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28-Nov-2004 (19:05):
Folks, I did it. I'm not proud of the ending, it needs rewriting, but at least I am past 50k, and my novel is verified as a winner. I'm not feeling very verbal at the moment, though, so I don't have much to say right now. All the words are used up, let me get back to you all a bit later.
But it's done now.
28-Nov-2004 (18:03):
OK, come on now. One last push, that's all that's needed. Tie this one up now, you can do it. The word counter is at over 49000 words; which means that we're looking at less than three more pages. There are six more hours to go before midnight. You can do it.
28-Nov-2004 (11:36):
I got up fairly early this morning - well, early for a Sunday anyway, 9.30ish - and started writing. My plan was to sit down, write today's 1667 words and then have a shower and head out for some emergency shopping. I got caught in a flow, so I managed about 2150 words in the first go, meaning that I am right now about 500 before target and there is the slightest hint of white between my line and the target line for the first time since the 2nd. Definitely better than previously.
Now I am going to have that shower and a bite to eat, then I am off to town to buy a nozzle for my vaccuum cleaner and some dishwasher salt, plus a bit of food for today; probably on the large Albert Heijn behind the palace. Then I'm folding all the laundry I washed yesterday and vaccuum / mop the floor in the bedroom, preparing to get everything back in. While that's drying, I'm off to write some more.
That is, if I don't get called from work like I was last night - that's why I didn't write anymore after hitting the target. Fingers crossed.
27-Nov-2004 (19:43):
I did it, I caught up. I'm at 45002 words, which means that I am on target again. Or to put it another way, I am over 90% done. Too bad, though, that my story is at like 104% done already so that I need to pad it badly to reach the 50k target. :)
27-Nov-2004 (18:52):
I am taking a short break now, just to calm down. I am actually so close to being on track now that I can smell the coals burning in the trains engine. I am less than 500 years from reaching 45000 words, which is the target for today if you're looking at average word count. It's silly, but my heart is pounding like a jackhammer at the moment (and it's more than seven hours since I took my asthma medication, so it can't be that).
My goal for today: Get to 45k now in a bit, go out for dinner someplace close to home (possibly at Murugan, my favourite Indian on Rozengracht) then go downstairs and clean the bedroom after the builders that are finished downstairs now and reassemble the double bed and get that stuff organized. Then, depending on how late it is, continue writing if I feel like it - anything above 45k before midnight tonight is bonus. Not even catching up anymore, it will actually be BEFORE schedule.
Then just pray I am productive tomorrow as well so that I can stay on the right side of the line.
26-Nov-2004 (23:41):
Crap, I did so well last night; so of course I get caught in a conference call for work all night. I got home from work at 19.30, the call started at 20.00 and is still going on as we speak. And it looks as if it will go on for some time more. Sigh. Another dreadful flatline today then.
25-Nov-2004 (23:58):
I just realized. 40000 words is 80%. Wow. I might actually do it.
25-Nov-2004 (23:56):
What a day!
Quite inspired by yesterday's good work, and the fact that I'd left myself a hook to continue with today, I set myself quite a tough target; from 35K to 40K is pretty steep for a working day.
Amsterdam has been all fogged over the whole day so traffic was more or less at a standstill on the way home. From the office just outside Schiphol to Museumplein (western central Amsterdam) took an hour and a half with the bus; which in a way was good, since I managed to get just over 1000 words written.
I got home, made myself some sandwiches for dinner (as soon as these builders are out, I'm going to start eating properly, I promise) and got straight back into the writing. It's been rolling along pretty well, and even though I readjusted the target to make up for one day rather than two (ie. get to 38333 instead of 40000) I just kept writing when I got there. And writing. And writing. I just passed 40000 now, which means that I've caught up another two days and thereby again only ONE DAY BEHIND.
The weekend is coming up, which means I should have plenty of time to write, and I might even be on target before it's over. I'd like that. I want to finish this story on time, it'd mean a lot to me. But now I need sleep. Only two meetings (conf calls) scheduled for tomorrow. So far.
24-Nov-2004 (23:26):
I left work an hour earlier today, but I still had to do some work from home, so the net writing time was not much more than usual. Evenso, almost 2500 words written today, and I've caught that fraction of a day up, so I am now three whole days behind. If these last days are anything to go by, I should be able to catch up another day over tomorrow and Friday, and then there's the big race over the weekend. I have made no plans whatsoever; I'm just going to do some laundry and then write write write. Wish me luck.
23-Nov-2004 (23:38):
Not good. Not at all good. Didn't even meet my quota today; only just over 1400 words. I have finished part three and started on part 4, but the truth is that my new job is really sucking the life of me right now. Both yesterday and today I've had several meetings and not left the office before the last bus leaves at 18.30, which gets me home some time between 19.00-19.30, depending on trains and trams.
Tomorrow I have a meeting in the morning and in the afternoon, plus I need to go to the post office and the bank in between those two; PLUS travel from the center of Amsterdam to the office in the western parts, then back into the center, and then out to the Schiphol-Rijk office. Quite a day, but I am hoping that I can at least get home by the 17.30 bus tomorrow to get some work done on this novel.
