Thiiiiis Close

Do you know what I love about horse racing (for those of you who aren't horse people, these frequent horse-related outbursts are normal with me.) I love the moment when the winning horse (or horses, as the case sometimes seems) cross the finish line. Now, there are a lot of things about horse racing that I don't like. The stress on the horses, the betting, the gigantic hats that look like Muppets posing on ladies' heads... Yeah. You get the picture. But that moment--that crossing of the finish line--that's pretty awesome. And there's nothing in the world to describe it.

See the picture I have so thoughtfully provided. Look at the joy. Behold the glory of a race well run. It's a moment captured forever for posterity by a skillful photographer's camera. You can almost taste the immortal feeling of triumph as that horse soars past the finish marker.

Now look in the background. See all those other horses? They are those often forgotten in the frenzy of the win. They are the losers. But we often forget that they were close--thiiiiis close to victory. But it just wasn't enough to get them across the finish line first.

As far as NaNoWriMo 2011 goes, I'm one of those horses in the background. I didn't make it across the finish line by midnight on November 30th. I'm still running along, disappointed that I didn't win, but pushing to cross that finish line nonetheless. I will cross it: I'm only 8,000 words away. I might not come in first place, but I'll come galloping across that finish line--eventually. We'll see how long it takes.

To everyone who finished NaNo, cheers! And to those of us that are still running--don't worry. We'll all get there someday.

Winding Down

 Maybe a more appropriate title for this post would be: IT'S THE 29TH OF NOVEMBER AND I HAVE TEN THOUSAND WORDS TO WRITE!

Only I don't think all that would fit in the title box.

Well, this week has been a lot busier than I thought it would be when I procrastinated at the beginning of November. I thought I'd get around to NaNoing seriously after I got all my other work done. I forgot one important fact: I NEVER GET MY OTHER WORK DONE. There's always more, and more, and more. Plus, inconvenient little things always happen when you have big plans. Like today, for example: I woke up with a head cold and proceeded to sleep in. Until twelve. When I have work to do. My mom's the best, but this is one time I wish she'd have dragged me out of bed. I suppose it's no wonder I have a cold: I've been staying up until midnight working on essays and applications for scholarships. All in the day of a senior in high school, I guess. And just think: in college, the process starts all over again!

My story is moving. It's really moving. At this time last year, I was banging my head against the wall because I had characters, but no story. This year I have both. I just don't have any time.

I have a large chunk of time tomorrow to fill. Most of it will be filled with essay-writing, preparing for a presentation a friend and I are giving to a local public school class, and doing homework. But maybe--hopefully--a little sliver of time will be for my book.

I know I'm going to finish it.

I just hope I finish it by the end of November.

For those of you who are still writing: I commend you. Keep on going! You're that much closer to the end.

Halfway There

[Via]

 So, that's where I am. Thirty-thousand words. I honestly can't remember being at this point last year. I must have been in a sugar-induced coma. And okay, so the picture I used to illustrate the saying "Halfway there" is actually a picture of just "There". But "There" is where we want to be on the 30th, right? So it's all good.

I'm in part Two of the three parts I've envisioned for my book. This is where the story that I know really well, the story I've been wanting to write from the beginning, starts. I'm so excited, and a little scared, too. I'm still five thousand words behind, and I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. And of course, Thanksgiving Day is pretty much a dud as far as writing goes. Oh, well. God, you know what You're doing, and if I don't find enough time to catch up, I'll just do the all-nighter like I did last year. Yeah. That was fun :]

Here's my current favorite picture of Mae and her two children: Mary (the girl with the ridiculously huge bow and the ridiculously adorable smile) and Joseph, the dashingly handsome young man in the sailor suit who happens to be my great-grandfather. This was probably taken around the time that I'm writing about them right this very minute. Looking at this picture is so cool, and scary at the same time. This is where I came from, people. I'm so thankful to have such an amazing history!

Keep on writing, Wrimos! We're almost there.

Braking for Turkey

Hi, guys!
So, I thought I'd take a break from complaining about how horribly behind I am and answer some fun questions I found at Further Up and Further In , which hosts an activity called Beautiful People (a sort of fun questionnaire for characters). With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I thought it would be a genius idea to answer this installment of Beautiful People: Holiday Edition. Aaaand answering all these questions is also giving me an excuse to not write. But hey, I'm getting to know my characters better! That's good. Right?

You can also find more installments of Beautiful People under Resources on my blog's homepage.



