Hey there!
So the original plan was to blog and vlog (youtube channel: m3lf4c3) for each week of NaNoWriMo 2010 so everyone could follow my progress, but obviously that didn't happen. I've been asked a few times since the beginning of the month (this month, mind you) if I managed to finish my novel for NaNoWriMo. The short answer is no, but I'll tell you the whole story ;)
I wrote my novel for the first couple weeks of November, but by week three it became apparent that if I continued with NaNoWriMo, I would not be able to keep up with my schoolwork (did I mention that I'm writing my senior thesis?) and there was no way I wanted to repeat my last semester of undergrad. I'm a pretty good student, but I can't balance all the normal paper-writing of school with novel writing. It really isn't an exaggeration to say that every day I missed my NaNoWriMo word count quota, I could have filled it with the hours of time spent researching and writing for my classes.
In addition to all my schoolwork, I was also experiencing a minor flare-up of my chronic fatigue syndrome all month, so I spent a lot of time sleeping, generally feeling run-down and fighting off infections.
So, in the end, I did not finish my novel, but I'm still an "A" student. So even though I'm not a winner and I fail at novel-writing, I'm still counting my first NaNoWriMo as a success. I had a blast, started a novel, and wrote more than I have for any project before. Plus, the experience didn't drive me to insanity or desperation.
I haven't decided yet if I'll take the time to finish my novel, but I really enjoyed the NaNoWriMo experience and I'm already planning to participate (and maybe win) in NaNoWriMo 2011. WOOOO! Who wants to join me?!? Guys? plz?
Anyway, back to normal life which, unfortunately, means finishing my senior thesis and generally wrapping-up the semester. By the end of this month, I'll be finished with my undergrad career FINALLY. Banzai!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
NaNoWriMo Week 1 OVER!
Oh God, it was a long week. And I'll so far behind! I put a NaNoWriMo Widget on the blog page so you can keep up with my progress. I'm sitting at 6,338 right now without having fulfilled today's (Monday) quota so that's my week one total. But I'm supposed to be at 11,669 to finish on time, so I have just over half of what I'm supposed to. I'm doing my best, though and I will continue to try my hardest, but I won't lie I'm not sure I can do this. There is probably never a good time to try to write a novel in a month, but if there was it is not when you are in school (writing your thesis btw), working, and trying to see your boyfriend every once in a while too. So the days when I don't hit my NaNo quota, you can bet I'm writing, but I'm writing my thesis instead of a novel.
I'm still pretty optimistic. I know that with hard work and maybe a little blood, sweat, and tears I could still pull this off. I still believe! So cheer for me!
I basically have 22 days left to accomplish this. BANZAI! BANZAI! BANZAI!
Right now, I'd rather not post an excerpt of my novel on here. But we'll see if I change my mind.
I'm still pretty optimistic. I know that with hard work and maybe a little blood, sweat, and tears I could still pull this off. I still believe! So cheer for me!
I basically have 22 days left to accomplish this. BANZAI! BANZAI! BANZAI!
Right now, I'd rather not post an excerpt of my novel on here. But we'll see if I change my mind.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
ORly?
So I blogged I while back about how I ran into a woman at Borders and she invited me to the local chapter of the Jane Austen Society and I accepted and I was excited to go because of my general nerdiness and how nice and encouraging she was at a time when I needed the encouragement and I went and it was awesome. Remember? Remember? Well...
It so happens that Borders Lady is a relative of a friend of mine! LOL! and apparently they don't like her very much, but that's another story. Funny funny small world. Except not really because apparently Borders Lady spends a lot of time in Borders and invites a lot of people to the Jane Austen Society. I was a mere fly caught in her web :) But regardless, I was pleased to accept the invitation and I'm still planning to continue with the Janeites.
You may not have noticed but I didn't mention much about seeing that lady again at the meeting I attended though I had been pretty pleased to meet her. I made a big deal out of honoring her invitation and then I didn't mention whether I saw her or not. Well, I did see her, but I spent most of the time conversing with the Janeites my age and, while I did greet her, we only spoke in passing.
New friend? Not so much. But I am grateful for the encouragement she gave me and the invitation.
But this whole episode reminded me of why I was so hesitant to resume blogging. In order to blog, you have to reveal things about yourself, your hopes and dreams, your complaints and troubles, your humor, etc. While you can choose how much to reveal, regardless of what you reveal, you always run the risk of discovering you were mistaken, naive, etc. And when you blog it, it is public. And, in some way, you can't take it back. It is way easier to appear ignorant or silly when hindsight is 20/20 and there is a written record of your past thoughts.
But I'm going to continue blogging because I'm self-aware enough to be comfortable with appearing silly or ignorant. Sometimes I am those things. And sometimes I'm not. But I want to be able to share myself because there are so many people who have shared themselves with me.
It so happens that Borders Lady is a relative of a friend of mine! LOL! and apparently they don't like her very much, but that's another story. Funny funny small world. Except not really because apparently Borders Lady spends a lot of time in Borders and invites a lot of people to the Jane Austen Society. I was a mere fly caught in her web :) But regardless, I was pleased to accept the invitation and I'm still planning to continue with the Janeites.
