Nano 2009: Day 13
Nov. 13th, 2009 03:05 amHeheheh. Found a way to make word count with novel: start writing a doujinshi of your main story and go nuts.
I'm having so much fun, I'm half serious about giving up on the actual bits of the novel. I mean, it's tough to write a crime novel when the actual murders are so goddamn difficult. Why couldn't I have just given the guy a gun? Nooo, he has to go around strangling people and then burying them in shallow ditches. Until I figure out the best way to make it less complicated method-wise (I am so rubbish at plotting), it's all about figuring out the main character. Tell you what, it's so much simpler to write incompetent characters or weird bullies than to write ruthless and efficient noir characters. Oh my god, I just realised that means I skew towards writing stuff like Touch of Frost (the novel, not the show). That explains so much 0___0
I'm having so much fun, I'm half serious about giving up on the actual bits of the novel. I mean, it's tough to write a crime novel when the actual murders are so goddamn difficult. Why couldn't I have just given the guy a gun? Nooo, he has to go around strangling people and then burying them in shallow ditches. Until I figure out the best way to make it less complicated method-wise (I am so rubbish at plotting), it's all about figuring out the main character. Tell you what, it's so much simpler to write incompetent characters or weird bullies than to write ruthless and efficient noir characters. Oh my god, I just realised that means I skew towards writing stuff like Touch of Frost (the novel, not the show). That explains so much 0___0
Nano 2009: Day 5
Nov. 5th, 2009 01:12 pmBriefly scanned through the f-list whilst avoiding the nano and saw mention of a King of Fighters movie. OMG not another trainwreck inspired by a classic video game series. Seriously, if they're so hard up on ideas why don't they just make a movie based on Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball?
( Pics and whine under the cut - sigh, I don't know why I bother )
( Pics and whine under the cut - sigh, I don't know why I bother )
Nano 2009: Day 2
Nov. 2nd, 2009 05:41 pmWhy Kiley, have you resorted to bullying Perpetua and procrastinating on your novel? But it's only Day 2!
( Yeah, but in my defense: CHECK OUT MY AWESOME ASTRO BOY TOYS! )
No bunnies/rabbits were harmed in the making of this post. Darn!
( Yeah, but in my defense: CHECK OUT MY AWESOME ASTRO BOY TOYS! )
No bunnies/rabbits were harmed in the making of this post. Darn!
I HAD A NOVEL, THEN I ATED IT
Nov. 29th, 2008 07:10 pmWeird, the bar's not uploading for me. Take my word for it folks, IT IS DONE.
Well, not quite. I haven't wrapped up the story because I am sick to death of these characters and at the point where I don't give a flying fuck whether it ends. Besides, after the sex scenes the MCs had a nice moment where they made up and THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD END. Who cares about the rest, right?
Meh, I'm going to go wash my face and grab some grub. I wonder if Law and Order is on tonight.
Well, not quite. I haven't wrapped up the story because I am sick to death of these characters and at the point where I don't give a flying fuck whether it ends. Besides, after the sex scenes the MCs had a nice moment where they made up and THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD END. Who cares about the rest, right?
Meh, I'm going to go wash my face and grab some grub. I wonder if Law and Order is on tonight.
(no subject)
Nov. 23rd, 2008 08:42 pmNanosprints are a blessing and a curse.
I've gottenpast written more than 12k today thanks to the sprints, and damnit I want to stop. But noooo, the sprints are enabling me to keep on writing. ARGH.
Also, I have drank so much caffeine my eyes are crossing.
asdfjkl; *plops head onto keyboard and drools*
I've gotten
Also, I have drank so much caffeine my eyes are crossing.
asdfjkl; *plops head onto keyboard and drools*
(no subject)
Nov. 20th, 2008 10:30 pmGah. Every time I see Noah Wyle in an ad for The Librarian, what pops to mind is 'where are the sexy librarian specs?'
Uh. Hi?
To sum up:
Internet connection back on, finally. On my list of things to do this weekend is writing a letter to the Better Business Bureau. Yeah, that bad.
