Somehow, my writing sort of keeps flowing. Not the type of flowing some people seem to experience, where they crank out millions of words and the story seems to write itself. It's still hard for me to sit down, concentrate and actually write, and to go past those first moments where I'm trying to settle on the next scene. But once I do, I get 500-1,000 words easily. It's been going in a steady pace these last few days, at about 2,500 each day. Which means I'm finally finding the rhythm I was looking for in the first place. I try for about 1,500 and think of any paragraph extra as a bonus. I'm so hoping I can keep that up! The weekend looks like it's going to be about friends and fun, so probably little writing, especially on Sunday. And then in just a week and a half I'll be going home... It's the strangest feeling. I've gotten so used to living here! As for NaNo - 30k I'm on my way.
WordCount: 29,232
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Little NaNo treat
Found this in the mail today:
It's from one of my NaNo mentors, who also manages to send out long daily encouragement e-mails to the group of newbies he has under his wings. And all that while juggling a busy real life and finishing his own novel in the first two weeks... Thanks, Devon!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
NaNo day 12, 13 & 14
To be honest, I don't want to talk about day 12 and 13. Real life got in the way and I only got about 500 words written on either day. People seem to think I'm on holiday here, but I'm actually quite swamped and trying to balance important things, leisure and writing.
Today was better though, I got quite some things done. Went to have a sandwich with a good friend in the evening and when I came home, decided to try a little more writing before going to bed. I wrote a scene from the top of my head and was pretty surprised to see it was over 1,100 words. Combined with the stuff I wrote during the afternoon, that makes today's total close to 3,000. Very nice, if I could only crank that out a bit more often, I won't be in trouble at the end of the month. Here's to breaking the halfway mark tomorrow!
WordCount: 24,232
Today was better though, I got quite some things done. Went to have a sandwich with a good friend in the evening and when I came home, decided to try a little more writing before going to bed. I wrote a scene from the top of my head and was pretty surprised to see it was over 1,100 words. Combined with the stuff I wrote during the afternoon, that makes today's total close to 3,000. Very nice, if I could only crank that out a bit more often, I won't be in trouble at the end of the month. Here's to breaking the halfway mark tomorrow!
WordCount: 24,232
Monday, November 12, 2007
31. Say goodbye to my lucky coin
Sniff. I went to take a walk in the center yesterday. The weather was nice, not too warm, not too cold, and it was a typical Santiago Sunday. I did my usual little walk from Plaza de Armas through Paseo Ahumada and back to the square through Estado. I can't even begin to describe all the different people I saw around there. It's like entering a movie scene. I love that place so much. I quietly entered the cathedral since there was a mass going on, but it wasn't very crowded. Some art group performed at the square, first a violinist, then an opera singer. I'm not into classical music, but it made the environment all that much nicer. Oh, it was a beautiful afternoon. One of those that I'll miss so much when I go back, which is very soon.
And then I saw the fountain and remembered my point 31 on the list. And I remembered that I had thought this to be the perfect place to leave my lucky coin behind. Mind you, it's just a regular one dollar cent coin. A small, brown one, a little polished over time. I took it home from California somewhere in 1999, maybe 1998, and it has been with me ever since. Mostly in my left pocket. Almost every day. I lost or dropped it many times over, but always quickly found it again. I thought it would leave me when I no longer needed it, but it stuck around for the whole eight years, maybe even a little longer. So I had made the decision to get rid of it myself. My happiness isn't bound to a one cent coin, and neither are my memories. It was just a symbol, one of many. (I still have my cross that I wear every day. Couldn't even consider dumping it.)
I got a little nervous. Stood listening to the opera singer for a while and rubbed the coin like never before. Then, I made a wish and tipped it into the fountain. Home is where the heart is. I sat down for a while and looked at the square, the fountain, the kids, the doves, the women... and I actually felt a little sad about the coin. I thought of all the countries it had been to with me. I remembered how it had been there when I found love and lost it again, many times over. But the experiences and memories are in my head and heart. It's just a one cent coin. It has a new home now. I can't believe I'm crying while I'm writing this. Am I a childish sentimental sock, or what?
Goodbye, lucky coin. May you bless somebody else's heart, who needs you more.
