Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Pain!
YES, I managed to write my NaNoWriMo quota today. NO, it wasn’t fun. In yesterday’s comments, Suisan wrote,
I can definitely see that the first week will be exciting, but I anticipate problems keeping up the pace next week and the next. Hmmmmm.
Next week? Next week? It’s only Day 2, and I’m already chafing. I don’t like this. I want to finish reading Things Fall Apart before I forget all those similar-sounding tribal names. I want to waste time playing computer games. I want to read someone’s blog besides my own (or the evil Sarah, who tempts me with her condom rants and tales of sex with pregnant women — and, may I say it? That is the best).
I’m reminded of a hideously ugly female I met when I was a kid. She was wider than she was tall and had all sorts of hideous crusties all over her body. Oh, hell. A picture is worth etc. Meet Mrs. Horta:
That’s her on the right, next to a few silicon balls, which are in fact her children! Since she was the last of her kind, Captain Kirk wanted to kill her, but Spock mind-melded with her and learned that she was in PAIN! PAIN! and was killing the miners only because they were stealing her eggs, or crushing them, or bowling with them. I can’t remember.
Right now I feel just like Mrs. Horta. I have to plop out so-many silicon balls a day or my species will die. Ugh, this metaphor dies an early death. Who is Spock? Spock would be Suisan and Jona and all y’all who are feeling the same pain. Who is Kirk? That would have to be Maureen, cuz she got me into this and that’s how mean I’m feeling right now.
Question: What denizen of hell thought up NaNoWriMo?
Question: I think I can do this, but will I be better for it, come December 1st? Or will my muse rebel to the point that I will no longer be able to sign prescriptions?
More serious question for my UK pals (and any history wonks in the audience): Can anyone recommend a good book on the English Civil Wars? Karen thought that would be a good place to start Jake’s education on revolutions.
If you haven’t already done so, give me your vote on the “Hot or Not” gizmo on the right side bar. Hint: 10 is better than 1.
Does it matter? Heck no. I don’t get a single referral through those guys, so I don’t know why I bother. But, you know something? It’s the principle of the thing.
D.
Technorati tag: NaNoWriMo
Yeah, well, at this point (Day 2?Yes, it’s only Day 2) one of my characters has completely taken over and stands around looking at things which I then lovingly describe for him. The plot, she is not there.
I am learning a lot about this character as he lets me wander around in his head, but so far he really only plucked a tomato from a vine, brushed his teeth, and gone to bed. This. Might. Be. A. Problem.
So at this point I’m a slave to the word count and I figure I’ll just keep writing until I can make this character stay asleep long enough to let the MC advance the plot. Shhhhh. Be very, very quiet…..
My MC has found the prostitute of his dreams and fended off the competition. Now the hooker is taking my MC back to her place. I’m hoping a bit of sex will get my muse interested for tomorrow.
For the Civil War, I would recommend God’s Englishman, Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution by Christopher Hill. It was first published in 1970, but I reckon that makes it a classic, rather than out-of-date. Hill’s later book, The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution is also pretty good.
There was a new edition of Roger Lockyer’s Tudor and Stuart Britain: 1485-1714 out last year. Obviously that will cover the Civil War in much less detail, but it is probably the standard work on the period.
Oh Doug, you poor thing! I’m afraid I’m not so much feeling the pain, but rather enjoying it. Didn’t write a thing yesterday and am already so far behind I’ll probably not be a winner, but I’ve already written more than I have in a year and a half – so I’m happy!! And there’s a lot of the month left…
I’m feeling the same as Jona, Doug. I’m loving this pain. I’ve always been such a stickler, a perfectionist, that I could never finish anything. This free-wheeling, shark-swimming style of only moving forward and never stopping to look back is quite liberating for me.
The trick is to free yourself from the confines of the perfectly crafted story. Just let your creativity flow and worry about cleaning it all up later. If you do that and if you can keep going for the full month, I guarantee you won’t regret it. I guarantee your muse won’t rebel. This is what she lives for. You’ll be exercising creative muscles that she thrives on (or: on which she thrives).
But….are you…..suggesting that..I’m……..just like James…..T.Kirk?
Never….not in…. a mill……………………………………..ionyears.
First off: thanks, Stephen. I’ll look for the Hill book. At the very least, I know my wife would like to read it.
