Differences
#Reverb10, Day 8: Beautifully Different.
Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.
I’ve actually touched on this recently, elsewhere, but more thinking about it is never bad.
Different. I am that. Physically: I’m tall and skinny, with frizzy/curly hair that’s never been dyed or highlighted. I don’t dress fashionably, pluck my eyebrows, or wear makeup other than foundation and unobtrusive lipstick. I slump a bit, I walk a little strangely. Moving past the purely physical: I’m a picky eater. I’m a geek. I’m shy and a bit socially awkward. I’m not a cynic. I don’t drink or do drugs or see any point in either. I think the best social night involves a couple close friends, a lot of laughter, and maybe one of my favorite TV shows. And so on.
I have a tendency to want to hide the things that make me different. Turns out, though, that sometimes they’re not such bad things. I like myself, for one thing. For another, like the prompt says, I know that what makes me different can also be what people like about me. As my sister has said to me — I’m goofy. I should embrace that. I have more fun when I do. It also lets people know me, not just the somewhat boring face I put towards the world. So what if “most” people don’t like to spend their time writing or watching scifi TV shows? I enjoy it. And it turns out there are plenty of people who enjoy the same things; I just might not find that out unless I say something first.
So, different — that’s okay. Or at least, I’m working on that being okay.
Out where I feel alive
#Reverb10, Day 3: Moment.
Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
This kind of question is usually really hard for me to answer. I have trouble calling up memories on command, especially with a qualitative or comparative criteria — best, worst, favorite, or, in this case, “a moment when you…” Surprisingly enough, this time, I actually have an answer close at hand!
I went on a trip to Utah with my family a couple months ago. We stayed at campgrounds in a pop-out trailer. We had essential amenities: bathrooms, hot showers, a kitchenette, heat and air conditioning, and wifi. (Computers and internet access are necessities of modern life.) We had all of those things, so maybe we weren’t exactly roughing it, but the change in life from what I was used to every day was still huge.
Outside our camper in the first campsite, red mountains rose into a brilliant blue sky. The air was cold and crisp, even in October — it was still summer when I flew out of Texas! There was gravel under my feet, or grass that I’m sure had to be watered as often as possible to keep alive. I could hear the wind rustle the leaves on the trees lining the campground; I could hear a few other people here and there, talking and laughing and moving around; I could hear birds and just the occasional car driving by. There was no hum of machinery, no radio, no television, no tapping at keyboards or talking about work. It was largely quiet. The change in altitude had made me a little dizzy, but I knew I’d get over it. It was a small price to pay for the beauty and serenity of the world I’d entered.
It wasn’t just that moment, standing outside our camper on that first morning. It was the whole trip. On a normal day in my normal life, I’m conscious of being at least a little tired most of the time. On that trip, if I was tired, it was because I’d earned it. If I had to pick another moment, it would be one of the hikes we took — to Hickman Bridge one day, in the sunlight, climbing up the trail and down into a gorge. Getting out, getting moving, seeing sights I’d never seen before — it was absolutely amazing. All of it was.
That trip was such a wonderful experience for me. I want to do more like that. I want to get out. Explore. Be in nature. I can’t imagine anything better.
Reverb10 – Writing
Day 2: Writing
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
The biggest thing is poor time management. That is, wasting time. Things like mindlessly and endlessly refreshing my favorite websites, or watching whatever happens to be on HGTV or USA. While chill time is definitely necessary, there’s a real difference between mindfully relaxing and killing time. I know I’m not exactly unique in this problem! I did a pretty good job of focusing on writing during NaNo, though, so I know I do have the capacity to waste less time than I usually do. I really want to keep that going.
