National Novel Writing Month is a grand adventure . The challenge is to write 50K words toward a novel, which amounts to about 1.7K words per day. The way I write, that's 3 typed, single-spaced, 12-point, 1" margin pages.
When someone suggested I give it a shot, my first thought was, "Are you kidding me?" I didn't think I could keep up with the pace, what with the hours I keep for work. So far, though, I'm actually a touch ahead of schedule.
I had to make some changes to the way I write. There's no way I'd have time to write it by hand, which I normally do as a concession for a wrist injury many years ago, then type it in, so I'm composing at the computer. That means I have to take a lot of breaks so I don't blow my wrist apart again. Taking breaks means I can't just get the idea and go with it. I have to stop for a few minutes without losing track of where I was.
It's working out, actually. Hammering out the ~1.7K words per day is taking about 1.5-2 hours. I really can't say it's my best writing, but the whole purpose of editing is to straighten out all those irritating little glitches.
One week down ... 3 to go.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Oops ... Missed a Week
That's okay. It was a typical week with the usual shenanigans at school.
Some good news there, though. I think the graffiti artists have decided to call it quits for now.
I did actually get the "dog ate my homework" excuse. I told the young lady that her excuse was old when Moses tried it. Sadly, I got the blank "Huh?" stare for that one.
My paperwork reduction experiment is working. I didn't get a lot of extra time to write, but I did use the time to do a bunch of other wacky things like setting up a computer to replace the one that was gradually experiencing more and more hard drive problems.
I'm going to embark on a new story today. I have the prewriting stuff done already, except the plot mapping. I had tried it once already, but I didn't like where it was going and how it was getting there.
To fix that, I'm going to try doing something a little ... odd. I'm going to try to tell the story from inside the POV of a parrot. No, I'm not going to have the parrot be a small, feathered human. I want to have the parrot act and interpret things as a parrot. I have an excellent model: my Timneh African Grey engineer bird.
This may be rough for a couple reasons. First, I'm not very good at telling a story from just one character's POV. If I run afoul of problems with this, I'll make the parrot one of the POV characters along with the two main human characters.
Second, I'm not a parrot. I'm only guessing at what goes on through their cute, little heads.
*Shrug* I'll try to write a couple test scenes and see what my crit group thinks.
I have to catch up on my crits for the week before I dive in, but before even that, church.
Speaking of which, I'd better go see about breakfast.
Some good news there, though. I think the graffiti artists have decided to call it quits for now.
I did actually get the "dog ate my homework" excuse. I told the young lady that her excuse was old when Moses tried it. Sadly, I got the blank "Huh?" stare for that one.
My paperwork reduction experiment is working. I didn't get a lot of extra time to write, but I did use the time to do a bunch of other wacky things like setting up a computer to replace the one that was gradually experiencing more and more hard drive problems.
I'm going to embark on a new story today. I have the prewriting stuff done already, except the plot mapping. I had tried it once already, but I didn't like where it was going and how it was getting there.
To fix that, I'm going to try doing something a little ... odd. I'm going to try to tell the story from inside the POV of a parrot. No, I'm not going to have the parrot be a small, feathered human. I want to have the parrot act and interpret things as a parrot. I have an excellent model: my Timneh African Grey engineer bird.
This may be rough for a couple reasons. First, I'm not very good at telling a story from just one character's POV. If I run afoul of problems with this, I'll make the parrot one of the POV characters along with the two main human characters.
Second, I'm not a parrot. I'm only guessing at what goes on through their cute, little heads.
*Shrug* I'll try to write a couple test scenes and see what my crit group thinks.
I have to catch up on my crits for the week before I dive in, but before even that, church.
Speaking of which, I'd better go see about breakfast.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Graffiti is not just an alternate form of expression
The district where I work just built a new elementary. They needed to. The old one has been falling apart and the district is experiencing a population explosion. Sharing space with the middle school and high school wasn't an option any more.
So, now we have a nifty, new facility. Lots of color. Lots of space. Lots of new technological wizardry funded by a grant ... and now lots of new graffiti. Some 2nd-4th grade gooberhead has mistaken the walls and floors in the privy for a writing tablet. In the girl's restroom, it's a lot of girl-drama along the usual lines of "I hate ______ because she likes _______." In the boy's restroom, it's an expletive written over and over in large letters ... and spelling incorrectly.
It isn't just there, though. I have other, probably different, gooberheads writing all over stuff in my room, too. In my room, though, the writing has been confined to folders, science journals, a clipboard, and someone's paper. I positively identified one of the perpetrators, and she was dealt with by me and by the parent. So far, nothing new from her. As for the other, I'm pretty certain I know who it is, and I've contacted the parents about the incidents I can absolutely link to him. Although I know in my head that he's responsible for the rest of the incidents in my room, what I know and what I can prove are not the same thing. So, unfortunately, one rotten apple is making the whole room stink, and now I have to get much more strict about movement around the room. Not the way I like to run a class, but I can't afford to be constantly replacing stuff because someone decides to write all over things.
