A list of things I enjoy or that make me happy.

Diet coke
Coke with real sugar in it
young adult fiction
inspirational sports movies
things that smell of or taste of peppermint
candy corn but only in October
coloring
long walks
exploring
old buildings
pretty parks
night time
fountains
the fountain in front of casa in the water court in downtown at night when it is lit and looks like liquid gold
real, long, nice hugs
scented candles
things that are sparkly
museum hopping
yoga
dancing
lip gloss
baking oatmeal cookies
historical tours
the movie sky high
limes
things that come in variety packs
kites

NaNoWriMo Blog #9

Stats!

WordCount: 15.176
Method: LONG HAND, typed up while watching the OM3 episode of Gossip Girl. (3 characters I could care less about.)

Gossip Girl tonight was RAD, aside from the boring + gross + overhyped 3some. Eric got dumped by Jonathan and has gone to the dark side in his efforts to take down Jenny. Also, Chuck + Nate teamed up to make Blair + Serena be friends again. I love the Core 4 of the show, honestly. They are the non-judgey Breakfast Club.

Currently watching: Just Married. I think I watched this on a date in high school, but tellingly, cannot for the life of me remember with who.

I texted my brother today asking him if I could email him a PDF of what I'd written thus far and said for him not to laugh since it is admittedly partially terrible. He told me he always loves reading what I write and then referenced my Harry Potter fan fiction phase (which he loved). <3 my brother.

I'm staying pretty steady and I'm confident I can finish, even if it takes an epic writing binge over Thanksgiving weekend. Like I said yesterday, I've sort of figured out why my villain is a villain and am working out how my heroine will figure it out and either help or defeat him.

Also I'v been using Ned as a placeholder but I don't like that name, so someone needs to help me come up with something better.

Excerpt:

“Oh, Lily,” He paused, grabbing my hand roughly, “You ask so very many questions, but never the right ones.”

NaNoWriMo Blog #8:

That song was in an episode of Degrassi where the B plot was kids throwing pee on each other. No, really.

Last night was insane. Today was insane. I went to Union Bagel with Chris and we wandered around Olvera Street and the firehouse museum and the Chinese-American History Museum.

Then, for me, library, gym, work, NANOWRIMO. ONLY 15 MINUTES TIL MAD MEN SEASON 3 FINALE.

So here are some stats: Current word count, 13,168.

Again, mostly written in longhand and typed up.

Biggest problems are involving my villain. Still haven't really named him, managed to break the fourth wall because I need to name him, haven't decided how crazy I want to make him or whether or not he's redeemable. It'd be pretty difficult to redeem him at the moment.

Random excerpt:

Dazed, I stood on the tips of my toes, lifting my arms up and wrapping them around his neck. I touched his cheek with my hand and felt his clammy, damp skin. I realized he was crying. Or maybe I was crying.

COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO NANOWRIMO (Really, I know.)

I really do love me some ABBA. That might make me incredibly uncool but I do love ABBA.

The lyrics to this are just perfect.

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

NaNoWriMo Blog #7: Post Karaoke Edition

1) Watched the game (what an ugly game!), went to karaoke for Meredith's birthday, went to Weilands after.
2) I am just analyzing the writing I did earlier today.
3) I had a MOMENT today where EVERYTHING changed. One of my characters decided to completely change his backstory. Which was actually perfect because it gave motivation where it didn't quite make sense before, unless you're a hopeless romantic. Which, I'm really not, so it had bothered me that it didn't quite make sense.
4) Karaoke was THE BEST and I had the most uncomfortable epiphany during Waterloo. (For the record, I wanted to do Super Trouper.) I had the sneaking suspicion before but am pretty much sold on this now. Which, incidentally, is precisely what I asked Erin and Elizabeth to kill me if I ever admitted to this, so I guess I'm now just asking for it. Please don't end me til after I finish my NaNoWriMo novel.



