NaNoMyWayo

I'm participating in NaNo this year, but I'm doing it a little differently than everyone else. I'm not going to actually sign up and I'm writing the whole thing by hand. I know - crazy. After I'm finished with the whole thing I will then type it up. I've found that 4 pages of my handwritten work equals 1000 words so that will be my goal -- 4 pages a day. I don't write on Sundays so I won't actually be beginning until Monday, but most of my first chapter is already written so I think I'll be okay.

So I'm excited about this. I've never actually finished a novel yet and I'm looking forward to having one done. I plan on having the whole thing outlined by Saturday. The working title is Chasing Shadows and I've been doing some research on the setting and some integral parts of my story. 

I need lots of encouragement so please check out my page counter daily and get mad at me if I haven't met my 4 page goal. 

So what about you - are you doing NaNo? Are you changing things up too? Those of you who've done it in years passed - do you have any advice for me?

Early Morning Uglies Turned Upside Down

Empty

Hollow

Failure

Old

Tired

Embarrassed

Shame

He smiles, eyes shining with two happy dents in his cheeks

The Darkness Fades

Can We Go Too Far In Our Opinions?

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly." ~ Albert Einstein

I'm opinionated. Often I'm outspoken in my opinions. Sometimes I think I might go too far, but I'm nowhere near as outspoken as some - so how much is too much? Mostly I'm referring to on-line opinions.


I like to post book reviews, but I usually only post reviews on books I like because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, nor do I want to bring attention to a book that I don't like. But I do comment on other blogs that review books and I do give my opinion if it's a book I've read -- if I didn't like it I say so and why. I completely forget that the author may see the review and read people's comments.


The other day I left a comment on someone's blog about a book. The review was sort of negative and I agreed with the reviewers opinion. Guess what happened - The author commented(UHG) - here is my comment:

I felt the same way about it. I read it because someone said it was so good, but I thought it was predictable and boring. The changing view point so often was annoying too. I did like the two leads, but you're right - it was forgettable.(I'm embarrassed to admit how many grammatical and spelling errors I needed to fix in this comment)

Here is the author's comment:

How fun to find a review of Miss D so long after it has come out! Thank you for reading it and reviewing it. I do have to speak up and say that the point of view changes only once per chapter--I was very cognizant of that. If you or Mary can find a place where it changes more often, could you please point it out to me? I would really appreciate that! Thanks!


Was I too mean? I really never expected her to see the comment or I probably would have been nicer. But should I have been? I should give my honest opinion, right?

I'm not sure what the answer is, but I will say this:  I love that the author defended her book and literary choices. I also think that if the perception is that the book changes viewpoint a lot, it doesn't matter how often it actually does. I also think I was a little too harsh in my comment.  The book was a pleasant diversion and I did finish reading it - which is saying a lot when there are so many books that I don't finish these days.

So what do you think? Can we go too far in our opinions? Since most of us are hoping to be published one day - should we be careful what we say about others books?

Oh! Were We Supposed To Discuss The Book?

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. ~ Elbert Hubbard

Are you apart of a book group? I am. I've been meeting with a group of woman on the first Thursday of the month for the past 6 years and I love it. I enjoy getting out away from my kids and I get to talk about my favorite things - books. But do you know what's even better? I get to visit with other woman. We have dessert and then we chat and laugh, then we talk a little about the book and then we chat and laugh some more. 

A variety of subjects are often covered. Last night we talked about piano lessons, cross dressing, breast feeding, reincarnation, raising teenagers, raising kids, husbands who used to break dance, mind reading and so much more. I love these woman. They help keep me sane.

 My book club - some faces are missing.

 Some books that we read promote more discussion than others, but we always take time to visit. I've kept a record of the books we've read so if anyone would like a list I'd be happy to e-mail it to you.

So what about you -- are you in a book group? What kinds of things do you talk about?

To The Ones Who Hold My Hand

“Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those, who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in a human condition." ~ Graham Greene

  

Months went by where I hardly wrote anything and I have to tell you it was rough. My self worth plummeted. I didn't care about anything. How did I ever get by before I started writing? Whatever the reason I seem to need it now.

As I said in my last post I've been writing again and it's so great. I'm excited about my story again and the words are flowing. My day is so much more productive now too. For so long I've just been going through the motions and now I'm feeling so much better about everything. 

I just wanted to thank all of you who've encouraged me not to give up. Some of you have encouraged me in person and some on this blog and I really appreciate it. Thank you for holding my hand through the rough times. I hope that I've done a little bit of the same for you.

Do any of you watch Glee? Yesterday's episode was surprisingly deep and this song was quite beautiful and moving. I'm dedicating it to all of you.

I can't seem to get it to embed, but it's worth listening to -- go here to watch.

Is It Worth It?

"Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life." ~ Lawrence Kasdan

Do you ever wonder if writing is worth it? I'm sure you must, I can't be that different than everyone else. Some people live to write and I'm not one of them. I like writing only when I read what I have written. It's like what Gloria Steinem says: "I do not like to write - I like to have written."  That's how I feel about writing. 

Writing is so much work and the book that I've been writing requires a ton of research and for awhile now I've been wondering if it's worth it. Well, this weekend I discovered that my story is worth it. As I was doing some research I came across some information that I felt must go into my book and then I watched some amazing news on T.V. that made me realize that my story has relevance for today.

So guess what? I've been writing. I've written 2000 new words and I'm reworking some stuff that I've already written but hadn't been typed yet and I'm excited. Do you see that little button on the side of the screen that shows my word count? Pay attention. It's rising.