What, starting entries for NaBloPoMo when I've still got a day to rest? I've forgotten how to sleep at night because I haven't done it in two weeks; that's my excuse for this.
My roommate, who will be participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, has been trying to get me to start/finish outlining my story tonight. The idea I'm going to run with -- Urban Decay -- has been kicking around in my head since about March and was originally intended for a comic until I realized that drawing it would require me draw a lot of buildings and perspective, which I'm just not up for yet. So when she suggested I use it for NaNo instead, I thought it was kind of a brilliant idea. Except now I actually need to think about more than just vague and stupid concepts that don't necessarily connect.
I have a premise. Kind of. I know it takes place in some post-apocalyptic era, but I don't know how the apocalypse happened or why. I don't know how things are now, I just know my protagonist is gonna try and start a revolution! ...That isn't much to go off of, is it? I don't know his motivation or his past; I don't know how the story will end... that's the main rub. Not having an ending means I don't really know what direction I should/can take it in and is the main obstacle a vast majority of my fiction works face. I can't write anything until I know how it's going to end... that's also one of the main reasons I dislike my 2006 NaNo so much. It didn't have an ending. My 2007 NaNo had a beginning and an end, but no real middle, but that was still better than having no end.
This year... I have neither a beginning nor an end. How problematic!
After talking with the roomie, I/she narrowed the main plot of my story down to two possibilities, but it hinges a lot on point of view and whether I would write it in third person or first person. Each possibility only really made sense for one POV. I think I will probably end up going with third person... the first person plot depends a lot on the "unreliable narrator' dealy, which I'm not all too confident I can pull off... I also haven't seriously written in first person since 2004, when I finished my last piece of chaptered fanfiction (ever want to read a 100,000 word epic about Digimon characters killing each other?). Maybe I should try and get back into it? Not sure about that one.
Roomie just gave up for the night and went to sleep (damn, I need to be up in six hours. When did it get to be almost four??), so I get to put off answering her until then.
I kind of have a bad feeling about midnight tomorrow. I'm going to chill in a coffee house with some people to write...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Literacy Donor
I just donated my annual ten bucks to NaNoWriMo. It isn't much, I know, but it's tough times for everyone, y'know? NaNoWriMo was the first charity I've ever really gone out of my way to donate to (those decrepit-looking Santas that stand outside Wal-Mart don't really count), so I like keeping tradition. Honestly, I'm not sure how much I really care about deprived children in Cambodia, but extra karma points never hurt anyone. Besides, I've always been big on that Christmas spirit thing, nevermind that it isn't even Halloween yet.
Anyway. I feel good. :3
Anyway. I feel good. :3
National Be a Masochist Month
That's what November is going to be: National Be a Masochist Month. NaBeMasMo.
I've participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the last five years -- in five days, my sixth year will begin. I hit 50,000 words for the first time in 2006 and did it again in 2007. These have been grand victories for me, and yet neither of those novels are finished. I have a terrible time finding motivation beyond November 30th or even after I cross that 50k line (last year, I finished three days early and just couldn't write anymore). This year, I've decided that I'm going to write until I finish the story. It will be at least 50k words, but if it has to be 60k before I finish, then goddamn it all, I'm going to finish before December.
So I guess with that goal in mind this year, it might be (incredibly) stupid of me to even consider another NaNo-inspired event, especially one that also takes place in November. But NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is the first of the spin-off NaNos to have really captured my attention. It doesn't necessary have a specific month, but November is its month of prize-giving. They're silly things, trinkets and artworks donated by members, but I like useless things and who doesn't like free stuff? Besides, I love blogging and have always struggled with consistent updates on not-necessarily-personal subjects so it would be a great exercise.
I think that maybe I like writing too much. Especially if I'm supposed to be primarily a visual artist.
I keep several blogs. My artblog is hosted on Livejournal here: Bad Dog, No Biscuit. Being an artblog, it isn't exactly writing intensive -- most of it is mirrored links and thumbnails from my deviantART account, but I also most weekly sketch posts with commentary and offer way too in-depth reports of events I attend, including conventions and concerts, so a fair amount of writing goes into that. In the same journal, but under friend-based security measures, I also post semi-regularly about my life. I know I'm not the only person that thinks, "Man, I need to write about this," whenever something bad happens in my life. I can't decide if this is a good or bad thing.
I also keep an anime opinion blog on Blogger named Opinion Prone. I try to update it at least once a week, though honestly, I'd love to try for twice a week. It's just that those posts take much longer for me to write because there are more things for me to cite, for me to read before I write my post, etc. I also use Opinion Prone to post my reviews -- typically very long and thorough -- on series, movies, and music. It's a tiring venture, but I'm happy with it for the most part. I enjoy writing it, anyway.
I have another Blogger blog that doesn't really have a name, but is currently titled What Are You Talking About? This blog went on indefinite hiatus when I started Opinion Prone, but I've been toying with the idea of writing in it again though because I've been giving thought to various topics that don't really belong anywhere else. What a time to be getting ideas again, eh?
