338/365 2nd Year Birthday Cake

Yes, those are candles from the same pirate candles set from my daughter's 5th year birthday cake.

337/365 Juxtaposition

336/365 Mirror, Mirror

335/365 Spherized

These are reflections in a giant, shiny ornament. The only editing I did was to crop someone out of the background.

334/365 Unsafe Driving

And probably not the best time to try to take pictures while driving either.

333/365 Oh, Thank Heaven!

No kidding. Can I get an AMEN?

332/365 Executive in Training

331/365 Cold Cotton

330/365 Unfinished Elevator

329/365 Reflections

328/365 Forgotten

That's a hat in a tree. For some reason, this image came out tiny when I uploaded it from my phone.

327/365 Snow Day

Day 29: The End!

I went to the library this afternoon to write with the most awesome Legolas, my young writer friend. We were writing from 1:15 to about 5:45 p.m. I composed over 8600 words of prose and FINISHED my 2008 NaNoWriMo Novel.



Some Stats:
Total Words Written--50,172
Avg Words Written Per Day--1730
Avg Words Per Hour--3436
Word #50,000 was "changeling."

So this cat is officially a four time winner of National Novel Writing Month, AND I have now completed a total of seven full-length novels in my adult life.

Yay, I'm a winner! And life can resume it's regularly scheduled madness.



Now I'm going to go read a book...

326/365 In My Element

I think this is the first self-portrait I've posted for Project 365. I'm noveling at the library here, facing the sun--thus, the reason for the shades.

325/365 Hollywood Hopeful

End of Day 27

It's almost 2:00 a.m., technically on Day 28. I just reached 40,000 words. I'm going to bed now. *collapses*

Words to Date: 40,096
Words to Go: 9,904

324/365 Looking Like Christmas

Day 26: Still pushing forward

I've been steadily pushing forward and writing as much as I can. Tonight, I've been doing some timed writings and challenges with some of my young wrimo friends. 

Legossi gave me a challenge: "I say Mangy has to put a monkey in her story. And the monkey's name is Alowishes the fifty-fifth. And he likes brownies." Here's what I came up with...

-------------------------------

The bartender walked up to Mighty and rubbed a towel over a chrome flagon. He was a moniker, completely covered in a dark brown fur that looked almost black in the dim lighting. “Alowishes the 55th at your service, sir.” His round snout and wide mouth contorted as he spoke, but the light brown eyes set above his muzzle were filled with wisdom.

“Alowishes the 55th?” Mighty asked. “You come from a long line of Alowishes…es.”

The moniker nodded his head solemnly, then set the flagon before Mighty. “What shall it be?”

Mighty thought for a moment. “What is the house special tonight?”

Alowishes leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, turning his forehead into a cascade of wide wrinkles. “The brownies, sir.”

Mighty blinked. “Brownies? Is that a drink?”

“Oh no, sir.” Alowishes straightened up and walked down the length of the bar. He retrieved a pedestal with a transparent shield bubble over it. When he came back, he set the tray in front of Mighty. “Brownies,” he said with absolute reverence.

Mighty peered at the offerings. They were indeed simple chocolate brownies with a dusting of some sort of nut on the top. He shrugged. “A brownie it is. And perhaps a flagon of milk to go with it.”

-------------------------------

More to come!

Words to Date: 33,157
Words to Go: 16,843 (I tell you--that actually looks doable!)

323/365 Not So Fortunate Cookies

Day 24: Little help from my friends

So my friend MightiMidget and I have been word warring. That is, we have been doing 10-minute timed writings, but we've done ours with a twist. We will give each other a challenge to add during our 10 minutes, a dare, if you will. Then we write, and afterwards share how we incorporated the challenge.

Tonight, Midget said that I must put a talking Coke can into my story. So this is how it came about:

---------

Doxal smiled, curtsied, then opened the can. Instead of releasing the usual hiss of escaping carbon dioxide, a voice came out into the quiet of the hall.

“Mighty Myllon, I have a message for you.”

Mighty's eyes widened. He walked on his knees to Doxal's side and stared at the can. He looked up at Doxal. “Did you just hear...”

She nodded, her own eyes filled with curiosity.

