I am not ready for tomorrow. For a number of reasons.
1) Because of not allowing myself to work on the novel project I selected for NaNo, I mentally shifted gears to a second story. I could just run with that story, but I already put the first in motion for the challenge. Time to shift gears again.
2) I have a full-time job. And yes, many, many people who partake in NaNo also have full-time jobs, but I fear that my writing job will sap me of all creativity for the story. Oh, how I miss the days when a story spoke to me and I had no choice but to write down ideas, dialogue, scenes, description, setting, etc.
I asked a coworker (who is also participating) if she was ready, and she wasn't. She has so much to do with Scare House (she's an actress who works/ed at a haunted house), getting her new apartment in order, work, etc. We're hoping that we'll get bursts of inspiration and double the required word count for a single night, just to catch up.
3) I am a copyediting intern for the Pittsburgh Quarterly. I've been involved with its editors since the spring and it's been great. I got to revamp and update its style guide with fellow editors, interns, and the official copy editors, but it was mostly my project. But go figure it decides to send out pages to be proofed for the upcoming winter issue during the few days around Halloween. So, I'm exhausted from work, only to come home and copyedit for hours. Sometimes I can't do it. Luckily, my editor is a very understanding, very kind lady who told me to do the best that I could, as much as I could. I've already caught many mistakes from cursory read-throughs... but the pages aren't nearly as red (yes, I use a red pen) as they normally are.
And so, I'm not ready for tomorrow. I want a few extra days to finish the copyediting. I want a few extra days of reorienting my mind to prepare for the right novel. I want a few extra nights to finish an H.P. Lovecraft novella, put the unfinished book away for next October, and start up Grimm's Fairy Tales (novel research). But nope, NaNo starts tomorrow whether or not I, or anyone else, am ready.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
A simple treasure
I always quote a particular line from a movie. "It's the simple things in life you treasure." Galaxy Quest.
This evening was one of those treasures.
My boyfriend and I reheated some delicious leftover Chinese food, sat on the living room floor by the coffee table, sipped from a couple mugs of Oolong tea, and listened to poetry. A while back, he had bought Poet's Corner, which was composed by John Lithgow. It's a collection of Lithgow's favorite poems. The book comes with a CD that showcases certain poems from the collection, all read by popular actors and actresses--Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Billy Connolly, Jodie Foster, and a bunch of others, including Lithgow. It became a treat to recognize both the actors' voices and the poems. For a few, we exchanged tidbits of information, like how Lewis Carroll wrote the "Jabberwocky" because he wanted to show the fickleness of language and prove that people understand the intent of nonsense words.
Before putting in the CD, I didn't want to listen to it. I'd been reading all day and wanted to sit back and enjoy a favorite show or movie. But my boyfriend didn't feel like watching anything. He sometimes becomes "romantic" and wants to share poetry with me, and this, apparently, was one of those nights. And I have to admit, I was having fun halfway through the small amount we had listened to. It was nice to lounge around with a mug of hot tea on a lukewarm October Saturday, with no electronic distraction other than the sound of classic poetry.
This evening was one of those treasures.
My boyfriend and I reheated some delicious leftover Chinese food, sat on the living room floor by the coffee table, sipped from a couple mugs of Oolong tea, and listened to poetry. A while back, he had bought Poet's Corner, which was composed by John Lithgow. It's a collection of Lithgow's favorite poems. The book comes with a CD that showcases certain poems from the collection, all read by popular actors and actresses--Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Billy Connolly, Jodie Foster, and a bunch of others, including Lithgow. It became a treat to recognize both the actors' voices and the poems. For a few, we exchanged tidbits of information, like how Lewis Carroll wrote the "Jabberwocky" because he wanted to show the fickleness of language and prove that people understand the intent of nonsense words.
Before putting in the CD, I didn't want to listen to it. I'd been reading all day and wanted to sit back and enjoy a favorite show or movie. But my boyfriend didn't feel like watching anything. He sometimes becomes "romantic" and wants to share poetry with me, and this, apparently, was one of those nights. And I have to admit, I was having fun halfway through the small amount we had listened to. It was nice to lounge around with a mug of hot tea on a lukewarm October Saturday, with no electronic distraction other than the sound of classic poetry.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Paper, paper everywhere; where it should be
I'm beginning to wonder if every writer should have clipboards of paper and a dangling pen or pencil hanging in every room of his or her abode.
