I've finally done it. After three years and five writing challenges, I have accomplished my word goal. Mind you, it did take a flexible word goal to get there. At the beginning of July, I was aiming for 30k, but about half way through the challenge, I realized it wasn't a realistic goal for my pace.
Which may have had something to do with those few days of not writing at all.
So I knocked it down to 20k. But an average of 650 words isn't so bad! That is about a page a day. Yeah, I took out 10k words and yeah I probably could have made it if I buckled down and did absolutely nothing except write. Honestly, I really needed a win.
There is something really satisfying about winning the NaNoWriMo writing challenges. I mean, it's not like you physically get a prize (unless you count the print out certificate).
It felt weird getting more excited the last week instead of despondent. It was such a high though, rushing the last hour, blasting My Chemical Romance to get pumped to finish on time. It was kind of amazing.
Now if I can just do that for the remaining fourteen days of July, I will crawl out of this 10,000 word deficit and catapult to the finish line of 30,000. The only problem is that I literally did nothing but write today, which is not always possible nor conducive to my sanity. Sitting behind a computer screen all day makes me a little stir crazy.
What I don't understand why I can't just write every day. I mean, it shouldn't be that difficult. It is what I love doing more than anything (other than baking) and I have so many ideas. And I'm constantly thinking about my story. I dream about it.
So on days that I am feeling less creative, I research, I visualize. The other night I created my characters using the Sims 3. It was helpful in a way, but kind of frustrating because they didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned them.
Especially since one should have floating blue hair and other horns.
Or the fact that you can't give Sims scars or make them shorter.
However, it did spark the idea that they all had the same iridescent silver-blue eyes. In the story, they are all the offspring of the same deity, but don't know that until they all meet as adults. Having the same eyes will help them recognize each other.
So it wasn't a complete waste of time (though I am not proud of how long it actually took).
Stats Update:
6643 words written
3 of 4 main characters introduced
0 antagonists
14 days left to write 23,357 words and have somewhat of a plot going.
Woo! Sounds like a challenge. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
Over the long weekend, I learned how to gut and fillet an albacore. I also shot a gun for the first time. These are the sort of adventures one has in the hidden hills of Wilits; among tall trees and coastal winds. As we went up the winding gravel driveway to the dark wooden house shaded by moss covered oak trees, all I could think about was how perfect a place it would be for writing.
After spending four days of being lulled to sleep by the songs of frogs and crickets, I found that I had spent little time writing. Instead I watched my niece learn how to mimic the sound frogs make and play with bubbles. I listened to stories of how the house was built a little at a time. I climbed across rocks and logs to explore a creek that housed little newts that looked like dragons. I learned that I was really really bad at croquet.
Even though this month is another writing challenge (and I should be pumping out 1000 words a day), I didn't feel like my time was wasted. There was so much new material being absorbed into me with every breath. Everything around me felt like there was magic hiding underneath. So okay, I only managed to squish out about 800 words, but I was invigorated.
July is my month of creativity. Absorbing the magic around me is just as important as the act of creation. Sometimes you have to spend time exploring creation (and destruction) to find inspiration. I am learning to let go of what I think the story is about. It will form naturally by pulling pieces together from my experiences and dreams.
My story knows where it wants to go. I just need to move aside and let it.
This summer, I will be participating in the less intense version of National Novel Writing Month. So this July I will be (virtually) grouped with a handful of like-minded writers marching toward the not-so-intimidating goal of 30,000 words.
That's only 1000 words a day. Totally doable.
In other news, I am now officially unemployed. With a slightly broken heart, yesterday was my last day with the wonderful kids and coworkers I spent the last ten months with.
I did leave with a few parting gifts.
However, I am now free to enjoy the rest of the summer. Or, more likely, spend my time fixing up my room.
For the year or so I've been back home, I have avoided fully unpacking. My reason for this was that it was a temporary situation; thinking I would be off to San Francisco by now. Well, after reality set in (in the form of a rejection letter from SF State) I realized I will be here a while longer than I originally planned. So I might as well make it my own.
Since I have all this free time now I will be able to focus on my latest attempt at a literary adventure. This time, I will be fleshing out (... such an odd phrase) a story that my younger brother thought of for a comic. My siblings have such great minds to plunder for ideas.
After I finish the story, we can start the wonderful process of turning into a comic! Woo!
