Today is the last day of November. What does that mean? It's the last day of Nanowrimo 2010! That's right, it's coming to an end already. Earlier today I reached the 50k goal. I had to write about 3k per day yesterday and today to get there because, as I suspected, no writing got done during the four day Thanksgiving holiday. Not a word. I tried, too, but only parts of my house are warm and they happen to be the parts everyone congregates to. Plus, it was after a day of shopping with family and I wanted to sit next to Colin and just veg in front of the TV. "My Name is Earl" is surprisingly entertaining, although some parts are more offensive than I care for.
So I've "won" Nanowrimo. Hurray! Except it's really more of a milestone than an end, because I plan to just keep writing my novel. If I never quite find the end of it, I don't think it'd bother me too much. But I need to at least find a place where I can take a deep breath, or some way to make it appropriate to just say "to be continued." Even if it never is continued.
It's been a blast though. Really. I was skeptical that I'd ever be able to actually write that much in one month. But I did it, even with five days of no writing. Any words of advice for future writers? There's no secret tool. Just start writing. Even if you don't think there's much of a story. I was worried about not having enough material for 50,000 words, but I have passed that milestone and the story is still going strong. The boy has aged from 3 years old to 7.5 years old. I'm serious. Okay, I may have more monologues than I care to admit or chunks I wouldn't probably include in a published novel, but I wrote them and they're part of the nanowrimo novel.
You'll probably find that there's not enough "space" to say and do everything you want to do with all the things that pop up and surprise you. A novel is a lot like life, I think. You start out feeling like you've got a plan although you're not completely sure how it's all going to play out, and then you meet new people, you explore new places, you learn new things, you change, and your world constantly is turned upside down. What ends up happening is wildly different from what you'd expected, but it all works out in the end. Sometimes things seem hopelessly chaotic but then suddenly you find things tying in and fitting together neatly almost on their own.
The most practical and tangible piece of advice? Write every day. It's really hard to get back into the flow when you miss a day here or there. Your novel will actually *change* if you leave it alone for awhile. No, the words already on the page won't rearrange themselves magically, but the story in your head is constantly being molded by your own life whether you recognize it or not.
Another piece of advice is to play out scenes. Maybe not physically, but at least in your head. Imagine the surroundings, the moods, the conversation pace, and all the other undercurrents, as you write the scene. Write down the parts that jump out at you or write more about the scenery or physical actions than you think you should when you feel a lull in the conversation or story movement. It almost always helps, either by giving you clues of what happens next or letting your brain take a step back.
Well, I'm more tired than I thought I'd be. Time to chuck the keyboard aside and just laze with a cup of tea until Colin gets home. I'll say it again: It's been a wild ride. And it's not over yet.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
100th post! 40k words! SF!
Wow it's been 10 days since I last wrote. I feel like I've got legitimate reasons for not writing, but I still feel bad for not keeping this up to date, especially with the adventures I had in San Francisco a week ago. Other than keeping pretty active, I've also pushed myself to write just my novel whenever I had writing juice and time on my hands.
But it's also the 100th post on this blog! And I've reached 40,000 words on my nanowrimo novel! Woo hoo! I personally think reaching 40 was more exhilarating that reaching the 35 that seems to be the second biggest milestone in the nanowrimo process. But to each their own. Perhaps if I'd been as busy and as able to come up with ways to procrastinate (ooo look! sightseeing! ooo look! a book to read!) this month I'd be a little closer to the norm. Oh well.
I've also come to the realization that this isn't just one novel. It's more like at least two novellas. Case in point: the main character is three years old when the story begins. 40,000 words later, he's only seven. I don't think I'm writing way too slowly (maybe a bit at times to kind of explore ideas in my head), but I've let loose the idea of saying only what needs to be said and going wild with it. I still have only a hazy view of the rest of the story, including how much there is left, but no, the boy does NOT die young. At least, not this young.
I'm kind of in awe of my novel in some ways ... there are so many surprises that have cropped up and the story just goes flying in directions I didn't really expect it to. I wouldn't say the story has flowed painlessly all month, but I'm surprised at how I'm able to keep writing without too much pain. I have only taken one day off, and that was the full day of sightseeing. Looking back, I could see that I could have crammed a few words in when I was at the coffee shop instead of reading Google Reader, but I was multitasking and noveling is not a multitasking ... task.
Okay, short summary of SF:
Arrived Sunday afternoon at hotel on Nob Hill, was starving, got lunch in Chinatown at Happy Chinese Restaurant. Returned overdue Toy Story 3 to Redbox (still haven't watched it) down the hill near Union Square. Saw people ice skating and a tree being put together out of multiple trees. Died walking back up. Had overpriced latte with Illy espresso at hotel cafe, now know that Illy just tastes burnt normally. Wrote a prolific amount of novel in hotel room while Colin partied with other computer geeks in the garden right below. Also emailed Kelsay after realizing she lived in SF's vicinity then made plans to meet up with her and go to Alcatraz Island the next afternoon. Had dinner of Spaghetti Carbonara at a small and good Italian restaurant after half an hour's wait. They like to put tons of parsley in it, perhaps to make up for not enough cream. Fell onto pillow-top bed.
Went partway downhill with Colin to a breakfast place. He left me with the check because he was a bit late for the beginning of the convention. Walked down the rest of the way to Union Square. Tried to get cash with my TCF debit card with no success. Loitered in Yerba Mate before anything there was open. Went to a cafe even further south where I got my internet fix. Made my way over to Embarcadero to get three day muni pass and walked around pier one (for the view, not for any special sites since it's just all businesses). Found out that Kelsay wouldn't be able to make it after all and grabbed a Vietnamese sandwich on my way to the boat to Alcatraz. Was herded onto boat, around island, and off of boat. Still had a good time and enjoyed using the transcript of the audio tour. Took too many pictures. Then met up with Kelsay back on the mainland for a couple of hours of chatting and discovered the amazing food called garlic fries. Then met up with Colin and other developers at the Cheesecake Factory where I had a delicious Pina Colada with dinner. Fell into bed again.
