It's been a crazy week.
I did really well on Monday, writing 2,017 words, tying for my third best day so far this month. Tuesday was an average day, at 1,748 words.
Wednesday was my worst day all month. I only wrote 183 words that day.
It's generally been more difficult for the last couple of weeks. I try to write about 400 to 500 words every morning before work. It's quiet, and I can get started on a scene. When I get home after work, it's relatively easy to pick up where I left off and then reach my word goal for the day.
Since the smartboard was installed in my classroom, I've only had a couple of days when I've been able to write in the morning. I've been spending my time adapting my lesson plans to the smartboard.
On the other hand, it's been fun putting the pep talks from the Young Writers Program website into the smartboard software to share with my students. Not all of them have logged into the site, so I'm able to share the pep talks with them this way.
Wednesday was a particularly bad day for writing. I worked all day. Then I spent an hour with my kickball co-coach on the first day of our school's kickball team tryouts. Then I rushed home, picked up my younger son, got us all fed, and back to San Francisco for Family Math Night. We didn't get back home to San Bruno until 9 p.m. I was so tired, I only managed 183 words. I kept falling asleep sitting up at my laptop.
I gave up, updated my pathetic word count for the day on the NaNoWriMo website, and thanked my lucky stars for the word buffer I'd been able to build up so far this month.
I got back on track on Thursday with 1,731 words. Friday, I was very tired, and only wrote 1,045 words. I figured I'd easily reach my wordcount goals on Saturday and Sunday, so I could slack off a bit on Friday.
It was also a good day at school on Friday. Two of the girls in my class have already reached their word goals for the month. I filled in the progress chart hanging up in my classroom for both of them, and gave them their First-Class Novelist buttons. I hope they both keep writing until the end of the month.
Do I really keep track of how many words I wrote each day? Yes, I have an Excel spreadsheet where I do just that. (Yeah, I'm really that nerdy.)
Right now, it's early Saturday afternoon and I've already written exactly 1,600 words. I'll write more this evening after dinner. I'm shooting for about 2,000 words again today.
Tomorrow, I go to the Night of Writing Dangerously. I'm so excited. They reached the goal they wanted, with $50,587 raised. There have been 327 people fundraising for NaNoWriMo, with 216 of them making it to the Night of Writing Dangerously. I'm honored to be one of them, and so grateful to everyone who contributed. I'm sure I'll have lots to say about the Night of Writing Dangerously.
Who knows? I might even post a blog entry from the event itself.
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
NaNoWriMo Update - Day Thirteen
I had my best day yet. I wrote 2,513 words today. I am currently at 23,759, which is 47.5% of 50K.
I thought I'd do a little data comparison today.
According to NaNoWriMo, I'm averaging 1,827 words per day. Young Writers Program (YWP) says 1,828.
NaNoWriMo says, at this rate, I should finish on November 27, 2011. YWP says November 28, 2011.
NaNoWriMo says I need to write 1,458 words per day to finish on time. YWP says 1,544.
I think I have figured out the discrepancy. Both sites agree that this is the thirteenth day. NaNoWriMo says there are 18 days remaining, while YWP says 17.
I thought I'd do a little data comparison today.
According to NaNoWriMo, I'm averaging 1,827 words per day. Young Writers Program (YWP) says 1,828.
NaNoWriMo says, at this rate, I should finish on November 27, 2011. YWP says November 28, 2011.
NaNoWriMo says I need to write 1,458 words per day to finish on time. YWP says 1,544.
I think I have figured out the discrepancy. Both sites agree that this is the thirteenth day. NaNoWriMo says there are 18 days remaining, while YWP says 17.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
NaNoWriMo Update - Day Twelve
So, I tried I Write Like this morning with what I wrote this morning for my NaNovel. Interesting. Maybe I should read some Neil Gaiman. All I'm familiar with so far is his work on the Sandman comic, which I loved. And I've got The Graveyard Book on my wishlist.
Yesterday, apparently, I wrote like Kurt Vonnegut.
It's now about 12:30 in the afternoon and I have already hit my wordcount for today. I wrote 1,812 words today, with a running total of 21,246.
I've been over 1,667 words per day for nine days in a row now. I'm averaging 1,770 words per day. At this rate, I will hit 50K on November 28th.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
NaNoWriMo Update - Day Nine
They have the wordcount widgets up and running at the NaNoWriMo website. I've put the basic Participant Widget in the sidebar on the right.
I like the My Month widget, but it's not working now, so I've taken it down.
Obviously, I need to write more today to reach my goal. I'm currently at 16,327, and I need to reach 16,667 today. I only wrote 362 words this morning before work.
[updated 11/19/11 because the My Month widget hasn't been working for the past couple of days]
I like the My Month widget, but it's not working now, so I've taken it down.
Obviously, I need to write more today to reach my goal. I'm currently at 16,327, and I need to reach 16,667 today. I only wrote 362 words this morning before work.
[updated 11/19/11 because the My Month widget hasn't been working for the past couple of days]
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
NaNoWriMo Update - Day Seven
I'm currently at 12,103 words, which according to the stats on the Young Writers Program website, puts me at 24.21%. Oddly enough, the NaNoWriMo website doesn't have exactly the same stats; it doesn't tell you your percentage.
They also don't have the word count widgets up and running with their new website yet. I'm not complaining. The new website is clean and fast. I just miss the widgets. I like to include them in my blog posts, and I haven't been able to do that so far this year.
I attended my first write-in on Monday (yesterday). There's one close to me at a Panera. Got there a little late, but was there for over two hours.
My story is proceeding nicely - and I'm having fun.
They also don't have the word count widgets up and running with their new website yet. I'm not complaining. The new website is clean and fast. I just miss the widgets. I like to include them in my blog posts, and I haven't been able to do that so far this year.
I attended my first write-in on Monday (yesterday). There's one close to me at a Panera. Got there a little late, but was there for over two hours.
