Writing the Write Thing at the Write Time

Fire Boy Completed

2010-11-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Day 5 of Nanowrimo and I'm happy to say that I have completed my first story for the book. It's called Fire Boy. I actually really like this story. i think my writing is really improving, which of course motivates me to write even more. I started working on a story called John Mortenson, which is a character from my long short story called Project Spiralbound.

My current word count is: 7416

I saw Masterpiece Theatre's version of Wuthering Heights and fell in love with the story. So I went to Book Star today and bought the Barnes and Noble paperback of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I LOVE it. why did I not read this earlier!? Too bad this was her only book.Reading this book in between bursts of writing is helping me get into a lyrical mood, I think. I think a lot of writers have a certain book, movie or album they use to motivate them or get them out of a writing drought. This is definitely working for me.

Here is an excerpt from Fire Boy:

Samantha ran by him and time slowed down considerably. She appeared to be floating. Without thinking he slapped her wet butt and she gasped loudly. The white dreamy fuzz evaporated, and he found himself back in sharp harsh reality.
A screeching voice sent shrills down his spine. “Young man! You!”
Jeremy turned around to see Samantha’s mother marching towards him. The other children OOOOHed accusingly and gleefully.
“I saw that you little pervert!” Samantha’s mother hissed at him. Her fists were clenched tightly.
“What’s going on over there?” Alton called out, apparently trying to calm everyone down with a touch of humour in his voice.
Samantha’s mom replied, “He just touched Samantha’s little rearend!”
Alton looked squarely at Jeremy and a look of disappointment spread over his face, with a hint of anger.
Jeremy’s eyes plead. “I didn’t mean to!” he said, directing his reply to Alton. He really didn’t know what he was doing.
Alton shook his head shamefully and busied himself with the grill once more, wanting to avoid the situation. To let his wife handle such a sensitive topic as sexual harassment.
Samantha’s mom hugged her daughter’s cold shoulders and shooed Jeremy away. “Go away, boy. Go home!”
Jeremy sulked away from the group, giving Alton one last look over his shoulders. Alton did not return the glance.

Preparing for Midnight!

2010-10-31T17:29:00.001-05:00

The second it's November, I'm off! But until them I've been frantically practicing (using writing prompts and the like). One extremely useful site that I love to use is: Seventh Sanctum.

On Amazon I ordered some things to hopefully get the internet back up and running on my Sony Vaio laptop which I will be using to Nano. I got an ethernet cable, a USB-ethernet port, and a 4 port USB hub.

Last night I tried Ubuntu 10.10 but was not impressed because the set up did not work as it should have despite having followed the instructions step-by-step. And it took forever to download the .iso file. It would not connect to the internet despite having connected to my wireless. Too much work and frustration.

Computer Problems + Ubuntu

2010-10-30T14:55:00.000-05:00

I got quite a bit of outline and notetaking down for some of my Nanowrimo short stories. I think I will get a new netbook today or tomorrow. I'm sick of this netbook going all pink in the screen and for some reason if I unplug the AC adapter, it won't run on just the batteries even though they're 100% charged.
And my other laptop (a Sony vaio) is not connecting to the internet. I know it's not the router since all the other computers in the house are able to connect. It's either the ethernet cable or I need a new NIC card. Maybe I should try ethernet cable first and see if that solves the problem.

I shouldn't neglect my Alphasmart Neo.

When I go to Walmart today I will need to get a new flashdrive to install Ubuntu on so I can run them on different computers. The new version looks AMAZING!

Nanowrimo is the day after tomorrow. I'm Excited! I don't think I will be attending any of the local events this year.

Milwordy - a MILLION words in a year

2010-10-26T12:50:00.000-05:00

So I found yet another Nano-type competition to partake in. Good idea? Not sure yet. We'll see.
This one's called Milwordy [http://milwordy.freeforums.org/] The rules weren't really explained under RULES so I'm not exactly sure what counts towards the word count. Only fiction? Do blog posts count? Journal entries? I don't know.

You can start January 1st (option A) or any day (option B). I will most likely be doing option B.

I forsee difficulties keeping tabs on the word count.

