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Literarily Insane AHA!!! Despite my plea that people let me know if they are reading, the only response I received was Xeryfyn (who I was already pretty sure was reading) adding me to her list of favorite diaries. A notify list didn't help any. I was both mildly disappointed and mildly relieved that only 4 people were reading. But now I know the truth, the site meter tells all. Eleven people visited my site since I started my site-meter yesterday (not counting myself). Bwahaha! Now you'll never get me to shut up. I KNOW there's someone reading, even if you're being sneaky about it.Ahem. So I've been thinking fairly constantly about NaNoWriMo (that's National Novel Writing Month - November - for those of you who, like me, didn't have a clue. I thought it was about miniscule misspelled rhymes!). Basically, starting Nov 1 at 12:01 a.m. and ending on Nov 30 at 11:59 p.m., you write a 50,000 word novel about whatever you want. As long as you hit the 50,000 word mark you're a "winner". Hmmm�. My friend Smacked is heavily involved in NaNoWriMo (my spell check is having fits over this word) and is sharing her enthusiasm in the form of pressure to sign up. Or maybe that's part of her job as municipal liaison. Unfortunately, Smacked knows my weak spot. I'm not really sure how she figured it out. Apparently she has a different strategy for each person that she's trying to get writing. Feedback and flattery will get you anywhere with me. Almost. It has to be genuine. I don't think Smacked would lie about her opinion and generally her remarks about my writing are both unsolicited and positive. She's also offered suggestions about topics and plot and listens to my rambling. I love that girl! She offers just enough pressure, perhaps realizing that too much pressure makes me stubborn and I'll balk just because I can. Then Kristian started in, also with the flattery. Did they plan this? I dunno. My major arguments are as follows: 1. I'm taking this term off of school to work on finding a career direction and improving my health. Writing a 50,000 word novel in a month is probably not conducive to this. 2. Do I even have 50,000words in me? How much time is this going to take up? 3. What if I fail? I'm pretty sure I can write 50,000 words, but will it just be drivel? I have no desire to write a trash novel or anything at a grade 2 level. I can write short pieces but something long enough to have a plot. I dunno. 4. I spend all day at work on the computer, spending all night working on a novel make my back problems even worse. (Note to self: Also, blink more. Your eyes hate this.) 5. Am I going to become one of those people that only talk about one thing and bore everyone else to death? These people annoy the heck out of me. I always want to yell "Get a life!" and run away plugging my ears. First step I looked at my journal for the last month. How many words had I written without feeling any strain whatsoever on my time? Holy crap!!! I wrote 12,000 words without even noticing!!! Hmmm, argument #2 is now down the drain. Last night I talked it over with Bear (btw: he's hilarious, he should be the one writing a novel (but using an extreme spell check)). He countered #1, #3 and #4 in one fell swoop. He asked if I was paying to do it and I replied that there is a suggested donation of $10 to help cover hosting and administrative costs. He asked what I had to lose by starting and then not finishing if it became too hard on my health or my career decision stuff. . . . . . . . . self-respect? Would I have less respect for myself for trying and having to quit due to conditions outside my control or for not even having the guts to try? Hmmm� I guess I'm going to try to write a novel in a month and join the ranks of the literarily insane. Which leaves us with issue #5. Am I going to spend all month talking only about this novel? I think I'll be okay. I'm also doing Salsa, Irish dance, hockey, deep-water aerobics, weightlifting, having my apartment renovated and taking a road trip with Smacked to visit Raisin (I'm sooo excited!). Plus I'm continuing with my career search, which is my top priority. Wish me luck! 2003-10-25 || 11:05 a.m. |
