NaNo Goodness and the Trevi Fountain

Well, after deciding not to push myself with the word count, I had the best morning yet - 2565 words. I haven't written any more this afternoon because I've been working on my pictures and videos of Rome, specifically the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. That also meant figuring out how to edit. Which I did. All on my own.

Want to see the videos?

So that's two triumphs today and frankly, I think that's about all my poor gray matter can handle.

I see I didn't post my totals for yesterday, so NaNo totals so far:
Yesterday, a.m. only - 1239, for a cumulative total of 19,700
Today, a.m. only - 2565 for a cumulative total of 22,265.

Lest We Forget

That I can write what I want to write the way I want to write it, that I can live where I want to live, without fear, because of so many who served in our armed forces past and present.

Thank you.

Tales of the Sourdough and NaNo News

Here they are, the first two loaves of sourdough bread I've ever made. The one on the left looks pretty good; the one on the right is a bit of a mutant. However, we tasted the one on the right, and it was good!

And let me just say, our foremothers must have had some powerful arms, because stirring and kneading bread dough? Was a work-out.

In NaNo news, I've decided I might have set my sights a bit too high. Or maybe I'm finding two sessions a tough gig because I've got a lot of other projects I also want to do right now. Also, the weather's been so nice, I want to walk while I can, which means at least two hours a day. And I'll be honest and confess that it could be that I'm finding it tough to get my butt in the chair in the afternoon because I'm in the middle of the story and in the "feeling my way" stage. Yes, I had an outline, but I still have to flesh out the story and characters and come up with other incidents to keep it moving. I didn't manage to get to my second session until 9 p.m. tonight, and I have a birthday cake and dinner tomorrow, so I won't get a second one in tomorrow, either. Add to that that I'm not getting to my trip pictures, and...something's gotta give.

So I'm going to give myself permission to have one writing session a day for the rest of this week, on the understanding that I'll write every day, aiming for at least 1,000 words, and get the pictures done. Next week, I'll aim for two sessions a day again.

Sometimes, I just have to acknowledge what's slowing me down and deal with it.

Today's totals:
a.m. - 1362 p.m. - 446 for a day's total of 1808 and a cumulative total of 18,461.

NaNo Weekend - I still can't believe I did that

I've been saving my writing on discs or flashdrives for years now. But what did I do yesterday?

I copied over a chapter with an older version and lost 500 words.

Gone. Wiped out. Lost forever.

Of course, I'm sure those 500 words were golden. Great. Important.

This after I had to drag myself to the laptop after spending a relaxing day with the New York Times, finishing a baby afghan and going for a two-hour plus walk. I may also have been affected by a show I saw about W.P. Kinsella, the author who wrote SHOELESS JOE. The movie Field of Dreams is based on it. He wrote for two days, four pages a day or the revision equivalent (he never explained exactly what that meant), then took a day off.

Still, I got my butt in the chair and wrote 1101 words, finishing Chapter Seven and starting Chapter Eight. It was the end of Chapter Seven I lost. Which meant, having gone on to another scene, it was tough to remember everything I'd included in the first draft of Chapter Seven when I went back and tried to recreate it. I think I got the highlights, but see above re thinking I've lost some good stuff.

And all because I wasn't paying attention when I went to save.

Sigh.

Here are my totals for the weekend and cumulative so far:

Saturday (Day 7 of my unofficial NaNo): a.m. - 1249, p.m - 776 for a day's total of 2025.
Infamous Day 8 - when I went back and rewrote, I managed to add a few words, so the total came to 1192, for a cumulative total of 16,653.

Pretty good.

One thing I've realized: if NaNo is a sprint, I prefer a daily jog. If I write in the morning, that leaves me time for other things. I think I'd rather do that than write for two days and take a full day off, because my way means I'm better able to keep the story in my head. If you know what I mean.

Later today: NaNo totals for today and Tales of the Sourdough: I bake the first loaves.

Tales of the Sourdough: the saga continues

Good thing I split the starter between two containers this time, or it would have been the blob on the counter again. My recipe says to have at least a quart-size container. I don't know what kind of giant quarts they're referring to, because I needed more than three quarts. It rises, you see, and then contracts, but it would have been all over before it contracted had I put it in even the 64 oz. crock.

In other news, I've decided to go internet-free on the weekends for a while. It was just so liberating to be unconnected. I may check my email for messages, but that's it.

I'll still be doing my own unofficial NaNo and will note the new totals on Monday.

Weight Loss Challenge and hey, wha' happened?

