May 24, 2008

Yes, it really took this many days to have the bandwidth to post photos. So I present, a blast from the past: last weekend!

I'm so glad to have a long weekend to spend with my family. Today, Edythe and I made play dough for the first time. I didn't love any of the recipes I found, so I made up my own.

Play Dough
2 cups flour
1/3 cup salt
1 cup water
Food coloring (if you want)

Put flour and salt in a bowl and mix. In a measuring cup, add food coloring to water, then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well with a spoon. Taa-daa! Play dough!

The recipes I saw all involved cooking on the stove, or adding the food coloring last, which made no sense to me. Of course this probably won't keep long, but that's okay. Edythe enjoyed eating it (I tried it; it was terrible), gooshing it in her fingers, and throwing it on the ground and stepping on it (I tried it; it was fun)!






While we were doing that, Christopher was enjoying some "free" time of fixing the washing machine and creating a new antenna for the TV. I don't pretend to know how he did it, but there was a blowtorch involved.

It works pretty well! And best of all, it's a decent replica of the giant ones he works with. I want to put tiny buildings around the bottom and pretend it's a cell tower in a subdivision.

Oh Thank Goodness

For the past few days, I haven't been posting about writing, because I haven't been writing.

I've decided that the screenplay I started wasn't worth continuing with.

I got through NaNoWriMo and wrote a novel, knowing it wasn't very good but wanting to see it through to the end, to prove to myself that I could complete it. This time, though, I want to devote my energy to something that might, possibly, produce a finished product I'd be willing to show someone. At least to my husband.

Over the past few days, I read a lot of scripts. I read Blake Snyder's Save the Cat. And I pitched a lot of ideas to my husband, in between entertaining his mother, who's in town for the week, switching day care providers for Edythe (a trauma unto itself), continuing with bathroom repairs, and having more of our ever-popular "what are we doing with our lives?" conversations. It's been a fun week!

But tonight I had a breakthrough, I outlined a plot I really like, I have an idea I'm passionate about, and I think things will progress better for the rest of the month. I hope so, anyway.

No Foolin'

I wrote 7 pages today. Pretty good! Of course I'm suspicious as to why it's all going so smoothly (am I writing crap? I am! I know I am!), and I'm worried that I'm spending too much time on exposition, but that's what a second draft is for, right? Fixing things? For now, I'm just trying to get it all on paper.

Script Frenzy is a little different than NaNoWriMo in that the goal is a daily page count, not word count. With NaNo, I needed 1667 words per day to make my goal of 50,000 in the month. For Script Frenzy, I need 3.34 pages per day to reach my goal of 100 for the month.

So far, so good! This actually seems more natural to me than novel writing, for some reason. Maybe it was all those years of script reading. Or of movie watching. At any rate, I'm having fun.

Total Pages for today: 7 out of 3.33
Total Pages written: 7 out of 100

I have to say, it did help that Edythe is feeling better and did not spend 4 hours screaming like she did last night. A healthy, sleeping baby definitely helps with the productivity. Supportive husbands who do many chores while I write are extremely helpful as well.

All Ready?

Script Frenzy launches in a little less than 8 hours. Let's see how I'm situated to begin the process, shall we?

Basic plot synopsis. Check.
Outline. Not done.
All characters named. Uh, maybe I'll do that tonight?
Locations finalized. Sort of.
Sick daughter well again. I hope so. I called Christopher this afternoon, and he said Edythe's doing better than yesterday, and she doesn't seem to have the fever that's been plaguing her for the past week. So that's good.
Home remodeling projects from the great flood of December finished. Almost. There are still some pieces of wall missing in the bathroom. I need to paint the other half of the shower room tonight. Aaaaaand there's that whole plastering thing going on in the WC, with the dust and the yeah, it's going great.
Caught up on other home projects so I can focus on this. No.
Etsy shop up and running. No. Will have to wait until Script Frenzy is over, I fear. Plus, that will give me more time to obsess over my items being Not Good Enough.
Read other screenplays for sense of style and structure. I read one during lunch today, that counts, right?
Script-formatting software downloaded onto computer. No. And Christopher's in class tonight, so I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow night.
A sense of confidence that this project will be less crappy than the last one. Definitely not.
A sense that I'm going to charge ahead anyway. YES!

Work It Out

Having a sick baby is no fun. I feel like she's been sick every other week this year. But it is spring now, and surely the warm breezes will abolish those germs, right?

Tonight she had a fever of 101, for the second day in a row. I'd had her cooped up in the house all day, so I took her for a walk tonight to show her the trees blooming in the neighborhood. And while we walked, I worked out my plot for Script Frenzy. This is a pretty good tool, actually. I kept talking to her, trying to tell her the story in a way that made sense and was compelling, and that act of relating it through the spoken rather than written word seemed to make a big difference to me. Fortunately, she doesn't have the vocabulary for criticism or embarrassment yet.

