Lonely in Atlanta

I am not good at being alone.  I know that.  I am much more of a people person than a lot of people I know.  I am having a good time at the NAEYC Conference in Atlanta but these nights are long!  Well this is only my second night and last night only started at 11:00 pm, that's when I got in.  But the thing is, I don't have a book or a LEGO to work on and so I am in my room.  ALONE!
The other thing is, the tv here at the hotel doesn't have HGTV and while I have neither an H nor a G, I love watching the channel when I am feeling lonely because there is absolutely no emotional baggage involved for myself!  I mean, I can feel sad when someone can't get their two-oven kitchen, but I am not going to cry about it!  So here I am, in Atlanta, alone with no book or HGTV.  What can you do?  Also, I am pretty much going to give up on nanowrimo this year.  Yes, I have decided right now.  I just can't get excited about the story I was writing, even though I have kept on track for 7 days.  So good-bye nano, epic fail for me again!

Keep on Truckin'

Still trucking along on nano.  It is not an easy thing to do.  I am having a little trouble keeping my story on track, but it is going okay.  I just feel bad that I can't write on here as much as usual.  And as you can see, the reading is slowing down.  It might be slowing down, too, because I am currently reading a book I am not so hot about.  Butter is what I am reading now, for a book group and I just can't seem to get sold on it.  Here is the site for the book.  It's about a morbidly obese kid, nicknamed Butter and his decision to eat himself to death online on New Year's Eve.  He finds that when he starts this website and preps folks for the "big night" he becomes popular.  People want to be his friend and they are egging him on about his promise to eat himself to death on his webcam.  I will review it when I am done, but so far, I just don't like Butter.  And I don't think it is because I am a morbidly obese person, too.  I am not as obese as Butter is described, but still, I am.  I don't know.  We'll see what happens!

Being Careful

Not to lose nanowrimo this year! Even though I am feeling very wordy I have no ideas for my project!

Random Blogging

Man I can tell that it is getting close to nanowrimo and that maybe, this year, I'll have a chance, like in 2010.
I am writing much of nothing lately but writing none the less!

Fail

After winning Nano last year, I just don't think I have it in me this year. Not just because I am behind, which I am, but not by too-too much, but just because I feel like I haven't made it a priority. I have had so many new things going on in the last year, some have been blessings and some have been challenges, and I just don't think that I have what it takes to win this year. I know that it is just the 11th, and I hate to throw in the towel so soon, but I think that I must.
The other thing is that I am way behind in my reading. I only pledged to read 100 books this year and I've done 119, but last year I read 202, and so I feel like I am seriously falling out of step here.
Also I just got a copy of Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman. I am so anxious to see if Jesse Stone lives on! I am going to read it with an open mind but I miss Parker so much!
I really wanted to write a novel before I turned 40 and I did, so I am cool with that.
Ok, I am sad! But I have to deal!

Finished!

Done.  Finished.  Ended.  Over.  And pretty bad!  But completed!
I can't believe it!
Thank you so much, Alexis Jabour, my little friend, for telling me about nanowrimo!
Now it is back to reading!  And blogging!  And all that other great stuff.
Plus...I have a new idea for another novel!
Hooray for words!  :)

NaNoWriMo Update

As you can see, nanowrimo is really taking up a lot of my time!  I haven't been reading very much at all and I feel icky about that, but I am SO close now.  As of right now I have 44,774 words.  November 30 is on Tuesday so hopefully I will be able to do.  Then it will be back to reading!
Everytime an author is interviewed people say, "How do I become a writer?"  or "What advice can you give to aspiring writers?" Usually they will say "Read, read, read."  I guess I never really knew why that would be so important, but I can see that it is.  I have tried nano three years now but have never gotten this far.  I really think that because I have done so much reading and writing about books this year, I have been able to come as far as I have.
Is my novel great?
No way!
It is pretty terrible, actually.  But it's mine.  :)

Day 3

So far I am on pace to finish!  But of course, it is only Day 3! I'm at 4,893 words!

It's Almost NANOWRIMO Time!

Soon it will be November, and of course, that makes me sad, because October is my favorite time of year. but NaNoWriMo makes the post-holiday depression a little more bearable.
I think this is my third attempt at writing a novel in a month.  Last year I made it a little over half-way there.  I hope to get closer this year, if not all the way.