Not what happened with my weight. I know what's going on there (too many Hallowe'en treats and last night, Evil Potato Chips controlled my mind and made me eat them). I'm referring to this blog and Twitter, as in why am I so late posting today?

We had connectivity issues. I was going to try the ol' unplug the modem trick, but the hubby had gone out and I wasn't sure if he was running a program or not, so didn't want to disconnect. I waited. And waited. Finally, I called, although there's a new law prohibiting talking on a cell phone when driving. He pulled over and answered, and yes, I could disconnect. Which was good, but ARGH that I hadn't tried it sooner.

Except... it was like the olden days. Email? Nope, no can do. Blog? It'll have to wait. So I could just...write. I got 1625 words done before breaking for exercise. I had my lunch. Then it was Tales of the Sourdough, Part Two: We Begin The Starter Again. Now I'm about to start writing again, having spent less than an hour, tops, online today.

However, as blissful as those first hours were, I did start to get antsy, because I'd send some emails asking questions. But for those first few hours? It really felt as if my time truly was my own. I'm seriously considering a no-internet-on-the-weekend policy. There may be blogs, but I'll do them ahead of time.

But, you may be wondering, how's it going with the weight loss challenge?

Alas, see above re chocolate and chips. 139.2 this morning. I hang my head. That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm back on track with the exercise program.

I either walked over 10,000 steps or - even better, I think - did an hour on the treadmill, every day. So now that the chocolate is gone, and the chips, too (as of noon today), here's hoping I can make it below 139 by next Friday.

ETA: NaNo Day Six -
a.m. - 1625 words, p.m. - 793 words, for a day's total of 2418 and a cumulative total of 13,436 words this week.

NaNo Day Five: It's not me! Well, it is, but....

Obviously this is not the movie of my office. This is me inside the Colliseum. But at least I know what happened to the camera. It wasn't elves. It was the hubby, who took it to a Raptors game.

So why no movie today? I dunno. I must have done something wrong. I'll try again when we delete some pictures off the memory card.

As for NaNo, my word count today is down because I went to Fabricland and went, well, a little nutty. But there was a sale and my nephews and nieces are now having babies, and it's so much fun to sew for little ones that...well, I went a little nutty.

I still hope to make some character notes today, because the secondary characters are coming in fast and furious, and yes, that's going to count toward my total. However, so far, the totals are:

Today a.m.: 472
p.m. 974 for a day's total of 1416 and a cumulative total of 10,863.

Oh, and I attempted to make a starter for sourdough bread last night. Turned out the container was too small. Heard of the blob? That was what happened on my kitchen counter. But I'll keep trying. I'm assuming learning how to bake bread will be like writing - a lot of trial and error.

ETA: Made a few notes, so daily word count is up by 155. Total is 1571, which is not up to my goal of 2000. C'est la vie. Just didn't have the time. Maybe I'll do a little extra tomorrow. Or maybe not. I'm not beating myself up about it.

NaNo Day Four: Is NaNo frying my brain?

Okay, what is going on? Is NaNo frying my brain? I took a little video of the upstairs den/office so you could see "where the magic happens" (snort), but can I find the camera now? I remember the last time I saw it. Did the elves take it?

When I went to the store, I nearly forgot the very first item on the list and the reason I went in the first place. Yeesh, distracted much?

In any event, the writing's going pretty well.

Day Four results:

a.m. - 1357
p.m. - 892 for a day's total of 2249 and a cumulative total of 9447. Obviously, I'm writing more in the morning.

Since I've misplaced the camera, here's a mini-movie of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple built by Agrippa and saved from destruction because it was turned into a church.



Yes, that's an opening in the dome. What happens when it rains? There are drainage holes in the floor.

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Day Three

Today's word count:

a.m. - 1310
p.m. - 742 for a day's total of 2052 and a combined total to date of 7198 words.

Pretty good. I didn't get much done this afternoon, but I did take time to make some notes of details for future reference.

One thing I'm not doing is going on any lists, etc. where other people post their totals. I think that sort of thing really isn't the best, at least in my case. I'm better to aim at my own goal, and not be distracted by anybody else's accomplishments.

Tonight, I'll be watching the premiere of "V". And crocheting a baby afghan.

NaNoWriMo Day Two and Viterbo

Today's word count:

a.m. - 1073
p.m. - 1180 for a day's total of 2253 and combined total to date of 5146.

So far, so good, despite having to make a quick dash to the store.

I've also uploaded another page of pictures from our Italy trip, about Viterbo. Next up, Rome!