Tuesday: Snuck into the convention breakfast for Danish rolls and coffee. Then struck out for Fisherman's Wharf with no jacket, only a t-shirt, spotted the Rogue bar (I'd recently picked up a random beer glass from a thrift store back home with a Rogue logo on it, no idea that it was a bar in SF). Spent the morning touring the WWII sub Pampanito and the WWII Victory ship next to it, before picking up lunch of clam chowder and fish n' chips to take back to the hotel. Walked most of the way up hill since the streetcar left before I could reach it and the next didn't start up until I was almost to hotel. Then headed back down the hill at a slower pace, stopping in Chinatown to get handmade fortune cookies and waiting quite awhile for the next streetcar going the rest of the way down. Wandered around Ghirardelli Square and in the Boudin sourdough bakery, bought some tee shirts, before finally hobbling to a cafe in North Beach. Wrote words, rested my back. Nabbed a couple of slices of real Italian pizza and splurged a bit on a bottle of wine. Walked back up hill to hotel and vegged while watching Dirty Jobs, drinking lots of wine and falling asleep before Colin got back from his fancy convention dinner.
Wednesday: Broke the rules again and ate breakfast with the convention members. Took a shower after eating, packed up. Computer was accidentally awake on the way to the airport so it was dead when sat down to wait for airplane. Eventually found outlet, wrote up outline of trip then had to board plane. Finished reading 'Pirate Latitudes' by Michael Crichton with Colin. Ended up napping most of the rest of the flight. Got back to wet, cold and dark Milwaukee and drove home.
So I did a lot of walking and doing things by myself. After being in Hyderabad for a month last year, SF felt like a cake walk when it comes to comfort zones. My back killed me but I did start dying less when I had to walk uphill. The weather was insanely perfect the whole time we were there. There were no major mishaps and I enjoyed the trip. Sure, there was plenty more I could have done (such as gone to the Golden Gate Bridge or walked around the biggest municipal park in the world) but I am more than satisfied with what I did do in such a short time frame. And I really like North Beach; it made me nostalgic for Italy.
What else ... oh yes, I reached 40k. And I've had 3 dental appointments since my last post (introductory, cleaning, 2 fillings). And today I tackled the pile of clothes that needed fixing via iron-on patches, including pants with holes in them or peeling decor (yay for more pants I can wear! Also for cut off sleeves of an old ripped long underwear top for fingerless gloves). This weekend Colin had a soccer game (they lost which isn't unusual). We both seem to have some kind of cold which results in coughing and wanting to go to sleep all the time. I picked up a book called "Stuff," found out it wasn't what I expected it to be, but got drawn in anyway and read it as fast as I could. It meant I almost didn't write one day, but then I got up the motivation and wrote anyway.
Today it was really warm (comparatively) and it thunderstormed at least twice. I celebrated by putting on a tanktop (though I never really went outside except to clean out the back seat and wore a sweatshirt anyway). It's supposed to be back to dreary grey cold and windy tomorrow. *sigh* If you happen to have sunshine or cheery/exciting weather where you're at, send some my way?
But it's also the 100th post on this blog! And I've reached 40,000 words on my nanowrimo novel! Woo hoo! I personally think reaching 40 was more exhilarating that reaching the 35 that seems to be the second biggest milestone in the nanowrimo process. But to each their own. Perhaps if I'd been as busy and as able to come up with ways to procrastinate (ooo look! sightseeing! ooo look! a book to read!) this month I'd be a little closer to the norm. Oh well.
I've also come to the realization that this isn't just one novel. It's more like at least two novellas. Case in point: the main character is three years old when the story begins. 40,000 words later, he's only seven. I don't think I'm writing way too slowly (maybe a bit at times to kind of explore ideas in my head), but I've let loose the idea of saying only what needs to be said and going wild with it. I still have only a hazy view of the rest of the story, including how much there is left, but no, the boy does NOT die young. At least, not this young.
I'm kind of in awe of my novel in some ways ... there are so many surprises that have cropped up and the story just goes flying in directions I didn't really expect it to. I wouldn't say the story has flowed painlessly all month, but I'm surprised at how I'm able to keep writing without too much pain. I have only taken one day off, and that was the full day of sightseeing. Looking back, I could see that I could have crammed a few words in when I was at the coffee shop instead of reading Google Reader, but I was multitasking and noveling is not a multitasking ... task.
Okay, short summary of SF:
Arrived Sunday afternoon at hotel on Nob Hill, was starving, got lunch in Chinatown at Happy Chinese Restaurant. Returned overdue Toy Story 3 to Redbox (still haven't watched it) down the hill near Union Square. Saw people ice skating and a tree being put together out of multiple trees. Died walking back up. Had overpriced latte with Illy espresso at hotel cafe, now know that Illy just tastes burnt normally. Wrote a prolific amount of novel in hotel room while Colin partied with other computer geeks in the garden right below. Also emailed Kelsay after realizing she lived in SF's vicinity then made plans to meet up with her and go to Alcatraz Island the next afternoon. Had dinner of Spaghetti Carbonara at a small and good Italian restaurant after half an hour's wait. They like to put tons of parsley in it, perhaps to make up for not enough cream. Fell onto pillow-top bed.