1. What kind of holidays do they celebrate, if any?
When Mae's family moved to America from Germany, they adopted all the traditional holidays which came along with the country. Christmas [also celebrated in Germany, but a celebrated much differenly in America] and Easter are the two biggest holidays they celebrate. Krescentia [Mae's mother, called Mutti], being Catholic, also observes Catholic holidays and holy days, though the rest of the family usually doesn't.

2. What are they most thankful for?
Individually, many different and sometims trivial things. The one thing they are all thankful for is the country they live in--Mae's father [called Vati, the German equivalent of "daddy"] is especially fervent in his prayers of thanks for his home, his work and his family.

3. Do they have any family traditions?
Mae and her family love good food and music. They also have a taste for German beer and mulled wine made by Vati [no, really, it's a fact] and can stomach it pretty well. At a time when Christmas trees were not very popular, the Enzes always put up a small tree and decorated it with ribbon and beads left over from sewing during the year.

4. What is their most memorable holiday memory?
Though the children cannot remember it, the Enzes' first Christmas in America has always been Vati and Mutti's favorite memory.

5. What is the most memorable gift they have ever received?
It is difficult to buy many gifts for a family of ten, but one year Vati was able to get a small, cheaply made doll for every one of his girls. The dolls were to be their first and their last, and Mae especially treasured her doll in an old hatbox until it withered away into forgetfulness.

6. Do they consider it important to be with family during celebrations?
Mae has no other family in America; her grandparents, aunts and uncles stayed in Germany; she has never even met them. Her immediate family is who she spends her holidays with, and that is exactly the way she likes it.

7. Do they usually wait till the last minute to purchase gifts, or do they buy them ridiculously early?
The Enzes rarely buy gifts, but when they do, the presents are always on sale right before Christmas.

8. Favorite Christmas song? For fantasy authors, is music a part of their celebration?
Vati instilled a love of "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen" or "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" into his girls from their earliest Christmases--it is by far Mae's favorite Christmastime hymn.

9. Do they celebrate for religious reasons?
Mutti--yes. The rest of the family celebrate to eat good food, drink delicious drinks, and simply be together.

10. How do they celebrate the beginning of the new year?
Vati used to obtain a small amount of lead each year; he would melt the lead in a spoon over the stove and pour it into a cup of cold water as the New Year began. An old German tradition dictated that if the lead formed a certain shape, the New Year would be safe and prosperous, but if it formed another, the New Year would be lean and wanting. Mutti eventually talked Vati out of his superstitions, but Mae always remembered watching the lead cool in the small wooden cup.



Well, that was fun! I hope your writing is going well--I can't believe we have less than ten days left. I am REALLLLLLY behind. Oh, boy. Gotta write.

Happy Thanksgiving [Almost]!

Elisabeth

I'm on Day 15, and it's Day 18 ;_;

That's where I'm at XD Almost 25,000 words. 5K words behind. But my story is moving, and I'm really beginning to like my characters. Like, I liked them before, but now I like them A LOT. Like, a whole lot more.

I'm being a stereotypical teenager and instering the word "like" every other word, aren't I?

Oh, well. That's what NaNoWriMo does to your brains.

Cheers,

Elisabeth

THIS IS WHERE I'M AT

I need one of these kits.

Today, I....

Went shopping

Bought Christmas presents and had Christmas presents bought for me (always fun!)

Ate a delicious lunch at Cracker Barrel

Got some super-awesome shoes which I've decided to wear forever

Watched the old Little House on the Prarie on the way there 

Watched the old cartoon version of Redwall in the car on the way home

Hugged my family a lot

Got stuck in the rain

Sent in my transcript to a college I'm applying to

Went into Carter's and just stared at all the cute baby clothes

Hung out with my sister and pretended to be rich and snobby in a super-expensive store

Got up really early (like, really REALLY early--7:00! That's EARLY, guys) *note* You don't have to take this part seriously >.>

Walked around--a lot

Saw some Amish buggies

And houses

And plows

And some Amish people!

Talked to my grandmother about Mae and learned some interesting facts, such as:

MAE'S dad was the owner of a livery stable, not a watchmaker as I had him in the book. One thing to change.

Her first husband was a British magazine model/interpreter who spoke four languages. Yeah, weird. What's even stranger is that I described him as this really good-looking guy in the book. I guess I just know everything :3

Mae was closest to her sister Clara, not her eldest sister Sophia (as I only thought natural).

And  Mae always thought her sister Rose was a bit off her rocker because their mother had been forced to squeeze through a barred window to escape a housefire when pregnant with Rose. I guess Mae thought Rose's brain got sqooshed XD

Yup. I did a lot of things today. But do you know what I didn't do?

