Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello, everyone! And, while I'm at it, Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating!

As promised, the photo above is of this year's pumpkin, Brighid.

She's been my constant companion throughout this year's NaNoWriMo season.

Sitting in the same corner Mabon used to inhabit, she's added a bit of life to the room

and, thankfully, a bit of inspiration.

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 Now, onwards with our next order of business.

You may have noticed that the usually scheduled posts have not occurred over the last week or so. Truthfully, I'm having a bit of a rough time coming off of hiatus. Being out of school, I can't seem to keep the days straight, which is proving to be a bit of a problem. However, I've actually been missing for a different reason. On Friday and Saturday, I was out of town and, on Monday, my internet wasn't working properly. We're upgrading our internet service at the moment, and we haven't gotten the new modem, yet. So, currently, our internet service is a bit spotty and strange.

My apologies.

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Last, but not least, I've got a bit of news for you.

As of right now, I'm not actually intending to continue with NaNoWriMo. I still want to write, but I've had very little time to do so this November. And, if I'm honest, I've had even less inspiration. So, the rest of the NaNo posts that I was planning probably won't appear. Instead, I'll be resuming the usually scheduled posting in December (when NaNo is done and our internet is - hopefully - fixed).

I'm not actually going on hiatus again, so, not to worry. We're not that far off from December and I'm going to take some of the remaining time in November to write up some stellar blog posts.

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Anyway, I think that's about it. Now that you're up to date, I'm going to go and start working on what scraps of NaNo that I've managed to put together. And, with any luck, some coherent chapters will actually form. 

Best wishes to everyone and I hope your novels are going well!

 

NaNoWriMo: Day 17

This. Is. Not. Going. Well.

Officially, I'm at about 10,000 and some words right now. In case you don't know, that means that I am horribly behind on my word count. I need motivation and inspiration!

I still haven't let myself go into the NaNoWriMo website because of the forums. However, I can say this for certain: I am a novelist in distress!

Help?

Anyone?

Whatever. I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Night.

NaNoWriMo: Day 14

Hi, everyone!

Guess what? It's Day 14 of NaNoWriMo (pretty close to half way through)!


Last week, I left you guys with a post moaning about how my NaNo was* going. After I made that post, I dove into my file bank and attempted to settle on an idea to work on for the rest of National Novel Writing Month. Now, as I've probably mentioned before, I'm an incredibly indecisive person, so this really wasn't the sort of task I wanted to face. And, truthfully, I couldn't face it alone. I thought through a lot of plot material - poking far too many holes - and realized that I wasn't any further ahead. So, I consulted a couple of friends for input and I thought some more on what they said.

Finally, after several days of pacing about in the massive amount of possible stories to write sludge, I came up with a new idea and, thus far, I think it's going to work!

You may have noticed that the word count on my NaNo page has not changed. That is because I've come to the realization that I'm sort of addicted to the NaNo forums. So, if I want to get my writing done, I can't go in there. On Thursday**, I will update my account with whatever I've done (and I'll probably browse the forums for several hours).

Now that I'm feeling somewhat back on track, how are your novels doing?

500 words if you you've read this post!


*Read: Wasn't

**Also, regarding the Friday post: I completely lost track of days and I forgot to post on Friday. Therefore, I will also post on Thursday this week. Sorry about that!


PS: Look forward to a writing soundtrack later this week!

NaNoWriMo: Day 7

Hello, fellow NaNoWriMo participants.

How are you today? 




We are officially one week into NaNoWriMo and our novels should be at 11,666 words as of today. Key words in that sentence: Should Be.


My word count is currently comfortably nested at 2,290 words... as it has been since day one. Yes, you read that right, I haven't touched my novel at all since the first day. Why? Well, truthfully, I had this novel all planned out ahead of time - not to mention it is a rewrite starting over from plot bones - and I'm completely bored with it. (Note: This is not a surprise and I should have foreseen this. It's happened before.)

However, this week, I am returning to NaNoWriMo with a new vigor. And... I'm starting a new novel. (So much for my plans of committing to the first one, huh?)

From this point forward, I'm going to pour my time into an idea that crept across my mind last night. And, with any luck, I'll be able to pump out 50,000 words by the end of the month. There are still three weeks left, after all, and that should be plenty of time to not only win, but produce some decent material.

I sincerely hope that all of you are having better luck with your novel beasts.

Signed,
Novelist in Distress

PS: I still love you, NaNoWriMo!
PPS: Write 100 words if you read this post...

NaNoWriMo: Day 4

The adoptable threads on the NaNoWriMo forums are great. I use them quite often, and I'd like to give something back. Now, I could throw these on the forums over there, but it's NaNo month here, too. So, drawing ideas up for one of my favorite threads...


