NaNoWriMo Update #1

So at this very moment, I am told that my novel is all of these things (by Google Documents, which I have discovered is the coolest thing since sliced bread. It means that I can work on my document from any computer, provided it has an internet connection.)

Counts
Words:		6013
Characters (no spaces):		25570
Characters (with spaces):		31590
Paragraphs:		240
Sentences:		637
Pages (approximate):		10
Readability
Average sentences per paragraph:		2.65
Average words per sentence:		9.44
Average characters per word:		4.25
Average words per page:		601.30
Flesch Reading Ease: [?]		83.52
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: [?]		4.00
Automated Readability Index: [?]		3.00

I'm behind, but not that behind. (By today, I should have 8335... which, as you can see is not the case. However, tomorrow is Friday, and Friday seems like a good day to catch up, right?)

I also have cover art!


What do you think? I like it. I made it yesterday.

Green Halloween?

I need to catch up on last weekend, so here's a short blog about it!

So on Halloween day I kept it chill. I slept in till about 12 or 1 and generally enjoyed a lazy afternoon. In the evening, I went over to my friend Ally's place with Karynna and we turned on Hocus Pocus and snacked on candy until 11, when we headed over to this comic book store called the Dragon's Lair for the NaNoWriMo midnight write.

(As an side, I generally consider myself Dorkus Supremus, as I am about a nerdy as an average English major can get, but I have never felt so cool and non-dorky in my life! I'm a nerd, but I never got into comic books.)

At midnight, we had a countdown and we started our novels! It was super fun and I got a good start on my novel: I Bleed Orange.



Here is Karynna happily novelling away...


And Ally getting stuck...


So Sunday was a big day in APO. It was BP/LP Sunday (Big person/Little person) when we (the pledges) get our Bigs and our family. There are six families at UT: Greens, Butts, DJs, Blackhands, Outsiders and Speers. My big is a girl named Lindsey and I am now part of the Green family!



Super exciting! We all went out to eat (and literally took over this little Italian restaurant on Barton Springs - we had like 20 people) and the Bigs treated the Littles... and a lot of laughter and general hilarity ensued.


Tonight I'm cooking dinner and having a write-in for my other novelling friends. I think I'll have to strictly enforce the writing thing, because last night we gave it a try (I baked cookies!) and we all novelled for 15 minutes and got distracted. Now I need to catch up on yesterday's word count... which I will do during the rest of my break.

Oh! I registered for classes! I'm going to hold off on posting my schedule until the next semester begins. Be assured that it is awesome, though.

It's NaNoWriMo! The Vlog edition

Happy Vlogday!



It's time to jump for joy and put pens to paper!

P.S. Yes, I have blue paint on my hands. The service project I did this evening was hanging out with adorable cub scouts and painting with them... unfortunately, the paint won't come off my hands!

Halloween Weekend, Part 1

So I went to a Halloween party last night and have spent most of today just being lazy and hanging around my apartment.

Had a ton of fun - I was there from about 11 to 3 or so. I wish that I'd brought a jacket, though! It was cold last night! Inside it was really hot though, because there were so many people dancing.


I went as Dorothy. (And that's my friend Anel - she was a spider.)

(and that's Becca, who went as Ellen Page in that new movie of hers... with the roller derby. Can't remember what it's called, though! )



At some point last night someone shouted "McKenzie picture!!" and all of the pledges ran outside and took a group photo. It was random and fun! (Although a few Actives did sneak in...)



Some of my favorite costumes were:

A David Letterman intern



The Swine Flu



Rorschach (from Watchmen.)


And Tommy and Chuckie from the Rugrats!


Now... bring on the real Halloween! Tonight there is a NaNoWriMo "Midnight Write" party!

I'm a terrible person

I make babies cry.

Shelves, mirrors, babies and musicals

It's like almost one in the morning and I'm starving. So... rice is on the stove. Super delicious!

Look what I made today!


A second, much-needed bookshelf to put more stuff on. Thing is... I need more book ends now! (What a good birthday present idea!)

Also, I finally got my mirror on the wall. (which, now I see it, is vaguely crooked.)


And... I have installed some excellent boy repellent into my car...


I'm picking up my favorite baby, Emma, from daycare twice a week now. I missed Emma so much! She's gotten bigger already. She eats like a beast (I don't know where she puts it all!) and she can sit up and balance herself pretty well already.


Oh, and she can clap. It is so adorable!

Tonight, I got all dressed up and went to see the musical Spring Awakening with my friends Karynna and Katlin. Let me say first, whuh!, and wow! It was so good! The musical is based off of a German play, and most of the characters are German schoolkids in their teenage years, who are all discovering their various sexual urges and the social taboo of them acting on it.

But contrasting the "conservative" times and messages being passed onto the children (or, well, messages not being passed onto the children) all of the songs (written by Duncan Sheik, who I am a huge fan of) are rock-themed, and it works perfectly. If it rolls through your area, go see it. But, um, don't bring your kids. (Unless you're comfortable with them watching the main characters have sex on stage. Twice. It's your call!)

Right, well, rice is ready. I'm going to shovel some food into me and then hit the sack.

NaNoHuhWhat?

Many of you are under the impression that I am a writer (to some degree) and in November I'm going to take that to a whole new level. Blog, let me introduce you to NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month.

If it seems like it's a scary, scary prospect... well it is.

The idea, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the (massive, huge, completely mind-numbingly scary) project is that you (yes, you!) will write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. For those who are mathematically inclined (not me!) that is around 1667 words a day (about 6 pages.) 50,000 words becomes in the end (or so I've been told) somewhere between 175-200 pages... and I will be honest and say that I am simultaneously terrified and completely delighted to be participating this year. However, something that I am struggling with is the idea that quantity is more important than quality. We shall see how that goes...

Also, no editing allowed. "Editing and such other weak pursuits are for December", according to the NaNo book No Plot, No Problem.

I've been planning my novel (in a not-outliney kind of way) ever since my friend Karynna reminded me to sign up in early October. So far, all I have is the title and a basic character sketch of my main character. I know that it is going to be a contemporary novel of the vampire persuasion (Why yes, I am going there) and that it will take place on the UT campus (which, at the moment is my entire world right now, so it kind of fits.)

So what is the brilliant title of my brilliant novel? I Bleed Orange.

It kind of started off as a joke... and then became "Well, huh. I could totally write that! Wait, that might actually be a lot of fun!" I've decided my main character's names will be Jonathan Pierce and Cassie Thompson. Jonathan will be the vampire... and hilarity will ensue. (However, no "Robert Sparkleson" for my vampires! Sorry, Twilighters!)

I have a little circle of friends who are also (completely crazy/have a death wish/utter dorknerds like me) doing NaNo, and I know that we plan on having little "word wars" (like "who can write the most words in 30 minutes") and writing sessions throughout November and so far they all have plots that are far more developed than mine... but I'm not too worried. I know my plot will come to me as I write.

I confess, my dear readers, that I do need something from you. I need you to be my "Guilt Monkeys". I need you to constantly (or, well, if you remember to) hound me and ask me how my brilliant and hilarious soon-to-be-bestselling novel is coming, and do all but sit on my shoulders and remind me that I have a word count to hit every day and I have to do it!

(Or you could come over and do my laundry for me. A busy student/writer/person-who-takes-naps doesn't have time for tasks such as laundry... No? Well fine.)

So, is anyone else doing it? Are you up for the challenge? Please, let me know if you're doing it too so we can be writing buddies!