Archives: November 01, 2005

Fine!

Wednesday, 30 November 2005 10:05 PM

I am so very, very done.

I finished NaNoWriMo 2005 with a ravishing total of 50,633 words. Of those, 24,725 were tossed together in the final week.

Key lessons learned:

• I accomplish more writing outside of my home than inside it.
• It is much, much better to make a little progress every day than to hope to catch up on weekends. So much other stuff happens on weekends. There's no time to write.
• Butler County is lucky to be home to many interesting and friendly writers. There will be several books coming out of this area, if I'm not mistaken.
• Throwing in an arbitrary plot element, such as a chocolate gun, creates interesting problems and twists. I will be taking outsider suggestions more often in the future.
• Taking a book plan seriously makes it hard to write the book. Taking a deadline seriously makes it easy to get words on paper. It's easy to confuse the two kinds of seriousness, and important to keep remembering their difference.

Incidentally, if you'd like to know to what depths my writing dropped in the quest to complete this project, here is the final paragraph of the manuscript:

Not moving his gun from my throat, he reached over and caught my chocolate covered fist. He raised it to his mouth, stuck out his tongue, closed his eyes, and licked.

In the home stretch

Tuesday, 29 November 2005 10:47 AM

I'm currently at 42,567 NaNoWriMo words, after a 5K word blast yesterday and another 1K jolt this morning. I plan two short sessions today with the aim of reaching 4.5K words today, leaving just 4K for the final day.

As for the actual content of the novel: You know how some writers repeatedly explore the same general themes in their work, and how these themes may map to their personal obsessions? Apparently I am obsessed with people hiding in basements and crawl spaces of the homes of their loved ones. I had no idea that this was an obsession of mine -- I don't think about it on a daily or weekly or even monthly basis, or in fact ever -- but once again in this novel someone is hiding in a basement storage area. And stealing food from other people's refrigerators. I swear I have never done these things myself and I don't know how they keep reappearing in my plots. But there you go.

Also, there is now another dead body, this one apparently killed somewhere and then brought in secret and placed in the narrator's apartment, while the narrator was not there. Combine this with the chocolate revolver and we see that this book is turning out less like a Raymond Chandler novel and more like Murder By Death.

Incidentally, new working title as proposed by Some Friends over the weekend: The Girl With the Chocolate Gun.

Still to come: The revelation of what the book is about, the big confrontation scene, the protagonist's facing of fears and overcoming the big obstacle. It's all still a mystery to me, so it's exciting to know it has to all come to light soon.

Creeping ever closer

Saturday, 26 November 2005 12:00 AM

I am now at 34,143 NaNoWriMo words. My narrator is evincing a sassier attitude now. And coincidentally, "Bitch" by the Rolling Stones has now been randomly chosen by the iPod. How perfect.

Also important today: I brought the chocolate gun into the plot. I am not sure how it will be used. I did realize that it would make a perfect fake suicide item. Also, the fact that hot hands melt chocolate occurs to me. So many possibilities.

Non-writing news: Today being the day after Thanksgiving, I also repeated two of my annual traditions: (1) avoiding all shopping locales and (2) putting holiday music into rotation. It wasn't too hard to avoid the shopping, as I had lots of work to do and little money to spend. And it was a delight to dig out the holiday CDs and shift around iTunes playlists. How much cheerier everything feels when a "Baby, It's Cold Outside" comes on the stereo!

Deathless prose

Thursday, 24 November 2005 11:22 PM

I have, to this point, created 30908 words of fiction in the month of November.

And it's all deathless prose.

Yes, every word is deathless, in the sense of being zombie-like, undead, breathing with a particular non-life that makes the internal editor in me weep, bitterly.

But then again, having pushed through to the second half of the NaNoWriMo adventure, I can attest to the value of having set goals that appear impossible but are attainable. My book looked excellent at the start, and its excellence daunted me, so I wrote little. The little that I wrote was not good, and then the writing became bad. And then truly bad. I mean, vomit-inducing ickiness. Real trash. I cringe even now at the thought. I will never be able to read entire pages of this crap.

I kept going because of the deadline, and because I'd been so public about having signed on for this challenge. I could not permit myself to back down. Also, I didn't want to back down. I wanted to push through.

