I woke up this morning and thought it was November 1. Talk about being overzealous... I guess I'm raring to go for NaNo. I rhymed that, didn't I? Oh oh! When I start using rhymes, it is not a good omen.

I'm all set for Halloween and my avatar, the witch, is hung on the front door. All candy is in bags on an armchair near the front door. All I need to do is take a small pair of scissors for opening the boxes.

After I put my computer to sleep, hoping it is not an eternal sleep, I'll go to the library for some last minute research and to return and borrow new material, then to the farmstand, and I'll wait for the little ones in costumes. When my kids were home, we made a big deal out of Halloween with a party and a lot more decorations. Now that they've flown the coop, we have minimized the festivities. Still, I look forward to the trick and treating by the little ones, some or most I won't know to which family they belong.

Yay for all kids! They make us oldies feel alive.
 

I'll go get candy late this afternoon. I waited until now, because of a car problem. I hope we'll get the car back in a couple of hours.

I buy the same things every year, Hershey's dark chocolate bars, six in a box, and a few boxes of KitKats . Kids seem to like them as do their parents who come to the door. If anything's left over, it is for our consumption.

It used to be my kids would have a fit if I accompanied them on their trick-or-treating. I still did but stayed way back, out of sight. Parents, rarely -if ever, accompanied the children, then. I am so happy to see so many parents coming around with their children during the later years. I feel like treating the parents, too, but that would be funny and odd.

The Irish and the Scotch brought Halloween to US. Christian and Celtic rites combined (Sam'hain), the holiday originally was a day/night of feasting and mischief. Jack-o'-Lanterns are probably a couple of centuries older. It belonged to the night watchmen holding a simple lantern. Somehow, it became associated with Halloween.

This year's Halloween is a bit more special for me, because the next day, I start NaNoing for the first time. After having prided myself in acting cool in most situations, NaNo did away with my so-called cool. Drama, drama, drama! I've turned into a drama queen.
Even though I know it is no big deal, I am curious about me: how I'll do; how much I'll complain; will the arthritis in my legs jump to my fingers; how will my family react to my new obsession, and so on and so forth. Still, I am really looking forward to it. Weird? Yeah, that's what I am.

Happy Halloween!

 

Finally!
I am gaining my calm back.

Good thing is I am not scared of Nano anymore, now that the plot and the characters have formed -somewhat- inside my head. I have done all the research I thought I might need. What is left is to write 1167 words a day, according to the book by Chris Baty, No Plot? No Problem, which I found in the library.

I don't think I'll have difficulty, sticking to a schedule. I may not do the amount of words exactly like what is on that schedule, but I may write less or more. I hope I have the discipline acquired over the two and half years of writing or rather trying to write 500 words or more each day. Plus, I went through Wannabe's challenges and found out I could write even 2500 words a day, although not every day.

For Nano, I plan to come up with the 50,000 a few days before the end of the month. You never know what can go wrong if you leave it to the end. So, I'll try to write 1800 words a day or more, even though I may have days that I won't be able to write anything.

Having said that, I decided not to rush me, but to take each problem and each day as it comes, and even look through the day's work for outstanding mistakes. The holes in the plot or whatever I may need to add will have to come later. I think this plot will probably take 30,000 words more.

This plot came out of a character sketch for a short story contest. Although the character in that short story will be a secondary one in the novel, I plan to improve on her even more.

My problem is with the main character. I think, at this point, I'm wavering between two main characters, something I didn't intend to come up with, but having two main characters has been done before by better writers than me, so I'll just let the story take its course, and possibly, the main character problem will resolve itself through the evolution of the plot or I'll handle it afterwards.

If anyone is interested, here is the number of words for each day from No Plot? No Problem.

Day 1 -- 1667
Day 2 -- 3334
Day 3 -- 5001
Day 4 -- 6668
Day 5 -- 8335
Day 6 -- 10,002
Day 7 -- 11,669
Day 8 -- 13,336
Day 9 -- 15,003
Day10 -- 16,670
Day11 -- 18,337
Day12 -- 20,004
Day13 -- 21,671
Day14 -- 23,338
Day15 -- 25,005
Day16 -- 26,672
Day17 -- 28,339
Day18 -- 30,006
Day19 -- 31,673
Day20 -- 33,340
Day21 -- 35,007
Day22 -- 36,674
Day23 -- 38,341
Day24 -- 40,008
Day25 -- 41,675
Day26 -- 43,342
Day27 -- 45,009
Day28 -- 48,343
Day29 -- 48,343
Day30 -- 50,000


 

Weird News

I can't explain some of the recent events, but I have to suspect that the UFO's are taking aim at our brains. I wonder what they are using. I think something laser-like but you don't see the rays hitting your head?