My story is proceeding nicely - and I'm having fun.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
NaNoWriMo and Field Trip Update
The field trip was great! We're already talking about doing it again next year. I hope it becomes a tradition for the fifth grade students at my school. There were two other schools there at the same time we were there. One was a group of Muslim girls from Sacramento; they've been going there for eight years. And I think one of the teachers from the other school said they'd been going there for seven years.
It was a great experience. I learned a lot about watersheds - and I hope my students did too. The people at the Marin Headlands Institute were awesome. The Field Science Educator with my group, Casey, did a great job. Jen, our coordinator, was attentive and helpful. And everyone was pleased with the food.
As a vegan, I can count on just about any restaurant having pasta with marinara sauce. I've had it everywhere - and then some. I must say the marinara sauce I had in the dining hall at the Marin Headlands Institute was probably the best I've ever had.
While I enjoyed the visit to the pond to collect samples of macroinvertebrates, the night hike to the beach to listen to the waves with "animal" ears was great. And only superseded by digging in the sand to find bioluminescent plankton. That was really cool!
I did get some writing done. The students were to stay in their bunks quietly until 6:45 a.m. I woke up earlier than that, slipped out of the dormitory and headed over to the Owl's Roost around 5 a.m. or so, my usual wake-up time. The Owl's Roost was the room set aside for adults, a little child-free sanctuary. There was a little kitchen just down the hall with coffee, and comfy chairs in the roost itself. I wrote both mornings we were there.
On the first, I only wrote 1,485 words. To win NaNoWriMo and reach 50K, you should write 1,667 words per day. On Wednesday, I wrote in the morning again at the Owl's Roost, and then again in the afternoon after arriving back at home: 1,701 words.
On Thursday, I only wrote 1,535 words. The good news that day was that I had a smartboard installed in my classroom. The bad news was that they installed it over my whiteboard, which I wanted moved to another wall. And since I haven't received any training yet, I had to jump in real quick to be ready to teach on Friday. I didn't even use it on Thursday itself. The students had a couple of tests, and we took it easy after the field trip, plus we had some grade level planning time.
Again, I didn't write at all Friday morning, still familiarizing myself with the software for the smartboard, and planning some lessons. But this afternoon and evening, I put on my new fedora, my writing hat, and cranked out 2,022 words. I am now at 6,743 words, just slightly ahead of my word goal of 6,667.
It was a great experience. I learned a lot about watersheds - and I hope my students did too. The people at the Marin Headlands Institute were awesome. The Field Science Educator with my group, Casey, did a great job. Jen, our coordinator, was attentive and helpful. And everyone was pleased with the food.
As a vegan, I can count on just about any restaurant having pasta with marinara sauce. I've had it everywhere - and then some. I must say the marinara sauce I had in the dining hall at the Marin Headlands Institute was probably the best I've ever had.
While I enjoyed the visit to the pond to collect samples of macroinvertebrates, the night hike to the beach to listen to the waves with "animal" ears was great. And only superseded by digging in the sand to find bioluminescent plankton. That was really cool!
I did get some writing done. The students were to stay in their bunks quietly until 6:45 a.m. I woke up earlier than that, slipped out of the dormitory and headed over to the Owl's Roost around 5 a.m. or so, my usual wake-up time. The Owl's Roost was the room set aside for adults, a little child-free sanctuary. There was a little kitchen just down the hall with coffee, and comfy chairs in the roost itself. I wrote both mornings we were there.
On the first, I only wrote 1,485 words. To win NaNoWriMo and reach 50K, you should write 1,667 words per day. On Wednesday, I wrote in the morning again at the Owl's Roost, and then again in the afternoon after arriving back at home: 1,701 words.
On Thursday, I only wrote 1,535 words. The good news that day was that I had a smartboard installed in my classroom. The bad news was that they installed it over my whiteboard, which I wanted moved to another wall. And since I haven't received any training yet, I had to jump in real quick to be ready to teach on Friday. I didn't even use it on Thursday itself. The students had a couple of tests, and we took it easy after the field trip, plus we had some grade level planning time.
Again, I didn't write at all Friday morning, still familiarizing myself with the software for the smartboard, and planning some lessons. But this afternoon and evening, I put on my new fedora, my writing hat, and cranked out 2,022 words. I am now at 6,743 words, just slightly ahead of my word goal of 6,667.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Overnight Field Trip
We're leaving today for a three-day, two-night overnight field trip to the Marin Headlands Institute. This is the first time for us at Lafayette Elementary for this field trip. We're all a little nervous and a little excited at the same time. I think it's going to be a great field trip, and I'm very much looking forward to it. The other teachers and I hope that this will become a tradition for fifth grade students, a field trip experience that we will repeat in the future.
The bad news is I'm going to be on an overnight field trip when NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow. I bought a journal yesterday, so I will be handwriting for the first couple of days.
The good news is I attended a meet-and-greet with fellow Wrimos yesterday at a Starbucks in Redwood City. It was fun and energizing to meet others who live in my region who are also going to be writing this year. There were at least fifteen people who showed up, and three of us are teachers.
I got a couple of NaNoWriMo stickers at the meet-and-greet, and I've stuck them on my journal. One reads "Your Story Matters" and the other one says "You are part monkey, part ninja, part stairmaster cyborg." I think my students will get a kick out of that one.
I'll have a NaNoWriMo update when I return on Wednesday. And I'm sure I'll have a thing or two to say about the field trip as well.
The bad news is I'm going to be on an overnight field trip when NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow. I bought a journal yesterday, so I will be handwriting for the first couple of days.
The good news is I attended a meet-and-greet with fellow Wrimos yesterday at a Starbucks in Redwood City. It was fun and energizing to meet others who live in my region who are also going to be writing this year. There were at least fifteen people who showed up, and three of us are teachers.
I got a couple of NaNoWriMo stickers at the meet-and-greet, and I've stuck them on my journal. One reads "Your Story Matters" and the other one says "You are part monkey, part ninja, part stairmaster cyborg." I think my students will get a kick out of that one.