Mighty took the can from her hands and turned it over. As he did so, the voice began to speak again.

“The message is from your father.”

--------

Though I am still incredibly behind for having only six days left to complete, I am oddly optimistic that I'll still finish. Let's see if I make it...

Words to Date: 26,616 (and still counting tonight)
Words to Go: 23,384

322/365 Noveling

321/365 Starbucks Holiday Hours

Who needs to be going to Starbucks at 3:30 a.m., I ask you?

320/365 Frosted Like Glass

319/365 Andy Worhol Knockoff

318/365 Waiting Pews

This is the last time they'll feel the wind along the street.

317/365 Remembering Autumn

316/365 Dracula

This cover freaks me out. I have to keep it face down when I'm not reading it.

Day 13: Finally making progress

I have been woefully behind and completely neglectful of my NaNo novel. It isn't that I don't like the story or the characters. Indeed, they are very fun to write and they keep getting into trouble, so that's always a good thing for the life of a novel.

Life is just busy, and the fact is that I don't have time during the week to write. My writing times have been the weekends for the last couple years, and unless I make a concerted effort, writing just does not happen Monday-Thursday. But I'm going to try to get at least 2K a day and more on the weekends until I have that nice little cushion again.

Tonight, I wrote 4,000 words. I was originally going for 2K, but my friend Nia challenged me to 4K, and I achieved it through a series of timed writings with some of my fellow wrimos over IM. Wahoo!

Since I have no energy to edit an excerpt after a 3.5 hour writing marathon, I'm going to offer to you two of the many horrifying (UNEDITED) run-on sentences I am forced to write when under pressure, which my inner editor wishes to bludgeon to death come December 1.

Mighty did not even want to get into the whole fact that he would like to be her friend if she would be a little friendlier, but right now, he had a meteorite cavern and cave system to maneuver around. These tunnels were made by the miners, so they were somewhat even, but since the area had been abandoned, any of the caves might have fallen in or there could be abandoned equipment in there just waiting to be an obstacle for him to run into with the Lasso, should he be careless and inattentive.

Words to Date: 16,013
Words to Go: 33,987

315/365 Light Snow

314/365 Little Cow

313/365 Daddy Daughter Love

312/365 Dusk

311/365 Still in Love

Day 9: Pathetically behind, but hopeful

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but it's been one of those weeks. Last year's NaNo was the same way--lots of zero days. Last week, I had three days of zero words and two days of under 1,000. Yes, I'm behind and my word count is rather pathetic, but that's okay. I'm not despairing just yet.

Here's an excerpt for you, such as it is. The Lasso has just narrowly averted a speeding comet, and Mighty had gone to check on the cargo.

------------

Mighty turned to study the box once more.

The hairline fracture in the lid crept further across.

Mighty took a few tentative steps toward the box.

CRACK!

The split in the metal and wood broke open, shattering the lid into two pieces and sending splinters across the floor.

Mighty felt for his sidearm. “Strikers,” he muttered to himself. He had left it in the hostler in his quarters. He certainly didn’t think he would need it alone on a ship with no one to fight. Now he wasn’t quite sure about that theory.

He pressed his back against the wall as steam billowed from between the broken pieces. His mind raced with the possibilities. Why hadn't he asked what was in the cargo? What kind of fool doesn't ask a thing like that?

The steam cleared a little after filling the immediate vicinity. Dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of tiny sparkling gold points of light hopped and skipped together, seemingingly in a primal dance. They came toward him but didn’t touch.

Mighty watched as the tiny stars swarmed together like bees, then compacted into a solid form. The light began to fade, and he could see his reflection for a split second.

Mighty blinked, then all at once, the image of himself was gone. All that remained was a girl mouser about the same height as he. Curious...

------------

Words to Date: 9,487
Words to Go: 40,513

I plan on writing another 513 words tonight but not before I finish posting this. ;o)

310/365 Eye Doctor

309/365 Pigs Can Fly

In case you can't read that, it says:

Turns out,
PIGS CAN FLY!
You just have to make them
into sandwiches first!

308/365 Coming Down

11.5.08 Library Returns

Stack of returns for tomorrow's trip to the library.

11.4.08 On Election Day

I didn't have the camera with me all day, but I finally figured out how to get the pictures off my phone. Wahoo!