Currently Reading: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Currently Listening to: She Burned Me Down by Type O Negative

Review: Scrivener Beta for Windows

2010-10-25T22:42:00.000-05:00

I downloaded and installed the free trial version of Scrivener beta onto a 2GB flashdrive (thumbdrive). I am really liking it. I know it's beta and there are bugs and kinks that need working out. My two problems were:

(1) On the first use, a few minutes into tinkering around and trying to figure things out, the software crashed (froze). But a few hours later I re-opened Scrivener and had no problems with crashing. Hope it's not a regular thing.
(2) This one is a serious problem for me: the text lags... severely. There is no way that I can use this to write large blocks of texts and keep my sanity at the same time. Others are having the same problem with lagging texts. I hate not being able to see what I'm typing AS I'm typing it. So my temporary solution, because I still want to use Scrivener, was to open up Microsoft Word and type into that, and then copy & paste the text into Scrivener.

Despite that, I am really liking the application of Scrivener. I mean, stepping back and looking it over, there doesn't seem to be incredibly a lot going on, not a lot of options and features, but I find myself using most of it. What I haven't really made use of is the Outline Mode. I do enjoy the Cork board Mode... just looking at it if not for practical purposes.

They say there will be frequent updates with fixes and such, so expect another review somewhere down the road! My suggestions to Scrivener:
An easy to use Table of Content maker. Is this something you do under "Compile"? Maybe it is. All i know is, this Windows beta version doesn't have all the features as the original Mac version does... not year anyway.

Currently Listening to: No Time by The Guess Who

Final Idea + Waiting For Scrivener Beta!

2010-10-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

Scrivener beta for Windows in coming out TODAY! Yes, sometimes later today for those of us in the US. I can't wait.

I decided once and for all that my NaNoWriMo project this year will be another book of short stories. I'm a sucker for writing short stories. And I don't know, I'm a little afraid to embark on a single novel. Just one story that halfway through I may end up hating and wanting to trash. So short stories it is. I think this year I will try to stick to a theme, unlike last year. Last year the stories were simply bizarre, conspiratorial stories. But this year my theme will focus on CHARACTER STUDIES. I bought this book Writer's Guide to Character Traits a while ago and think it will really come in handy! I've also got some other books on my bookshelf that may come in handy like: Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients, and Providers, How We Die: Reflections of Life's Final Chapter, Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters and Obsession. I will probably start my research today and hopefully start using Scrivener this afternoon and take this week to get used to it. I may be using my Alphasmart Neo again because my Acer One netbook is acting crazy. The screen is constantly turning pink and I have to move the screen around to certain exact angles to get it to go back to normal. Lame!

Currently Reading: Conversations with Marilyn

Birds by T.K. Jones

2010-10-13T16:31:00.000-05:00

Lori? Dr. Mack, my shrink spoke. Breaking the buzzing silence. Lori, what are you thinking about right now?

I wondered what good it was asking that. Would it help with my diagnosis? Or did he already have a diagnosis? If I told him what I was really thinking about I would most definitely be diagnosed with something like psychopathy or antisocial personality. Like any of that really meant anything. When did they decide to put people into groups? And who are "they?" I lied and told him I was thinking about the birds in my yard. The ones that I feed every day. Or at least almost every day. Some days I forget. What I was really thinking about was dying in a plane crash. Would I ever experience a plane accident? What does it feel like to crash in an airplane? And do they give you oxygen to get you high? Do you black out as you rapidly descend to the ground?

The birds in your yard? Dr. Mack asked skeptically as if there was a reason not to believe me. I didn't lead on that I was lying. I'm good at manipulating people like that.

Yeah. I would have preferred that he drop the matter but knew he would beat it to death with a club.

What about the birds in your yard? he went on, jotting something on his clipboard, hidden from my view. Tic-tac-toe?

I just see them in my mind, I explained warily. Now this was true. I DID see those little birds in my mind. The red cardinals, the blue jays, and mockingbirds. Pecking away at the feed I toss out by the handful. Some on the driveway and some in the dying grass. I wonder how they can even see the millet in the grass. I really did wonder this. How did they? I went on, more to myself than Dr. Mack. Even in the snow they just keep pecking away. Eating.

Dr. Mack sighed and caught himself too late as he realized that I noticed he really wasn't interested in hearing my musings on the wild birds in my yard. Quickly he offered up some thoughts. They're low to the ground. Small. To them, I'm sure the pellets are quite large. He waited for a reply. I sat staring at him. Well, through him really. Now totally engrossed in the thoughts of my little birdies. What were they doing now? I forgot to feed them this morning. Are they hungry? Can they manage without me? Have I spoiled them by providing easy food? Are they all accounted for? How would I ever know?