After she went to bed I jotted it all down, so I don't forget what brilliant thoughts/incoherent ramblings I just had. There are still some plot points I'm trying to work out, and I may change my mind about all this tomorrow, but tonight I'm pretty excited about it.

Hello Again

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. I really haven't felt like sitting in front of a computer lately. I do enough of that at work. I've been seeing my family, repairing my house, and designing items for my soon-to-open etsy shop. So I've been creative, just not in the writerly way that I report here.

But spring is in the air, and a young lady's thoughts turn to dark theatres and Script Frenzy. I went to sign up today, but lo and behold, I had already registered and forgotten about it. Oops.

So now I'm signed up, with a password I remember and everything. I'm trying to settle on an idea now, so I can do my research before I start. I think this process will be a little easier for me than diving into writing a novel for the first time. It just feels more familiar, from all those years in theatre, working on various aspects of script development. But we'll see what I think a month or two from now, right?

Boring

I'm here to report that I have nothing to report. At least on the writing front.

On the home front, we recently returned from an eventful trip to New England. It was fun to visit our family, but we're still fighting colds, ear infections, and such-alike as a result.

We're also dealing with some major home issues at the moment; our upstairs neighbor's washing machine broke mere hours before we were scheduled to leave for said trip, leaving us with no power, no water, no clean clothes, and several inches of water on the floor. Thank goodness my parents were able to facilitate some of the clean-up while we were gone, or there would have been no trip (or we would have come back to a seriously moldy condo). As it is, we have a cement slab for a floor and holes in the walls and ceiling. And apparently our flooring isn't being manufactured anymore, so we may have to re-floor the whole place. The jury's still out on whether our insurance will pay for this, or just for what's already been removed. The joys of homeownership!

All this is to say, I haven't been doing much writing lately, and don't have anything new to report.

Miracle of Miracles

In a rush to finish our 1,000 Christmas projects, I was linking from the Christmas letter on our family website to lots of pictures we took this year. And of course I got sucked in to looking at ALL the pictures, the ones of me hugely pregnant this time last year, and of Edythe when she was born. It’s such a miraculous concept, this baby business. Yes, I understand the biological, but there’s a wondrous component that defies complete comprehension. I will never forget the feeling I had when Edythe was born, and the nurse placed her on my chest. We were one, and then we were two. It’s the most ordinary, everyday occurrence, and yet the most amazing experience of my life.

The Christmas story has new meaning for me this year. God chose to send His Son in this ordinary, humble, and miraculous way. He didn’t appear on the palace steps in a puff of smoke, all bedazzled and heralded by a brass band. He was born, the same way any of us were born, or the animals in the stable were born. It’s so normal, and yet so incredible a way to begin.

So many miracles, great and small, surround us. My Christmas wish for you, dear reader, is that you are given the gift of realization of life as you live it; that you are blessed with the senses to experience the world, and a heart open enough to really feel it.

Merry Christmas.

Love,

Ruby

So Sayeth the Cookie

Christopher and I had a (brief, but blissful) dinner sans baby tonight. My fortune:

Joy comes from adventure today. Time to shake the world up.

I liked that.

A Good Story, Well Told

That’s what it’s all about, this writing thing.

Lately I’ve been stuck on the good story aspect. I hear so many stories at work, but of course I can’t use those. And besides, there’s a difference between hearing an interesting story and really understanding it in your soul. Good writing makes you feel the latter. I’m always afraid of not getting the details right and having my stories come across as inauthentic.

Sigh.

Christopher even set aside time for me to write last night, offering to do all the dishes, and I felt awful because my mind was a total blank. How boring.

Maybe I need to stop trying to write something serious or meaningful, and write something funny and vapid.

Nuttin, Honey

I've done no writing the last few days. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. There's just been too much "real life" going on. You know, picking up the house, shopping for Christmas presents, taking care of a sick and fussy baby.

I get embarrassed when I have nothing of interest to report here, and want to delete the whole blog. But that would kind of defeat the purpose, of this keeping me accountable, wouldn't it?

Finding the Time Part 2

As my aunt pointed out, I neglected to mention one key component of the time management equation in my previous post. And that, of course, is my husband.

He has a strange and demanding schedule, to be sure. I like to think of what we do as shift parenting. Christopher works 30 hours a week, spending two or three long days in the office, and telecommuting the rest of the time. He also stays home with Edythe while I go to my day job, for approximately 36 hours a week (9 hours day/3 days week). And he takes two classes, for a total of six hours a week.