I DIDN'T WRITE IN MY NANOWRIMO BOOOOOOOK.

*begins process of stress relief*

Out to the Land of Buggies and Snow

[Via]

That's right--I'm going out to rural farmlands inhabited by Amish folk and a scenic little shopping town called Rockvale tomorrow, seeking Christmas presents for loved ones and answers to a gabazillion questions I have. Who, exactly, shall answer these questions?

My lovely grandmother. I call her Gram. You can, too. She loves everyone <3


Gram is the one who first told me about Mae's story (notice I changed the spelling of her name from May to Mae? Aha. I'm fallible). She sometimes forgets little things like how many cookies we had in one day, but she has remembered Mae's story amazingly well. My biggest problem with this year's NaNoWriMo is that I have absolutely NO idea what anyone did. I know Mae was a telephone operator--still researching what she actually had to do in 1905. But as far as everyone else goes, I'm lost. I'm making up random jobs and hoping those jobs even EXISTED in the early 1900's (hint: not likely). So Gram is my superhero, my lifeline in this garbled mess of history I'm trying to translate into a story. I can't wait to take out my pen and notebook and start writing as she answers away--all the way to Rockvale. It should be a fun ride. My siblings will probably be sick of me asking questions by the end of the day, but I will persevere, and at least find out the important facts. Like whether or not Mae liked cats. Everybody likes cats.

On a different note, IT'S ALMOST THANKSGIVING! I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am. It's seriously my second-favorite holiday, right after Christmas.

Those pictures I promised are forthcoming. Waiting builds character ^_^

Happy Writing~~~

Achtzehntausendzweihundertsieben [18,207]

[Via]

No, it's not gibberish. It's German, and yes it is a terribly long word. 18,207--that's where I'm at right now (if it's translated correctly). Close to making the cut, but still a few hundred words behind schedule. I dislike schedules with a passion, but I guess I'd never finish this book without one.

Well, on a lighter note, Maine was fabulous, and if you're ever thinking of going November is a pretty good time to head over there (even though practically nothing is open and it's really cold outside). The colors were breathtaking, and I have loads of pictures to throw at you as soon as I get them on my computer.


And the typewriter? I think it was invented in 1908. Which means my MC would be able to use it in 1905! So I thought it would be fun to have a picture of a lady [not my MC] with a typewriter, because typewriters indicate writing, and that's what I'm TRYING to do. If my logic doesn't make sense to you, don't worry. I'm pretty confused myself!


I hope you're all having a great time this November as we write our fingers down to the bone. Despite my enormous plot holes, obvious lack of knowledge about the early 20th century (Mae, why couldn't you have been a teenager in 1940? WHY?!), and my impending nervous breakdown which is sure to culminate before the end of the month, I'm having a blast. I'm learning, I'm imagining, and--hey! I'm writing again.

God Bless,

Elisabeth

And I Go Wheee!

Hello, everyone :) Just a quick update: today, my family and I head off to Maine for a week of exploration, relaxation, and NaNoWriMoing....axation?

I don't know if I'll have internet connection or not, but if I do, you will must undoubtedly be hearing my many moanings and groanings concerning NaNo. Specifically MY NaNo. Which at the moment is not beefing up to the word count I'm supposed to be at.

That little box in statistics that's telling me I'll be done sometime in December is a real drain on morale. >.>


Happy writing, all!

PS: The relevance of the adorable mini cupcakes, you ask? Well, they're just there. I don't know why. Did I mention that I was dragged out of bed at six? 

First Day

Well, um, I wrote 2000 words. I think that's a success! And about 9 pages-worth of words that need editing!

*weeps*


Only 29 days to go,

Ready, Set... Wait What?

....go?

Ready or not, in one hour and ten minutes, that's exactly what we've gotta do.

NaNoWriMo isn't about sophisticated plots, meticulously christened characters or wickedly clever villians (although if you have any of those things, that's fantastic and we're all very jealous).

NaNoWriMo is about writing for the joy of writing.

Even if what you write is never published.
Or finished.
                                                                               Or even opened and read again.
At the end of it all, you will have written fifty-thousand words.

Original words.

Thought-out words.

Words which no one else wrote in those thirty days.

You're on a quest to showcase your originality. Your drive. Your heart. Your spirit. A story needs to be told, and you've been chosen to tell it. Characters are destined to be born by your nimble fingers and imaginative brain. Villians of the most evil category are already plotting to hijack your storyline and take over the world. No one said it would be an easy journey, Wrimos. But it is your journey. It is your story.