Otherwise I desperately need to be working over the weekend, and with the house in its current state (builders and painters in this week), I am not so sure it'll be very easy. I might have to go sit at a cafe or something, and I am not sure I'll get the peace there. :-/
On the plus side, Freddie's had another very productive day, the second one in a row, and is now only 3000 words away from reaching the target. She has some problems with her ending, though, but I am sure she will figure it out and get it written either tomorrow or Thursday - in any case WELL ahead of the deadline next week. Go for it girl, I know you can do it!
22-Nov-2004 (23:54):
I'll give you a few recommendations of things to avoid when doing NaNo:
Two days of flatlining, one day of hardly anything plus a pretty reasonable chunk of writing today means I am past 31000 words, which translates to three days and about 500 words (or 5500 words in total) behind. I've caught this lag up before.
Almost done with part three now, I'm in the middle of the grand finale. Now I desperately need to get some sleep, and pray that I get home earlier from work tomorrow. (Being a manager is hard work.)
18-Nov-2004 (23:40):
A bit over 700 words today, so almost a day + 1000 words behind now. I am just too tired to go on, and it's pretty late. Signing off now, hoping to catch up some tomorrow, but I am not counting on too much. Saturday is a busy day for non-NaNo reasons and Sunday I am flying back to Amsterdam, so I will need all the time I can get during the last week. (Perfect timing then, that next week is also the first week of my new job...)
17-Nov-2004 (22:11):
Part three is well under way and I've caught up some more tonight; I am now only one day behind schedule and hope to catch that up tomorrow. 26668 words in total now.
I spoke to Norman earlier today; he says he's planning to finish his book on time, even though he hasn't started yet. He's either very dedicated or completely mad, I haven't decided yet. All the best of luck to him, anyway.
17-Nov-2004 (13:08):
Another lunch break used for writing; and I am now officially past the halfway mark! At 25164 words, which means that if I do another 1503 words tonight (which shouldn't really be a problem), I am only one day behind!
The music I listen to most of the time when I am writing tends to be Kraftwerk (TEE and Expo2000 are the best) and Alan Parsons Project - some great instrumental tracks to keep those fingers tapping.
16-Nov-2004 (23:03):
Didn't quite meet my target for tonight; I'm at 23552 words now, and that will have to do for today - I am too tired to go on. I have started part 3, but I am not quite sure about it so far. I might have to start over on it, because I am not quite sure I'm doing it right. I'll have to sleep on it, but at least I know that I am now "only" two days behind schedule.
16-Nov-2004 (13:27):
A well-used lunch break - I brought food from home and instead of walking over to a restaurant (it's freezing) I sat at my desk writing. Just over 2000 words done already, so whatever I do tonight is pure ketchup.
Part two is drawing to a close now, and I believe I will be able to kick off part three tonight. I am aiming for 24k words for today (at 22018 now), which should leave me more than a day closer to the average target than yesterday. Right now, I have to say that things seem to work pretty well.
And what's more, I had a revelation about two of my characters today. It means I will have to rewrite some of the stuff I've already written, but I'll do that while editing the script later on. Suddenly, they became a lot more... interesting to write.
15-Nov-2004 (22:20):
Not quite as much done as last night, but still more than the average daily target. I am now at 20004 words, which is 40% done - and pretty much exactly 3 days behind schedule. I think I am actually going to be able to catch this up and finish it on time.
Looking at the "budget" I'd set myself, I'd planned part 2 to be around 12k words, meaning that it would end at 20k. I am going to overrun that by a few thousand words, but that's no problem at all. :) There's the finale of part 2 to go, then the summing up and the link into part 3, I reckon about 3500 words or so in total.
I hope I can start part 3 before I leave Stockholm on Sunday. I need the support from Freddie when I kick off a new part, I never know how to get started, and she normally just opens her mouth and, like, fifteen good ideas just fly out (aka. the "Noah's Arcade-factor"). She is definitely my muse for this year, as well as for ever - I love her so much. xx
14-Nov-2004 (23:42):
After another day of flatlining Saturday, I was again determined that I was going to fail miserably this year. Tonight, however, I sat down again and decided to get myself straightened out. And hey - just a smidge under 3500 words done today; that's more than two days work! Currently at 18032 words, I am a little over three days behind schedule - but at least I am catching up. And what's more, I am beginning to enjoy the story again.
12-Nov-2004 (23:48):
OK, I admit. After three days with a grand total of a few hundred words, I almost thought that it was all lost. Tonight, though, something came back to me, and I upped my word count by around 2500 words in little less than four hours. That includes removing/rewriting about 500 words, so I've done just over 3000 in total, and my total is now at just over 14500.
And darling Freddie just passed the half-way mark at 25000. Very well done!
8-Nov-2004 (23:53):
There, that's me done for today - I got all the way to 11718 words, which means that I am now just one day behind. I have introduced the chief character for part two (his name is Alfred) and he's just about get sucked (or perhaps suckered?) into the plot. We'll see what I make him endure tomorrow. I am actually not quite sure myself.
