Oh my gosh, oh my gosh you guys!
Yes that was a direct Legally Blonde quote. Don't judge me.
But really, oh my gosh! I am so excited right now. Because I finished my novel! My first ever finished novel!
I've been working on this baby since about the seventh grade. (I'm now in tenth.) It's called Minds, and it's my masterpiece. It's my baby. I've been working on it forever, constantly continuing it and then stopping again, and now it's finally done!
The first draft, anyway.
But still. It took so long to get me here. First random writing for like two years, then JulNo this year, then AugNo, and now my last couple thousand words today during SeptNo.
The novel is now 93,845 words. It's 160 pages (11 pt font, single spaced) in Word. I am so incredibly proud of myself for getting it this far.
Now I think I'll leave it alone for a while so that I don't have to bleach my eyes in the middle of the month from too much reading of bad writing. (I wasn't as skilled in seventh grade as I am now. Let's just say that.)
So. Progress so far: one finished novel, one WriMo to work on. I'm 2,786 words into SeptNo at this point, so I'm doing well. I'm on track.
Anyway, bed calls. Good night.
Dani Pink Cloud
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
AugNo, SeptNo, and School, Oh My!
Well, yet again, I find myself in the position of the lowest of the low: a fail blogger. Sigh. I'm sorry.
Yes, I did just apologize to myself. Don't judge. I know you talk to yourself too. Everyone does, you know.
Well! I guess I'll start at the beginning of last month. I decided to do AugNo, with a goal of 25K. This was a seemingly attainable goal. But naturally, I was wrong.
Because - wait for it - the dreaded . . . most feared . . . most blocked from a writer's mind . . . school came along.
That forced me to do my entire summer homework within a very short amount of time. That just goes to prove what my AP World teacher told me: "Procrastination is the thief of Time." Not that that'll ever stop me.
Anyway. So I was faced with writing, homework, a weeklong vacation, and then directly after said vacation, school.
It didn't go as well as planned. Basically, I pushed my goal back down to 20K, which I did manage to make, happily. I won AugNo, my second WriMo ever, with 20,484 words.
Now it's September. And from the title of this post, I bet you can guess what I did.
I signed up for SeptNo.
"Oh, Dani, you're nuts!" "How are you going to manage it with school?" "WHY?" I know that's what you're all thinking.
Or maybe just the last part. But still.
In answer to the most essential last question out of the above list, I signed up in preparation for NaNo. I didn't want to face a month where I had to write 50K during school so suddenly. So here I am, signed up for SeptNo with a goal of 25K. I really just need this to teach myself how to deal, how not to procrastinate.
Hopefully, it'll work.
In other news, my story Minds, which was my JulNo and AugNo novel, is now at 91,043 words! Exciting, no? This is by far the longest thing I've ever written. Personal goal: hit 100K. Oh, yeah.
I'm going to do it. Meaning the 100K, SeptNo, and school. I'll juggle it all. Somehow.
Good luck to both myself and whoever might be reading this.
Dani Pink Cloud
Yes, I did just apologize to myself. Don't judge. I know you talk to yourself too. Everyone does, you know.
Well! I guess I'll start at the beginning of last month. I decided to do AugNo, with a goal of 25K. This was a seemingly attainable goal. But naturally, I was wrong.
Because - wait for it - the dreaded . . . most feared . . . most blocked from a writer's mind . . . school came along.
That forced me to do my entire summer homework within a very short amount of time. That just goes to prove what my AP World teacher told me: "Procrastination is the thief of Time." Not that that'll ever stop me.
Anyway. So I was faced with writing, homework, a weeklong vacation, and then directly after said vacation, school.
It didn't go as well as planned. Basically, I pushed my goal back down to 20K, which I did manage to make, happily. I won AugNo, my second WriMo ever, with 20,484 words.
Now it's September. And from the title of this post, I bet you can guess what I did.
I signed up for SeptNo.
"Oh, Dani, you're nuts!" "How are you going to manage it with school?" "WHY?" I know that's what you're all thinking.
