Category: NaNoWriMo


Do-over Please


This day! Yikes! It started with a sad situation for my son.

Our internet has been so sketchy today.

I attempted to do my first Podcast. I did the recording on Zoom. I thought I was capturing the set-up of my yWriter project for this November. What I got is a recording of my glasses and my voice yammering on and on. Then I could go no further because of a bad internet connection.

So to soothe my soul, I pulled out the hat I was knitting. It was supposed to be a fast one as I was e-wrapping. But 5 inches in, I found it was too large. So I had to frog-it, rippit. Now it is only an inch long and that’s part of the fold up brim.

Tomorrow is another day. I’m hoping for insight. Anyone know how to share screen on Zoom on the laptop?

On the plus side one of my NaNoWriMo project is ready for wordage!

A Hard Decision


With NaNoWriMo coming up fast, I’ve decided to forgo the rest of #Inktober. The story the first ones of the month prompted will be rewritten possibly as the main NaNo 50K or as part of a threesome I need to finish from before. I will use the prompts in the story and make drawings or sketches.

There is only one week to prepare for the three projects.

What made me decide this? I haven’t played my recorders for days. Having too much to do only makes me feel guilt. Guilt makes me unproductive. So I need to figure out my time better to keep it free and fun.

Back to making music.

Inktober 2021


My friend was telling me how much fun she was having with Inktober. She is not only inking illustrations but also inking a journal or story to go with the picture prompt. That sounded like fun so I’m joining seven days late.

Here’s my days 1-7 #Inktober2021 submission and then the story that goes with it. Since I wrote the story long handed I felt it too personal to take a picture of my handwriting.

Arriving proudly at the ball, Crystal, dressed in a formfitting suit, grabbed the mic. “I refuse to be a vessel for another man!” She loosened the knot at her neck, as she continued, “No wonder guys are so cross! Ties are the worst thing since high heels!” At which point she kicked those glass slippers off the stage.

The belt was next, then Crystal squirmed out of the skin-tight pants. Her jacket was long enough to cover the goods or the raven-black panties covering said goods.

The crowd was cheering her on. This wasn’t on the itinerary but none would object. Still, the spirit wasn’t in her to continue. She bowed to wild applause and then descended into the audience.

“Excuse me, Crystal,” a voice whispered behind her, “I’m you’re biggest fan.”

~~~~

In my #Inktober sketch above I made a close of Crystal’s eye a sneak peak, I think, is that she was born with a crystal in her eye and since then has developed several each gives her powers. The list of prompts is on the Inktober 2021 website. I’m hoping the writing part will spark something for NaNoWriMo some people call October Preptober. That last link was a Google search and there are so many there to help a person get ready I think I’ll keep it open and wade through them all later.

How many want to join me in either Inktober or NaNoPrep?


My life has been hectic. Doing what? It’s a mystery. Maybe a list of accomplishments isn’t available, but I see a fun task finished every now and then, and it isn’t a myth. Look at this loomy hat fresh off the loom today.

Sorry for the gloomy pictures. That is a salmon color. Somehow the cellphone didn’t capture it properly. I knitted it on the Flexee loom. 80 pegs, so it should fit an adult. It was with mohair from the charity so it will go to the charity. The brim was a fold back on itself, then I did a couple rows of cable stitches. The rest just flat knit. I did this decrease method.

The difference is that after finishing the first batch of decreases, I move all the loops to remove the links of every other stitch so that in the end, I will have 40 pegs, and I do this whole decrease again. It is fun to do this decrease on the flexees.

Oh, another done thing without crossing off a list, I actually wrote more on my story. I haven’t done much writing in the last two CampNaNos. I sort of forgot to write and edit. I think I have been avoiding it because seeing the computer screen is difficult. Myopia with cataracts makes the reading of any kind painful. When I have to try too hard, I get gloomy, But, Yay! Today I wrote, and now I want to know what happens to my lost characters. I’m hoping they will become chummy with wild horses to pull their truck like a covered wagon. Covered will be necessary as it may soon get stormy.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “my.” Start your post with the word “My.” Bonus points if you end your post with “yours.” Enjoy!

Zoom and YouTube Day


Do any of you have a Wattpad account? I have had my first book, Haven, up for critique there. It can also be found here on this site. That is only the first four chapters. The whole novel is on Wattpad. I would love to get constructive feedback.

Anyway, the reason for this post isn’t to plug said novel but to tell about my day. You see, Wattpad and NaNoWriMo had an editing tutorial. It was called Edit Smart, Not Perfect: How to Polish Your Best Work Yet. I don’t know if this link will work, but I got to watch the Zoom here.

It was quite informative, and I hope they will put it on YouTube, so it is more accessible for all. If any of you find it at another site, let me know, and I’ll fix what I put here.

Anyway, that is how I started my morning. About the time that was over, I got to Zoom with my friends for our usual Friday meeting.

After a fun long chat, I decided to go watch the DuoCon. If you have Duolingo, you might be interested in watching this:

So I am even more motivated to edit my novels and keep going on my multiple languages. I have so many things I am into right now that I am trying to figure how to fit everything in a day or week. Life is exciting and quite the adventure!

Bitmoji Image

Tasks Tuesday


Remember the goal of CampNaNo writing and editing? I haven’t forgotten. I just couldn’t deal with the laptop or heat from laptop. Since I’ve been writing the blogs on the cell lately, I decided to see how I could write on my smaller gadgets.

Well, I do use a system using my Fire to do what I can’t do on the phone.

I don’t know how others do it but to post  a YouTube, picture and all, I need to copy and paste URLs. If I try from the phone I end up with just the URL no picture. On my Fire, on the internet, I do the same thing and get a picture.

Weird!

Anyway, as I get ready to take my little trip, I knew I would want to write and edit for CampNaNo. I spent today organizing Word for my cell. I made sure I could access my writer project through a couple ways. And I learned the mobile version of Word will read to me. For my poor eyes that is a blessing!

So, there’s a task done and so, no matter what, I can blog or write! Yay!

My company comes tomorrow!!! Many tasks set for the morning! So grateful that the next two days are to be cooler. It was supposed to be 98 today but I don’t think we hit 95. Tomorrow and Thursday predicted temperatures 95. Let’s hope it never gets out of the 80s!

Time for music playing then on to bed.


I escaped coloring and left June undone.

Center Fold
Unfinished

My addition to the Escapist Coloring Club will span two months.

Since it started getting either busy and/or hot my Camp Nano has seen no progress. I’ll continue in July.

This then was my One-liner Wednesday, etc. post.

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

For a while now my son and I have wanted to go into Bend (two hour drive) to shop and to visit the last Blockbuster video store.

Many times we have planned it and things happened that kept us from it. Last night we were sure that today would be the day. Then, a year after breaking my right pinky toe I rammed my left pinky toe into the coffee table. Yep, broken. But I refused to let it stop me. I needed to get out of the house and see something besides these four walls. Even if we couldn’t do all that we wanted to, we did go to town. I wrapped my toe. That foot isn’t needed in our automatic truck. We’d just have to stay safe and take it easy.

We hit Target and Best Buy. Then the most important part of the trip, Blockbuster Video. During lock-down we saw the movie on Netflix. I couldn’t wait.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov9ls_3tJ1Y&t=20s

It certainly brought back memories. If my toe wasn’t hurting I think I might have taken more time to get some memorabilia. There seemed to be a lot of business so I don’t think it is going away. I look forward to our next visit.

Regardless of IF/keto I went ahead and had Del Taco. For lunch I do the 8-layer burrito with no beans or rice, extra guacamole, extra sour cream, extra cheese. I also ordered for my dinner a spicy jack quesadilla and a small fry. That’s bending it a bit but since it doesn’t happen but once in a few months I think that is fine.

My son was having a bit of problems with his digestion so he wasn’t having a good day either. Still with masks we hit all the stores including Walmart. I got a new pair of PJs and he found all the things he needed to buy.

The highlight of the trip was the Blockbuster. The trip itself was beautiful. The weather was perfect and the scenery gorgeous. Hopefully. we will remain healthy and get to go again soon. There were so many things I wanted to do but the toe was having none of it.

For many reasons my writing goals have slipped. Today I officially lowered my goal to a possibly more reachable realm, 25K instead of 50K. I still like the story, I just don’t want to overwhelm my senses with something that won’t be fun to reach. I would rather have to chance to go do outings and hit all my fun new musical goals than get discouraged in any way.

I will probably do Duolingo after publishing this and spend a little recorder time. Writing and piano will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m tired!

Fast Friday


That’s how today has gone. Fast! When days like today happen, I remember when my kids were young. I remember being so busy the whole day and when my then husband got home the house was a mess and I was exhausted yet it looked like I didn’t do anything at all. I learned a little trick. Rather than write a list of tasks I wanted to achieve, I would list what I actually did. That made me feel so much better.

In fact, I think this blog is a bit like that for me. It is a way to help me not think that life has just passed by while I just lived it. You know what I mean? And it does help. If I want to know when the last snow happened, when the last pair of socks finished, what was I doing last year this date, I look it up here and say to myself, “See! I did do something.” ” Oh look it snowed bundles more last year,” etc.

So, I don’t have writing numbers for today as I haven’t written yet today. With yesterdays numbers I have Pandamapocalypse just 1,001 added. Marina’s Mission 5,360. As soon as I have this blog published I will go spend the time to make about 500 on Panda and 1,667 on Marina.

I did run through the Prelude from yesterday, not nearly as well. I think the light was worse for me at that time of day. Then I played a few bars of 

 

No, I didn’t play it one handed. I have in the past but right now I just want to make music. Lesson learned, do piano things earlier in the day while the piano is in the living room. When we move it, it will be lighter longer as it will get a southern exposure.

I did play with the recorder a bit. I will be using this YouTube to help for a bit.

Then when I just wanted to make the music I went to practice on this website.

Then I did a little playing by ear just to work on breath control and moving stiff fingers.

Speaking of stiff fingers I did a few rows on the newest pair of charity slipper socks. Working on ankles then cuffs, yay!

Now it is close to midnight and I have some stories to write before bed.

dont stay up too late

Busy day. The muses have given me a workout. I’m not done even now. But I thought I should report how amazing these Muses are.

First of the day I sat an played a couple songs by ear on my soprano recorder  I did find  a wonderful webpage to help me until I can get a few books. From that website I learned to play Lightly Row. That was fun.

I ran to my piano and played Prelude.  Why yes, that is a sticker (just above the Allegro) that I tried to rip off the page as I am embarrassed that I learned to play this way back when I was a teen or less. Now at 71 that sticker makes me want to cry. I learned so much from Mrs. Skinner. The first teacher out of church that I knew most of my early life.

I found the playing fun and I got up immediately so that I could remember music as fun.

I went back to the recorder for one more play-through and then looked up YouTubes. I ran across Kalimba lessons.

Hey! I have a Kalimba! So now I am on a kick to learn Kalimba, too.

Why all this musical attentions? Mrs. Skinner. I remember when I hated piano. Never Mrs. Skinner. But she told me not to play the piano for a while. She gave me her ukulele to go home and play with. She had a tuning whistle and a book. When I got pretty good at that she made sure I had piano music for voice and let me learn to sing to my playing.

So I am playing with music again to start to love it. Again. And the recorder, I hope will increase my breath control.

Oh! I nearly forgot, I spent time on my next page on the Dragon Coloring Book.

Now to get back to what I haven’t finished for the night. My JuNoWriMo projects. So far I have (not counting todays) 827 words added to Pandamapocalypse and 3594 added to Marina’s Mission.

Now to get back to work as the story is coming around!

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