Longhand or computer?

It is late. I will be “calling it a day” soon .. another day in which I got no writing done. I feel as if I have this dark cloud around me through which I get little glimmers of inspiration … but not enough to motivate me. blah! Some would call it writer’s block, but I call it oppressive tiredness. I hope tomorrow (my new year) is better!

NaNo novel — zilch for yesterday and today.

PiBoIdMo – one idea for yesterday and one for today = 21 ideas so far

Here is a better link than the one I posted a couple of days ago, and what I was wanting. Thanks, Jamie! The link I posted stopped working, anyway. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ On this one you’ll find a new picture daily.

I have some questions for you writers.

When you are working on your story, do you write longhand or do you type?
If longhand, do you use pen or pencil?
If you type, do you strictly use a computer? did you ever use a typewriter?

I write longhand, usually using a pen. I have yet to type the very lengthy very rough draft of my novel over onto computer. That is going to take a long time to do!

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Alzheimer’s caregivers support group & pre-birthday party

First, I apologize! It seems the link I posted yesterday for NASA (space photos) no longer works. Perhaps I can find a better one later, or do you know of any?

For today’s PiBoIdMo I wrote down an idea for a picture book. Idea #19 on day 13. Still nothing more on my NaNo novel. I may have made a mistake by trying to do that this year, half way through the month already!

Tonight I went to a meeting of the Alzheimer Caregivers Support Group. It is something I don’t like to miss. We’re a small group that meets once a month and are free to ask questions, talk about our concerns, worries, problems, also sharing what good things have happened and what works for us. Our group moderators provide us with information and sometimes we have guest speakers. This time, since Saturday is my (rather important) birthday, I took cupcakes and Ambrosia (a fruit dessert) I’d made for us to share, for a sort of little pre-birthday party. 🙂

From what we (my sister and I) are going through with our experience with Alzheimer’s Disease, I’m gathering ideas for a book – ideas based on anecdotes from which come chapter titles, such as The Fire Extinguisher, The Hedge, The Car. Who knows whether this book will become a reality. It’s one thing to have the experience, quite another to write it out in an interesting and captivating way that someone else would like to read about.

Tomorrow I may not post about my PiBoIdMo and NaNoWriMo progress since it is Book Reading Challenge day here on my blog, but I will update on Friday.

If you are taking part in any challenges this month, how are you doing? How’s your writing coming along, and are you participating in my book reading challenge?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Fun stuff to do on the Internet, aka Procrastination activities

Writers.

Writers write.

But writers don’t always only write. Writers often procrastinate.

I wanted something different – but brief – for my NaBloPoMo post today, and in my search I found some things on the Net that would be great for those times of procrastinating. Call it character or theme research. 🙂 I will add them to my Writers’ Helps page later.

Check these out:

http://www.nasa.gov/ <—- This may be slow loading for you (it is photos)

http://www.howtofoldashirt.net/ <—- This is a great thing, but I have tried it and although it looks very simple I haven’t fully mastered it yet. I think my brain can’t or won’t think that way, but I will keep working on it. This set of instructions seems a little better than the one I was using.

http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/ <—- This one looks like great fun for when you are writing dialect for your characters, without going overboard with it, of course.

Today I was so tired, didn’t get any writing done on my NaNo novel. I did get one fun story idea drafted out for PiBoIdMo, though. That makes idea #18 for day 12.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Free online gluten-free summit; challenge updates

Just a quick post tonight:

It was a busy day for me and by evening I was/am tired and didn’t add anything to my NaNo novel. For PiBoIdMo I came up with a cute character name so that makes idea #17 for day 11.

Now I’m all mixed up because today was a day off work for my husband, and we were at the Remembrance Day service followed by the Veterans dinner. It doesn’t feel like Monday to me.