THIS IS YOUR TIME.

 Be proud, be bold, and .....

......please don't freak out.

(Come on, you really thought I would end a post on the night before NaNoWriMo seriously?)

Cheers, Wrimos! May your fingers be quick and your nerves like steel!

Running on coffee,

Do you feel it?

It's coming.

October is waning silently away, leaving in its wake a trail of painted leaves and crisp cold mornings. But for us, these last few days are not spent in quiet reflection and appreciation of the beauty of October 2011.

In fact, these last few days are quite possibly going to be the most hectic of the year.

That's right--or should I say "write"? NaNoWriMo is officially six days away. Six days. Five hours. Four minutes. And a handful of seconds.

Are you ready?

If you were to pose that question to me, I'd probably laugh like a maniac for a few minutes before bursting into tears. I want to write this story. It's been gnawing at me for months. But it's hard to make the switch from last year's thirty days of fantasy, of imagination and of other worlds to this year's impending thirty days of a story based on real life, on real emotions and trials and events. I'm scared. And excited at the same time.

Graahh. I need chocolate.

It doesn't help that I have college applications to finish, and scholarships to apply for this week. I have a feeling that I'll be finishing my NaNo this year at the line, just like last year. But it's a feeling like nothing else, and even though I have my doubts, I can't wait.


In the general mood of NaNo, I took a look back at last year's novel (*sniff* That sounds so calloused ;_;) I read a few pages from random places. I laughed out loud a couple of times, sometimes at my brilliant wit, sometimes at the lack of it. I fell back in love with my dear characters and, for a brief moment, almost decided to re-do the novel for this year.

But no. Reapers sits in a little virtual folder, waiting for my brain to switch from writer's to editor's. This year, my story is different.


What about you? Are you taking on NaNo again? What will you write about? And what will you miss from your story last year?


Looking forward to another year of coffee, all-nighters and a lot of jumping around at the end of it all,

Meet Mimi

This is my great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann, and the first picture I've found of her so far :3
 The caption under the picture said, "Mimi." My grandmother said that Mary Ann's very first grandchild used to tug at her dress and cry, "Me! Me! Me!" when he wanted her attentions. The name stuck, resulting in "Mimi" as the grandmother title for Mary Ann.

All this is so cool. I feel like I'm swimming in history.


Cheers to all you NaNo participants this year! 16 more days!

Is it November Yet?

I was babysitting for a friend today. She has a lot of health isssues and just really needs someone to help her out with her rambunctious, adorable 18 month old baby girl. I was sitting with her daughter and she was out in the kitchen getting breakfast.

"So, have you gotten much writing done lately?" she asked.

I tried to force a smile, even though I knew she couldn't see my face. "No. It's hard, with school and all. It's pretty crazy."

"Yeah." She laughed. "Hey, have you ever heard of this thing called NaNoWriMo?"

"YES," I replied, almost before she was done asking the question. "I actually did it last year. It was so fun! I think the most words I wrote at one sitting were about 5000."

"Five thousand?" she exclaimed. "How long did it take you to write that many words?"

I paused, nostalgic. Those were the richest three hours of that November. I sat on the floor at my sister's friend's house while she and my sister talked. They talked. I wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote until it seemed like my fingers were going to fall off. But when I was finished, I looked up with bloodshot eyes and triumphantly announced, "I'm back on schedule." My sister and her friend gave me the weirdest look and kept on talking. But I was saved. That little blue chart now matched the curve I should be getting for that day. I felt fulfilled. "Three hours," I told my friend as I twisted her daughter's little mop of hair into a curlycue. "It was amazing."

I can't wait until November.

NaNoWriMo emails are flooding my inbox. I'm ecstatic. I can't wait to start. I want to write. I want to write fifty-thousand words. I want to write a hundred thousand words, if I can. These short spurts of creativity each day are driving me insane. I want to tear down the dam and submerge myself in all the pent-up ideas floating around behind the barrier I've put up to keep my life somewhat normal. Even if it's for only a month. Even if it was only for a day.

I can't wait until November.

I think I have the story for this year's NaNo. It's the story of my great-great grandmother, May. It's not fantasy, but it's a GOOD story. And, depending on how much research I get done, most of it will be true. I'm so excited. I want to show it to my grandmother when I'm done, to thank her for sharing those stories with me. But first I have to write it.

I can't wait until November.



Is it November yet?

~God Bless

Elisabeth (who is on a different computer and thus cannot stamp her awesome signature onto this blog post :( )