So that's what, 30 + 36 + 6 = 69 hours/week, not including commuting time and homework time.

Basically, we just see each other on Sundays. And once in a while on a weeknight. So that's one reason I can find all this time to write while Edythe is sleeping. Christopher isn't home either, so it isn't as if I'm missing out on family time. On the other hand, I really should be picking up more of the household chores.

My current duties are:
Working full time (being the primary breadwinner)
Handling virtually all the night wakeups
Solo parenting on Saturdays and several weeknights

Writing this, I feel quite lazy. Christopher is unbelievably and unfailingly supportive of my writing efforts. He reads this blog every day, even when I don't post. He encourages me and doesn't pester me about reading what drivel I've written. Some of my friends and family are rather critical, so having someone be so unashamedly supportive of my efforts is a rarity and a blessing indeed.

Shhh, don't tell, but the cats and I are getting him this for Christmas, as a special thank-you.

This is Why I Need NaNoWriMo

I think about writing often, I do. I come up with exciting ideas for my novel, or compose posts in my head. Just today during training I made a whole page of tightly spaced notes about new plot ideas.

But did I write anything tonight, other than this post? No. Because it's now 9:45, and after 2.5 hours of screaming, Edythe is finally in bed. I don't blame her; she has a cold, got her second tooth today, and we were trying to convince her to fall asleep in our hotel room, where she could see that we were still awake. Even once she did fall asleep, there was still the issue of us only having one laptop and Christopher having a paper to write (which he just finished). Now I'm tired. And I have more training tomorrow. Why is it that insomnia can be so brutal at night, but during any sort of training or meeting I have an intense desire to nod off?

Anyway, my point is that I do think about writing, all the time, but without the "specialness" of a month set aside in which to concentrate on it, life creeps in. Often rightfully so. Christopher has a really full schedule--more on that later--and I should do more of the housework than I have been. Plus, I want to spend as much waking time with Edythe as I can. Our hours are limited enough already.

But I do miss writing. I like many of the qualities of my day job, but it does little to fulfill my artistic/creative side. Which is maybe a good thing. In many of my arts management jobs, I was near but not in the center of the artistic action. I'm being forced to do my own creative work now, which is both more challenging and fulfilling.

But How Did You Find the Time?

This is the other question I get a lot.

To be honest, finding time to write was much easier than I had anticipated. No Plot, No Problem and the NaNo forums are full of helpful/panicky ideas, like cooking and freezing a month's worth of dinners and chopping up a whole bunch of veggies ahead of time, because you won't have time to cut your own vegetables in November!!!!!! And you'd better hire a maid because you won't be able to put your own laundry in the washing machine!!!!!

Pish posh.

Here's what I did:
Wrote during lunch breaks at work.
Wrote after Edythe went to bed (generally between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.) or during her naps on weekends.
Did some extra cleaning/organizing at the end of October so I could slack a bit in November.
Cut way back on internet time.*
Rarely watched TV. **
Tried not to start too many craft projects.
When I got stuck on one part of the story, jumped to another part. Or if I was bored, ended the scene and started a new one. If I was sick of a character, I stopped including her. It's my book, I can do what I want.
Rarely worked out.***

On the grand scale of busy times in my life, this past month doesn't rate anywhere near as high as, say, graduate school, or tech for virtually any show I've done. Or wedding planning. Or having a newborn.

If you're considering participating next year, I say go for it! You can find the time! If you want to.

It's the wanting to that's key.

I'm still writing 1k/day for fun, and can't wait for Script Frenzy in June!

*I think this is critical. I can't help but roll my eyes at the people stuck at 25,000 words today, but with a hundred posts by their NaNoWriMo profiles. That's increasing the wrong wordcount!
**This wasn't a change I made, but I think it did have an effect on my writing time, so I'm listing it.
***Okay, this one was bad. But it also had to do with the time/weather change (it's now dark and cold out so I can't take E for walks when I get home).

Two for One?

Hmnm. I think maybe I've started a second book. I don't know. It's gone off in a very different direction from my original NaNo project. This could be a good thing. Usually I enjoy the editing process much more than the first draft writing process, so I'll go with this extended drafting!

Work has been draining this week. I know all workplaces have their more difficult personalities, but the difficult personalities I work with are certifiable. Really.

I have this fantasy, where I stay home with Edythe and write during her naps. I'd get to see her for more than that hectic last hour before bedtime. We could go to the park, and hang out with my other mom friends, and make crafts together and sell them on etsy. Me and my girl, in our matching dresses that I'd sew. And I'd teach her to cook, and we'd make dinner for Christopher every night. I can see it now. Fire in the fireplace, fresh baked cookies on the table, Edythe and I and the cats, all lined up in a row and with cute little bows on our heads.

