Thursday, October 20, 2011

Thursday-11:30am

Was a wispy cloud morning yesterday...
That turned gorgeous!
Was a blue sky, cotton cloud, nippy fall day!
This morning.
Karma catching her rays.
Proof she's not always happy to see that darn camera.
But she gets over it quickly.
I switched Karma over last night to her heavier leather "winter" collar. ;)
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Was a strange morning. There had been fog and it was only 26 degrees at 9:30am. And do you see what I see? Frost!
Frost on the garage roofs!!
Something to discuss today.
I have been debating about joining NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for November. You just try to post every day for an entire month. It used to be on Ning, but is moving to BlogHer.com. I got a notice email because I opened a free account on BlogHer a couple years ago and forgot all about it--LOL!
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I haven't been blogging (almost) every day for a long time now. When I was doing that I would get so far behind on reading other people's blogs and replying to comments on mine that I got overwhelmed. I value my blog family. But I have also, since then, quit facebook, twitter, flickr, and a few other online activities...so...maybe I could do this? Or make an attempt, anyways. They do have daily writing prompts. That would kind of be fun!
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Well then that got me to start wondering if I could combine NaBloPoMo with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). With NaNoWriMo you try to write 50,000 words (about 170 pages) during the month of November. One of my new visitors, Trisha, was the one who reminded me of NaNoWriMo (which I had heard of but had never looked into because of my limited computer time). One of her blogs (here) last year was for NaNoWriMo! I read the entire blog!
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So, I read a little on their site about NaNoWriMo. Quality is not important. Quantity is. That is the most freeing part...and the part that would be hardest for me to get past when it comes to having people reading it. The purpose is to have you just write and write and not worry about anything...grammar, spelling, punctuation, perfect wording, or all the other things that stop writers from writing. It's a kind of jump start, I guess, for trying to write a novel.
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Truth be told. Since college and getting a couple short stories published, I have had it in the back of my mind that maybe my separate memoir short stories could be gathered together if I wrote enough of them to make a book, you know? Wanted to call it Flower Child and have a watercolor painting of a field of Minnesota wildflowers on the cover.
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Secret dream.
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That kind of went by the wayside when my health took such a nosedive. But then...since I got the laptop and have the laptop table and can sit in my comfy chair...I have built up more available computer time most days when my body cooperates...and then recently I've run across some bloggers who paint with words and have been inspirational...
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...but then I read on NaNoWriMo's site that they are talking about fiction. Hummm...Trisha's was memoir? I am not a fiction writer. I write creative nonfiction or memoir--whatever they want to call it. I wrote an email to ask if it had to be fiction. If I could ever, ever in a million years write that much in a month it would be a bummer to be denied my special award button just because I don't write fiction. Not that that would stop me--LOL! ;)
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I'm not sure how the nuts and bolts of this would actually work with NaNoWriMo? Would I have to start a new blog or write on their site or could I use my SoulComfort's Stories blog?
(Help, Trisha!??)
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The more I talk about this, though, the more I realize that it might be hard to combine the two challenges...and I'd probably be in way over my head, physically. But...the writing bug has been nibbling at me lately...hence the magnetic draw to NaNoWriMo. Especially since it doesn't have to be polished, you know, like when I was in college or trying to write for publication (what I call "writing-writing"). But can I get it in my head that it is just a first draft and leave it alone...that is the question--ROFL!
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I never know which stories to write about. In college I had to ask professors to give me prompts. [Well, how about your first memory? Okay, how about an epiphany moment?] That is why I thought having the blogging prompts from NaBloPoMo (can you keep these two straight--LOL!) might actually help me--and why I thought about combining the two groups. But...that's about 1700 words a day! Holy Moly!! How many pages is that a day?
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Well, I am debating...milling...pondering. I need to figure out how this would actually work. The daily blogging one is easy. You just sign up with a blog address and go to town on whatever you want. But I need to try to figure out how the novel writing one works. I might have to actually sign up to be able to get all the information.
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Okay, I just had a school flashback! I copied and pasted this onto a document page to see how many words I had---ROFLMAO!!! 875. Okay--this would have been halfway there.
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Well, I will investigate this further. I'm tentatively thinking of keeping my regular blog here pretty much the same, except for adding a response to the daily blog prompts...with short answers. I could keep all the actual longer story writing on another blog--no pictures. That way, if anyone was interested they could always go there, but it wouldn't bog down my regular blog here for a month, you know? And I'm hoping I can just use my other stories blog for that. (There's a link on the top right side to that blog already.) Anyways, I am just thinking out loud here.
Let me know what you think, okay?
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Oh, and I'd have to set a time limit for myself each day so I didn't overdo it. It really doesn't matter if I came anywhere near the 50,000 words. The point--for me, anyways--is the jump start. And, if you're interested, you'd be able to read some rough drafts of some of my crazy life stories.
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I have eleven days to decide. ;)
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"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
Winston Churchill

