no na no ~

[lookingland]

just me blithering here ~ i keep saying i am not NaNoing, and yet i filled out my profile over there and i am writing (a wee over 4k this morn), so i am not sure how long this denial will continue. i picked as the subject, what ought to be a novella called After Shiloh, which is one of those stories that's not really critical in the scheme of all things (or maybe it is, who knows anymore), but i thought it would be interesting to tell. i also think it will give me an opportunity to explores certain aspects of James's personality that i tend to forget about ~ particularly regarding his post-operative mood swings.

there's also a ton of detail work i have never really figgered out on this one, like what's James doing at Shiloh in the first place? dunno if i can answer that, but this exercise will give me a chance to explore.



beautiful image of the cemetery at the Shiloh battlefield
from the gallery of Richard
congrats on the kick-off to all of you who are actually Nano-ing!

: D

Comments

[utter-scoundrel.livejournal.com]

You can't quit them. You never will. :)

Hey, where does a person na no. Do they do it directly on the site. Or do they submit their work by electronic file at the end of the month?

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

the site to register is NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org) (it's ridiculously slow right now with the glut of front end excitement ~ it will get less cloggy in a few days). at the end of the month you submit a file to the word counter, but it can be a file of gibberish (everything is on the honor system). i usually submit a file of gibberish just to not have my actual work be submitted (not that they save any of this stuff). anyway, not sure i'm explaining any of this very well ~ maybe when the site is running well, you can browse the faqs and get a better idea of it all.

i started NaNo back when it was just a wee organization and not all this insanity. i keep saying i will quit, but every year i am writing anyway, so it seems silly not to do it. or something.

: o p

[cathellisen.livejournal.com]

I like Nano as an excuse to do something unexpected, to write the story you weren't going to.

It's a month's break from other writing work, and I have the feeling I'll come back to my work recharged.

It might be the same for you, exploring the Shiloh story could germinate new ideas for the main stories.

Good luck with the writing.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

all true (oh the sweet joy of justification!). thanks for the well-wishes. i figger if this results in some fun scenework at least, it's all worth while. last year's NaNo was mostly a dreadful wash, but looking back at my draft for Figfield there were a few things in there worth keeping or building on, i s'pose.

how's your novel coming along?

: D

[cathellisen.livejournal.com]

I'm sick so i got no sleep, which means I thought about my novel a whole lot, so it was good for something.

Alas, i just got home, and now I have a friend on her way to visit, so no writing today. I knew it would be so, that's why i wrote 3700 yesterday.

I think looking it as playing with scenes is also a cool idea. I mean, it's one month of brainstorming, basically, which is cool.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

well 3700 is ahead of the game, and i think you need regular day breaks to take the pressure off, so i hope you have fun for your non-writing evening!

i've definitely always approached NaNo from a scene perspective rather than a contiguous draft perspective. it's a lot easier to jump all over the map than write in chronological order ~ for me, at least.

: D

[cathellisen.livejournal.com]

i've definitely always approached NaNo from a scene perspective rather than a contiguous draft perspective. it's a lot easier to jump all over the map than write in chronological order

Also good for when you get stuck.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

absolutely ~ ! it's easier to do fill-ins and short transitions sometimes after you've gotten all the big pieces in place.

[littlewings04.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not NaNoing this year, either. It's my first year in graduate school, I need the time for my papers and to sort out my thesis to take me into the PhD programs, you know? I need November to sort me out. NaNo can wait.

Are you familiar with some of the theories that suggest the way Shiloh is currently understood is incorrect due to the on-the-ground evidence of how the battle happened? I ran across this in "Confederates in the Attic", and I should check into it more, but the rangers at Shiloh and some Shiloh historians have been challenging the traditional map of the battle for a few years now.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i actually know very little about this battle (pittsburgh landing is where i want to focus my energy). shiloh is one of those battles i have not done hardly any research on, which was part of why i wanted to choose it ~ to get me motivated to find out what the deal is.

i'm very curious now about what you said ~ i will definitely look into more recent scholarship on the events! thank you!

: D

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

Yay for Nano! It doesn't matter whether you admit you're doing it or not (although you won't get the adrenaline rush if you keep denying it), just so long as you do it.

Welcome to the ranks! ;-)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

no ~ no nano ~ no no no!

well, maybe a little.

but nooooooo!

: D

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

Yes! Yesyesyes! Just a little! 50,001 words worth of little!

You must do it....

You cannot resist...

Nano is in your mind, compelling your actions! You shall do Nano! Shall! Shall, I say!

Ahem. Sugar high? What sugar high? :blinks innocently:

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

hahahahahaha ~ i hope some of this crazy energy is going toward actually writing your NaNo!

: D

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

Actually, yes! :bounces: I have almost 4000 words now, which means I'm ahead of where I need to be (although waaayyyyy behind where i would normally be by now...but what can I say?! I have so much other stuff to do this year, it's not even funny. )

Yay for Nano! :bounces more: :is hyper:

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

4k is nothing to sneeze at for just getting out of the gate, even so!

hope the "high" lasts for you ~ don't wear yourself down!

and i know what you mean about having so much to do ~ november is always the worst month for me, busy-wise. but oh well ~ makes the challenge all the more daring, right?

: D

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Oh, you've been sucked into the soul-consuming vortex known as NaNo... It's like the mafia... you can never get out. They keep pullin' you back in!

Good luck with After Shiloh, Boots. Not that you know, you're really doing NaNo or anything... that was more of a hypothetical good luck. Just in case or something. ;-)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

isn't it a strange coincidence that i just happened to be writing a 50k novella during the month of november?

will wonders never cease?

hahahaha ~ thank you for the well-wishes, NaNo or no.

: D

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Yeah, strange coincidence that. lol... Life is a funny thing sometimes. :-)