I've been really busy with other goings-on lately (read: school and being a complete bum), which is why I haven't had much time to update lately. But I won NaNoWriMo! So that's a start. c:
HERE'S THE 411 ON MY BORING LIFE:
- I might be getting a job at this epic tea place, which would be nice, since I love tea. And money.
- I started a new collection of short stories (mostly horror) to work on on the side. It's untitled as of now, since I'm having this weird... title-block... thing. At the moment.
- School is being absolutely retarded. I guess that's usually what happens when you go take six courses in the same semester, but yeah. I'm ambitious. So I'm studying a lot.
- I've started painting again. Which I haven't done since I was in high school art classes, yo. But I like it, it's fun.
- "Life in Black and White" is... well, it's going a bit slowly atm because of school, but I most certainly have not given up on it. It's progressing (like a snail). G will soon need shock treatments, which I'm both looking forward to writing and not looking forward to writing. I'm weird. Yeah, and J's birthday is not this Friday but next (the 19th) and I've decided to make a little cake in celebration and to paint a picture of him on another canvas which I shall go out and buy shortly. Which works because I really need recent drawings of him and G. Because the ones I have look like they were drawn by a twelve-year-old. Just saying. c:
- That's pretty much it.
I'm not able to update much at the moment, but if you'd like to check me out some other places on the web, here are some links to the places where I'm active:
- My art
- This awkward parody blog I'm doing with my writing group. I'm following most of them on it, so check out their parody-blogs too!
- I'm planning on possibly opening up a Youtube account, so stay tuned for that.
- You can always e-mail me at nlleblanc@ymail.com if you have something to say.
What are you guys up to? :P
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wild goose chase (part one)
NaNoWriMo
Current word count: 26,153
Where I have to be by the end of the day: 26,672
Piece of cake. :)
This past Sunday (as in, not yesterday but the one before that) I attended the NB Writing Retreat - organized by Freddy Words - during which we wrote for eight-ish hours more or less nonstop. I managed to write almost 10k that day alone, and it's a darn good thing I did, because otherwise I'd be extremely behind right now. You see, quite a few... non-NaNoWriMo... things have been going down here lately.
I know.
The most important non-NaNo thing that's going on right now is school. I only have, like, not even three weeks left of this semester before final exams start, and I had two exams last week, so you can understand there have been a few days where I've not even been able to TOUCH the computer. I mean, even today, right after I finish this (because I hadn't updated since October, I figured it was probably a good idea to throw a post your way), I have to finish my statistics homework (blech - understand why I'm procrastinating?). Hectic-hectic!
Speaking of hectic, the Christmas season has started at work. -_- And yeah, they called me almost every day this past week to pick up shifts. I had to refuse a couple of them because of NaNo and school - because apparently, they don't realize a university student who's writing a novel can't work every freaking day - but I did take one on Thursday because I felt bad. So I ended up working four days in a row. And wanted to shoot myself.
Those are the major reasons I haven't been doing as much writing as I would have liked to this past week, but I guess it's to be expected from a university student working part-time. But thanks to the NB Writing Retreat, I seem to have it more-or-less under control. Which is really, really good - and quite unexpected. I thought for sure I would be behind by at least a couple days at this point in the month, but I'm not behind at all. Because I'm pretty sure I can cough up 500 words at some point today. :P
There is one other thing, besides school and work, which has been... I guess you could say, preoccupying me.
... Let me explain.
Now may be a good time to tell you that I am pretty much addicted to horror movies. They are pretty much the only thing, besides the comedy network, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Intervention", I ever watch on TV. They are, but for a few exceptions, the only movies I really like. Hannibal Lecter is my husband. Jason Voorhees = coolster. And though I'm almost convinced there is no movie I could ever love more than "Fatal Attraction", one series of movies in particular is pretty freaking high up there on my list of "Movies I Get Ridiculously Pumped About Watching" - and that is the almost hideously long "Halloween" series. Like, yesterday I actually went to my chain-smoking grandmother's teeny-tiny apartment (my chronic bronchitis and all) to dig out my eccentric aunt's entire storage cabinet in search of "Halloween" movies. I am not shitting you.
