FebNoWriMo!

VP_Benni

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Here are some pretty pictures of my campus after we had some lovely frozen rain fall last night: http://dailyemerald.com/2014/02/08/photos-frozen-rain-wreaks-havoc-on-university-of-oregon-campus/ Gorgeous, but a bit alarming.

As it stands right now, I have two midterms and an oral performance on Monday (two of which are make-ups from Thursday and Friday), a midterm on Tuesday, and an 8-10 page paper due on Wednesday. I'm a little bit frightened. I'm almost wishing Monday gets cancelled too, just so I could have a LITTLE bit more time... I doubt that's going to happen at this point, but who knows... Campus alerts are advising us not to walk outside, let alone travel an hour to get to school.

~Amber~
 

mrsmig

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Wow, Amber - those are beautiful photos but yeah, a little alarming. Whatever you do, be safe.

Back to my usual cheery self after a trying week. Found me a new beta-reader (thanks to AW), finished a long week of rehearsal with two-count-'em-two days off in a row before we start tech on Tuesday, and had a difficult but necessary email exchange with my agent which rattled his cage thoroughly and will, with luck, result in better representation or termination of our contract (either one will be acceptable right now - I'll know what I want to do by the end of the month).

If I can get some writing done over the next two days, I'll feel like I'm back in the groove.
 

VP_Benni

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I asked for an extension for my 8-10 page paper. Hope I get it.

Oh, I forgot to mention... NaNo founder Chris Baty replied to one of my tweets the other day. :tongue That was pretty cool.

~Amber~
 

Caitlin Black

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Hooray for Tweet responses! :D

Well, I still have 3 weeks before I have to go back to Uni. I feel like I really should be doing something with my time, but the time limit of 3 weeks, and then being flat out with study, means that my enthusiasm levels are at an all-time low... Well, for long-term projects, anyway.

Consequently, I still haven't done much this month. I do need to follow-up on that ITIN lead I got last week - another site to search through, and then hopefully some more phone call success. But that can wait till tomorrow, I think.
 

magickalfantasy

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Probably a little late in the game to make goals, but my success of Chapter 1 kinda did it for me.

1. Try to get 5 characters written down in my character chart.
2. Finish 3-5 chapters this month. Most likely, I'll probably be lucky if I get one more in. I guess we'll see!
 
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CoffeeBeans

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Oh, I forgot to mention... NaNo founder Chris Baty replied to one of my tweets the other day. :tongue That was pretty cool.

EEEEEEE! Very cool! I talked to him once on the phone back when he was just trying to get Wrimo Radio started, because I was ML'ing and working in radio at the time. I could not have been more squee.
 

mrsmig

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Went for a nice long walk on a nature trail today and took my prompt book along. It was an interesting exercise, doing some writing in a totally different place and in totally different circumstances (i.e. freezing my butt off). I stood at the rail of a dock on a frozen pond and did my daily scribble - my pen kept skipping (too cold, perhaps) but I scratched out my observations and it was really rather enjoyable. Came home and finished The Golem and the Djinni and wished like hell I liked it better than I did. It's certainly an interesting concept and executed in a workmanlike manner, but I kept wishing for a more lyrical style.
 

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Hello, everyone!

I got a good start on my goals last month, so I'm continuing them this month. :)

1.)Finish a short story. I have around 3K left on this one.

2.) Rewrite the back half of my 2013 Nano novel

3.) Start another short story

4.) Have fun

I finished that damn short story! That last part was a pain to write. Now I can pretend it doesn't exist for a little while. :D
 

mrsmig

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Congratulations!
 

Ona Mission

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OK, so fate happened and our beautiful 23 year old cat died today - the day I was *supposed* to begin editing. Suffice it to say, I haven't had the ability to start the editing process.

I have a feeling the rest of February is going to be a total asshat.
 

mrsmig

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Ona, so very sorry for your loss. Give yourself the time you need. You've not just lost a pet; you've lost a member of your family.
 

VP_Benni

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:Hug2: I'm sorry for your loss, Ona. It's hard losing a cat... I lost my first kitty almost five years ago now (May Day... I hate May Day now...). He was two years old when I was born and he was my best friend up until the day we had to get him put to sleep. I still miss him.

--

So, on the midterm panic front, I haven't died yet. :tongue My first midterm went okay, though I'm not sure how I did... My oral performance went well (though I think Sensei felt kind of bad for me because I had like the worst four day weekend ever filled with death and people in hospitals either in a coma or having brain surgery... On top of stressing about being prepared enough for my midterms and papers... I had SEVERAL people tell me I looked like I was going to pass out...), and I NAILED my English midterm. I missed few, if any, questions and because there were two bonus points, getting a perfect score is well within the realm of possibility... Then my midterm scheduled for tomorrow was moved to Thursday, and the 8-10 page paper that was due on Wednesday is now due next Monday. Yay, I have time to breathe.