Adopt a character quirk?

1. Have a character who insists on being on first name basis with all of the workers at (fill in whatever place).
2. A side character always drops things.
3. A small child insists on wearing their alien/octopus costume... everywhere.
4. Two words: Annoying scarves. 
5. A character wears coffee filters as hats.
6. Have a character that nobody actually listens to when he/she says anything important.
7. A character always answers "I love you" with "mm-hmm".
8. A character always sings "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell.
9. Sometimes there exists a character that whines about the ugly sweaters a relative makes for them. Well, your character only wears those sweaters - whether they're nice or hideous is up to you - but your character likes them.
10. Fluffy slippers anyone?
11. Have a character who makes their own fashion - and it's always stellar - outshining everyone else.
12. A character talks to their pet fish, and the character believes it's their best confidant... even though the character has a best friend.
13. A character believes they are invisible. They aren't.
14. A character makes analogies... all the time... and the analogies always involve a boat.
15. One character dreams of having a giraffe.

Now, get off of Blogger and go write your novel!

PS: 200 words if you took one.
PPS: And 300 words if you read this post.

Ink Wednesday

 In the spirit of National Novel Writing Month, here are the writing tools I'm using this year!

• OpenOffice Writer: Writer is the equivalent to Microsoft Word in the OpenOffice suite. I've been using this program since about 2008, when I switched over from Microsoft. And Writer has become the main program I use for writing, so it's definitely in use during NaNo.
• OpenOffice Calc: Calc is the equivalent to Microsoft Excel in the OpenOffice suite. This is the program I use for most of my outlining while I'm writing. It also helps me keep track of my current word count during NaNoWriMo, since I don't write in the same document the entire time.
• Scrivener: This year, I've downloaded the Scrivener trial for Windows. I'm still learning how to use it, so it's not my only writing tool. However, thus far, I think it's a pretty cool program and if I win this year, I think I might look into purchasing it as a gift to myself for winning. The NaNoWriMo site has a thread under the 'Special Offers' forum that offers discounts on Scrivener to NaNo participants and winners, so you might want to check that out if you're interested and participating in NaNo.

What programs do you use to get you through NaNoWriMo?

Happy Halloween & We're Back In 3, 2, 1...

Greetings, everyone, and happy Halloween!

 

The pumpkin featured in the photo above is named Mabon.

 

He was my pumpkin last year. Sitting in the far left corner of my desk,

he kept me company while I wrote, read, and finished assignments. He

was a great friend and provided a home for a Long-legged Sac Spider.

I don't have a picture of this year's pumpkin, yet, but I'll probably post

a photo of her on Thanksgiving. She will be keeping me company 

throughout NaNoWriMo this year.

And that, my friends, brings us to our next order of business this evening.

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Today is October 31st, also known as Halloween where I'm from.

Also known as one of the busiest weekends of my year.

 

This I was dressed as a cat, I consumed more sugar than I probably should have, and I was cold. I gallivanted from one party to another... to yet another, and I have no pictures to show for it. I ran around out in the rain and fog, went traipsing about in the woods, and spent time drawing on my new digital sketch-pad. Tonight I went Trick-or-Treating - although, I didn't beg for candy because I'm a bit too old for that (Note: This too old bit is up for debate, since my friend insists that one can never be to old to Trick-or-Treat. My neighbors, however, think differently. No more candy for me. So, perhaps this means I need to trick them from now on...).  

 

The point is, I spent most of my weekend having fun and not accomplishing much in the vein of writing. However, as I've already mentioned, it's Halloween. And while Halloween is loads of fun, that also means we're only mere hours off from the start of the new month... 

 

and NaNoWriMo.

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For the last month and a half or so, I've been on hiatus. I know that disappointed some of you, but the hiatus actually came around at the perfect time. All of that time away from blogging on-line was supposed to be spent writing new blogs, however, that didn't really work out. I ended up tumbling through the worst bit of my depression thus far, instead. I was sick. Our friend - who had been living with us - left. I started reorganizing my life. I've been trying to finish a project for my family. My room needed to be cleaned (and it's done now). I've been trying to make a decision on which school to go to and what to major in next Fall. And I was having some computer problems, which I think I've fixed.

Basically, I was suddenly very busy. 

It's nearly November 1st now, though, and it's time to get this blog back up and running. Since I couldn't pre-write NaNoWriMo blogs anyway, we'll be seeing literally brand-new material this month. And, while I'm NaNo-ing, I'll also be writing the blogs that should have been completed on my hiatus. So, when NaNoWriMo is over, you'll still be seeing more carefully crafted blogs here. 

The short version? Ink Is Gold is back in action!

 

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One last note:

 

I'm excited!

We're about to cross over the line into NaNoLand here in Michigan.