11.3.08 Facing the sun

Day 2: Getting there

Pulled in 1,762 words today between a Sunday evening write-in and word wars with my friend MightiMidget later over IM. At least I passed the daily quota (1,667). I need to stay ahead though, and procrastination is being far too friendly to me of late. :oP

Here's an excerpt from today's bounty. It's a conversation between Mighty and Boshran, a giant frog guy (loffrax) who is going to offer him the shipping contract. There are two other "men" with Boshran--a foxish kind of creature (nicczar) and fish man (kelptin).

NOTE: I'm not usually not much of a fan of dialect, but this guy isn't a very major character and his way of speech added more words, so... *whistles*

-------------

“Wot’s yer name?” Boshran asked. He pointed a rubbery, green fingerpad at him. “And giv’t ter me straight.”

“Mighty Myllon,” the mouser replied, trying to stand tall to match his name.

The nicczar next to him grinned, his foxish teeth showing, and looked Mighty up and down again. “Mighty Myllon, eh? Mousers name their kitts after attributes.” He nodded to the kelptin. “Isn’t that right, Poshy?”

Poshy nodded vigorously, spurting water from his gills. “Right, that.”

Mighty held in his giant sigh. As though he hadn’t heard it a million times before. As though he didn’t live with this every day--trying to live up to his name.

Why had his parents held such high hopes for him? Why did they make it so hard? He gave a curt nod. “That’s right, sir.” He tried to puff out his chest a little more, realizing at the same time how ridiculous he must seem to these accomplished businessmen.

Boshran cocked his large froggy head as Mighty sat down. “Tis a good name, to be sure,” he said. “Yer upper kin woudda not giv’n that name ter ye if they’s din’t believe ye'ud live up ter it.”

Mighty faced the loffrax. He couldn’t recall anyone ever giving him such an encouragement before. And coming from this old grouchy codger, it had to be a genuine compliment. That type didn’t hand them out as a general practice. He tipped his chin. “I thank you kindly, sir.”

The loffrax swiped a hand through the air. “Tis not a thing,” he replied. “Now, tell me, what uv yer ship? She a mighty vessel, like yerself?”

“Oh, she’s much better,” Mighty said, once again wishing his filter had caught his words before they spouted from his mouth.

-------------

Words to Date: 4,764
Words to Go: 45,236

11.2.08 Chains

My daughter's way of decorating for Halloween. She made the white ones. The black and orange ones are from her classroom.

Day 1: A goodish start

We had a day-long write-in at Panera Bread today to kick off NaNoWriMo right. I didn't get there at the beginning, nor did I stay all day, but I did get a good chunk of writing time in there--enough to write 3,002 words! It was a good haul for a day's work, and I need to keep up on it because I doubt I'll be writing every day during the week. The more words I can rake in on the weekends, the better.

Here's today's excerpt. I liked this conversation that came out between Mighty and the correspondent at the space station Kirkkigaard. Mighty's ship is called Lasso.

--------------------
A blip sounded from the console, indicating an incoming message. Mighty flipped the com-switch.

“Lasso. Indigo Foxtrot, niner five two seven."  His chest puffed with pride at the sound of his calling code. "Mighty Myllon speaking.”

“Affirmative, Señor Myllon,” came a young female mouser’s voice. “Pelter Chase on com for Kirkkigaard Space Station. Receiving your request for dock. Confirm? Ready to receive.”

Mighty flipped a blue switch next to the com. “Affirmative. Sending confirmation now.”

“Señor Myllon," Pelter’s voice came back, questioning, "confirm negative cargo aboard Lasso?”

Mighty bristled. “Affirmative, Kirkkigaard. Lasso brings no cargo.”

A pause and a few clicks came through the com. “I’m sorry, Señor.”

A snide remark formed in Mighty’s mind, but he let it go. No need to assault this poor girl for something that isn’t her fault. “Thank you, Kirkkigaard.”

“Call me Pelter.”

Mighty paused, staring at the blinking com diode. Now, that was a little unorthodox. Com techs didn’t usually divert from the usual business communicae. They certainly never asked to be called by their first names.