Went partway downhill with Colin to a breakfast place. He left me with the check because he was a bit late for the beginning of the convention. Walked down the rest of the way to Union Square. Tried to get cash with my TCF debit card with no success. Loitered in Yerba Mate before anything there was open. Went to a cafe even further south where I got my internet fix. Made my way over to Embarcadero to get three day muni pass and walked around pier one (for the view, not for any special sites since it's just all businesses). Found out that Kelsay wouldn't be able to make it after all and grabbed a Vietnamese sandwich on my way to the boat to Alcatraz. Was herded onto boat, around island, and off of boat. Still had a good time and enjoyed using the transcript of the audio tour. Took too many pictures. Then met up with Kelsay back on the mainland for a couple of hours of chatting and discovered the amazing food called garlic fries. Then met up with Colin and other developers at the Cheesecake Factory where I had a delicious Pina Colada with dinner. Fell into bed again.
Tuesday: Snuck into the convention breakfast for Danish rolls and coffee. Then struck out for Fisherman's Wharf with no jacket, only a t-shirt, spotted the Rogue bar (I'd recently picked up a random beer glass from a thrift store back home with a Rogue logo on it, no idea that it was a bar in SF). Spent the morning touring the WWII sub Pampanito and the WWII Victory ship next to it, before picking up lunch of clam chowder and fish n' chips to take back to the hotel. Walked most of the way up hill since the streetcar left before I could reach it and the next didn't start up until I was almost to hotel. Then headed back down the hill at a slower pace, stopping in Chinatown to get handmade fortune cookies and waiting quite awhile for the next streetcar going the rest of the way down. Wandered around Ghirardelli Square and in the Boudin sourdough bakery, bought some tee shirts, before finally hobbling to a cafe in North Beach. Wrote words, rested my back. Nabbed a couple of slices of real Italian pizza and splurged a bit on a bottle of wine. Walked back up hill to hotel and vegged while watching Dirty Jobs, drinking lots of wine and falling asleep before Colin got back from his fancy convention dinner.
Wednesday: Broke the rules again and ate breakfast with the convention members. Took a shower after eating, packed up. Computer was accidentally awake on the way to the airport so it was dead when sat down to wait for airplane. Eventually found outlet, wrote up outline of trip then had to board plane. Finished reading 'Pirate Latitudes' by Michael Crichton with Colin. Ended up napping most of the rest of the flight. Got back to wet, cold and dark Milwaukee and drove home.
So I did a lot of walking and doing things by myself. After being in Hyderabad for a month last year, SF felt like a cake walk when it comes to comfort zones. My back killed me but I did start dying less when I had to walk uphill. The weather was insanely perfect the whole time we were there. There were no major mishaps and I enjoyed the trip. Sure, there was plenty more I could have done (such as gone to the Golden Gate Bridge or walked around the biggest municipal park in the world) but I am more than satisfied with what I did do in such a short time frame. And I really like North Beach; it made me nostalgic for Italy.
What else ... oh yes, I reached 40k. And I've had 3 dental appointments since my last post (introductory, cleaning, 2 fillings). And today I tackled the pile of clothes that needed fixing via iron-on patches, including pants with holes in them or peeling decor (yay for more pants I can wear! Also for cut off sleeves of an old ripped long underwear top for fingerless gloves). This weekend Colin had a soccer game (they lost which isn't unusual). We both seem to have some kind of cold which results in coughing and wanting to go to sleep all the time. I picked up a book called "Stuff," found out it wasn't what I expected it to be, but got drawn in anyway and read it as fast as I could. It meant I almost didn't write one day, but then I got up the motivation and wrote anyway.
Today it was really warm (comparatively) and it thunderstormed at least twice. I celebrated by putting on a tanktop (though I never really went outside except to clean out the back seat and wore a sweatshirt anyway). It's supposed to be back to dreary grey cold and windy tomorrow. *sigh* If you happen to have sunshine or cheery/exciting weather where you're at, send some my way?
Friday, November 12, 2010
Spain and Fox Lake Library
This hasn't been the greatest week but I am looking on the bright side. We got our tickets for Europe! After much consideration and many other ideas (plus some hair pulling behavior from bosses), we have roundtrip tickets going to and leaving from Spain with almost three weeks in between. I'm getting pretty excited about it but I'm glad we have over a month before we go.
I was feeling grumpy and not up for going to the write-in Wednesday night. I almost asked Colin to come home so that I could just be with him. But I also knew I wouldn't regret going once I got to the write-in and I needed the boost to keep writing. I had written a grand total of 200 words earlier that day and it felt like real work. And I didn't regret going - the one other person who had been there the week before was happy to see me, even told me she had double checked to make sure I hadn't sent a message saying I wouldn't be there. And two new people showed up! We got two intense writing hours in and then we succumbed to temptation and talked for half an hour before everyone left. Now I'm currently at 26513 words and I have what looks to be a promising writing day today.
Colin left his wallet on the train last night which caused some stress but it's been easily resolved. He asked the conductor this morning and he said it was at the station at the end of the line and I could go pick it up before noon. "Perfect!" I thought. "Great excuse to try out that cafe there." Wallet retrieved I ventured over to the cafe and it was closed. So was the bistro next to it. And a place called "Whistle Stop Cafe" nearby didn't really look like a writer's haven but more one of those artery clogging breakfast places required in rural areas. So I went to a Dunkin Donuts and got a coffee there before heading to the library. On the way to the library, I noticed a bakery that looked promising, but I already had the coffee. Which I couldn't bring into the library anyway. It's interesting to note the variety in library policies regarding food and drink. At Deerfield, they even supply free coffee (along with lids) which you can then wander about with. I suspect that the building being brand new here at Fox Lake Library has something to do with it. Most places I've been ask that you have covered drinks only so I use that as a default expectation unless there's a sign saying otherwise.
When I came back into the library (after seeing the sign turning around and putting my coffee in the car), I noticed an area wasn't blocked off anymore but wasn't quite open. I was peering around the corner at it when a woman came up to me and said "That's the new section, it's not open yet." I said I noticed but I was just looking from where I was. Then she got all excited and gave me a personal tour. She showed me a room where there would be food and drink machines and pointed out a counter made from recycled glass. She also unlocked some doors and revealed the large lecture/meeting room and said that the seating is made from recycled seat belts. On the way out, I asked what was going to be put in the now-just-dirt area in the back and she explained that they'd be putting a wetland plants back there. I was excited because I had read about such things and thought they sounded great. Definitely worth checking out Fox Lake Library if you have the opportunity.
