NaNoWriMo Day Seven

Another good day.  I am averaging over 2,000 words a day.  I didn't think I'd cross the 14K mark today, but I did, ending the day at 14,162 total words.

Also saw my wife off at the airport for her trip to France, and then took my boys to see Megamind.

NaNoWriMo Day Six

Went to my second write-in of this year.  Had a very nice time writing at Carrot's Coffee and Tea in San Bruno, my hometown.  Wrote some 1400 words there in about an hour and a half.

There were just four of us there, nice and quiet.  We talked a bit at the end.  That's what I like about write-ins.  We sit, drink our beverage of choice, whether coffee, tea, or a smoothie.  Then we talk for a bit about writing as we unwind and say our goodbyes.

The owner is very nice and makes a delightful soy latte.  Strong coffee, soy milk that is not too sweet, and she didn't overdo it on the hazelnut syrup either.  One of the best lattes I've had in a long time; and she doesn't charge extra for soy milk.

Came home and started working on my November playlist.  I make a new playlist for my iPod every month, mostly for driving to and from work.  I'm a few days behind schedule.  Pulled out some more new wave music compilations form the 80s, some R.E.M., who I haven't listened to in a while, and (don't say anything) some Christmas music.

Took the boys to swim class, had dinner at Red Robin, watched Toy Story 3, and put boys to bed.  Watched another episode of Dexter with my better half, then put her to bed.  Wrote another
five hundred words or so, and then called it a night.

Updated my word count at NaNoWriMo, then came here to blog about the day.  Wrote 1,942 words today.  My grand total so far is exactly 12,250.  All in all, a good day all the way around.

NaNoWriMo Day Five

I didn't write this morning before I went to work.  Just wasn't feeling it this morning.  My allergies have been bad again the last couple of days.  I think I have another mild sinus infection.  And I just didn't have any energy for writing this morning.

But I made myself crank out the words today.  I only got out 1,676, just barely going over the 1,667 minimum.  And the words didn't come easily today.  I was tired after work and my brain was just not cooperating, but I stuck it out and wrote what I think is going to be the better part of a chapter.

It was worth it, though, because for five days in a row I've written at least the minimum.  And today I crossed the 10K mark - 10,311 to be exact.  That felt really good.  It looked great on the website, seeing those five digits.  I'm 20% of the way there, on target for finishing on or around the 25th.

NaNoWriMo Day Four

I only wrote 393 words this morning.  I overslept.

Normally, I use an alarm on my cell phone to wake me up in the mornings.  I usually hit the snooze button the three times I have it set for.  But yesterday, I hit the Stop button instead after the first time the alarm went off, forgetting that it turns the alarm off completely.

So, this morning I overslept.  I rushed though my shower, had a cup of instant coffee, and went to the sunroom to write.  I didn't have much time this morning, so the not-so-great wordcount.

However, I did go to my first write-in this evening.  Our region has a regular Thursday night write-in at the Peet's Coffee in San Mateo.  I never tried write-ins last year, nor did I go to any of the meet-and-greets.  But this year, not only did I go to the first meet-and-greet last Thursday, I decided I would also try some write-ins.

So I loaded some information on my Neo from my laptop, some plot points and character information I thought I might need.  I charged up my iPod and made sure I had added my writing playlist; I had.  I even packed a notebook in case I decided to write longhand.

I bought a pumpkin spice latte with soy milk and a ginger spice vegan cookie.  I was so glad to see that they had at least one kind of vegan cookie.  Then I joined my fellow wrimos and wrote.

It turns out I did pretty well on my first write-in.  I wrote 1,603 words at Peet's.  They were playing some nice classical music, so I never got out my iPod.  The coffee tasted good on my sore throat; stupid allergies.  After I had gotten quite a few words done, I rewarded myself with most of my cookie, followed by sips of my latte.  After another long spell of writing, I finished off my cookie, then kept writing, coming to a good stopping place for the evening.