Or maybe just the last part. But still.
In answer to the most essential last question out of the above list, I signed up in preparation for NaNo. I didn't want to face a month where I had to write 50K during school so suddenly. So here I am, signed up for SeptNo with a goal of 25K. I really just need this to teach myself how to deal, how not to procrastinate.
Hopefully, it'll work.
In other news, my story Minds, which was my JulNo and AugNo novel, is now at 91,043 words! Exciting, no? This is by far the longest thing I've ever written. Personal goal: hit 100K. Oh, yeah.
I'm going to do it. Meaning the 100K, SeptNo, and school. I'll juggle it all. Somehow.
Good luck to both myself and whoever might be reading this.
Dani Pink Cloud
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Why I Am (sort of) A Fail
I am a fail blogger. I haven't blogged in....I don't know. Weeks. Since last month, I know that. So, I'm back, and alive!
Oh, and the reason the URL had to change was because I changed my email, so I was able to transfer all the information onto here, but I had to make a different URL.
Anyway. The one redeeming factor here is that I WON JULNO! That's what makes me not so much full of fail. So, yeah, I won, with 51,507 and ranked 95. But I was in at least the top 90 to win, it's just that people caught up to me. So, yeah.
Basically, I'm really happy with myself because I won my first WriMo, even though I thought I would be an epic failure.
Of course, I didn't finish my novel, Minds, however. So I signed up for AugNo to finish it. That's the project I'm working on now. My AugNo goal is 25,000, and I'm at 11,714 currently.
Also, I am a total fail, because I procrastinated so much for summer homework. I now have to do it ALL before Saturday. Today's Wednesday. *dies*
Saturday is when I go on vacation, by the way. I come home the day before school starts. ;D
So. I need to get back to work. On both writing and homework. *sigh* Well, goodbye all, be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
Oh, and the reason the URL had to change was because I changed my email, so I was able to transfer all the information onto here, but I had to make a different URL.
Anyway. The one redeeming factor here is that I WON JULNO! That's what makes me not so much full of fail. So, yeah, I won, with 51,507 and ranked 95. But I was in at least the top 90 to win, it's just that people caught up to me. So, yeah.
Basically, I'm really happy with myself because I won my first WriMo, even though I thought I would be an epic failure.
Of course, I didn't finish my novel, Minds, however. So I signed up for AugNo to finish it. That's the project I'm working on now. My AugNo goal is 25,000, and I'm at 11,714 currently.
Also, I am a total fail, because I procrastinated so much for summer homework. I now have to do it ALL before Saturday. Today's Wednesday. *dies*
Saturday is when I go on vacation, by the way. I come home the day before school starts. ;D
So. I need to get back to work. On both writing and homework. *sigh* Well, goodbye all, be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
Thursday, July 22, 2010
All Caught Up!
Yay! I am finally caught up! I surpassed the daily word goal yesterday. Now I'm at 34,468 words. Yay! I'm going to make it. I really am.
But!
Somehow, summer always manages to catch me in its tight grip. I plan to be totally relaxed, do nothing, sign up for JulNo. And then all this STUFF comes along.
For example: diving. Practice plus a meet on Sunday. Also, friends. Yes, must be social. And UCLA. Dad's taking me on a tour. And of course, the ever tempting beach. Well, what else does one do in SoCal?
See what I mean? Somehow, summer always manages to get me all caught up in a net of stuff I just HAVE to do.
So that's what I think the real challenge of JulNo, of any WriMo, is. It's not to write 50,000 words. Anyone with no life can do that in 30-31 days. The real challenge is to make time to write. To force yourself to get into your craft, to not abandon it for all the stuff that you think is "more important."
I accept that challenge.
And I'm off to try to meet it.
Dani Pink Cloud
But!
Somehow, summer always manages to catch me in its tight grip. I plan to be totally relaxed, do nothing, sign up for JulNo. And then all this STUFF comes along.