My paperwork reduction experiment didn't work, but then it was the end of the 6 weeks, which involves unit tests and a flood of incoming redos and missing work as procrastinators decide all of a sudden that maybe they've missed enough recesses for their missing work and all those zeroes aren't going to improve their amount of playtime at home.
So, the experiment continues next week so I can try to recover more time than just Sunday afternoon to work on my writing.
I do have news most fabulous, though! Virtual Tales reviewed my book proposal for Remnant in the Stars and requested the full manuscript. Whoot! They tell me they'll need a couple months to review the book and decide if they want to offer a contract.
This could get interesting!
So, now we have a nifty, new facility. Lots of color. Lots of space. Lots of new technological wizardry funded by a grant ... and now lots of new graffiti. Some 2nd-4th grade gooberhead has mistaken the walls and floors in the privy for a writing tablet. In the girl's restroom, it's a lot of girl-drama along the usual lines of "I hate ______ because she likes _______." In the boy's restroom, it's an expletive written over and over in large letters ... and spelling incorrectly.
It isn't just there, though. I have other, probably different, gooberheads writing all over stuff in my room, too. In my room, though, the writing has been confined to folders, science journals, a clipboard, and someone's paper. I positively identified one of the perpetrators, and she was dealt with by me and by the parent. So far, nothing new from her. As for the other, I'm pretty certain I know who it is, and I've contacted the parents about the incidents I can absolutely link to him. Although I know in my head that he's responsible for the rest of the incidents in my room, what I know and what I can prove are not the same thing. So, unfortunately, one rotten apple is making the whole room stink, and now I have to get much more strict about movement around the room. Not the way I like to run a class, but I can't afford to be constantly replacing stuff because someone decides to write all over things.
My paperwork reduction experiment didn't work, but then it was the end of the 6 weeks, which involves unit tests and a flood of incoming redos and missing work as procrastinators decide all of a sudden that maybe they've missed enough recesses for their missing work and all those zeroes aren't going to improve their amount of playtime at home.
So, the experiment continues next week so I can try to recover more time than just Sunday afternoon to work on my writing.
I do have news most fabulous, though! Virtual Tales reviewed my book proposal for Remnant in the Stars and requested the full manuscript. Whoot! They tell me they'll need a couple months to review the book and decide if they want to offer a contract.
This could get interesting!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Paperwork to HERE!
A few years have passed since the last time I did 4th grade self-contained, and I'm finding it's everything I remembered: lots of drama and lots of paperwork.
The only thing to do with the drama is deal with it as it comes up. This week's adventure was annoying and time consuming but ultimately, I think it'll be fixable and we'll get on with life.
The paperwork, however, is something I have some control over. After getting swamped yet again this week, I spoke with many of my peers and my supervisors, and now there's a plan of action to get my work done without pulling 16+ hour days 6 days a week. It'll be an experiment to find balance between doing a good job and driving myself past endurance.
In my writing adventures, with the help of my critique group buddies, I've figured out how to close the enormous plot hole in Lines of Succession. Like a lot of things, I'd missed the obvious answer by staring too hard at the details. The fix isn't going to be a complete cakewalk, but it'll definitely be easier than some of the options I was coming up with on my own.
Once I finish here, I'm going off to work on LoS and start getting the thing ready to go again.
I find writing to be a relaxing and stress-relieving hobby. I'm hopeful that as I readjust my weekly schedule, I'll have more time to write or do craft things and thereby dodge the hazards of burn-out.
The only thing to do with the drama is deal with it as it comes up. This week's adventure was annoying and time consuming but ultimately, I think it'll be fixable and we'll get on with life.
The paperwork, however, is something I have some control over. After getting swamped yet again this week, I spoke with many of my peers and my supervisors, and now there's a plan of action to get my work done without pulling 16+ hour days 6 days a week. It'll be an experiment to find balance between doing a good job and driving myself past endurance.
In my writing adventures, with the help of my critique group buddies, I've figured out how to close the enormous plot hole in Lines of Succession. Like a lot of things, I'd missed the obvious answer by staring too hard at the details. The fix isn't going to be a complete cakewalk, but it'll definitely be easier than some of the options I was coming up with on my own.
Once I finish here, I'm going off to work on LoS and start getting the thing ready to go again.
I find writing to be a relaxing and stress-relieving hobby. I'm hopeful that as I readjust my weekly schedule, I'll have more time to write or do craft things and thereby dodge the hazards of burn-out.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Funny but Incorrect
At school, the first round of tests has just passed. Don't worry. More are coming. For each of these tests, I give bonus questions so the kids can earn some extra points. The district policy has decreed that tests count half of the final score for the 6 weeks, so every extra point to be had on an exam could be worth its mass in gold. As usual, I put one question in the set that has the answer built into the question. All the kid has to do is read the question correctly and the answer is right there.
