Frozen,

No, not the movie, my paws. 

This is going to be a quick one because my teeny tiny hands and fingers are getting cold and it's causing the joints to hurt, but basically the gist is, I'm busy, I have been soooo busy that it's been difficult to write and it's been driving me insane. I feel like November was the wrong time to be taking a driving test and applying for jobs, but that's life and that's what I'm doing. I'm onto the home stretch now, and only have 7030 words (exactly, there was no rounding) to do before nano is done. 

It's going to be my fifth win in six attempts across seven years, which is pretty special, but more will be said when it is all over and done with and I will post the graph of progress which I allowed to be grossly inaccurate in the time I have been writing on my iPad, but ah well, it doesn't matter so long as you breach the 50k bracket. 

I'm retiring to my bat cave now, because my hands are freezing and I'm wrapped in layers of clothes and blankets and I can still get a solid stint of writing in if my digits would just remember that they belong to me and not a corpse in the Arctic circle.

I seriously feel like they're being bathed in ice, and I wasn't even the one pulling the ice out of my freezer earlier! I think I might be getting frost bite...

NaNoWriMo 2015 Part 1

This week has been nuts. 

I haven't written a blog yet for NaNo because this week has been a bit all over the place. Midnight last night marked the end of the first week and it's been a real mixed bag. I had said, very loudly that I wanted to have a 15k day this year, because I can bash out 10k like with very little problem, but pushing that a bit further has always been too much. I nearly made it two years ago and was a couple of hundred words shy, and nobody has the ability to kick my arse about it harder than I do. 

Problem is that a day like that deserves preparation, and I didn't do any. NaNo2015 started with me running around like a lunatic because I wasn't ready. I had done some planning, I had a story line in my head, I even had over a thousand words down - I repeat, in a separate file and being kept completely out of my word count - somehow it felt like it was going to be impossible. 

By some miracle, I did it, but I was absolutely wiped out for the next few days and a couple of days later I was having an interview so after what was a really promising start, I haven't even got to 25k and I'm disappointed. 

I don't know. I'm starting to realise how much harder this is now I'm working full time, live on my own and have other things to do. It's a bit of a nightmare. 

Anyway, guess it's just a case of keeping going, and seeing how it goes...

NaNo Eve,

I don't know where this tradition of dressing up like scary things on NaNo Eve came from - us writers are scared enough people!!

Of course, I am kidding, but if it weren't for the fact that I have a quite a few NaNo people and a couple of groups on my Facebook, my entire news feed would be female acquaintances in what is more like varying shades of undress than actual scary costumes. Oh, and pumpkins. Lot's of bloody pumpkins. 

My favourite thing on there at the moment is a video of the Haka, and that's partly because I am so over the moon that the All Blacks won. Yeah, it would have been nice for England to win, or even Scotland, because Scotland had some serious game. It's almost like they went, hmmm, brute force, throwing things, being really manly in clothing which is normally considered very feminine (y'know, skirts, tiny widdle shorts that almost look like lycra Daisy Dukes or something) we've been doing this for fluffing years at the Highland Games, for fluffs sake! And let's face it, they already have a perfect reply to the Haka. The reason I am happy though is because they deserved it, and to see the look on Ritchie McCaw's face, and Dan Carter's to be fair, and Steve Hansen when someone told him happy people smile, I just ended up wanting to pinch their cheeks and be tell them they were adorable being that happy, but even if I had the opportunity to, I wouldn't because I would be scared they might eat me. I could say so much about how happy that game made me, but I won't because I know that most of the people that read this are in England and we are not a rugby nation. (As a point, this is a statement, not a debate. If we were a rugby nation, we would have made it out of the bloody group stages.)

Anyway, moving swiftly onwards. I have a snowman cup which is pretty much my designated NaNoing cup as it came with hot chocolate from someone ultra lovely to help me get through NaNo. It's wonderful, but I haven't had the chance to try the hot chocolate yet, because I make hot chocolate with milk (otherwise known as, I do it properly) and hot milk puts me to sleep. No, seriously. And it's kind of my tradition to see NaNo in the way most people would with NYE. Stay up til midnight and start as you mean to go on. (Difference being that writing stints don't tend to be linked to liver disease, but everyone has their vices.) 