And then I saw the fountain and remembered my point 31 on the list. And I remembered that I had thought this to be the perfect place to leave my lucky coin behind. Mind you, it's just a regular one dollar cent coin. A small, brown one, a little polished over time. I took it home from California somewhere in 1999, maybe 1998, and it has been with me ever since. Mostly in my left pocket. Almost every day. I lost or dropped it many times over, but always quickly found it again. I thought it would leave me when I no longer needed it, but it stuck around for the whole eight years, maybe even a little longer. So I had made the decision to get rid of it myself. My happiness isn't bound to a one cent coin, and neither are my memories. It was just a symbol, one of many. (I still have my cross that I wear every day. Couldn't even consider dumping it.)
I got a little nervous. Stood listening to the opera singer for a while and rubbed the coin like never before. Then, I made a wish and tipped it into the fountain. Home is where the heart is. I sat down for a while and looked at the square, the fountain, the kids, the doves, the women... and I actually felt a little sad about the coin. I thought of all the countries it had been to with me. I remembered how it had been there when I found love and lost it again, many times over. But the experiences and memories are in my head and heart. It's just a one cent coin. It has a new home now. I can't believe I'm crying while I'm writing this. Am I a childish sentimental sock, or what?
Goodbye, lucky coin. May you bless somebody else's heart, who needs you more.
NaNo day 11
Stayed up until past 1AM again, because I was desperate to break the 20k-mark. Well, I managed that, but don't ask how. Note to self: must start writing before 10PM.
WordCount: 20,085
WordCount: 20,085
Sunday, November 11, 2007
NaNo day 9 & 10
Yesterday was one of those days I'd rather forget quickly. I got up very early after half a night's sleep, because I needed to get some concert tickets on the internet that went into a special pre-sale. I went back to bed afterwards, slept until lunchtime (phonecalls woke me up twice...), got up, got very little done, went back to bed, got up again, and somehow stayed up until 2AM. Which of course made me sleep in until a ridiculous hour today. Gah, my day/night rhythm is so messed up. I barely got 500 words in yesterday. I didn't feel like writing anything at all, either.
Today I still felt like a kitchen towel, if that makes any sense, but in the evening I finally did my home chores, sat down with a bottle of Coke Zero, plugged in my iPod, found a hilarious dare that let my imagination spark and started writing. It's nowhere near 25k yet, but we're getting there. And there are parts of my story I actually like. It should become more fun now, too, because I introduced a bunch of new characters. And dialogue seems to move me forward more quickly than description, so it's good that my MC is making some new friends.
WordCount: 17,553
Today I still felt like a kitchen towel, if that makes any sense, but in the evening I finally did my home chores, sat down with a bottle of Coke Zero, plugged in my iPod, found a hilarious dare that let my imagination spark and started writing. It's nowhere near 25k yet, but we're getting there. And there are parts of my story I actually like. It should become more fun now, too, because I introduced a bunch of new characters. And dialogue seems to move me forward more quickly than description, so it's good that my MC is making some new friends.
WordCount: 17,553
Friday, November 9, 2007
NaNo day 8
Woohoo, I made my goal for today! *does happy dance* And it's before midnight, too. I'm still rather far behind and wonder how I manage to write so little in days where I have few other things to do, but well. At least I didn't fall behind any more than I already am. Taking it day by day. How are all my fellow NaNo-ers doing?
WordCount: 14,062
WordCount: 14,062
Thursday, November 8, 2007
NaNo day 7
Nope, I'm still not learning. It's 1:10AM and I barely got 2,000 words in. I seem to have caught somewhat of a cold. Those dishes will have to wait until tomorrow.
WordCount: 11,279
WordCount: 11,279
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
54. Go to 3 concerts of bands I haven't seen before
One down, two to go. This is one of the most fun points on the list for me as I love going to concerts. Seeing a good pop/rock band play live and being in front of the stage in a crowd just makes me feel so alive I could cry. Heck, I do that sometimes. Good live music has the power to make me feel like everything is falling into place, and that includes anything that's happening in my life at that moment.
On Sunday, I went to the Fenix Festival at the Arena Santiago. The summary? Many hours, one crab-coloured sunburned me with an aching throat, three new Chilean friends and three awesome foreign bands.
Ah, you want the longer version? No problem, I can do that.
13:00 Announced starting time. Arrival at scene. Long waiting lines for the gates as usual. Me in a sleeveless shirt, thinking I should have put on some sunscreen before leaving. It's a hot sunny day, clear blue sky. I pick up a bottle of mineral water before joining the crowd. Need liquids, loads of them.
14:30 Buying a hot dog and drink. Looking around and checking out all the foreigners. Brits, Germans and some tall guys I strongly suspect to be Dutch. Trying to stay out of the sun or put my black fleece sweater on my shoulders for protection, ignoring the heat.