I'm looking forward to next Thursday's write-in.  It was fun writing together in a group like that.

I ended the day with 1,998 words written, putting me at a total of 8,635.

NaNoWriMo Day Three

Wrote 569 words this morning.  So far, the way I wrote last year is working for me again this year.  The last two mornings, I've written about 500 words in about 30 minutes, which is about all the time I have in the morning before I have to start getting ready for work.  Then, I just have to manage about another thousand words or so later in the day to meet my daily word goal.

It's nice having that big head start I got on the first, but I want to maintain about 1700 words a day so that I stay on schedule.  I remember last year, having a couple of 900 or 1000 word days, but I'm going to try to avoid that this year, if at all possible.

Wrote some more this afternoon on my Neo while waiting at the dentist's office with my two boys, and then came home and finished with a total of 1,670 words for the day, putting me up to a total of 6,637.

NaNoWriMo Day Two

Wrote 451 words this morning before going in to work, which puts my total word count at 3,687.

It's now 8:30 p.m. and I have met my word count for today: 1,734 words, for a grand total of 4,967.  I'm just shy of 10% done.  I suppose I should just hammer out another 33 words for an even 5K, but I'm at a good stopping place.  I just finished a scene, and I know exactly what I'm going to write next.

NaNoWriMo Day One

It's November first - the official start of NaNoWriMo.  I was going to try to stay up late last night and start writing early this morning, but I didn't make it.  I'm just too old to be staying up past midnight.

I did sleep in a little this morning, but got started writing before walking my younger son to school this morning.  By 9:30 a.m., I had written 1,302 words.  It shouldn't take me too much longer, about fifteen minutes or so, to reach today's goal.  But, I plan on getting in at least two day's worth of words today, since I have the whole day off.

It's a furlough day in my district today, the first of this school year.  It's not a paid day off, either.  It's furlough, as in: Unpaid time off given to government employees for the purpose of reducing the budget. I'm not sure "given" is the right verb to use there.

By 12:30 p.m., I was up to 2,012 words.

We seem to have crashed the NaNoWriMo website.  I've been unable to get on since my last update here at 12:30; it's now 3:00.  I wanted to update my word count, but I don't know if that's going to happen or not.  I checked their Twitter feed; they're trying to get it back up and running, but it appears, yet again, that a record number of people have joined in to write 50,000 words this month.  Nothing succeeds like excess - or something like that.

So, I had to go look it up.  It's from an Oscar Wilde quote, which is appropriate for NaNoWriMo in general, and today in particular.

"Moderation is a fatal thing.  Nothing succeeds like excess." - Oscar Wilde

Dan got the website up and running again, so I updated my word count.  At 4:30 p.m., I was up to 2,810 words.

Around 9:30 p.m., I called it a day at 3,233 words.  The website is still sluggish, so all I'm doing is updating my word count.  I wanted to log some shoutouts on the forums, but I can't sit around waiting for pages to load.

A good first day of NaNoWriMo.  Congratulations to the NaNo team, especially Dan, and wishes of luck to the thousands of wrimos out there.

I've completed my first two chapters, and have a chunk of chapter three written.  I spent a lot of time thinking about my main character, which made the first chapter really easy to write.  But chapters two and three were a little harder; I'm definitely winging it there, but having fun!

Saturday Morning

You would think that I'd sleep in, but no, I was up at 5:30 this morning.  So, as per usual, grabbed the laptop, moved to the sunroom, which is still not filled with sun, because it's only around 6:30.  And it's cold, but I've got my blanket.  And now I have my wordcount widgets for NaNoWriMo to keep me warm.

I've got two more days for some prewriting plotting and planning.  I've got a couple more plot points in my head that I want to jot down.  I downloaded a Windows beta of Scrivener the other day.  I'm going to play with it some more over the next two days to decide whether I want to use it this November or not.  I already like the notecards and corkboard feature.  It's helped me with my planning so far.  I'm going to load the tutorial and see what else I can learn about it, what other features it has that might help me write.