You're grimacing, Dr. Mack noted aloud. So I was. It seems to happen a lot. What were you thinking about just now? he asked again.

The birds in my yard, I repeated. He did not believe me for he asked me if that was REALLY what I was thinking about. ALWAYS TRYING TO GET INTO MY HEAD.

Yes! I insisted angrily. I was really thinking about my little birdies. Dozens and dozens of them. All mine. Because I feed them. They stay in MY yard. I pay for the feed with MY money. THEY ARE MINE. Period.

What are you thinking about the birds? Are they the SAME birds? He looked at me with his beady eyes.

I don't understand. Of course they're the same birds. I said the birds in my yard. Like the first time. How would they be different birds? I couldn't help but sneer at him. Him and all his stupid questions.

Dr. Mack leaned forward like he had some big secret to share with me. He lowered his voice. How do you know that the same birds are visiting you every day?

My mouth hung open. Slightly slack-jawed. I didn't know. Not for sure anyway. I just assumed that the birds that showed up every day were the same birds. Why wouldn't they be? I crossed my arms. Fed up. Shutting out Dr. Mack. What are you getting at? I mumbled and turned my head away from him. His beady eyes were upsetting me. Almost as much as his ignorant, pointless questions. The blinds were down so I could not see the birds that were probably perched on the branches just outside the window.

They knew. A thought popped up in my head. Maybe they knew the birds in my yard. Or maybe these were some of the same birds. I could feel Dr. Mack staring at me. Watching me carefully as I tried so hard to look through the little slits in the blinds. Are you there, birds?

My friends are outside, I said nonchalantly.

Dr. Mack raised an eyebrow. Friends? Tell me about these friends of yours. He got his pen ready.

See them for yourself. I got up and pulled the blinds up slowly. Dr. Mack approached the window and looked down to the street below.

Who is he? He pointed at a lone man, and elderly man, sitting at the bus stop.

I don't know, I answered honestly. Some old man waiting for the bus.

Dr. Mack looked at me. Tired of games. Only I was serious.

Are these friends of yours invisible?

No. They're right in front of you. I pointed to the three red cardinals perched on the thick branch by the window.
------------------------------------------------------------
copyright 2010

Second Short Story Collection

2010-10-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

I'm compiling my second book of short stories. I'm really excited. I haven't even completely finished editing and re-formatting Project Spiralbound before putting it up on CreateSpace but hey, why not.

For Nanowrimo, in 2 weeks, I will be attempting to write an epic. I think the working title is Welcome to Wormwood.

Also, I am interested in starting a serious online novel. Perhaps an epic. I feel that maybe Welcome to Wormwood would make a nice online novel. But I'd really like to see it in an actual book format. Maybe I'll do both. I will sleep on it.

Resources:
http://www.nanowrimo.org
http://webfictionguide.com/
http://online-novels.blogspot.com/

Brainstorming for Next Month

2010-10-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

I can't believe Nanowrimo is next month. This is when I start getting a bit edgy and panicky. I'm tossing around a few ideas, but I don't want to reveal any plots just yet. I know that I don't want to write just a plain novel. I didn't even do that LAST year. I like doing/trying experimental things. Last year wasn't actually experimental or anything. Just a bunch of short stories. This time I will probably make use of many forms to tell the whole story: poem/prose, play, screenplay, all dialogue, journal, etc. I've been thinking about doing this for quite some time now. I just need to settle on a story to tell. Nothing played out like horror, thriller or mystery. Too many people write in those genres I feel. It all seems to morph into one big blob. I guess I don't want to be a part of that blob. I need to get back to journaling, by hand, that is. More creative journaling rather than just going through what happened that day. I used to be so creative in my journals in high school. Writing songs, poems, doodles, etc. I need to get back to basics: P O E T R Y !
I think I may be using my Alphasmart Neo again. I get so much writing done on there. So for the remainder of October I will be taking a lot of notes but hand.

I'm currently reading the following books:

Inspirational Music

The New Mark Twain?