21 comments:

Furry Bottoms said...

I have a quetsion, if you don't mind. I'm curious. How old were you when you found out you had fibro?

What makes me ask this is some people go through life thinking they're healthy as can be... everything checked out fine... no issues whatsoever... and sometimes end up with something serious. I always wondered if there was any indication... any sort of warning that you can see now that you look back?

AliceKay said...

Nice looking skies out your way. Chilly, dreary, drizzly, and just plain nasty here today.

Karma looks comfy there.

All of that writing sounds like a lot of work to me, but I know you enjoy it, and it sounds like something you could do. Good luck if you decide to go for it.

Toriz said...

I already blog every day; I didn't at first, but these days it bothers me if a post doesn't go up each day. I don't know why, but it does! I know, I'm weird, LOL!

Anyway, I don't see why you couldn't use your story blog; it's a story blog, you'd be writing stories. Simple as! So, if you do decide to do both, then I think how you plan to do it would work; short posts on here, and stories on your story page.

My only concern is if you can manage sitting in front of the computer for long enough... Though I guess you could do it in short sessions; set your timer so you take breaks (saving your posts as drafts while you take the breaks) then come back and carry on.

Toriz said...

P.S. It's chilly but beautiful here today; proper Autumn day again! I think there was frost here this morning, but I didn't go out to check... It was cold enough that I grabbed my Homer Simpson slippers and dressing gown when I got up though!

Rita said...

Nikki--according to the government my official date for disability was Sept 1, 2003 and I am 60 now. As far as the fibro goes, I read that trauma, stress, and illness can sometimes trigger fibro--but they aren't sure yet, of course. Looking back I had work injuries (93 & 95), a long battle with workman's comp, and in the middle of that battle my son nearly died and was unable to walk more than a few steps-wheelchair bound-and WC was threatening to kick me off because I wasn't job applying (he needed 24 hour care and I had letters from his doctors). Eventually he had experimental heart surgery, recovered, and I continued to look for basically one-armed work. Found a place to live--overnight emergency person for a "free" apartment and then got hired to work in the office, too. Put in an average of 117 hours a week between the two jobs. Ended up with mono--bad, I guess. I had been fighting with WC to have them send me to school for a couple of years but they tested me and told me I was "too smart to send to school". ?? But I couldn't perform the old physical labor type jobs I'd had all my life with a high school and human services tech education.
My son encouraged me to tell WC to go to hell and move up here to Fargo-Moorhead to go to college on my own because he had gone to Concordia College up here. He moved back up here with me to help me out for a year (99). I started college at 48 with mono. I never recovered, caught everything that went around, started to have pain all over, exhausted...but I didn't go into the doctor till I thought for positive I was dying of something. Anywhere you touch me it feels raw--hurts--pain 24/7.
I finally spent a summer vacation going thru all kinds of testing to finally get diagnosed with fibro and chronic fatigue and OA.
I think it was the not getting sleep for a couple of years with the two jobs and then the mono that did it. There had been a tremendous amount of stress in my life pretty much all along, so I don't think the stress did it.
It is crazy how you are just going along dealing and pushing through anything and everything to do what you have to do...and you never, ever think that your BODY will completely take control over your life! Shocked me, to be honest.
Anyways, that's the short version--ROFL!! ;) But you can ask me anything you want any time. :):)

AliceKay--I loved writing in college. It was a whole different kind of writing that I would fall into and completely lose myself in time...on both levels. It was the one thing I did well. Even if it was a hell-of-a-lot of work and time consuming. I was a slow writer--ha! I thought of myself as a slow writer then, imagine now!! LOLOL! But I was one who did draft after draft after draft. Who would sit in front of the computer and go back in time and re-experience whatever I was writing about so I could capture the sounds, smells, sights, tastes, and touch it. But that takes many drafts to get there. I would have to be content with skimming, I guess--LOL! Thanks!
I hope some of the blue skies make their way your way. And I hope you are feeling better. :)

Intense Guy said...