You may not have noticed but I didn't mention much about seeing that lady again at the meeting I attended though I had been pretty pleased to meet her. I made a big deal out of honoring her invitation and then I didn't mention whether I saw her or not. Well, I did see her, but I spent most of the time conversing with the Janeites my age and, while I did greet her, we only spoke in passing.
New friend? Not so much. But I am grateful for the encouragement she gave me and the invitation.
But this whole episode reminded me of why I was so hesitant to resume blogging. In order to blog, you have to reveal things about yourself, your hopes and dreams, your complaints and troubles, your humor, etc. While you can choose how much to reveal, regardless of what you reveal, you always run the risk of discovering you were mistaken, naive, etc. And when you blog it, it is public. And, in some way, you can't take it back. It is way easier to appear ignorant or silly when hindsight is 20/20 and there is a written record of your past thoughts.
But I'm going to continue blogging because I'm self-aware enough to be comfortable with appearing silly or ignorant. Sometimes I am those things. And sometimes I'm not. But I want to be able to share myself because there are so many people who have shared themselves with me.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Nanowrimo... I'm crazy
I've thrown my metaphorical hat into the ring. I have signed up to participate in this year's NaNoWriMo. If you don't know what that is --> link! http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano like magic!
It is really odd that I would choose to do this, for a few reasons: 1) I'm not an author, 2) I have no ambitions to be an author, 3) The vast majority of my writing is academic, typically history-related, 4) I'm currently writing my senior thesis to graduate, and 5) I don't have the time, energy or drive to "win."
But I'm going to give it a go anyway. I have never ever done anything like this before, and I'm not at all confident I'll finish anything on time, but how could you pass up the life experience? It's a big time commitment, but I'm risking very little for a chance to try something new, exciting, and challenging. I think if I can abstain from Korean dramas, reading, and video games for the month, I can do pretty well.
All in all, I have fairly low expectations of the result of my writing. I'm completely inexperienced and have to balance NaNoWriMo with my school work and academic writing. But I think that even if I don't finish my novel (which I assume I won't) I can be satisfied with my writing efforts and add it to my life resume.
As far as what I should write about, that is a bit more difficult. I have a bunch of story ideas that I've saved up over the years, but most of them more suited to a short story than a novel. Or I've outgrown the idea. Or I have a brilliant concept and a couple ideas for the story, but wouldn't want to write the whole thing. Sometimes I'm sure that creativity requires way more energy than I have available to me.
I have a week to come up with a plot I find exciting or compelling. Should be interesting.
Actually that probably encompasses my attitude toward NaNoWriMo, "Should be interesting." At the end of this month, I want to look back and feel that I was a part of an interesting and fun project alongside many more gifted authors. Let's try it!
Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!
It is really odd that I would choose to do this, for a few reasons: 1) I'm not an author, 2) I have no ambitions to be an author, 3) The vast majority of my writing is academic, typically history-related, 4) I'm currently writing my senior thesis to graduate, and 5) I don't have the time, energy or drive to "win."
But I'm going to give it a go anyway. I have never ever done anything like this before, and I'm not at all confident I'll finish anything on time, but how could you pass up the life experience? It's a big time commitment, but I'm risking very little for a chance to try something new, exciting, and challenging. I think if I can abstain from Korean dramas, reading, and video games for the month, I can do pretty well.
All in all, I have fairly low expectations of the result of my writing. I'm completely inexperienced and have to balance NaNoWriMo with my school work and academic writing. But I think that even if I don't finish my novel (which I assume I won't) I can be satisfied with my writing efforts and add it to my life resume.
As far as what I should write about, that is a bit more difficult. I have a bunch of story ideas that I've saved up over the years, but most of them more suited to a short story than a novel. Or I've outgrown the idea. Or I have a brilliant concept and a couple ideas for the story, but wouldn't want to write the whole thing. Sometimes I'm sure that creativity requires way more energy than I have available to me.
I have a week to come up with a plot I find exciting or compelling. Should be interesting.
Actually that probably encompasses my attitude toward NaNoWriMo, "Should be interesting." At the end of this month, I want to look back and feel that I was a part of an interesting and fun project alongside many more gifted authors. Let's try it!
Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tea with Austen
Follow-up to my previous blog :)
This weekend I did visit my local Jane Austen Society meeting. I brought a friend along to the event, which was really a tea party/book discussion on the patio of a small-town tea shop.
Things I learned from the experience:
1) Members of the Jane Austen Society refer to themselves as "Janeites,"
2) Membership fees are pretty reasonable (yes, I'm definitely considering it),
3) I like scones way more than I thought (I ate three),
4) Although I was concerned about the age demographic, the college-age demographic was well represented amongst the members at the meeting,
5) Although this particular meeting was all-female, I have been informed that it was a first for the group and that there is usually at least one male member/participant, and
6) All of the Janeites present were intelligent women interested in analyzing Jane Austen's books (in this particular case Northanger Abbey) characters, and Jane herself. None of that bodice-ripping fantasy nonsense ;) I was a little relieved.
