Word Count--day two

word count--day one

So not lots of words today, but I'm writing an intense scene and every word feels weighted. I hope to crank out more tomorrow. Maybe if I can produce a little more each day than the day before.... I plan to document AT LEAST my weekly word count, if not daily, through out the month, in my own NaNoWriMo of sorts!

Bright things and some less so...

The light today is not as gray as I'd anticipated, rather the sun breaks through the clouds and I feel something akin to cheerful, even though I've stowed plenty of less harmonious feelings just below my skin. I spent forty minutes digging out unwanted shoots of holly in back while waiting to change over the laundry. My hope is to plant some tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs there in a month or so, after they've chilled appropriately.

This is what I call a transition day. I polished off two weeks of Amazon work last night and sent off the invoice today. Now I'm trying to get myself re-acclimated, into a more creative frame of mind, so that I can pursue novel work in the right head space. That's probably not going to happen today though, as here it is, already 3:30 on a Friday afternoon. WW is working tomorrow though, so perhaps I can make some creative writing use of my Saturday morning/afternoon, if the fall pleasantness doesn't lure me outdoors.

The nice thing about transition days is that they allow me to attend to the little things that I've put off. Thus, I made the bed fresh and washed the clothes. I practiced piano for an hour, then weeded and did a crossword puzzle. Next I'll do the stack of dishes. I can't wait to get rid of those. And before we go to friends' for dinner, I'll try to squeeze a bike ride or a run to feel something akin to fit.
Tomorrow, the dishes won't be bugging me. That plot of earth is cleared up, the clothing is washed and, with a little luck, folded and put away. Maybe I'll feel the temptation to clean the bathroom or mop the kitchen, but maybe I can wait until Sunday for that too. Tomorrow, I'll dig in again with Sam and the Myers family, with Sam's friends Charlotte and Osbaldo, with the mystery of Amber's suicide, and junior high in the fictional Utah town of Mica Heights, or is it Hills? You see?!!

November is Nanowrimo--National Novel Writing Month. The idea behind Nanowrimo is pretty much what it says: write a novel in a month. The official website allows folks to register for regular posting, reading, and support. If Nanowrimo didn't require you to start a novel from scratch, I would LOVE to use this network. If only to post my daily word count and track my progress in a supportive network! It's all about having someone to hold me accountable for my productivity--even if that person is a complete stranger. It's that notion that someone might look to see how my progress is coming along on a regular basis.

But, since I need to finish my novel in progress before starting anything new, I think I shall post my weekly word counts here instead through November. I'll break it down day by day, for the perspective. NO one reads this thing, as far as I can tell; but it is a public blog, and it does link off of a friend's blog who many people I know and love do read, and which i often comment on. So perhaps someone will see that picture of driftwood by my name and drift over, stepping up to be that person who, unbeknowest to me, holds me accountable for my words....

Coolest Fundraiser EVER!

Of late, I have been volunteering for this great organization, 826 Seattle. 826 Seattle is part of a greater 826 network started by Dave Eggers of McSweeney's fame in NYC. The organization is committed to fostering creativity through writing with children, via creative writing classes, after school tutoring, publishing endeavors, and field trips. In particular, I've been leading Storytelling field trips and performing as an "actress" in the Screenwriting field trips on Wednesdays or Thursdays once a week.
In the Storytelling field trip, I help an elementary class develop the four criteria for a good story (setting, characters, plot, conflict), and then we write the first three pages of a story together. At the end of the third page, we leave it at a cliffhanger, at which time all the kids go to the writing tables and write their own ending to the story. We print off the first three pages and the illustrations (drawn on the spot by an artistically gifted volunteer) and bind them into books for the kids on the spot, with photo stickers and about the author stickers on the back. VERY COOL! I love doing this! I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to spread the love of writing zany stories with kids from all over Seattle!
Anyway, below, you'll see a banner and blog link for 826 Seattle's latest fundraiser. AND it rocks! If I could grow a mustache, oh, I would! If you feel inclined to pledge a mustache farmer, I suggest Brock, Tim G., Tim M., or Joel, because they volunteer with me. Otherwise, help spread the word! Go youth literacy and creative writing!