Nancy's Ramblings

I managed to write a total of 67 words tonight. Unless inspiration strikes, I think I'll take a breather until the weekend. I have contracted a cold (not H1N1) and I need sleep.

2,235 words. I needed 3,333 to get back on target. Also, my story consists of total "suckage". I love the "idea" of a Bat Out Of Hell story; but I'm just not up to writing it this year. I am considering throwing in the towel on this idea until next year when I hope to be in a better frame of mind. I don't want to court burn-out so soon after feeling somewhat better.

I think I will just write some sort of stream of consciousness sludge and see where it takes me. There's a lot less pressure that way. I don't have to have a great work this year. My new goal is just to cross 50,000 words by November 30.

Okay, I have to admit my mind is not completely on NaNoWriMo. I bought a Spanish course for my computer (not for my computer to learn Spanish, lol). I am looking forward to receiving it and starting to learn the language for the trip I'm taking with my Mom. It appears to be a course I can learn from quickly, so I'm very hopeful. Just doing the first snippet of a lesson that was online is enough to be able to say "I need a washroom". I spent most of today (when I wasn't sleeping off a headache) perusing reviews from people who have taken the trip we're going on. It appears I'll have to pack a higher percentage of cold weather clothes than I had planned.

It was not a good day for writing. First, we had a power outage of several hours. Then, I developed a headache and had to sleep for about three hours. Finally, I just couldn't get into the head space of my character. I did manage to eek out 1,312 words. That puts me 355 words behind schedule. I hope to catch up tomorrow. For now, I'm going to bed.

Finally, I can get started with NaNo. I decided to start off with a good night's sleep, so didn't start writing at midnight. Unfortunately, our hydro was out when I got up and just came back on. Oh well, such an inauspicious start must bode well for a spectacular finish. N'est pas?

Mom called all excited this morning because she got our cabin assignment (1012). I have to renew my passport. Then we just have to wait four months. The waiting will be the hardest part.

Yeah! I'm going on vacation with my darling Mom. We're booked to sail around Cape Horn. We fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina and sail around to Valparaiso, Chile before flying back from Santiago, Chile. Mom is paying my way because her cruising friend can't travel and she really, really wants to go on this trip. (Oh, and I'm broke.) It is long--almost three weeks--and fully escorted. Both of us for very excited. She has wanted to travel with me for a long time and this is her chance. If she gets too tired walking (she goes to Curves three times a week but still can't walk far) I can push her around in a wheelchair.This will be the first opportunity she'll have to really get out and do more things because she'll have a moderately able bodied companion. I'm excited; but I think she is even more excited. When she booked the cruise (kinda late with only four months before sailing), the only balcony staterooms (so she can smoke) available were mini-suites. She paid the extra and we're going in style.

To be fair to my siblings, I asked her to keep track of what she is spending on me and to deduct it from any inheritance I may (or may not) receive. She told me that she doesn't intend to leave anything behind and that how she chooses to spend her money is up to her. She also said she paid for the trip she took to Vancouver with my sister. Okay, my guilty feelings are assuaged a little.

The best part of this whole thing? My Mom is not my Mom, she's my friend. She tells all her friends at Curves that she doesn't have kids any more...she has friends. It's true. I'll be traveling with my closest friend. After all, she carried me for nine months. You can't get much closer than that.

Oh, for the record, I want to be able to put two moods on this entry. I want to show "excited" and "thankful".

Yet another literal video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTPko-aXvJM&feature=fvw

I have to explain.... I'm working on the plot to my NaNoWriMo novel and it involves Jim Steinman songs, specifically Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell series of three CDs. I just got distracted by Total Eclipse of the Heart.

Stay tuned. I might post more.