Here's what I think - well you asked...

I think you should write as the spirit moves you to write what you want - the structure of NaMaBlahBlah isn't something you need - you just need to get going on it.... - perhaps you can post just a paragraph in this blog when you get "stuck" or want shouts from the peanut gallery - be they encouragement or suggestions.

Forcing the pace and schedule on yourself seems like a sure way to disappoint yourself.

If you want a prize or an award of sorts - I'm sure someone that reads your blog might have an idea for that.

p.s., Nooooooooooooooooooooooo noooooooooooooooo frost!! Please....

Rita said...

Tori--I used to blog almost every day, but it didn't bother me if I didn't make every single day as you can tell by looking at past years. I am just not consistent enough to do anything every single day, I think--LOL! But for one month--maybe.
I am hoping to try to use the stories blog if I decide to do this. And I would have to write like you said, a little here and there, set my timer, and save drafts. I do that already sometimes with long blogs. :)
Homer! ROFL! ;) Stay warm.

Rubye Jack said...

To tell you the truth I find both of those sites terribly confusing.

Rita said...

Iggy--LOL! No, I don't need an award or prize. That was kind of tongue in cheek. Kind of giving them a hard time about being narrow on the genres--and AS IF I could EVER do that much anyways, anymore--ROFL! ;)
Maybe just trying to blog every day and doing the prompts would be enough-- joining the blogging group, you know? And if that motivates me to write more, I already have my other blog that I hardly ever have anything new to post on, anyways-LOL!
I honestly wouldn't be disappointed or depressed if I wasn't able to keep up. I know my limitations and I'd be happy to just be participating. I guess it is that I was looking for some kind of extra motivation to push myself. And this mass writing thing is to push you to just write and not fuss over it, you know?
Anyways, thanks, sweetie!! I'd be okay. You wouldn't have to worry about me. If it got to be too much, I'd just drop out. No problem. :):)

Rubye--I wasn't up to messing around anymore on the novel writing website today. I agree, they are rather confusing. Especially the novel writing one for some reason. I am having a harder time figuring that one out--LOL! But I haven't tried to join yet, either. Still not sure if I want to or not.
I don't really want to join chat groups or anything. As I told you, I did all the critiquing stuff in college. And this would be first draft stuff anyways. For me, mainly just a big push for motivation. You know it's hard to get going sometimes when you feel like sh*t every day--ROFL! ;)
I love your stories of the elders, BTW! :):) Talking with you was another part of why that writer's bug has been nibbling at me. ;)

Queenie Jeannie said...

I think most people who do these, write them on their regular blogs. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but if you write it - I'll read it! And no, none of your readers is going to turn into the Grammar Police and start criticizing you either!!

If you are thinking this much about it, it means you want to do it! So do it! Just don't "what if" it to death!! Go for it, and what will be, will be!

Let your muse whisper on......

DJan said...

When I first started my blog I wrote almost every day, averaging about 26 posts a month, and I found that it made everything harder. I had to think about what to write and how to write it all the time, so I finally decided to cut the posts to two or three a week -- and started a second blog to write as you describe. I only write there once a week, so blogging isn't overwhelming any more.

Even if you started and found it too demanding, nobody is going to yell at you if you stop... :-)

Beth said...

I love the photos as always Rita.
This is a very interesting post. In the beginning I blogged every day back on MSN Spaces. That was over6 years ago. Now I blog 4 or 5 times a week.

Hugs,
Beth

Rita said...