For example: diving. Practice plus a meet on Sunday. Also, friends. Yes, must be social. And UCLA. Dad's taking me on a tour. And of course, the ever tempting beach. Well, what else does one do in SoCal?
See what I mean? Somehow, summer always manages to get me all caught up in a net of stuff I just HAVE to do.
So that's what I think the real challenge of JulNo, of any WriMo, is. It's not to write 50,000 words. Anyone with no life can do that in 30-31 days. The real challenge is to make time to write. To force yourself to get into your craft, to not abandon it for all the stuff that you think is "more important."
I accept that challenge.
And I'm off to try to meet it.
Dani Pink Cloud
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sharing Isn't Always Caring
Yes, I do realize this is my third post of the day. Tough luck. I'm a very busy person, procrastinating and all.
Anyway. Sharing is caring. Not always true, folks, especially when it comes to the Internet. I already know that I shouldn't share a lot of my personal information. I mean, duh. I have Facebook, I think I've figured out by now that it's not good to put your freaking address out on the Internet.
But.
I am facing a dilemma. A writing dilemma, to be exact.
To share, or not to share? That is my question. I don't mind sharing excerpts. In fact, that's great. But I'm sort of hedging about websites like Fictionpress.com and Inkpop.com. Is it really a good idea to put my work, my ideas, out on the Internet in public like that? I don't know.
Pros: reviews. Reviews. Oh, and reviews.
Cons: potential plagiarism. People potentially stealing my idea, if not my words. Flames.
Lots more cons than pros there.
So I am seriously considering taking my work down from Fictionpress. I'll keep Fanfiction.net, since that's altogether different. But I think this is goodbye, Fictionpress.
I'm not that sad.
Of course, novel swapping is always good. I like that idea; it's cool that it's just private and everything. So if anyone wants to swap at the end of July/early August, go on the JulNo forums and U2U me!
Dani Pink Cloud
Anyway. Sharing is caring. Not always true, folks, especially when it comes to the Internet. I already know that I shouldn't share a lot of my personal information. I mean, duh. I have Facebook, I think I've figured out by now that it's not good to put your freaking address out on the Internet.
But.
I am facing a dilemma. A writing dilemma, to be exact.
To share, or not to share? That is my question. I don't mind sharing excerpts. In fact, that's great. But I'm sort of hedging about websites like Fictionpress.com and Inkpop.com. Is it really a good idea to put my work, my ideas, out on the Internet in public like that? I don't know.
Pros: reviews. Reviews. Oh, and reviews.
Cons: potential plagiarism. People potentially stealing my idea, if not my words. Flames.
Lots more cons than pros there.
So I am seriously considering taking my work down from Fictionpress. I'll keep Fanfiction.net, since that's altogether different. But I think this is goodbye, Fictionpress.
I'm not that sad.
Of course, novel swapping is always good. I like that idea; it's cool that it's just private and everything. So if anyone wants to swap at the end of July/early August, go on the JulNo forums and U2U me!
Dani Pink Cloud
To Do It or Not To Do It.....
That title sounds kind of bad. Oh well.
In actuality, it refers to whether or not I should do AugNo and NaNo. So, here is my conversation (argument) with myself over what to do.
Dani: Do AugNo!
Pink: Why?
Dani: We have a great idea already!
Pink: So? We'll only have half the month or so to write.
Dani: That's okay! Just make the goal like 20,000 or something!
Pink: Hmph. Fine.
You might be wondering: if your goal is going to be so small that it won't even be a real novel, why even do AugNo?
Because, I answer, I am a writer. And writers write for the sake of writing, not for the sake of getting published.
All right, there's AugNo decided.
Dani: Do NaNo!
Pink: Why?
Dani: 'Cause it's fun!
Pink: But we don't have a plot.
Dani: We can come up with one!
Pink: But we're taking lots of hard classes and we'll have lots of homework.
Dani: Oh yeah....
Pink: See the dilemma?
Dani: Well, we could just die that month.
