NaNoWriMo is over. Now what?

NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month, is over. I am proud to say that I wrote 50,000 words! Actually, I wrote 50,049 words. :)

I managed by the skin of my chinny chin chin. Or however that rhyme goes. I wrote three days' worth before November, so that I could take off during Thanksgiving. I had planned on getting ahead... that didn't happen.

My novel, Nevdroonia, is my no means finished. I have only written 3/4 of the storyline, and then I have to edit, edit, and edit. Nevdroonia is by no means a great book-- I feel like all I have done is mashed together LotR and Narnia. Which actually is a somewhat true assertation. But I am going to FINISH THIS STORY! It's been rolling around in my head since I was 12. Actually, it rolled around while I was 12, hibernated until I was 13, resurfased for three weeks, and almost died before I resurected it this year at 15.

Here are my new goals:
December: NO WRITING. I am going to focus on finishing up this semester, working on art, and making Christmas presents.
January: I will finish the story!
January/Febuary: Self-edit, share with friends and family, as for their help editing, and then be done.

NaNoWriMo is one of the craziest things I have ever done. I spent an hour or more every day, cranking out 2,000 words. I have not created a masterpeice, nor have I completed the wordcount for any "reward" other than the fact of knowing I can do it. The longest story I had ever written before Nevdroonia was a short detective story, stretching to a full five typed out pages. NaNoWriMo got me 90 or so, single spaced.

Why did I do it? Why did I torture myself, especially if there is no reward for "winning", and my story could never hope to be published?

Why do athletes spend hours a day exercising, if most never make it beyond high school teams and weekend runs? Why do artists spend days on a painting if they don't want to sell it? Why do musicians practice if they might not have a chance of getting into concerts? Why do "math geeks" like people in my family do math... for fun?

I did it for fun. I did it so that I could prove to myself that it can be done. I did it because I enjoy it. My reasoning is this: If I can write 50,000 words in 30 days, then if I ever have a good book idea, I know it can be done.

And before I go, I want to say thanks to my family for putting up with crazy me. :)

A Long Tag

"Kathleen Pevensie" tagged me! Here goes! *deep breath*


1- Have you been asked out? No I haven't.
2 - Where was your default picture taken? Meramac Spring State Park, by my grandma, a couple years ago
3 - What's your middle name? Tsk tsk tsk. Not online.

4 - Your current relationship status? How about this... too young to be serious, (hopefully) too smart to date for fun.

5 - What's the first thing you do when you wake up from a nap? IF I can actually lay still long enough for a nap... I try desperately to figure out what I was dreaming about. My last nap-dream was a very strange thing about a giant pink dinosaur eating my Latin book and then drowning in a swimming pool. ???

6 - What is your current mood? Procrastination, if that is a mood. Cheerful, but overwhelmed.

7 - What color shirt are you wearing? Burgandy-cream-rose stripe

!8 - Missing something? THANKFULLY I found my history book, which was missing for TWO AND A HALF WEEKS.
9 - Current Favorite Quote? Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

10 - If you could go back in time and change something what would be? Oh, plenty of things. Any one thing? Nah. Those times I've sassed Mom and Dad, or was mean, or got really behind in schoolwork, or stuffed myself... you know.

11 - If you must be an animal for one day, what would you be? A unicorn.:)

12 - Ever had a near death experience? Does "barely coming out of Mommy's tummy" count?

13 - Something you do a lot? School. Read. School. Art. School. Crafts. Writing. Play on computer. Repeat.

14 - The song stuck in your head? Let it Be, by the Beatles.

15 - Least favorite household chore? Bathrooms. Need I go to more detail?

16 - Name someone with the same birthday as you. Mary, Mother of God. And my uncle Keith.

17 - When was the last time you cried? A few days ago, when *embarrassed* my beads weren't stringing onto my wire, and I was convinced I'd just wasted ten dollars.

