I originally wanted to post this recap of Saturday’s awesomeness on Saturday or Sunday but my brain was feeling a bit too fried. Doing it today also gave me the distance I needed for perspective. One of the fun events that our Vancouver region does during NaNoWriMo is to do an all day writing event. Known as Write in Motion, this year we wrote across the town at various spots.

To summarize the event, We had a blast! Our ML, nancy, and I discovered that together we wrote one half of a novel in just one day with our combined word counts! As you recall, Kender dared me to wrap up my novel Saturday. And I’m happy to report that I beat that challenge and wrote 13289 words.

Leg 1: 8:00-10:00 at di Tazza
Wrote 4684 words
Woke up bleary eyed and ready to write at the gawd awful early hours of the a.m. I ordered a apple turnover and a medium sized non-caffeinated hot chocolate and grabbed a spot. Others slowly started trickling in and soon we had a rousing group of about 10 people hammering away at their word count. My friend iScribe joined in on the fun and she also brought her viking hat of writingness. During this leg, I uncovered that I could write about 2500 words in an hour and that sugar is just as effective as caffeine for fuel.

Leg 2: 10:15-1:45 at the Cascade Park Community Library
Wrote 5364 words
Nine brave souls, caravanned to the library and felt the pressure of the parking lot of poor planning. We quickly rushed into our room and got all set up and quickly started writing again. Nancy led us through a short stint of wrist stretching (which I think helped my wrists from getting sore the entire day). This leg also contained a lunch break, some of us fell into some discussions about writing, using Scrivener, and other writing tips and tricks. Personally, I was shocked to see that, despite my “slight” lack of focus, I managed to somehow kick out almost 500 more words in this leg. Talk about the insanity.


Leg 3: 2:00-4:00 at Barnes & Noble
Wrote 3241 words
After lunch, we drove to the local Barnes and Noble, who had a circle of chairs ready for us in the back corner. Many from the last leg dropped out but we were joined by a few more writers. Our numbers totaled 9 again and we sat in silence as we typed. About an hour into this jaunt, I finished my novel, stretched, and wandered around the bookstore looking at all the various stories, hoping that one day my stories would also be found among the shelves.


Leg 4: 4:15–6:00 at Three Creeks Community Library

Spent this leg decompressing from having my brain explode from writing so many words. I did work on a bit of tarot group homework so I did get some writing. I also tried to fight of the sadness that usually comes from having spent intense time in a world or a story and then having to close the back cover on it so quickly. I will return back to the SGI world, once it has had some time to sit and stew and is ready for revision.

Leg 5: 6:15-8:15 at Van Mall Round Table
The final leg was more of a wrap up and party than an actual write-in, even though two intrepid authors kept working Had some more zany fun here with the 6 remaining authors, I even invited Kender to join us. We were all highly amused at the “WRIGHT BOOK” sign on our door. Guess they didn’t realize we were writing books, right? Hee. Ahem, in any case, we tallied up the total words, played the NaNoLand game and ate pizza.

All in all it was a wonderful experience, filled with frantic typing and great camaraderie. I have forgotten how much I do enjoy writing with other authors and I really should plan to make some more writing dates with my peers soon. Oh and while I may be done with my 2010 nano novel, I still have plenty of words that need to be written elsewhere, namely my blogs, the first draft of my tarot book, and crocheting a bunch of items requested by various peoples.

I’ve done it! I’m now on the backside of 50k words. I’m not sure if it’s all downhill from here but it does feel good. Julien has returned to the Earthborn plane and has been mirroring Tracy around. He’s trying to get a feel for what is going on and observing her activities throughout the day. He has yet to contact her directly through dreams but that will come soon enough. I did get Julien in trouble by first attempting to shift Tracy’s aura so that it’s more relaxed. Then I had him use her computer to try and uncover what happened after he died. As there was no info on it, he got frustrated and acted out. Which drew attention from those in the house. Julien has fled back to SGI HQ and tomorrow we’ll see what that does for him.

Amazingly kender (the world’s best nano cheerleader) put today into perspective for me. I told him that I felt like I was slowing down because it took me 4 hours to write the goal when it took a mere hour to do it a week ago. He said:

It’s natural to slow down. At the beginning of the book, you don’t have to worry about consistency. So you can just fly along. And as you go, you need to keep track of more stuff.

Which is so true, and I’m a bit amazed that I didn’t think about it. He also recommended that instead of writing everything in one shot, like I have been doing, to break it down into two 1500 sets. That if I do that, it may help me continue to write.

ETA: okay, so kender kicked my butt in gear and told me to write more. So I did. I am now on track to finishing this draft on Saturday when I do the Vancouver Region’s Write in Motion. I’m planning on writing 10k words that day throughout the day. Let’s see if I can do it and finish the novel.

Hooboy. What a weekend. I didn’t post anything mainly because I was busy with a Tarot Intensive that my friend Katrina Wynne was putting on. Pretty much ate most of my waking time over the weekend. But I did manage to write just above the normal daily word count all three days.

So what is going on? Well, I graduated Julien and introduced Tracy and her plight. What a plight she has going on. Things are just getting worse and worse for her and finally she called out to have help from “the powers that be.” Julien is now briefed on her case and he’ll be sent Earthbound to observe and see what he can do for her.

My goal is to try and keep writing 3000 words a day and to wrap this up by Thanksgiving. Then it’s time to switch gears and work on some other things that have been neglected.

Today was funky. I woke up late, and had to attend to Real Life things before I could actually properly sit down and focus on anything. I did manage to squeeze 250 words in before heading out, but it left me feeling off. When I got home, after doing errands and visiting a friend (and getting food into my belly), I sat down to hammer out 2000 words. And as you can see… I completely wiped it off the map. Go Team inno!