The other thing, if I can get a little more abstract, is not paying attention. A good writer is supposed to use her experiences and knowledge of the world, right? I’m not all that good at experiencing the world. I don’t pay all that much attention to what goes on around me, and I certainly don’t seek out experiences outside my comfort zone. How is my writing supposed to be rich and insightful, or at least engaging and entertaining, if I don’t have a breadth of experience and understanding to put into it? I’d like to say I plan to get out and experience more this year, but I’m pretty sure I say that every year. While I do hope it will be true for 2011, maybe the most I can promise myself is to pay more attention in the situations I’m already in. It’s a step.
Reverb10
I saw a friend mention Reverb10 and decided to check it out. It’s a project all about reflecting on the year that we just had and looking ahead to the next one. They’re providing a prompt each day for people to write and reflect on. I liked the first prompt so much I decided to join! I look forward to seeing what other prompts we get throughout the month.
Day 1: One Word
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
My first thought for 2010 was chaos. More accurate, though, is uncertainty. In January, it seemed like it would be a fairly unexceptional year. In February, the Constellation program was canceled, and suddenly everything was uncertain. Along with everyone else associated with that part of the space program, I went from being certain of my job situation (for the next 3-5 years) to worrying about it every day. We didn’t know if we were supposed to keep working. We didn’t know if our projects were going to come to a screeching halt today, tomorrow, a week from now, a month… That uncertainty, that fear, lasted for most of the year. It colored everything. Things have settled down, now, at least somewhat; decisions were made that gave us a path ahead.
For 2011… It’s hard, because I know how hard it is to predict what will happen; just look at this year. But ideally, I think what I want is progress. That doesn’t sound quite right, but it’s the closest I can get. The dictionary definition of “progress” is a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal). That’s what I want. Personally, psychologically, professionally, and with my writing, I’d like to be ahead of where I am now. I’m not shooting for the stars or a drastic life change. Instead, I need to set reasonable goals and make plans for how to get there.
NaNo Winner!
I did it! \o/
Most of the month didn’t go as easily as the first week did. I even got behind the last week, thanks to not writing a single word on Thanksgiving. But I recovered, and I crossed the finish line shortly before 8 PM on Tuesday!
The story isn’t anywhere near done, mind you. I’m at best two-thirds of the way through the story; it may be more like halfway. That’s alright. I’m planning to set aside this spring for finishing at least one of the novels I’ve started during my various NaNo endeavors. It’d be awesome to have a complete first draft of a novel in my hands! (After that will come the editing part of life, but that’s okay, too.)
I had a lot of fun with NaNo this year. I really enjoyed the story I was writing, the characters and the world and even the plot. I’m glad I spent time with it! ❤ Can’t wait to see what I come up with for next year…
Twists and turns
I went to my first write-in today! A few people showed up and none of us talked much, but that was alright. I got my word count goal met and more! 2150 words for the day, and I’m now officially a full day ahead. WOO! I continue to have no idea how I’m managing this, but I’ll roll with it as long as possible.
I will say, this has been much less painful than my previous two years. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m completely pantsing this or what. (Pantsing = writing by the seat of your pants, as opposed to having planned things out.) All I know is, none of my scenes have been the painful slog that I remember from previous years. So far, at least! With any luck, that will continue. Fingers crossed!
As a result of my lack of planning, my plot is surprising me. I started off the story with the team supposedly wrapping up a case — it was supposed to be a one-off, just a way to introduce what the team did. I randomly threw in a bit about how the weapons they were seizing were cursed, though, and that has spiraled into a major plot point. Separate from that, I set up another case, which was supposed to be the primary one that would take my plot the direction I intended things to go. Except… now I have two cases?
After a little thinking about it, I realized they can dovetail quite nicely. The two cases:
1) Cursed crossbow bolt heads, cursed by the god of darkness. Turns out this isn’t the first case of cursed goods recently. Investigation nets them some information but they run into a roadblock.
2) Drug and poison ring. Cale and Hank go under to get to the head guy(s) in charge. They find things tying into a temple of light, much to everyone’s surprise. It turns out, though, that the head bad guy is tied into the temple of the god of darkness.
