NaNoWriMo, past and future attempts

I have NaNoWriMo on the brain.  I guess I am just psyching myself up for the upcoming start date.  I am thrilled to be doing this again, as it helps me get a story out that had seeded itself in my mind.  And it’s a great exercise, as well!!

I thought I would like to write a bit about my past, and possible future attempts at Nation Novel Writing Month.  So, here it is, for any and all to see.  A bit of my ups, and downs while writing 50,000 words.  The amount, more or less, in a short novel.

The first year I attempted, which was the only year I completed it, was 2007.  The whole year, and a bit of the year before, I had this odd story in my head.  It all started around Christmas 2006, as I can trace it back.

That year, I was pretty sick around Christmas time.  Christmas Eve, my sleep was plagued, a bit, by what I like to think of as fever dreams.  My dreams, then, were odd, and fairly vivid.

These dreams involved a young Japanese girl, who became my heroine named Mizuki, and warring factions of Japanese Yokai (a supernatural being).  The two factions were the Tengu and the Kappa.

My dream showed the young girl falling under attack by fearsome Kappa, only to have the Tengu come to her rescue.  The dream was basic, but, it laid the ground for a larger story.

Everyday for thirty days, I wrote of Mizuki and her friends and family.  Relationships became entwined, and grew apart.  Villains and heroes formed, and the story, for the most part, went in it’s own direction.  Things really did happen to these characters, that weren’t originally in my plans!

It was actually pretty magical, for the story to take shape on it’s own.  To me, NaNoWriMo was a novel idea (no pun intended).  It allowed a procrastinating amateur writer to actually get something done.  I was thrilled beyond belief when, on November 30th, I had written a bit over the 50,000 word goal!

2008 rolled around, and no story really seemed to plant it’s seed in my subconcious.  I knew I had many months to prepare, so I thought long and hard, but nothing really came up.

Sometime that Summer, though, I found myself (repeatedly) listening to Help! by The Beatles.  It was a favorite CD of mine to listen to while I did the dishes.  I noticed that the songs on the album, if rearranged a bit, created a story.

So, I had my idea.  The story didn’t have a real basis.  Not like the previous one did.  I had an outline which was made of the tracks of the album rearranged to make a story.

When the time came to start writing, he story flowed pretty well.  It was a love story (as some of the songs on Help! lent themselves well to that type), and the characters began to take on lives of their own.

However, as the month trudged on, it became harder and harder for me to form a good story.  I reached a dead-end.  It wasn’t writers block so much, as it was me losing interest in my own creation.

This year, my inspiration came from MANY odd encounters on the chat site Omegle.  I actually started writing the story not long after those encounters, but soon forgot about it.  I believe that was procrastination or the fact that I knew NaNoWriMo was not long in coming.

Well, when my computer died, and I lost all the files on it, I took it as a sign that I wasn’t meant to write that story until November brought NaNoWriMo to me.  A sad part of that whole affair is, though, that I lost the copies of my other attempts.

I always meant to revisit both of those stories, at some point, and do a lot of work on them.  However, that is no longer possible, so I am going to have to put my all into writing this new one.  Wish me luck!

Up-to-date blog. (Ranting ahead!)

Well, it has certainly been a long time since I blogged last.  It’s terrible that I haven’t kept up with this, and it makes me sad.  However, a lot has happened to keep me away from this blog, and none of it is good.  Well, maybe some of it might be, I don’t remember.

First things first, I am without a computer.  Well, not totally without, as the one downstairs–my sister’s–works just fine.  My own computer, a machine that has served me rather faithfully for nearly six years, died unexpectedly at the beginning of the month.

It’s been rough, especially since I had someone buy, and am still paying for, a new monitor.  But, that’s how it goes, I guess.  I should have seen it coming as I noticed, about a month before it died, that the CD ROM drive didn’t function any more.  It must have been a sign of what was to come.

Before it died, though, I did something very important!  I applied for classes at the local community college.  I wanted to do something to better myself, and thought Damn it!  Why not? All the financial aid paperwork has been filled out, and come back (with good award grants, I might add).  Now it’s just a matter of waiting for an official acceptance from the school.

I am still unemployed, though, and am quickly running out of funds.  I need to find work, and am hoping that the extra thirteen weeks of extended benefits that is being looked at comes through.  At least it would be something to carry me through the holidays, and into the Spring semester, when I should be starting classes.

To keep my mind occupied, though, I am easger awaiting the beginning of November.  I amgoing to do National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short), again!  My story has already formed itself in my mind, so I cannot wait to start writing.  I might even do a daily/weekly blog about my experience.

All-in-all, that has been my life for the past couple months.  Mostly full of downs, but, there are some good things to hope for, in the near future.  I guess I’ll just have to play the waiting game.  To quote Homer Simpson, “The waiting game sucks.  Let’s play Hungry Hungry Hippos.