18. - Have you ever sung in front of a large audience? Look who you are looking at. I CAN'T sing. But truth be told, I have sung in front of a large audience. I went to drama camp when I was in second or third grade, and got the lead children's duet. But I think that was because I could act, not because I could sing. :)

19 - If you could have one super power what would it be? Flying

20 - What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender? How tall they have suddenly gotten. Now I am no longer a giant. Yay me!

21 - What do you usually order from Starbucks? I don't really like coffee and I've never been to Starbucks.

22 - What's your biggest secret? No big secrets... but, a few nights ago, I actually got scared when my little sister left the room to go to the bathroom. Reversed roles there.

23- What's your favorite color? Cerulean blue. Count on an artist to know the specific name.

24 - Do you still watch kiddie shows or tv shows? Kidde shows. :) That is usually all that is on our TV- kiddie ones and older movies.

25 - What's on your walls? I had to clean them for showing the house. :( Lets see... a breaker box with magnets, shelves with Mom's doll collection, a photograph, and a poster of an M.C. Escher sketch. I used to have my "art gallery" up there.

26 - What are you? An Elf. And ontop of that, I am a wizard HP style, and a princess.

27 - Do you speak any other language? Speak? I speak a little bit of German. Emphasis on the little. I WRITE, READ, and DIE BECAUE OF Latin.

28 - What's your favorite smell? A spring morning rainshower over fresh-mown glass.

29 - Describe your life in one word! OneWordDoesNotSuffice

30 - Have you ever kissed in the rain? I've kissed my baby brother.

31 - What are you thinking about right now? This tag, and how much school I have left. Also how much my feet hurt.

32 - What should you be doing? NO! Please do not remind me!!! Schoolwork... and essay...

33 - Who was the last person that made you upset/angry? I get upset way too much. This last time it was three of my younger sibilings, all at once.

34 - How often do you talk to God? Try to all the time. Does that work? No. But I try.

35 - Do you like working in the yard? Not too much.

36 - If you could have any last name in the world, what would you want? Something exciting and reminisent of LotR.

37 - What is your natural hair color? Brown. With tinsy bits of red and black.

38 - Do you have many friends? I have many awesome friends. :)

39 - Who is your role-model? Our Lord. and the saints.

40 - Do you like your life? Let me think now... yes! Even though its not always fun or great, what is not to like?

I now tag:

Clarrisa
Jenna
The Triplets

This is what I do for fun. :)

So random thing about the fourm I am on (www.fairytalenovels.proboards.com)

There are several hundred discussions on there... I mean that seriously. This one topic was named "Knights and Ladies of the Sacra Cor" (if you have ever read Waking Rose by Regina Doman, you know what that means. Or if you are a fluent Latin scholar, you should have a WEE BIT of an idea).

Anyway, Lady Rose (a member of the fourm) made up detailing the discussions that had occured on the one particular thread. This list was made on page 63. It is now 218 pages long. :)

I assure you that after discussions about hair dying, frilly shirts, and cheese (including some wonderful poems on cheese), we got back on topic. In fact, we started a discussion on Catholicism vs. Protestantism, which got so large it got its own new thread. That discussion is wonderful, there are many Catholics and Protestants on the fourm. The discussion is very charitable, theological, and challenging. :) See what I do for fun? hehe

