I personally think it's best to freak out about NaNo before it starts, rather than waiting until November and waste that valuable writing time.

So I'm freaking out today because I can't settle on any character names! My sis is great at picking character names and she suggested Anya for my main character. I like the name and it rhymes with my own name, so I said sure. Now, one day before NaNo, I'm thinking it's not so great. I'm thinking maybe Eve is better...

And I still don't have a name for my main male character! And I'm not totally sure how the novel is going to start! What if I go to write something tomorrow (or after midnight tonight), and the words refuse to come out?? Holy crap, this is terrifying!



Have you had your freakout yet?
 

I have such a difficult time choosing a genre. Honestly, "speculative fiction" fits well at this point!

I thought I was doing a post-apocalyptic totalitarian dystopia, but I realized the first two aren't quite true, so I'm stuck with "dystopia," but where does that fit in? Possibly "literary fiction" since I'm mainly focused on theme, but it has fantasy elements (not as far as magic and magical creatures, though), and a litle bit of romance, too.

Anyone else having trouble choosing a genre?

Anyone else just itching to start writing already??

 

I just wrote the last line of my NaNo novel... It was an accident, I swear! It just popped into my head as I was walking home from work! ...I'll just have to write an extra 12 words during November to make up for it.


 

I went back and read over my blog entries from November '07 (the last time I did NaNo), and it helped me prepare a little for this year. I'm probably going to be blogging again, and I thought others might be, too, so I created this:

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My sister has me hooked on charity walks. I did my first 5k walk yesterday, and I can't wait until the next one!

Yesterday we trekked the very hilly campus of Bloomsburg University to help raise money for breast cancer research, and we had a blast! I invited my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to walk with me since Ivy is eating cake was running. We finished the 3.1 mile course in about 56 minutes! It was a beautiful day for the walk, too!

The next one we had planned on doing is November 15th, a Great American Smokeout 5k (and since Ivy and I both quit smoking years ago, we're proud to do this one!), and I've invited more family members to join, as this one will be a lot less hilly. Of course, now we're learning about a Diabetes 5k on Halloween morning. It's a costume race! I don't think I can resist that...

If you get a chance to do a charity walk, definitely try one! They're a lot of fun and can raise a lot of money for some great causes!


 

I work at a deli, slicing meats and cheeses for customers. It can be a challenging job, and it can also be frustrating at times. To help ease the process for customers and workers alike, I'd like to offer a few tips.


Deli Tip of the Day

When trying to get my attention or while waiting for your order, do NOT:

drum your fingers on the counter
clear your throat loudly
start sighing or complaining about waiting
whistle
tell me you're in a hurry

These are all extremely irritating, and will NOT make me work faster. I'm dealing with a meat slicer, a very sharp blade. Nothing will make me work faster and put myself in danger of having appendages sliced off!




What tips have you learned from your occupation?


 

NaNo is a little more than ten days away! Who's excited??

I started watching Flash Forward on hulu.com yesterday, and with plotting out my NaNo novel, I'm starting to have really weird dreams...

Anyone else fleshing out their idea? Or are you going into it blind? I've done both (honestly, no planning worked a lot better for me), and this time I'm going back to the same genre I did the first time around - post-apocalyptic totalitarian dystopia.



Like I wrote back in September, I had a dream that stayed with me for a few days & then it developed into a plot. I'm very excited to start writing it! I signed up for the NaNo prep challenge, and I fell way behind in the writing challenges... Oops! Part of the problem is that I have a very difficult time finding the time to write on weekends (which is why I primarily write weekdays during NaNo with a goal of abotu 2,500 words per weekday). Still, I found their challenges to be very helpful in preparing my NaNo novel. I'm glad I attempted it, at least.

I'm so glad I discovered NaNo three years ago. It's so much fun and it gives me a feeling of accomplishment. It also reminds me how much fun writing can be.

My nano username is spidergirl, by the way. I'd gladly have more NaNo buddies! And join this group if you're doing NaNo:

1151082

The NaNoWriMists 2011  [E] Calling all NaNoWriMo participants! Join us for support, advice, challenges & friendship! by Barmymoo

It's 37 degrees and they're saying it could snow today into tomorrow... Gotta love Pennsylvania in October!


I hope to get some pumpkins this weekend for carving and stuff. We're attempting to make spider-like creatures using smaller pumpkins and some as-yet-to-be-determined material for its legs. Any suggestions? People keep saying pipe cleaners, but I don't know if they'll work well enough...

Happy October!


 

Taken from http://www.twitter.com/DailyPrompt (Seriously, if you're on twitter, follow along!)

Today's prompt is: Write about the smallest insect you've ever seen.


And Ivy is eating cake gave me permission to share her writing from yesterday. I found it hilarious!

Have you heard? WDC is on twitter now! http://www.twitter.com/WritingCom

Not only that, but they've got a really cool twitter that gives daily prompts! {http://www.twitter.com/DailyPrompt}

My sis and I both wrote on today's prompt (pecans, peanuts and pistachios). Hers was waaaay better than mine, and if I get her permission, I'll put hers here, too. Here's mine: