Word count: 9304… foof. The granddaughter character that imposed herself in chapter 1 is turning out to be quite a handy word-count booster. Still don’t know how she will tie in to the theme exactly, but I am keeping her in the cast of characters for as long as she continues to find something to say.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Day 5
Friday, November 04, 2005
Day 4
Word count: 6814, and I am feeling the burn now, folks. This is a literary marathon and I am a card-carrying couch potato. Nearly 11:00 on Friday evening after a busy day of teaching and mama-ing, and man oh man am I ready for bed.
I read through what I have so far and I will say this: it could be worse. I seem to be trying too hard to pack every sentence with telling detail, and my plot line so far resembles the dotted line left behind by adventuresome little Billy in the Family Circle cartoons. Nonetheless, I am still enjoying the euphoria-inducing waves of adrenaline released everytime I stop to remember that I am actually doing it. I am just doing it. Ha!
I am going to fall asleep now trusting that the seeds I am sowing this week may very well blossom into a coherent story in some way that I cannot now forsee. Maddy has already begun doing victory dances for me in the living room: "Mama is a winner, mama wrote a book, yay mama"... and Sonia bouncing along behind her echoing the key words. With cheerleaders like that, how could I possibly lose?
I read through what I have so far and I will say this: it could be worse. I seem to be trying too hard to pack every sentence with telling detail, and my plot line so far resembles the dotted line left behind by adventuresome little Billy in the Family Circle cartoons. Nonetheless, I am still enjoying the euphoria-inducing waves of adrenaline released everytime I stop to remember that I am actually doing it. I am just doing it. Ha!
I am going to fall asleep now trusting that the seeds I am sowing this week may very well blossom into a coherent story in some way that I cannot now forsee. Maddy has already begun doing victory dances for me in the living room: "Mama is a winner, mama wrote a book, yay mama"... and Sonia bouncing along behind her echoing the key words. With cheerleaders like that, how could I possibly lose?
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Day 3
5009! Eight whole words ahead of schedule!
Maddy and her friend Lisa have been instructed to play nicely downstairs, and Sonia is at Lisa's mama's house playing with her best friend Dave. An hour long window of opportunity seized and now I can go to my massage course this evening without being distracted overly much by possible scenarios for chapter 2 to be written in the wee hours before I can go to sleep tonight.
What is surprising me most these last couple of days is how much time really can be found for writing, or any other single-minded pursuit, I suppose. I am able to slip in and out of writing mode with very little turbulence either way. My preconception that I couldn't possibly ever try my hand at writing unless I worked considerably less has been proved utterly wrong.
And the thing is, I secretly suspected that it was wrong all along, but the hypnotizing allure of Pure Potentiality kept me in the limbo of Someday... Now that I have simply started writing, I see the advantages and disadvantages of Pure Potentiality more clearly. The major advantage is that I never actually have to do the hard work of learning the craft of writing - I can just read well-executed novels by first-time authors admiringly and say "I could do that. I see how they did that..." and half believe it as I drift off to sleep at night.
Unfortunately, there is no way back to Pure Potentiality now that I have 5009 words to serve as an indication of my potential (ahem), so I shall stress here the major disadvantage of living in that pristine state where anything is potentially possible: on some level, I never really liked myself for not having the pluck to try.
Because of NaNoWriMo's emphasis on quantity above quality, I am in a position to allow myself to playfully try without cancelling out the pure potential that lies in my skills as an editor. Perhaps this amorphous mass of words I am producing may be the beginnings of a not terrible novel, and wouldn't that be something!
Maddy and Lisa just came up to ask whether they could disturb me for something very important. Apparently they are the Totally Spies girls (popular cartoon show here) and each of them needs a piece of super bubble gum to help them get the bad guys (the unsuspecting neighbors). Time to sign off...
Maddy and her friend Lisa have been instructed to play nicely downstairs, and Sonia is at Lisa's mama's house playing with her best friend Dave. An hour long window of opportunity seized and now I can go to my massage course this evening without being distracted overly much by possible scenarios for chapter 2 to be written in the wee hours before I can go to sleep tonight.
What is surprising me most these last couple of days is how much time really can be found for writing, or any other single-minded pursuit, I suppose. I am able to slip in and out of writing mode with very little turbulence either way. My preconception that I couldn't possibly ever try my hand at writing unless I worked considerably less has been proved utterly wrong.