This is about more than some cursed weaponry and a drug ring. This is a dark god pushing the boundaries. The fight has to be won on two fronts: the Guards, facing the criminals who’ve stepped over the bounds of the law, and the temples of light, fighting back to restore balance and keep the dark god from taking over the world.
At least, that’s what the plot looks like right now. We’ll see if there are any more twists and turns as I go! I’m enjoying letting it flow, letting myself be surprised by what comes out of my keyboard. I’m trying not to second-guess any of it, though I’ll admit, I have erased a sentence or two that threatened to take a scene in the wrong direction. A little guidance is necessary at times!
Football is Distracting
I didn’t get a lot written last night. I was too busy watching my football team lose! Oh well. I had enough of a pad that I’m not behind — but I need to make sure to get back on the ball tonight! The good news is, we’re going into the weekend now. I should have plenty of writing time the next few days.
On Sunday, I’m planning to go to my first write-in ever. Yay!
A bit unexpected
I’m kind of amazed at my word count! I’ve written more than 2000 words each day so far this week. It’s a great way to start the month! I’m just rolling with it while I’ve got it — I know I’ll hit speedbumps and roadblocks sometime this month, so I’m building up a pad to protect against those days.
Also unexpected was a new character that showed up today. I’d intended my next scene to take Sara back to the office. Instead, she wound up outside a different precinct. In order to keep her cover, she had to go in, make like she had a reason to be there. It turns out she’s friends with the captain there! I’d been considering giving her a female friend, so… now she has one! One who’s more than a little inspired by Murphy, from the Dresden Files. (The book series and television series both. I named her Connie Karinas.) Inspired mostly in looks and name, less in personality — she hasn’t been around long enough for me to figure that out. But it’s interesting to have another character to play with!
Day 2!
I’m very pleased with my progress so far! I’m ahead of where I need to be, which is awesome. Two days of 2000+ words is a great way to start off the month!
Today’s scene has been a lot of backstory and description. That’s good, though! Blocks of text eat up the word count more than dialog (though the latter can be faster to write, for me), and it lets me really get into my main character and the world she’s in. They’re both enchanting me right now, and that’s exactly the way I want to feel! Hopefully that feeling will last.
I’m glad to have reached my word count goal at a reasonable time tonight — now I can go to bed!
Time Management
Sleep-deprived and it’s barely day 2. NaNo is slightly evil.
I had class last night after work, down at the University of Houston. Class goes from 6:30 to 9:30, so I knew I’d be getting back late. I also knew I only had a few hundred (okay, 604) words to go to get my minimum for the day, which I figured (hoped) I could knock out fairly quickly.
Tired though I was when I got home, I sat down and wrote, rather than turning on the TV. I got my word count — not quickly, but I got it. Kept writing until I hit what felt like a good spot to stop for the night. Checked my word count at that point: 1998. I couldn’t leave it there! Just two more words to break 2000. No sweat. So I wrote two more words — except they were part of a sentence, so I had to write the whole sentence. And once that was done, I might as well write the paragraph. And then keep going.
I wound up finishing the scene somewhere around 11:45. I could barely keep my eyes open! I’d gotten up early that morning, and I was feeling it. You know those times when you’re almost too exhausted to sleep? When the act of getting ready for bed feels like way too much effort, and you’re tempted to just fall face-first, fully clothed, onto your bed and pass out that way? That’s how I felt. It wasn’t entirely pleasant.
Guess I need to work on time management, huh?
On the other hand, I made progress! I now have two scenes written. In the one I wrote last night, I got Sara and Cale face-to-face for the first time in the story. There was flirting. I got to establish Sara’s faith and imply Cale’s agnosticism. I mentioned Sara’s mother, whom we’ll be meeting in the next scene. I also had an unexpected digression about the state of the docks and how merchant shipping was hit hard by a natural disaster. I’m not sure where that came from, but I don’t want it to be filler — maybe I can work it into the plot?
Actually, I like that. It’s giving me ideas…
Feathers and Light 