Pink: But then it wouldn't be fun, defeating our original purpose.
Dani: Huh. Damn.
The argument has not yet been won over. You can help Dani and Pink decide; they would appreciate the help! Gracias!
Dani Pink Cloud
In actuality, it refers to whether or not I should do AugNo and NaNo. So, here is my conversation (argument) with myself over what to do.
Dani: Do AugNo!
Pink: Why?
Dani: We have a great idea already!
Pink: So? We'll only have half the month or so to write.
Dani: That's okay! Just make the goal like 20,000 or something!
Pink: Hmph. Fine.
You might be wondering: if your goal is going to be so small that it won't even be a real novel, why even do AugNo?
Because, I answer, I am a writer. And writers write for the sake of writing, not for the sake of getting published.
All right, there's AugNo decided.
Dani: Do NaNo!
Pink: Why?
Dani: 'Cause it's fun!
Pink: But we don't have a plot.
Dani: We can come up with one!
Pink: But we're taking lots of hard classes and we'll have lots of homework.
Dani: Oh yeah....
Pink: See the dilemma?
Dani: Well, we could just die that month.
Pink: But then it wouldn't be fun, defeating our original purpose.
Dani: Huh. Damn.
The argument has not yet been won over. You can help Dani and Pink decide; they would appreciate the help! Gracias!
Dani Pink Cloud
Procrastination Doubles
Those two words up there are actually very closely related, based on my day yesterday.
In my sort of secret writing life (oh wait, it's not secret anymore....), I procrastinated. Lots. I did write a little, but only because I wanted to stay on track, so I met the daily requirement and stopped there. The rest of the part of the day that was available for writing (meaning not going to the beach or dive practice), I don't even know whatall I did. Stalked blogs, I guess.
So, my procrastination doubled.
In my other life, the one where I do things with my family and my friends and I do everything except write, I also procrastinated. I had to go to dive practice, but I was at the beach. So I jumped in the ocean and managed to miss a good half hour of practice.
Then I was at dive practice and my coach decided I should do a front double.
Let me just pause to explain that a front double, folks, is two front flips. Right in a row. Off one of those dinky little one-meter boards.
So I procrastinated for that. For about...oh, I'd say twenty minutes. I finally did it, but only because my mom was going to be there soon, and it was now or never. So I chose now.
And so, my doubles were procrastinated.
Do you now understand how "procrastination" and "doubles" are related? You should. Because I just ranted about this for a long time.
Anyway, I'm off to do some REAL writing. Bye all, be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
In my sort of secret writing life (oh wait, it's not secret anymore....), I procrastinated. Lots. I did write a little, but only because I wanted to stay on track, so I met the daily requirement and stopped there. The rest of the part of the day that was available for writing (meaning not going to the beach or dive practice), I don't even know whatall I did. Stalked blogs, I guess.
So, my procrastination doubled.
In my other life, the one where I do things with my family and my friends and I do everything except write, I also procrastinated. I had to go to dive practice, but I was at the beach. So I jumped in the ocean and managed to miss a good half hour of practice.
Then I was at dive practice and my coach decided I should do a front double.
Let me just pause to explain that a front double, folks, is two front flips. Right in a row. Off one of those dinky little one-meter boards.
So I procrastinated for that. For about...oh, I'd say twenty minutes. I finally did it, but only because my mom was going to be there soon, and it was now or never. So I chose now.
And so, my doubles were procrastinated.
Do you now understand how "procrastination" and "doubles" are related? You should. Because I just ranted about this for a long time.
Anyway, I'm off to do some REAL writing. Bye all, be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Added Thoughts
Here are a few thoughts I had directly after my first post today.
I would really enjoy comments. Especially on the excerpt. Check it out in the fun little tab up there. ^
Those restaurants that make huge food that no one can eat are stupid. Why can't they share with the homeless people who need it? Or the starving children in Africa? Or some other good cause?
JulNoWriMo is awesome and full of win.
That's all, I think.
