But I did manage almost 2000 words so far. And I'll admit that I was distracting myself with logic puzzles today.
However, I think if I use my free time tomorrow during school (there will be plenty thanks to a complicated series of events that means I basically will only be working during one period out of eight tomorrow), I could likely manage another thousand during school, and a thousand when I get home. Then I have a whole weekend where if I focus again I could write at least 6,000 words.
I'm back in this.
(also, my hand feels like a body part does after it falls asleep and it's waking back up, only it's been this way for about three hours. Joy.)
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: I must say that I loved John Green's pep talk.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
I'm back in this.
Today my goal is to write 8,000 words and survive.
So I guess I'll be seeing you when my hand cramps up.
And I plan on typing and posting one of the passages from my story on here. Mostly because my friend Sarah (who thinks I'm crazy for doing this in the first place), looked up from reading my story during Physics to tell me it was too sad. Yay?
Right, I should be writing! (well shower first, THEN WRITING)
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
So I guess I'll be seeing you when my hand cramps up.
And I plan on typing and posting one of the passages from my story on here. Mostly because my friend Sarah (who thinks I'm crazy for doing this in the first place), looked up from reading my story during Physics to tell me it was too sad. Yay?
Right, I should be writing! (well shower first, THEN WRITING)
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
Sunday, November 7, 2010
NaNoWriMo and I aren't working out so well
I'm not entirely sure that NaNoWriMo is working out for me the way intended.
NaNoWriMo is about writing a book no matter how crap it is. And in the end, even if you still lose, having put in the effort is supposed to be enough.
But every time I think about NaNoWriMo my mind isn't on the possible outcome. My mind is sort of like this:
Hey, we should do some writing
Yeah sure. Just let me get a moment's peace since I've only just gotten home today.
Then of course, this would be the point when I get a lot of calls and texts from people that I don't get to see nearly as much as I like, because at least one of the following situations is in effect:
1) Live about a thousand miles away or more
2) difference in time zones
3) I no longer have a lunch because I am taking two band classes, thus can't talk to my friends who are only in my band for more than five minutes
4) They are busy the majority of the time, and rarely ever have a chance to call, so I prioritize their contact
So after all that gets settled, the following situation commences:
We should do some writing
It's a bit late now, so I should do my homework first
The way homework works for me is I do it until I have a headache, don't understand anything anymore, or have been working for two hours. So then the situation continues:
You're taking a break, it's the perfect time to write
I've got a headache/been working too long/become to frustrated to focus
Basically all this continues until I'm too tired to comprehend anything or write.
And then every once and a while I get the urge to do something else creative, or something else that will still be beneficial to me in another way. For example, I've had some good ideas for blogs and vlogs, or have had moments where I feel bad that I haven't read any of the book I was going to read for my last free week in October. But I tell myself that I can't do any of that because I should be writing
And we also have the issue of Mondays, where I have jazz band at six, and don't necessarily have a ride there, so I have to stay after. And starting the Tuesday after this next one, I will also have this issue on either Tuesdays or Thursdays because of Winter Guard. And since I no longer have a lunch, I can't put off my history homework until then like I have been doing (because 50 mins is absurdly long for lunch).
Don't get me wrong, I think NaNoWriMo is great for a lot of people, and I wouldn't have written as much as I have (which sadly isn't that much) if it hadn't been for it. But I don't think this is going to work much longer. I'm still going to try for a bit, but I keep feeling so defeated by it all, that I don't think it's likely I'll get past 10,000 words. Which sadly makes me feel like I'm a loser, even though I know that has nothing to do with it.
Basically this whole thing has me feeling rotten, and I don't think it's the best thing for me to be doing at this point in time. Perhaps when I'm in college and I don't have at least 15 mins of homework from each of my eight classes every day, I will be able to try NaNoWriMo again, but for now, I don't think this is going to work.
Anyways, I just needed to get that out. And now I need to work on some English and history homework. The time change has my head all screwed up as well. I should not be this hungry at 5:30.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining about everything that I do. I have a lot of homework because I take interesting and challenging classes that are well worth it. I am in two bands because I love playing tuba, and there wouldn't be one for the lower band if I didn't. I am in jazz band and winter guard because I like band, and want to be a band director, so I need/want to experience these things. I have friends all over the place that I know I will always have a home with. All of these things are wonderful, and I don't take them for granted.
Update: After talking with Kat, I have decided to switch over to the Young Writer's Program, and set a goal of 30,000 words for myself, which puts me behind by about three or four days, but is far more manageable than 50,000 words at this point. Hopefully this will work out better for me stress wise.
NaNoWriMo is about writing a book no matter how crap it is. And in the end, even if you still lose, having put in the effort is supposed to be enough.
But every time I think about NaNoWriMo my mind isn't on the possible outcome. My mind is sort of like this:
Hey, we should do some writing
Yeah sure. Just let me get a moment's peace since I've only just gotten home today.