Where am I going with this, you ask?
Okay. Well, long story short, the other day I found out that there was a novelization of the first "Halloween" movie. I pretty much flipped my lid, because this is a big deal. Because the novel has a perfect rating record and allegedly follows the movie to a tee while expanding on the plot and backstory. So immediately, before even checking it out, I decided I HAD (HAD) to read this book. And I'm one of those people that once I get something into my head, it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get it out until I achieve it.
Mistake number one.
So all happy, I headed on over to work to figure out just how quickly I could get this freaking book. However curiously, the thing was not even in our system. "What the hell"-like, I broke store rules and headed over to Amazon.com to figure out what on Earth the meaning of this nonsense was.
The good news is, I found the book on Amazon. The bad news is, it was published in 1979. Like most books, it stayed around for about ten years before it went out of print. So it's been out of print since, like, the late 1980s. As a result, this mass-market book is now classified as "extremely rare" and is worth approximately one hundred dollars (see for yourself - click the title of the post!).
I said, "NO!"
So because I am hugely stubborn, instead of just giving up hope on ever reading this awesome-sounding book, I have devised a few plans to find it.
Plan A: Call my eccentric aunt Linda and see if she owns it. (Which failed - Linda has all the movies, but has never read nor owned the book. Silly Linda.)
Plan B: Lurk used bookstores around Moncton in the vain hopes that perhaps, just perhaps, someone may have it, not be aware of its value, and sell it to me for like three dollars (which we are doing today).
Plan C: Sell 100$ worth of my crap on Ebay, thus "exchanging" it for the book. I seriously hope it doesn't come to this. XD
So my plan for today - lurking used bookstores, then returning home no later than seven o'clock to get at least my 1,667 words for the day done! Wish me luck on my wild goose chase!
Current word count: 26,153
Where I have to be by the end of the day: 26,672
Piece of cake. :)
This past Sunday (as in, not yesterday but the one before that) I attended the NB Writing Retreat - organized by Freddy Words - during which we wrote for eight-ish hours more or less nonstop. I managed to write almost 10k that day alone, and it's a darn good thing I did, because otherwise I'd be extremely behind right now. You see, quite a few... non-NaNoWriMo... things have been going down here lately.
I know.
The most important non-NaNo thing that's going on right now is school. I only have, like, not even three weeks left of this semester before final exams start, and I had two exams last week, so you can understand there have been a few days where I've not even been able to TOUCH the computer. I mean, even today, right after I finish this (because I hadn't updated since October, I figured it was probably a good idea to throw a post your way), I have to finish my statistics homework (blech - understand why I'm procrastinating?). Hectic-hectic!
Speaking of hectic, the Christmas season has started at work. -_- And yeah, they called me almost every day this past week to pick up shifts. I had to refuse a couple of them because of NaNo and school - because apparently, they don't realize a university student who's writing a novel can't work every freaking day - but I did take one on Thursday because I felt bad. So I ended up working four days in a row. And wanted to shoot myself.
Those are the major reasons I haven't been doing as much writing as I would have liked to this past week, but I guess it's to be expected from a university student working part-time. But thanks to the NB Writing Retreat, I seem to have it more-or-less under control. Which is really, really good - and quite unexpected. I thought for sure I would be behind by at least a couple days at this point in the month, but I'm not behind at all. Because I'm pretty sure I can cough up 500 words at some point today. :P
There is one other thing, besides school and work, which has been... I guess you could say, preoccupying me.
... Let me explain.
Now may be a good time to tell you that I am pretty much addicted to horror movies. They are pretty much the only thing, besides the comedy network, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Intervention", I ever watch on TV. They are, but for a few exceptions, the only movies I really like. Hannibal Lecter is my husband. Jason Voorhees = coolster. And though I'm almost convinced there is no movie I could ever love more than "Fatal Attraction", one series of movies in particular is pretty freaking high up there on my list of "Movies I Get Ridiculously Pumped About Watching" - and that is the almost hideously long "Halloween" series. Like, yesterday I actually went to my chain-smoking grandmother's teeny-tiny apartment (my chronic bronchitis and all) to dig out my eccentric aunt's entire storage cabinet in search of "Halloween" movies. I am not shitting you.