And now here I am, sitting in the quiet reading room alone, planning to do some noveling before hunger kicks in. Oh, and just as a reminder, I will be leaving for San Fran on Sunday. Along with sitting in quirky cafes and being all writer-y, I'll definitely get some sight seeing in. Despite some renovating going on, Alcatraz is my number one spot. There's some other ideas but I don't think I'll regret whatever does and does not happen while I'm there. Tomorrow, Colin has a company soccer game downtown and I just might join in. We'll see how that goes. Bad balance, two left feet, don't completely know all the rules to soccer, haven't been getting much exercise ... oh yes - we'll see. But then it's lunch with Tom and Keegan! With possibly sitting in a cafe and writing, maybe even with other nanowrimoers!
One short note before I sign off: I keep thinking it's nano-wree-mo but apparently it's nano-wry-mo. I kind of want to make a fuss and say that if we're trying to follow correct phonetics, we should be saying nah (like in national) noh (like in novel, not no) wry muh (as in month). But that's hard to say. Perhaps it's that darn Spanish/Italian in my brain protesting that it should be a long i. Either way, carry on.
I was feeling grumpy and not up for going to the write-in Wednesday night. I almost asked Colin to come home so that I could just be with him. But I also knew I wouldn't regret going once I got to the write-in and I needed the boost to keep writing. I had written a grand total of 200 words earlier that day and it felt like real work. And I didn't regret going - the one other person who had been there the week before was happy to see me, even told me she had double checked to make sure I hadn't sent a message saying I wouldn't be there. And two new people showed up! We got two intense writing hours in and then we succumbed to temptation and talked for half an hour before everyone left. Now I'm currently at 26513 words and I have what looks to be a promising writing day today.
Colin left his wallet on the train last night which caused some stress but it's been easily resolved. He asked the conductor this morning and he said it was at the station at the end of the line and I could go pick it up before noon. "Perfect!" I thought. "Great excuse to try out that cafe there." Wallet retrieved I ventured over to the cafe and it was closed. So was the bistro next to it. And a place called "Whistle Stop Cafe" nearby didn't really look like a writer's haven but more one of those artery clogging breakfast places required in rural areas. So I went to a Dunkin Donuts and got a coffee there before heading to the library. On the way to the library, I noticed a bakery that looked promising, but I already had the coffee. Which I couldn't bring into the library anyway. It's interesting to note the variety in library policies regarding food and drink. At Deerfield, they even supply free coffee (along with lids) which you can then wander about with. I suspect that the building being brand new here at Fox Lake Library has something to do with it. Most places I've been ask that you have covered drinks only so I use that as a default expectation unless there's a sign saying otherwise.
When I came back into the library (after seeing the sign turning around and putting my coffee in the car), I noticed an area wasn't blocked off anymore but wasn't quite open. I was peering around the corner at it when a woman came up to me and said "That's the new section, it's not open yet." I said I noticed but I was just looking from where I was. Then she got all excited and gave me a personal tour. She showed me a room where there would be food and drink machines and pointed out a counter made from recycled glass. She also unlocked some doors and revealed the large lecture/meeting room and said that the seating is made from recycled seat belts. On the way out, I asked what was going to be put in the now-just-dirt area in the back and she explained that they'd be putting a wetland plants back there. I was excited because I had read about such things and thought they sounded great. Definitely worth checking out Fox Lake Library if you have the opportunity.
And now here I am, sitting in the quiet reading room alone, planning to do some noveling before hunger kicks in. Oh, and just as a reminder, I will be leaving for San Fran on Sunday. Along with sitting in quirky cafes and being all writer-y, I'll definitely get some sight seeing in. Despite some renovating going on, Alcatraz is my number one spot. There's some other ideas but I don't think I'll regret whatever does and does not happen while I'm there. Tomorrow, Colin has a company soccer game downtown and I just might join in. We'll see how that goes. Bad balance, two left feet, don't completely know all the rules to soccer, haven't been getting much exercise ... oh yes - we'll see. But then it's lunch with Tom and Keegan! With possibly sitting in a cafe and writing, maybe even with other nanowrimoers!
One short note before I sign off: I keep thinking it's nano-wree-mo but apparently it's nano-wry-mo. I kind of want to make a fuss and say that if we're trying to follow correct phonetics, we should be saying nah (like in national) noh (like in novel, not no) wry muh (as in month). But that's hard to say. Perhaps it's that darn Spanish/Italian in my brain protesting that it should be a long i. Either way, carry on.
Monday, November 8, 2010
How noveling eats brains
Bleargh - record daily word count so far: 3844. Sure, I could go on and try for 5,000 but I think I've had enough. Gonna celebrate the random high word count by taking the rest of the night off. Read Michael Crichton's 'Pirate Latitudes,' make a lazy dinner, and veg in front of some Stargate. That's the plan anyway. Still have to wait for Colin so we can go home.
Still going strong - getting really close to the half way point (cumulative is now 22,337 - 9k over the suggested)! Not sure how I will celebrate the milestone which will almost certainly be reached tomorrow. Part of me feels like a snail riding on the back of a turtle "Ack! Too fast! Slow down!" but the rest of me just wants to go faster and keep finding out what happens next. I was initially worried the story would be used up quickly and I'd run dry of ideas well before the 50k goal, but that's not looking likely. Now I'm starting to wonder just what the ending might be ... I will focus more on concluding it so I have a whole novel by the end of the month. I can't really plan the pace of the rest of the novel since I have no idea what's going to happen and I don't want to skip over stuff since it's the journey that guides the story. I've introduced 14 characters, one who is still unnamed and I highly suspect she will play a much bigger role later on.