NaNoWriMo has yet to begin

There is something bittersweet in that little phrase.  That's what it says on the NaNoWriMo website right underneath my username.

It's bitter in the sense that it's not November yet and I can't start writing my novel yet. Ah, yet, how you taunt me.

It's sweet in the sense that you can only see that phrase once you've joined the writing insanity that is NaNoWriMo and are logged in to the website.  It says: You are one of us.

NaNoWriMo Advertisement

Indication

NaNoWriMo is indicated for the treatment of overactive imagination. The efficacy of NaNoWriMo has been established since 1999 in numerous trials in the United States and abroad. More than 30,000 were successfully treated with NaNoWriMo last year.

Important Safety Information About NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo can increase the presence of plot bunnies seen by children, teens, and adults. Rampant overactive imagination is a known risk of writer's syndrome and some other disorders. Treatment in the first week is often positive, but be especially observant in the second week of treatment for worsening symptoms. Unusual changes in behavior are common with NaNoWriMo, and are often reported by families and friends. NaNoWriMo is approved for persons 13 and over; younger persons should be treated with Young Writers Program.

What should I talk about with my healthcare provider?

Patients on NaNoWriMo and their families or caregivers should watch for new or worsening writing symptoms, unusual changes in behavior, flights of fancy, anxiety over writer's block, panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, irritability, restlessness, or extreme hyperactivity. Be especially observant within the first month of treatment as this change in dosage frequently worsens symptoms.

Who should NOT take NaNoWriMo?

Everyone should take NaNoWriMo. There are acknowledged side effects from taking NaNoWriMo, but they are generally well tolerated by individuals of every age and gender.

What other important information should I discuss with my healthcare provider?

Before starting NaNoWriMo:
* Decide if you are a planner or a pantser.
* Stock up on writing supplies: pens, paper, laptop, etc.
* Find a suitable location or locations for administering NaNoWriMo. Some patients prefer privacy, while others thrive in public.
* Stock up on suitable amounts of water. The administration of caffeine in conjunction with NaNoWriMo is open to debate. Many former patients swear by it, while others admit it contributes to insomnia, panic attacks, and irritability.
* Warn family and friends of the time that taking NaNoWriMo will require.

While taking NaNoWriMo:
* Take a minimum dosage of 1,667 words per day. More is advisable. Find the dosage that works best for you.
* Be aware of stiff muscles and carpal tunnel syndrome. Maintain your normal diet and exercise routine.
* Plan for discontinuing NaNoWriMo after one month. Many patients suffer other symptoms as they discontinue NaNoWriMo. Some wean themselves off as November comes to an end, while others quit cold turkey.
* Expect variations in moodiness not common throughout the rest of the year. Many patients experience extreme highs and extreme lows on a daily basis. Giddiness and depression are common side effects.
* Daily habits may be discontinued safely. Do not feel compelled to wash dishes, do laundry, scrub the bathtub, or other mundane tasks while taking NaNoWriMo.
* Consult the forums on a regular basis after your daily dosage has been met.
* Daydreaming will increase during NaNoWriMo. This is a good thing.
If you have any questions, consult with the many helpful people on the NaNoWriMo forums. Many have successfully taken NaNoWriMo in the past, and have helpful advice for new patients.

What are the most common side effects of NaNoWriMo?

The most common side effect of NaNoWriMo was a completed draft of a novel. Other common side effects included insomnia, dry mouth, constipation (otherwise known as writer's block), increased sweating, decreased appetite, increased appetite, hallucinations, and generalized anxiety disorder. This is not a complete list of side effects.

Other safety information about NaNoWriMo:

NaNoWriMo may cause insomnia and heart palpitations. Until you know how NaNoWriMo affects you, you should not drive a car or operate hazardous machinery. The operation of keyboards generally increases in speed and efficacy during NaNoWriMo.