So, I had to come up with words. To come up with words, I had to make up stuff to write about. Pull things from air, from between couch cushions, from the space behind my fridge.

Now, to my surprise and delight, the words are starting to form into ideas that are not quite bad. Some are intriguing. Others are good. Stuff that had been floating around in my head, things I'd wanted to write about that I had not planned to include in this novel, are now finding a home. And not just any old home, but one that really works for them and works for the book. It's a funny synthesis, borne I guess of pressure and deadlines and desperation.

At 30-some thousand words I'm still behind schedule overall, but the holiday weekend continues and there's time to catch up. More importantly, I'm on the trail of something that could be sweet.

Oh, and the chocolate gun? (Please see the comments of my past NaNoWriMo posts if you don't know about the chocolate gun.) I tried to introduce it today but got side-tracked again. However, my latest insight/angle on the main character opens opportunities for the chocolate gun, in a big way. I'm going to bring it in tomorrow for sure, if for no other reason than to at last have it in the book, ready to go off in the third act.

Half way mark

Tuesday, 22 November 2005 08:49 PM

NaNoWriMo update: I've reached the halfway mark for my word count. I'm going to need to average 3,125 words per day for the remaining 8 days of the event to reach my goal. Fortunately, this is not impossible, as that's roughly the word count I posted today and yesterday. And with Thanksgiving Thursday, I have a little extra time to churn out more text.

The plot is not completely lost, but it's deeply confused and stagnant. I have at least managed to get the main character out from her apartment a few times, but oddly enough the other most common locale for the book is an interrogation room at the police station. I have never been in an interrogation room, so I've had to concoct it from what I've seen on TV cop shows and movies. It bears a mroe than passing resemblance to the questioning rooms of "L.A. Confidential" and "Homicide: Life on the Street" in particular.

The chick lit plot line appeared for a while, then faded for a few days. I will try to bring it back tomorrow. A gun finally made an appearance today, and for that I was grateful. Maybe tomorrow I'll work in Christina's recommendation for a chocolate gun. Mmmm!

No Corners for You

Monday, 21 November 2005 10:58 PM

I assume the music of They Might Be Giants appeals to only a select few. If you are among those few, or if you are not sure whether you're among them but you are the sort of curious person who clicks on links, please check out The Venue Songs. It's a collection of videos, being rolled out over time, to depict songs written for particular venues on a recent TMBG national tour.

Good golly, it's great. Having watched only the first two entries plus the intro (narrated by my longtime internet/radio crush John Hodgman, whom I have never met and swear I am not stalking), I'm completely overwhelmed. My novel-in-progress will be taking a dramatic departure from "reality" as a result of discovering this gem.

(At some point the web will shift and the link above will point to the main TMBG website. I assume The Venue Songs will continue to reside there somewhere -- search for the joy.)

Or, if you're the impatient type, you can order the double DVD and have it all forever.

Other Drink of the Week: Seattle Manhattan

Friday, 18 November 2005 08:49 PM

I pulled out the ingredients for my intended drink of the week, among them a bottle of Starbucks Coffee Liqueur. Have you tried this? It's like Kahlua but has that particular Starbucks flavor, the same as in the bottled "cappucinos" and "double espressos" sold at the grocery. I believe it has caffeine in it, because when I've made drinks with it I find myself jittery and up very late.

Which, actually, makes it perfect for a night when I'm planning to attend the 10:35 showing of a 2 1/2 hour movie.

Anyway, still tied to the neck of the Starbucks bottle is a recipe guide, with suggestions of coffee liqueur drinks. And among these I found something so interesting that I abandoned my prior drink plans and made this instead:

Seattle Manhattan

1/2 part Starbucks Coffee Liqueur
1/2 part sweet vermouth
1 part Knob Creek Bourbon

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass; garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Drink of the Week: Black Magic

Friday, 18 November 2005 08:40 PM

No one seems to have invented a wizard drink yet. Being written for kids, the Harry Potter books don't feature alcoholic drinks -- there's only the Butterbeer, which sounds to me like it's flavored with butterscotch, not my favorite sweet. I'm tempted to concoct something for the occasion, but I'm planning to see the new movie tonight and want to retain some sobriety until then.