There are a mere twenty minutes standing between us and the novel-ing madness of November.

 

In these last few minutes, I'd like to say: 

Good luck to all of you novelists out there! Let's make this the best ride, yet!

 

I've got my OpenOffice documents up and ready to begin writing the moment midnight strikes.

I've got my outlines open and ready to go.

I've got a cup of hot caramel coffee.

 (In theory) 

I'm ready to go on this novel writing adventure!

 

And to start myself off, I'm going to aim for 7,000 words tonight.

What are your starting goals? Have you hit them, yet?

PS (really cool): Has anyone noticed that the NaNoWriMo site isn't failing under the massive influx of users logging on this year? Thanks Office of Letters and Light for all of the wonderful work you've been doing to update the website and manage the server issues! We love you!

Blog Updates

August is over, which is really hard to believe. But with that thought in mind, it's time to discuss what's coming up next on Ink Is Gold and what sort of changes will be made in the new future (or have been made).

August:


First off, given that Camp NaNoWriMo is now officially over for the year, the background has switched back to normal and posts will no longer center around Camp related fun.

September:

During the month of September, posts on the blog will carry on as usual. Meaning that anything I feel like writing as a post may once again appear on here without regulation. I expect that you'll be seeing a book review or two, some writing related stuff, and a possible music recommendation or a few.

I also intend to fill in the 'About Me' page and to update the small 'About Me' section in the side bar. Cheers to getting stuff done.

October:

During October, I've decided to do something a bit different from usual. I'm going to do a theme month. Every post made during the month - apart from something I'm going to mention in a bit - will be centered around a particular topic. In other words, October is going to be my sort of research project. I'm going to find a great deal of information and I'm going to pass some of it on to you readers. 

The topic of October will be: Poetry

I know this probably won't interest all of you, but I hope that some of you can get some use out of it.

Anyway, moving on...


November:


November is still going to be NaNoWriMo month. The majority of the posts made will revolve around my NaNo novel and around various parts of NaNoWriMo. There will, of course, be a few posts that are off topic, though. And, for the record, I intend to be a lot more prepared for NaNoWriMo than I was for Camp this year. It's time to get some serious work done on a novel. No more procrastination

Delayed Changes:

You will, at some point in the future, see changes on the 'My Work' page. However, I've decided that I am only going to fill this page in once I've submersed myself in a major project. There's no use in handing out teasers for something that's going to end up in the trash. Know what I mean?


In other words, this page could be a while yet.


Last But Not Least:

I'm introducing a new feature to the blog!
Lately, I've been finding some really cool stuff that I would like to share with you all. However, often times these things aren't things I want to waste an entire Monday or Friday post on - and, on occasion, I really do feel like somebody else already tackled all of the points that I would like to cover. So, beginning this coming week, I'm introducing a new sort of blog post.

Keep your eye out for:

Ink Wednesdays


It won't happen every week - at least, I don't think it will - but it will occur whenever I find a bit of information that I would like to share with you, and it will happen when I'm introducing someone new to the Ink Is Gold 'Links' page.


Thanks for reading and I'll see you on Monday with something new.

Camp NaNoWriMo: Day 27

So, I think it might be time to mention the fact that I've stopped writing my Camp novel. The thing is, I really thought that I would pick it back up again. But I haven't, yet, and I doubt that I will. Why is that, exactly?

Well, truthfully, this Camp experience hasn't been wonderful. And, since I was so pumped up about this in the beginning, I'm going to explain why... sans the plethora of small details that created the bits I am sharing.

For the first time, I was attempting to write a novel without really doing much planning. But, as it turns out, if I don't have a plot outlined, then I don't have inspiration to write. Hence, not a lot of writing has gotten done this month. (I should note here that my progress bar has been left unattended due to the fact that my computer... for some reason... no long has a calculator and I'm not sure where my school one is, at the moment. I do have more done than that.)


Second, I broke my foot. It's getting better now - thankfully - but for the majority of this month, I've been in pain and doing a lot of bed rest. (That's boring, in case you were wondering.)

Reason 2.5, because of the bed rest, I didn't get my work done because I couldn't actually move much. So I've been doing that, instead.

Third - and probably the real reason behind the lack of novel writing - I've been suffering depression for a while now and this month, it kind of swallowed me whole. And when I'm depressed, I don't do much of anything because I feel like I can't do anything properly. And the not doing anything leads to a deeper depression, because I'm not getting anything done and that makes me feel guilty and just worthless - which leads to a 'why bother', and that leads to more worthless feelings and can't do anything right feelings, etc., etc. etc. You get the point.

Anyway, so that's it, really. I feel like I should have more reasons than that, and I probably do, but I really can't see past the last one at this point. My real mission this month has been overcoming that.