Last Saturday's protest pictures should be uploaded some time this weekend as well. The ugliest thing I saw that day was a sign with a large black swastika. My guess is that the pro-prop 8 group included a Neo Nazi. Charming.
NaNo is killing me. My characters, who I now deeply resent, are killing me. Their crappy little adventure is killing me. So I rock in my chair, mumbling over and over: only 20,000 more words.
Please excuse me, I must drift off into sweet, merciful sleep. Tomorrow is more writing, more coffee, hopefully catching up with flist, and getting my hair done. Catch you all on the flipside...
Also: Obiden or Joebama? Sure Joebama rolls off the tongue, but Obiden just sounds so right.
Uh. Hi?
To sum up:
Internet connection back on, finally. On my list of things to do this weekend is writing a letter to the Better Business Bureau. Yeah, that bad.
Last Saturday's protest pictures should be uploaded some time this weekend as well. The ugliest thing I saw that day was a sign with a large black swastika. My guess is that the pro-prop 8 group included a Neo Nazi. Charming.
NaNo is killing me. My characters, who I now deeply resent, are killing me. Their crappy little adventure is killing me. So I rock in my chair, mumbling over and over: only 20,000 more words.
Please excuse me, I must drift off into sweet, merciful sleep. Tomorrow is more writing, more coffee, hopefully catching up with flist, and getting my hair done. Catch you all on the flipside...
Also: Obiden or Joebama? Sure Joebama rolls off the tongue, but Obiden just sounds so right.
NaNoWriMo begins!
Nov. 1st, 2008 08:45 pm... and already I've seen bitching about HOW DARE EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER ON THE FLIST POST THEIR WORDCOUNT ON THEIR PERSONAL JOURNALS AND THE NANO COMMS?
Jaysus, it's the first day. As experience has shown, many nanoers will eventually stop posting word counts as the month progresses. Save the snarkiness for something worth it, like Sarah Palin's potential run for the 2018 candidacy.
So who wants to read what I've written so far? Figures :P
Went to a NaNo meetup today, and it was absolutely productive. I don't know why but being in a structured environment like writeups stimulates my appetite for writing. When fellow nanoers took breaks to chat, I juggled typing and joining in the conversation, which probably seemed rude now that I think about it. As for the question 'What am I writing?', the answer is: I don't know.
After writing 2,235 words though, I can safely assume what it's turned out to be is a yaoi novel. *facepalm* Hey, no one is more embarrassed or surprised than me. Trust.
On the bright side, I can't wait to see the look on people's faces at the NaNo afterparty when they read the first page of the novel -- it's the 'day after' scene between two guys in a motel. Hee.
Jaysus, it's the first day. As experience has shown, many nanoers will eventually stop posting word counts as the month progresses. Save the snarkiness for something worth it, like Sarah Palin's potential run for the 2018 candidacy.
So who wants to read what I've written so far? Figures :P
Went to a NaNo meetup today, and it was absolutely productive. I don't know why but being in a structured environment like writeups stimulates my appetite for writing. When fellow nanoers took breaks to chat, I juggled typing and joining in the conversation, which probably seemed rude now that I think about it. As for the question 'What am I writing?', the answer is: I don't know.
After writing 2,235 words though, I can safely assume what it's turned out to be is a yaoi novel. *facepalm* Hey, no one is more embarrassed or surprised than me. Trust.
On the bright side, I can't wait to see the look on people's faces at the NaNo afterparty when they read the first page of the novel -- it's the 'day after' scene between two guys in a motel. Hee.
Nanowrimo '08 is coming up!
Oct. 5th, 2008 10:47 pmAnd dearie me, I can't believe what I managed last year. It is unbelievably, laughably bad. I'm reading the first three chapters (ten more to go, whee!) and so far:
a) named the victim Jaime Reyes, after DC's new Blue Beetle (apparently this was the best I could come up with late at night)
b) dressed up one of the main characters as Denny Colt aka The Spirit, minus gloves and mask
c) stuffed in random reference to Clark Kent x5 (there's more I suspect)
d) overused 30s style slang (G-man, I kid you not)
e) named the killer after a long-ago classmate
Still, there are bright spots. I especially liked how consistent I made the language distinction between the city slickers and the islanders -- Perkins (islander) has the speech pattern of northern England accents, Mack (city) sounds middle-American with a bit of posh Brit slang thrown in. And it all makes me laugh, which is good right?
( My favourite passage under the cut )
Hehe. But crap, I can't think of what to write this year. I was thinking of restarting on what I had for Janowrimo because it was so much fun to write (here) but I'm afraid everything I touch turns to aaaangst. Kinda like what's happening with Sean McKeever and the Teen Titans. Zing! I better get moving though -- 25 days to go!
a) named the victim Jaime Reyes, after DC's new Blue Beetle (apparently this was the best I could come up with late at night)
b) dressed up one of the main characters as Denny Colt aka The Spirit, minus gloves and mask
c) stuffed in random reference to Clark Kent x5 (there's more I suspect)
d) overused 30s style slang (G-man, I kid you not)
e) named the killer after a long-ago classmate
Still, there are bright spots. I especially liked how consistent I made the language distinction between the city slickers and the islanders -- Perkins (islander) has the speech pattern of northern England accents, Mack (city) sounds middle-American with a bit of posh Brit slang thrown in. And it all makes me laugh, which is good right?
( My favourite passage under the cut )
Hehe. But crap, I can't think of what to write this year. I was thinking of restarting on what I had for Janowrimo because it was so much fun to write (here) but I'm afraid everything I touch turns to aaaangst. Kinda like what's happening with Sean McKeever and the Teen Titans. Zing! I better get moving though -- 25 days to go!
I SAY NANO, YOU SAY--
Nov. 30th, 2007 04:14 am
Oh my good God YES YES YES!!!
I must be out of my tiny mind. It's past four in the morning and I've just completed the last 6,000++ words in one go. I must thank the AIM chat wrimowars -- if it weren't the really pumped up writers willing to war at 3 am or whenever, I wouldn't even dare to finish this nano at all.
Take that bloody work projects and take that you soul sucking office bureaucracy! Take that stupid allergy attack that made my eyes so swollen I couldn't even see! HAHAH! I'M KING OF THE WORLD!!!
*falls back to earth*
Okay, but now I'm stuck having to take a shower and leaving for work in an hour and a half. Damn this no sleep dealie.
Another Nano update (!)
Nov. 16th, 2007 10:55 pmThis post I wasn't planning on making. I had in mind a post based on the offerings of this week's excellent and fun comic moments from DC. Especially since I've just arrived home ten minutes ago from work and found the SDCC International Update letter with Darwyn Cooke's *sighs* The New Frontier on the cover! OMG I'm soooo psyched, I have this humongous smile on my face. (also reminded me Sal still has my Darwyn Cooke *sighs* autograph with a little sketch of Hal Jordan).
The long comics post will have to wait until Sunday. What I did want to post about was word wars. Since this is my first year with Nano, I had no idea what these were. To sum up, word wars are when writers decide to write the most amount of words within a specified amount of time. Whoever writes the most, wins. Word wars are also known as sprints, because a lot of the time the point isn't to win the word war but to up the word count (the finish line of the sprints).
I hope any of what I've said so far helps the nano writers out there, and good luck everyone!
The long comics post will have to wait until Sunday. What I did want to post about was word wars. Since this is my first year with Nano, I had no idea what these were. To sum up, word wars are when writers decide to write the most amount of words within a specified amount of time. Whoever writes the most, wins. Word wars are also known as sprints, because a lot of the time the point isn't to win the word war but to up the word count (the finish line of the sprints).
I hope any of what I've said so far helps the nano writers out there, and good luck everyone!
Past the 20K!
Nov. 13th, 2007 09:07 amThis milestone was actually reached not over the weekend, but a little before Tuesday at 00:30. Didn't actually get to bed until an hour later, but it was so worth it. The best part was the growing realisation that I needed to ditch the extremely limiting and frustrating third person POV and use instead the police sergeant character to continue the novel. I was against this for the first week simply because he wasn't my MC, but he turned out to be a formidable foil. Things were much more interesting with him around, and I began to cram in more words into the novel. So, that part is resolved and I can get along with the action.
