NaNo is coming!

It’s just under two weeks till National Novel Writing Month. I’m trying not to freak out about how quickly that’s coming up between story planning, ML duties, Halloween, work and Everything Else. In a way, NaNo starts early for us MLs. We have a plan-in (like a write-in but for brainstorming and plotting) this weekend and then the kick-off party on the 25th.

In terms of my own writing, I am doing something a little different this year. I still have a long ways to go on editing my novel from last year’s NaNo. I expect that will take another year or two between new/missing scenes to draft, edits, test readers and more edits, before I am ready to start trying to get it published, which I intend to do. I don’t have any ideas for a novel and I know that my next novel will benefit greatly from all I still have to learn through editing the current WIP. So I am not writing a novel this year. Instead, I have decided to tackle short stories, since that’s my primary writing focus now anyways. This will not be easy. Novelling during NaNo you tend to hit a point where you’ve cleared your throat and are more comfortable and familiar with your world and characters and the writing starts to come a little more easily. I won’t get that. Most of my short stories end up under 5,000 words. To hit 50K I would have to write 10 to 15 short stories of my usual length, either brainstorming them all in advance or during the frenzy of NaNo. That’s 10 to 15 act ones to set up, which are not exactly easy. That is not realistically going to happen. So instead I’ve decided to follow the Clarion model. It’s a six week intensive writing workshop where you (try to) write a short story every week to have it critiqued by the group. So my goal this year is four short stories, one a week, while still maintaining my usual non-NaNo-frenzied quality of writing. It’s a very non-traditional approach to NaNo, I know. This year I will be representing the Rebel Faction as ML. 🙂

First though, I need to get those four stories outlined, at least in rough, before November 1st. I haven’t quite finished outlining one. This is going to be interesting.

Thanksgiving

We have a tradition in our family that when we gather for dinner at Thanksgiving, we all share one thing that we are thankful for. I was thinking about this as I was busing over to my parents place for dinner and reflecting on the things that I was thankful for the last couple of years. It’s almost freaky when I think about how much has happened.

Thanksgiving two years ago, it was not even a full month since my fiance and I had split up. It was a tough decision for both of us, but the right one in the long run and fortunately a decision that we could make amicably. I was staying in my friends’ basement (non-blood family) and getting ready to move into my new apartment. My family and friends were a life-line to get through that period of change with my sanity (what sanity I have) in tact. I am always grateful for them.

This year though my thoughts have been turning to a different influence in my life, my artistic communities. The writing and storytelling communities that I have become a part of over the last couple of years are so incredibly supportive and have brought forward some amazing opportunities and that’s not showing any signs of slowing down.

I’m also thankful I didn’t explode from all the delicious food I ate yesterday. 😉

Can-Con & ChiSeries

Both were exactly as I expected: fantastic! As usual there was an abundance of interesting panels, too many to see them all. I really need to either get a Time Turner or clone myself before next year to fix this problem. My panels all went well and I got to hang out with a bunch of awesome people and meet even more. My sensei, Rick, had fun rolling me around on the floor during our martial arts demonstration (we got silly). I also got to see the Kymeras, back from their hiaitus, performing a time travel love story. It was brilliant. As one would expect from Marie Bilodeau, there were explosions and destruction a-plenty. And they had me on the verge of tears on several occasions. I do believe, and sincerely hope, that they will reprise this show and believe me, you should see it.

The moment everyone came for: Sensei Rick throws me to the ground.

ChiSeries on the Tuesday following Can-Con, before any of us have really had a chance to recover, was the launch of Postscripts to Darkness 4. We got a preview and full reading of some great stories. It is definitely worth checking out. And there was an exciting announcement. I’ve been helping out with the ChiSeries manning the ChiZine Press book table, but at the next reading on January 14th (mark your calendars) I will get to host. Phenomenal cosmic power…. itty bitty living space. (Really, my apartment is wee.)