I had a bit of a trade off though... I kept forgetting things today... Like, if it wasn't related to the information I needed to pass my exams, it was completely out of my head... I forgot my timesheet for work was due today, so I had to pay to get it printed at the last minute, and I also forgot the test booklet required for my English midterm, so I bought one off a guy who brought extras for a quarter. I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting other things I forgot. How fitting.

--

Boyfriend came out to me as genderfluid today. I wasn't really surprised -- I've kind of suspected it for the majority of the 4.5 years since we first got together, but I don't like putting labels on people so I just left it alone unless he felt like talking about it. He seems to be doing okay -- I was a little worried about him last night just because he was feeling unhappy about being judged for his feminine qualities (not by me, obviously -- mostly his male family members and strangers), but he seemed a lot better today. I wish it was possible for people to just not care... Gender roles bother me so much. (I think the most fun part of our conversation was talking about gender pronouns... He said he doesn't care in the slightest and to just use whatever ones I wanted -- I'm using "he/him/his" right now just because he hasn't really told a lot of people and I'm sure he's going to be sticking with that for a while -- so, naturally, we decided that "potato" is his new pronoun. I don't think it's going to stick.)

--

*yawn* Long day. I should really get to sleep.

~Amber~
 

Ona Mission

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Thanks for the support. I didn't realize I came here for that, but I guess I did. I was just so lost yesterday.

He isn't our first cat/pet, and won't be our last. We have a load right now..3 other cats and a dog. I had cats growing up, hub had loads of cats as an adult. But Stow..he was special. Well, they all are, but he really was. He started having seizures years ago. The bugger was so strong that he'd fall down the stairs and shake it off within a half hour. His molars began falling out a couple years ago, so we put him on soft food. 6 months, or so, ago he began losing body mass even though he ate 3X the amount the other cats ate. This past week, things got bad. He became lethargic, fell over as he walked, fell into the water dish, leaned against the baseboard heaters for hours at a time, peed all over the floor. We knew it wouldn't be long and expected him to give up any time. He refused to eat for his final three days. Yesterday morning, hub found him on his side, motionless on the living room floor. He had fallen off of the couch. He wouldn't move other than to shake from being cold, so hub wrapped in a towel and put him back on the couch for the day. When he saw/heard/felt me, he lifted his head for the first time and reached out with his paws. That was his sign to be held. I babied him most of the day. He couldn't see and startled whenever we'd pat him. Mid afternoon, his mouth started mimicking eating. He smelled like death. I tried feeding him and he gagged, so I just held him and sang to him. He fell asleep in my arms, so I put him back on the couch. We kept checking for signs of life. A couple hours later, he was gone.

This is the second cat that left us in winter. The first was a stray. Preserving a dead animal to bury in spring is a real bitch. Gods, I ramble. Sorry about that.

Anyhoo, I'll try to begin editing today.

Glad y'all are doing well.

*Yay Vamp for you nailing your midterm. And good for you with your potato. Love is love, regardless of the pronoun.
 
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mrsmig

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This week and next week I'm in tech/previews for my next production, which translates to irregular hours. I doubt I'll get much written as a result. I'm also getting beta responses back on my NaNo novel and while they have been all over the map, they're also showing me that the book isn't ready yet - indeed, it may have some core problems that would entail a complete rethink. I suspected as much but felt like I was too close to it to judge. The betas helped with that. My gut instinct is to print out the MS and put it away - maybe not trunked, per se, but no longer a priority.

In the grand scheme of things, while I'm disappointed, I'm still glad I did it. The whole NaNo experience forced me to write more quickly and freely, even though the end result may never be anything more than a useful exercise in creating backstory. I need to stop thinking about it and put my attention on my main WIP.

I started Stephen Puleo's Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 yesterday. Looks like it should be an interesting read.

Ona Mission, hope you're having a better day.
 

Ona Mission

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That sounds like a plus in my book. The puns are thick here. Sorry. Still, definite pro's. Good for you.

Thanks, hun...doing better. Although, I've suddenly realized my entire story should now be rewritten from first person pov instead of third limited.

It. Just. Never. Ends.
 

VP_Benni

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I spent the evening out with mom getting free candy and pens and stuff at an event she wanted to go to. It was pretty fun. :) Then I gave my Potato a fake rose (I spent a while debating between a real and a fake one, but I went with the fake one because it'll last longer. Turns out he prefers fake flowers for that very reason. :D Yay for lucky guesses!) He was really happy with it and it made me smile. :)

I am still forgetting everything... This morning I walked into my psych class and there were people talking about last night's homework, and my first thought was "oh, shit!" because I thought I forgot to do it... It turns out I predicted my forgetfulness because I did it on Sunday so I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting it... So I forgot that I thought I was going to forget it so I did it before I could forget and I still freaked out about forgetting... Welp. There are some memory issues there.

