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
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo 2009. Show all posts
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! :)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Publication and Plea
Click the title to see the webpage of Scribblers and Ink Spillers, LLC. Their October issue of Emerald Tales magazine was just released, and it contains my poem, This Mask I Wear. :) This is my third poem to be published, and I'm excited about its release! Emerald Tales also contains several other wonderful, compelling short works, so if you would like to purchase a copy, please visit the webpage! The magazine is available in both print and electronic formats.
Things are going somewhat slowly on my end, but well nonetheless. School has started up again, so my time for writing is limited. However, I'm not about to let my fancy-snazzy psychiatric studies stop me from getting to Part III of the novel in time for National Novel Writing Month! Which I do religiously every year! (This year's profile: http://http//www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/406001)
So, just as soon as I've finished this post, I'm off to finish Chapter 41-Chapter 42. I have two hours and twenty-five minutes left before I am forced to get up and get ready for work, but I'll let you know how it goes. :) Chapter 41 is very nearly done, and Chapter 42 is about halfway, so unless some sort of natural disaster happens here it really should be no problem.
I'm pumped!
I can't wait for NaNo, absolutely not!
And apparently someone up there really, really feels my urgency to get to the end of Chapter 60, because my mom and I have managed to score two tickets to go see MIKA in Montreal. You know what that means...
MIKA? YAY? - Well, that too.
But mostly, it means that the drive from N.B. to Montreal is approximately 10 hours. And the drive from Montreal to N.B. is also 10 hours. So that, my friends, means 20 hours of absolutely nothing to do but WRITE. PART. II. And listen to my grandparents' forties country music in the van, but that's an utterly different story.
Awesome.
I'm excited.
As long as I have my coffee, I CAN STAY AWAKE. Which is why I will be ordering this: https://store.lettersandlight.org/merchandise/nanowrimo-brown-travel-mug with much due haste. Because I CAN DO IT.
So my goal is to finish at least up to Chapter 45 before October 13th, when we leave for Montreal. And considering I'm almost done Chapter 41, I CAN DO THAT, TOO.
Yay! Realistic goals ftw!
Alright, guys... so before I go, there's one more thing I wanted to mention.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=100174976965&ref=ts
The link above will bring you to The BPD Feature Project's Facebook group. If you would like to help bring awareness to a severe mental illness, please join us. Our goal is to convince Dr. Phil to feature borderline personality disorder (G's mental illness) on his show. If he does, that would certainly kick up the general knowledge a few knotches! So again, if you have Facebook, please join. It's a very simple process and won't take a lot of your time.
And with that, I'm off to write! :) Have a nice day, everyone.
Love, N.L.
Things are going somewhat slowly on my end, but well nonetheless. School has started up again, so my time for writing is limited. However, I'm not about to let my fancy-snazzy psychiatric studies stop me from getting to Part III of the novel in time for National Novel Writing Month! Which I do religiously every year! (This year's profile: http://http//www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/406001)
So, just as soon as I've finished this post, I'm off to finish Chapter 41-Chapter 42. I have two hours and twenty-five minutes left before I am forced to get up and get ready for work, but I'll let you know how it goes. :) Chapter 41 is very nearly done, and Chapter 42 is about halfway, so unless some sort of natural disaster happens here it really should be no problem.
I'm pumped!
I can't wait for NaNo, absolutely not!
And apparently someone up there really, really feels my urgency to get to the end of Chapter 60, because my mom and I have managed to score two tickets to go see MIKA in Montreal. You know what that means...
MIKA? YAY? - Well, that too.
But mostly, it means that the drive from N.B. to Montreal is approximately 10 hours. And the drive from Montreal to N.B. is also 10 hours. So that, my friends, means 20 hours of absolutely nothing to do but WRITE. PART. II. And listen to my grandparents' forties country music in the van, but that's an utterly different story.
Awesome.
I'm excited.
As long as I have my coffee, I CAN STAY AWAKE. Which is why I will be ordering this: https://store.lettersandlight.org/merchandise/nanowrimo-brown-travel-mug with much due haste. Because I CAN DO IT.
So my goal is to finish at least up to Chapter 45 before October 13th, when we leave for Montreal. And considering I'm almost done Chapter 41, I CAN DO THAT, TOO.
Yay! Realistic goals ftw!
Alright, guys... so before I go, there's one more thing I wanted to mention.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=100174976965&ref=ts
The link above will bring you to The BPD Feature Project's Facebook group. If you would like to help bring awareness to a severe mental illness, please join us. Our goal is to convince Dr. Phil to feature borderline personality disorder (G's mental illness) on his show. If he does, that would certainly kick up the general knowledge a few knotches! So again, if you have Facebook, please join. It's a very simple process and won't take a lot of your time.
And with that, I'm off to write! :) Have a nice day, everyone.
Love, N.L.
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