And the thing is, I secretly suspected that it was wrong all along, but the hypnotizing allure of Pure Potentiality kept me in the limbo of Someday... Now that I have simply started writing, I see the advantages and disadvantages of Pure Potentiality more clearly. The major advantage is that I never actually have to do the hard work of learning the craft of writing - I can just read well-executed novels by first-time authors admiringly and say "I could do that. I see how they did that..." and half believe it as I drift off to sleep at night.
Unfortunately, there is no way back to Pure Potentiality now that I have 5009 words to serve as an indication of my potential (ahem), so I shall stress here the major disadvantage of living in that pristine state where anything is potentially possible: on some level, I never really liked myself for not having the pluck to try.
Because of NaNoWriMo's emphasis on quantity above quality, I am in a position to allow myself to playfully try without cancelling out the pure potential that lies in my skills as an editor. Perhaps this amorphous mass of words I am producing may be the beginnings of a not terrible novel, and wouldn't that be something!
Maddy and Lisa just came up to ask whether they could disturb me for something very important. Apparently they are the Totally Spies girls (popular cartoon show here) and each of them needs a piece of super bubble gum to help them get the bad guys (the unsuspecting neighbors). Time to sign off...
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Day 2
Left off last night at 1801 words, and well into the first chapter. The granddaughter may be cut altogether at one point, but the rule book says to never delete doubtful drivel - every word counts towards the end goal of 50,000 words. I did find it rather worrisome that I kept thinking how lucky Marten was to be downstairs sprawled out on the couch watching T.V. without a bone in his body yearning to write a book. No time to ponder this, however - onwards ho. Managed to squeeze an hour of writing this afternoon, which brought the tally up to 2532 words. Must have a minimum of 3,334 before I sleep tonight (according to the worst-case-scenario of 50,000 words divided by 30 days), and will try to get in another 1000 words tomorrow morning between dropping off the kids and sliding into the office in time for the weekly meeting.
At the homefront, things are mildly challenging - I cannot tell a lie. Marten is endearingly supportive of my insane endeavor, but the poor thing has a stomach flu or food poisoning and has been wandering around a bit dazed and very weak since Monday morning. Sonia was more contrary than ever today - my goodness what a strong will for such a small person. She whined and screeched and moaned her way through town today while we ran errands, pulling off her boots and socks and throwing them overboard and pulling on the pants-legs of passers-by to look at them beseechingly - I want out of this buggy, I want to walk... I just want to walk... Our longest stop was the library, and the librarian was rather more short with me than usual as I paid yet another overdue fee, and I can't imagine why... sheesh. It took me until this evening just before dinner to remember that with Maddy the antidote to terrible two behavior was Big Girl Challenging Activities. I asked Sonia to set the table and to fill a cup with water from the bathroom faucet, and she cheered up considerably. Must remember this in days to come. Our Maddy got a lot of teasing today at school about a boy she has liked since the first day of school, so she was a bit moody and more talkative than usual. I am glad I am not 6, is all I can say. Ouch.
Back to Helgoland I go. Until tomorrow, good night!
"Ride on! Rough-shod if need be, smooth-shod if that will do, but ride on! Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race!"
Charles Dickens
At the homefront, things are mildly challenging - I cannot tell a lie. Marten is endearingly supportive of my insane endeavor, but the poor thing has a stomach flu or food poisoning and has been wandering around a bit dazed and very weak since Monday morning. Sonia was more contrary than ever today - my goodness what a strong will for such a small person. She whined and screeched and moaned her way through town today while we ran errands, pulling off her boots and socks and throwing them overboard and pulling on the pants-legs of passers-by to look at them beseechingly - I want out of this buggy, I want to walk... I just want to walk... Our longest stop was the library, and the librarian was rather more short with me than usual as I paid yet another overdue fee, and I can't imagine why... sheesh. It took me until this evening just before dinner to remember that with Maddy the antidote to terrible two behavior was Big Girl Challenging Activities. I asked Sonia to set the table and to fill a cup with water from the bathroom faucet, and she cheered up considerably. Must remember this in days to come. Our Maddy got a lot of teasing today at school about a boy she has liked since the first day of school, so she was a bit moody and more talkative than usual. I am glad I am not 6, is all I can say. Ouch.
Back to Helgoland I go. Until tomorrow, good night!
"Ride on! Rough-shod if need be, smooth-shod if that will do, but ride on! Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race!"
Charles Dickens
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Day 1 NaNoWriMo
Day 1... Have left my internal editor behind at the official internal editor kennel provided by the good people at the NaNoWriMo organisation (headed up by the author of No Plot, No Problem) and have the first 300 words in the bag. Only 1400 to go before I sleep...and somewhere in there I shall have to deal with the fact that my first chapter has quite unexpectedly been pirated by the granddaughter of the main character I had painstakingly developed. For Pete's sake, if my cast of characters is suddenly going to develop stage fright and send in other characters about whom I know little to nothing, this is going to be a long haul indeed. I am going to go with it, in the spirit of the quest for quantity rather than quality, but I would like to officially note my reservations about this irregular change in plans.
It is also, incidentally, Day 1 of the national dental hygiene week (the Dutch are odd that way). Maddy came home with a free toothbrush and tube of toothpaste and persuaded Sonia to play dentist with her. Sonia climbed up onto the plush 50's chair in the corner, tipped her curly- haired head back and opened her mouth wide as Maddy adjusted the bright reading lamp for optimal lighting. And just like my dentist, she asked all sorts of questions while poking around in Sonia's mouth...
It is also, incidentally, Day 1 of the national dental hygiene week (the Dutch are odd that way). Maddy came home with a free toothbrush and tube of toothpaste and persuaded Sonia to play dentist with her. Sonia climbed up onto the plush 50's chair in the corner, tipped her curly- haired head back and opened her mouth wide as Maddy adjusted the bright reading lamp for optimal lighting. And just like my dentist, she asked all sorts of questions while poking around in Sonia's mouth...
NaNoWriMo
Incidentally, tomorrow is the first day of the NaNoWriMo, or, to the uninitiated - the Nationaly Novel Writing Month. I am going to participate in a kamikaze novel-writing marathon which entails writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Have done the preliminary preparation with handy bit of software called NewNovelist and am just going to go for it. Am exhilerated in the way one might be before attempting to set a time record for bungee-jumping. I expect the coming days to be similarly exciting, disorienting, tiring and punctuated by ups and downs. Will keep a record here of my progress - or should I say Jane Forsite's progress. Had to pick a user name on the site, and as my middle name Jane had been taken, I adopted the last name Forsite after the Friesian god who lives on Helgoland... good, eh?
Halloween
October 31st... Halloween. Instead of gorging themselves on candy, my half-dutch daughters are sleeping soundly in their beds. Why am I a little sad about that?
As this is my first post to my first blog, I should, I think, explain the title I have chosen. When I found out I was pregnant with my first child in 1999, I told Arne-Christian, who is a friend of mine from college who happens to be homosexual with no intention of ever becoming a father. He shook his handsome head and looked off into the distance with a melancholy smirk and said "Life as you know it is OVER, girl." And so it was. And in hindsight, all I can say is Thank God.
I never did get used to lack of sleep, but I got used functioning with the spacey feeling caused by it. Every time I thought I could not go on, I did and so grew my stamina, my coping skills, my confidence, my sense of humor, my ability to put things in perspective in the midst of the noise, mess, and misery. And I have grown and changed in ways I never dreamed possible. Having kids really is our last, best chance to grow up.
Marten to Sonia as she runs off ahead of him: your pants are all wet, kid!
Sonia to Marten, non-chalantly over her shoulder and without changing her pace: the slide!
So this is Still Life with Mama - because I still have a life, albeit unrecognizable as the same life I had as a spoiled 28 year old. And I want to take a moment every day to sit still and savor it.
As this is my first post to my first blog, I should, I think, explain the title I have chosen. When I found out I was pregnant with my first child in 1999, I told Arne-Christian, who is a friend of mine from college who happens to be homosexual with no intention of ever becoming a father. He shook his handsome head and looked off into the distance with a melancholy smirk and said "Life as you know it is OVER, girl." And so it was. And in hindsight, all I can say is Thank God.
I never did get used to lack of sleep, but I got used functioning with the spacey feeling caused by it. Every time I thought I could not go on, I did and so grew my stamina, my coping skills, my confidence, my sense of humor, my ability to put things in perspective in the midst of the noise, mess, and misery. And I have grown and changed in ways I never dreamed possible. Having kids really is our last, best chance to grow up.
Marten to Sonia as she runs off ahead of him: your pants are all wet, kid!
Sonia to Marten, non-chalantly over her shoulder and without changing her pace: the slide!
So this is Still Life with Mama - because I still have a life, albeit unrecognizable as the same life I had as a spoiled 28 year old. And I want to take a moment every day to sit still and savor it.