Despite my high word count, my brain apparently doesn't think it's getting enough noveling time. I don't actually think about the novel at night, but something has been making it difficult to sleep the past few nights. Colin suspects it's the novel's fault. I honestly don't know but that is the one big change in my life. Perhaps all the thinking I normally do during the day has been crowding into my brain at night. Nothing specific, just random stuff. And I don't feel stressed. Still pretty excited.
Okay, I've had more than enough typing for one day. My wrist is faring quite well, but my right ring finger has a weird sore joint. Hope you all got some of the warm sunshine we had here!
Still going strong - getting really close to the half way point (cumulative is now 22,337 - 9k over the suggested)! Not sure how I will celebrate the milestone which will almost certainly be reached tomorrow. Part of me feels like a snail riding on the back of a turtle "Ack! Too fast! Slow down!" but the rest of me just wants to go faster and keep finding out what happens next. I was initially worried the story would be used up quickly and I'd run dry of ideas well before the 50k goal, but that's not looking likely. Now I'm starting to wonder just what the ending might be ... I will focus more on concluding it so I have a whole novel by the end of the month. I can't really plan the pace of the rest of the novel since I have no idea what's going to happen and I don't want to skip over stuff since it's the journey that guides the story. I've introduced 14 characters, one who is still unnamed and I highly suspect she will play a much bigger role later on.
Despite my high word count, my brain apparently doesn't think it's getting enough noveling time. I don't actually think about the novel at night, but something has been making it difficult to sleep the past few nights. Colin suspects it's the novel's fault. I honestly don't know but that is the one big change in my life. Perhaps all the thinking I normally do during the day has been crowding into my brain at night. Nothing specific, just random stuff. And I don't feel stressed. Still pretty excited.
Okay, I've had more than enough typing for one day. My wrist is faring quite well, but my right ring finger has a weird sore joint. Hope you all got some of the warm sunshine we had here!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Gunpowder Treason and Plot
I had always heard of Guy Fawkes and was dimly aware he was some VIP in history. However, I'd never run across him in any of my studies either in school or out. It's understandable now why this is so; he wasn't part of Modern European history and I'd just never studied James I.
Of Henry VIII I am quite familiar with and of Elizabeth I have a lesser degree of familiarity. The history of English royalty is far from my forte. I am definitely aware of the overall idea of Catholics and the separation of church and state and the related events that occurred in Henry VIII's and Elizabeth I's reigns. What I had almost no knowledge of was what happened next. And this is where Guy Fawkes comes in.
As is always the case with history, the events were much more complicated and interesting than I will describe. There was some confusion over who would succeed Elizabeth I and she wouldn't announce a successor. But things went surprisingly smooth right after her death and James I came into power. He carried on the anti-Catholic sentiments the two previous rulers had had. A couple of years passed while Catholics in England became more and more upset with James I. There were many plots to try to kidnap him and his family and make them promise to be nicer to the Catholics in England, but none of them worked.
Then, a bunch of Catholics (13 overall in the end) got together and decided to blow up the House of Lords with all the Lords and the king inside it. This would certainly intimidate the high and mighty ones (since the idea was that all the lords would be in the building when the explosion happened) and the Catholic plotters hoped to gain some official tolerance towards Catholics by then placing James I's Catholic daughter Elizabeth (who was nine years old at the time) in power.
Oh, and just so you know, almost all of this is garnered from wikipedia along with other websites (brittannia, about.com, bonfirenight.net) and I still don't understand things like how such an anti-Catholic king could have a Catholic daughter. Apparently he discovered his wife had received a gift of a rosary from the Pope but I don't know if this means she was merely a tolerant individual or if she was Catholic herself. For now, I'm only focusing on understanding the gist of the Guy Fawkes story. If anyone wants to enlighten me, by all means go ahead - I'll probably end up finding out soon enough, just not right now.
An anonymous letter was sent to one of the lords who was Catholic (they didn't want him to be there when the building blew up) warning him of the plot. It didn't say the exact date but it did describe the intention of the plotters. It was easy to deduce when to be on alert since the House of Lords was going into session in just a few days after the letter was shown to the king.
On the night before the House of Lords session, soldiers searched the building and caught Guy Fawkes in the cellar next to 36 barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes chose to maintain that his name was John Johnson (yeah, very original, like "John Doe") and it took a few days of torture before he started revealing his real name and details of the plot. The other plotters were eventually captured, including a strong attempt to blame some Jesuit priests for being in on it (good for anti-Catholic politics), and a couple months later the plotters were hanged, drawn, and quartered, including Guy Fawkes who managed to snap his neck when he was hanged so he didn't suffer the following actions customarily given to traitors.
And why am I reading about the Gunpowder Treason Plot? What does it have to do with my novel? Well, it has absolutely nothing to do with my novel. The "why" is that today happens to be the day, four hundred and five years ago, that Guy Fawkes was caught. I wouldn't have known this if I hadn't spotted a tweet from Neil Gaiman> which said:
Remember, remember the fifth of November: Gunpowder, Treason and Plot. Perhaps I will have a very small bonfire here tonight, just because.
I wondered what the heck he was talking about. So I looked it up.
And now, I will end with a copy of the Gunpowder Plot poem.
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.
By god's mercy he was catch'd
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys,
Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys,
God save the king.
And what shall we do with him?
Burn him!
