Lunch break. Thought I'd write something quick.
I feel like I've been talking about National Novel Writing Month for a while now. I can't believe it is almost here! I am pretty much terrified, so I've been trying to figure out how to prepare for it. I'm surprised how many websites I have found online with tips. I saw a few things I was already planning to do (let everyone know I am going to be much less available in November), but others I hadn't thought of (freeze meals for easy dinners).
Every single site I have found so far tells me I need to stock up on coffee. Well, that's great, but I don't really like coffee. Doomed. I love the smell of it, but no matter how much cream and sugar I add I cannot get past the bitterness. Luckily, there are lots of energy drinks available these days. I'm not a big fan of those, either, but I'll try them out. Or tea. I think I once saw caffeinated gum at a gas station.
I have not had the chance to write lately. I've tried a little more outlining to get me prepared for November, but I've got other things I need to work on, too. I can only do so much and stay sane when I get home from work--granted writing can be fun, but it is still work. I'm taking the GRE this Saturday evening. This might sound strange, considering that I'm writing a novel, but I'm a little concerned about the Verbal section. I bought a set of flashcards with the 500 most commonly used words, and I can't believe what I'm expected to know. When on earth will I ever use some of these? Sure, some are not too difficult to figure out (why would I ever use "pellucid" when "lucid" is a perfectly good synonym?), but others require pure, rote memory. There are a good 100 words I'm not even bothering looking at. I figure it'd be a waste of my time.
When I'm not preparing for the GRE, I'm debating with myself over the title of my novel. I had something in my head for a while, but I realized that it had religious connotations to it. I'd rather keep those out because I've got no such intentions for my book. I don't even really have any explicit message in mind for my story. I am writing it to entertain myself primarily, and others secondarily. Either way, I need a freaking working title. I started writing out all sorts of ideas and filled a sheet of paper with a combination of overdramatic, boring, and misleading titles. My working title, for lack of any more inspiring ideas, may end up being A Second Life or something else that is super literal or prosaic (GRE word!)
I know I have not really written many updates lately. I'm not sure my time will free up much in November. Even if I do have time, I'm pretty sure I'll want to get away from computers. Maybe I'll try to write just enough to get across my progress, but we'll see.
My plan as of now: invest in ear plugs; buy frozen dinners and coffee/tea/some random bad tasting, energizing crap; take a couple days after my GRE to refine my characters
And finally: on Halloween night, at 11:59 pm, I will turn on my computer and write until I hit 1,667 words. I want to start with a bang!
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