitely be back for more fun! I do hope you'll stop by Unedited and say hello!!

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  8. You can do it! Kick that CampNaNoWriMo's butt! ;) And if you don't have a great outline, it's okay. Just write what you want and revise later. That is how I started. I try to outline a little now, but I'll never be a full outliner. Do what works for you and you'll be fine. Good luck!! :D

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  9. Thanks, Jen! I just came across a post that mentioned your blog today. Will definitely check it out! :)

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  10. Thanks, Chantele! I wish I had that much confidence in myself, too. :P But I appreciate your encouragement a lot, and I'll be doing my best! 

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  11. I may have to give the internet fast a go! Like you, I'm not sure 48 hours would be doable, but I could try 24 hours with email access only. It'd be nice to see what it felt like not to feel tethered to the computer for a little while.

    I have yet to define my writing goals for the month. If I could actually finish my WIP, that would be great; the other books I've already written aren't going to edit themselves!

    Also? I second this:
    And even if I don't make it to 50k words, or only manage to generate a ton of junk, I think it'll be a good learning experience.
    DO EET!

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  12. Do it. Give up the Internet for 48 hours. Yes, it will probably hurt--but you'll be surprised how much more likely you are to actually write if it's off. Prepare to feel lonely and isolated. Prepare to be perfectly fine despite that.

    P.S. You may want to bar yourself from watching TV also. One glowing rectangle tends to step in to fill the void of another...

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  13. Go Deb! :D I think I'll ease into it and start with not looking at Google Reader, since reading and commenting on blogs takes up a lot more of my time than any other internet-related activity (because it's so much fun!).

    Good luck with your WIP and editing! Also, I am in awe of the fact that you have multiple books written already. Since I've started CampNaNo, my admiration for people who have completed manuscripts just increased a thousandfold, hehe.

    Thanks for the encouragement! I really appreciate it. :)

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  14. LOL did you see my tweet about that or are you speaking from personal experience? I totally didn't expect TV to be a problem because I hardly ever watch it, but when I tried to stay off the internet this past weekend, I turned on the TV for the first time in forever and was instantly mesmerized by the glowing screen. Ahaha. :P

    Ok, maybe I really do need to give this internet (and TV!) fast thing a shot. But I think I'll start small and see if I can work my way up. Thanks for the advice! I admit I was a bit worried about the sense of isolation. But maybe that's exactly what I need. We'll see! :)

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  15. Ha, that's funny! Guess I'm not the only one.

    I was actually speaking from personal experience there. Last time I consciously avoided the internet, I ended up watching all of the Karate Kid movies back-to-back. Most of the time I avoid TV like it's the Black Plague.

    You might want to check out the free version of the ebook "Focus" by Leo Babauta if you'd like some terrific insight into disconnecting.

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  16. Haha wow funny how that happens, right? I'm definitely gonna avoid TV even more intentionally now. I think I watched enough that day to last me for a few months, if not years. :P

    Ooh cool, I read Zen Habits, but never checked out any of his ebooks. Thanks for the rec! I'll look into it. I'm might be sort of a pathological multitasker, so it'll definitely be a challenge for me to focus on just one thing at a time, haha.

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  17. I'm without internet at home for who knows how long, so that will be quite the challenge.

    Nice blog you're running here! New follower.

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  18. Thanks, David, and welcome! :)

    Yikes, being without internet at home does sound really rough. Hope you get it fixed soon!

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  19. I hear you about the multitasking. I'm still fighting that battle--with a combination of To Do lists, voluntary disconnection, and living in relative seclusion, it's getting better all the time. :)

    Definitely check out Focus! It helped me a lot, and Leo Babauta's a really good writer.

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  20. I read the ebook! Have to admit that I multitasked while trying to read it, though. XD But yeah, he does have some great points. I'll be reading the practical tips again to choose a few tricks to start with. Thanks for the rec! :)

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  21. Hey, glad to hear you found it useful! I've got to read that book again too. Distraction is a constant battle.

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