2010-08-10T02:34:00.002-05:00

Hah. Maybe not. But I tried out this website, inputting a chunk of PROJECT SPIRALBOUND and it came up with Mark Twain. Who do you write like?

I write like
Mark Twain

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Why I'm no fan of Lulu

2010-08-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

I would not recommend using the self-publishing company Lulu for self-publishing your book. I ordered a copy of my book and over a month later I realized that it has not even arrived yet! Yes, I contacted them and sure, they are sending my "another" copy at no charge to me. But how is it no charge to me when I already paid shipping on the first book, which never came. Am I supposed to thank them? They should have returned the shipping and handling charges to me! Then I would have thanked them.
Also, a friend ordered a copy of my book from Lulu. He got his in good time but the cover was printed completely wrong. The cover image was slanted off to one side, cutting most of it off and this is THEIR mistake. I checked the pdf version of my book and it was 100% correct. I even used their cover maker! So why would have the cover have been cut off?

LULU IS PROBABLY THE MOST UNRELIABLE COMPANY I'VE EVER WORKED WITH! Save yourself the trouble. I used CreateSpace and they were great. Plus their prices are cheaper. I don't understand how Lulu has the nerve to charge how much they do for their crap products!

Finally published!

2010-06-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited. I published my book (Project Spiralbound and other stories) on Lulu, Createspace and Amazon. The latter two have to be proofed first and thanks to completing NaNoWriMo last year I got a free proof copy! Yay!

I did find a few typos so I am currently reworking that and will have the corrected versions up and ready for the world to see! I'm so excited to start my next book! But for now I must focus on completing these corrections. I can't believe after so SO many read overs and drafts there were still a few typos I missed.

My book came out to 137 pages long. It's 6x9. I can't wait to have it in my hand.

I can't believe Createspace gives you a free ISBN number. How nice of them to do so!

My next book may include illustrations I've done. I finally learned while working on formatting Project Spiralbound how to correctly create a Table of Contents on Word. And how to do a lot of other things. I googled it, but what was most helpful for me were some Youtube videos I found. You can find just about anything on Youtube!

Script Frenzy!

2010-03-31T17:58:00.000-05:00

I nearly forgot about Script Frenzy because I got a job beginning in March (my frist job ever) and I've been very busy. Every week my hours go up and now I'm working 38 hours a week. But it's a seasonal job so even if I work the full 40 I would not get any benefits.

Anyway, I am writing a comedy screenplay called (The Zoomanity.) It's about a girl who get's a job at the zoo and her encounters and experiences with strange, rude, unruly patrons and even co-workers.

Blook = a Blog Novel

2010-02-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking of starting a Blook, which is a novel that is published via a blog. It doesn't mean it's in blog or diary form necessarily although it can be.
Normally I'm iffy about posting anything I write online but I think it would be a good way to gain an interested audience and maybe meet others who are working on interesting projects.
I probably will not allow comments per post because I run another blog that's pretty popular and I get enough spam and rude comments (from people who usually clearly did not take the time to read the post) to make it an annoyance. I will probably have a guest book or just post an e-mail address if anyone wants to contact me.

for more info check out the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_fiction

R.I.P. J.D. Salinger!

2010-01-28T13:15:00.000-06:00

I'm sad to report that J.D. Salinger is dead at the age of 91 of natural causes.
His book, The Catcher in the Rye is one of my all time favorites.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/books/01/28/salinger.obit/index.html?hpt=T1

I am Holden Caulfield!

Scatophilia Short Story

2010-01-01T19:32:00.000-06:00

Today, I started a short story about an assistant professor who has scatophilia. I'd say I'm about a third of the way done. I have 1,769 words (4 pages) so far. It's going pretty well.It's called HIS FAVORITE COLOR IS BROWN.

For inspiration I'm listening to:

Not that this has anything remotely to do with the subject matter.

Merry New Years

2010-01-01T05:18:00.000-06:00

'm excited about the Your Story competition. I think my story is pretty interesting. Hope the judges think so. I wonder what their next theme will be. I will spend today reading in bed and probably writing a short story or two. I am going to enter the Glimmer Train standard contest.