I don't know where to begin. Let's take the balloon boy. The mother told authorities today that the giant helium balloon was specifically created for a hoax to draw media attention while the boy hid in the attic. To tell the truth, they fooled me, as anyone can fool me. Having raised two rambunctious boys, I can believe anything that a little boy would do. But what this little boy couldn't do was to lie well. What a thing to teach one's children!

Then came the pilots-who-overflew-their destination story. It seems these pilots missed Twin Cities by 150 miles with all the modern equipment in the cockpit. The passengers were told they were circling over the airport, waiting for permission to land. We used to fly very often; and in various flights we were told the same thing. Now I am suspicious. What were our pilots really doing? Next time we're told that, I'm going to panic.

Also, there's the teenager in New York City who lost her memory and cannot remember her name or where her home is since September 9? Why doesn't anybody claim her?

And while most homeowners failed to take advantage of government refinance plan, a four-year old was given a tax credit as a first-time home-buyer. Any four-year olds you know? They might be eligible.

Then in LA, in an apartment complex, a lifeless body slumped on a patio was thought to be a Halloween decoration. The man was shot to death. Now, that is real horror.

Not to mention the Civil War memorabilia collector who accidentally fired a cannonball through his neighbor's home. I think, from now on, I'll check what my neighbors are collecting.

To top it all, even I suddenly registered for Na-No.

The only explanation for all these weird events has to be the UFO intervention.

Any lawyers out there? Just how can we sue the UFOs for the alienation of our brains?






 

NaNo? Okay, so it is a newbie obsession, but I am obsessed with NaNo now. The way the things are evolving, I'll probably write about NaNo more than my Nano novel itself.

Earlier, I had told myself that NaNo wasn't for me for it was impossible and I should never attempt it; however, my subconscious must have taken over, and suddenly, I decided to do it. This decision happened only a few days ago, encouraged by the daring of other friends with toddlers like Diane . Not that I have a toddler as that would be a medical miracle...but...

As to the novel, I have a few ideas and I still don't know which one to choose.

One option is to try to write in a genre I am not that experienced with like Horror and Sci-Fi. If horror, the idea is some tiny creatures invading a house and traumatizing its residents. If Sci-Fi, I like the WdC prompt of suddenly finding oneself on a planet. If I choose either of the two, I'll have to wing it as I write because I can't do any research on these.

My last and favorite option is about the culture clashes and family relationships. I'll base the characters on people I know, so that will be out of the way. Also the novel will have a psychological aspect to it, which could make it easier to write since I have a few credits -from a very long time ago- in psychology, and I have worked as an assistant to someone very close to me in the area of mental health. In other words, I can do some bs'ing.

Then I plan to put the main action in a time slightly before our time, around World War II and a little after that with the novel ending -in an epilogue, possibly- in the nineties. I did some research work on this, and I am enthusiastic but also afraid that I'll be going over my head in a rush job.

The word count doesn't scare me, but the crap factor does, as always. Doing the 500-words-a-day with my fantastic group has given me some discipline, and I know I can write very easily 500- 1000 words a day. Even though I am a slow typist, in the group, during some my very busy days, I have written free-flow in fifteen minutes or so after 11:30 PM and have posted it by 11:59 PM. But unlike everyday free-flow, a novel, even a crappy one, has to make some sense. And that scares me. Still, I think, what if I don't finish it? Or if it turns out terrible, but then, I do have some terrible short stories, don't I! Lol!

As I do this, some things may have to go or become less frequent, like reading, baking bread, Facebook games, etc.

In addition, I have my family. November is the worst month for me to do something like this in. My older son's b'day, my younger son's wedding anniversary celebration, and Thanksgiving are all in this month, not to mention the stuff with friends and extended family members. And my recently retired hubby demands my attention and friendship non-stop. Then the house, the cooking, and all the work...but then, everyone has some things to handle, right?

On the other hand, I can always hide in the bathroom with a notebook and pen or sneak into a closet with my net-book, as I sometimes do. I just need to try Nano even if I never attempt it again.

As I said earlier, all these words are the results of a newbie's obsession, and I needed to write this entry to get the nervousness off my chest. .

Still....Eeeeeeek!
 