Dani Pink Cloud
I would really enjoy comments. Especially on the excerpt. Check it out in the fun little tab up there. ^
Those restaurants that make huge food that no one can eat are stupid. Why can't they share with the homeless people who need it? Or the starving children in Africa? Or some other good cause?
JulNoWriMo is awesome and full of win.
That's all, I think.
Dani Pink Cloud
Fun in the Sun
Hi all.
Today was probably the first legit sunny day of summer! So what else does one do here in SoCal but go to the beach? And that I did. It was fun. Full of win.
Before that, though, this morning, I wrote. I wrote mucho. I hit 22K, which I am very proud of! And also I'm now in the top 100, which is also very exciting for me. I've been trying for that for a while now. Plus, now I feel so much less behind. I've even *gasp* surpassed the daily goal!
I'm reading Pride and Prejudice in between it all. It just started to get good. Mr. Collins just proposed to Elizabeth! Gasp! The drama unfolds!
All in all, today was full of win. Now, back to writing. I must firmly establish my top 100 status.
Be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
Today was probably the first legit sunny day of summer! So what else does one do here in SoCal but go to the beach? And that I did. It was fun. Full of win.
Before that, though, this morning, I wrote. I wrote mucho. I hit 22K, which I am very proud of! And also I'm now in the top 100, which is also very exciting for me. I've been trying for that for a while now. Plus, now I feel so much less behind. I've even *gasp* surpassed the daily goal!
I'm reading Pride and Prejudice in between it all. It just started to get good. Mr. Collins just proposed to Elizabeth! Gasp! The drama unfolds!
All in all, today was full of win. Now, back to writing. I must firmly establish my top 100 status.
Be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Home, Sweet Home
Well, I'm finally home. I've been at my grandma's house most of this month so far, so that was kind of a crisis. Not ideal for writing, since there were, you know, social requirements and all.
So, yay! I'm home.
I'm at 13,545 words now. Unfortunately, that's still pretty behind. And I really want to be higher up in the rankings! Gah. So I must write, write, write!
Also, I've decided to do book reviews now. When I finish a book, I will review it and put it up on here in one of those fun little tabs at the top. Check it out.
Bye all, be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud, Proud Squire of the Pierce Patrol
So, yay! I'm home.
I'm at 13,545 words now. Unfortunately, that's still pretty behind. And I really want to be higher up in the rankings! Gah. So I must write, write, write!
Also, I've decided to do book reviews now. When I finish a book, I will review it and put it up on here in one of those fun little tabs at the top. Check it out.
Bye all, be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud, Proud Squire of the Pierce Patrol
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Let's See How This Goes . . .
Hello everyone! Be awed in my presence!
So, I'm jumping on the Julno bandwagon and starting this blog. We shall see how it turns out. But I think it'll be an excellent means of procrastination.
This is my first year of Julnowrimo, in fact my very fist Wrimo! Exciting! For me, anyway. I plan on using this blog to rant, procrastinate, and post writing excerpts for people to see if it's at all good. I need opinions from people I don't know, people who won't be biased because they know me.
My Julno novel this month is one I've been working on for a long time. I keep writing, then abandoning my story, then coming back. So this month I'm trying to finish!
Well, that's all for now. I'd better go get dressed. And write more. 12,000 is my goal for the day!
Be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
So, I'm jumping on the Julno bandwagon and starting this blog. We shall see how it turns out. But I think it'll be an excellent means of procrastination.
This is my first year of Julnowrimo, in fact my very fist Wrimo! Exciting! For me, anyway. I plan on using this blog to rant, procrastinate, and post writing excerpts for people to see if it's at all good. I need opinions from people I don't know, people who won't be biased because they know me.
My Julno novel this month is one I've been working on for a long time. I keep writing, then abandoning my story, then coming back. So this month I'm trying to finish!
Well, that's all for now. I'd better go get dressed. And write more. 12,000 is my goal for the day!
Be sorrowful in my absence!
Dani Pink Cloud
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