For a crime story/police procedural, this action has been woefully missing. The story is shaping up to be more about the investigation and office politics than the murder! But I think I subconsciously went down this path with my first chapter, which illustrated the problems of a small suburban police force that has to rely on outside support.
Also, no love interest! I know its not mandatory, but a funny sprint session over at the chat room wrimowars reminded I needed some gratuitous man on man action in there. Ah, that's definitely something I was going to expand on an upcoming storyline but I managed to insert something dirty this time around.
Can't rest too long on my laurels, though, as I am going to be extremely busy on Thursday (isn't everyone?). I'm cooking the dinner again this year: turkey, stuffing, smashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie - I'm doing the whole lot! Somewhere between that and Black Friday morning, I'm hoping to get in enough words. The goal is now not only to have 50K, but to get to this amount on 25 November 2007. Ohhh yeah. It's going to be hellish.
Speaking of which, I really should get back to work. But f'me if I can't keep staring at this video. Lego Batman. I can't wait. Hee.
EDIT (15:42): Erm, was just recently told by my 2nd-in-command boss that Thursday is NOT Turkey Day. Have somehow traveled a week ahead in time. Must... have... sleep...
For a crime story/police procedural, this action has been woefully missing. The story is shaping up to be more about the investigation and office politics than the murder! But I think I subconsciously went down this path with my first chapter, which illustrated the problems of a small suburban police force that has to rely on outside support.
Also, no love interest! I know its not mandatory, but a funny sprint session over at the chat room wrimowars reminded I needed some gratuitous man on man action in there. Ah, that's definitely something I was going to expand on an upcoming storyline but I managed to insert something dirty this time around.
Can't rest too long on my laurels, though, as I am going to be extremely busy on Thursday (isn't everyone?). I'm cooking the dinner again this year: turkey, stuffing, smashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie - I'm doing the whole lot! Somewhere between that and Black Friday morning, I'm hoping to get in enough words. The goal is now not only to have 50K, but to get to this amount on 25 November 2007. Ohhh yeah. It's going to be hellish.
Speaking of which, I really should get back to work. But f'me if I can't keep staring at this video. Lego Batman. I can't wait. Hee.
EDIT (15:42): Erm, was just recently told by my 2nd-in-command boss that Thursday is NOT Turkey Day. Have somehow traveled a week ahead in time. Must... have... sleep...
Do Dat Thing!
Nov. 10th, 2007 10:29 pmNaNoWriMo is kicking me hard. And right when I'm down for the count, too.
The site's got these spanking new widgets I'd love to post, but as it updates only once a day and I feverishly update my stats at least thrice an hour it's not showing the correct amount. It took me a good part of the day to pass the 10,000 mark - a belated landmark, since it's day 10 and I should have reached 16,670. GAH. I don't know if I have it in me to try and work in 10k tomorrow. 20,000 in two days?
I am going to say HELL YEAH! and then curl into a fetal position.
And now, the top distractions of the week:
- la Minogue launched her own social networking site called Kylie Konnect - tried several times to register, but was pitifully turned down everytime. I'm left to listen 'Je ne sais pas pour quoi' with a glass of coffee soymilk
- had the Monty Python's HolyGrail Ale, which wasn't bad. Thought it had a chocolate malt-ish aftertaste, but I was drinking out of the bottle and should have poured it into a glass instead (I'm a heathen that way). But at $7, it's much too expensive for a favourite. I'm sticking with Guinness, even if it's made in Ghana or Mexico or wherever it is now.
- and missing the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra at the Disney Hall last Friday. Good news is that the conductor Gustavo Dudamel will eventually head the LA Philharmonic in a few years, and am loving the clips on youtube from when they graced the BBC Proms in August. I have never seen anyone so young so excited and passionate in the orchestra - this clip of Mambo even made my mother, a dedicated hater of all things classical, smile. See for yourself how a campaign started by an economist to reach impoverished kids in Venezuela with classical music can create such wonderful performances:
Gah, I'm back to writing on me own. Good thing I've got ol' Harry and the sounds of NOLA for company. Do dat thing ya'll!