Terms and Conditions
* Reimbursement is not offered for up to 30 days of NaNoWriMo therapy. Prescriptions for 1,667 words daily or more are not eligible for reimbursement. Your time is your own; use it wisely.
* Offer void nowhere. Valid for all Earth residents.
* Offer valid to individuals and institutions. See Young Writers Program for institutional terms and conditions.
* By accepting this offer, you agree to work daily to produce 50,000 words during November. Do not apply for an extension of time; none will be forthcoming.
* Additional exclusions will not apply and this offer will not be terminated, rescinded, revoked or amended by The Office of Letters and Light unless you violate the user agreement, which you won't do because you're better than that.
* NaNoWriMo and the NaNoWriMo logo are trademarks of The Office of Letters and Light, a nonprofit organization.

San Francisco Veg Fest 2010

We just got home from our visit to this year's Veg Festival in Golden Gate Park.  I have to rave about the taquitos we got from Flacos.  And the baked goods we got from Sugar Beat Sweets were so delicious.  They had a pumpkin streusel coffee cake and a strawberry cheesecake square that were outstandingly scrumptious; my wife and I split those two.  I didn't try the brownie my older son got, but he heartily approved.  I'm the only one who's vegan in my household, but everyone found something tasty to eat.

We also sampled WayFare We Can't Say It's Cheese Spreads.  I tried their Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread and their Mexi Cheddar-Style Dip.  They were both delicious.  We would have bought some immediately, but he wasn't there to sell, just to give out free taste samples.  We are definitely going to look for these non-dairy "cheese" products in our local market.

I also bought two more cookbooks from the people at Book Publishing Company.  I purchased Buddha's Table: Thai Feasing Vegetarian Style and Cookin' Southern, Vegetarian Style.

Elementary School Poetry 180 - Week Three

11 - Dream Variations - Langston Hughes
12 - The Bat - Theodore Roethke
13 - Did I Miss Anything? - Tom Wayman
14 - Blackberry Eating - Galway Kinnell
15 - Casey at the Bat - Ernest Thayer

• I found "Dream Variations" in Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes edited by David Roessel & Arnold Rampersad.
• The Bat and Did I Miss Anything? both come from Poetry 180.
• Another resource that I have been using is A Poem for Every Day! by Susan Moger. In her book I found "Blackberry Eating" by Galway Kinnell.
• Casey at the Bat is from Middle School Poetry 180 and it is also in A Poem for Every Day!.

Elementary School Poetry 180 - Week Two

6 - The Arrow and the Song - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
7 - "Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?" - Ron Koertge
8 - Numbers - Mary Cornish
9 - Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley
10 - At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border - William Stafford

• The Arrow and the Song came from Middle School Poetry 180, as did Ozymandias.
• The other three poems all come from Poetry 180: "Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?", Numbers, and At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border.
• I'm thinking now that "Ozymandias" should be pulled.  It just didn't seem to work that well out loud, and the students didn't get it.  There was no "aha" moment with this one from any of my students.

Elementary School Poetry 180 - Week One

1 - Introduction to Poetry - Billy Collins
2 - When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer - Walt Whitman
3 - Jabberwocky - Lewis Carroll
4 - "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" - Emily Dickinson
5 - Lines - Martha Collins

• I had to start with a Billy Collins poem, which he did as well with Introduction to Poetry.
• For day two, I borrowed an idea from Middle School Poetry 180 for When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer, where I also found Jabberwocky and "A narrow Fellow in the Grass". The Emily Dickinson poem has always been a personal favorite of mine. I think after I read some other riddle poems, I'll go back and re-read this one to see if students can figure out what it's about. As the fourth poem I read, they weren't quite yet ready for it, I think.
• Lines also comes from Poetry 180.

