Welcome to National Novel Writing Month, where thousands of people try to write an entire novel in the month of November.
It took me two years to write my first novel, so I admire anyone attempting this feat. A few of my friends are going for it. Good luck Eden and Shellie and Bree and Olivia and Alysa.
Anyone else doing it?
2. Author Smackdown/Chimichanga Challenge '09
Team Tamale Update:
Goal: 65,000 words
Current word count: 45,000
Time left: 10 days
20,000 words. 10 days.
Team Gluten-Intolerant's deadline for 45 pages is tonight. We'll see what happens...
For our next challenge, Bree must finish her entire book by the end of November. It's convenient because she has joined NaNoWriMo. But inconvenient because writing an entire book in a month is hard. 50,000 words hard. Go Bree!
She blogged about it today, so please go over to her blog and encourage/threaten from Team Tamale.
3. Here's my rundown of the weekend
-On Halloween, a woman at Smith's Marketplace, behind me in the checkout line, says to me, "Is your name Angie?"
me: "Excuse me?"
her: "Are you Angie?"
me: "Um, no. Sorry."
Her: "Oh. It's just that you look like one of my friends who I haven't seen in a long time."
me (thinking I'm funny, and I'll make her day): "Oh yeah? What's her name?"
Her: "Um, Angie. Didn't I mention that?"
Me (realizing she doesn't think I'm funny): "Right. Yes, you did mention that. I just wasn't sure she was the friend you were talking about when you said I looked like your friend. Maybe Angie's not your friend, ya know?"
Her: "Um, what?"
Me: "Sorry. I'm dressed as a mental patient today. Get it? Ha ha."
Her: Walks away, chooses another checkout line to stand in. She said it was because the line was moving too slow. I couldn't agree more.
- All three goldfish are still alive. My friend offered me a fishbowl to use instead of our mixing bowl, but I told her I was afraid a real fishbowl would give the fish the wrong idea. About long-term housing options.
-Considering how much shaking the fish endured at the hands of my three-year old, I sorta thought they would fall victim to the old "five step exploding heart" maneuver. You know, where they take five steps and then their heart explodes because of all the abuse.
But so far, no exploding fish hearts. Maybe it's because my bowl is so small.
Kid C named the fish: Schmatzy, Flatzy, and Bill.
- I spent two hours Halloween night building Kid C's Lego battle ship. The picture on the box looks like this:
But the inside looks like this:
It says "Ages 8+" but I think they're giving my kid way too much credit. What do they think- I gave birth to Einstein? Have they met me? Have they met middle America?Why in the world does the Lego company think we actually want to do the building ourselves? I felt like after I was finished, Lego should freakin' be paying me the $29.99. My fingers developed callouses overnight. I'm considering suing.
(The finished battleship)-More than a few trick-or-treaters asked, "Just how many pieces of candy can we take? Three? Five?"
Shrewd little boogers. I'm not calling them names. They were dressed exactly like shrewd little boogers.
I'm off to write. How was everyone's Halloween? What did y'all do?
The kids know better than to ask me to build any Lego thingy. It would be months before I could finish one of those things. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI plan on going as a shrewd little booger next year. It is going to rock!
I think I'm going to do NaNoWriMo. I'm just trying not to start out discouraged. HA! You may not remember but we kind of talked about me writing at Olive Garden last month. You said I should just finish the book I'm 1/2 done with. So, that's what I'm doing. Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteGood Halloween, love it but I'm really glad it's over.
Sam- I just so happen to have a shrewd little booger costume for you. You'll have to provide your own spandex, though.
ReplyDeleteOlivia- Of course I remember! Go for it. I think the hardest part of writing a novel is getting to the end. I know it sounds obvious, but it's true. It's a huge accomplishment. You can do it!
I gues I should be official and sign up on the NaNoWriMo thingy.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little freaked out about it at the moment.
We did the Lego Millenial Star and it rocked, but took forever. Then after stepping on parts that fell off it for the next year I had to throw it away.
eden,olivia,and bree- whats your member name on NaNoWriMo so I can look for you?