Then of course, this would be the point when I get a lot of calls and texts from people that I don't get to see nearly as much as I like, because at least one of the following situations is in effect:
1) Live about a thousand miles away or more
2) difference in time zones
3) I no longer have a lunch because I am taking two band classes, thus can't talk to my friends who are only in my band for more than five minutes
4) They are busy the majority of the time, and rarely ever have a chance to call, so I prioritize their contact
So after all that gets settled, the following situation commences:
We should do some writing
It's a bit late now, so I should do my homework first
The way homework works for me is I do it until I have a headache, don't understand anything anymore, or have been working for two hours. So then the situation continues:
You're taking a break, it's the perfect time to write
I've got a headache/been working too long/become to frustrated to focus
Basically all this continues until I'm too tired to comprehend anything or write.
And then every once and a while I get the urge to do something else creative, or something else that will still be beneficial to me in another way. For example, I've had some good ideas for blogs and vlogs, or have had moments where I feel bad that I haven't read any of the book I was going to read for my last free week in October. But I tell myself that I can't do any of that because I should be writing
And we also have the issue of Mondays, where I have jazz band at six, and don't necessarily have a ride there, so I have to stay after. And starting the Tuesday after this next one, I will also have this issue on either Tuesdays or Thursdays because of Winter Guard. And since I no longer have a lunch, I can't put off my history homework until then like I have been doing (because 50 mins is absurdly long for lunch).
Don't get me wrong, I think NaNoWriMo is great for a lot of people, and I wouldn't have written as much as I have (which sadly isn't that much) if it hadn't been for it. But I don't think this is going to work much longer. I'm still going to try for a bit, but I keep feeling so defeated by it all, that I don't think it's likely I'll get past 10,000 words. Which sadly makes me feel like I'm a loser, even though I know that has nothing to do with it.
Basically this whole thing has me feeling rotten, and I don't think it's the best thing for me to be doing at this point in time. Perhaps when I'm in college and I don't have at least 15 mins of homework from each of my eight classes every day, I will be able to try NaNoWriMo again, but for now, I don't think this is going to work.
Anyways, I just needed to get that out. And now I need to work on some English and history homework. The time change has my head all screwed up as well. I should not be this hungry at 5:30.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining about everything that I do. I have a lot of homework because I take interesting and challenging classes that are well worth it. I am in two bands because I love playing tuba, and there wouldn't be one for the lower band if I didn't. I am in jazz band and winter guard because I like band, and want to be a band director, so I need/want to experience these things. I have friends all over the place that I know I will always have a home with. All of these things are wonderful, and I don't take them for granted.
Update: After talking with Kat, I have decided to switch over to the Young Writer's Program, and set a goal of 30,000 words for myself, which puts me behind by about three or four days, but is far more manageable than 50,000 words at this point. Hopefully this will work out better for me stress wise.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
11/2/10
Day's Word Count: 1739
Total Word Count: 2153
Red or Green: Red (but I did work until my hand completely cramped up try and catch up).
Mood: Excited/proud
Line of the Day: (in reference to 3 classes in a row sitting by each other) "What are the rest of your classes then?" She snatched my schedule, "Gotta see how much more pushing the fates are gonna give us before making rash decisions"
Procrastinated on: All of my homework (but it's late arrival tomorrow! So it doesn't really matter).
Story Location: Morgan's apartment in New York.
Today's Voice of Sanity: Me, surprisingly (for Courtney, who I convinced to join in the festivities).
Food of the Day: Cookie dough (for breakfast and dinner's desert xD)
Advice of the Day: Stop planning the character so much, and just let the character explain themselves to you.
Today, I attempted to play catch up. I didn't realize how much work 1667 words is though >_< So now I know I need to write almost any free second I have. And no more long phone conversations with Courtney as I write hehe.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: One thing that definitely makes me a little crazy is that I'm handwriting everything first so that I can write wherever I want. I hope it works out with me being able to post my story for word verification.
Total Word Count: 2153
Red or Green: Red (but I did work until my hand completely cramped up try and catch up).
Mood: Excited/proud
Line of the Day: (in reference to 3 classes in a row sitting by each other) "What are the rest of your classes then?" She snatched my schedule, "Gotta see how much more pushing the fates are gonna give us before making rash decisions"
Procrastinated on: All of my homework (but it's late arrival tomorrow! So it doesn't really matter).
Story Location: Morgan's apartment in New York.
Today's Voice of Sanity: Me, surprisingly (for Courtney, who I convinced to join in the festivities).
Food of the Day: Cookie dough (for breakfast and dinner's desert xD)
Advice of the Day: Stop planning the character so much, and just let the character explain themselves to you.
Today, I attempted to play catch up. I didn't realize how much work 1667 words is though >_< So now I know I need to write almost any free second I have. And no more long phone conversations with Courtney as I write hehe.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: One thing that definitely makes me a little crazy is that I'm handwriting everything first so that I can write wherever I want. I hope it works out with me being able to post my story for word verification.
11/1/10
Day's Word Count: 414
Total Word Count: 414
Red or Green: Red
Mood: Exhausted
Line of the Day: You always hear about people falling down the stairs on tv and stuff, but in real life? Never.
Procrastinated on: 1 essay, a chart, and a driver's ed worksheet.
Story Location: The Hospital of a currently undecided location.
