To NaNo or Not to NaNo: Going Rogue

October 30, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

doing my own thing, now with my own graphic

Is this a final decision? Eh, maybe. There’s no saying I won’t lose my nerve and hop on the NaNo train in the next few days, or maybe do an end run and take a flying leap halfway or later through, but for now, I’m doing my own thing in November. That decision came last night, in the middle of my first meeting with an eclectic group of local writers, all talented, articulate and entertaining people. We’re still in the getting to know each other phase, and of course the question of NaNo came up. One gentleman asked if I was participating, and without thinking about my answer first, I said “not this year.”

What it came down to was that wordcount bugaboo. I don’t count my daily words at present, and I don’t find that a lack. What I do see is more pages in the document when I power down for the night than there where when I started, and I’m good with that. I’m filling notebooks, emptying pens, and transcribing most of that on my external keyboard, and I’m loving what I’m doing. I’m not bashing my head against the keyboard (maybe said bashing is why the laptop’s keyboard gave up the ghost before the rest of the machine; I don’t know, but I can’t discount it.)

Knowing what works best for me at this time is the mature, responsible thing to do for my writing, (and, honestly, a whole lot of fun) but that doesn’t mean I can’t adapt the things I do love about NaNo to my own use. In that vein, I’m going Rogue. I’ll be posting here about my writing progress during November, not with word count (but at the end, maybe, just for kicks) but what works for me. Scenes, characters, those unexpected turns stories take when we the writers aren’t looking.

What matters most to me this upcoming month is that I dive into both existing and new projects fully focused on what counts most for me; the story. Not to say NaNo ignores story for words, because that’s not the case. I had a lovely time in Camp NaNo this spring, and won then, and I’m proud of it.

Why does it matter to me so much if I’m doing NaNo at any given session? If I haven’t babbled it out by now, it may not have an explanation. I do love the community, but y’know what? Writers exist all over the place. One of the gents in group last night made a comment that there are thousands of writers in one city alone, and he’s right. There’s a great group of gals (and guys) in my local RWA chapter, I have writer friends scattered all over the globe, all as close as my email or an IM window, and unless write-ins come complete with bouncers demanding the password, there’s no saying I can’t plop myself and my notebook down at a write in, and keep my eyes on my own paper. Or talk to my neighbor. Or whatever. Because what matters is that the story gets written.

The journey from “once upon a time” to “and they all lived happily ever after” can take many paths, and no one is more “real” than any other. What is real is what gets the story from my head onto the page, and eventually into the heads and hopefully hearts of readers. Do I know exactly what going Rogue means for me this particular November? Not entirely, but I’ll figure it out as I go, and I’ll be sure to blabber about it here.

To NaNo or Not to NaNo: Flippity Flop

October 28, 2014October 28, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

“There’s a simple answer to that. I don’t believe I want to give simple answers,” said the vampire. “I think I want to tell the real story.” — Anne Rice, Interview With The Vampire

There’s a previous version of this post, likely buried somewhere in the drafts folder that I am putting off clearing out because techy things give me the heebiejeebies, but that’s okay, because the post I was writing and the post that you’re actually reading are two extremely different posts.

Yesterday, around this time, I started a blog post about how I was leaning more toward signing on for NaNo, but then a funny thing happened. I had three different conversations with three close and trusted friends, two writers and a reader, all independent of each other, but all with the same concerns.

Why did I want to officially sign on for NaNo? If I’m going to be writing anyway, why not count those words? Was this focus going to be a help or a hindrance to me?

While it’s true that, for some, keeping an eye on word count can be an easy way to measure progress, and it is certainly helpful for making sure a manuscript is the right length (can’t send a 100k epic to a short story market, for example) and keeping track of story points at the right place in the story, no one technique is perfect for everybody. For me, right now, what appeals is the focus on the story rather than the words. One friend asked how I measure progress if I don’t count words at this stage of the game. My answer was easy: scenes. Not counting them, but instead of “I will write two thousand words today,” rather, “I will write the scene where my hero and heroine argue about the villain.” That’s a concrete goal, it’s focused on the story and I’m happy with it. I’m probably going to go over that scene two or three times to add all the layers it needs, but for that one day, that scene is what I’m doing, and I’m in it and it’s in me. It’s also on the page, which is the whole point here, isn’t it? Allrighty then.