5) Word count = 11,383.
6) RANDOM EXCERPT:

I patted the seat on the couch next to me, “Sit down. You look like you're about to faint.”
He sat next to me, sitting up painfully straight. I scooted closer to him and leaned my head on his shoulder.
“It's going to be okay, Meek. We'll figure something out.” I said quietly.

NaNoWriMo Blog #6: "His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;"

This is the "I stayed at home and half-heartedly cleaned all day," edition. I seriously slept in until eleven. (Granted, I went to bed at like 4:00 am.)

Currently watching: Anne of Green Gables miniseries. (Every time she quotes Tennyson I think about what a wimp The Lady of Shalott is. Note: the title of this post is a quote from that poem.)

Current realization: I've been in love with Gilbert Blythe since the first time I read Anne of Green Gables. I would fall in love with a fictional character.

Current word count: 10,041.
Current time: 6:02

My novel is beginning to take a bizarrely anti-science bent which I'm going to have to work on because that's not my intention.

Random excerpt:

“I'm so sorry.” I whispered to Meek, “I told you to run the other way!”
Meek grimaced and shook his head, “I made a decision and I am going to follow it through.”

ETA: I read some of my novel just know and noticed a comical typo. "Pepples" instead of "pebbles."

Also Meek is getting a bit of a spine mostly by feeling a sense of responsibility towards what happens to Lily, since, after all he was the first one to find her wandering around in his backyard. He's been by himself for a really long time.

NaNoWriMo Blog #5: “I'm just wondering what all the fuss was about.” I said, faking a bravado I didn't quite feel.

I want to do my word count post NOW and let whatever I end up deciding to type after count as part of tomorrow's.

Currently watching The History Channel, a special on Roman ships found in Lake Nemi.
Current word count: 8,992.

I'm finding the stuff I write in long hand and then subsequently type up is more interesting.

Contest to help me name a character:
me: you need to help me figure out the sheriff's real name
he's the bad guy
he's like in his twenties, tall, with curly black hair and brown eyes
super skinny
totally fucking insane
i haven't decided yet if he will have a real name
or if they will just keep referring to him as his title
which is the sheriff
Erin: i think it should be a name that has a cute nickname - but only if you are young
me: so far the named characters are: lily skinner, meek (michael), henry nguyen and dulce (henry's wife)
Erin: but like once you are 30 no one wants to be called Chucho anymore
me: lol
hmm.
Erin: not necessarily that name
but that idea

Note: I like Erin's idea because it fits with the character. Anyone have any suggestions? OPEN TO THE FLOOR. If anyone picks something I end up using, I will buy you a 6-pack of beer. (Or bake you oatmeal cookies if you are a non-drinker.)

NaNoWriMo Blog #4: Don't care if it's after midnight, it's still Wednesday to me.

Not exactly the most productive writing day. I should have gone home after work, done yoga, showered and typed.

Instead, I went to Manor, drank beer, ate other people's leftovers, hated myself for my inability to stop picking emotional scabs, watched a South Park episode that was about the evolution of language slash the same thing I shout (but much less humorously) every time I see that awful Hilary Duff PSA about the phrase "that's so gay" on the television, and realized I apparently have that in common with Houdini. (Who knew? It must be an English major thing.)

I subsequently remembered that I don't really like duck, went home, typed up what I had managed to write in longhand and...

STATS:

Wordcount: 7,690.

Disappointment factor: I had actually wanted to hit 8.000 but I am definitely not going to stay up any longer than it takes to analyze what I have done.

I have a lot of crap mixed in with some really great stuff. I wrote things I did not intend to write, as I was explaining to Elysse today. Meek is a total coward. I meant for him to be that way. But he has a heart of gold. And I really hope that Lily will help him grow a backbone. I also hope Meek will teach Lily not to be so reckless.

Two new characters: Henry Nguyen and Dulce. Erin helped me name Henry.

I'm having a problem. This so far has all been first person narration from the perspective of Lily Skinner, but I want to introduce the villain's perspective. I guess to do that I either have to switch to an omniscient narrator or switch first person narration around but I kind of hate that.

We'll see what happens tomorrow, I guess. This is the most fun I've had in ages, btw.