So I present for you instead this little known lowball:

Black Magic

1 1/2 oz Vodka (Stolichnaya)
3/4 oz Coffee liqueur
Lemon juice

Mix ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender. Pour into a chilled old-fashioned glass.

I am a novel-writing machine

Wednesday, 16 November 2005 08:53 PM

Tonight I ventured down to populous Cranberry Township to write with fellow NaNoWriMo-ers. The Panera here is crazy busy -- the meeting room was double-booked, people milled around looking for open tables -- and all the same this has been my most productive writing day all month. 3,211 words in under three hours.

You'd expect the laptop to be melting from the heat of my writing speed, but it's holding up well -- perhaps because this place is freaking freezing.

I've largely dropped the chick lit elements of my previous plan, focusing right now on simply following the basic mystery plot. I'm a little annoyed at how it keeps drifting toward a police procedural. But the detectives on the case are sort of amusing, and the heroine really is in a pickle. Also, organized crime has surfaced. It's a simplistic collection of all the most common cliches, and yet I'm still enjoying it. I have not idea how it's going to resolve, but I've over half a book yet to figure that out.

Party on

Tuesday, 15 November 2005 10:34 AM

When I think "writer," I think "wild party maniac."

OK, not really. Not at all. And yet the writers I know are social people. This makes sense: the antisocial and unsociable writers don't come out in public, so the chances of my meeting them are slim. I can read books by the loners, but that's as close as I get to them.

For the rest of us though, the chatty writerly types, it's fun to get out and meet other wordsmiths. And for those who think they're not yet writers -- they haven't received their decoder rings and handbooks that show all the secret handshakes -- it's good to meet real writers and see they're quite the same as anyone.

So, for these folk (and that includes you, if you're a writer or a reader or a writer-in-development or a person who likes a good time), for them, Fat Plum is throwing a party.

Writers' Wonderland: Celebrate the Book in You (Even If It Hasn't Come Out Yet)

Location: Finnigan's Wake (near PNC Park) 20 E. General Robinson Dr., Pittsburgh, PA
When: Sunday, November 27, 4:00pm to 7:00pm

We'll have food, soda and coffee and tea, prize drawings, pleasant conversation, biting wit, laughs galore, and ever so much more. There will be a cash bar, and being as this is Finnegan's Wake it will be a pretty and highly functional area indeed.

There is a small charge of $18.50 per person to cover the expense of the trays of yummy food. All net proceeds will be donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council.

You know you want to come! Please RSVP by 11/20 so we can make sure there's enough food for all.

I sent out some online invitations but I'm sure to have missed people -- go to the online invitation at Evite and tell us you're coming. Or contact me for answers to all questions.

Invite friends and significant others, and come for the fun.

Time to Rally

Monday, 14 November 2005 01:32 PM

As of this moment, I have 12,250 words written for the NaNoWriMo 2005 novel. That's exactly one-quarter of the way done, which would seem not too bad if this weren't almost one-half the way through the month.

I completely stymied myself yesterday. Had many hours set aside in which to write, sat at the computer most of the day, and yet didn't write word one.

I did review a few select pages from several classic pulp novels by Chandler, Hammett, and others, and from several chick lit novels. (I am coming to love that Look Inside feature at Amazon.) I went back and forth, back and forth on whether I really do want to write a book that tries to meld the genres. Fact is, Janet Evanovich is doing exactly that (writing such books, not wasting valuable time worrying about whether it's a good idea). So it can be done, and it's fine and fun, and there's no reason for me to sit around fretting. Yet fret I did.

Also this weekend though, I had a brush with writing fame: I briefly met and obtained the autograph of Natalie Goldberg. She's the author of Writing Down the Bones, and many other works. WRitign Down the Bones was the first writing book I read when I started writing fiction, and I re-read it for inspiration about once a year. It was delightful to bump into her, and having done so reminded me that I'd meant to look back at WDTB again.

So I did read a few sections. Taking its advice, I'm going to try writing in timed increments, not thinking, not correcting, but typing as fast as my fingers and brain will allow. Letting that process free me from my creepy little editors.

And not a moment too soon: Still have 37,750 words to go.

How many lives left?

