Kick Off Party

So last night was the Offical Toronto Nano Kick Off party, and a good time was had. I should know better than to order a grown up sized meal though, I can never finish the damned thing. (Oh, and note to self. Do not order a pot of tea in the evening. You will not sleep.)

I got to meet a few Nanoer's that I didn't meet last year (and one mother/daughter duo who taught me that right here in Toronto one can learn medieval archery and swordsmanship. Seriously. How kick ass is that?)

I took pictures, but as it turns out, I'm a terrible photographer. I hope I get better and soon!

Anyway, it's (does math) 8 hours and 15 minutes to the Offical Start Time of Nanowrimo (being that midnight is actually a brand spanking new day....and it will be Nov 1! YAY!!!!!) However, I won't actually be writing at midnight....see, Ghost Hunters Halloween Live starts at 7 pm on Space, and this is the first year we get it aired in Canada, and it's on until 2 pm. Yeah, a live 7 hour televised ghost hunt. I like Ghosts. :)

I wonder how many hats I can churn out in 7 hours?

(oh, and check out my blog roll, I've added many a nanoer!)

2 MOAR DAYS!!!!111elebentity!!!!!1111

So, it's two more full days to go until Nov 1 and the start of NaNo. I'm itching, itching to write. I can't remember being this bouncy and excited about writing in general. Honestly.

So how am I coping with it?

Well, there will be several warm heads on homeless people this winter. I've been knitting winter hats, their destination is Street Knits, a roots level organization, started by a knitter, which collects hand knit items like hats, socks, mitts, gloves, even sweaters, and distributes them to Toronto's homeless population. I've been knitting hats to keep me from cheating and writing before Nov 1.

Tomorrow is the big to-do for the Toronto NaNoers, we're meeting at The Butler's Pantry, chowing down and sharing the collective enthusiasim. Much fun to be had!

So, two more days, several hats later, maybe even start another pair of socks (or finish some of the socks started months ago). EEK!!!

That time of year again

So it's that time of year again. NaNo begins on Saturday, and I've plans to attend the Toronto NaNo party on the 30th (much fun was had last year!), and musing on attending the Inner Critic on the 1st, where you make a playdough version of your inner critic to lock it up for a month, thus allowing you the freedom to run with words....frankly I think that's something I really should do, as I'm highly critical of my writing, and at times I get so bad about it, I find myself in a vicious block.

I wonder if it's against the 'rules' for me to smash my playdough inner critic should that happen? :) My loving husband has a nice hammer, it'd probably feel good to smash the inner critic until playdough splatters the walls.

Ah, the visual.

Anyways.....I'm hoping to be a thousand times better about keeping up this blog this year, really chronicaling my descent into madness and my efforts to create a ripping good story in 30 days. See, the first year, although I did not win NaNo (hell, I don't think I reached 6,000 words, never mind the requisite 50,000), I consider the story I started to have very good bones. I still toy with that one, and plan to eventually finish it.

Last year? *shudder* We shall never speak of that novel. It is the Novel That Shall Not Be Named. While I surpassed the 50,000 mark (thanks to participating in the Word War), it was an absolutely HORRIBLE attempt at stringing a story together. It shall NEVER be seen by the eyes of others and shall forever languish in the depths of the Gigabytes of my computer.

Although one day, when I stop with the pathological hate of it, I might pluck back the inital idea and start over.

Maybe.

This year, the story hit me out of the blue while watching a program on the Discovery (or was it the History?) channel about Robin Hood and the cultural impact the stories have had. Yes folks, I'm turning Robin Hood upside down. Good bye men running about the forest, hello women! I'm itching to write it. I've got my female Robin Hood all plotted out in my head, who she is, why she's in Sherwood, etc, etc. I've been diving into English laws of the era, and the social structure and I'm itching to start writing. I'm bouncing in anticipation for Nov 1.

This year, not only am I going to love my little tale, I'm going to surpass 50,000 and STILL love it. This year, I'm not going to bury my novel after the month is over! I'm actually going to let others see it, read it, comment and critic it! I'm going to continue on it!

Big goals.

Oh yeah, and I have to find the time to make my Christmas gifts too.

Maybe I should invest in some coffee companies?