So many writers have influenced the flow of events through their writings and imagination. Many writers, mostly novelists, have changed things concerning public opinion or they have evoked feelings of compassion and empathy. There are many examples to this, like Grapes of Wrath revealing the decrepit life-styles of the migrant workers,

I have been thinking about the public option of medical insurance lately, and it dawned on me that Citadel incited the establishment of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. National Health Service began on July 5, 1948. The Citadel was published in 1937.

"Cronin served as a Royal Navy surgeon during World War I before graduating from medical school. After the war, he trained at various hospitals including Bellahouston and Lightburn Hospitals in Glasgow and Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, before taking up his first practice in Tredegar, a mining town in South Wales. In 1924, he was appointed Medical Inspector of Mines for Great Britain, and over the next few years, his survey of medical regulations in collieries and his reports on the correlation between coal dust inhalation and pulmonary disease were published. Cronin drew on his experiences researching the occupational hazards of the mining industry for his later novels The Citadel, set in Wales, and The Stars Look Down, set in Northumberland." From Wikipedia

In my earlier years, I was an A. J. Cronin fan so much so that I thought, as a teenager, one had to be in the medical profession to write well. In addition, a relative who has influenced my life the most was an MD who was in the profession only for the sake of healing people.

Luckily, I have enlarged my vista since. I now think any good writer with a good idea and good intentions can make an impression on the way we live. There are tons of opinion pieces out there, but I think none of them can succeed as well as what literature accomplishes in its roundabout way.

And as my warped mind brings me to our day and to things that matter to me the most, I am hoping (praying, expecting) that many of the WdC writers will address our present-day issues through their poetry and fiction.

Haven't I said this umpteen times, before?

 

Just yesterday, I wrote about the 2009 Nobel winner in literature. Today came another shocker surprise.

Well, Congratulations to our President. I voted for him, and I couldn’t be happier that someone from my country was awarded such an honor. Plus, I know he didn’t petition for this unlike the Chicago-for-the-Olympics thing. The question of integrity here is directed totally to the distributors of the Nobel prizes.

Then, I have the feeling that this action could be some sort of a prepayment or should I dare say bribe for influencing the future events? Have the Nobel Prizes turned into a sort of lobbying force? Or was this just another anti-Bush gesture?

So many other questions, too, I dare not ask.

On the other hand, bold moves are the modus operandi of the Nobel Prizes. I feel even the scientific and culturally oriented Nobel prizes, sometimes, reek of political intent, and as history indicates, the Nobel Peace Prize is usually, if not always, political.

Let’s hope this political intent of the Nobel Prizes turns out to be positive, brings forth hope for the future, and unites us in a humanitarian world.

Let's at least hope.


 

Herta Müller, a German/Romanian writer won the Nobel prize for literature today.

I haven't read anything of hers except for a short story in Granta, a long time ago. They say her fiction is akin to prose-poems. Not many of her works are translated to English...yet.

To tell the truth, I was sort of ticked off when I read about this. Nobel prizes tend to go more to Europe, and also, this stirred up a prejudice of mine against Müller, since one of her parents was with the German SS. On the other hand, this writer is said to be the voice of the oppressed inside Romania while that country was ruled by one of its worst dictators. Also, I thought, I should not hold children responsible for their parents' sins.

What I could find inside the Amazon's site are these works by Herta Müller, if still available. Nothing of hers has been translated of late. If one can read and understand German, there are a few more.

Nadirs - stories, 1982 (Niederungen, translated by Sieglinde Lug (1999); University of Nebraska publicity page;Amazon: US, UK, Deutschland)
Drückender Tango - stories, 1984
The Passport - novel, 1986 (Der Mensch ist ein großer Fasan auf der Welt, translated by Martin Chalmers (1989); Hanser publicity page; Amazon: US, UK, Deutschland)
Traveling on One Leg - novel, 1989 (Reisende auf einem Bein, translated by Valentina Glajar and Andre Lefevere (1998); Northwestern University Press publicity page; Amazon: US, UK)
The Land of Green Plums - novel, 1994 (Herztier, translated by Michael Hofmann (1996); International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award (1998); Northwestern University Press publicity page, Metropolitan Books publicity page, Hanser publicity page; Amazon: US, UK, Deutschland)
The Appointment - novel, 1997 (Heute wär ich mir lieber nicht begegnet, translated by Michael Hulse and Philip Boehm (2001); Metropolitan publicity page; Amazon: US, UK, Deutschland)

Will be an interesting read, I think, when I can get hold of a book of hers.