Introdutcions
the traditional roles of men and women
armour/weapons
chivalry/manhood
Sacra Cor guys
curtsies/bows
The Rebelution
Ladies uplifting Knights
prayers/rosary/sacrifice
Modesty
Elvish names
Strider/Faramir
Maidens wielding swords/self defense
Lecturing at Mass (reading the readings)
guns vs. swords
Master Xavier vs Rob in fist fight
Trebuchets
The wisdom of wearing cloaks while sword fighting
modern weapons
Wisdom
Virtue
politics
Women leaders
Homschool/socilazation
What should boys work on?
Dream husbands
Good qualities in a lady
difference between boys and girls
flirting
brothers
getting boys on the forum
Master Xavier's infamous boyfriend suggestion
getting married at a young age
Braveheart/El Cid/Gladiator
Pirates of the Caribbean (Will IS NOT a pirate!)
Orlando Bloom
Misspelling Tolkiens name
Japanese movies
Chivalry in Jane Austen
movies
swearing
cheese
Emma (different movie versions)
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Smeagol impersonations
conspirecy theories (Operation Cupcake!)
Doing Hard Things
acting
"Enchanted"
Sacra Cor Group/our own Mercy Collage
frilly shirts
Paul Xaviers's fiancees/dying his hair
Prince Caspian
taking things lightly or seriously
ILCHC/meetin Regina Doman
Having a fan get together
Accents or non-accents

I am easily entertained

Yes, I am easily entertained. Check out http://googlegooglegooglegoogle.com/
It has four Google browers, each working independantly. Because tabs are so passe.

I spent a full ten minutes opening up up the "four googles" website INSIDE the four googles website.

I got a grand total of about 200 Google browers up-- each one smaller than the other.

The quickest way to do that is to copy www.googlegooglegooglegoogle.com. Then, click the search bar. Press ctrl+v, tab, tab, and enter.

I am far too easily entertained.

Word is Weird

Microsoft Word is weird... Or rather, it's automatic summaries are weird.
I asked it to auto-summarize (under Tools) my entire manuscript so far.
A ten sentence summary yielded:

Edmund. “Claire? “EDMUND! EDMUND! “Claire!” “Claire!” “Edmund? Claire? “CLAIRE!” Claire!

A twenty sentance:

Edmund. Claire ran.
“Claire? “EDMUND! EDMUND! “Claire!” “Claire!” “Edmund? Claire? “Edmund! EDMUND!”
“Edmund! “EDMUND! “CLAIRE!” “Edmund?”
Edmund?
David, Claire.”
Claire stared.
Claire! Claire stared.

Click "read more" to read MORE summaries...

NaNoWriMo Widgets

I'm sure you've noticed my handy little countdown clock (see below) which is so kindly telling me that it has been 5 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, and 20 seconds since NaNoWriMo began. Since NaNoWriMo is already begun, I am demoting the clock to this post (see below). For some odd reason, I have a little bit of affection for this effortlessly created, fully customizable, internet clock. Therefore I am keeping it (see below) for sentimental reasons. Did I mention that it is below?

I've also got this pretty little badge in the right hand corner of my blog. See it here, too!

 I am now adding this handy dandy little calendar, that lets you my friends feel like a true stalker by letting you see how much I have written on any given day- via my blog! It shows my overall progress, and how far I have gotten. Light green and light red show the days I am slightly ahead/behind of schedule, while bold green and red are reserved for days when I do exceptionally well or monumentally badly.

I feel like sharing these other, smaller widgets... for the fun of it. I love how NaNoWriMo makes all these free widgets, and you feel compelled to use them because they are so handy and/or cool.

This one changes pictures! *giggles* Also, you will hopefully see "WINNER" on it at the end of this month!

And this one is so cute, boring, and miniature that its just to fun to pass up.

***

Make your own Countdown Clocks

Ink and Fairydust

I'm pretty sure that I have mentioned that I have written for the Ink and Fairydust, a publication of the FairyTaleNovels Fourm (fans of Regina Doman).
Here is the latest issue! It is very long, but worth reading! I wrote two articles and made one comic for it. I won't tell you what pages they are on- you must find them for yourself! My fourm name is Nenetta. :)
There were some conversion issues, so some words are misspelled (and almost all captial "N"s are invisible. Don't ask me why.)

