That’s the final (official) word count on my NaNoWriMo novel. Between November 6th and November 28th, I wrote over fifty-two thousand words. Zowie! Now the real work begins… editing!
Archive for November, 2008
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November 29th, 2008The Pathway Home
November 28th, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m still full from yesterday’s feast at Mom and Dad’s in Penn Yan. It was a small crowd this year, as Debbie and Sarah were in Utah celebrating with Jeff, Meg was working, and Adam was with his mom. Still, I think we managed to eat as much as we would have if the whole family was there! The photo above is of the turkey decorations Jennie made for the occasion.
Kate showed up with a fantastic poster of Jennie with the body of a turkey. Or maybe it was a turkey with the head of Jennie? Either way, it was the hit of the evening. There are a bunch of photos of the day here; here’s a great shot of Mom and Grandma in the kitchen before the big meal:
The title of this post comes from a quote by Wilbur D. Nesbit:
Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.
A final note for my Penn Yan readers: Stop by the SkylArc Studios on Main Street, where you can check out the artwork made by one Jennie Snyder!
Something Waits Beneath It
November 20th, 2008
Welcome to winter! This is the view of the pond outside my work, looking out from the cafeteria. The fluffy snow is actually putting me in the holiday spirit, which is good because Mom and I are going Christmas shopping this weekend, and Thanksgiving is a week from today. The title of this post is from a quote by Andrew Wyeth:
I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.
And speaking of stories (nice segue, eh?): I am just a hair over 30,000 words, with ten days left to go in National Novel Writing Month. It hasn’t been easy, writing so much so quickly, but it has been fun. My novel is for young readers (think Harry Potter age). I think that might be the kind of thing I’m meant to write. Hmmm. Well, let’s check back after another 20,000 words!
What I Was Going to Say
November 9th, 2008
November is National Novel Writing Month. Here’s the gist: from November 1st to November 30th, you try to write 50,000 words. You are supposed to start something new (i.e., not use anything you’ve worked on previously), and you aren’t allowed to go back and edit. You’re just supposed to plow through. Even though I didn’t know about this until around noon on Thursday (six days into the competition), I decided to do it anyway. Right now, as of 8:46 p.m. on Sunday, I have 12,745 words!
At first I couldn’t even figure out where to start. I didn’t have even a glimmer of an idea. And then it hit me, and I’ve been on a roll ever since. I hope the inspiration lasts until the end of the month!
Now if only I could figure out how to write while I’m training for Houston…
The title of this post is from a quote by Sharon O’Brien:
Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say.
Good Work, America!
November 4th, 2008
This Is… er… This Was Halloween
November 3rd, 2008
Happy belated Halloween! It was a busy weekend full of ghoulish delights. On Friday I spent the evening with Linds and Jena at Jena’s new casa, where we ate delish food, handed out candy, and survived a viewing of The Strangers. On Saturday I drove to Syracuse to help Leah prepare for her Halloween bash. And I got to meet the newest addition to her family: Murphy, the bittiest little kitty I’ve seen since Chavo weighed 1.6 pounds! Here she is:
The party was fantastic – way too much food, good wine, and not one but three Sarah Palins (one of which was actually a man). Leah did her best maid from Clue impression, while I went as Gladys, an original creation spawned by silly phone conversations between me and Jamie at work. Lessons learned:
- Wigs are itchy.
- Blond is not my color.
- I’m glad blue eye shadow is not in fashion.
- Ninety-nine cent hot pink lipstick does not come off easily.
There are a bunch of photos from the weekend here. And here’s a collage of me and Hayner:
One last Halloween quote – until next year! This is a poem by Jack Prelutsky:
It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
And we shall see what can’t be seen
On any other night.
Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls
Grinning goblins fighting duels
Werewolves rising from their tombs
Witches on their magic brooms
In masks and gown we haunt the street
And knock on doors for trick or treat
Tonight we are the king and queen
For oh tonight it’s Halloween!