Lastly, I'm the primary blogger at the blog for my college's student-run writing club. Thankfully, I suppose, school lets out halfway through November (art school, quarter system), and theoretically won't be posting as much during the latter half of the month. I say theoretically because I like writing about grammar even though no one listens and may be inclined to make updates even during the holiday.
I plan to update Bad Dog and Opinion Prone as usual during the month of November, on top of doing both NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo. Oh, did I mention yet that I also play at and administrate a substantial-sized, writing-based roleplaying community? Luckily, I have three fantastic colleagues to aid me in general administration, but I'm mostly alone in handling all the technical aspects of the game. And I play two characters who ideally require at least five posts each a week.
Like I said, I write too much.
In case you haven't guessed, this blog, NaBeMasMo, will be the blog I plan on updating daily during the month of November for NaBloPoMo. It will chronicle my life as I hack my way through the month trying to write a novel, trying to maintain the rest of my (writing) life, trying to make it through classes and finals with straight A's, and trying to do whatever else I may or may not decide to add to my plate between now and November first. I don't plan on "trying" to update this blog every day. I will update this blog every day. (I wonder if keeping a backlog of pre-written posts that will automatically update is cheating? It's a moot point anyway, the content of this blog calls for truthful, daily updates. No wriggling my way out of this one, I guess.)
Oh, masochism. It's the only explanation, isn't it?
See you in November.
I've participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the last five years -- in five days, my sixth year will begin. I hit 50,000 words for the first time in 2006 and did it again in 2007. These have been grand victories for me, and yet neither of those novels are finished. I have a terrible time finding motivation beyond November 30th or even after I cross that 50k line (last year, I finished three days early and just couldn't write anymore). This year, I've decided that I'm going to write until I finish the story. It will be at least 50k words, but if it has to be 60k before I finish, then goddamn it all, I'm going to finish before December.
So I guess with that goal in mind this year, it might be (incredibly) stupid of me to even consider another NaNo-inspired event, especially one that also takes place in November. But NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is the first of the spin-off NaNos to have really captured my attention. It doesn't necessary have a specific month, but November is its month of prize-giving. They're silly things, trinkets and artworks donated by members, but I like useless things and who doesn't like free stuff? Besides, I love blogging and have always struggled with consistent updates on not-necessarily-personal subjects so it would be a great exercise.
I think that maybe I like writing too much. Especially if I'm supposed to be primarily a visual artist.
I keep several blogs. My artblog is hosted on Livejournal here: Bad Dog, No Biscuit. Being an artblog, it isn't exactly writing intensive -- most of it is mirrored links and thumbnails from my deviantART account, but I also most weekly sketch posts with commentary and offer way too in-depth reports of events I attend, including conventions and concerts, so a fair amount of writing goes into that. In the same journal, but under friend-based security measures, I also post semi-regularly about my life. I know I'm not the only person that thinks, "Man, I need to write about this," whenever something bad happens in my life. I can't decide if this is a good or bad thing.
I also keep an anime opinion blog on Blogger named Opinion Prone. I try to update it at least once a week, though honestly, I'd love to try for twice a week. It's just that those posts take much longer for me to write because there are more things for me to cite, for me to read before I write my post, etc. I also use Opinion Prone to post my reviews -- typically very long and thorough -- on series, movies, and music. It's a tiring venture, but I'm happy with it for the most part. I enjoy writing it, anyway.
I have another Blogger blog that doesn't really have a name, but is currently titled What Are You Talking About? This blog went on indefinite hiatus when I started Opinion Prone, but I've been toying with the idea of writing in it again though because I've been giving thought to various topics that don't really belong anywhere else. What a time to be getting ideas again, eh?
Lastly, I'm the primary blogger at the blog for my college's student-run writing club. Thankfully, I suppose, school lets out halfway through November (art school, quarter system), and theoretically won't be posting as much during the latter half of the month. I say theoretically because I like writing about grammar even though no one listens and may be inclined to make updates even during the holiday.
I plan to update Bad Dog and Opinion Prone as usual during the month of November, on top of doing both NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo. Oh, did I mention yet that I also play at and administrate a substantial-sized, writing-based roleplaying community? Luckily, I have three fantastic colleagues to aid me in general administration, but I'm mostly alone in handling all the technical aspects of the game. And I play two characters who ideally require at least five posts each a week.
Like I said, I write too much.
In case you haven't guessed, this blog, NaBeMasMo, will be the blog I plan on updating daily during the month of November for NaBloPoMo. It will chronicle my life as I hack my way through the month trying to write a novel, trying to maintain the rest of my (writing) life, trying to make it through classes and finals with straight A's, and trying to do whatever else I may or may not decide to add to my plate between now and November first. I don't plan on "trying" to update this blog every day. I will update this blog every day. (I wonder if keeping a backlog of pre-written posts that will automatically update is cheating? It's a moot point anyway, the content of this blog calls for truthful, daily updates. No wriggling my way out of this one, I guess.)
Oh, masochism. It's the only explanation, isn't it?
See you in November.
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