I'll have a NaNoWriMo update when I return on Wednesday. And I'm sure I'll have a thing or two to say about the field trip as well.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Going to the Night of Writing Dangerously (10/24/2011)
Three weeks ago, I set up a fundraising page to help the Office of Letters and Light, the nonprofit organization that runs National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and its Young Writers Program. I am so pleased that I have helped raise $350 for them. A heartfelt and sincere "thank you" to all my friends and family who donated.
I will now be attending The Night of Writing Dangerously on November 20, the culminating event of this fundraising drive. I will be bringing along my friend, fellow teacher, and fellow poet/novelist, Michael Drum.
I won't speak for Michael, but I have plenty to say on my own behalf. Over the last three years, my life as a writer has grown considerably. That first year, on November 11, 2008, I discovered Chris Baty's No Plot, No Problem in a bookstore's writing section. I bought the book that night, went home, logged onto the website, and began my adventures in noveling. I had no plot, but I jumped in anyway. I only wrote 16,000 words that month; I did not win that year.
But I came back, and I have won the last two years, writing 50,000 words in 30 days, completing first drafts of two novels. My goal is to win again this year.
In 2009, I told Michael about it, and he also began participating. And for the last two years, he and I have each brought NaNoWriMo into our classrooms via the Young Writers Program. And we're doing it again this year too.
In the forums at NaNoWriMo, I learned that many people were planning to write a poem a day in April as part of National Poetry Month. I tried my hand at that in April of 2010. That didn't stick right away, but I came back again in April 2011. And since then, I've continued to write poetry. And, along the way, I've met some amazing people and made some new friends.
There are a lot of us out here whose lives are made richer by the poems and novels we write. And by the relationships we've forged in our love of literature, our common ground. I do this weird, solitary thing, putting little marks on a piece of paper. And then I put it out there for others to read. I'd like to say that writing is magical. It's not. But the relationships I've formed because of it - that's magical. And I am grateful.
Thank you again to everyone who's donated. I truly appreciate your support, both financially to the Office of Letters and Light, and in the kind words you share with me that encourage me to write - and to keep writing. This means a lot to me. And what's important to me I have to share. I am so lucky to have a colleague like Michael, who has become a good friend - and for us to discover this other thing besides teaching that we share.
I share my passion for writing with my students. That's no special thing. Lots of teachers do that. But it is special to me, because of the meaning that it carries for me. I'm blessed in that I can do the work that I love, teaching, and the play that I love, writing, and combine them as I do.
I've donated to NaNoWriMo the past three years. (I always feel a little guilty ordering free materials from them and not making a contribution.) I'm so thankful to everyone else who has donated on my behalf. They will put your money to good use, including supporting teachers in bringing writing to their students.
Please spread the word about NaNoWriMo to friends and family, and about their Young Writers Program to teachers. If you can't donate financially, encourage crazy people like me who attempt to write so many words in such a short span of time.
In these tough financial times, you might also consider using GoodSearch. Every internet search you make from their website earns a penny for the Office of Letters and Light.
I will now be attending The Night of Writing Dangerously on November 20, the culminating event of this fundraising drive. I will be bringing along my friend, fellow teacher, and fellow poet/novelist, Michael Drum.
I won't speak for Michael, but I have plenty to say on my own behalf. Over the last three years, my life as a writer has grown considerably. That first year, on November 11, 2008, I discovered Chris Baty's No Plot, No Problem in a bookstore's writing section. I bought the book that night, went home, logged onto the website, and began my adventures in noveling. I had no plot, but I jumped in anyway. I only wrote 16,000 words that month; I did not win that year.
But I came back, and I have won the last two years, writing 50,000 words in 30 days, completing first drafts of two novels. My goal is to win again this year.
In 2009, I told Michael about it, and he also began participating. And for the last two years, he and I have each brought NaNoWriMo into our classrooms via the Young Writers Program. And we're doing it again this year too.
In the forums at NaNoWriMo, I learned that many people were planning to write a poem a day in April as part of National Poetry Month. I tried my hand at that in April of 2010. That didn't stick right away, but I came back again in April 2011. And since then, I've continued to write poetry. And, along the way, I've met some amazing people and made some new friends.
There are a lot of us out here whose lives are made richer by the poems and novels we write. And by the relationships we've forged in our love of literature, our common ground. I do this weird, solitary thing, putting little marks on a piece of paper. And then I put it out there for others to read. I'd like to say that writing is magical. It's not. But the relationships I've formed because of it - that's magical. And I am grateful.
Thank you again to everyone who's donated. I truly appreciate your support, both financially to the Office of Letters and Light, and in the kind words you share with me that encourage me to write - and to keep writing. This means a lot to me. And what's important to me I have to share. I am so lucky to have a colleague like Michael, who has become a good friend - and for us to discover this other thing besides teaching that we share.
I share my passion for writing with my students. That's no special thing. Lots of teachers do that. But it is special to me, because of the meaning that it carries for me. I'm blessed in that I can do the work that I love, teaching, and the play that I love, writing, and combine them as I do.
I've donated to NaNoWriMo the past three years. (I always feel a little guilty ordering free materials from them and not making a contribution.) I'm so thankful to everyone else who has donated on my behalf. They will put your money to good use, including supporting teachers in bringing writing to their students.
Please spread the word about NaNoWriMo to friends and family, and about their Young Writers Program to teachers. If you can't donate financially, encourage crazy people like me who attempt to write so many words in such a short span of time.
In these tough financial times, you might also consider using GoodSearch. Every internet search you make from their website earns a penny for the Office of Letters and Light.
Night of Writing Dangerously update (10/17/2011)
First and foremost, a sincere "thank you" to the following people who have donated to The Office of Letters and Light on my behalf: Joss Burnel, Brenda Warren, Paula Wanken, and Kim Nelson. I truly appreciate your financial support of this wonderful nonprofit organization.