ReplyDeletewe can so do this... like taking candy from a baby.
Eden- Yes, go be official and sign up. Then go find Shellie and friend up. You can do it!
ReplyDeleteShell- 1200+ words already today? You are gonna kick this.
Am doing NaNoWriMo. Saving all pronouns for novel.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best ways to accidentally kill goldfish is with a new bowl or by moving them.
My member name is edenj and I have zero words as of now! and now! and now!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brodi for making your blog a social networking site!
Go Alysa! Save those pronouns. If you need some more and's and the's, let me know. I've got extras.
ReplyDeleteEden- I hope people feel like it's one big community here.
Happy belated Halloween all! We hung out at my parents, it was calm, the kids that came by Trick or Treating were adorable.
ReplyDeleteGood job on the battleship Brodi, I helped my nephew do a Car's racetrack, it would have been completed but my niece liked grabbing random pieces and hiding them. I didn't realize we were playing survival legos!
The best way to get rid of the fish is to take them/give them to someone else and inform your kids when they get home that the fish migrated.
Oh, and I posted a friendly encouragement/reminder to Bree compliments of TT!
Brodi - keep at it (typing/writing), you are doing GREAT!
Una- that's a perfect idea for the fish. I'll just tell the kids they swam over to a neighbors house or something.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement for Team Tamale and Team Gluten-Intolerant. Hopefully we'll have a couple of fun books at the end of it.
Way to go, Brodi! You can totally make your deadline!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to do NaNoWriMo, but life is way too hectic for me right now. I wouldn't have enough time to put into the effort to do it. I know a few people who are doing it, though.
I agree with Alysa about moving the fish to accidentally kill them. It will happen, especially if you leave them out of the water too long. Why does that make me so sad? I can't even think about it without crying.
Halloween was kind of bust for me this year. But, it was still a good weekend. I got a lot done of my blog and I read a few pages in the book I'm reading.
Don't worry, Jenni. I would never accidentally kill a goldfish. I've sorta grown attached to Schmatzy, Flatzy and Bill. The other day, Bill kissed the surface when I went to feed him, as if he were trying to kiss me. Very sweet.
ReplyDeleteHa! Hilarious. Kudos to you for getting that lego thing done. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteNo, no NaMo for me. Too busy writing. LOL.
Hey, are you up for being interviewed on my blog this Friday? If so, send me an email: tamara at byu dot net.
Thanks!
Tamara- So funny: "Too busy writing" for NaNo.
ReplyDeleteI would be happy to do an interview for your blog. I'm flattered. Are you sure you have the right person?
Brodi - I forgot to tell you, I finished Intertwined by Gena Showalter (her first YA novel). It was really good, I think you will like it. (Now I'm reading Lament by Maggie Stiefvater).
ReplyDeleteOh, and no NaNo for me unless we are talking about Mork and Mindy! =)
Wow! Impressive battleship. I couldn't have done it! (Or wouldn't have...let's be honest here!)
ReplyDeleteI would do the Nov. book thing but I can't get past getting a stupid idea in my head. I am not creative and not a story teller so I am still sitting round hoping insiration will hit! How do people do this??
Una- I'll add it to my list. Thanks for the tip! Nano Nano.
ReplyDeleteCam- Actually, a story is the one thing you don't need when writing a novel... Okay, that's not true. But I know for a fact you have a lot going on in that noggin' of yours. Where are you in your own book?
I swear for the first 10 years of my kids lives I was always cleaning up legos everywhere throughout my house, under the couches, in the heating vents...Then all of the sudden, they love to actually play with them, build things out of them, have battles with them, instead of throwing them everywhere. I found that after I had spent hours making the different models, I never wanted the kids to touch the thing because they would ruin it, hysterically cry, and I wanted to sue Legos for causing such misery to me. In the end though, Kid C will thank you for it.