Same friend asked if there’s pressure on the wordcount – if others in whatever venue where I draw my NaNo support are hitting their goals, or exceeding, and I spent hours sweating a measly eight hundred words, which is only barely halfway there, would I feel sucky? The answer is an immediate yes. I would. I do. I have. But if the argument scene isn’t working? Well, that’s likely because something else that comes before it needs some attention, so maybe we need another scene before that? Usually, pegging what that missing scene is will get me off and running.

Speed, there’s another thing. I love the ideas of sprints; I really do. Years ago, I was in a writing group where we did the analog version, timed writings in notebooks. Get a prompt, pen on paper and keep on going until the leader for that night called time. Then we shared, and boy, did I love that. Loved it. Started more than one book that way. My Outcast Heart and Never Too Late were born out of such exercises, and I wouldn’t change a thing about that. The push to get 50k out in one month, though…yeeeaaaah, I don’t know that’s for me this year. There’s still time to change my mind on that, and there’s nothing saying I can’t be a friend of NaNo, because I have had a lovely time with it on other occasions, and I do love the social aspect. Maybe next year. Maybe Camp NaNo in the spring and/or summer will be the most natural thing in the world.

This year, though? This year, as two of the above friends pointed out, I’m finally getting my “me” back after too long away, and do I really want to try and fix what isn’t broken? Would I risk breaking what was fixed? As all three agree, if what I am currently doing now is getting me ever closer to The End, what would be my motivation for veering from that course? Because I “should?” Who says I should? Real writers NaNo? Well, sure, some. Some don’t. I haven’t taken a scientific poll, but I think I’m safe in assuming this is true. I do know real writers who don’t NaNo as well as those who do, at all stages of the game. So no, not all real writers NaNo. Should they? I haven’t the faintest.

In the end, what I have to do is protect the work. Keep going on until The End. If I’m going rogue, I can still keep track of my progress, my way. There’s something exhilarating about striking out on my own, sailing my own course. Striding through November with a piratical swagger and tell a tall tale or two about that process. That sounds pretty good right about now.

Typing With Wet Claws: Birthday Edition

October 25, 2014annabowling Leave a comment

It’s Feline Friday again

Hello, all. Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling here. It is Friday again, so it is my turn to take over my Anty’s blog. She would like to say welcome to her new followers and thanks for the comments. The more people she has to talk to, the better. For all of us.

Today’s blog is coming late because it was Anty’s birthday. She really loves birthdays, and they don’t have to be her own, but that doesn’t hurt. She says today was a good one, even though she spent a lot of it away from me. I did get a new friend, though. He doesn’t say much. I think he is shy. As long as he doesn’t go for my food, I think we will get along.

The strong and silent type?

Anty and Uncle went on what people call a date. They did not eat any actual dates, as far as I can tell. They had Chinese food. I took a picture before they left. This is probably why there are not any great photographers who are cats.

Before her date with Uncle, Anty and Mama went on a walk in the woods. I do not know why Anty was so excited about this. I spent the whole first six months of my life in the woods, and it isn’t that great, but Anty had fun and took a lot of pictures. I stayed home. I have had enough woods.

She’s pretty busy right now with new notebooks and pens, so she asked me to share her birthday cupcakes with all the readers. These are pumpkin flavored. They are also people food, which means not good for kitties. That’s okay, because I get my treat every single day, not only on birthdays. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Cupcakes for everybody
(except for kitties, who get treat.)

Until next Feline Friday, I remain very truly yours,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

To NaNo or Not to NaNo: the benefits

October 23, 2014annabowling 4 Comments

Big surprise, I’m still not decided on whether or not I’m officially signing on for NaNo madness. To all new readers who wonder if I always natter on about something of this nature, the answer is probably yes. Talking and thinking happen at the same time with me a good deal of the time, and I do like to examine things from multiple angles, so it’s safe to say I’ll be hopping over both sides of the fence until I finally have to pick one.

Last post, I talked about one of my biggest bugaboos about participating in NaNo, so with this one, I’m going to look at the other side of the coin and examine the plusses. For me, the biggest one is the sense of community. Moving from an area where I’d lived for decades to a place that was totally new was a big adjustment, but finding a local NaNo community as well as a fabulous RWA chapter made a big difference. Last year, the kickoff party was held at the coffee house where I write most weekdays. Getting plunked down in a room full of strangers who like to do what I like to do is always fun for me, and I have made some friends from my NaNo contacts. I’d be happy to do the same this year as well.

It has been suggested I can fake my way in, attend the write-ins even without signing up, and that’s a possibility. Though now I may have outed myself on that plan, but if they’re held in public places, who’s going to stop me, hm? Or maybe not. We’ll see.

Three pages of this, but no spaces, so NaNo count would say it’s one word.
Darned second keyboard.

There is always the option of joining the rebel camp, which I have done before, but not in the same way I’d be doing it this year. If I do it. I do have to admit I like the sneakiness of being a rebel. The new project (still deciding how much I want to talk about it while under construction) would be starting from scratch, so it is a new work, but I’d also likely split my time between new and existing projects because I am in love with two stories right now, and it’s not a matter of picking one or the other. It’s an and situation here. I like working on more than one thing at one time. Working on one thing feeds my desire to work on the other, and if I’m at a roadblock with one, then I can take a break, work on the other and come back with new perspective.

Oh well, looky there, new rules say I don’t have to start from scratch and can continue with a WIP. New food for thought, and I still don’t know. What I do know is that not knowing has helped me meet one of my other goals, that of growing this blog and posting more often, so the blabber is doing some good. I’d never meant to have a break from blogging; quite the opposite, but overthinking got me there as well. Here, I get on, I blabber, I put up pictures because I put up pictures, and on with the show. So, still undecided as we head into the final week, and this may well continue, but that rule change does tip things every so slightly into the yea category. Which may change. Or not.

Off to wander the moors and contemplate…

Layer Cake and NaNo Pondering

October 22, 2014annabowling 1 Comment

There is no actual cake in this post; I’m rambling about NaNo again, but my birthday is Friday, so there will likely be cake to share then. In the meantime, have a picture of Skye.

Skye has the right attitude.

NaNo start date looms ever closer, and I still don’t know if I’m signing. up for the official ride. Part of me wants to, because that’s what one does this time of year, I will be writing (and blabbering about it here) no matter what, so what’s the harm?

The big bugaboo for me is word count. If I focus on that, I get the aforementioned mental muscle cramp, I hate the story, I hate writing, I have to count every single word? Can’t I tell the story? That’s what I came here for in the first place, so why is NaNo trying to distract me with math? Did I mention I failed the really really easy math course in college twice? I love the idea of plowing through to The End; in fact, that’s one of the things I’m working on in my own personal writing renaissance, but there’s one problem with this. I’ve discovered I write most naturally in layers. Did I always work like that? (Long time crit partners, feel free to weigh in here.) I couldn’t say, but it’s what I’m doing now. Get the bones down, quick and dirty, and then go over it again with a few more passes. Organs. Cartilege. Connective tissue. Muscle, skin and hair. Clothes, makeup, a few accessories, and good to go. How do I fit all of that into a daily word count when it’s as likely words are going to be subtracted as well as added, moved around, turned inside out…did I mention that college math class?

This is an accurate representation of my first-first drafts, and no, I am not opening those notebooks here. Lots of longhand, lots of bullet points and boxes with swirly corners drawn around them because that’s how my mind works. Different colors of inks and highlighters, sticky notes everywhere. Small Moleskine lives in my purse, in a comfy pouch with all the pens and highlighters and smaller pad of sticky notes. Spiral notebooks (current project, one of the two of which I am working on, at different stages; if I do sign on for NaNo, I may split my time, automatically putting me in the rebel camp. I am probably going to work on both, NaNo or no NaNo anyway) are both for the same project. The one with the flowery (weedy?) cover is already full, white on black lettering about one third of the way there. Yellow legal pad is one of many culled from my dad’s house (vintage!) and somehow in all of that, the story comes together. Plus bouncing things off a critique partner (only the one for this particular story at the moment.) Don’t ask me how I do that; I just do it, and maybe that’s the best way for me at present.

I love writing again, I can blabber to my CP to my heart’s content without having too many voices get in my head and drown out not only the voices of my characters but my own as well (a big factor in the derailment of the last few years, I am sure) and still keep shoulder to wheel and nose to grindstone and get that story told. I know these people. I know their world. I know why they need to be together and I know why it’s darned freaking hard for them to get over what’s standing in their way so they can do that. The story is getting told, and isn’t that the whole point of NaNo in the first place? If I have to pick between words and story, I am going to pick story. Maybe I’m already fulfilling the spirit of NaNo if not the letter of the law? :shrug:

Skull socks make everything better.

To NaNo or Not to NaNo and Happy Albanyversary to Me

October 20, 2014October 20, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

One of the questions that is probably troubling you at the moment is this: How do I know whether I’m a writer? And the question can only be answered with another question: Well, do you write? If you don’t, you’re not. If you do, you are. There’s nothing else to it.
–Nick Hornby

This is one of my all time favorite quotes, but one of my all time favorite writers, and, this time of year, it’s especially apt. We’re ten days out from the start of National Novel Writing Month, and I am not signed up for it yet. I don’t know if I will be, and I may not know until the starting pistol has indeed been fired. This is not entirely a bad thing.

I love the support in NaNoWriMo, love my local group, have met friends through last year’s journey…but the book? Well, I wrote it. Did I make 50K? I don’t think so, but the truth is, I don’t remember or feel like going back to check. The whole thing felt and feels as appetizing as a snack of wet cardboard, so that’s a sure sign that something about that whole particular endeavor was not right for me.

This year, I want to have a different emphasis. Not so much focus on word counts, but on what counts. For me, that’s telling the story, and listening to the story so that I can tell it. Does that always conform to hitting a certain amount of words on a particular day? No. Does that mean the story moves forward? Yes. Are those always the same thing? Not always.

I did Camp NaNo this year, and won that. Had fun doing it, too, and I suspect being able to set my own word count goal helped somewhat. Confession: I am not a word counter. I can tend to obsess if I do keep that in mind, and end up in a fetal position under the dining room table, clutching a stuffed fish (plush) and muttering something about Zwieback. It’s not a fun place to be. In the end, I suspect I will do what is best for me at the time I need to make the decision. In either event, I will be posting and documenting here, because pretty much anything is more fun for me if I can blabber about it.

Washington Park sunset

Two years ago today, my family packed up our entire lives and departed the old country for the brave new world of Albany, NY. My only regret was not being able to convince all our beloved CT and MA friends to move with us (or for that matter, FL, CO, MI, etc; if I could ever have everybody I love in one huge room, that would be paradise.) I cannot say how good it feels to be home. I want my writing and the books that come from it to be home as well. Same with this blog.

It’s all a process. It’s also a journey. Some twists, some turns, some whoa-what-is-thats, but I have to trust that it’s going to take me where I need to be.

Typing With Wet Claws: Skye’s introduction

October 17, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

Skye O’Malley, the kitty, not the book.

Hello. I am Skye O’Malley, the kitty, not the book. My friend, Bailey, helps out his mom, Sue Ann Porter, with her blog, so he thinks that I should do the same thing. My mama does not write books or have a blog (she plays with strings that turn into sweaters and things,) but my Anty Anna does, so I will help her.

Most days, my mama and Uncle (Anty calls him Real Life Romance Hero) are out hunting, so Anty hunts from home. Usually, she’s on her glowy box, which looks like this picture below now, because she killed the first keyboard and then had to get a second one. That second one sits on top of the first, and sometimes tries to type things on that first keyboard on its own. I do not think she wants it to do that, but her characters do not always behave themselves either. Writers must be used to disobedience.

In case you want to know what it looks like where I work (I am a professional mews) this is what Anty sees when she looks away from her glowy box.

Workstation of the mews

Anty says not all of those notebooks are there all of the time, and they really are not. She does use a lot of paper, though. If I am a really good kitty, I get to play with some of it. I like to stay close in case Anty needs some inspiration, or wants to pet a kitty with her foot. In case she wants to feed a kitty, I am one, so it’s only considerate that I stay close by so she doesn’t have to go far. I like to think of myself as a very considerate kitty, so when Anty is home, I make sure to stay as close to her as possible. Unless it rains or I hear the cat zamboni (the people call it a street sweeper, but I know better) – then I am under Anty and Uncle’s bed.

In case you are wondering if Anty really does type some of these entries with wet nails, she really does. Her trick is to use only the pads of the fingers and not the actual nails. She says she learned that in high school and it still works. I love the smell of nail polish, so if she really is typing with wet nails, I am sure to be extra super close. I am calling my posts Typing With Wet Claws, but if my claws are wet, it is because I licked them. I am a very clean kitty.

Is that good for our first time together? Bailey said that first impressions are important.Hopefully, my posts will help Anty. She says if she sells a lot of books, I can get more toys. My favorite toys are Post-It notes that Anty is done using. I don’t think she is being entirely selfless by promising to buy more Post-Its, but it is worth a try.

Until next time,

Skye O’Malley Hart-Bowling
(the kitty, not the book)

Every Keyboard Tells a Story

October 10, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

That’s the keyboard on my actual laptop right there. Note the missing H key, multiple keys where the markings were rubbed off, fingernail marks carved into the key that used to say “N.” We won’t discuss things periodically cleaned out from in between the actual keys, or things spilled on them and hastily wiped away, usually accompanied by fervent prayer.

This keyboard (and the laptop it’s attached to) has seen three different states, two different homes, been my companion through three distinct phases of my life (before, during and after the bottom dropped out of my world and I went from writer to caregiver to last family member standing to writer once again.) It’s been dropped, fallen from improvised “desks” made from overturned wastebaskets, balanced on knees sweating in summer heat or swaddled in hand-knit afghans (or my special snoflake fleece blankey nobody else is allowed to touch) and seen a plethora of libraries and coffee shops.

It’s seen the starts of novels, completion of a few, fiery deaths of others, while still others slipped into quiet comas. Some of those will come back, some will sail off into the sunset without me, and I am okay with all of that. Yet more stories are still to come, and I am looking forward to meeting them all. How many more get to be on this particular keyboard or laptop, I’m not sure, but I’m looking forward to the adventure.

There have been games played on this computer; three different iterations of The Sims franchise, four if we count the Sims 4 demo, and a couple of forays into Second Life. Movies watched, countless YouTube videos, episodes of favorite TV shows, pictures composed and edited. New friends met, final farewells said, willingly or not, when certain chapters closed. New hellos yet to say to what’s still ahead of me.

It’s been a wild ride these last few years, and, in a way, it’s fitting to see the machine that saw me through that much coming to the end of its own journey. Not there yet, but the time is coming, and I’m okay with that. New adventures are ahead.

One of which is blogging. I’ve had this blog for a while, in various incarnations, but I’m still getting the hang of it. While I do blog elsewhere, it’s easier to write about an external topic. Writing about me, about my own writing, that’s a whole different story, pun intended, but I’m here, and I have a brand new keyboard, so we’re good to go, this old friend and me.

The Story of H

October 8, 2014annabowling 2 Comments

I think I’m holding up fairly well, all things considered. The saga of my Not a Cance in Ell adventure is now complete. Parts one and two are here and here. Over the weekend, after slicing my finger on the prongs of the now long-absent H key, the whole key stopped working. First, it took four or five pounds to get one H, which could as easily be a whole line of them: hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Which then needed to be backspaced or deleted, which was annoying because I would want them later. As I’ve said before, H is a very important letter.

There’s personal pronouns: she, he, him, her, them, their, all in heavy demand when writing stories about relaitonships (another H) word. Home, heaven, hell, hurt, help, hover, and several hundred more. Though I do my best composition in longhand, smushing the handwritten pages up to the screen doesn’t work. I worked out time share with both hubby and housemate (more H words) on their computers, did some work on the old desktop and started pricing towers. For personal emails to friends, I substituted an * when I needed an H, so thanks to all who put up with me during those days. I don’t know why it took me a couple of days to figure out I could get an external keyboard, but one quick trip to Staples and then I’m back in business.

Putting a regular keyboard on top of my laptop keyboard took some getting used to at first, but now, apart from portability, it feels very natural. I like the click of brand new keys, no prongs to pierce my fingertips, no crumbs (as of yet) to get in the way. Nothing sticks, and I can keep on going without having to pause to insert an asterisk. Small things make a big difference, and losing the use of a single key brings that to light in a very big way.

Having a new keyboard is also exciting because it makes me look forward to starting over with a new computer. A recent discussion with a writer friend about clearing the decks resonated. When I set up a guest account on my housemate’s computer, it was a fresh start, literally no old files under my name to clutter the current work, no pictures, however lovely or inspirational, to distract me from my work. All I could do, with a limited amount of time I could use that machine, was set up the bare minimum and get to telling the story. Which, after all, is the point of this entire endeavor. Tell stories, because that’s what I love to do best.

The last few years have been challenging, and in many ways, I’m not the same person I was when this much-loved laptop was shiny and new. There have been many goodbyes, many hellos, a change in geographical region that was, at once, taking a leap and coming home. So, it makes sense that new stories would come, and the thought of telling those new stories on a new machine, unencumbered with the past, excites me in a way I hadn’t expected. I do have to thank that dearly departed H for helping to bring me to that point. The key itself now sits in a place of honor on the desk I coveted since childhood, a reminder of the past to make a bridge to what is yet to come.

The adventure is only beginning.