I've picked up Stephen King's ON WRITING again. Just continuing where i left off. Great book. I just love it. He really captivates and hold my attention well. I'm also in the middle of reading THE BACHMAN BOOKS .. RAGE in particular. He published under the name Richard Bachman. I'm liking Rage. For some reason I see it as happening today... I guess with all the school shootings going on in modern times. I think Rage is set in the 50s or 60s... I don't remember if the era was mentioned.

I need to hang out at Panera Bread with a hot cup of joe and write. Just write.

Not that I can't do that at home... like I am doing now.

Woops. It's past 5 AM... I should at least be lying in bed pretending like I'm about to sleep. Ah, well. It's New Year's day!

NaNoBLOmo in January

2009-12-30T14:45:00.001-06:00

I'm thinking I will attempt NaNoBLOmo in January. I have a few blogs on completely different topics but I guess this would be the most appropriate one to use.

Last night I watched a film on Netflix called THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. Robbin Williams was in it. I really like it. Funny and sad. It's based on John Irving's novel. I've never read anything by him... but now I want to!

Today's a cold rainy day, so I should work on some short stories. There are some contests I'd like to enter.

--------------------UPDATE--------------

I wrote a short story titles ABRUPTLY... and entered it into the Writer's Digest contest. I hope I at least reach the finalist stage!

Back from a Holiday Break!

2009-12-27T17:28:00.000-06:00

Hi, everyone. Haven't posted since I won NaNoWriMo. That was great. I still smile thinking about it. :)
I had a great Christmas and hope everyone else did. My dad got me a Acer One netbook... and I LOVE it.

I'm trying to keep this computer more organized than my other one (Sony Vaio.) I have so many thousands of files on there that I sort of gave up on trying to organize them into neat little folders, although I do sometimes find myself trying to sort things out, but in vain.

I'm using my Microsoft OneNote to keep track of writing contests and story ideas. It's so simple to use and I love keeping things organized in one program (especially all those writing contests that I never enter because I forgot to.)

I installed Celtx on here but because the screen resolution on netbooks are so small, it didn't look right. It was difficult resizing it all manually. I'll look around online for some solutions or contact them. I'd really like to use it on this computer. I use Cetx more than MovieMagic (which cost me over $200!)

So I did start to edit my stories that I wrote during Nanowrimo, but I might wait until March which is when NaNoEdMo starts. That's National Novel Editing Month. The goal is to clock in 50 hours of editing. I think I can do it. Plus, it'll give me more time away from the stories before jumping in to edit, which I think is a good thing.

Today I started writing a fragment of a super short story that I'll be submitting to the Writer's Digest Contest #23. You have a 750 word limit! That's quite short so I better not ramble!

Liquid Story Binder XE - 50% off

2009-11-29T00:07:00.000-06:00

There's an interesting software called Liquid Story Binder XE. It's on sale (50% off) all November, and the month is coming to an end quickly!

Of course, I caved and bought it. The main hook for me was the "build manuscript" feature. When you're done with editing and compiling everything, you have options to choose from on exactly how you want the book to look (I don't mean cover art or anything like that.) It does the Table of Contents (TOC) for you, which for me is way too confusing using Word.

The trial version is actually the full version. So you can download it for free and try out all the features without limitations of any kind. It is a little confsing at first, but you get used to it once you start playing around on it.

Sale price: $22.95

Full price: $49.95

Seriously, NOW is the time to get this! There's only a few days left!

Mission Accomplished!

2009-11-27T23:06:00.002-06:00

I won. A whole 3 days early. With 50,144 words.

I am so happy!

I am thankful for my wordcount!

2009-11-26T19:04:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it: I am almost done! I have 45,450 words! 4,550 words to go! I bet I could do that tomorrow, verify and WIN!

All in all I'd say I'm proud of half of what I wrote. There's some junk in there too. And I will need to do some heavy editing in December.

I've been enjoying some encouragement from Stephen King's On Writing, which I highly recommend you purchase and read. It really is very helpful.

My First Write-In

2009-11-14T18:10:00.001-06:00

OK, so I went to my first ever write-in today. Went from 21,760 words to 23,846 words. Although, most of what I wrote today was complete junk and unrelated to Flora Kozmenski, my new main character!

I wrote about Flippy the Disco Horse and David Bowie... on a date. I will have to create a JUNK folder in my NaNo folder.

Those word wars make me all anxious...

Oh, I got a free Nano sticker! Thanks, Dev!