I'm pleased (giddy, actually) to announce that I have now reached my goal of $250, which means that I may now attend The Night of Writing Dangerously, the write-a-thon that will be happening in San Francisco on November 20th.
I've now set my sights a little higher, to $350. If I can raise $100 more I will be able to take a guest. I want to take my friend and colleague, Michael Drum, with me. He also teaches fifth grade students at Lafayette Elementary. When I told him about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) a couple of years back, he was instantly on-board. He wrote 50K words that November, and, like me, brought his students along for the ride. (He also writes poetry.) This will be our third year bringing NaNoWriMo into our classrooms thanks to free materials we have requested from NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program.
Please spread the word about NaNoWriMo and their Young Writers Program. Let your children's teachers know about it. Got grandkids? Let their teachers know too. Are you a teacher? Sign up. Do you have friends who are teachers? Give them the link to NaNoWriMo. It's easy for teachers to sign up with the Young Writers Program and then request free materials to inspire students to write. The Young Writers Program also has PDF files of "100% NON-LAME workbooks" that you can download for free from their website.
Please consider sponsoring me on my fundraising page. (There you you can see a couple of photographs of former students of mine, from two years ago, writing in my classroom.) Your tax-deductible contribution will help The Office of Letters and Light bring National Novel Writing Month and the Young Writers Program to adults and children all over the world this November.
Sincerely,
Richard (aka Mr. Walker)
I'm pleased (giddy, actually) to announce that I have now reached my goal of $250, which means that I may now attend The Night of Writing Dangerously, the write-a-thon that will be happening in San Francisco on November 20th.
I've now set my sights a little higher, to $350. If I can raise $100 more I will be able to take a guest. I want to take my friend and colleague, Michael Drum, with me. He also teaches fifth grade students at Lafayette Elementary. When I told him about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) a couple of years back, he was instantly on-board. He wrote 50K words that November, and, like me, brought his students along for the ride. (He also writes poetry.) This will be our third year bringing NaNoWriMo into our classrooms thanks to free materials we have requested from NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program.
Please spread the word about NaNoWriMo and their Young Writers Program. Let your children's teachers know about it. Got grandkids? Let their teachers know too. Are you a teacher? Sign up. Do you have friends who are teachers? Give them the link to NaNoWriMo. It's easy for teachers to sign up with the Young Writers Program and then request free materials to inspire students to write. The Young Writers Program also has PDF files of "100% NON-LAME workbooks" that you can download for free from their website.
Please consider sponsoring me on my fundraising page. (There you you can see a couple of photographs of former students of mine, from two years ago, writing in my classroom.) Your tax-deductible contribution will help The Office of Letters and Light bring National Novel Writing Month and the Young Writers Program to adults and children all over the world this November.
Sincerely,
Richard (aka Mr. Walker)
Friday, October 07, 2011
Ron Koertge
A little prose diversion today.
This past weekend I was checking out some of the 101 Best Websites put together by Writer's Digest every year. Since I'm planning on writing a children's book this year for NaNoWriMo, I thought I'd check out some of the sites related to writing for children.
And am I glad I did.
One of the sites was Cynsations, a blog by writer Cynthia Letich Smith. On her blog I found a guest post by Ron Koertge. All I knew about him before that was a poem that he wrote that I have read aloud to my students: "Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?" (It's a great poem - you should read it.)
Well, I discovered that he writes books for young people. His blog post was about a sequel he had written to a previous book. What caught my attention was a book called Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. I quickly went online and found that they had a copy at my second-closest Barnes &Noble. In running errands on Sunday, we didn't make it over there, but I went Monday night and picked it up.
Here's the blurb on the back page:
/ / /
I'm raising funds for The Office of Letters and Light, the nonprofit organization that sponsors National Novel Writing Month in November. Please check out my Night of Writing Dangerously post.
Thanks to Brenda and Joss for their donations. You are writing heroes. I'm almost one-fourth of the way to my goal. Thanks!
This past weekend I was checking out some of the 101 Best Websites put together by Writer's Digest every year. Since I'm planning on writing a children's book this year for NaNoWriMo, I thought I'd check out some of the sites related to writing for children.
And am I glad I did.
One of the sites was Cynsations, a blog by writer Cynthia Letich Smith. On her blog I found a guest post by Ron Koertge. All I knew about him before that was a poem that he wrote that I have read aloud to my students: "Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?" (It's a great poem - you should read it.)
Well, I discovered that he writes books for young people. His blog post was about a sequel he had written to a previous book. What caught my attention was a book called Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. I quickly went online and found that they had a copy at my second-closest Barnes &Noble. In running errands on Sunday, we didn't make it over there, but I went Monday night and picked it up.
Here's the blurb on the back page:
At fourteen, Kevin Boland is a straight-talking MVP first baseman who can't tell a ballad from a salad. But when he is diagnosed with mono and is forced to spend months at home recuperating, Kevin secretly borrows his father's poetry book and starts writing, just to pass the time. Inside the book, Kevin discovers more than haiku and sonnets. He gains insight - sometimes humorous, sometimes painful - as he records his candid observations on junior-high romance, daydreams of baseball stardom, and sorrow over the recent death of his mother, and learns how words can open doors to the soul.Makes you want to read it, doesn't it? I bought it. I can't wait to read it. As soon as I've finished it - which might not happen until I finish my first set of report cards for this school year - I'll post a review here. If I like it, I may read parts (or all) of it to my students as part of my Elementary School Poetry 180 Project.
/ / /
I'm raising funds for The Office of Letters and Light, the nonprofit organization that sponsors National Novel Writing Month in November. Please check out my Night of Writing Dangerously post.
Thanks to Brenda and Joss for their donations. You are writing heroes. I'm almost one-fourth of the way to my goal. Thanks!