16:00 Opening of Arena is announced. Quick line-up again, that looks good. Only about 30 people before me. Girl in line starts to chat with me. Sun burns down on me.
16:40 Here we go! Green wrist bands up in the air, everyone makes a run for it, so we join the frenzy to avoid being trampled. The people already in the higher seating areas see the crowd rushing forward. Picture flashes everywhere. It's actually cooler inside.
17:00 My new girl friend spots a friend of hers who is with another friend. Call this the Chilean way. She walks over to squeeze her friend's cheeks as if he were a long-lost grandson, which makes me giggle. A bit later, the friend joins us with his other friend. We discuss the chileanness of names, or lack thereof. Group established for the night. María Paz, Thomas, Jan and me.
On Sunday, I went to the Fenix Festival at the Arena Santiago. The summary? Many hours, one crab-coloured sunburned me with an aching throat, three new Chilean friends and three awesome foreign bands.
Ah, you want the longer version? No problem, I can do that.
13:00 Announced starting time. Arrival at scene. Long waiting lines for the gates as usual. Me in a sleeveless shirt, thinking I should have put on some sunscreen before leaving. It's a hot sunny day, clear blue sky. I pick up a bottle of mineral water before joining the crowd. Need liquids, loads of them.
14:30 Buying a hot dog and drink. Looking around and checking out all the foreigners. Brits, Germans and some tall guys I strongly suspect to be Dutch. Trying to stay out of the sun or put my black fleece sweater on my shoulders for protection, ignoring the heat.
16:00 Opening of Arena is announced. Quick line-up again, that looks good. Only about 30 people before me. Girl in line starts to chat with me. Sun burns down on me.
16:40 Here we go! Green wrist bands up in the air, everyone makes a run for it, so we join the frenzy to avoid being trampled. The people already in the higher seating areas see the crowd rushing forward. Picture flashes everywhere. It's actually cooler inside.
17:00 My new girl friend spots a friend of hers who is with another friend. Call this the Chilean way. She walks over to squeeze her friend's cheeks as if he were a long-lost grandson, which makes me giggle. A bit later, the friend joins us with his other friend. We discuss the chileanness of names, or lack thereof. Group established for the night. María Paz, Thomas, Jan and me.
Concert buddies for the night
18:00 Punctuality as never seen before in this country! Starsailor enters the stage. Crowd goes pretty crazy already. Poor misguided fool makes an awesome opening song. I have to pinch myself a few times to tell me I'm not watching Keane. The singer has grown a little beard and looks strikingly much like Tom Chaplin. Great show. Even better when you realize there's two more bands to go.
Starsailor
19:00 Toilet break. Not that we actually have to go, but drinking water from the tap is cheaper than buying drinks. And we are cheap.
19:30 Still right on track. Enter Travis. Crowd goes pretty mad. Thomas is touched to tears and made fun of by Jan. I get to hear Closer live. That in itself is worth the ticket price. When they play Flowers in the window, they join in a happy group moment. Fran makes us clap along while sweet Dougie plays the guitar that's around Fran's neck. Cuteness. We know they'll keep on playing songs since the most famous one is still missing. Why does it always rain on me? is saved to the last moment. We're flying high, but the best is yet to come.
Travis
21:00 Toilet break. You know the drill.
21:20 The moment the crowd has been waiting for all day. The Killers bring a tight show. Bright lights saying Sam's Town and lots of rock 'n' roll. This time it's Jan who can't stop smiling. The first three songs follow the cd that I've been playing so much lately. Somehow I almost forgot All these things I've done. I've listened to that song every day in the last week! How could I not remember they might play it? Being the main act of the night, The Killers play for over 1,5 hours. The others are exhausted but I'm just doing great. Except for major sunburn on my shoulders and neck. I look like a crab that has been in the sauna too long.
21:20 The moment the crowd has been waiting for all day. The Killers bring a tight show. Bright lights saying Sam's Town and lots of rock 'n' roll. This time it's Jan who can't stop smiling. The first three songs follow the cd that I've been playing so much lately. Somehow I almost forgot All these things I've done. I've listened to that song every day in the last week! How could I not remember they might play it? Being the main act of the night, The Killers play for over 1,5 hours. The others are exhausted but I'm just doing great. Except for major sunburn on my shoulders and neck. I look like a crab that has been in the sauna too long.