10,000+ Words

2009-11-06T22:50:00.000-06:00

Today I hit 10,000 words! Wow. It feels great.
Got very little writing done at Panera Bread.

As I look over my writing, I'm not liking any of it right now. They seem a little flat. I'm working on the 3rd short story. Hopefully I'll feel better about the following short stories.

Day 3

2009-11-03T19:44:00.000-06:00

So here's what I've got so far:

The Exclusive - 4720 (realized this would actually work out better as a full novel, oh well)
The Hearing - 2917
Finding Bigfoot - 212 (just started)

Total: 7849 words

Day 1

2009-11-01T12:24:00.000-06:00

So I started at midnight, while chatting with people on the IRC chatroom. It was fun but I had to sign off after a while so I could concentrate!

As of now I have 2,625 words!

I'm working on a short story called THE EXCLUSIVE.

I'm only happy with certain parts of it. I will definately have a lot of editing to do on this story once December comes around.

I am thinking about asking Dame Darcy to commission my book cover, if I don't win the contest on Nano and also depending on the price she quotes me. She told me to e-mail her. I hope it's within my price range.

Warming Up + Donating

2009-10-30T15:02:00.000-05:00

My nerves are all wound up. Tomorrow is Halloween and then... NaNoWriMo!!!

The past few days I haven't been writing much fearing that I will go stale once NaNo starts but I think I made an error in thinking that. So today, I started writing a story on my Neo using a prompt/story idea generatore from seventhsanctum.com

Theme: metaphoric revenge

Main Characters: religious monk and an awkward psychic

Major Event in Story: destruction

I'm 900 words into it with a few different ideas as to where I can take the story.

-----
I just donated to NaNo so now I have a halo by my name! Yay!

Pumped Up With Excitement! (3 More Days!)

2009-10-29T12:18:00.000-05:00

October is over in 2 days. That mean's in 3 days I will be Nanoing!

Yesterday I bought a Writer's Digest Magazine: CREATIVITY ($5.99). There are a lot of writing prompts and helpful articles and advice in there.
A few days ago, I also bought Stephen King's On Writing, which I am loving! And Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius in You.

30 Covers in 30 Days
So I "joined" the contest in hopes to have my book cover made by a professional artist. 30 people will have covers made for their books.
To join in, I needed to post my synopsis on my book profile (which I actually forgot to do so I did it today.) It's not very good. It was difficult to write because it's a compilation of short stories. Here it is:

CULT is a collection of eccentric and bizarre short stories about fugitive hobos, a prophetess in an insane asylum, killer mermaids, nerds seeking revenge, seizures, blackouts, dreams, nightmares, a coup d'état within a cult, a thought scanning militia, a deaf grandpa and so much more!

I will probably be using the pen name Zuza Moretti. I was trying to fix up the Wordpress that I started but Wordpress is so confusing to me. It's way too cluttered. I will most likely stick to posting here. I love Blogspot.

My Precious Index Cards

2009-10-26T21:27:00.001-05:00

Below you can see my Index Cards. I got the case at Walmart for about $4 and it holds, I'd say, about 350 cards. As you can see I have 3 unopened 100 packs of cards plus some unpacked cards. It cost me about $2 for 300. Great deal. I went while they were having back-to-school sales.

Helpful tips:

Seriously, invest in a plastic case like this. It's very nice to have your cards all in one spot.
Buy your cards in bulk.
Don't unwrap all your index cards at once. It's better to keep them in hundreds, and separated. Less mess.
You may want to stick to only lined cards or only unlined cards (yes, these exist)... or maybe you want a combo? But know that the lined cards are only lined on one side while the unlined are unlined on both.
If you're using pencils, try cutting them down to a size where they can actually fit into these containers.
Use this container to carry things other than cards: pencils, erasers, PAPER CLIPS (these are very useful to separate cards), etc.
I think they sell index card dividers specifically made for these containers. But if you're going to buy them, try buying it at the same time you buy the containers just to make sure they fit (I currently do not have dividers but am planning on purchasing a pack.)

Coffee. Another must have.

Chat Group for Holding Online Nano Write-Ins

2009-10-25T21:35:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are unable to join official nanowrimo Write-Ins in your region (or if you feel you're not able to attend as many as you'd like), I am made an online write-in chat group.

http://xat.com/Online_Nano_WriteIn
(or you can chat directly from my blog -- scroll down to the very bottom.)