Where am I going with this, you ask?
Okay. Well, long story short, the other day I found out that there was a novelization of the first "Halloween" movie. I pretty much flipped my lid, because this is a big deal. Because the novel has a perfect rating record and allegedly follows the movie to a tee while expanding on the plot and backstory. So immediately, before even checking it out, I decided I HAD (HAD) to read this book. And I'm one of those people that once I get something into my head, it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get it out until I achieve it.
Mistake number one.
So all happy, I headed on over to work to figure out just how quickly I could get this freaking book. However curiously, the thing was not even in our system. "What the hell"-like, I broke store rules and headed over to Amazon.com to figure out what on Earth the meaning of this nonsense was.
The good news is, I found the book on Amazon. The bad news is, it was published in 1979. Like most books, it stayed around for about ten years before it went out of print. So it's been out of print since, like, the late 1980s. As a result, this mass-market book is now classified as "extremely rare" and is worth approximately one hundred dollars (see for yourself - click the title of the post!).
I said, "NO!"
So because I am hugely stubborn, instead of just giving up hope on ever reading this awesome-sounding book, I have devised a few plans to find it.
Plan A: Call my eccentric aunt Linda and see if she owns it. (Which failed - Linda has all the movies, but has never read nor owned the book. Silly Linda.)
Plan B: Lurk used bookstores around Moncton in the vain hopes that perhaps, just perhaps, someone may have it, not be aware of its value, and sell it to me for like three dollars (which we are doing today).
Plan C: Sell 100$ worth of my crap on Ebay, thus "exchanging" it for the book. I seriously hope it doesn't come to this. XD
So my plan for today - lurking used bookstores, then returning home no later than seven o'clock to get at least my 1,667 words for the day done! Wish me luck on my wild goose chase!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Pre-NaNoWriMo
I'm taking a break from my intense philosophy studying (and surprisingly, that's not even sarcastic. Philosophy is freaking DEMONIC.) to explain my plan for how in the world I am going to get to the end of Chapter 60 for November 1st.
Yes, I do have a plan!
Why do I need to get to Chapter 61 for November 1st, you ask? Well, as all of you writers out there must know, National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st. Currently, my NaNoWriMo profile's Novel Info states that I will be undertaking "Life in Black and White, Part III" as this year's project. And Part III of Life in Black and White starts at Chapter 61.
Where am I now, you ask? Since I had to do an entire revamp of Chapter 42, I am currently working on Chapter 45.
I swear to God, I have a plan!
And I know my plans haven't exactly always worked wonders in the past, but I will get to Chapter 61 on time if it's the last thing I do. All writers need to learn to work with deadlines at some point, right? This'll be good experience.
Also, since I have my NaNo Travel Mug, I'm all set. Bring it on!
So however am I going to pull this off?
Well, this Friday is my last day of school before I'm off for an entire week. And since NaNoWriMo starts that Sunday, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
So here's my plan. It was devised with the assumption that I won't get any writing done this coming weekend, which I doubt will be true. I have to give myself some room to move around, though, in case something unexpected happens!
So... here goes:
Monday, October 26th: Chapters 45, 46 and 47.
Tuesday, October 27th: Chapters 48, 49 and 50.
Wednesday, October 28th: Chapters 51, (beginning of chapter arc (my chapter arc is already about halfway written) ->) 52 and 53
Thursday, October 29th: Chapters 54, 55 and 56 (<- end of chapter arc)
Friday, October 30th: Chapters 57 and 58
Saturday, October 31st: Chapter 60, preliminary Part III planning.
Before you ask, yes, I am going to be holed up in my living room all week like a recluse. When you're a novelist on a mission, there are certain sacrifices you sometimes have to make!
Wish me luck! :)
Yes, I do have a plan!
Why do I need to get to Chapter 61 for November 1st, you ask? Well, as all of you writers out there must know, National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st. Currently, my NaNoWriMo profile's Novel Info states that I will be undertaking "Life in Black and White, Part III" as this year's project. And Part III of Life in Black and White starts at Chapter 61.