Jeannie--I started the stories blog because I was putting the stories in my regular blog and then people would ask me where they were...so I decided to transfer them over to a separate blog. (Not that I always remember, I'm sure.)
You're right--I know I want to do something with the writing. Just not sure what--LOL! Thanks!! :)

Djan--I cut back, too. I started the blog because I was so far away from family and friends and they were concerned about my health, so I could write something once and my few people could know I was okay. They'd worry if I didn't blog for more than 3 days. (I was really in bad shape the first couple years after I moved here from pushing myself so hard for years--me--could hardly write a letter.) The blog kind of morphed over time--Dagan and Leah giving me their old camera--meeting people online. I never could have imagined what a wonderful addition blogging would be to my life. :):)
I'm glad you wouldn't yell at me! LOLOL!

Beth--I am so surprised that all these years have gone by with my blog, too. It was easier on me when I decided to just blog when I felt like it or had something to say. Some weeks I blog often and some weeks it is only 2-3 times. Less pressure, right? I hope you are feeling well and have a great day! :)

Carol C said...

I find the initials confusing! But I think blogging every day is a big commitment, although it sounds like maybe you could do that now. Adding on the fiction writing sounds like, as my husband would say, too much sugar for a dime. And I agree with the earlier comment that you should write when you are moved to and about what you want to. It's for you anyway, right? Good luck whatever you decide!! Keep warm!

Rita said...

Carol--Well, it would only be a commitment of one month for the every day blogging. I am not sure I could even do it for one month--LOL! I love your husband's saying--too much sugar for a dime. The more I think about it, I think he's right. Thanks, Lady!! :):)

Far Side of Fifty said...

You could give it a whirl! I blog everyday anyway..possibly because I need very little sleep.
I would have a hard time writing fiction..I am more of a tell it like it is gal:)
We had frost too..I hate winter:(

Rita said...

Connie--I'm a tell it like it is gal, too. Not good at fiction. Tried it in college to be sure. Not my bag. I felt like a liar--LOL!
I'll take winter over hot sticky summer any day. ;)
Hey! You may get to look forward to it as your time off from the museum. ;)

Donna C. said...

Rita, I really think that God just decides its time to slow down and do what he really intended for us to do. We get caught up in working just to make the money we need to live decently.... and the natural talents we have fall by the way side. Ever since I was a kid I was good at drawing and painting. Its just natural to me.... I can look at something and draw it. One of my teachers at school gave me this picture to paint in oil and got me started and I painted it so well she had me enter it in competitions and I won ribbons that my mother really treasured. When she passed away I found them in an album along with the very first (real) painting I ever did with tempera paints LOL Anyway, if you love to write, that is where your talent lies and you should do it! You're health problems are so similar to mine only I didn't get injured. I only had two abdominal surgeries lapisopically. I had my appendix removed and my gall bladder was so full of stones they had never seen anything like it before and I had stones moving to my liver so they had to rush me in for emergency surgery. So they think *maybe* the fibro was cause my nerves being cut during surgery. It's my pelvic area nerves that are worse. I have an implant (just like a tens unit) that blocks pain impulses to my pelvic area. So I have a cool remote control for my butt hehe... that controls the worse pain but they can put them everywhere. I have to have a pain patch and another drug... heck, I have a basket of drugs and I can never keep track of them all and when they expire or need to be refilled. ugh. Anyway, I didn't mean to write all that but I wanted you to know that I think you should do it! Write your little heart out! And I'm going to paint! Reading what you write makes me happy so it's bound to make other's happy!

Rita said...

Donna--Oh Lady!! I can relate so much to your situation in several different ways!! We should make a pact. You will paint and I will write. That makes me very, very happy!! :):):)

Desiree said...

I've been earnestly trying to catch up on the posts I've missed of late...it seems I missed two biggies on your blog, Rita! I hope you do manage to sort out the dynamics, but as far as I can tell, writing is something your soul requires you to do...so, it really doesn't matter that much how you go about it, does it? There is no question about your ability...you ARE a writer, through and through. Words flow through your veins in the same way blood flows through mine. You could always ask us for prompts, if that would simplify things for you...so you could get down to the actual nitty-gritties of telling your story or sharing your thoughts and views on life.

Just know, I've bet all my money on you :)

Rita said...

Desiree--True! I am always writing. Even if it is blogging, comments, letters, journaling, emails...LOL! I'd actually love to get questions or prompts. I'm one of those annoying people whose memories are triggered by conversation and next thing I am telling a story (as I have sometimes done in comments). Trouble is, Dagan and Leah and my peeps have heard almost all of them--ROFL!! ;)