Hopefully with the lowered word count I won't get so despondently discouraged as per usual. Also, Mom has decided to participate as well, so I'll have a writing buddy.
Memorial Day means Monterrey. Monterrey means Cannery Row. What's in Cannery Row?
(Other than the aquarium...)
The Ghiradelli Ice Cream Shop!
Now, some of you might remember the sundae challenge a few years ago. This year I decided to hang out with the boys for the day, for which I would suffer the consequences. Luckily, I wasn't the only one eating this time.
The Earthquake:
Eight scoops of various flavored ice cream topped with whipped cream, fudge and cherries.
It was a mountain of ice cream.
Between the four of us, we decimated it.
Now keep in mind we had stared drinking at 11:30 am (feeling like alcoholics standing outside Bullwhackers waiting for it to open...) AND went out to eat before finding our way to the magical ice cream shop.
Needless to say, once we stumbled back to where we were staying in a booze/sugar induced daze, we all crashed for a couple hours.
Monterrey also means awesome crayon drawings on the paper tablecloths at our favorite lunch place (called...something...). We always have quite some interesting artwork.
Johnny's was...interesting.
Dylan's was creepy (as usual).
Dom's was pretty exceptional.
Now, I know it has been two months since my last post, which is inexcusable. So now that school is out, I'll have more time to do ridiculous things and blog about them.
This is the first Spring Break I've had in a while and it was pretty magical. I hopped on a train down to see two of my favorite people and relax. I realize that most people don't go to Los Angeles to sit in their pajamas, read, draw and go to comic book stores, but I don't think I need to mention that I'm not like most people.
Meltdown Comics
Boo-boo Monsters and...
$5 Mystery Grab Bags!
Who doesn't love comics about monsters?
I finally got to play with my chalk pastels.
I also finally caught up on my reading, i.e. finishing the Song of Ice and Fire series. Now I can begin the Dance with Dragons! I am so excited. It took my waaay too long to finish this last one partly because of school and partly because it was reeeeally slow.
All in all, it was a pretty fantastic vacation. Originally I was torn between travelling or staying home and doing nothing, but it turns out that I can do both! Plus I got to see one of my best friends who, in a cruel twist of fate, moved to Los Angeles a couple months after I left. I try not to think about all the fun we would be having had I stayed here.
My only regret was not going to the Grove, where apparently there were dinosaur shaped donuts.
Sometimes the universe has different plans than you do.
For instance, when I moved back from Los Angeles, I had a very specific plan to finish up classes at the Junior College and be on my way to SF State within a year. Last week I got an email from Admissions informing me that I am not eligible for transfer due to my GPA not being at least a 3.3. I calculated it and it will take six consecutive A's for me to raise my GPA that high. Or, in other terms, another year.
I don't think that I need to say that I was a little disheartened.
So when in doubt (about life stuff) I did what makes sense to me.
I baked some cookies.
Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies!
The past week has been full of random outburst of frustration and self reflection. So far, I haven't come to any sort of conclusion. I am trying not to let my discouragement get the best of me. The emergence of Spring helps quite a bit. It's difficult to be downhearted when everything around me looks so beautiful.
Mustard flowers bloom painting the field yellow.
So I am going to escape to Culver City for Spring Break. I think a change of scenery will help clear my head. I can't wait for friendly faces and sunshine. Only one more week to go!
But to leave on a positive note, I did get an A- on my first English paper! Woo!
Every once in a while, there is that amazing weekend that makes you appreciate life, the universe and everything. They come by surprise and are never long enough. And then sometimes, for unexplained reasons, you have two of those weekends in a row. I think it was all a ploy to get me to stop hating the month of February. This month had a wedding, kites at the beach AND a trip to the Zoo. An interesting thing has happened over the last couple years, I have slowly lost my hatred for weddings. Ever since I was nine and thoroughly traumatized at one (the incident involved mean kids and a bullfrog) they left a sour taste in my mouth. Then I got bored with all the monotony of them (white dress, white cake, bad music, etc.).
Now I rather enjoy weddings, which may have something to do with the free booze or the fact that people are starting to get more creative with them. This last one had a cake that looked like a beach and a photo booth.
I also had a date for the first time.
