..:: Written .:. Off ::..

Halloween in the Burbs

Halloween was a lot of fun when I lived in the city. The streets were packed with kids and we would go through bags and bags of candy. Now that I live in the burbs, Halloween is a bit sedate. I think my doorbell rang maybe 5 times last Halloween. One year, it only rang once. I’ve learned that most families take their kids to Townhouse developments because they are well lit and the houses are clustered together. We took our daughter to one last year and there were lots of kids roaming around as opposed to where we live. I will probably do the same thing this year.

The only horror movie I managed to watch this season is the excellent Shaun of the Dead. If you like zombie movies, british comedy and romance (that’s right), check it out!
Do you do anytyhing special for Halloween? What kind of turnout do you get?

NanoWriMo Jitters

So we come to 8/31, the last day before Nanowrimo begins, and the jitters are setting in. I’ve been relatively calm about the whole thing this year. Nanowrimo is a fun contest but for someone who takes writing seriously, writing the book is more important than winning the contest. I will have to live with this book for long after Nano is a memory since it will probably go into the 100,000 word range (typical novel length).

The jitters that I’m experiencing are normal at the beginning of starting any major project. Many writers experience some sort of self-doubt that causes him or her not to write. My biggest fear while writing is that I’m going to run out of ideas or hit a wall. The fear is irrational because it happens while I’m writing. It’s like I anticpate failure.

I did a lot of outlining for Nano this year but not enough to give me anykind of comfort level. I think that I have enough material to at least write 50,000 words.

I did a few exercises this weekend that helped me out. I wrote a few mock scenes with a few of my characters just to get the tone down and also to see if the ideas flowed. The scenes came out good and were funnier than I thought they would be.

I will probably do a daily journal at this blog to let you know about my progress and the walls that I hit while writing. If anything, it will be theraputic.

Protect Your Work

For you Nanites out there. Don’t forget to split your story into chapters and back them up offline on your computer. You don’t want to lose your work.

A lot of Nano writers are using www.writely.com to edit and store their work. I have not tried this but I will check it out today.

Good Luck!