The Killers
Yep, that was pretty awesome.
NaNo day 6
The last few days I have been falling behind on my wordcount. Well, that was to be expected, I guess. Real life took over. I've been going out with friends every night for the last week. Hence today my throat hurts like crap, but that's what you get from living the moment. Today was a rather peaceful day in which I tried to get back on track with some chores and get some words into my story. As usual, it's past midnight now and I still have to do the dishes. If anyone ever needs me at 1AM, you can be pretty sure I'm in the kitchen... There's just some things I'll never learn. Washing up after lunch is one of them.
WordCount: 9,247
WordCount: 9,247
Friday, November 2, 2007
Life's full of surprises
Awesomeness! Thursday night, right before I managed to get my 2,500 words in, I see this French girlfriend of mine come up on messenger with 'in Santiago' behind her name. An hour and a half later, me, her, another French girl, a Chilean guy and two of their friends were laughing our butts off over a cocktail in a club that brought back a million good memories. Those three used to be roommates (housemates, actually) of mine when I was in Chile for the first time. I hadn't seen them in four years! Oh, how life can surprise you when you least expect it. The French girls have travelled onward Friday morning, but I was so hyped about seeing them again, I just couldn't stop smiling.
Second night in a row of going to bed at 2:20. I'd get used to it if it wasn't for the things I need to get done during the day. Barbecue on Friday, church festivities on Saturday, excellent concert on Sunday. Boy, this is becoming one hell of a week. But I'm so alive!
Hugo (France), Alix (France) and me (that's Esther, The Netherlands, for the record)
Cristián (Chile), Hugo, me, Tiphaine (France) and Ismael (Uruguay)
Alix, me and Tiphaine
NaNo day 2
Goodness gracious. Just how do people with real lives manage to do this?
I feel like I've been running from one part to another, even though I'm at home. Quickly getting some logistics going for tonights barbecue in the most faraway and rich possible area in this city. Finishing up an article, reading my daily book chapter, answering urgent messages with a sandwich on my lap, and still have to find the hours to write.
Finally, scraped the words together and ran off for the barbecue. The next few days are going to be busier and harder... Oh man!
WordCount: 5,112
I feel like I've been running from one part to another, even though I'm at home. Quickly getting some logistics going for tonights barbecue in the most faraway and rich possible area in this city. Finishing up an article, reading my daily book chapter, answering urgent messages with a sandwich on my lap, and still have to find the hours to write.
Finally, scraped the words together and ran off for the barbecue. The next few days are going to be busier and harder... Oh man!
WordCount: 5,112
NaNo day 1
November 1st is finally here, and that means writing madness at NaNo. I was actually planning on getting a few hundred words in at midnight, but only got home at 2:15 from a pretty lame anti-Halloween children's party. Exhausted, too. Luckily I had lots of free time on my hands today, so I just started during the day.
The beginning was pretty rough. Just to get those first few words on paper and not frantically delete and redo them is a mini-challenge in itself. But that's what the 'lock up your inner editor'-stuff is about, so I settled for something and moved forward. 350 words were easy, but then? I'm thinking my problem is I may have characters and general ideas and funky details worked out, but I have close to nothing when it comes to individual scenes.
I worked on it on and off all through the day. Some scenes would roll out quickly, others were more of a word to word struggle. But I needed to get my 2,500 words done so I kept going. On some of the next few days it might be hard to put hours in writing, and each day missed means, well, falling 2,500 words behind. I found some inspiration in certain songs, and too much distraction on the forums.
It's 22:00 now and I finally got them in. Phew! This may not become easy, but I already find it interesting what I have managed to get on paper.
WordCount: 2,540
The beginning was pretty rough. Just to get those first few words on paper and not frantically delete and redo them is a mini-challenge in itself. But that's what the 'lock up your inner editor'-stuff is about, so I settled for something and moved forward. 350 words were easy, but then? I'm thinking my problem is I may have characters and general ideas and funky details worked out, but I have close to nothing when it comes to individual scenes.
I worked on it on and off all through the day. Some scenes would roll out quickly, others were more of a word to word struggle. But I needed to get my 2,500 words done so I kept going. On some of the next few days it might be hard to put hours in writing, and each day missed means, well, falling 2,500 words behind. I found some inspiration in certain songs, and too much distraction on the forums.
It's 22:00 now and I finally got them in. Phew! This may not become easy, but I already find it interesting what I have managed to get on paper.
WordCount: 2,540
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
