Friday, November 16
Half-way day plus one
I wrote for two hours tonight. Up to 7101 words. Way behind pace. Way behind schedule. Never gonna finish in time. But: 7101. It's something.
Mailer's Legos
I've never knowingly read anything by Norman Mailer, who died last week. And yet, I'll admit I don't have a particularly favorable impression of him, due, I suppose, to stuff I've read about him being what they used to call 'a man's man.' I haven't even bothered to read any of his obits, or other's memories of him. And then I stumbled across this post about his Legos. And everything changed: now I want to know more.
Friday, November 9
NanoWriMo returns
So, my brother asked me about two weeks ago if I was "doing" NaNo this year. Paul got me started in 2002, and he does it "unofficially" each year, aiming for 25,000 words. Jared's been after me this year, too, as I talked him into doing it in 2003, and he's doing it again too.
So, what about me?
Last year I did it for the fifth time, but just barely. And it wasn't much fun, really. It was hard. And I probably only got about half-way into a very rambling novel. It was a struggle. And I thought, at the end, well, I won't do that again.
And I've pretty much had that thought all year. Won't do that again.
Yeah, doing NaNo is no way to write a novel. No way to write a good one, at laest. Not the novel I want to write, the one I keep trying to write. And I guess I was just tired of breaking my fingers to type 50,000 words in a month, and then noodling around with it a little bit in the months after, just to let it sit mostly unfinished on my hard drive. I haven't even printed out the last three of 'em, they're so far from being finished (in my mind). [What a sec: fifth time? Geez, that's more than a quarter million words.... whoa.]
So I thought, that's it. No more. Time to retire from that. Won't do it again. It no longer works for me.
And I still feel that way.
However. As I was trying to explain to my brother and Jared why I didn't feel like doing it this year, I realized that the best thing about NaNo is the fact it makes me write. And I really don't write as much fiction as I would like to write [not counting what I write for work, which is fiction of a whole different time]. And NaNoWriMo forces me to write. Even if it's not good, or not what I'm aiming for, it does make me write. And writing makes me happy.
So: Yes, I guess I am sort of doing NaNo this year. I have an idea for a novel that I've been thinking of since about last June. I outlined large parts of it on airplanes flying back and forth to Phoenix in September. And last Saturday I wrote my first 3,518 words. I didn't touch it all week, but here I am facing another weekend, and I plan to write some more.
And I'm way behind on my word count.
So, what about me?
Last year I did it for the fifth time, but just barely. And it wasn't much fun, really. It was hard. And I probably only got about half-way into a very rambling novel. It was a struggle. And I thought, at the end, well, I won't do that again.
And I've pretty much had that thought all year. Won't do that again.
Yeah, doing NaNo is no way to write a novel. No way to write a good one, at laest. Not the novel I want to write, the one I keep trying to write. And I guess I was just tired of breaking my fingers to type 50,000 words in a month, and then noodling around with it a little bit in the months after, just to let it sit mostly unfinished on my hard drive. I haven't even printed out the last three of 'em, they're so far from being finished (in my mind). [What a sec: fifth time? Geez, that's more than a quarter million words.... whoa.]
So I thought, that's it. No more. Time to retire from that. Won't do it again. It no longer works for me.
And I still feel that way.
However. As I was trying to explain to my brother and Jared why I didn't feel like doing it this year, I realized that the best thing about NaNo is the fact it makes me write. And I really don't write as much fiction as I would like to write [not counting what I write for work, which is fiction of a whole different time]. And NaNoWriMo forces me to write. Even if it's not good, or not what I'm aiming for, it does make me write. And writing makes me happy.
So: Yes, I guess I am sort of doing NaNo this year. I have an idea for a novel that I've been thinking of since about last June. I outlined large parts of it on airplanes flying back and forth to Phoenix in September. And last Saturday I wrote my first 3,518 words. I didn't touch it all week, but here I am facing another weekend, and I plan to write some more.
And I'm way behind on my word count.
Sunday, November 4
Sunday night news
So I've added my pal Tom's photo page to the rightside blog roll. Go check 'em out. Took down Nick's old Lit Show site, since he's moved on to Istanbul. Took down my brother's nonused blog, too. If he'd post, I'll put it back up. Yes, that's a dare.
It's been perfect leaf raking weather here on the Edge of Nowhere for early November, 75 degrees, blue skies, sunshine, warm.
Just back from the big city where R and I watched los Nuggets lose their first game of the season.
OK, so there isn' t much news.
Oh yeah, National Novel Writing Month has begun. My two long-time readers will know I do this every year, and I've been not very excited to do it this year. I did write for about three hours on Saturday, got up to about 3,500 words, but my heart's really not it in this year.
It's been perfect leaf raking weather here on the Edge of Nowhere for early November, 75 degrees, blue skies, sunshine, warm.
Just back from the big city where R and I watched los Nuggets lose their first game of the season.
OK, so there isn' t much news.
Oh yeah, National Novel Writing Month has begun. My two long-time readers will know I do this every year, and I've been not very excited to do it this year. I did write for about three hours on Saturday, got up to about 3,500 words, but my heart's really not it in this year.
Friday, November 2
Baseball stadiums
OK, one more/last baseball-related post before we get back to whatever this blog is normally about. Check out the ballpark photos from my friend Tom Hagerty. Tom's finally got around to putting them up on the web, and I think they're great. Although we've never lived closer than about 800 miles from each other, and today's its closer to 2,000 miles, we've been to six ball parks together [new Comiskey, Coors Field, Kansas City and Wrigley (in winter) as well as minor league parks in Peoria and Colorado Springs]. He and I have talked via e-mail nearly every day since early in '92. Enjoy his photos.