On the math test, I put the question, "If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how much does one pound of butter weigh?" The funniest answer was "On Tuesday." Yes, it was Tuesday, but that doesn't answer the question. The best answer was "16 ounces." Yes! This one can read and do measurement conversions.
The science test had a different set of bonuses. For the reading comprehension one, I put this question, "When was the War of 1812?" The oddest answer was "The Alamo," which actually came from multiple kids. Unfortunately, even if The Alamo qualified as a "when," the major Battle of the Alamo was in the 1830s. The best answer, of course, was "1812." No one got the end date, but this is a good start.
I polished off the ubiquitous paperwork last night, so this afternoon, I get to work on my writing again. I'm still hashing out Lines of Succession, but so far all is going well. The crit'ers I work with online must be busy or else they're finding a lot that needs fixing in Wind Herding. I haven't heard anything back from the 2 chapters I posted for review. That's okay. I know they all have lives that don't revolve around my writing. I'm not in a hurry.
On the math test, I put the question, "If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how much does one pound of butter weigh?" The funniest answer was "On Tuesday." Yes, it was Tuesday, but that doesn't answer the question. The best answer was "16 ounces." Yes! This one can read and do measurement conversions.
The science test had a different set of bonuses. For the reading comprehension one, I put this question, "When was the War of 1812?" The oddest answer was "The Alamo," which actually came from multiple kids. Unfortunately, even if The Alamo qualified as a "when," the major Battle of the Alamo was in the 1830s. The best answer, of course, was "1812." No one got the end date, but this is a good start.
I polished off the ubiquitous paperwork last night, so this afternoon, I get to work on my writing again. I'm still hashing out Lines of Succession, but so far all is going well. The crit'ers I work with online must be busy or else they're finding a lot that needs fixing in Wind Herding. I haven't heard anything back from the 2 chapters I posted for review. That's okay. I know they all have lives that don't revolve around my writing. I'm not in a hurry.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A Weird Paradox
How is it that a short work week can feel like it drags on forever, but a full work week can just zip on by? Last week was only four days of teaching kids -- along with a full day on Saturday to catch up on grading paperwork -- but it felt like ten.
I've been so badly swamped with paperwork this week that I haven't had a chance to do any writing. I'm hoping that this afternoon when I get back from church and finish errand running, I'll have a chance to tackle something, if only working on Lines of Succession. I want to finish that before I take on one of the nifty ideas for new works that are zipping around in my head like dust motes in a hurricane.
I've been so badly swamped with paperwork this week that I haven't had a chance to do any writing. I'm hoping that this afternoon when I get back from church and finish errand running, I'll have a chance to tackle something, if only working on Lines of Succession. I want to finish that before I take on one of the nifty ideas for new works that are zipping around in my head like dust motes in a hurricane.
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Long Weekend!
Whoohoo!
I don't think kids realize that teachers look forward to holidays as much as the students do.
The school year is settling into a rhythm. The kids are learning that 4th grade is more independent than 3rd and lower, so I'm there to help, but they have to nail together the courage to ask for it. One parent was concerned about her son's failing marks, and I explained that the child didn't follow directions for assignments and never asked questions. The next day, and every day since, he asks more questions than any 12 other kids, and his work has seriously improved in just a week.
One of my coworkers has a sign that reads, "If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your teacher told you." Amusing but accurate.
My writing adventures also continue. Working a few minutes at a time and longer on the weekends, I completed an edit for a tale called Wind Herding. Unfortunately, I've been hashing and rehashing this one for a couple years, so I'm not sure I could find any errors if they all tap-danced and held signs. I've submitted the first couple chapters to a critique group I play with, and while I wait for their answers, I'll try to fix the killer plot hole I found in Lines of Succession.
I don't think kids realize that teachers look forward to holidays as much as the students do.
The school year is settling into a rhythm. The kids are learning that 4th grade is more independent than 3rd and lower, so I'm there to help, but they have to nail together the courage to ask for it. One parent was concerned about her son's failing marks, and I explained that the child didn't follow directions for assignments and never asked questions. The next day, and every day since, he asks more questions than any 12 other kids, and his work has seriously improved in just a week.
One of my coworkers has a sign that reads, "If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your teacher told you." Amusing but accurate.
My writing adventures also continue. Working a few minutes at a time and longer on the weekends, I completed an edit for a tale called Wind Herding. Unfortunately, I've been hashing and rehashing this one for a couple years, so I'm not sure I could find any errors if they all tap-danced and held signs. I've submitted the first couple chapters to a critique group I play with, and while I wait for their answers, I'll try to fix the killer plot hole I found in Lines of Succession.
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