Monday, November 27, 2017

What I've learned through Nanowrimo

This year I did nanowrimo.

Well I actually really did it.

I didn't complete 50,000 words to have a novel written but I have about 12,000 done. Which, to be honest and fair is 12,000 more words than I would have had done if I hadn't signed up for it.
This year was different.

More often I would go into nanowrimo as a goose to my ongoing project. This year I'm shopping the project that was ongoing last year to agents.  (Fingers crossed!)

This year I started a new project on November 1. 27 days later I have 12,000 words done.
More important I have learned about myself as a writer and a little bit as a person, and a little bit as a mom.

I am not a "pantser"

I went to the Writers Digest Conference this year. I learned about pantsers--people who write their novel by the seat of their pants. I thought--hey, maybe I can do that. Before with the novels and screenplays I have written I would write a sketchy outline, and fill more things in as I went. Thinking of it as a bus line. Sometimes I'd get off and do a bit of exploring but at least I knew which bus line would get me from here to there.
So I was going to write without this safety net. I was going to write by the seat of my pants.

Well that didn't happen. If I realized when I sat down that I wanted to get character A to Point A, the session went well. If I didn't it was like my characters looked at me and said "Hey, you created me, you asshole, you figure this shit out." I didn't. What I have been doing with my writing time today and what I will be doing with my writing time this week is write a goddamn outline.

The only person I'm competing with is myself. 

My niece told me she was doing Nanowrimo. She might have even finished it. Who knows but I kept thinking, hey, I'm older and I've had stuff published professionally. Why is she doing this? How come I'm not doing better?

Then I hit myself over the head. I'm not competing with her. I'm writing my novel. She's writing hers. She's 29, I'm 46 which leads me to...

Writing while being a mom is hard

I knew this, but this time it was brought home to me by my daughter who would go off and play by herself for a while but the minute I started to write she wanted my undivided attention. This led to

My best ideas came when my head hit the pillow. 

This required me to sigh and debate if I wanted to grab my cell phone and speak the ideas or get up and write way into the morning.


What comes next:

Write an outline.
Make my world building shine.

Finish by March 15, 2018.

Here goes!



Monday, November 20, 2017

Microblog Monday Food snobby

And now for something completely different.
This is not a political rant.
This is not something about adoption.

This--is about food.

I'm making Thanksgiving dinner this year.

I've been watching a lot of food network. Reading a lot of Pinterest. and I have a rant.

I am tired of food snobbiness when it comes to home cooking. 

I really am.

It's so off the cuff. "What like you're going to make franks in blankets for an appetizer?" Since it's on a web page I can't actually see the wrinkled nose or the "ewww" look that I saw every day in high school. It's implied though.
Yes. Yes I am. Moreover, if I didn't, there would be a revolt at my house by my husband, my daughter, and my father. I think that my dad would rather be without the turkey than the hot dogs in blankets.

Shall I continue? Of course.

I'm also serving sweet potato kugel (pudding)--yep, there will be marshmallows on top.
I'm also serving the green bean casserole. With canned cream of mushroom soup because I've never tasted anything better that it didn't take me for f**king ever to make.
So many articles I've read have had their guns blazing for these simple recipes you'd think that they were accused of sexual harassment. To be fair one article had a variation on the sweet potato pudding for people who aren't hosting over eight people and I plan to try that on a night when I'm not hosting so many people.

You know what? The last time I made this dinner there were hardly any leftovers. You know why? Because my guests ate those dishes that all of a sudden people are saying "ewww." You know why these are "classics"? Because people eat them and enjoy them.

If you're going to a fancy restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner and you don't want these dishes, don't order them. If you've been invited to a person's home, don't eat what you don't want to eat. Offer to bring something to serve. But that "ewww" look? That "this isn't fancy enough" sniff? That's uncivil and antithetic to what this holiday is about.

Be thankful you have a relative or friend who invited you to their home.
Be thankful that you are fed enough that you can decide what you want to eat or don't want to eat.
Be thankful that you're in a warm place.

Unless a rat crawls out of the turkey and bites you on your nose, say to your host, "Thank you, what a lovely dinner."

If a rat crawls out of the turkey---well tell about it!

Wishing you a happy thanksgiving with plentiful, good food.
Wishing you a happy thanksgiving with no awkward political conversations.
Wishing you enough in your life that gratitude is your default position.

Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. What would your family have a fit about if it wasn't on the Thanksgiving table.

Monday, November 13, 2017

The 2016 election requires new language - Microblog Monday

I have been working as a freelance writer for some time now.

The last few months have been lean. I supplement by tutoring and I have grown to love it.

The other day I had an argument with one of my students. I'd call him my favorite student and it would be true but they're all my favorite. Anyway...

We were doing synonyms. And the word was Travesty.

There were four possible answers. One was mockery (correct) the other was disaster (not correct).  I told him he was wrong and he argued. He said that in several article he's read about Trump becoming president, the word "travesty" was used. He found several articles online and showed them to me. In those articles, one from CNN, another from the LA Times, the tone and meaning of the word travesty seemed to be disaster. He was defending his point and he was angry.

 Can I say how much I enjoy the fact that he is so mad about use of language that he is ARGUING? A 13 year old boy is just that pissed!!

I acknowledged that he had a point. The very next word was the word rescind. He said that means destroy. I said it means subvert. He rolls his eyes, "are we going to go through this again?"

Has the 2016 election scarred us so much that we need to repair the English language? Is it that bad? Well obviously it is. I'm sick to death about the state of things in this country and we're not even halfway through.

But I will say that I've got some hope.
When a trans woman wins over a homophobic bigot who wrote a bathroom bill and then refuses to insult the opponent because he is her constituent?  I've got hope.

When people in Virginia have set records for a non-presidential election for turnout I  have hope.

I do have hope, and fear, and anger.

But really, can we agree that we don't need to mess up the language?

Monday, November 6, 2017

Microblog Monday - Tales from the snot monster

So, I'm sick.

My husband came home with the cold. He suffered and gave it to Lotus. She suffered and made sure she cuddled her mommy hard. I have been given the cold.

I am the snot monster.

Because Lotus doesn't feel well we have been spending an inordinate amount of time watching children's television. Lotus' new favorite is My Little Pony at Equestria High.  It has been an abrupt shift from Vampirina.

Vampirina is the love child of the Addams family and the Munsters. Lotus loves it. or...she did. This week there was a new episode on. Yay. I wasn't paying attention as I know that a new episode of Vampirina to Lotus is like a new episode of Scandal to her mommy. Basically it means that  the world could explode and she would just be making sure that she got the rest of the show. All of a sudden Lotus cries out--"I don't like this one. I want it off." I looked up to find that one of Vampirina's family has been packed in a crate (by accident) and given away. To say that Lotus found this too close to home would be an understatement. She came on my lap and together we watched how Vampirina went through all hoops to get the family back. We turned it off and hugged for a while. It wasn't too long before we got the question. "Did China mommy leave me by accident?"

There are often so many triggers for adoptees. Tangled, Finding Dory, but I admit I didn't see this one coming. I just have to roll with the punches, much like I'm teaching Lotus to.

And hoping to get rid of the snot monster.