Whew! Ah, my tummy hurts from all the laughing. Yeah, that would be fun, living in a cardboard box and eating leaves for dinner.

Christopher and I have an agreement. I can stay home and write once my writing is generating actual income. I know, isn't he just annoyingly practical and unfair?

We Artsy Types Know How to Throw a Party

So, you may be wondering, other than adding that fabulous new winner icon to her website, how did RB celebrate finishing her novel?

Well first I told Christopher. He was happy for me, but not jump-up-and-down happy, as he had been to a friend's funeral that day. We opened a bottle of wine, special wine that we'd bought in September and saved for just this occasion. But it had gone bad. We opened a second bottle of the same, tried it, and it had gone bad too. So we toasted with a $6 bottle of Trader Joe's Coastal. And then we had one of those long, stay up way too late and get depressed conversations about What Are We Doing With Our Lives.

The next day there was a trip to the winery, where we exchanged the bad wine for good. The staff was very nice, the drive was beautiful, and Edythe did have fun playing in the leaves outside. But it was also freezing cold, we were in a hurry, and Edythe was a superfuss for the entire car trip.

And now, I'm missing writing every day. I have some more ideas for this novel, how I might take pieces from this project and use them with something else I've had in mind. We'll see. I'm going to write a bit tonight. Maybe I'll keep posting a daily word count, just to keep myself honest. It's interesting, though, that I already find that I read books differently. I pay more attention to structure and how the author reveals things about the characters.

I'll post more thoughts about the NaNoWriMo experience later, but now I need to write.

Edited to Add: 1143

November 23 and Guess What?

(Cue trumpet fanfare.) I finished the novel tonight!

Total Word Count: 50, 042

And now I'm going to back away from the computer and open up that bottle of good wine that Christopher and I have been saving for the occasion.

November 22. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tonight I give thanks for having an imagination, for having the ability to create, and for having a loving family who supports me despite my seemingly neverending supply of crazy ideas.

I am blessed to be able to celebrate today with so much of my family, from Little Edie who smeared apple pie all over her head, to my in-laws who braved the traffic to drive down from New Hampshire, and to my brother and sister-in-law and my Aunt who joined us from afar by phone. I do indeed have a lot to be thankful for.

Not to mention this crazy warm weather! Can you believe we were wearing sandals on Thanksgiving?


Today's Word Count: 699/2,000
Total Word Count: 46,318/50,000 (93%)

November 20

So this is it, I'm getting into the home stretch. I'm kind of glad, what with the convenient distractions of relatives visiting and Thanksgiving food to prepare and the general holiday hoopla.

I don't feel like the novel is anywhere near "finished," not even for a first draft, but I'm starting to wrap things up. I don't know whether I'll go beyond 50K, or whether I'll want to start editing it immediately. I had thought not, but this morning a better opening occurred to me.

I am quite glad I'm ahead on my word count. At this point, with only 6,816 words to go, and my typical pace of a thousand words in thirty minutes, I could finish in an afternoon if I wanted to. It's nice to be so close to the end that I can take my time getting there, like savoring the last gooey bite of a Reese's Cup that has partially melted between my fingers. Mmmmn.

Also, I must confess that while I had sworn not to begin any holiday craft projects until the novel was finished, I did go a little nuts at Michaels this weekend with my brother and sister-in-law. And I am determined that Christopher, Edythe and I will be wearing matching hats in our holiday photo this year. Hats that I am making. For the photo we will be taking this weekend.

Relaxing? What is this relaxing you speak of? Relaxing is for dead people. Must... make things... at all times!

Today's Word Count: 1,077/2,000
Total Word Count: 43,184/50,000 (That's 86% to you!)

November 19

If you haven't checked out The Rouge Wave yet, you should, for it is unmatched in its awesomeness. Although I have no interest in writing a screenplay, from my experience reading scripts I can vouch that her advice is spot-on, and is applicable to many forms of literary art. I found this in a post from yesterday:

"So often, if you have a family and a day job, the demands of others encroach upon us. It can be guilt-inducing to close the door and enter the necessary isolation to write. Somebody needs to go to the grocery store, wash the car, pay the bills – and yet you are sitting, alone, doing something that may never pay one red cent. It’s insane. But we need to do it."

That's what I wanted to say today, but she said it so much better. Go read the rest of the column, and her whole darn tootin' blog while you're at it.

And support the striking writers too, please.

Today's Word Count: 2,006 (for the second day in a row... weird)/2,000
Total Word Count: 42,107/50,000 (84%, so close I can taste it)