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
It Had Been
his energy waned
he was fearful
he didn't mind being alone
except that he was lonely now
it hadn't always been this way
he had lived a life of adventure
his face had known many smiles
he had myriad loves
he could play music and jokes
it had been that way for a long time
he had wandered
and been lost
had looked for signs in headlines
and slept on concrete
it had been that way for too long
he regretted leaving the church
he remembered the circle of love there
he hoped the philosophy he'd cobbled together
would hold him in his final days
it had been his way
he just hoped it was the right one
/ / /
This poem was written in response to Wordle 24 a la Leo at The Sunday Whirl and Wither Goest Thou Kevin Bacon? - Prompt #23 at Poetic Bloomings.
I'm raising funds for The Office of Letters and Light, the nonprofit organization that sponsors National Novel Writing Month in November. Please check out my Night of Writing Dangerously post.
And, in case you missed it, there is my interview with Sherry Blue Sky at Poets United.
he was fearful
he didn't mind being alone
except that he was lonely now
it hadn't always been this way
he had lived a life of adventure
his face had known many smiles
he had myriad loves
he could play music and jokes
it had been that way for a long time
he had wandered
and been lost
had looked for signs in headlines
and slept on concrete
it had been that way for too long
he regretted leaving the church
he remembered the circle of love there
he hoped the philosophy he'd cobbled together
would hold him in his final days
it had been his way
he just hoped it was the right one
/ / /
This poem was written in response to Wordle 24 a la Leo at The Sunday Whirl and Wither Goest Thou Kevin Bacon? - Prompt #23 at Poetic Bloomings.
I'm raising funds for The Office of Letters and Light, the nonprofit organization that sponsors National Novel Writing Month in November. Please check out my Night of Writing Dangerously post.
And, in case you missed it, there is my interview with Sherry Blue Sky at Poets United.
Monday, October 03, 2011
The Night of Writing Dangerously
I'm looking for people willing to sponsor me financially, so that I can raise money for The Office of Letters and Light, the nonprofit organization that puts on National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) every November.
There, I said it. Got that over with.
"Why?" you ask.
Because, I say, it's a worthy cause.
This will be my fourth NaNoWriMo, and the third where I've brought it into my classroom. They also have a Young Writers Program, which provides free materials to teachers. There are great "100% NON-LAME workbooks" that teachers can download for free. And many teachers also order the free Classroom Noveling Kit. I've ordered one again this year, as I also did the previous two years. (You probably already know I'm a public school teacher.)
I've made monetary contributions all three years that I've participated in NaNoWriMo, and I've already done so again this year. But this year, I'd like to raise more money for The Office of Letters and Light - and attend The Night of Writing Dangerously, a write-a-thon to be held in San Francisco on Sunday, November 20, 2011.
Please consider sponsoring me on my fundraising page. A tax-deductible contribution of $10 will help put another Classroom Noveling Kit in the hands of a teacher somewhere, who will use that to inspire children to write. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think. I've seen it myself upfront and close. Any amount that you can contribute in these tough economic times would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Richard (aka Mr. Walker)
There, I said it. Got that over with.
"Why?" you ask.
Because, I say, it's a worthy cause.
This will be my fourth NaNoWriMo, and the third where I've brought it into my classroom. They also have a Young Writers Program, which provides free materials to teachers. There are great "100% NON-LAME workbooks" that teachers can download for free. And many teachers also order the free Classroom Noveling Kit. I've ordered one again this year, as I also did the previous two years. (You probably already know I'm a public school teacher.)
I've made monetary contributions all three years that I've participated in NaNoWriMo, and I've already done so again this year. But this year, I'd like to raise more money for The Office of Letters and Light - and attend The Night of Writing Dangerously, a write-a-thon to be held in San Francisco on Sunday, November 20, 2011.
Please consider sponsoring me on my fundraising page. A tax-deductible contribution of $10 will help put another Classroom Noveling Kit in the hands of a teacher somewhere, who will use that to inspire children to write. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think. I've seen it myself upfront and close. Any amount that you can contribute in these tough economic times would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Richard (aka Mr. Walker)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day Thirty
Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo 2010. It's been a blast! I won again this year, which makes two years in a row.
I didn't write at all yesterday. I was just riding on a natural high after validating my word count and being over 50K. But today, I did write. I'm so close to the end of my novel, I didn't want to lose all my momentum.
I didn't write this morning, just after work. I wrote 1,968 words today. I validated my word count again at the NaNoWriMo website, and I'm ending this year officially at 53,117 words.
Now I just have to finish my novel. After that, I'll take a couple of days off just to read, then I'll start some basic proofreading to get it in shape to send off for my free proof copy from CreateSpace. I'm very excited about that. There's nothing like getting your novel in book form like that, except maybe actually finishing 50,000 words in 30 days. I'm very happy now, but I was downright giddy last summer when my proof copy of my first novel arrived in the mail. I'm ready for that feeling again, but right now, I'm just so happy to have won again.
Tomorrow, I'll probably be depressed that it's over for another year.
Word Count Widget:
My Month:
I didn't write at all yesterday. I was just riding on a natural high after validating my word count and being over 50K. But today, I did write. I'm so close to the end of my novel, I didn't want to lose all my momentum.
I didn't write this morning, just after work. I wrote 1,968 words today. I validated my word count again at the NaNoWriMo website, and I'm ending this year officially at 53,117 words.
Now I just have to finish my novel. After that, I'll take a couple of days off just to read, then I'll start some basic proofreading to get it in shape to send off for my free proof copy from CreateSpace. I'm very excited about that. There's nothing like getting your novel in book form like that, except maybe actually finishing 50,000 words in 30 days. I'm very happy now, but I was downright giddy last summer when my proof copy of my first novel arrived in the mail. I'm ready for that feeling again, but right now, I'm just so happy to have won again.
Tomorrow, I'll probably be depressed that it's over for another year.
Word Count Widget:
My Month:
Sunday, November 28, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day Twenty-Eight
I won! I crossed 50K today. I even validated my novel at the NaNoWriMo website and got an official word count of 51,149. And I'm not done. I'm definitely in the last chapter. I'm almost done. One crucial scene to write and then some epilogue-type stuff and then I'm done with this first draft.