Where am I now, you ask? Since I had to do an entire revamp of Chapter 42, I am currently working on Chapter 45.
I swear to God, I have a plan!
And I know my plans haven't exactly always worked wonders in the past, but I will get to Chapter 61 on time if it's the last thing I do. All writers need to learn to work with deadlines at some point, right? This'll be good experience.
Also, since I have my NaNo Travel Mug, I'm all set. Bring it on!
So however am I going to pull this off?
Well, this Friday is my last day of school before I'm off for an entire week. And since NaNoWriMo starts that Sunday, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
So here's my plan. It was devised with the assumption that I won't get any writing done this coming weekend, which I doubt will be true. I have to give myself some room to move around, though, in case something unexpected happens!
So... here goes:
Monday, October 26th: Chapters 45, 46 and 47.
Tuesday, October 27th: Chapters 48, 49 and 50.
Wednesday, October 28th: Chapters 51, (beginning of chapter arc (my chapter arc is already about halfway written) ->) 52 and 53
Thursday, October 29th: Chapters 54, 55 and 56 (<- end of chapter arc)
Friday, October 30th: Chapters 57 and 58
Saturday, October 31st: Chapter 60, preliminary Part III planning.
Before you ask, yes, I am going to be holed up in my living room all week like a recluse. When you're a novelist on a mission, there are certain sacrifices you sometimes have to make!
Wish me luck! :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
This is the book that doesn't end. :)
We're back from Montreal.
It was a greeeeeat concert. <3
I'm just dropping in to say hi.
I don't have much time.
I have to do the dishes, and then...
I'm off to work on Chapter 45. :)
I'm off to work on Chapter 45. :)
Friday, October 9, 2009
It's A Wonderful World
Today, I've come to the realization that as horrible and shitty as my book seems now, serious editing will make it better. And one day it will be a beautiful thing, a true work of art, if it's the last thing I do.
I've been a bit novel-depressed the past couple days. See, currently I'm writing a short series of chapters which contain quite a few law elements and other things involving the judicial system (before you ask, G is not a serial killer. He's just kind of... rebellious. And besides, most of this law stuff has nothing to do with him), which I know barely anything about, and so the chapters are extremely hard to get accurate, speed-writing as I am. Despite the fact that it's only my first draft, instances like this one never, ever fail to make me feel like a grossly incompetent, sloppy writer. I just cannot seem to get it into my thick skull that there will be editing, and lots of it. What I'm writing right now is most certainly not what I'll be sending in to my publisher.
Feeling like a horrible writer makes most writers' confidence go down a few pegs, and I'm sad to say that I didn't escape this predicament. I was uninspired. I wanted to take the printed chapters of my book and throw them against the wall. Yesterday, I actually asked myself if the story was too far gone down the crappy route to be continued, and the fact that I would have even for a mere millsecond considered breaking my pledge to Never, Ever Abandon "Life" scares me to no end.
This morning, I still felt pretty crappy about my story. But when I got home from class, something weird happened. I thought to myself, perhaps subconsciously, "Maybe I need to stop forcing it. Maybe I just need to concentrate on something else for today. I can forget, just for one day, that I'm a writer."
So that's what I did. Today, I wasn't a writer, but rather an activist.
I spent the entire afternoon, from half past noon till five o'clock, getting things done for the BPD Feature Project. I fixed the group's name, pasted the link on a few websites, drafted a letter to Randi Kreger (founder of BPD Central), and last, but not least... made a video to Dr. Phil. That last one took me about two hours, but it was two hours well-spent.
At the end of the day, I was left with an accomplished feeling. I felt good about what I was doing, and rather like I could move mountains, if I tried.
Am I really going to let three "difficult" chapters stand in my way? No. No, I am most certainly not. I will write these chapters, and they might be awful... but they're not written in stone. I have to remember that, or else I'll never move forward.
I realized another very important thing today: that although I am perhaps not the person most gifted with words, and wording, and phrases and expressions; although I am not the best writer out there; although I sometimes feel like my writing and chapter plots are sloppy and amateur, even despite it being the first draft... I do know one thing for sure.