Elementary School Poetry 180

This year I decided to take on a poetry project with my students.  I was inspired by Poetry 180, a program established by Billy Collins while he was the Poet Laureate of the United States.  He deliberately chose poems with high school students in mind.  I have kept some of those poems to read to my elementary school students.  I  have not considered any poems that seemed inappropriate to be read to a ten-year-old.  Thus, many of the poems that deal with romantic relationships, which are apropos for high school students, just wouldn't interest fifth graders, or would embarrass them.  But, generally, I've been much influenced by the choices that Billy Collins made.  I've steered away from poems that seem too old-fashioned, definitely dipping often from the modern era.  And I've chosen mostly free verse.  I want to broaden what students think of poetry, and steer them away from some of the sing-songy rhymed poems that are frequently aimed at them.

I also discovered another teacher had a similar idea for middle school students.  Tom Darling has a poetry blog called Middle School Poetry 180.  I have borrowed liberally from the poems he has posted on his blog.

I have a number of poetry books as well, and I have been finding delightful poems there as well to share with my students.

I was hesitant to blog about this at first, but I decided I just need to take that leap and share what I've been doing.  So far, it has been a successful experiment.  It only takes a minute or two out of each school day, but many of the poems I've chosen have connected with some student in my class.

I would welcome suggestions from anyone who is interested in poetry.  Feel free to leave comments on my posts about poems you think every fifth grade student should know before they go off to middle school.  And if you're a teacher, I'd be interested in any stories you'd like to share about your experiences sharing poems with students.

Haibun

I had gone away to write, a solo writer's retreat.  I stayed in a beautiful lodge and I wrote.  But I was restless, so I walked into the neighboring woods, and in a grove where the light was warm and golden, reflecting the autumn leaves, I saw a dryad scamper back to her oak and disappear into it.  I stood until I noticed the light beginning to fade, and the colors of the grove dimmed.  I walked up to the oak, touched its bark, said, "Thank you," and "Goodbye."  Then I walked back to the lodge, more silently than I had come.

in this august place
the trees spoke to me - and I
found ears to listen

* * *

This haibun was written in response to a prompt at Big Tent Poetry.

An Open Letter on Bad Parenting

First of all, don't show up to Back-to-School Night.  Don't show your child that his or her learning is important.  Don't provide any support to your child's teacher by reinforcing the message that education is important and that you are going to work as a partner with your child's teacher in making sure your child has a quality educational experience.  When asked about why you didn't attend Back-to-School Night, make excuses that are about you and how busy you are; this gives permission to teachers to make the same excuses to you about how busy they are and why they're not providing your child with a quality education.  Or, make the excuse that you didn't attend Back-to-School Night because you already know everything because the same teacher taught your child's older sibling.  Teachers like this excuse too because then they can give it as a rationale for why they haven't changed anything at all in their teaching; they can use the same old books, techniques, lessons, etc. that they used for your older child.  Teachers don't want to innovate or improve their learning; they much prefer being lazy and just going through the same tired motions year after year.

Second, don't respond to notes that the teacher writes home to you about how your child is doing in school.  All teachers operate under the lawyerly "silence equals assent" assumption.  This just makes it easier for us to send notes home, knowing that you agree wholeheartedly with what we have written.  It isn't necessary to respond and let us know that you too are concerned, or that you've spoken with your child about the problem and you've given them some help and advice on how to correct it.  Also, it's even more helpful to send the note back offering excuses about why your child isn't doing well.  Some blanket statement about how responsible they are even though the note was about how they're not handling their responsibilities as a student is most helpful to the teacher.  Obviously, we were just mistaken and didn't have that crucial knowledge. What we were seeing firsthand in the classroom is superseded by your statement about how responsible they are.  We are sorry for bothering you to get this important information and we can now rest assured that the problem will correct itself.

Third, go directly to the principal with your concerns about your child's teacher.  We teachers don't want to be bothered by pesky parents and their petty concerns.  Show your child that it's best to go over someone's head to get what you want.  Dealing fairly and respectfully with the person that you have an issue with is a waste of time, especially if it's a teacher, because they are notorious for not listening to you, being unfair, and generally being difficult and confrontational.  We understand that you are just saving us all a great deal of precious time by not speaking with us first.  We actually enjoy getting called into the principal's office to deal with parent concerns.  We are especially delighted when this occurs with parents who didn't show up to Back-to-School Night, who have not contacted the teacher at all in any positive way so far this year, including not returning the note sent home the second week of school asking your preferences for teacher-parent communication, who have not responded to notes sent home, and who have responded to other notes with rationalizations and excuses about their child's problems.