I love this song; but this version takes the cake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA&feature=related

Well, maybe not "official"; but it seems to be the consensus. I am burned out. Nope, it's not just depression. I really thought I just needed more (legal) drugs. Hubby announced to me that he believes I am burned out. A couple of others concur and I did some research. Damn! The symptoms fit perfectly. I can't even get excited about NaNoWriMo. This has been coming on for a long time, and probably explains why I slept through the main day at Polaris (SciFi convention) back in July. I have a few things I *must* do at work (pay creditors). Then, since I have to pick up my mother-in-law at the Toronto airport at midnight Saturday night, I'm going to stay with her for a few days to distance myself from work for a while. Having met my mother-in-law, I know lazigyrl will think this is a totally crazy idea; but I expect to have some quiet time while I'm there, and I've been craving some solo long-distance driving. Yeah, I think I'm trying to run away.

It's official! We made it to 20 years of marriage without killing each other. 'Nuff said.

So I ranted yesterday about not having received my grade and then having to go online to find it. Guess what was in my mailbox when I got home...yup, my grade.

It has been more than a month since I wrote my final exam and I haven't received my marks in the mail. I finally got a newsletter from my college and it had a little notice that marks would not be mailed out beginning with this fall semester. My course was in the summer semester, so I don't know why I haven't received anything. Anyway, I logged on to the student portal and discovered I'm three for three. A+ in all three courses so far.

I don't know how I managed an A+ because there was no way I could score that without getting pretty much 100% on the final exam. I'm puzzled; but I'm not going looking for trouble.

I won't take another course until January because this is a heavy writing season with the 3-day novel contest and nanowrimo.

Not much happening; but I know at least one person keeps track of my through LJ, so I figured I should post something.

Allergies are nasty. I slept all day Saturday.

Hubby had pulled the dining room blinds completely out of the wall a few weeks ago, so I put up a curtain rod and some Lille curtains from IKEA. They look great. I'm thinking of replacing the ugly (and slightly broken) vertical blinds in the living room with the same treatment. I put up at least double the number most people would use, and they look wonderful. I can't believe how much more homey it makes things look. The blinds gave the place an institutional appearance.

With 3 hours and 15 minutes remaining in my 72 hours, I have completed my novel. It is very short, only 20,045 words; but it is done.

I don't know that I would do this again; but it was a worthwhile and educational experience.

Panic! My novel consists of three main parts, the largest being the middle part. I was deleting an unneed scene and accidentally deleted the entire middle section. After fighting down a sick feeling, I reverted to my previously saved version to find I had added only one sentence since the last time I saved. I am so incredibly thankful that I developed the habit of saving after every paragraph when I ran the word processing shop. That little habit just saved my contest submission.

I have completed the first draft. It is printing and I'll edit and flesh it out before the deadline. For now, I'm going to go to bed and get some sleep.

Okay, I'm 2/3 through the time allotted and about half way through the novel because it has veered off from the plot I had outlined. I think it could be a better story in the new incarnation; but it appears I'll be pulling an all-nighter to get this thing back on track.

It's the end of the first 24 hours. Actually, there are still about 19 minutes left; but I'm at a point where I can pause.

The novel is broken into three sections of differing lengths. I have completed the first section that describes how the stalking begins. It needs fleshing out; but I'm reasonably happy with it.

Now it is time to write the part where her stalker finds her after she moved away. Back to madly typing.

The plot has morphed into something completely different from what I had initially envisioned.

First, it was going to be a simple novel about Dominance and submission.

Then it changed to having a woman deal with having been raped.

Then it changed to having a woman deal with having been raped and left for dead, and awaking with complete amnesia.

That changed to having amnesia about only the rape and beating.

Now it is a completely different story. It follows the story of a woman who, in high school, spurned the advances of a boy in whom she was not interested. She moves away for college. Several years later, he locates her and stalks her until he ultimately abducts, rapes, and beats her, and leaves her for dead. The story will be told first person and I expect it will be one heck of an emotional weekend for writing. Yes, I plan to have a full box of tissues beside the computer.

Still, it feels good to finally have an idea for a cohesive plot.