For the sake of it…

It has been some times since I just sat down to write.  That was made painfully obvious as I wrote to an old friend who I hadn’t seen since middle school.  She informed me that that was 17 years ago!  SEVENTEEN?!  That is enough to make someone feel pretty old, and I do right now.

I managed to encapsulate seventeen long years of my life into one or two paragraphs.  I suppose that’s easy enough to do when the person doesn’t really know all that much about your extended family.  And it doesn’t hurt if you really haven’t done all that much with you life, either.

I know that I haven’t done a lot with myself, and it really pains me to think about it.  There are many things I should have done.  I know I still have time to do them, but, I don’t know if it will be the same as it would have been when I was younger.

Like everyone I have aspiriations, but, I wonder if it will do any good to have them.  I try not to make them too lofty, but, that just happens when you hope, I guess.  Look at these few words I just typed, I realize that I do need to get out there.  Be more adventurous, or something.

I need to experience things, instead of just going on about not having experienced anything in my life.  Will I come back to this blog a new man, the next time I write.  It’s doubtful that it’s something that will change over the course of a couple days (shit, weeks…that seems to be how often I update).  We’ll all just have to wait and see.

Man, this was some good, cathartic writing!  Thanks for being there, WordPress!

Back in business–more or less

I finally got my new monitor, yesterday. All is, sort of, well in my world now. I say "sort of", because of some foolishness on my own part.

When I ordered my new monitor, I neglected to notice/remember one thing about the old one. I had built-in speakers! This one has no speakers, whatsoever.

I guess I just took the sound for granted. Meanwhile, though, I have an interim solution involving my speakers that go to my mp3 player. My sister’s friend is going to give me her old set, when she finds them.

It’s good to be using my own computer again, though. Being on the downstairs PC, I felt like everyone was reading over my shoulder. Now, I can do all my typing in the privacy of my own room!

Now, I have tried to post this a number of different times to no avail. I don’t know if it’s just a problem WordPress is having, right now, or not. So I am trying it this last time, using the post from e-mail feature through the My Blogs menu. *crosses fingers*

Dreams…(Part IV)

I meant to write this one a bit sooner. It’s a rare occurrence for me, but, sometimes I have semi-prophetic dreams. I am not saying that I can predict lottery numbers, or have foreseen the death of someone famous, but I have had dreams that have…well, sort of, come true. I’ll explain.

Usually the following day, the context of the dream will make some sense. My most recent involved my father and his crazy ex-girlfriend. No, I haven’t mentioned her on the blog before, because she is a whole lot of drama in a small package. I don’t like to burden people with any of that.

I dreamt, a couple weeks ago, that my father had come back to town. Not an odd thing, but he was planning to do so–which I had found within a few days after. Well, in my dream, when he came back into town, he came to meet up with his ex.

While it’s true that they are very on-again/off-again, Dad lives in Florida now so it’s more along the lines of off-again. When I woke up the following morning, there was an e-mail in my in box from Dad. He said that he was in contact with his ex (he called her…nightmare come true!!), and her brother wanted to buy his boat (which my sister and I have, currently).

That kind of seemed prophetic to me. It’s happened, too, with friends of mine. A while back, my friend Jordan moved to Connecticut. One day, I dreamt that he came back to Plattsburgh, and we were hanging out. The following day, I was in the store where we both worked, and a friend of ours said he was in town for a couple days.

I don’t want to go around saying that I am psychic, but, these couple instances do tell of something. I am not saying it’s just me, but, I think the human brain is capable of picking up on…something…from others. And that might manifest as an ability in some. For me, it seems to be in my dreams

Dreams…(part I)

I am someone who has a fairly active imagination.  I mean, what creative person doesn’t?  To be able to see things about something that someone else doesn’t see, or to concoct a story about people who don’t exist–at least physically–is something that is second nature to me.  And I like it.

I should followed that up with “to a point”.  It bothers me when that imagination spills over into dreams and nightmares.  My imagination always seems much more vivid when I am in the dream state.  And when I say vivid, I mean the most realistic thing you have ever dreamt.  Even if the subject matter is…say…not at all realistic.

An example of this realism is quite easy to bring to mind.  Though I haven’t had this dream again, it’s very easy for me to recall it.  I will preface it with this: as an animé fan, I loved Dragon Ball Z.  Yes, it was a bit much, but the characters were easy to know and love.

I have always enjoyed the villains that dogged the cast of Z Fighters.  With one exception: Cell.  He seemed like the most dangerous foe–though all the villains that head the different story arcs seem like that.  Well, Cell’s villainy planted it’s seed in my imagination.

My brain, as crazy as it is, regurgitated these images of the unstoppable Cell into a pretty terrible dream.  I was on campus walking by the dining area when I looked up out of a higher window.  I saw a HUGE blue ki blast making it’s way toward the building I was in.