Jona, Liz: I know. But I’m type A! I mean I’m really, really type A. Honestly, I don’t think a person could get through med school, internship, and residency without being type A — the training selects for such individuals and spits everyone else out into pathology, radiology, or psychiatry. But . . . okay . . . I’ll try to loosen up.
Maureen, you’re just . . . like Kirk, but . . . with better . . . hair. Oh, and boobs, too.
Lol, my wordcount is 384, I’ll be away the next three days, and still I have more fun with this Nano than the ones before. I just don’t care about “making” it this time.
BTW, Beard, a fan of Bare Rump, waits for updates. 🙂
I have no idea how accurate a depiction of the English Civil War this book is, but Rosemary Sutcliff wrote a wonderful children’s book called Simon, about two best friends whose fathers fall on opposing sides in the war, and it tracks their friendship from their childhood and through the war.
It might be a tasty fictionalized intro before you lay on the heavy, detailed, more nuanced reading on Jake.
And speaking as someone who CAN’T WRITE without editing as she goes, NaNoWriMo sounds like a nightmare. I’m enjoying watching everybody else’s anguish, though.Maahahahaha!
Um…isn’t writing supposed to be fun? Making it unfun and torturing yourself over wordcount doesn’t sound like…well, fun. Ack.
Candy, thanks for the rec. Gabriele, it’s nice to know the old girl has at least one new fan!
Lilith — fun? Who said anything about fun? I write for the challenge first, fun second. If I wanted to have fun, I’d play World of Warcraft every night — but then my brain would turn to mush. That’s where the challenge comes in.
If it makes you feel any better, the only year I had FUN with NaNoWriMo was my first year. The second year, I did it out of stubbornness. The third year, I tried for the first day’s minimum word count and said “this is nuts.” This year, I made the first day’s word count, then after that realized I’d have much rather been doing something else with my time, like taking a walk and enjoying the unseasonably warm day. So, um. I think I’ve dropped this year, too.
You may have been absent a while, but you’re certainly making up for it. (grin)
Someone tagged me with this earlier today, if you’re still into wasting time, so I picked you as one of my 3:
Three screen names that you’ve had: SighCo Sis, Clairol Impaired, & Lethal Mama
Three things you like about yourself: ability to bounce back, honesty, & loyalty
Three things you don’t like about yourself: I’m out of shape, smoke, & am a tad self-righteous
Three parts of your heritage: Native American, Irish, & Dutch
Three things that scare you: amphibians, arachnoids, & assholes
Three of your everyday essentials: my diabetic meds, contact w/my son, and writing
Three things you are wearing right now: a towel, lip gloss, & a grin
Three of your favorite songs: Someone Like You, Claire d’lune, and Amazing Grace
Three things you want in a relationship: honesty, great sense of humor, & trust
Two truths and a lie: I’ve had an out of body experience, been to Italy, & worked with the FBI. (You didn’t specify what order, right?)
Three things you can’t live without: my child, a good rationalization, & self-expression
Three places you want to go on vacation: Australia, St. Croix, & Alaska
Three things you just can’t do: out-smart my kid, jog, or water ski
Three kids names: Bobby, Billy, Bubba (I do live in the Midwest)
Three things you want to do before you die: swim with the pink dolphins in Peru, be totally debt free, sell a film script to Clint Eastwood (inside joke, sorry)
Three celeb crushes: George Clooney, Keanu Reeves, Viggo Mortensen
Three of your favorite musicians: Harry Connick, Jr; Miles Davis; Phil Collins
Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you: eyes, hands, shoulders
Three of your favorite hobbies: genealogy, playing poker, reading
Three things you really want to do badly right now: see Lex, sell one particular book, & spend about $100,000 on “stuffâ€
Three careers you’re considering/you’ve considered: was in pre-med a while, so I guess being a pediatrician; took the LSAT, so an attorney; and I wanted to be an archaeologist at one time
Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy: like working on cars, enjoy baseball, & occasionally wanna just beat the shit out of someone
Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl: I like teddy bears, the bling-bling, and I’m all about the spa thang.
Three people that I would like to see post this meme: Ann, Tanya S.A.W., & Douglas (EVIL GRIN)
You’re doing great. I didn’t think I’d get to do this after moving hell, but I’m at 2,940.
i wrote 744 words yesterday.
i am sadly behind the count.