I wrote more today than I've ever written in one day. I wrote 4,240 words today.
And I cut out some 600 words I wrote the other day that I had added to my word count. I was in such a foul mood last Tuesday that I couldn't write after work. I started writing about what a bad mood I was in and why. I kept that as part of my novel and my word count, even though I had no intention of keeping it in the novel. I cut those words out today, and I feel much better.
I hope to finish tomorrow, and then I'll take a break for a few days. Then, I'll start doing some clean-up, just fixing typos and obvious spelling and grammar errors. I might do some sorting into chapters and the like, maybe moving some scenes around. Then I want to send my novel off to CreateSpace for my free proof copy. I procrastinated last year and didn't make the deadline for my free proof copy, but I'm going to get one this year.
I wrote more today than I've ever written in one day. I wrote 4,240 words today.
And I cut out some 600 words I wrote the other day that I had added to my word count. I was in such a foul mood last Tuesday that I couldn't write after work. I started writing about what a bad mood I was in and why. I kept that as part of my novel and my word count, even though I had no intention of keeping it in the novel. I cut those words out today, and I feel much better.
I hope to finish tomorrow, and then I'll take a break for a few days. Then, I'll start doing some clean-up, just fixing typos and obvious spelling and grammar errors. I might do some sorting into chapters and the like, maybe moving some scenes around. Then I want to send my novel off to CreateSpace for my free proof copy. I procrastinated last year and didn't make the deadline for my free proof copy, but I'm going to get one this year.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
NaNoWriMo Update
Day Twenty-Five
That would have been Thanksgiving. I only wrote 512 words on Thursday.
We finished packing up food for Thanksgiving and clothes for our stay in Santa Rosa in the morning, then drove to Santa Rosa. It was a pleasant drive. It was a beautiful, clear day, hardly a cloud in the sky. And no fog anywhere near the Golden Gate Bridge. Traffic was also light, being a holiday and all, so the drive was more pleasant than normal. Getting through San Francisco and past Petaluma can be tiring.
Anyway, had a lovely Thanksgiving meal. And then I retired to my grandmother's bedroom to write. I only managed the aforementioned 512 words. Then I took a short nap. We ended up watching the Galapagos documentary that my uncle brought over. The visuals in that are spectacular. I fell asleep during the third episode.
Day Twenty-Six
Black Friday. For some reason, we decided we would actually venture out on the most dangerous shopping day of the year. We went to REI, because my wife wants a new jacket for Christmas. And, of course, we went to Toys R Us, which is right next door. We didn't have much luck. REI didn't have my wife's sizes in the two jackets she was interested in, and we didn't find any good deals at Toys R Us for the toys our boys want for Christmas.
We also drove over to Home Depot, trying to find 99 cent poinsettias. They were sold out by the time we got there.
But I did write. I wrote in the morning, which I've done most days this month quite successfully. Then another session in the afternoon, and a final one in the evening. I wrote a total of 1,861 words, for a total of 44,831.
Day Twenty-Seven
Our last day in Santa Rosa. We decided we'd drive home today after having lunch. One, we just didn't want to stay all day. Two, I don't like driving home when it gets dark, and double so when it's raining or has been raining.
Lucky for us, the rain let up as the morning got closer to noon. Traffic wasn't bad, either. It was good to get home. It's always good to get away to Santa Rosa to visit with my grandmother, but it's always good to get back home again.
I wrote in three sessions again today, one early in the morning right after breakfast, one a little later in the morning, and then one this afternoon after we got home. I wrote 2,075 words today, for a total of 46,906.
I just have 3,094 words to go. I might finish tomorrow. If not, I'll finish on Monday for sure. Tuesday's writing, then, will just be icing on the cake.
If you look at my calendar wordcount widget, it looks like I didn't write at all on Thursday and Friday. I did write both days, though I certainly didn't make the 1,667 word count goal for Thursday. They show up as red because I did not log on to the NaNoWriMo website to update my word count. My grandmother does not have internet access, and I was not going to go out somewhere with WiFi to update my word count with my laptop. How do I know how many words I wrote? I used a different file on my Neo for each day, so I could track each day's word count, and then my total in Word once I transferred my writing over to my laptop from my Neo. Wait! There's a word for that. Yes, I'm a little anal-retentive.
That would have been Thanksgiving. I only wrote 512 words on Thursday.
We finished packing up food for Thanksgiving and clothes for our stay in Santa Rosa in the morning, then drove to Santa Rosa. It was a pleasant drive. It was a beautiful, clear day, hardly a cloud in the sky. And no fog anywhere near the Golden Gate Bridge. Traffic was also light, being a holiday and all, so the drive was more pleasant than normal. Getting through San Francisco and past Petaluma can be tiring.
Anyway, had a lovely Thanksgiving meal. And then I retired to my grandmother's bedroom to write. I only managed the aforementioned 512 words. Then I took a short nap. We ended up watching the Galapagos documentary that my uncle brought over. The visuals in that are spectacular. I fell asleep during the third episode.
Day Twenty-Six
Black Friday. For some reason, we decided we would actually venture out on the most dangerous shopping day of the year. We went to REI, because my wife wants a new jacket for Christmas. And, of course, we went to Toys R Us, which is right next door. We didn't have much luck. REI didn't have my wife's sizes in the two jackets she was interested in, and we didn't find any good deals at Toys R Us for the toys our boys want for Christmas.
We also drove over to Home Depot, trying to find 99 cent poinsettias. They were sold out by the time we got there.
But I did write. I wrote in the morning, which I've done most days this month quite successfully. Then another session in the afternoon, and a final one in the evening. I wrote a total of 1,861 words, for a total of 44,831.
Day Twenty-Seven
Our last day in Santa Rosa. We decided we'd drive home today after having lunch. One, we just didn't want to stay all day. Two, I don't like driving home when it gets dark, and double so when it's raining or has been raining.
Lucky for us, the rain let up as the morning got closer to noon. Traffic wasn't bad, either. It was good to get home. It's always good to get away to Santa Rosa to visit with my grandmother, but it's always good to get back home again.
I wrote in three sessions again today, one early in the morning right after breakfast, one a little later in the morning, and then one this afternoon after we got home. I wrote 2,075 words today, for a total of 46,906.
I just have 3,094 words to go. I might finish tomorrow. If not, I'll finish on Monday for sure. Tuesday's writing, then, will just be icing on the cake.
If you look at my calendar wordcount widget, it looks like I didn't write at all on Thursday and Friday. I did write both days, though I certainly didn't make the 1,667 word count goal for Thursday. They show up as red because I did not log on to the NaNoWriMo website to update my word count. My grandmother does not have internet access, and I was not going to go out somewhere with WiFi to update my word count with my laptop. How do I know how many words I wrote? I used a different file on my Neo for each day, so I could track each day's word count, and then my total in Word once I transferred my writing over to my laptop from my Neo. Wait! There's a word for that. Yes, I'm a little anal-retentive.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day Twenty-Four
Today was not such a good day, either.
We took our car in to the shop last Saturday. Two hours later, they told us there was nothing wrong with it. The lights coming on in our instrument panel were caused by a short in a sensor. They would order the sensor for us in a couple of days. Sure enough, they called on Tuesday, and I called back and made an appointment for this morning to get it taken care of.
I thought it would be quick, so my eldest son and I just waited in their waiting room. An hour and a half later, the service rep tells us the car is ready. Then he seemed to have some difficulty finding it. Then I see him track down a mechanic, and they've got the hood open. I suspected then that things were not going to go well.
Sure enough, the new sensor worked fine, but sent back the same error message. The short was occurring somewhere else, in some mesh of wires that they want to replace. That, too, has to be ordered. Which means I have to come back again. And this time, they need the car for six hours.
Right now, I hate Honda. I hate our CR-V. I hate the dealership that sold us the car. And I hate everyone in their service department. What I have been given lately, is not service. Or, to be more precise, it has been service, but it's been lousy service.
Apparently, my time is not valuable. It took them two hours to tell me it was a short in a sensor. Nothing mechanical, nothing complicated. A simple short in a circuit somewhere. Then, it took them an hour and a half, while my son was not waiting so patiently, to install that sensor only to tell me that it was not the sensor, but something else entirely. And you get to come back here again and essentially give us your car for a whole day.
I did write today. I wrote 1,971 words. I'm much happier with what I wrote today, in contrast to yesterday. My total word count now is 42,458. I only have to write 7,542 more words to reach 50K.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I'm driving up to Santa Rosa tomorrow to my grandmother's. Then I'm cooking. I probably won't write tomorrow, but I'll try to sneak in about 500 words or so if I can manage it.
I will also be away from the internet, so no updates of my word count to the NaNoWriMo website and no posts here for a couple of days.
We took our car in to the shop last Saturday. Two hours later, they told us there was nothing wrong with it. The lights coming on in our instrument panel were caused by a short in a sensor. They would order the sensor for us in a couple of days. Sure enough, they called on Tuesday, and I called back and made an appointment for this morning to get it taken care of.
I thought it would be quick, so my eldest son and I just waited in their waiting room. An hour and a half later, the service rep tells us the car is ready. Then he seemed to have some difficulty finding it. Then I see him track down a mechanic, and they've got the hood open. I suspected then that things were not going to go well.
Sure enough, the new sensor worked fine, but sent back the same error message. The short was occurring somewhere else, in some mesh of wires that they want to replace. That, too, has to be ordered. Which means I have to come back again. And this time, they need the car for six hours.
Right now, I hate Honda. I hate our CR-V. I hate the dealership that sold us the car. And I hate everyone in their service department. What I have been given lately, is not service. Or, to be more precise, it has been service, but it's been lousy service.
Apparently, my time is not valuable. It took them two hours to tell me it was a short in a sensor. Nothing mechanical, nothing complicated. A simple short in a circuit somewhere. Then, it took them an hour and a half, while my son was not waiting so patiently, to install that sensor only to tell me that it was not the sensor, but something else entirely. And you get to come back here again and essentially give us your car for a whole day.
I did write today. I wrote 1,971 words. I'm much happier with what I wrote today, in contrast to yesterday. My total word count now is 42,458. I only have to write 7,542 more words to reach 50K.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I'm driving up to Santa Rosa tomorrow to my grandmother's. Then I'm cooking. I probably won't write tomorrow, but I'll try to sneak in about 500 words or so if I can manage it.
I will also be away from the internet, so no updates of my word count to the NaNoWriMo website and no posts here for a couple of days.
NaNoWriMo Day Twenty-Three
Apparently, I wrote yesterday. It was a bad day.
I think I wrote in the morning, but I can't remember right now, nor do I want to put the effort into trying to remember. I must have. I usually do.
I had a bad day at work. I was able to put off what was bothering me for quite a while, but it snuck up on me when I was ready to write and I was just not in the mood. I'm sure everything I wrote yesterday after work is crap. If it is, which it almost certainly must be, it would be appropriate for the crappy mood I was in.
People can be so mean.
Anyway, I did manage to keep track of how many words I wrote. I cranked out 1,711 words yesterday, putting me at 40,487 words.
I treated myself to the movies last night. After my wife got home, I went to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One. I was in such a foul mood, that I thought I might not enjoy the movie, but I was wrong. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I certainly deserved a break.
I think I wrote in the morning, but I can't remember right now, nor do I want to put the effort into trying to remember. I must have. I usually do.
I had a bad day at work. I was able to put off what was bothering me for quite a while, but it snuck up on me when I was ready to write and I was just not in the mood. I'm sure everything I wrote yesterday after work is crap. If it is, which it almost certainly must be, it would be appropriate for the crappy mood I was in.
People can be so mean.
Anyway, I did manage to keep track of how many words I wrote. I cranked out 1,711 words yesterday, putting me at 40,487 words.
I treated myself to the movies last night. After my wife got home, I went to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One. I was in such a foul mood, that I thought I might not enjoy the movie, but I was wrong. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I certainly deserved a break.
Monday, November 22, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day Twenty-Two
I didn't write this morning. I had to get some work done, checking in some papers, so I could get them back to students today and review them with my class. I put off doing any work all weekend, so I had to get it done this morning.
I planned on leaving work as soon as I could, so I could get home and write. My back was killing me. My wife thinks it's from all the writing. A couple of ibuprofen and something to eat - I skipped lunch - and I felt much better.
I got my writing playlist going on iTunes on my laptop, and grabbed my Neo and started writing. I wrote like a madman. I consistently find that I write more when I use my Neo. I think it's the small display. I'm not distracted by text that I've already written. I don't keep going back and looking at what I've written. Nor am I distracted by the red and green lines of the spell- and grammar-check. I've made lots more typos this year than I did last year, but who cares? That's what December is for.
Anyway, I wrote exactly 1,234 words in about 45 minutes. I picked up my younger son and then my wife. We had dinner, and then I wrote some more, for a total of 1,901 words for today. I'm now at 38,776. I checked the Excel spreadsheet that I'm using to track my word count and saw that I've passed the 75% mark.
I feel like I'm on schedule. My novel has gone in directions I didn't initially plan, but I'm entering the territory of act three, so I'm getting near the end.
I planned on leaving work as soon as I could, so I could get home and write. My back was killing me. My wife thinks it's from all the writing. A couple of ibuprofen and something to eat - I skipped lunch - and I felt much better.
I got my writing playlist going on iTunes on my laptop, and grabbed my Neo and started writing. I wrote like a madman. I consistently find that I write more when I use my Neo. I think it's the small display. I'm not distracted by text that I've already written. I don't keep going back and looking at what I've written. Nor am I distracted by the red and green lines of the spell- and grammar-check. I've made lots more typos this year than I did last year, but who cares? That's what December is for.
Anyway, I wrote exactly 1,234 words in about 45 minutes. I picked up my younger son and then my wife. We had dinner, and then I wrote some more, for a total of 1,901 words for today. I'm now at 38,776. I checked the Excel spreadsheet that I'm using to track my word count and saw that I've passed the 75% mark.
I feel like I'm on schedule. My novel has gone in directions I didn't initially plan, but I'm entering the territory of act three, so I'm getting near the end.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day Twenty-One
A much more relaxing day today. I wrote some this morning after breakfast. Then I took a shower later in the morning, and wrote some more then. So far today, I've written 1,337 words. Only 330 to go!
Now, it's time to take a break and have some lunch. I'm hoping to write more this afternoon and evening. I want to get further ahead on my word count with Thanksgiving coming up.
My wife had to go in to work today. She had to go to CostCo with her boss and buy stuff for their upcoming Thanksgiving shindig. When she got home, our youngest hounded us until we agreed to take him to the park so he could ride his bicycle. There was a lull in the rain showers, so we agreed.
I took my Neo with me and wrote a little bit. I didn't quite finish my 330 words, but I was close. I did write some more after dinner, with a total of 1,835 words for the day, putting me at 36,875.
Now, it's time to take a break and have some lunch. I'm hoping to write more this afternoon and evening. I want to get further ahead on my word count with Thanksgiving coming up.
My wife had to go in to work today. She had to go to CostCo with her boss and buy stuff for their upcoming Thanksgiving shindig. When she got home, our youngest hounded us until we agreed to take him to the park so he could ride his bicycle. There was a lull in the rain showers, so we agreed.
I took my Neo with me and wrote a little bit. I didn't quite finish my 330 words, but I was close. I did write some more after dinner, with a total of 1,835 words for the day, putting me at 36,875.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
NaNoWriMo Day Twenty
Had to take the car to the shop in this morning. I've had warning lights coming on in my instrument panel. After two hours, we found out it was just a short in the sensor. There's nothing physically wrong with the car, but they don't have the sensor in stock. They have to order it and I have to bring the car back in to have it replaced. With any luck, it will go very quickly.
Stopped on the way home, and got lots of shopping for Thanksgiving done. When we got home, it was nearing 11 a.m. I really wanted to go to my local write-in, but I was just so tired. I was really overstimulated after the shopping. And the restaurant where we had breakfast, while the car was being looked at, was too loud for me. So, I took a nap.
After my nap, I wrote for about an hour or so before we had to take the boys to their swim class. Then we went out to dinner as we usually do. When we got home, I watched a little SpongeBob with the boys, and then we sent them to bed. My better half and I watched a couple episodes of Dexter. We recently started watching the first season on NetFlix. As I'm heavily into writer mode now, I find I think about things differently. One, I've noticed how well-written Dexter is, and two, I just find myself thinking about things from a writer's perspective, noticing the various sub-plots, character interactions, the use of irony, etc.
Then I retired to the sunroom for my second writing session of the day. I wrote 2,028 words today, for a total of 35,040, which puts me at 70% of 50K.
Stopped on the way home, and got lots of shopping for Thanksgiving done. When we got home, it was nearing 11 a.m. I really wanted to go to my local write-in, but I was just so tired. I was really overstimulated after the shopping. And the restaurant where we had breakfast, while the car was being looked at, was too loud for me. So, I took a nap.
After my nap, I wrote for about an hour or so before we had to take the boys to their swim class. Then we went out to dinner as we usually do. When we got home, I watched a little SpongeBob with the boys, and then we sent them to bed. My better half and I watched a couple episodes of Dexter. We recently started watching the first season on NetFlix. As I'm heavily into writer mode now, I find I think about things differently. One, I've noticed how well-written Dexter is, and two, I just find myself thinking about things from a writer's perspective, noticing the various sub-plots, character interactions, the use of irony, etc.
Then I retired to the sunroom for my second writing session of the day. I wrote 2,028 words today, for a total of 35,040, which puts me at 70% of 50K.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)