Recently, I bought a small tablet of waterproof paper. Yes, it exists. Biologists and geologist use it when out in the field near streams and in inclement weather. You can use a pen or pencil, though a pencil works best (especially under water). Amazon.com has a small tear-away pad that you can suction to the wall of your shower. The pad comes with a small suction mount for a pencil, too.
That pad has come in handy. Most of the problems in my stories are resolved in the bathroom. I don't know what it is about that place. I solved conundrums often enough that it required a pad in the shower just so I could get the idea or dialogue or description down without using specific words or nuances. So last night, before getting ready for bed, I found myself listening to very specific dialogue between two characters. They belong to the novel my thesis started, which I haven't touched since August. The character voices were unique and particular. I wanted to begin writing the conversation, but the waterproof pad was out of reach and too small. And yet I couldn't shut my mind off, either, because more sections of the scene started appearing, along with details and actions.
I ended up striding into the living room, where my boyfriend and I were watching educational YouTube videos about the Maya calendar and what happens in a presidential election in the event of a tie, and ordered him to "Pause it. Pause it! Pause it, pause it!"
He finally did after I plopped onto the couch and grabbed a notebook and pencil. What followed was a 300-word sketch of dialogue and notes in the worst chicken scratch I've ever written. I type faster, usually, but couldn't spare the time to grab the laptop, log in, locate the document, locate the proper location in said document, and begin typing.
Thus, I realized that maybe it's a good idea to dangle a clipboard and pencil off the bathroom counter, and have a notebook on my nightstand instead of further away on my desk, and maybe one on my To Read shelf in the little hallway. There are white boards and notebooks located elsewhere throughout the apartment.
I told my best friend of this incident. She said she loves when inspiration strikes like that. It's as if the moment takes over you, as if you're living it alongside your characters. And you need to get the idea down on paper as fast as possible without any distraction registering in your mind. No one else's real-life conversation, no facts broadcast from the TV, no song lyrics, nothing. The entire world must pause until the idea is safely on paper, and only then (when the voices in your head quiet) can life resume.
Recently, I bought a small tablet of waterproof paper. Yes, it exists. Biologists and geologist use it when out in the field near streams and in inclement weather. You can use a pen or pencil, though a pencil works best (especially under water). Amazon.com has a small tear-away pad that you can suction to the wall of your shower. The pad comes with a small suction mount for a pencil, too.
That pad has come in handy. Most of the problems in my stories are resolved in the bathroom. I don't know what it is about that place. I solved conundrums often enough that it required a pad in the shower just so I could get the idea or dialogue or description down without using specific words or nuances. So last night, before getting ready for bed, I found myself listening to very specific dialogue between two characters. They belong to the novel my thesis started, which I haven't touched since August. The character voices were unique and particular. I wanted to begin writing the conversation, but the waterproof pad was out of reach and too small. And yet I couldn't shut my mind off, either, because more sections of the scene started appearing, along with details and actions.
I ended up striding into the living room, where my boyfriend and I were watching educational YouTube videos about the Maya calendar and what happens in a presidential election in the event of a tie, and ordered him to "Pause it. Pause it! Pause it, pause it!"
He finally did after I plopped onto the couch and grabbed a notebook and pencil. What followed was a 300-word sketch of dialogue and notes in the worst chicken scratch I've ever written. I type faster, usually, but couldn't spare the time to grab the laptop, log in, locate the document, locate the proper location in said document, and begin typing.
Thus, I realized that maybe it's a good idea to dangle a clipboard and pencil off the bathroom counter, and have a notebook on my nightstand instead of further away on my desk, and maybe one on my To Read shelf in the little hallway. There are white boards and notebooks located elsewhere throughout the apartment.
I told my best friend of this incident. She said she loves when inspiration strikes like that. It's as if the moment takes over you, as if you're living it alongside your characters. And you need to get the idea down on paper as fast as possible without any distraction registering in your mind. No one else's real-life conversation, no facts broadcast from the TV, no song lyrics, nothing. The entire world must pause until the idea is safely on paper, and only then (when the voices in your head quiet) can life resume.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)