Rather Annoying

I hate it when books or articles state quite explicitly that they are going to "present the facts" just as they are, without any bias or hysteria, letting you choose your own viewpoint after seeing the hard facts, and then go on to end with a major climax which culminates in the author stating, very decidedly, what his/her opinion is and how anyone who cannot agree with them is obviously an unreasonable, vindictive creature. If your writing is going to be persuasive, please do not market it as an expository one (and particularly not on the front cover).

NaNoWriMo Update

 Well, today is Tuesday, November 3rd. I have been writing furiously for NaNoWriMo these last three days. My total word count so far: 6,036 words! That is ever so slightly more than 2,000 words a day!

The computer is locking up... everything I type takes a good three minutes to appear... I don't have time to deal with this, so I'm not going to write as much in this post as I was going to. Anyway, here is my synopsis:

Nevdroonia
 
While playing pirates in a deserted attic, quirky Claire and shy Edmund stumble upon a mysterious door. On the other side, they find a land ridden with wonder and danger, friendship and enmity... and rumors of the Balmung, an evil sword that gives power to the corrupted ones. Claire and Edmund are unwittingly thrown into the middle of a conspiracy to undermine a witch's power. The conspiracy evolves into a quest to find the legendary Seeing Masks... and the fate of the world could rest in the hands of four young children.

 Please note that this synopsis is liable to change spasmodically as yours truly continues to change her mind. :)

Halloween

This Halloween was rather strange... I didn't trick or treat, and we didn't carve pumpkins. However, I did finish my Elf costume! William, Nicholas, and I all were Lord of the Rings characters!

The pictures were taken on Dad's camera, and they wound up with Grandma (since Dad is staying at Grandma and Papa's house during the week while he's commuting until we move), and she edited them and put them on facebook. Of course, these aren't all the pictures, but let's just call it a teaser, shall we? Someday I would like to do a true photoshoot. :)

Frodo, smoking the Longbottom Leaf of Hobbit fame as he stares, ponderously, into the distance. (Note that the Ring of Power is around his neck!)

< Frodo, in a very epic pose. :)Nicholas wore his Easter outfit from last year (I was the one who pointed out that the vest was quite the Hobbit style!), a cloak made by Mom, and the Ring of Power (from Ben's Lord of the Rings Risk game) around a chain.

Strider, a Ranger from the North

Elendil, king of Gondor and Arnor

Aragorn, son of Arathorn

< Aragorn, prepared to charge into battle. William saved up his money to buy a real (albeit unsharpened) sword- a replica's of Aragorn from when he was still known as the Ranger from the North (in other words, not the sword of Narsil). It is a very nice sword. William wore a "chainmaille" shirt found at Goodwill, a fake leather tunic made by Mom, jeans, Mom's boots, and a homemade cloak. He stole my Evenstar for the costume, and I also made him "The Ring of Barahir" (aka Aragorn's ring).

^The only picture of my cotume you'll get to see for awhile! I made the costume (jewelry included!) entirely by myself. Well, Mom helped me figure out the sewing pattern and she sewed the collar on. But other than that!

Okay, so Ben was just too funny. He sat there with the thing of candy, and would randomly start talking or moving. We got several screams!

Three our four people read the "Mean Ogre" sign. They read it aloud, and as they were finishing, Ben cried indignantly, "I'm not mean!"

The funniest incident was probably with a few teen girls. I didn't get to see this one, but from what he said...

The two girls walked forward and read the signs.

"Should I grab some candy?" (in a tone of surpressed horror)

"I don't know, its probably a person tricking us."

"I dunno, it doesn't look real."

"You get the candy."
"I don't want to."

"Is it real?"

"Let's throw a rock at it and see."

As you can imagine, Ben was rather concerned that they would chuck a rock at his head. Instead, they threw a bag of candy at him and then ran away without getting the bag or the candy from Ben. !!!

Marcus was originally going to be King Theoden (or at least, a king with a sword and all, us Tolkien geeks named him Theoden), but he wouldn't wear the costume. So he was a firefighter instead.

Adelynn was the most darling little pink bunny rabbit EVER!