Time for a late night snack, a few sandwiches perhaps, and then it's off to bed. On a side note, I also read Freddie's book so far tonight, and it's bloody brilliant.
8-Nov-2004 (20:58):
Just a quick one: Just passed 10000 words and plan on getting another 1000 to 1500 down today! After today I should really be on 13333 words, but that's probably a bit too ambitious for me. Instead, I am aiming to be only a bit over one day behind after tonight. Hey ho, here we go. I will let you know how I get on.
7-Nov-2004 (22:05):
I took yesterday off, but met my target (and a few hundred extra) today. I am still trailing by two days, but at least I made progress today - I was afraid I'd lost momentum completely, but after today I am more hopeful.
I have started part 2, and my word count is pretty much on target for the first part; I estimated that part 1 would be 8000 words, it turned out 7883, so pretty good planning there.
Oh, and I almost forgot - the book now has a name. It's called "Divine Intervention". Back tomorrow!
5-Nov-2004 (13:07):
Didn't QUITE hit the target yesterday, but still wrote some good stuff. I also now have a title for it - Divine Intervention. This weekend, Freddie and I are going to put some serious work into our writing, that's for sure. Just under 12k is the target for Sunday night; hopefully we'll be well over that by then. (I just hope she feels better today, the poor souls's been completely knocked out by the flu - perfect timing(!)...)
3-Nov-2004 (21:57):
I have just finished a nearly 200 word sequence of drunken rambling, trying to make it look as if the person writing it was really inebriated at the time as well. Microsoft Word sure wasn't helping, it corrected almost all the concious mistakes I inserted so it took me a lot longer to get down than a normal text.
Plus, now I am really struggling to spell things right. :)
3-Nov-2004 (09:29):
So, a few days into the event and I am on target so far. On my way in to work this morning I passed the 5000 word mark, meaning that I have already made today's target based on average words per day. This is good; I am flying to Stockholm directly from work tomorrow and I have some work to do at home tonight before I go. I reckon I will get another 500-1000 words done tonight anyway, but better safe than sorry.
I won't tell you anything specifically about the plot just yet, I am waiting until I've completed the first part and gotten started on the next one (which should be in another 4-5000 words), but the scale of it is pretty, shall we say, grand. At least in the first part, I am letting my lead character tell the story, and this isn't as easy as I first thought. Perhaps it would have been easier if I'd chosen another subject, but nowhere near as funny. :)
In a few days, I reckon I will have come up with a title for it as well. "Untitled1.doc" isn't much of a best seller title, is it?
1-Nov-2004 (09:18):
Just a quick one. Started feebly last night, rewrote most of it and some more on the bus on my way in to work. Currently at 1017 words and counting. This portion of the story is supposed to last for about 8000 words, so there's still some to go. Wish me luck.
31-Oct-2004 (09:39):
With little over 14 hours to go before to competition starts, things around me are starting to fall into place. I cleaned the house yesterday, ironed all the shirts for this week, bought the Bible (Authorized King James Version from Oxford World Classics) and got myself a big bowl of Jellybeans - the ultimate hacker snack, and I assume that they work for writing too.
I have my note book and pen, the KJV Bible, an encyclopedia over mythology and a book about writing. My MS Word is armed with a word count button and I have all the web pages I need (progress tracker and document backup) in place. All I need now is a few bottles of Diet Coke, some food for the next few days and a couple of hours of planning this afternoon and I will be able to start off in a good way tonight/tomorrow.
29-Oct-2004 (09:46):
Finally, last night, the idea of a plot unravelled in my mind, much thanks to Freddie, just like two years ago. Well, it's not so much a plot as a framework to start out from, but at least I've got what I think TV people would call "the A-storyline" and also a rough planning of the prologue and the first chapter or two.
And not only that, I feel really excited about this. I'm going to spend some time this weekend, after Freddie leaves for Stockholm tomorrow morning :( - to outline the story and start sketching on the characters that I need to carry it, so that I can get stuck right into it on Monday evening after work.
At this stage, I'm going to stick with Freddie's thought and not reveal any details about the plot itself, in case it doesn't happen the way I planned it - last year I'd written about 2000 words before I even realized who my characters were and how they knew each other - you'll have to bear with me for now. Once I start putting pen to paper (or the digital equivalent, which should be #000000 to #FFFFFF) and see how it all turns out, I will post more specific details.
Oh, and I need to get a Bible in English this weekend. Badly.
28-Oct-2004 (11:51):
The clock is ticking. It's my second go at NaNoWriMo this year, after having taken part (and won) in 2002.
I can't remember how I felt in the few days before the event back then, but I am sure I had at least an inkling of what I'd be writing about? Right now, my brain is completely blank. (Although some would argue that this is its default state.)
Freddie, who is my wife for those of you that don't know her, is also entering so we're sitting down tonight, after a shopping round (Thursday is late-night shopping day in Amsterdam), with a few beers to get our plotlines started off.
(And for those of you who wonder; my 2002 masterpiece (well, piece of something) "Emerging Patterns" is still an unedited double-spaced manuscript with no purpose and plot holes the size of lunar craters.)