ReplyDeleteSheer brilliance with that lego mess photo. I'm not telling you which one I was referring to, though. :p
ReplyDeleteI'm not doing NaNoWriMo. I can't. I tried it once a few years ago. I just care too much about what I'm writing to do it because I'm too busy to have time to write anything I care about at that rate. Or something like that. It sounded better in my head.
~Douglas
Dear Team Tamale-
ReplyDeleteNananananana na na! Score one for Team Gluten-Intolerant! My 45 pages are in the bag, and my legs are safe--for now. Now let's see if Brodi can pull her end of the deal. Get cracking' Brodi.
And may I point out that asking for a 1/3 of a novel in 2 weeks is way different than demanding an entire novel in a month. Oh well, I guess I knew I was in for that since I signed up for NaNoWriMo.
Going to need lots of encouragement.
My Nano name is breeds_pain, cuz that's how I feel about the whole the thing.
Erin- Years of pain and frustration, and all I get out of it is a lousy "Thank You" from Kid C? So not worth it.
ReplyDeleteDouglas- You're right. That did sound better in your head. :) But I totally get what you're saying. Thanks for commenting!
Team Gluten-Intolerant- Congratulations on your victory! Maybe we should just call it a night now. Just kidding. I will deliver a novel in 10 days, you will deliver one on Nov. 30th. We can do it!
"breeds_pain": so funny.
I attempted NaNo last year. And failed miserably. I got a whole 12000 words in the month. Woot!
ReplyDeleteMost of it was on the last day when I realized that November was almost over. It was not a very encouraging moment when all the people I knew who were doing it won. I'm not even attempting this year because of how busy I am with school stuff and SBO and other things. Maybe I'll be more prepared for it next year. Hmmmm....
Nice job on the word count thus far! Keep going! You can do it!
ReplyDeleteHannah- 12,000 words is crazy good, especially when you were in school. I am very impressed.
ReplyDeleteNikki- thanks for the encouragement. How's your stuff coming?
My own book?? Not so much :) I keep reading other books and ignoring this nagging feeling. I wrote about 5 pages of randomness hoping inspiration would strike. Not so much! I think I'm quite narcissistic to think I can write something, particularly something that wouldn't scare little children and horrify adults! LOL! But they say write what you know so what ever I birth will never be full of posies and fairy dust!
ReplyDeleteCam- Scaring little children and horrifying adults is what got me writing in the first place.
ReplyDeletenot lurking - funny checkout line story Laugh out loud - thats longhand for LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh today! I needed it! Love the check out line story too! You are hysterical!
ReplyDeleteDanno- thanks for spelling it out. I've been wondering what it meant...
ReplyDeleteMonae- you would've laughed if you were behind me, right?
Love the shrewed little boogers name!
ReplyDeleteI have decided to go for it. I'm crazy but I'm going for the 50,000. Again. Eeek. Do you think I can do it? :/
ReplyDeleteJo- All boogers are shrewd, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteHannah- You can do it!
You know, I might buy that battleship just for myself so I can put it together! I can't wait till Wes is old enough to play with Legos so I have an excuse to play with them myself.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where my comments have gone. I've commented on your last few posts but they seem to have evaporated into cyberspace. Hmmm... maybe it's lingering Halloween specters.
ReplyDeleteIn summary Brod. That is FANTASTIC news about your Dad! I am so relived!! He is amazing. Here's to beating cancer!
Secondly - you are the bomb. For making that totally intimidating lego ship! That is some serious commitment to your boys! (Please tell me that doesn't have to be in my boy-future.) And you are also the bomb for accepting the "write a novel in a month" challenge. You go girl! The whole process amazes me. Yeah Team tamale!
Ben- As much as I complain, they really are kinda fun. I'm the one who keeps buying the darn things, because I'm sorta a geek. You'll love building them with Wes!
ReplyDeleteCath- Thanks, girlfriend. Here, here to beating cancer. And yes, legos are in your future. You can't avoid it. They've been around since before we were born, and they'll still be here when we're gone.