So, I apologize for the lack of excitement and what not. Hopefully things will be better in November. Either way, I promise that November will be all about NaNoWriMo and I'll finish it whether I'm feeling better or not. Sound good?

I sincerely hope your Camp novels aren't looking as miserable as mine is. Good luck to all of you still writing!

And, because I have to:


Write 400 words if you read this.

Camp NaNoWriMo: Day 15

Look what I did! I wasted time putting together my sash and badges. Let this be a lesson to you all! You should be writing!


It does look sort of fabulous, though...

Thanks to SavannahJaxx who made all of the pretty badges and the banner.

Camp NaNoWriMo: Day 1

Well, it's midnight on August 1st and the second round of Camp NaNoWriMo has just begun. This month, I've let everyone know that writing is the number one thing on my schedule. So, with any luck, I'll actually make it to 50,000 words or more by the end of the month.

As you may have noticed, I've changed the background on the blog to what I imagine my Camp NaNo tent looks like. The background will remain this way until the end of August, when I'll switch it back to normal. The background will now also be changing during NaNoWriMo.

Anyway, I promised that I would document my Camp NaNo experience this month, instead of doing traditional blog posts. Let's move on to that, shall we?

August's Camp project is: 

Working Title: Half
Genre: Fantasy (urban/high)
POV: Third person, numerous views.
Summary/Synopsis: Yet to come.


I could ramble on here for a while, or check my bag to make sure that I have all of the necessary supplies for novel writing, but that's not going to help me get any writing done. And, besides, I'm supposed to be winging it anyway, right? So, enough of this. For now, it's into the woods with all of us.

Best of luck fellow Campers; I'll see you on Friday!

Camp NaNoWriMo

I am horrible about checking my e-mail.

Therefore, before I get to the point, I have to say: Thank you, Neve! Without you, this post would not exist because I hadn't heard of this before you mentioned it.

Moving on. There's some fun stuff happening over at NaNoWriMo.org. Namely, Camp NaNoWriMo has just opened! It even has it's own website, which is mentioned in the 'Breaking News' section of their front page.

For those of you who don't know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a novel writing summer camp created by the lovely people of the Office of Letters and Light. 

Okay, so you don't really get to camp. 

In reality, Camp NaNoWriMo is quite similar to NaNoWriMo. It's premise is the same. 50,000 words, one month. The difference is that Camp NaNoWriMo takes place in the summer, instead of during November - which is a great opportunity for all of us who have exceptionally busy Novembers to take some free time and settle down to write 50,000 words or more without stressing.

Even more fun, is the fact that Camp NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of July... and August. Two months of pure motivation right in a row.

Thank you, Office of Letters and Light! This is excellent.

For those of you who wish to participate, travel over to this link and sign up or sign in!

Camp NaNoWriMo



(I will be participating and, as I mentioned a couple posts ago, the bars on the side of my blog recording writing progress will be changing. 

Anyone in for a little competition?)

PS: Yes, I know it's Thursday. However, this post is relevant to tonight (starting at midnight), so I thought it was appropriate to post it early. Next week, things will run on schedule.

November!

Hello again!

I've been absent for a while, as you might have noticed. You can blame it on the college. This semester has been a rough one so far and homework seems to be consuming all of my time lately. Even my non-internet people haven't seen me around. Proof of that was found yesterday when the following occurred:

I walked into my friend's house, intent on finding my lost sibling, only to notice that they had a new couch. It was a nice, L shaped piece of furniture and it was neatly fitted into their parlor. As a naturally curious person, I had to open my mouth, but I shouldn't have said a word. "When did you get the new couch?" I asked. My friend's mom smiled. "We got it in July," she replied. Cue realization that I had only stepped into their kitchen since before July and some embarrassment. 

When I was little, I went over to their house every day. So, if you think my absence from here is terrible, just remember that someone else hasn't seen me in a longer period of time despite living two blocks away.

But let us move on to the focus of this post, shall we?

This is actually my way of sneakily informing you that I might not be around much until college is out for this semester.

However, before I get lost in writing papers and studying, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful thing occurring in the month of November.

Anyone looking for a challenge or some writing motivation? How many of you have heard of National Novel Writing Month?

November is National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as "NaNoWriMo" or simply "NaNo". Over a period of thirty days participants in NaNoWriMo race to write a novel or, at least, 50,000 words of one. It won't be polished or brilliant. It may not even be good, but that's part of the fun.

For all of you writers reading this, I encourage you to follow the link and join up for some extra motivation to get some writing done. And for all of my other readers, if you've ever wanted to attempt writing a novel or if this just sounds fun, why don't you join us? We'd love to have you.

Thanks for reading and good luck to those of you who decide to give it a go!