[I'll just apologize now for the sarcasm, before anyone writes me any comments.  Please understand that all this comes from a place of hurt, which has turned to anger, thus the sarcasm.  I'm not proud of it, but I had to get this off my chest.]

Breakthrough

I'm having difficulty with the word breakthrough
it's as if I'm having an argument with it
and, to be honest, it's not a fair, rational argument
because breakthrough just rubs me the wrong way
like someone you just don't like
because everything about them just turns you off

granted, I did concede there is wisdom in through
you have to work through your problems
it usually fails if you avoid them or try to go around
looking for some shortcut, an easier path
but everything else about breakthrough rankles me

military breakthroughs are violent, penetrative acts
and, frankly, so are medical breakthroughs
we like to think of doctors as healers
following the oath of first doing no harm
but that's just a pretty myth to believe in

surgeons can do amazing things, I know that now
but to an eight-year-old, they're just butchers
slicing you open, breaking you to fix you
and I have the scars to prove it, so don't argue
don't give me some line like surgeons save lives

a surgeon didn't save my father's life
that bit of useless butchery just drained him more
and the cancer took him that much faster
so I don't want to hear your thoughtless philosophy
because if you do, I'll show you my scars
and I'll bare my heart to you and show you
the hole there left by my father's passing

a surgeon didn't save my life when I was eight
but left me forever changed, limping along
broken inside, and knowing I had to be broken
so that I could be fixed, like some faulty machine
and all these years, the mending has been slow
accomplished without the help of any surgeon
the daily tenderness supplied by nurses and my parents

* * * * *

This poem was written in response to the breakthrough prompt at Writer's Island.

Need to Know

Lucy, there is nothing you need
to know about me. Keep dreaming
your British Empire dreams.
Keep believing you are safe,
even as I stand here, watching
you sleep.
                Your dreams will soon turn
to nightmares, if I stay too long
before our caress. It will not hurt.
If only you knew how delicious
you are, the iron bite of your blood
softened by the sweetness
of your soul.
                   There is one thing
you will know. You are mine forever.

* * * * *

This poem was written in response to the "Need to Know" prompt at We Write Poems.

I have been completely unsuccessful at posting a link to my poem over at We Write Poems.  It's always worked before.  I must be doing something wrong, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what it is.  My browser did crash while I was on the site, and my laptop shut down and restarted, so I figured that fixed the problem.  Maybe it didn't.  I hope people will find my poem.

If only

If only understanding
wasn't a gerund
mixed race child
of noun and verb
a chimera
a misfit
an outsider
looking in at us
with wisdom
in her eyes
and sadness
because we can't see
what she sees

if only learning
was as easy as
breathing
automatic
not a thought at all
really
just a fundamental fact

if only loving
was as simple as
picking up a stone
and holding it
in your hand
and holding it in your hand
was the same as
holding it in your heart
and being held
by the stone too

if only I could be content
with just being
if I could get over
connecting doing
with happiness
writing a poem
and being satisfied
with the
creating

* * * * *

This poem was written in response to the "If only" prompt at Writer's Island and the "finding words from our everyday lives" prompt at Big Tent Poetry.

The "if only" phrase kept bouncing around in my head, but I didn't know what to do with it. Then I remembered a note I had jotted down in my lesson plan book in response to a question one of my students asked about the word "understanding". He had identified it as a noun on a homework assignment and was wondering why it wasn't correct. I explained it was a gerund, and told my class that I'd research it further and that I'd teach a lesson on gerunds, which is why I had written it down. And those two words, understanding and gerund, from my everyday life were the inspiration to go somewhere with "if only".