Wednesday, 09 November 2005 11:32 AM

This cat sounds like the Laura Croft of the feline world.

Several next thoughts:

• Now that this has received national news exposure, how many hours until that cat is claimed or adopted? (My guess: 2.) And how many people will try to adopt the cat? (I'm saying about 50.)


• What was the guy doing in the canoe? It sounds like Kitty had arranged ahead of time for him to be waiting, as part of her prison break.


• Wouldn't that cat's route make a great video game? But given how game designers animate gore, I couldn't play it due to the gruesome sight of the little Kitty getting smushed when I screwed up.

(Link thanks to The Morning News.

Put one foot in front of the other

Wednesday, 09 November 2005 12:49 AM

I missed a day of NaNoWriMo writing Monday, falling even further behind. So tonight I was determined at least not to lose more ground. Things looked grim at about 11:15pm when i still hadn't come up with a single new word.

But I stumbled along, trying first just to get the 1667 word quota for today, and then as I had a little momentum to get a full 2000.

And I managed it. Word count as of now: 9320. I was tempted to keep going for a full 10K but with a hard day of work and a fun night of BlogFest fast on my heels, I've decided to get some well-deserved sleep.

I am glad to have gotten the extra writing done tonight though, for sure. Some interesting plot developments emerged. Now we have a cell phone mixup, mysterious phone numbers, suspicious police detectives, and a heroine without a car. I think pretty soon we will benefit from the first appearance of a gun.

NaNoWriMo: Weekend update

Sunday, 06 November 2005 11:01 PM

Oy vey, my novel is kicking my butt. I am several thousand words behind, dropped further back today. I can blame many things, primarily work and Steelers football, but of course a certain distractedness in myself is mostly to blame.

I will recommit to it tomorrow. I have several ideas of where the plot can go, and I am enjoying watching it roll out. If I can muster a higher level of focus, I'm confident it will take shape.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: I sat down to write just a few more words before bed, got going, and pounded out several pages. Getting the butt in the chair once again proves to be key. Also, I have VH1's Alternative program on the telly and it seems to be keeping part of my brain busy, freeing other parts to make crap up. The resulting writing isn't memorable, for certain, but the story has moved slightly and the charcters have revealed themselves further. It's the kind of thing I needed to see, ending the weekend with strength.

This week: Pat Patterson reception, S.Side Pgh

Sunday, 06 November 2005 10:59 PM

My friend, the very talented Pat Patterson, will be exhibiting her paintings on the South Side starting this Thursday. In particular, her exhibit includes the tremendous painting she created as part of her MFA thesis -- beyond its sheer size (9ft by 10 ft I believe, maybe more), it's also fantastic and thrilling for the skill and artistic insight it demonstrates.

Pat's work explores issues of identity, particularly identity of gender but expanding beyond that to the concerns we all face in discovering, understanding, and developing our selves. And she's such a fantastic, vibrant, dear individual -- I hope everyone might have the chance to come to the reception and meet her and appreciate her work.

The reception will be in two locations simultaneously: the LaFond Gallery and the Tuscany Cafe, both on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh's South Side. Additional details from Pat below. Note that Mahogany, Pat's key model, will be present as well, making this an event for sure. (I've met Mahogany just once, and she's quite electric.)

Let me know if you have questions or need directions. I hope I'll see you there!

NOTE: LaFond Gallery is at 1711 E. Carson St. and the Tuscany Cafe is in the 1500 block on the same side of the street. It's a short walk from one to the other.

NaDruWriNi #4: I am old. I am old. I shall wear my trousers rolled.

Sunday, 06 November 2005 12:53 AM

OK, made myself food, switched to wine instead of whiskey, and still am feeling beaten beyond belief. Must go. Shall miss you all. But shall see you tomorrow, most likely. Please miss me in the meantime.

NaDruWriNi #3: You can't be leaving. It's still early.

Sunday, 06 November 2005 12:33 AM

Good golly, am I so old? I am thinking of fixing a food-type comestible.

(Also, I'm very proud of having gotten that last work right the first time.)

NaDruWriNi #2: Yes, we're serious. We've begun taking quizzes.

Sunday, 06 November 2005 12:08 AM

But after all, who doesn't think they'll be sucked dry one way or another?