In any case, I intend to go to their next meeting (in a month) and I'll probably join. As my friend and I were leaving the meeting, I told her that I suddenly felt in harmony with my Austen nerd side. I won't lie, it's a good feeling.
This weekend I did visit my local Jane Austen Society meeting. I brought a friend along to the event, which was really a tea party/book discussion on the patio of a small-town tea shop.
Things I learned from the experience:
1) Members of the Jane Austen Society refer to themselves as "Janeites,"
2) Membership fees are pretty reasonable (yes, I'm definitely considering it),
3) I like scones way more than I thought (I ate three),
4) Although I was concerned about the age demographic, the college-age demographic was well represented amongst the members at the meeting,
5) Although this particular meeting was all-female, I have been informed that it was a first for the group and that there is usually at least one male member/participant, and
6) All of the Janeites present were intelligent women interested in analyzing Jane Austen's books (in this particular case Northanger Abbey) characters, and Jane herself. None of that bodice-ripping fantasy nonsense ;) I was a little relieved.
In any case, I intend to go to their next meeting (in a month) and I'll probably join. As my friend and I were leaving the meeting, I told her that I suddenly felt in harmony with my Austen nerd side. I won't lie, it's a good feeling.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
potential new friends and an invitation
Today I visited my local Borders to buy the latest volume of a manga I love. While I was there, I spotted the graphic novel adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and, since I love Austen, sat down with a copy to see how Marvel had adapted the classic. As I was skimming the highlights of the adaptation, a woman sat next to me and looking at the book I was holding.
"Oh! You're reading Austen!" She said. I agreed that I was, although I amended that it was a graphic novel adaptation and not the original. She introduced herself as a member of the Jane Austen Society and invited me to attend their meetings. Apparently her group maintains a sort of book club in which they meet once a month. One meeting they will discuss an Austen novel, the next they will watch a film adaptation, and the next they discuss fanfiction for that novel. Interesting. I think I might go.
But it did get me thinking about how sometimes what seems like a chance encounter or an ordinary conversation becomes something more. When we meet people and start to get to know them, it opens up potential friendships and experiences.
I hope I will attend. And I hope that the experience will allow me to meet people and have interesting conversations and try something new. But besides that, I'm just really glad to have met this woman and talked with her. We probably only talked for 10 minutes or so, but the conversation meant a lot to me. She didn't give me life-changing advice or tell me what to do, but she was very warm and encouraging. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I do want to go to the Jane Austen Society and, while I do enjoy Jane Austen, it's because I want to meet and talk to new friends.
"Oh! You're reading Austen!" She said. I agreed that I was, although I amended that it was a graphic novel adaptation and not the original. She introduced herself as a member of the Jane Austen Society and invited me to attend their meetings. Apparently her group maintains a sort of book club in which they meet once a month. One meeting they will discuss an Austen novel, the next they will watch a film adaptation, and the next they discuss fanfiction for that novel. Interesting. I think I might go.
But it did get me thinking about how sometimes what seems like a chance encounter or an ordinary conversation becomes something more. When we meet people and start to get to know them, it opens up potential friendships and experiences.
I hope I will attend. And I hope that the experience will allow me to meet people and have interesting conversations and try something new. But besides that, I'm just really glad to have met this woman and talked with her. We probably only talked for 10 minutes or so, but the conversation meant a lot to me. She didn't give me life-changing advice or tell me what to do, but she was very warm and encouraging. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I do want to go to the Jane Austen Society and, while I do enjoy Jane Austen, it's because I want to meet and talk to new friends.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Oh the memories...
I honestly can't remember the last blog I wrote. It was definitely years ago... high school? Maybe early college? The funny thing is, I'm not really sure why I stopped. I habitually think to myself, "This would make a good blog." or, "I should write a blog about that." No follow-through.
Well, I have been too complacent to create a new blog account for far too long! Viola! A blog of endless potential! Maybe. If I actually use it. Which I should.
It conjures up memories of all the diaries I tried to start when I was a kid. Have you seen Natalie Tran's Youtube video about neglected diaries? Yeah... I was definitely the kid who started a diary, named it, promised to share my exciting life and adventures with it and then never wrote in it again. I'm no Anne Frank. But then, maybe I would be if I had less mobility. I can think of a perfect example. I took a semester off from college a few years ago (for health reasons) and it was only then, when I was stuck at home, that I became a video-gamer and otaku. And I grew to love both and still try to maintain both as hobbies. So I guess the good news is that even if I don't get back into blogging now, there's always the chance that my health could fail me (again) and then I'll have plenty of time to blog. Something to look forward to. But since that hasn't happened quite yet, I make no promises that I'll blog all the time or be the most interesting woman on the nets. That's probably out of my sphere. But I will try to keep up this blog, anyway. Maybe.
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