EDIT: 02:39 - Brain leaking. Eyes drying. Finished two word wars and somehow wrote in a very strange internal monologue with myself into the nano. WHAT? I CAN HAS SLEEP?
The site's got these spanking new widgets I'd love to post, but as it updates only once a day and I feverishly update my stats at least thrice an hour it's not showing the correct amount. It took me a good part of the day to pass the 10,000 mark - a belated landmark, since it's day 10 and I should have reached 16,670. GAH. I don't know if I have it in me to try and work in 10k tomorrow. 20,000 in two days?
I am going to say HELL YEAH! and then curl into a fetal position.
And now, the top distractions of the week:
- la Minogue launched her own social networking site called Kylie Konnect - tried several times to register, but was pitifully turned down everytime. I'm left to listen 'Je ne sais pas pour quoi' with a glass of coffee soymilk
- had the Monty Python's Holy
- and missing the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra at the Disney Hall last Friday. Good news is that the conductor Gustavo Dudamel will eventually head the LA Philharmonic in a few years, and am loving the clips on youtube from when they graced the BBC Proms in August. I have never seen anyone so young so excited and passionate in the orchestra - this clip of Mambo even made my mother, a dedicated hater of all things classical, smile. See for yourself how a campaign started by an economist to reach impoverished kids in Venezuela with classical music can create such wonderful performances:
Gah, I'm back to writing on me own. Good thing I've got ol' Harry and the sounds of NOLA for company. Do dat thing ya'll!
EDIT: 02:39 - Brain leaking. Eyes drying. Finished two word wars and somehow wrote in a very strange internal monologue with myself into the nano. WHAT? I CAN HAS SLEEP?
Sometimes you've gotta work hard for it
Nov. 3rd, 2007 09:29 pmLast night was yet another bi-monthly get-Kiley-drunk night, this time at TGIF. Ew, normally I wouldn't step inside the grotty place but friend had a mysterious assignment to review one TGIF in particular. And the assignment included one of us imbibing alcohol. Since said friend is allergic to alcohol (yes, really), I bravely took on that task. Alas, such sacrifice precludes some sort of nasty cost and that turned out to be mentioning NaNoWriMo to friend. Once she heard that I was making an attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days without any profit in mind, she proclaimed me crazy and the whole enterprise a waste of time, then ordered more nachos. End of story. Burn!
Later she hastily explained the nano thing was too far out for her and that if I thought it fun I should go ahead. It makes sense that she immediately diss the whole thing, because said friend works in the industry (in LA, it's kinda obvious what this means) and time shouldn't be squandered for things that aren't going to help pay the bills. I did find that quite cynical, but have to admit a few months ago I would have thought the same thing. The standard of living is steep in LA, and our wages (particularly at entry-level) are too little to compensate for food, transportation, clothing etc. Thus my mum working two jobs, my friend taking on freelance jobs, and any number of friends/colleagues we know living with parents. At the same time, it's such a hollow life if we can't even take a break from the rat-race to do something that's out of the ordinary. I guess some people have their yoga, and for November I have nano.
It's day 3 and I am still upbeat about nano. Serious. I make no bones about how rubbish the writing is, with its inaccuracies, cliches, stereotypes. The main character I had in mind has been relegated to the backup. Instead, I have a grumpy bloke I know nothing about and a plot I am making up as I go along. It absolutely makes me laugh. But it is a fantastic thing, writing just for writing. I have no idea how I did it, but I was able to banish the evil inner editor who had disrupted my flow of writing for years and years. It's a euphoric thing, conquering that little voice in the back on my mind criticising my prose, belitting my ability to write. Dare I say it, writing has become a natural high.