I just learned of a free online Gluten-free summit which started today (Nov 11) and ends November 17. You can still register — go here to do so — and each day’s interview runs for 24 hours! That means I can catch today’s tomorrow (Tuesday) and so can you. 🙂

Here ends today’s NaBloPoMo post. Now I must sign off, get some sleep, and tackle my writing tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Remembrance Day is tomorrow; updates for NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Today was a busy day for me. I had much to do at Dad’s before I came home for the week, but I also spent lots of time just with him. I didn’t get anything at all written on my NaNo novel, but I got a fun idea for PiBoIdMo before I was even fully awake this morning. That gives me idea #16 for Day 10.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in Canada, Veterans Day in the USA. Since Dad is a WWII veteran we will be attending the special service in the morning. It’s not foremost in Dad’s thinking this year, but we are seeing to it that he gets there since he would not like to miss it. Next year may be a totally different scenario. Following the service ten of our family will be going to the veterans’ dinner with Dad.

REMEMBER AND HONOUR OUR VETERANS ON NOVEMBER 11. THEIR SACRIFICE IS ONE WE CAN NEVER FULLY UNDERSTAND UNLESS WE’VE BEEN THERE. GET OUT TO A SERVICE AND REALLY OBSERVE AND LISTEN.

Have you ever talked with a veteran about the war, and their experiences they’re willing to discuss?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Who do you write like? (and updates: NaNoWriMo, PiBoIdMo)

I really don’t know how writers turn out book after book after book. How do people organize their time to accommodate writing along with all that goes on in their lives? If YOU are one of those people, please give me a hint!

I am a little dismayed over my post yesterday. I didn’t get to it until very late and it went live just seconds after midnight, which meant it was not recorded as a post for yesterday as intended! Now it looks as if I didn’t write a post yesterday for NaBloPoMo.

Today was rather chopped up, which is nothing unusual. I only got a few words written down for NaNoWriMo, but I finished reading through what I wrote of this NaNo novel so far (during NaNo 2010, 2011 & 2012). Now I am ready to continue. Or, I hope I am ready to continue. I stopped last November at a place where I didn’t even know where to go next with the story, and even tonight I got there and … ?? nothing yet. Vague ideas but no solid leading. Tomorrow I hope to find time to listen for direction, see what my characters want to do. But tomorrow is a busy day as I have much to do to finish my week here before I go home for a week. Once home … PLEASE dear Muse, visit me!

I wrote down an idea for PiBoIdMo today, which puts my picture books ideas total up to 15 for day 9.

I want to thank David of barsetshirediaries for sharing about a really cool site! If you are a writer and want to see what famous writer your own writing style and word choice is similar to, then check this out: I Write Like. When I put in my post from October 7’13 – When reality smacks you upside the head – it said I write like David Foster Wallace. But when I put in my post from November 4’13 – Passing on History (Singer Featherweight) – it says I write like H. P. Lovecraft. And when I put in my post from September 9’13 – We all should have a day to play! – it says I write like … Stephen King! hahaha Now that’s hilarious!

Got you curious now, haven’t I? Check it out and analyze your writing. Who do you write like?

Wouldn’t you know! Interruptions caused me to be late finishing this post, so now instead of going live Nov 9 it’s Nov 10. Oh well, at least I AM WRITING! 🙂

[I put this post in the analyzer, and again … I write like H. P. Lovecroft.]

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo updates

Friday is almost over as I sit to write this post. I didn’t update yesterday in a post, but you can find my puny word count for my NaNo novel in the link at the top of the page.

I have added all of 18 words to my continuing NaNoWriMo novel, (I know, hardly worth mentioning) and that is just because as I’m doing a read-through (another rule broken!) I am writing in a word here and there. Because I haven’t started a new project for this year’s NaNo, reading the whole rough draft through seems necessary. This is also giving me a better feel for my story, enabling me to see where changes have to be made when I begin editing, and setting the stage for me to begin writing this time until I finish the story. That’s my excuse, anyway!

For PiBoIdMo I wrote a few character names down for a possible story, but I’m counting them all as one idea since I will try to select one of them for a character when I start the story I have had in mind from before PiBoIdMo started this month. I’m not happy with any of them, but can’t seem to pull anything better out of my hat tonight. With yesterday’s idea and one today my total thus far is up to 14 for day eight.

Just a side note: Soon my daughter will be taking her little dog from our home after eight years of his living with us. She is renting a house where pets are allowed, so Sammy will be moving in with his “mama”, and we will be dog-less. Isn’t he cute?

And this is my blog post for NaBloPoMo!