You will be sucked dry by a leech. I'd stay away
from swimming holes, and stick to good old
cement. Even if it does hurt like hell when
your toe scrapes the bottom.

What horrible Edward Gorey death will you die?

NaDruWriNi #1: Are we serious?

Saturday, 05 November 2005 11:47 PM

Hello again! Oh dear, the party has started without me. This was to be expected, indeed I had anticipated it, and yet to find that the expected had in fact come to pass does soemwhat dampen the spirit.

And yet, speaking of spirits...

I'm currently enjoying Wild Turkey (101) on the rocks. I have these charming glasses from Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, no longer available it would seem, that conveniently have a carved-in-the-glass line to show to what point to pour, and a second line to show how much ice to add. A better glass for the modern, efficient drunkard I cannot imagine. The glasses are also extremely sturdy and seem next to unbreakable. With any luck someone will make them once again available for purchase, and you can get a set as well.

I had planned to write more of the NaNoWriMo novel tonight. It is still a possibility, but then again there are two main interruptions. To wit:

1) I have been drinking. Experience says that I can write things of interest during the first few drinks, but interest drops as blood level alcohol rises. I've had (...counting...) four ddrinks (I left in the typo for your benefit) and am on my fifth. This si (again!) not so bad. Worthwhile fiction is still a possibility. And yet...

2) I am distracted by love. OK, not love. Strong affection. The reason that I am late to the NaDruWriNi party is that I was on a date. (Please imagine the italics as announced in a stage whisper.) And the date went terribly, surprisingly, startlingly well, apparently on both sides. There were charming little mock arguments, a certain amount of hand-holding, and kissing of a very promising variety. Yes.

And but so (to borrow a phrase) I have noticed in the past that good dating events tend to interrupt the writing incentive. One drifts into various reveries when one should be writing.

Must one be alone/unhappy to create fiction? A sad thought.

Will this dating interest happen upon this intoxicated-in-various-ways blog entry?

My glass seems to be empty. Excuse me a moment.

It's martini time

Saturday, 05 November 2005 04:05 PM

I love a martini
but two at the most.
Three I'm under the table,
four I'm under the host.
--Dorothy Parker

It's National Drunken Writing Night (NaDruWriNi), conveniently scheduled during NaNoWriMo. I have certain other plans for the early part of the evening though, so I'll have to save the heavy drinking and writing for later.

Earlier today I pounded through the start of chapter 5 of the NaNoWriMo novel. (The chapters don't mean anything -- they're essentially file numbers to match the days on which they were written. For example, there's exactly one word in chapter 4, "I...," and it's there only so I'd have no missing chapter even though I didn't have time to write yesterday.)

But even though I haven't time for writing at the moment, there's nothing preventing from drinking. For now I'm sipping a delightfully cold vodka martini. (Don't give me that "not a real martini" look -- James Bond takes his martinis with vodka too. Have one and you'll see they're plenty real. And plenty yummy!)

Tune back in later this evening to check for alcohol-infused fireworks, and to see how long I can stick with the hard stuff.

Na zdrowie.

UPDATE: Please note that NaDruWriNi entries will contiune sequentially after this post. Enjoy and comment as needed. Cheers!

Happy Birthday to We

Friday, 04 November 2005 08:21 PM

Ohmigosh! I almost forgot: Today is the one year anniversary of Pittsburgh Bloggers.

How best to celebrate? Well, the obvious answer would be to blog like crazy, point out the best of the many wondrous blogs of the Pittsburgh area, ruminate on the future of blogging in general and in Pgh in particular.

Unfortunately, I'm headed out the door (late again) to the opening of a terrific photography exhibit (one that you'll want to check out for sure, details here). And when I get back, there are several thousand novel words to write. Blogging for the day is thusly compromised.

Instead, let's plan to celebrate a bonny year of blogging, 'burgh-style, next Wednesday.

Pittsburgh BlogFest 4: The "How Exactly Do You Decide When to Schedule These?" Edition

WHEN: Wednesday, November 9, 2005, 5:30 PM until whenever we are done
WHERE: Finnegan's Wake (near PNC Park, 20 General Robinson St., North Shore, 412-325-2601), in the Pub Room (actually the Quiet Man Room -- all John Wayne impressions delivered to me are eligible for a free drink)
WHO: Pittsburgh-area bloggers and the sweet souls who love/read them
AND: Creating Text(iles), Grabass, Inner Bitch, and My Brilliant Mistakes, and many, many more.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to blogfest (AT) closkey [DOT] com.