I'm really happy to have found an AlphaSmart 3000 to take, at least a part of, this journey through NaNo with me, because it means I don't have to feel utterly chained to my desk (which is just lush to be honest) Granted, I have already had to take it apart once in order to get the piece of wire blocking three of the keys from working out and attempt a small clean of the keyboard, but it's probably a good thing, because I now know I can deal with small problems with it myself, without it staying in a box in pieces for I don't even want to count how many months. His name is Alphie and he runs on AA batteries and I think I love that the most about him. If his battery goes when I'm out, I just have to find a place with duracells! It's like my little piece of heaven.

That in mind, I did a final check on my pre- NaNo word count earlier this evening by typing everything up and it stands at 1132. For anyone who's actually interested I am keeping that in a separate document so that there is absolute certainty with the numbers for NaNo. 

So it's approaching midnight, my back is itching like crazy as though there's a clothes label attacking it, but I know there's not, because I remove them from PJs, I've run out of tea, I bit my tongue earlier so that's hurting like I can't even say what and I really need some sleep. I'm going to try for a 20 minute nap, but I think I'm too excited. I almost can't believe it's happening again. I can't believe I'm here again. So much is different, but it still feels the same. 

It sometimes feels like NaNo whispers 'Welcome home'

Thinking of Titles Until I'm Entitled to Have a Word Count is Going to Be Hard,

So, I'm already struggling with trying to come up with titles for blog posts, so it's probably a really good job that the novel already has a title because in the mindset I am in now, it just would not be happening. 

Everybody always says that clouds have silver linings. Personally I just believe in clouds with rain proof linings, thought they only seem to come into existences when travelling towards the equator and getting past Birmingham. So, I have found several of these today, but I'm not sure that it wouldn't be bad luck to share them, so I'm not going to. Still sulking about not having a laptop as well, so it's not all shiny. 

One wonderful thing that has happened though, is that after around ten minutes of poking about and fiddling, I am finally back into my NaNo account, which means the novel title is set, and we're basically just waiting for the counter to go live. I'm also really excited that the London group will be holding another NaNoRilla this year (guerilla write in at famous landmarks) as well as a no-sleep over in a book store in North London. If all goes well, I might actually be done by then, but it would still be really nice to go.

- Why did I decide that Write or Die actually made me feel more productive? It doesn't. It's horrible and now the fluffing violins won't bloody stop and arghhhh...-

Right. All in all, I feel less than comfortable with my lack of portable typing equipment, but what can you do other than try your best within the circumstances? I refuse to let that come between me and finishing, or anything really that I set out to do with this years competition. I was told a few days ago that with a few adjustments I could be unstoppable, so I'm kind of aiming for somewhere near there.

In an attempt at being unstoppable, I'm trying to get myself writing every day and their is the deposit for all my ramblings. Don't worry, you are totally welcome.

This Be The Title,

Oh My God - two blogs in two days! What's the world coming to?!?! 

For those of you that aren't getting the thinly veiled reference in the title, I have a love hate relationship with Philip Larkin. I can't help but respect him though, because he turned down the laureate rather than writing about something he couldn't care for just for a pay check. 

Anyway, less about famous dead guys. The reason for the strangely worded title is not, in fact, lack of imagination and so thinking of someone that inspires me (even if only a little) but in fact a statement of triumphant pleasure after deciding a NaNo project and christening it in the same day. I was thinking of this title for something else, but it doesn't fit with the main character, thus would make no sense, and there's nothing worse than nonsense (unless it's about fairies and then it's totally allowed!) So, during the month of NaNo (yes, world, we renamed November, get over it) I will be writing a novel which bears the title of The Antithesis of a Gentleman. And quite frankly, I don't care if it sounds pretentious - it's no worse than The Disposition of an Idle Mind, which is something else magical I have been working on. Actually, the jury is still out on whether there is magic in that one. 