People around me ran and screamed, terrified of the terrible things that were about to befall them.  The blast struck, and shattered the wall leaving it open to the outside world.  Debris fell all around, gouging holes in the floors, and the air was thick with the chalky dust of destroyed stonework.

I ducked behind a staircase, afraid of what was happening.  When I looked out the gaping hole, there was Cell–in his perfect form, no less!  He was hovering there with his arms crossed.   Leering into the building with a smirk, watching everyone scramble.

Now, the character of Cell was not physical like everything else in my dream.  He was still his…well…celluoid self.  Just as if I was looking at him on the television screen.  Albeit the danger he embodied was no less real.  Not long after that, though, I woke up.  I don’t know if I startled myself awake, or what.

Maybe, if I had slept just a bit longer, I would have sprung into action and battled him on the spot.  I’d like to think that my imagination would give me the abilities to beat the android terror but, somehow, I don’t think it would.   I’d probably just fail and be blasted into a million pieces.

This is not that first time that an animated danger had shown itself in my dreams.  That’s why this blog is…TO BE CONTINUED!

Florida–a northerner’s view

A little blue heron

I have been here in Port Richey, Florida for about four days now.  Yes, I know I left on the fifth, but, I never actually arrived in Port Richey until after 2 AM.  Let me say that the differences are…amazing.

Right now, in Plattsburgh, it’s still Winter.  It snowed yesterday, and I am sure it was cold.  Sure, it’s Winter here in Florida, too.  That word doesn’t have the same meaning, though.

Each day has been absolutely beautiful, weather-wise.  Even now it’s sunny outdoors and 73 degrees.  I have been told that they experienced a pretty cold number of days–somewhere in the high 30s–before I came.

It’s a bit of a shock.  When I left Plattsburgh it was 27 out, and cloudy.  When I landed, it was near 60 here, and–though it was nighttime–there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

The weather isn’t only the big change.  I mean, obviously the weather is bound to be different, being in the souther US.  The wildlife, though, is a change I have happily accepted.

I love birds, and may have mentioned so.  The wild birds here are quite the difference from the chickadees, and cardinals that I am used to seeing.  Yes, I have seen a couple cardinals, but the local birds are…well…bigger.

Just outside my Dad’s apartment is a sizable pond.  It attracts some of the most beautiful–and a couple of the most ugly–birds I have ever seen.  Since I have been here I have seen the following, and this is just in the pond.

• Little Blue Heron (pictured above)
• Wood Stork
• White Ibis (my favorite of the bunch)
• Great Egret
• Muscovy Ducks
• Florida Soft-shell Turtle
• A couple of mysterious fish (unseen for the most part)

This is very unlike anything I have seen at home, and with the local flora, has made this visit particularly rich.  It’s amazing to see animals like those, basically in one’s back yard!

Blogger’s block

I am seriously suffering from blogger’s block–that’s writer’s block, but for bloggers.  I have been known to succumb to it occasionally, and I find it awful.  There are things I want to say here.  When it comes to writing them down and making it into something cohesive, however, I end up with bupkis!

I have been trying to write a blog (which you will someday see, I promise) unsuccessfully for a few days now.  I will sit, and find my stride–typing like a fiend, getting those ideas into words–and something seems to interrupt me.  That’s happened each time I  set to writing.

Yes, I know that there is a “save draft” feature, and I use it.  When I come back to the saved draft, though, the blog seems to have lost it’s…magic, I guess is a good word.  It doesn’t flow as well as it did when I originally started writing.  There’s no way for me to say it otherwise.

I guess this blog, in some way, was a good exercise for me to get those creative ideas working, again.  Hopefully it will manage to kick my mind’s arse, and make it work too.  We’ll see how that turns out.

A blog, free from the confines of myspace.com

I love to write.  As I posted in my WordPress profile, it is a passion I only seem to indulge infrequently.  A few, non-social website, blogs have started under my hand.  Those have all failed.  And rather miserably, I might add.  This one, this shiny new blog will not suffer the same fate.

The constraints of a social website blog section, which really seems like an afterthought if you ask me, have been broken.  I am moving up to the blogging big-leagues.  This is all new territory for me, but, I hope I can get this into up-and-runnin shape (moreso than this) soon enough.

I really hope to be able to share things that I love with people I don’t know.  I know there will be, at least, one follower from my former myspace blog (http://www.myspace.com/saddestwookiee) who will happily come along to see what I have to say.  All I can say to him is: “Many thanks, Dan!”.

A blogroll/collection of sites that I frequent will be one of the first things I endeavor to create.  All these sites, which I tried to write about on my other blog, only to have it be lost in the festering bowels of cyberspace (great job there, Tom!), will be prevalent.  I hope that they will be some sites that I can get other people enamored with.  If they aren’t already.

So that is this blog, in a nutshell.  I hope to draw some people in.