To Meta or not... that is the question

Well, today is the day we're scheduled to relaunch the NaNo website. I'm excited; I love the feel of a freshly-wiped forum, that new-forum smell. Just like your NaNo each year, the forums start with a clean slate, too!

I still don't know what I want to write. I've thought about writing a meta-novel, a piece about a NaNoWriMo mod. If I did that, I could count all my forum posts fromNovember in my word count! It would be a mind-numbingly boring piece. However, I could do evil things to my least-favorite spammers. That would be a plus.

I've also toyed about with asking my husband to decide what I want to write about this year. He's always got good ideas, but he's just not a writer, so his execution sucks. He tried NaNo once. Got 1500 words, at least. That was kinda neat... I wish he'd do it with me.

I've thought about invoking the Zokuto clause this year... I mean, I've won several times, one year in just 10 days! I have nothing left to prove. ;) I'm also not an ML anymore, so I don't feel compelled to stick tot he rules. However, I wouldn't feel right validating, and frankly, I want to legitimately win every year. I'm just too damn loyal to nano to join the ranks of the rebels! It wouldn't feel right to me. I mean, I've spent so much time telling people on the forums "yes, you DO have to start from scratch, no, you CAN'T write 50k words and claim a win." that it would feel hypocritical of me to not stick by the rules. Having to set an example and all that.

Oh, the burden of responsibility!

Who knows. You're lucky... you get to see my thought process as I write it. not everyone gets that view!

Macon Telegraph is NOT smarter than a fifth grader

I opened today's paper, and read through, to find a horror of a level that leaves me damn near speechless. On page 1E, the main headline for the main article of the Life and Style page, this abomination:



Please note that this is an actual scan of the paper I am holding in my hand right now.

I really... this is just mind boggling.

Macon Telegraph, spellcheckers are not an appropriate replacement for actual editing. A mistake this glaring would be bad enough in text, but in a headline?

I'm sorry, but this is simply unacceptable. I'm used to seeing this crap on internet forums and YouTube videos, but a professional newspaper? Just because you're supposed be writing at a fifth grade level doesn't mean you should be making fifth grade grammar errors.

The Midnight Disease: first 60 pages

Wow. That's all I can really say. This book is utterly fascinating.  It's written by a writer and a scientist, and aims to look into the science behind the drive to write, and writer's block. So far, it's mostly talked about hypergraphia (the compulsion to write) but it is continually tying it back into "normal" writerliness.  It's incredibly fascinating, and I've already learned a lot. There's a good bit about temporal lobe epilepsy (something I believe my husband suffers from) so this is even more interesting to read.

So far, I am going to highly recommend this to anyone who might be interested in the human brain as it relates to being a writer.  It's truly amazing.

Beautiful decay

These are such inspiring photographs:

http://www.viceland.com/wp/2009/04/battleship-island-japans-rotting-metropolis/

I love old, decaying buildings. I even created a blog photo project to display my own photos, but alas, two small children make it hard to drive around and photograph these old buildings. I've already lost one of them; one down the street was knocked down and is being redeveloped. I really wanted pictures of that one, I remember before it was abandoned, there was a sign in the yard about piano lessons. I imagine someone died.

Abandoned buildings are rich playgrounds... Downtown Macon is full of old abandoned places like that. Such stories, so much to imagine. Maybe I'll do that some this November to see what is inspire for my NaNo. I still don't know what I want to write. I'm not stressing. Best one I've done yet came from nothing, started on November 1.

The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain

I found this book on Amazon, and thought I would order it and see what it was all about. The reviews are very good, and it involves a layman's look at the neuroscience behind writing, and includes some personal anecdotes from the author when she was dealing with depression and writer's block.  I'm a scientist at heart, and love this sort of thing, so I thought it would be an interesting read. A Like-New hardback copy cost me a whopping $6, so I figure it's worth the risk. At worst, it'll be boring and it'll take me forever to read it.

I'll be sure and review it and let you know how it turned out.  this could be veeeery interestink.

Wow, a new month?

It's September now... which means it's time to ramp up for NaNoWriMo.Behind the scenes, it's getting frantic as we prepare the site for relaunch, rush to deal with the increased traffic flow to the site, coordinate our efforts, and in general behave like a bunch of screaming lunatics. 

And that's just me. I imagine it's even crazier on the OTHER side of the country!

With the coming of September, it's time for me to think hard about what I'm going to write.  Some years, I try to plan, but I usually fail the more I plan.  this year, I find myself in the unique position of having a WIP. So do I continue it during November, set aside my momentum and do something new, or do I rush to finish it before November and start NaNo like you're supposed to, with a new project?

I mean, I've proven I can do NaNo. It's not even really a challenge anymore... I mean, I've done my 50k in 10 days before. (I don't recommend it, by the way. My wrist hurt for a month after that.)  I keep saying I'm going to double it for 100k, but I've always gotten lazy the closer I get to the deadline.

Not to mention, I don't actually know what I want to write. I have thought about taking the characters from my steampunk novel from last year and sticking them in a different story. I love them, but the story I tried to write wasn't the right one for them.  I wound up abandoning them halfway through and starting on the one I'm working with now.

I dunno. I can join the ranks of the rebels and not validate this year, but that just seems... wrong. I mean, if it's not NaNo, it's not NaNo, you know?  But then again, what do  I have to prove?

Oh, the angst.