All clumsiness aside, I can tell one hell of a story.
And you can call it bragging if that's what you want to call it, I'm perfectly fine with that. That knowledge is what keeps me going sometimes, and to me, that's all that matters.
I've been a bit novel-depressed the past couple days. See, currently I'm writing a short series of chapters which contain quite a few law elements and other things involving the judicial system (before you ask, G is not a serial killer. He's just kind of... rebellious. And besides, most of this law stuff has nothing to do with him), which I know barely anything about, and so the chapters are extremely hard to get accurate, speed-writing as I am. Despite the fact that it's only my first draft, instances like this one never, ever fail to make me feel like a grossly incompetent, sloppy writer. I just cannot seem to get it into my thick skull that there will be editing, and lots of it. What I'm writing right now is most certainly not what I'll be sending in to my publisher.
Feeling like a horrible writer makes most writers' confidence go down a few pegs, and I'm sad to say that I didn't escape this predicament. I was uninspired. I wanted to take the printed chapters of my book and throw them against the wall. Yesterday, I actually asked myself if the story was too far gone down the crappy route to be continued, and the fact that I would have even for a mere millsecond considered breaking my pledge to Never, Ever Abandon "Life" scares me to no end.
This morning, I still felt pretty crappy about my story. But when I got home from class, something weird happened. I thought to myself, perhaps subconsciously, "Maybe I need to stop forcing it. Maybe I just need to concentrate on something else for today. I can forget, just for one day, that I'm a writer."
So that's what I did. Today, I wasn't a writer, but rather an activist.
I spent the entire afternoon, from half past noon till five o'clock, getting things done for the BPD Feature Project. I fixed the group's name, pasted the link on a few websites, drafted a letter to Randi Kreger (founder of BPD Central), and last, but not least... made a video to Dr. Phil. That last one took me about two hours, but it was two hours well-spent.
At the end of the day, I was left with an accomplished feeling. I felt good about what I was doing, and rather like I could move mountains, if I tried.
Am I really going to let three "difficult" chapters stand in my way? No. No, I am most certainly not. I will write these chapters, and they might be awful... but they're not written in stone. I have to remember that, or else I'll never move forward.
I realized another very important thing today: that although I am perhaps not the person most gifted with words, and wording, and phrases and expressions; although I am not the best writer out there; although I sometimes feel like my writing and chapter plots are sloppy and amateur, even despite it being the first draft... I do know one thing for sure.
All clumsiness aside, I can tell one hell of a story.
And you can call it bragging if that's what you want to call it, I'm perfectly fine with that. That knowledge is what keeps me going sometimes, and to me, that's all that matters.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
6 days till Montreal, or the dilemmas of a pre-med novelist.
Things to do:
- French assignment due tomorrow
- Statistics homework due Friday (technically next Wednesday, but I kind of won't be in the province...)
- Go to the mall and get money out for cafe with WFA/bus tomorrow
- Figure out what bus to take from university to cafe with WFA
- Make an appointment with the Dean of Sciences to ask him if I need to take those 10 extra pre-med courses or not (I'm hoping NOT, because the list contains math)
- Read the next chapter of psych
- Re-read my anatomy notes so that I actually don't fail my next test.
- Draft an e-mail to BPDcentral for the BPD Feature Project (the BPD Info site has generously agreed to forward it for me)
- Do dishes for mom
- Figure out whether or not WFA wants to come with me to the NaNoWriMo writing retreat in Fredericton
- Make a packing list for Montreal
- Find someone, ANYONE to switch my 12-8 shift next Saturday with
- Work on Chapter 42!!
See what happened there? Writing is the last thing on my list. Lately, it seems like writing is ALWAYS the last thing on my list. And I really need to fix that, to make time for my story, if I want to have the slightest chance to have Part II done by November 1st.
What I need is better time management. But how do I make time to find ways to manage time when there's barely enough time to do everything else? *rubs temples*
One thing's for sure: university students always need to juggle things. It becomes more complicated, I'd say, when the university student is question is trying to get into a graduate medical school that only accepts 30 people a year. Oh yeah, and she writes books, too!