NOTICES AND FINE PRINT: This is a purely social event; it will be utterly without agenda, structure, or redeeming value.

Please join us!

NaNoWriMo progress -- week one slow but steady

Thursday, 03 November 2005 11:22 PM

I’m up to 3412 words — I'd hoped to have the full three-day quota, which would have been 5001 words at the end of today. But travel and work got in the way, as did a nice phonecall with a boy. (Should I say boy? Note to the authorities: I'm speaking of a full-grown, of-age individual that I'm leagally allowed to potentially date. Geez, what's the world coming to?)

Anyway, so writing-wise I'm behind schedule but not hopelessly so. I expect to make up some ground on the weekend. I’ve got a write-in scheduled for Saturday at our local coffee shop, and I've got NaNoWriMo promo items for the novel writers who show up.

Plus, Sundays can be a good time for me to write. There is the Steeler game in the afternoon to plan around, but maybe it can turn into a plot point.

In any case, I’m feeling good about the way the story has begun. I think I might turn to the Marshall Plan for plotting guidance and inspiration. It could be a helpful lead for me in ensuring dramatic tension -- for the readers and, more importantly at this point, for myself.

For now, I'm off to sleep, perchance to dream ... of new character quirks and plot twists.

On making a pilgrimage

Tuesday, 01 November 2005 03:09 PM

I'm still in NYC for one final night. Today's non-celebrity sightings were few:

• A junior Joe Montaigne lookalike. Putting cream and sugar in his coffee, telling me how he needs to get a new laptop, I should see the dinosaur he used to carry around when he used to travel back and forth to Florida. Walked off while I was mid-reply.
• A musician-looking person, very jittery, who sat with a friend and talked about how his band would soon be playing in Amsterdam (or somewhere in Europe), and Al Cooper was going to sit in. Alanis Morrisette's name came up -- possibly he was in her band? Talked about his daughter trick-or-treating the night before and being given candy by some celebrities (Carly Simon I think, etc).

Tonight my friend and I saw OK Go and Rufus Wainwright in concert at the Beacon. The sound was completely for crap, but OK Go rocked as hard as their opening band hearts would allow. I would enjoy them more in a smaller venue -- if only they would come to pittsburgh. Rufus W. was very into his stuff and took most of the crowd with him. Nancy and I unfortunately had not consumed his particular flavor of Kool-Aid, so we departed early (getting out before the traffic, in true Pittsburgher fashion).

Earlier today, as this was my final afternoon here, I made a pilgrimage to the Algonquin Hotel. If you choose to go, please consider these suggestions:

• Arrive before 4pm. A great swell of tourists arrives at 4 -- perhaps they fear there's some kind of problem with drinking alcohol during daylight hours. Don't fall into their trap. Get to the hotel around 3:50, march into the lobby dseating area and station yourself on a nice leather settee, order your drink, and watch the people come in looking uncomfortable and touristy.
• If you like your martinis without vermouth, be clear about this. But if you forget, be relieved to discover that the house vermouth is not so very awful.
• Be aware that there will be other literary/writing pilgrims like yourself. The most disconcerting part of this is seeing someone who seems to be a potential future you, whom you might become in 10 or 20 years. Do not be frightened by these individuals. Like the people displayed by the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, they are only shades of things that might be. You still have time to give up drinking, start exercising, and generally get yourself together.

For NaNoWriMo today, I wrote 1,697 words -- slightly over my quota for the day. I started off in a steady but unspectacular manner, then faltered at about word 875 when I realized my lead character/narrator was exhibiting no discernible personality. So I fell back on my planned crutch: stealing a voice from someone else> In this case I chose Raymond Chandler. The result reads nothing like Chandler, but in the course of trying to achieve that sound I bullied through and came up with a mildly amusing start to my book. I'll abandon these first few pages later anyway; for now I'm glad simply to have begun.

Copyright © 2004 – 2007 Cynthia Closkey