I really hope this lasts, not just for the month of November, but the rest of my life. I'm absolutely aware I have a lot of work ahead if I want to fully complete the novel. There's the re-writes, picking out which scene should stay or go, and even just picking up a POV for the chapters. And I'm actually having fun. FUN! OMG! Bless Chris Baty for reintroducing that which I thought I would never have again :)
Later she hastily explained the nano thing was too far out for her and that if I thought it fun I should go ahead. It makes sense that she immediately diss the whole thing, because said friend works in the industry (in LA, it's kinda obvious what this means) and time shouldn't be squandered for things that aren't going to help pay the bills. I did find that quite cynical, but have to admit a few months ago I would have thought the same thing. The standard of living is steep in LA, and our wages (particularly at entry-level) are too little to compensate for food, transportation, clothing etc. Thus my mum working two jobs, my friend taking on freelance jobs, and any number of friends/colleagues we know living with parents. At the same time, it's such a hollow life if we can't even take a break from the rat-race to do something that's out of the ordinary. I guess some people have their yoga, and for November I have nano.
It's day 3 and I am still upbeat about nano. Serious. I make no bones about how rubbish the writing is, with its inaccuracies, cliches, stereotypes. The main character I had in mind has been relegated to the backup. Instead, I have a grumpy bloke I know nothing about and a plot I am making up as I go along. It absolutely makes me laugh. But it is a fantastic thing, writing just for writing. I have no idea how I did it, but I was able to banish the evil inner editor who had disrupted my flow of writing for years and years. It's a euphoric thing, conquering that little voice in the back on my mind criticising my prose, belitting my ability to write. Dare I say it, writing has become a natural high.
I really hope this lasts, not just for the month of November, but the rest of my life. I'm absolutely aware I have a lot of work ahead if I want to fully complete the novel. There's the re-writes, picking out which scene should stay or go, and even just picking up a POV for the chapters. And I'm actually having fun. FUN! OMG! Bless Chris Baty for reintroducing that which I thought I would never have again :)
I had 1774 words, I had. But then I flipping messed up the chapter I was writing when I was copying and saving to google docs and now a big chunk of the last scene is missing. ARGH!
It took me 20 minutes to figure out that I cannot open sodding clipboard in Vista because it's hidden. You bastard, MS. You big, stupid, hairy bastard. I tried rewriting the scene, but I'm much too distracted and ticked off to continue. The bleeding chapter was finished! It was finished you sodding bastard, you! *sobs*
In other news, I've been diagnosed with asthma. It's all right, doesn't really get any worse unless some dust bunnies attack me or I actually (horror of horrors) strenously exert myself. The allergist said she could prescribe me an inhaler before I do any exercise, but feh, I'm much too lazy for aerobics and pilates and jogging. Ask me again in January when I decide I have to be fit for Comicon. And it really seems like I will have to be subjected to tests for allergic reactions next week. My money is on rice and maybe salmon.
DAMN YOU VISTA!
It took me 20 minutes to figure out that I cannot open sodding clipboard in Vista because it's hidden. You bastard, MS. You big, stupid, hairy bastard. I tried rewriting the scene, but I'm much too distracted and ticked off to continue. The bleeding chapter was finished! It was finished you sodding bastard, you! *sobs*
In other news, I've been diagnosed with asthma. It's all right, doesn't really get any worse unless some dust bunnies attack me or I actually (horror of horrors) strenously exert myself. The allergist said she could prescribe me an inhaler before I do any exercise, but feh, I'm much too lazy for aerobics and pilates and jogging. Ask me again in January when I decide I have to be fit for Comicon. And it really seems like I will have to be subjected to tests for allergic reactions next week. My money is on rice and maybe salmon.
DAMN YOU VISTA!
As promised
Oct. 26th, 2007 11:26 pmThis entry is written for the benefit of those who read this LJ and are actually interested in the things I have to say (THANKS! <3) and for future-me who will inevitably forget the lessons of the past.
Lesson #1: I am a nutter. That's right future-me, you are mad. Irreparably mad.
Lesson #2: Remember Lesson #1? Keep it in mind always. It's easier that way.
Lesson #1: I am a nutter. That's right future-me, you are mad. Irreparably mad.
Lesson #2: Remember Lesson #1? Keep it in mind always. It's easier that way.