I have my very last midterm tomorrow, and it's only worth 10% of my grade in that class so it's not a lot to worry about. I'm just waiting for Friday to roll around so I can have my last two classes of the week and relax for an hour or two before writing that paper I have due on Monday. :tongue

~Amber~
 
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mrsmig

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It turns out I predicted my forgetfulness because I did it on Sunday so I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting it... So I forgot that I thought I was going to forget it so I did it before I could forget and I still freaked out about forgetting...

Amber, this made me laugh very hard. I'm glad your homework was done, though. :)
 

mrsmig

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Spent the better part of the morning digging out after last night's snowfall, and am now awaiting the arrival of Part 2 of what some in the area are referring to as the "Love Snow" but which I am calling "Snowmigod." Today's rehearsal was canceled due to the weather, and I should be using the opportunity to get some writing down, but right now all I want to do is relax in a hot bath.
 

Caitlin Black

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Go go go everyone!

Vamp, those are some definite forgetting problems. Good thing the homework was done already though. I remember in my first year of Uni, I was due to move house on a Thursday, and help my grandparents move house on the Wednesday. Well, on the Tuesday I was reminded that a paper was due on the Thursday - and I'd left it at home. So I had to ask the lecturer if I could email it to him instead of handing it up the normal way. I probably would've forgotten about it entirely had I not been reminded on the Tuesday, even though it was done already.

Fortunately he was a nice lecturer and let me email it to him. :)

On my end... I've been doing bugger all. Though I did buy a new CD 2 days ago, and am pleased enough with it. (It's Cadaveria's "In Your Blood". Italian horror metal FTW!)
 

mrsmig

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To add to the surreal quality of this week (what with tech and snow and whatnot), my dear mother, who just turned 93, fell when she was out running errands (yes, she still drives). She got banged up pretty badly but fortunately many people came running to help and stayed with her until the ambulance came. She had hip replacement surgery last year and apparently has a fracture close to the implant...aiiieeeee. She may also have cracked a rib or two. I'm grateful that my youngest sister lives in the same town and was able to take the day off to see to whatever Mom needs today; I'm also grateful that her surgeon wants to put her in care for two weeks, so she can get the bed rest she needs. As old as she is, my mom is a dynamo at heart and if she was left to her own devices (yes, she still lives alone), she would be trying to get things done instead of resting.

I say again...aiiiiieeee.

(Writing? What's that?)
 

measure_in_love

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ona, I'm so sorry about your loss. Its so easy to get attached to pets. I can imagine how hard it is.
mrsmig-I love your idea of doing a nature trail and writing there. Sounds really inspiring!

As for my progress, I'm at 25,000 words, which means I'm 5k away from being halfway done to my goal of 60,000. I've never written that much before, and I'm trying my best to get there. It just seems really far away and difficult. I've been doing this project on and off for 2 years. That just seems too long for a novel. I'm trying to create more conflict and such, but its a little discouraging.
 

VP_Benni

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Mid-month monthly progress report for the month of February! :D


*Finish my 4 important scholarship applications ON TIME 2/4 complete! :)
*Read at least 3 books 1/3 complete! :)
*Write at least 5k have not started just yet.
*Complete 5 of my Day Zero goals 3/5 complete! :)
*Stay on top of school work/not die during my midterms Not dead yet! ;)
*Play video games I did if you count Flappy Bird... I'm competitive with my little brother and really wanted to beat his high score... It did not take me long.

Not bad, overall. :D

~Amber~
 

mrsmig

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My mid-month tally:

1) Write a daily prompt using the Reeves book
2) Do necessary rewrites on the NaNo novel once I get more beta feedback
3) Start writing on the next book in my fantasy series, now that this "prequel" is out of my system.
4) Continue trying to work in some exercise during the day (I plan to move one of my resistance bands up to my office so I will have it right by my desk)
5) Continue reading. Once I finish Worst Street, I'm going to treat myself to some new Kindle books.

ETA: Oh, and I want to bake some bread. I bought myself a couche and a banneton in January and have yet to break them in. I got a great bread cookbook for Christmas and am dying to try out some of the recipes.

1) I've been doing the prompts pretty faithfully - some days I forget or don't have time, but I catch up the next day.

2) Haven't started the rewrites; still processing beta responses and waiting for a couple more.

3) Haven't started writing at all, really - I need to get on with it.

4) Exercise nil.

5) Reading is good. Finished The Golem and the Djinni, started Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, and have Neil Gaiman's Smoke & Mirrors in the queue.

I'm hoping once this show is on a more regular schedule I can get back in the groove.
 
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