Of course, I have seen the movie "V for Vendetta" but it was only once awhile ago and the references to the actual historical event I completely missed. Sometimes, I'm a little thick in the head. I mean, V wears the Guy Fawkes mask, and he quotes part of the poem, and he's trying to do what Guy Fawkes failed to do and blow up the English Parliament. His reasons are different and it's set in a futuristic England which is a totalitarian state, but *still* I feel like I should have known. Alright, I'm gonna scuttle off and actually get some things done ... work on website, get a higher nanowrimo wordcount, and such.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
There's a high level of science-y-ness in this entry
I wasn't planning on writing a post today. Those of you who follow my blog might notice I rarely post the day after a post. Oddly, I've seemed to have developed a routine of posting M-W-F and maybe once on the weekend. It was not intentional, but it's a nice surprise. Someone once said regularity is key to the success of a blogger. I'm not trying to garner a huge following or anything, but it always tickles me pink when I hear from other people who have been reading. So thanks, guys! I'm not comment-fixated but I still appreciate your support :)
What triggered me to start this post was an article at newscientist.org (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19665-aircraft-bomb-finds-may-spell-end-for-inflight-wifi.html)
Mostly, the title says it all. First, let me say that I appreciate that there are people who attempt to keep us safe when we're traveling. I really do. Being crammed into an airplane can be stressful enough without the feeling of completely being in other people's hands, most notably the pilots. I don't have a fear of flying. I can't even remember my first flight. My grandpa has a small private airplane that he flies himself. It's really tiny and he's had it for years. It helps him cut down on travel time a LOT because he flies back and forth between the two offices where his business is which are a considerable distance apart. He usually takes a trip back and forth once a week. Yes, he's a busy guy, my grandpa. He also loves flying and when he was in high school he would skip to go hang out at the airport. It makes me uncomfortable admitting that he has his own airplane and stuff but since it was relevant to the topic, I mentioned it. Along with lots of explanations. *shifts nervously in her seat*
Okay, back to the main topic: cellphones and wifi on airplanes. I don't mean to sound ungrateful here, but my common sense tells me that banning passengers from communicating with the outside world while in flight seems kind of stupid. Okay, so you're giving the already obedient passengers even more restrictions and they're even more bored. There's nothing actually stopping someone from using their cellphone, short of the attendants wrestling their cellphones out of their hands. And true, connection will be really pathetic at best, but I know from experience (again, Grandpa's airplane, not a commercial one) that cellphones are wimps when it comes to reattaching every minute or so to yet another cellphone tower. But it's still possible to send text messages.
What about cellphones in luggage left turned on? Or accidentally turned on en route? Or what about satellite phones? Or the phones on airplanes on the back of seats that I've never seen anyone use? Banning cellphones and wifi use from passengers just seems like a pathetic way to "fix" this threat. Instead of being so reactive, why don't we try being proactive? Those who are determined to do bad things on and to airplanes will always find a way. If there's some rules they will break them or look for an alternative. They're clever like that. I really hope no one starts worrying that I've got some devious plans up my sleeve or anything ... I just felt I should comment on the article's content.
On the flip side, what's up with those people who turn on their phones and call almost as soon as they hit the tarmac, if not earlier? No, this is not jealousy here. This is me simply befuddled at how many people just ignore safety. "Oh, we're almost there. Maybe we're already on the tarmac and maybe we're still rolling but we've landed and there's no way we are going to crash. Who cares about the other airplanes? It's so much more important that I call this person and let them know we've arrived, the flight was terrible, and we *still* have to wait before we can get off the plane." Grr. *end rant*
Also on newscientist.org, I ran across a gallery of photos that are intriguing. Most of their photos are fun, but I wanted to share these in particular: http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/messages-from-the-stone-age I love looking at ancient paintings and etchings found in caves. I have very little sophisticated knowledge about those people that lived thousands of years ago (okay, everyone today has very little, but I mean I don't know most of what is known). But I like letting my imagination drift. I mean, tens of thousands of years ago they scribbled this stuff on the walls? And we can see it today? Some of these are 30,000 years old. Compare that with the fact that "history" started only 5,000 years ago with those clay tablets containing cuneiform writing on them. Those "really old" civilizations like Rome and Greece? They didn't appear until around 700 BC. Only 2700 or so years ago. It just astounds me.
And I am intrigued that the people studying these paintings have determined that they used to use these squiggles, squares, and dots but then stopped doing so. The youngest are only 10,000 years old. So what did these abstract shapes mean to them? Why did they stop using them? I'm thinking it was another Dark Age of sorts but we'll probably never know. I also like to imagine those who are painting merely made these dots and squiggles to warm up and to test how their mixed ink was working. Which would make the idea that we are studying them and trying to find some great marvelous meaning behind them hilarious. But hey, who knows? They could contain the answer to everything. (I kind of doubt it. Especially since clearly, as everyone knows, the answer is 42.)
On a more serious note, the hands are my favorite. They relay so much more human-ness than the pictures of bison and hunters with long pointy sticks to me. "We were here. We were like you. This is our signature. Notice how our hands look so much like your own."
Some of you are probably staring at this long post in astonishment, wondering what the heck I'm doing. Shouldn't I be noveling? Okay, sure, maybe I should. But I've written 11,763 words the past four days. I'm not tired of writing or exactly procrastinating, just welcoming a shift of mindset. I'll most likely get a few more words in before Colin's done with work. Yes, the novel is going well. My characters continue to control more than I'd expected them to and surprise me continuously, I have progressed in the story but not too much and feel like there's plenty of material floating around in my head to carry me through to the goal and/or deadline. The first write-in I somewhat unofficially hosted was last night and although only two other people showed up, it was fun and we've decided to meet every Wednesday night. I'm used to going into Deerfield on Wednesdays but that can easily be changed to Tuesday or Thursday, like today.
Oh, and I had my dental appointment this morning! I know, you're so proud of me. No alarming news, just need a couple small fillings, which is a relief. Alright, I'm off to stop being a nuisance to the baristas.
What triggered me to start this post was an article at newscientist.org (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19665-aircraft-bomb-finds-may-spell-end-for-inflight-wifi.html)
Mostly, the title says it all. First, let me say that I appreciate that there are people who attempt to keep us safe when we're traveling. I really do. Being crammed into an airplane can be stressful enough without the feeling of completely being in other people's hands, most notably the pilots. I don't have a fear of flying. I can't even remember my first flight. My grandpa has a small private airplane that he flies himself. It's really tiny and he's had it for years. It helps him cut down on travel time a LOT because he flies back and forth between the two offices where his business is which are a considerable distance apart. He usually takes a trip back and forth once a week. Yes, he's a busy guy, my grandpa. He also loves flying and when he was in high school he would skip to go hang out at the airport. It makes me uncomfortable admitting that he has his own airplane and stuff but since it was relevant to the topic, I mentioned it. Along with lots of explanations. *shifts nervously in her seat*
Okay, back to the main topic: cellphones and wifi on airplanes. I don't mean to sound ungrateful here, but my common sense tells me that banning passengers from communicating with the outside world while in flight seems kind of stupid. Okay, so you're giving the already obedient passengers even more restrictions and they're even more bored. There's nothing actually stopping someone from using their cellphone, short of the attendants wrestling their cellphones out of their hands. And true, connection will be really pathetic at best, but I know from experience (again, Grandpa's airplane, not a commercial one) that cellphones are wimps when it comes to reattaching every minute or so to yet another cellphone tower. But it's still possible to send text messages.
What about cellphones in luggage left turned on? Or accidentally turned on en route? Or what about satellite phones? Or the phones on airplanes on the back of seats that I've never seen anyone use? Banning cellphones and wifi use from passengers just seems like a pathetic way to "fix" this threat. Instead of being so reactive, why don't we try being proactive? Those who are determined to do bad things on and to airplanes will always find a way. If there's some rules they will break them or look for an alternative. They're clever like that. I really hope no one starts worrying that I've got some devious plans up my sleeve or anything ... I just felt I should comment on the article's content.
On the flip side, what's up with those people who turn on their phones and call almost as soon as they hit the tarmac, if not earlier? No, this is not jealousy here. This is me simply befuddled at how many people just ignore safety. "Oh, we're almost there. Maybe we're already on the tarmac and maybe we're still rolling but we've landed and there's no way we are going to crash. Who cares about the other airplanes? It's so much more important that I call this person and let them know we've arrived, the flight was terrible, and we *still* have to wait before we can get off the plane." Grr. *end rant*
Also on newscientist.org, I ran across a gallery of photos that are intriguing. Most of their photos are fun, but I wanted to share these in particular: http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/messages-from-the-stone-age I love looking at ancient paintings and etchings found in caves. I have very little sophisticated knowledge about those people that lived thousands of years ago (okay, everyone today has very little, but I mean I don't know most of what is known). But I like letting my imagination drift. I mean, tens of thousands of years ago they scribbled this stuff on the walls? And we can see it today? Some of these are 30,000 years old. Compare that with the fact that "history" started only 5,000 years ago with those clay tablets containing cuneiform writing on them. Those "really old" civilizations like Rome and Greece? They didn't appear until around 700 BC. Only 2700 or so years ago. It just astounds me.
And I am intrigued that the people studying these paintings have determined that they used to use these squiggles, squares, and dots but then stopped doing so. The youngest are only 10,000 years old. So what did these abstract shapes mean to them? Why did they stop using them? I'm thinking it was another Dark Age of sorts but we'll probably never know. I also like to imagine those who are painting merely made these dots and squiggles to warm up and to test how their mixed ink was working. Which would make the idea that we are studying them and trying to find some great marvelous meaning behind them hilarious. But hey, who knows? They could contain the answer to everything. (I kind of doubt it. Especially since clearly, as everyone knows, the answer is 42.)
On a more serious note, the hands are my favorite. They relay so much more human-ness than the pictures of bison and hunters with long pointy sticks to me. "We were here. We were like you. This is our signature. Notice how our hands look so much like your own."
Some of you are probably staring at this long post in astonishment, wondering what the heck I'm doing. Shouldn't I be noveling? Okay, sure, maybe I should. But I've written 11,763 words the past four days. I'm not tired of writing or exactly procrastinating, just welcoming a shift of mindset. I'll most likely get a few more words in before Colin's done with work. Yes, the novel is going well. My characters continue to control more than I'd expected them to and surprise me continuously, I have progressed in the story but not too much and feel like there's plenty of material floating around in my head to carry me through to the goal and/or deadline. The first write-in I somewhat unofficially hosted was last night and although only two other people showed up, it was fun and we've decided to meet every Wednesday night. I'm used to going into Deerfield on Wednesdays but that can easily be changed to Tuesday or Thursday, like today.
Oh, and I had my dental appointment this morning! I know, you're so proud of me. No alarming news, just need a couple small fillings, which is a relief. Alright, I'm off to stop being a nuisance to the baristas.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Feeling quite accomplished
Yesterday was election day - I hope you all voted or ... or else! I am not someone who talks about politics day in and day out but I do feel strongly that we should vote. Why? Because we can, duh. Well, my reasoning is a bit more sophisticated than that but I'm savoring some a new cup of hot tea. The steam tends to carry away my thoughts with it. Blame it on the tea.
