Aeärwen's Corner

I know better - I really do - but sometimes my mouth says "yes" when my brain keeps insisting it just keep shut entirely.

( Writing nattering under the cut for those not interested. )

Yay me!!

I had all but given up trying to make progress on my NaNo project, figuring that my writer's block had pretty much done me in. My Muse had poked her head out, given me the last few thousand words to the latest chapter in IDD, and then abandoned me again, I thought.

Well, I was watching YouTube videos last night - yeah, I know, not exactly the thing to do when one is participating in NaNo, right? - and watched one that dealt with the Lost Vikings that had colonized the coast of Greenland. It seemed to deal very closely with topics of interest to me with my space colonization story, and my Muse raised up her lazy-assed head and said, "Oh really??!"

I knew today would be filled with music obligations, so I didn't think much about it except to enter the link to the video in Scrivener. But then I came home and sat down to the computer to stare at where I had left my story. And my Muse, fickle little thing that she is, suddenly said, "Okay! I can do this!"

So today's progress has been not bad, considering. AND I have a feeling I might be able to keep up the pace - Maybe. I'm hoping. I have a really good story, and I know the problem is to get over this introductory stuff where we get to meet the main characters and get to the meat of this first part. I have errands and obligations tomorrow, but I'm hoping the evening will prove productive tomorrow.

In the meanwhile, here's today's progress:

7948 / 50000 words. 16% done!

YAY!!!

and she managed to give me over 1000 words on my original sci-fi/fantasy novel. This is great news, as poor Idago has languished untouched for almost four months now. What's even better, she's starting to visit me during those not-quite-asleep hours either late at night or just before getting up, giving me more clues as to where to take things as Peter and his crew of cast-aways begin to try to make lives for themselves on this crazy moon world where things are definitely not what they seem.

And now off to spend some online time in LOTRO for a bit this morning with a high-level European friend. This afternoon, with any luck, Idago will grow a bit more.

Yay for visiting Muses!!

:D

Well, after a ten-day hiatus to deal with all the associated fun that goes along with a family member trying to kill herself, my Muse has finally cooperated in giving me more word-count for my NaNo attempt.

I sat down with the calculator and figured out how much I'll have to produce everyday to win the 50k word challenge - not that I'm going to actually finish the story. It's do-able: min 3000 words per day, with Sundays off. That includes Thanksgiving Day too. Still, our family doesn't kill itself trying to produce a feast that will leave us groaning on the floor after standing up from the dinner table, so I should be able to write some that day while nursing what's on the stove.

( More nattering under the cut )

And now, so you know I wasn't fooling, my new word-count for the day:

26553 / 50000 words. 53% done!

Have a good evening!

Yesterday was a no-production day NaNo-wise - and for a good reason. I played for the Theosophical temple service at 10:30 (complete with solo) and then turned around and came right back to the Lodge for the Players meeting/rehearsal at 2 that ran an hour and a half. Wasn't entirely surprised to discover that our Christmas play has been officially cancelled, mostly because one of our HS-aged members has school commitments that have to come first (band and "Robotics" program.) Not living in the community meant that I got word a bit second-handedly (my friend at Saturday coffee sharing the rumor) before I got official word - but I knew it really didn't make that much difference to me. I'm involved in prep work for a number of future musical programs, as well as being slowly dragged into the director's Indy film-making projects.

Then spent about an hour and a half talking to Vanna on the phone.

( Family-related musing under the cut - feel free to skip, as it deals with the fun of being a parent of a transexual child. )

Okay...

The time before my chiropractor's appointment today is so short - thanks to dear hubby of course needing to do the dishes the moment I got to the kitchen, as well as the need to actually eat breakfast before much else - that I won't be able to do my word count for NaNo Day 11 until after noon. On the docket for after that is (1) trying to fix JJ's computer, which suddenly refuses to recognize his user profile log-in; and (2) making supper for the whole family, including Súl and her food sensitivities. We're trying out a hamburger/tomato/veggie soup tonight. She's seeing whether she can have tomatoes from time to time again, and actually eating kidney beans for the first time in a couple of years (thanks to being on a mostly paleo diet regimine.) I'll cook up a small bit of millet for hers, along with the rice that normally goes with the chili soup I fix for the rest of us. These meals, when Súl eats in the main part of the house with us, are a weekly tradition that I dearly love.

So I'm just hoping that today isn't as much of a lost day NaNo-wise as yesterday was. If it is... Well...

Phooey!!

At least I'm ahead of myself a little bit.

Until later.

It looks as if my dear hubby is proud of himself for convincing me to not start writing right away, but rather do dishes with him first. When I came out to the kitchen, it was the first thing he started to do. I give up. Okay... Dishes first, then word count.

( Nattering under the cut )

Today's word count:

16884 / 50000 words. 34% done!

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Gonna be a fairly busy day today, but I've got my word count done for the day.

( NaNo and non-NaNo nattering under the cut )

My word count for the day was:

11963 / 50000 words. 24% done!

Until next time, dear f-list!

Well, today didn't exactly go as planned, but I did make decent progress when I finally sat down to write. I had an appointment with the chiropractor earlier in the morning than I normally do, so I decided that I wouldn't actually sit down to do my NaNo writing until after I got home and had my lunch. Which is what I did - although I stopped along the way home to buy a new back-tank filter for the aquarium in the living room and then again to fill up the tank on my van for the month.

What made me feel good, though, was hearing my husband trying to keep my son (the learning disabled one, JJ) from bothering me when I was finally in the process of writing. It's so good to know that I have their support - I don't think I could try this if at least my dear hubby weren't behind me.

So, anyway, here's the latest word count:

7671 / 50000 words. 15% done!

Cya all tomorrow...

I think my plan of writing 2k word/day 6 days/week is gonna work out really well for me. I'm pleased with the progress I made today, and combined with yesterday, puts me ahead of where I thought I'd be.

This is today's meter:

5327 / 50000 words. 11% done!

( NaNo and other stuff, under the cut )

Okay. I tried this once before, but my o-fic muse refused to stick with me long enough to really get anywhere. But this time, I think, I stand a decent chance.

( I'm gonna NaNoWriMo - and yes, I know I'm nuts. )

Wish me luck when the time comes. I could certainly use it!!!

Was incredibly lucky enough to live close to where the monks from the Drepung Gomang temple (associated with the Dalai Lama) created a sand mandala at a local community college. I was able to watch it being created - an amazing process that took about 3½ days to accomplish. This is what they created:



And then yesterday, I and about 500 others watched them "deconstruct" (as in demolish) it. First they ran a ritual implement through it at cardinal points and the corners, and then went after it with 3in wide brushes until it was a pile of sand about 2in high and 7in in diameter in the middle of the board.

What an impressive lesson on impermanence and letting go that was!!

They made letting go of the beauty they'd created look SOOOOOO simple:



I have some of the sand from the mandala safely tucked into a little amulet necklace. Even my learning disabled son JJ enjoyed watching them make and then destroy the mandala. He even was with me last night for the closing ceremony of the monks' visit here.

Needless to say, today is an "up" day...