It's finally warm enough to go to the beach! The afternoon after the wedding, be dragged our hungover selves out of bed and hopped in the car. We took the back roads around the hills and picked up a fancy kite at this place:
And salt water taffies, of course.
Look at our sweet bat kite!
Overall, it was a pretty amazing weekend. I thought that was as good as it got, but then the next weekend we went with Lily to the San Francisco Zoo!
Lily makes friends wherever she goes.
I always love seeing animals and we got the rare treat of watching a young gorilla play with his parents. It was painfully adorable and we stayed at their enclosure for quite a while. Unfortunately, by that time Lily had passed out in her stroller, so she slept through the whole thing.
It has almost been a year since I made the decision to move back home from sunny Los Angeles. I remember I worried about boredom (among other things) after having lived in such an exciting city. However, I found that my time is filled with school and my tutor job, which has made me appreciate down time. I do miss it though...
The things that are assigned for Creative Writing classes never cease to surprise me. Writing a prose poem with my non-dominant hand took quite a bit of concentration; more than I had anticipated. The interesting part of the whole process was how much thought went into each line, yet at the same time they were incredibly simple. It was sort of like turning off the part of my brain that criticizes as I write. I think the end result was rather beautiful.
Since you probably cannot read the scribbles:
Salty dragon waves. Crashing against the shore. Breathing foam and steam. Roaring with the wind. We watched the kite ripple in the sky. Tugging against the thin string that anchored it to my hand. Tugging futilely. We wore matching hats. That day before our lives crashed together. Before the universe put us to the test. On that perfectly windy day. Our mouths sticky sweet. Our skin smelled of earth and salt. The kite's sails flickered with chaotic rhythm. We had to shout to hear each others words over the waves.
I think I will try this left-handed writing more often.
Shifting from mostly Art classes to all English classes has been a struggle. As much as I love writing, I am definitely out of practice. I either over think simple assignments or just stare blankly at the computer waiting for ideas. It is a little frustrating.
So if you are wondering if I am writing this post in procrastination of homework, the answer is yes, yes I am. Don't worry, I still have a whole day.
This is the first time I've been in a Creative Writing class of any kind in three years. I haven't written much poetry since high school (which was so full of angst it was painful to read). Let's hope that my peers are kind during the critiques. Maybe it will force me to grow a thicker skin when it comes to sharing my writing.
Luckily, whenever I have a especially difficult day, it only takes little things to lift my mood. For instance, the zombie themed magnet poem that Dominic had made waiting for me when I got home from work.
This is my last day of Winter break and I managed to spend four hours of it reorganizing (and purging) the kitchen. Since the holiday we have been living in more clutter than usual. I really didn't plan to spend the day cleaning, I only wanted to find somewhere to put all the candy we've accumulated over the past two weeks. It always starts small...
To be honest, I'm not looking forward to having to wear real pants after today. Or having to wake up before ten. I'm really going to miss vacation. I suppose one can only sleep in, catch up on reading and play video games for so long. (Who am I kidding?)
I did quite a bit of reading over the break. I'm between series right now, as per usual. I started A Feast for Crows, the fourth in the Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) series the other day.
Some days I wonder why I read it, since more than once I've had to put one of the books down and walk away in despair. This happened at least three times in Storm of Swords alone. In fact, after I finished the book, I ran around shouting for an hour. Judging from the title of this particular book, I will probably become despondent as I watch all my favorite character die. This series has taken over my life. My new favorite thing to say is, "You know nothing, Jon Snow" (especially to Johnny).
On New Years I spent my evening watching Scott Pilgrim vs The World and putting together my Monster Hunters Lego sets. I also found the Scott Pilgrim box set on Amazon for a ridiculous $47 (normally retailing at $72). Yesterday it arrived early and I've been immersed in all its comic wonderfulness ever since.
Best splurge ever.
It even came with a poster!
Last, but certainly not least, I finished the latest volume in the Locke & Key series.
Oh man, this series is intense. I'm glad there is some time between volumes, because I definitely need it to recover. Again, I highly recommend these graphic novels if you are into horror. This one (Clockworks) goes into the disturbing back story of the house and the magical keys. The double page spreads are especially beautiful to boot.
I'm going to be rather sad when all my free time is sucked up by school and work again. At least my schedule won't be as crazy as last semester. I plan to update more regularly, but we all know that ongoing battle.
So I leave with an awesome band I found last week:
