Blisslikeness
I’m not odd, I’m just unevenEducation is Art
Education is not the taming or domestication of the soul’s raw passions — not suppressing them or excising them, which would deprive the soul of its energy — but forming and informing them as art.
- — Allen Bloom
Novel in a Month
I’ll try it.
What is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and — when the thing is done — the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2005, we had over 59,000 participants. Nearly 10,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2006. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Courage
| Quote of the Day |
| Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end, requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men to win them. - — Emerson |
How was your birthday?
My 26th birthday was uneventful, just like any other day passing by. I was supposed to go to an interview for a part time job, very similar to the job I have now. I didn’t get to go because my mom started having a panic attack about leaving her alone in the house, so I had to cancel. There goes my part time plan. We did get to eat at restaurant for lunch. I did submit my doctoral application, so hopefully I will get accepted. Part of me still wishes I could go somewhere like Columbia or Johns Hopkins, but it is what is. Desire can lead to suffering. If I worry too much about the things I can’t have, it just becomes worse.
Currently, I’m wondering what’s the point of working on my MLIS degree other than just wanting it “just in case.” I have this research class where I need to write a grant proposal. I haven’t even written my weekly class discussions yet. I also need to finish grading all these papers. There are so many things I want to do to feed my artistic side, but there are many other practical things that I need to do, for instance, keeping my house clean. Why can’t my house stay clean!? It’s clean for a day and the next it’s a disaster. Then of course the papers I need to grade. I could be grading them now, but instead I’m writing. I want to work on a daily journal(this could be it) and a collage a day. I’ve been thinking about shutting of the television for good, but the new season of shows just started. I want to read more anyway (and need to). I also need to manage my time better and stay organized so I won’t need so much ”me” time. I’ll figure it out one day.
Blooms from the front
I took this picture at night. I have a bromeliad patch which has been producing blooms throughout the summer and a couple are still blooming.
Beauty Blooming in the Backyard
A flower that was growing in the backyard from I a plant that I didn’t know even bloomed. What a nice surprise.
Down in the First Quarter
Hopefully it is the first quarter, and not the last. Only three more days of being 25 and into 26. Over the hump. The 25th year was not a particularly good one for me. It had some momemts, like getting a new job that I like and going to Italy, but I think I was depressed for most of it. My old job really crushed me emotionally and school was just a struggle. The last few months, things started to look up and then my mom became sick and has been getting worse. She really depressed, hasn’t worked in months, and is staying with a friend who has her own issues which is not helping either of them. I’m going down there today to figure out what we are going to do. I also have two job interviews while I’m down there: UM’s CARD program as an educational consultant and the MDC ACCESS Program as an advisor. The UM is full time and the MDC is part time. I also applied to the doctoral program at FIU, so we’ll see how that goes. If I do get accepted in the program for the Spring Semester, my plan was to maybe take the MDC job, so I can take as much classes possible at school and apply for a public school job in the fall. If I get the UM job, I’ll have to school part time, but I’ll have a full time job with the benefits. Problem with the UM job is that it doesn’t pay much, but the benefits are good if you plan to go to UM for a Masters. So there are pros and cons to both. Of course I have to get offered either of the jobs first. Oprah said that 26 was a “wow” year for her, and I hope for me as well. I do feel a little bit more motivated about school, be dedicated, and be done. I also need to work, but the time will pass and the time will come.