But yes, The Antithesis of a Gentleman is going to be a little bit special. It's not going to be Fairies-esqe, because there is definitely no magic-magic in it, but it's not going to be like Yours, either, because it's not set in somewhere completely fictional. And yes, I am aware that no one has actually read Yours, yet because in order for it to see the light of day I need to edit it, but I can promise you something. Ain't going to be doing that before NaNo, so the likelihood of it being done this year is pretty much nil. 

- Just had to have a mini Taylor Swift music break and I don't care. :) - 

Anyway, whilst obsessively planning for NaNo (by which I mean planning my snack food and coffee rotation) I'm also having to choose a new hair colour, because the varying shades of ginger that have been ever present the last few months, and the current red aren't really likely to help me find a new job. Especially not the ones I want to go for. 

There have been a fun couple of colours over the last few years, including black, blonde, purple, red, black with a blue tint, aggressive orange and the beautiful ginger the really doesn't match my eyebrows (shame). I'm hoping to not have to go back to anything too boring though. My natural brown doesn't look as great on me as something with a hint of autumn in it. Ah well, can worry about that when I actually have an interview to worry about.

I do think I'm going to do a couple of character sketches for the new novel though. It's like being able to play with it without actually doing anything with the word count. Which by the way sits at 1076. So by the end of NaNo should be 51,076.

What To Do Now,

If you're one of the people that follows this blog, you'll know that a question I have been almost obsessed by recently is what to do now. It's something that I have barely been able to get off of my head recently and I find it really difficult to deal with sometimes, because it's a very frustrating question. 

I can't remember if I have previously made mention of the fact that I have gone back to having driving lessons after a four year hiatus. It's something that I wish I had done earlier because of all the times it would have come in useful, but I'm doing it now. What's more, I even have my theory test booked this time. Granted I did something potentially stupid and booked it in the middle of NaNoWriMo. Do I really want to be attempting practices tests at the same time as writing a novel? Well, no, probably not, but I do want to be able to get this stuff done with as soon as possible, which means getting the theory test done as soon as possible. 

I've been thinking quite a lot about NaNo, and I'm still not sure what I'm going to write. Every project that I want to write at the moment I'm already a good way into and I'm a bit sick of starting things and not finishing them. Also, even if I could think of a project that I wanted to continue for NaNo, I would then have to leave it alone until next Sunday. I would be sat here with a serious itch and my mind going mad trying not to touch it. I can't even distract myself with something else because to then be able to put that down for the whole of NaNo, which I would have to do if I was going to entertain any hopes of finishing, that would be almost impossible, too. 

As if finding a project wasn't bad enough, I also get the joys of debating the pros and cons of typing and writing, and using my quills or one or more of my typewriters. Writing, I can carry everything with me, which is something I have grown a lot more used to, however, aiming for the 15k day as I want to, I can't do that without typing. 

Maybe it's a little ambitious - It's been almost two years since my last competition. I mean, yes, I wrote my dissertation last year, and by the results I got, I kinda smashed it, but that's 9,000 words of fact and research and argument, not 50,000 words of imagination. I also didn't write that whole thing in one day - but I know that some people do. It's been a while since I sat down and really hammered through a novel and to be honest, the prospect of doing it again is pretty terrifying, but not doing it, that seems worse. Worst of all is the idea of making an attempt at it, and then falling on my ass. I like my record of only one loss. 

Right now, I'm trying to think of what I need to do between now and Sunday. Most important of which would be buying a toaster. And doing a Lidl run for excessive amounts of junk food, because one of the key features of writing a novel is gaining weight in the process. For some reason though, I'm more crisps and cream cheese than tons of chocolate. Tons of chocolate makes me ill, and that's not productive. 


I know that I'm over thinking it, as I do with a lot of things, and novels are something that happen when I don't over think, but Christ almighty, I have missed this so much. Except the pre-NaNo illness that always happens. That sucks ass. For now, it's just a waiting game. Roll on next weekend.