Today's Voice of Sanity: Lindsey in her pep talk.
Food of the Day: Chipotle
Advice of the Day: Get back on the horse!
I sort of knew that I wouldn't be getting full word counts on Mondays. I don't go home until eight. So I'm proud of what I did write.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
Total Word Count: 414
Red or Green: Red
Mood: Exhausted
Line of the Day: You always hear about people falling down the stairs on tv and stuff, but in real life? Never.
Procrastinated on: 1 essay, a chart, and a driver's ed worksheet.
Story Location: The Hospital of a currently undecided location.
Today's Voice of Sanity: Lindsey in her pep talk.
Food of the Day: Chipotle
Advice of the Day: Get back on the horse!
I sort of knew that I wouldn't be getting full word counts on Mondays. I don't go home until eight. So I'm proud of what I did write.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
Sunday, October 31, 2010
10/10/31
Day's Word Count: 0
Total Word Count: 0
Red or Green: Green
Mood: Nervous/excited
Line of the Day: NOTHING
Procrastinated on: 2 essays, 2 days of math work, reading half a book, and a physics assignment
Story Location: My mind
Today's Voice of Sanity: Rachael
Food of the Day: French Toast
Advice of the Day: Just do it.
And to think, I'd originally planned on getting ahead on homework this weekend to avoid it later so I could NaNoWriMo xD
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: My nails are BLUE.
Total Word Count: 0
Red or Green: Green
Mood: Nervous/excited
Line of the Day: NOTHING
Procrastinated on: 2 essays, 2 days of math work, reading half a book, and a physics assignment
Story Location: My mind
Today's Voice of Sanity: Rachael
Food of the Day: French Toast
Advice of the Day: Just do it.
And to think, I'd originally planned on getting ahead on homework this weekend to avoid it later so I could NaNoWriMo xD
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
PS: My nails are BLUE.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
10/26/2010
Another update before NaNoWriMo really kicks off.
I have finally decided to write a story that I came up with three days ago... Which proves the fact that I have issues with distractions. ANYWAYS. I am writing my story about a girl who looks at anyone and she instantly knows when they're going to die.
Now to something that will seem off topic, but is actually highly on topic. For the rest of this week, except Thursday, I have a full lunch. For the first half of that lunch, all of my freshman friends have to go to transition, which is basically a required study hall for freshmen and sophomores so the cafeteria doesn't get overcrowded. I don't like being without my friends, but it gives me extra time to do homework w/ out worrying about neglecting them.
I have this spiral for all my little plot bunny notes and whatnot. Basically anytime a whisp of anything pops into my brain, I write it down. My problem is that I've been working in my spiral during my time alone for lunch, except every time that I do something, this idiot (who shall remain nameless *coughfriend'sbrothercough*) starts reading off everything I'm doing. With all the homework I have to do at home, this means I'm basically going into NaNoWriMo far less prepared than I would like to be.
I hate you shoulder looker.
Side bar: Just about lunch in general, but I find that having a whole lunch without any friends to talk to causes me to buy more food than I normally would because I'm sitting there without anything to do.
And then, I'm kind of in panic attack mode planning out what I'm going to do for November 1st. You see, I have jazz band on mondays, which (not even considering House and How I Met Your Mother on Mondays) limits my free time to about two hours after school. And I really don't want to go into red on the first day. And I can't stay up until midnight either because 1) I can barely stay up past 10 in the first place, and 2) School.
Maybe I'm over thinking it all. But I really don't think starting in the red is the best way to go.
Ugh,
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
I have finally decided to write a story that I came up with three days ago... Which proves the fact that I have issues with distractions. ANYWAYS. I am writing my story about a girl who looks at anyone and she instantly knows when they're going to die.
Now to something that will seem off topic, but is actually highly on topic. For the rest of this week, except Thursday, I have a full lunch. For the first half of that lunch, all of my freshman friends have to go to transition, which is basically a required study hall for freshmen and sophomores so the cafeteria doesn't get overcrowded. I don't like being without my friends, but it gives me extra time to do homework w/ out worrying about neglecting them.
I have this spiral for all my little plot bunny notes and whatnot. Basically anytime a whisp of anything pops into my brain, I write it down. My problem is that I've been working in my spiral during my time alone for lunch, except every time that I do something, this idiot (who shall remain nameless *coughfriend'sbrothercough*) starts reading off everything I'm doing. With all the homework I have to do at home, this means I'm basically going into NaNoWriMo far less prepared than I would like to be.
I hate you shoulder looker.
Side bar: Just about lunch in general, but I find that having a whole lunch without any friends to talk to causes me to buy more food than I normally would because I'm sitting there without anything to do.
And then, I'm kind of in panic attack mode planning out what I'm going to do for November 1st. You see, I have jazz band on mondays, which (not even considering House and How I Met Your Mother on Mondays) limits my free time to about two hours after school. And I really don't want to go into red on the first day. And I can't stay up until midnight either because 1) I can barely stay up past 10 in the first place, and 2) School.
Maybe I'm over thinking it all. But I really don't think starting in the red is the best way to go.
Ugh,
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
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