I also want to comment on the nature of election information on the web: it sucks. I don't know anything else that is as hard to find good stuff on than the simple who supports what and what they plan to do in office. Individual candidates' campaign websites are almost all the same - they all really suck. Do you support the same things I do or don't you? My eyes glaze over after a few lines of politically snazzy gibberish and I beg for plain English. It's no wonder so many people just vote depending on who has got the right letter next to their name. Bottom line was, the more information I could find on a candidate, the more willing I was to vote for them over the guys who had not bothered to express themselves online. There was at least one exception to that of course where the person was just digging themselves further and further into a hole in their crap. I was also mildly surprised when I ran across someone who simply stated "I am strongly pro-life." Good for you, thanks for letting me know that, I almost want to vote for you because you just *told* me something of use. Granted, not all of the positions will ever actually influence big issues like abortion and same sex marriage and health insurance, but I like having people who share my opinions having some power. I think one of my biggest complaints is that people complain the government doesn't represent the people when they are thinking only of themselves. The people are more than one type and their political opinions vary widely. That's why we've got such a wide variety of people in power! It's definitely not a perfect representation. But having less than half of the population vote makes it hard to get closer to a more realistic representation. And I'm throwing out another thought: Do you think this variety is why it's so hard for the government to get anything done?
I'm still ahead on my nanowrimo word count. 6,387 so far! I'm taking a break until the write-in tonight which is why I'm writing a blog entry. Yeah I know it's still writing. But it's different. It's about ME rather than my characters who have quickly taken over in the novel. Don't worry, I am still having fun. There have been lots of surprises already. I'm feeling quite accomplished too. It doesn't matter that it's only the third, that I've written just over 10% of the goal so far.
This weekend I cleaned up and stacked the papers that I'd gone through in October in one big pile. All the papers from the two years of SLIS. When Colin saw it he was amazed. And I finally felt like I actually got something done. So I took a picture of the stack with a ruler next to it. Over eight inches thick (or high?). Which means it's roughly 2,000 sheets of paper. That's not even all of them but it's about 98% of them if I had to guess. Everything has been accounted for - if it hadn't been marked up, I just made sure I had a digital copy before scanning it. But most of it was scanned, back and front, over the course of one month. Phew! No more carrying those papers around!
I also want to comment on the nature of election information on the web: it sucks. I don't know anything else that is as hard to find good stuff on than the simple who supports what and what they plan to do in office. Individual candidates' campaign websites are almost all the same - they all really suck. Do you support the same things I do or don't you? My eyes glaze over after a few lines of politically snazzy gibberish and I beg for plain English. It's no wonder so many people just vote depending on who has got the right letter next to their name. Bottom line was, the more information I could find on a candidate, the more willing I was to vote for them over the guys who had not bothered to express themselves online. There was at least one exception to that of course where the person was just digging themselves further and further into a hole in their crap. I was also mildly surprised when I ran across someone who simply stated "I am strongly pro-life." Good for you, thanks for letting me know that, I almost want to vote for you because you just *told* me something of use. Granted, not all of the positions will ever actually influence big issues like abortion and same sex marriage and health insurance, but I like having people who share my opinions having some power. I think one of my biggest complaints is that people complain the government doesn't represent the people when they are thinking only of themselves. The people are more than one type and their political opinions vary widely. That's why we've got such a wide variety of people in power! It's definitely not a perfect representation. But having less than half of the population vote makes it hard to get closer to a more realistic representation. And I'm throwing out another thought: Do you think this variety is why it's so hard for the government to get anything done?
I'm still ahead on my nanowrimo word count. 6,387 so far! I'm taking a break until the write-in tonight which is why I'm writing a blog entry. Yeah I know it's still writing. But it's different. It's about ME rather than my characters who have quickly taken over in the novel. Don't worry, I am still having fun. There have been lots of surprises already. I'm feeling quite accomplished too. It doesn't matter that it's only the third, that I've written just over 10% of the goal so far.
This weekend I cleaned up and stacked the papers that I'd gone through in October in one big pile. All the papers from the two years of SLIS. When Colin saw it he was amazed. And I finally felt like I actually got something done. So I took a picture of the stack with a ruler next to it. Over eight inches thick (or high?). Which means it's roughly 2,000 sheets of paper. That's not even all of them but it's about 98% of them if I had to guess. Everything has been accounted for - if it hadn't been marked up, I just made sure I had a digital copy before scanning it. But most of it was scanned, back and front, over the course of one month. Phew! No more carrying those papers around!
Monday, November 1, 2010
And we're off!
Well, it's off on a rocky start. First, I spent so much time just trying to print my manual. I mean, how hard could it be to print a mulipage pamphlet? Very, it turns out .. especially when the printer quit listening to me. Got it all figured out but it only took the whole morning. Also, I'm trying not to feel guilty for not finishing my entire GTD list. I hadn't realized how much the website making would hinge on my digitization project. But I just wanted to start so badly today ... so the compromise is to write as much as possible today and then finish the website tomorrow before continuing writing. My internet now works in spurts and the nanowrimo site is very slow today, so I can't post my first word count.
The bright side? My finger that I cut this weekend and my stubborn wrist are cooperating very nicely. I have enjoyed some jerky and tea. And I've written 1,044 words so far! I plan to hit the library after a quick late lunch to keep going. I'm afraid it's far from gripping. I have managed to write two scenes so things are progressing. A lot of it is making it up as I go, including names and exactly how things work in the colony. So probably way too much explaining, but I'm not laying out everything at once and there's action and dialog ... Who cares if it turns out boring for anyone else who might read it, right? ;)
I'd post a screenshot and maybe a picture of my supplies but the internet is so flaky I'm going to be surprised if this gets up at all, let alone be able to upload pictures. And how's your November looking?
The bright side? My finger that I cut this weekend and my stubborn wrist are cooperating very nicely. I have enjoyed some jerky and tea. And I've written 1,044 words so far! I plan to hit the library after a quick late lunch to keep going. I'm afraid it's far from gripping. I have managed to write two scenes so things are progressing. A lot of it is making it up as I go, including names and exactly how things work in the colony. So probably way too much explaining, but I'm not laying out everything at once and there's action and dialog ... Who cares if it turns out boring for anyone else who might read it, right? ;)
I'd post a screenshot and maybe a picture of my supplies but the internet is so flaky I'm going to be surprised if this gets up at all, let alone be able to upload pictures. And how's your November looking?
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