Sometimes, writing HAS to take the back burner. It's part of "growing up", in a sense. When I was in grade 11, I had little else to do but write. Now, I have responsibilities. I have homework, tests every other week, and studying that I actually need to do. I can't just slip by like I did in high school - those days are over.
So I accept it. I do what I need to do, and sometimes, I steal away a few precious minutes to write down a good idea. To imagine a scene between friends, enemies, or lovers, or wannabe-lovers. To tell myself, "the weekend's coming! You can sit down at the computer with a nice cup of HT and write all day."
I accept that now, writing's not the only thing - and hell, it may not even be the most important thing. I accept it... but very seldom do I like it.
I'll update again later, hopefully having crossed a few things off that epic massive list!
- French assignment due tomorrow
- Statistics homework due Friday (technically next Wednesday, but I kind of won't be in the province...)
- Go to the mall and get money out for cafe with WFA/bus tomorrow
- Figure out what bus to take from university to cafe with WFA
- Make an appointment with the Dean of Sciences to ask him if I need to take those 10 extra pre-med courses or not (I'm hoping NOT, because the list contains math)
- Read the next chapter of psych
- Re-read my anatomy notes so that I actually don't fail my next test.
- Draft an e-mail to BPDcentral for the BPD Feature Project (the BPD Info site has generously agreed to forward it for me)
- Do dishes for mom
- Figure out whether or not WFA wants to come with me to the NaNoWriMo writing retreat in Fredericton
- Make a packing list for Montreal
- Find someone, ANYONE to switch my 12-8 shift next Saturday with
- Work on Chapter 42!!
See what happened there? Writing is the last thing on my list. Lately, it seems like writing is ALWAYS the last thing on my list. And I really need to fix that, to make time for my story, if I want to have the slightest chance to have Part II done by November 1st.
What I need is better time management. But how do I make time to find ways to manage time when there's barely enough time to do everything else? *rubs temples*
One thing's for sure: university students always need to juggle things. It becomes more complicated, I'd say, when the university student is question is trying to get into a graduate medical school that only accepts 30 people a year. Oh yeah, and she writes books, too!
Sometimes, writing HAS to take the back burner. It's part of "growing up", in a sense. When I was in grade 11, I had little else to do but write. Now, I have responsibilities. I have homework, tests every other week, and studying that I actually need to do. I can't just slip by like I did in high school - those days are over.
So I accept it. I do what I need to do, and sometimes, I steal away a few precious minutes to write down a good idea. To imagine a scene between friends, enemies, or lovers, or wannabe-lovers. To tell myself, "the weekend's coming! You can sit down at the computer with a nice cup of HT and write all day."
I accept that now, writing's not the only thing - and hell, it may not even be the most important thing. I accept it... but very seldom do I like it.
I'll update again later, hopefully having crossed a few things off that epic massive list!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Too busy to think of a title for this post
Mood: Wired
Listening to: MIKA - I See You
Wants: - A new phone
- To work on Chapter 42/43
Is stuck doing: Anatomy and psychology revision
Needs: Another coffee
Should: Be doing something productive and not be writing up this blog post.
Tired of: - Studying
- The thought of having to go to work tonight. -_-
Wishes: Statistics class did not make me want to shoot myself in the head.
Loves: - G + J <3
- Libaw
- The fact that I will be en route to Montreal in 8 days
- MIKA
- My cat, who is currently petting my arm
*smiles, closes window and reluctantly shuffles off to the whiteboard to study*
Listening to: MIKA - I See You
Wants: - A new phone
- To work on Chapter 42/43
Is stuck doing: Anatomy and psychology revision
Needs: Another coffee
Should: Be doing something productive and not be writing up this blog post.
Tired of: - Studying
- The thought of having to go to work tonight. -_-
Wishes: Statistics class did not make me want to shoot myself in the head.
Loves: - G + J <3
- Libaw
- The fact that I will be en route to Montreal in 8 days
- MIKA
- My cat, who is currently petting my arm
*smiles, closes window and reluctantly shuffles off to the whiteboard to study*
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