I think there are a few others around but I'm making this one available because some people may not know how to us IRC or not have IM clients. This one is web browser based.

Note: Although I created the chat room, I do not have to be in there for people to chat. You can chat any time you want!

You can set up your own dates and post them here! (so you don't end up there by yourself.)

I'd like to set one up for
November 10 (Tuesday)
time: 6pm-8pm
(Any takers??)

PS: Can someone tell me if it asks you for a password or not?

KillerMermaid's Communal Short Story Template

2009-10-25T19:32:00.000-05:00

I made a post on the Nano forum for something I came up with (well, the rules.. not the concept obviously):

Rules:
Follow the rules!
-all posts must be read before posting!

Here's How it works:
Post 1: Main Character 1 - name, age, gender, characteristics, personality, etc.
Post 2: Main Character 2 - "
Post 3: Main Character 3 - "
Post 4: Genre (thriller, sci-fi, romance, humour, etc.)
Post 5: Main plot*
Post 6: Title
Post 7+: The story!

*by Main Plot, I mean, what is the story about?
(ex: Character 1 and 2 are running from character 3 because X.) --don't get too detailed, be general. That way people can work on their imaginations while making Posts 7+

There will only be 3 main characters (to keep post numbers and rules in order.)

Posts 1-6 MUST be written by different people! No posting back to back anywhere! Please, give others a chance.
Do not hijack the story...like making characters do things that are completely against their character. I mean, twists and turns are fine but don't kill off a character right away or undo something someone else just wrote. That would be really rude.
Try to end the story around Post 30... if it gets too long people may not read anymore and it'll get very sloppy.
Limit each story post to 300 words maximum and 100 word minimum.
If two people post for the same post # at the same time, the first one will be used. Please delete yours if it's not the first one. (Good luck!)
----------------
The number of characters and minimum/maximum word counts can change from thread to thread. Maybe I'll start a thread on Facebook or some other forum somewhere. Or maybe on here? People can use the comments section!

50 Word Challenge

2009-10-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Did this challenge on the Nano forum. Rules:

1. write a story
2. SOMETHING must happen in the story
3. it must be EXACTLY 50 words long

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3314540
Here's my 50 word story:

We decided that the best course of action would be to hide behind a bush until the red and blue sirens faded out of sight. The two of us, near strangers, hid together watching the patrol cars disappear down the street, with their lights and loud sirens. Good bye, pigs.

CULT forum banner

2009-10-25T15:12:00.000-05:00

I just made a banner to use on the Nano forum. I like it. Maybe I'll make more.

What I Am Writing This Year

2009-10-25T12:26:00.000-05:00

So what are you writing this year?
------------------------------
Title: CULT
Cover Made?: Yes! I actually like my cover. It's uploaded. Don't know if it's too early or not..lol

Genre/Synopsis/Themes: Short Stories, Fiction, surrealism, eccentric/quirky characters, existentialism, nihilism, mental illness, criminals, paranormal, conspiracy theories, strange creatures, dreams, assassins, German cabaret, etc. etc.
Influences: Coast to Coast AM, Aime Bender ("The girl in the Flammable Skirt"), Franz Kafka, Vladimir Nabokov, Christopher Isherwood, subcultures (vegans, vegetarians, hippies, punks, goths, nerds, etc.), shady cults (Manson, Process Church, Scientology, Aum Shinrikyo), criminals (Ted Kaczynski, Manson and Co., Moors Murders, etc.), David Lynch, Nico
What I listen to while writing: Ute Lemper ( and other german cabaret music), Nico
Who will direct your novel?: David Lynch and/or Roman Polanski
Actors (dead or alive): Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Chris Isaak, Robert Downey Jr.

