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.

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? 

Pumpkins, Hemingway and Questions

What can all these things have in common, you ask?

Nothing much. They just happen to be the things which have consumed my brain over the last few days.
First up: pumpkins. I love pumpkins. They're round and huge and orange and such fun to paint. We don't celebrate Halloween (in fact, we take great cares to be out of the house and enjoying a meal at the nearest Cracker Barrel when the Trick-or-Treaters start coming around). But we buy pumpkins every year for our front steps, and this year my siblings and I decided to have a pumpkin-carving party. In the dark. With sharp knives. And an eerie pumpkin-candle glow.
I had so much fun.
First, I tried to pose as the headless horsewoman, but my pumpkin was pretty heavy, and I could only hold it up for so long (thus the fuzzy picture up top there). Gutting the pumpkin was the hardest part--it was sticky and slippery and gross inside, but the seeds made excellent missiles. In total, I carved three pumpkins--mine, my youngest brother Jude's, and my brother Issac's, who succeeded in slicing his finger before he'd carved out his pumpkin's leering mouth (don't worry, he's fine. But he did convince my dad that he needed bedrest and extra ice cream that evening).

When we were finished, we took a little candle and lit up our pumpkins. The result was pretty cool. That's my pumpkin--with the huge, hollow eyes and only one tooth. Our back porch is covered with seeds that stick to your feet, but it was a fun night. Maybe we can do it again next year.

I recently started reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. My mom's book club read it, and she gave it to me. I have seen the old Gary Cooper movie, and the story intruiged me, so I started to read it. It's funny how different literature was written sixty years ago. The writing is immaculate, but very hard to read. I don't know exactly why. Hemingway is brilliant in his use of dialogue--he has the characters speaking Spanish, but their lines are written in English. The result is a strange word order, a lot of thees and thys, and a very respectful feel to the conversations. I'm enjoying the book so far, and I plan to finish it (even though I already know how it ends).
The hard part is finding time to read. I'm basically on my own school-wise this year--all of my homework is from classes and it's on me to get it done in time. I actually have a lot more time, and I've started setting aside an hour (or however much time I can find) a day to read. Some days, it will be impossible to find an hour, but on other days, I might be able to read for two or three. I really want to read more--there are so many books I want to get through. Hopefully this new pattern will help me do it.

Questions have been consuming me for the last few days. Unfortunately, they're not the deep, life-changing questions that I should be pondering. They're all from memes. That's right. I'm in meme mode and I can't get out (I need a Life Alert button).
Memes are great. But after a little while, they all sound the same. And then you're sitting there asking your poor characters the same questions over and over and over again. And they don't like that, no sir. Several have committed mutiny and refused to appear in any more memes X3 So I'm going to write--I'm going to write scenes in my book until my fingers fall off or until my laptop dies. A meme or two will find its way in, as will some poems. But I want to write stories again. I want to write my characters, not just interrogate them. So that's my resolution for the next however-many-days-I-can-keep-this-up. I'm thinking two. But two days of nonstop writing will be better than twenty of nothing at all.

By the way, how did you like that meme I left you last time? It's my favorite so far :3

Signing off,

Elisabeth