“Thank you, Pelter,” he said. He was tempted to ask why the familiarity. Was she trying to make him feel better, like there was a mouser on the other end and not just some computerized entity calling him to port? He shook his head and dismissed it. Either way, he was here to do something that would hurt. Friendliness wasn’t going to change anything.
--------------------

Words to Date: 3,002
Words to Go: 46,998

11.1.08 Happy November!

November means National Novel Writing Month for me. It's a challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in the 30 days of November. This is my 4th year. Wahoo! Follow my NaNo journey this month at my NaNo blog.

10.31.08 Homemade accessories

10.30.08 Tasty

10.29.08 Title vs. description?

10.28.08 That's my boy's work

4th Year Wrimo

I started participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) back in 2005 and have done it (and won it) every year since. To "win" NaNo, one must write a 50,000-word novel during the 30 days in November.

In 2005, it was a spiritual thriller called Imaginary about a girl who finds out her imaginary childhood friend is actually a spiritual being. But is he an angel or a demon?

In 2006, I switched over to contemporary fiction with a tale called Tag about how the effects of one act of rudeness can cause a ripple effect and how kindness can send the ripple backward with a blessing.

Last year, in 2007, I wrote a novel that seemed like a good idea but was rather like pulling out my hairs very slowly, one-by-one. It was about a girl named Dali who could paint the dreams of others, and who runs off to join the secret life of performers on the Airship Circus.

I almost didn't commit this year because I had yet to do a NaNo when I didn't have another writing project looming. However, I recently finished the YA sci-fi novel I have been working on for the last 20 months. So that frees me to do NaNoWriMo in 2008. Huzzah!

This year's novel is one inspired by some random plot ideas I wrote down in 2006. Short synopsis:

This is a science fiction story about a creature named Mighty who is an independent, interstellar freight ship pilot. He is struggling along with all the other indie freighters because there's a war going on, and no one trusts indie pilots to carry their precious loads across the galaxy.

Mighty comes to the end of his rope as the novel begins. He's at a space station, ready to part out his beloved space ship and settle for a career of mediocrity--at least he'd be able to eat. While there, he is offered a rare, high paying contract to move mysterious cargo to a remote planet. He's so desperate for the work that he doesn't question what the cargo is.

While en route, Mighty realizes that this mysterious cargo is not something he wants to get involved with, but the clock is in motion, and there's no going back.

--------------------------

I plan on posting some of my favorite excerpts from any given writing session, so stay tuned for those. I'm really excited about this story because the potential is so great for success. After the hate-hate affair with my '07 novel, I'm looking forward to writing something I will most definitely love.

At least, at first.

10.27.08 Mummified

When I saw the kids at this house decorating their mailbox statuary, I knew I would have to come back later and take a picture. It's actually a little scary. There's a little dog at the bottom, and he got wrapped up too. THIS is what it normally looks like.

10.26.08 Call to Men

After Sunday service, Pastor Thomas called all the husbands to the front to tell them something they could do to improve their marriages this week. The secret? Go on a date with your wife and see Fireproof.

10.25.08 Sad, sad day

This is the charger for our second "good" camera of the year. Empty, it shall remain forevermore.

My husband took the Casio on a mountain climbing excursion, and somehow it came off his backpack and went sailing down a 1500-ft. cliff. It was irretrievable. *sob!* So I am back to the old stand-by camera until a newer one comes into our possession by some miracle of $200.

I'm surely disappointed, especially considering I still have a few months of Project 365 left AND three or four holiday events to document with family pictures. *sigh* But I AM glad that if something had to fall off that cliff, it was the camera and not my husband.

10.24.08 Angles

As we were leaving Target, I happened to look up at the building and saw interesting shapes and angles against the blue sky.

10.23.08 Parking Lot View

Where else can you see all of Pikes Peak, snow-capped in October, plus Garden of the Gods (the red rocks below the peak) from the top of a parking lot in the middle of the city?

*sigh* I am so in love with my town.

10.22.08 Snowy Marigolds

I'm not sure what the fascination is with snow on flowers, but I have it, and these were just lovely after the first snow of the season.

10.21.08 Pretty good is better than bad

10.20.08 Fruit Salad

Recipe will be posted at myfooblog.blogspot.com on October 31.