Soundtrack Track List:
The Yo-Yo Man - Echo & the Bunnymen
Bonnie & Clye - Brigitte Bardot
Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare All) - Type O Negative
Die With Me - Type O Negative
In Praise of Bacchus - Type O Negative
Janitor of Lunacy - Nico
Abschied -Nico
Evening of Light - Nico
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths
Sexy Sadie - The Beatles
O Pamela - Nouvelle Vogue

strange mix I know... but I suspect my short stories will be too! lol
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I decided on writing a book of short stories. I've been planning really hard for a full length novel or even a novella but I got the feeling that my over-planning might be my ruin so I decided to just jot down some themes, characters, imagery to work off of when we start. Usually I take a day or two to finish a decent sized short story so I just may end up with a stack of 13-15 short stories! (I tend to over plan every detail because I studied Film at UM and in Screenwriting we were taught to do that pretty much... hard to break the habit!)
Prior to (self)publishing, I will probably insert stories I've written in the past too. But this if AFTER the word count of course! :)

My First Word Challenge

2009-10-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

I found an interesting Word Challenge on Nano yesterday and decided to try it. "Out of a hat" you pick four numbers from 0-9 (or 1-9) and that's how many words you have to write in 24 hours. I chose 3,465. That seemed like a lot to me. But I sat down with my Neo at 1:30pm and typed and typed and typed.

I finished my story at 7:24pm. My word count was 4348! I went over by 883. The story is titled "Petunia and Sir Alfred." Might change the title later.

My First AlphaSmart Neo 1 Review

2009-10-01T12:58:00.001-05:00

(I say "first" because I'll be doing another review once I've had more time to use it)
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Alphasmart Neo Review (written October 1, 2009)

I just received the Neo about an hour ago via UPS and was very excited. I am actually typing this on the Neo. I really like it and have encountered only 1 small problem which in the end wasn't really a problem at all. Let me explain:
when I plugged the Neo to my laptop (Sony Vaio) via the usb cord included in the box after installing the AlphaSmart Manager. I pressed the right button to transfer File 1 and the file started to transfer; I knew that because you can see a transfer progress bar on the Neo screen. But when I looked up at my laptop screen I saw first Internet Explorer (which I loathe and never use) popped up twice. As I reached to close the two browser windows a Toggl widget popped up.. a whopping 5 times! (Note: Toggl was some program I downloaded thinking I'd use it a lot but ended up never using!) Of course I was horrified, thinking that the Neo somehow took over my computer and I started to panic, thinking of the dreaded Blue Screen of Death, which I've been lucky enough not to have experienced for the past few years. Well, OpenOffice also opened up, or its database program to be exact. Never having used any database program it was foreign to me and added to the panic. I was able to close all the programs and start over. I think the problem was that I didn't open the AlphaSmart Manager BEFORE attempting to transfer the file. I was a little unclear on how exactly the transfer process was supposed to go down. I am also confused about disconnecting the device. I ended up just closing down the Manager and pulling the usb cord out. Is this correct? I attempted to do the "safe remove" like I always do with external hardware but I could not find this device... so really, there was nothing else I could do!
Now, about the actual Neo. I am really loving it. At first the keyboard had some getting used to but that took a startling minute at most. The main problem was the arrow keys, and I know I'm not the only one. I've read reviews written by other Neo users that have had the same problem, not to say everyone does or will have this problem.
I feel like I am writing a lot more than I normally would sitting at my laptop full of distractions: iTunes, Internet, e-mail, chatting, etc. Neo is pretty much the perfect device for me: a writer who doesn't write as much as she'd like to think she does!
For this reason, I doubt I'll be getting a Dana. It comes with all the distractions of e-mail and what not. And I am not really clear on what the Neo2 is exactly (I have the Neo1.)
I think this just might be the best $230 I've ever spent. We'll see. Nanowrimo is coming up in exactly one month. Will I make 50,000 words? We shall see.

Preparing for Nanowrimo NOW

2009-09-27T15:54:00.001-05:00

Well, today I am starting to outline and brainstorm for the upcoming Nanowrimo! It's a little over a month away (starting November 1st @ midnight!) I am using index cards to take notes.
I haven't purchased a Alphasmart like I thought I would. I'm not so sure if I will. I've heard lots of good things about it, though. I'm wondering if I should. I do have a tiny laptop but I think a lot of what's on here might be a distraction to me. Am I disciplined enough?
I can be. I know that for sure. I finished my screenplay. How? OBSESSION and SEVERE ANXIETY. So if I become obsessed enough about this novel I'm going to write, I can finish it.

Yeah, I think I will be getting it!

***********UPDATE***********

OK, I just bought a NEO!! Total: $229.37

I will definitely be reviewing once it's in my hands and I've started to use it. I'm sure I'll be using it to type out my nanowrimo novel.