Had some of the hardest writing to do today. I had to talk a bit about the training that goes on inside SGI, Inc and present some of the classes, rituals, and characters that one can find there. Spent most of the time writing a ritual and quickly ran over the other items of interest.

Since tomorrow I start a 3-day tarot intensive, I’m not sure how much writering I’ll get done, so I’m planning on squeaking in at least the daily tallies. For those of you who aren’t in the know… a minimum day of writing on NaNo is 1667 words. If you do that every day, you hit the target amount of 50k. This year, I’m hoping to go a bit over this.

Today I took the plunge and badly wrote a car race and wreck for my MC Julien. Basically, the goal was to kill him off so the real story starts. A friend of mine remarked about why I did two days of “prewriting”, and I basically told her that I wanted to have a pre-living and death scene in the story so that the reader has a small chance to connect to the MC. This way we can watch him develop from a jock teen to a spirit guide in training. Tomorrow the fun part starts as I get to figure out the ins and outs of SGI, Inc and introduce both Julien and the readers to this new world I’m trying to create.

Most of the word count was achieved while doing a small 15 minute word war with my friend Lyndsey. It really helped me focus and hone in the time to write. And it gave me a reason to ignore the IMs popping up on my screen. Word count achieved, I rewarded myself with a sushi treat from Freddy’s and a Lavender soda.

Spent most of last night worrying about today’s writing and the rest of the week. I’m going to be out and about Friday through Sunday at a second Tarot Intensive in Portland. I know I’ll get it all done but I worry about how much writing I’ll get done in between the hours I’ll be gone and sleep and exercise. Ah… who am I kidding, this is nano. Sleep is for the weak. *gryn*

In 2008, while I went crazy and wrote a novel in a month by hand, instead of posting the whole thing live, I wrote about my writing experiences. This was partially based off a fellow writer (and friend) Jamie Grove. I didn’t do this sort of coverage last year but due to the whole social network thing getting tied into the site and all, I think I’ll bring it back. Click the more button to read on!

So welcome to the first day of NaNoWriMo 2010! *insert clapping and cheering here* For me, the day began at precisely midnight:01 as I attended this year’s Midnight Write-in at a local Shari’s dive. By midnight, we had about 20 or so writers sitting around 10 tables waiting for the darkest hour of the night to arrive. Many of the new friends I made last year were here and we had a good time chatting, discussing the merits of Scrivener (who not only released a new version of the software for Mac today, but also have a beta out for Windows), and general writerly camaraderie.

The moment the clock struck twelve-oh-one, we were off like rabid rabbits eating everything in sight. I started my nano playlist and let that carry me to victory. Strangely, I was nervous before actually beginning to write but as I continued to hammer out the words, the only calm I experienced was that of my fingers moving really quickly across the keyboard. I wrote about the life of Julien, my MC, while he was still alive and in high school. I ended today’s word total with him speeding off in his new car to get ready for the race that will end his life.

I won the first Word Wars with something like 900+ words in 15 minutes (or was it a half hour, can’t recall) minutes. I then slammed through the rest of my remaining daily goal of 2500 to reach it in about an hour’s time. Wow. Talk about fast typing.

I’m feeling good. Spent most of today cleaning the house and getting ready to hand over those duties to Kender who’s been an awesome cheerleader so far. Also did a bit of prep research for tomorrow by trying to find out what muscle cars and or drag racing cars were popular during the 1960′s. Asked for kender’s opinion and he gave me a good idea that will pit the two cars I found against each other. In any case, I’m looking good for tomorrow.

In any case, as soon as I asked the question, “How did you get assigned to me?” the seed of a story idea flooded into my mind. I then said, “Never mind. I guess this sort of answers it.” And thus, Spirit Guides, Inc. My novel in-progress for 2010 was born.

Here’s the novel in a nutshell:

Where do our spirit guides come from? How are they assigned to people?

Welcome the world of Spirit Guides, Inc. (a clouded company) that handles spirit guide counseling between the spirits of our ancestors, animals, and other creatures, and their corporeal Earthbound companions.

This novel follows the adventures of Julien as he learns the ropes of becoming a licensed Spirit Guide. His first assignment, to protect Tracy Springer who’s soul is slowly being destroyed by a member of the rouge organization called The Shadow Group.

And here’s a glimpse of the banner I created for the novel to use on the NaNo forums.

Creating a playlist of songs, helps me set my story pace. There are fast songs and slow songs and I find that I have to have a certain pace or beat to fill the gaps between each major plot point. So, behold… here’s the playlist for my 2010 NaNoWriMo novel. Enjoy!

1. Branwen Slayne by Faith & The Muse from Annwyn, Beneath The Waves
2. Twist by Tones On Tail from Everything II
3. Who Am I? (Animatrix Edit) by Peace Orchestra from Animatrix Soundtrack
4. Silent by Fiction 8 from Forever, Neverafter
5. Jacob’s Chain by Jamin Winans from Ink The Complete Soundtrack
6. Sister by She Wants Revenge from She Wants Revenge
7. Devotion by Necessary Response from Blood Spills Not Far From The Wound
8. Who You Were by Jamin Winans from Ink The Complete Soundtrack
9. John’s Walk by Jamin Winans from Ink The Complete Soundtrack
10. Light & Dark by Mind.In.A.Box from Lost Alone
11. You by VAST from Visual Audio Sensory Theater
12. Don’t Fade Away by Dead Can Dance from Toward The Within
13. I Melt With You by Nouvelle Vague from I Melt With You/Teenage Kicks

The fissure itself appeared long and jagged, it appeared as a line almost as if three people had walked side by side by side together down a stretch of earth about 15 meters long. The snow dripped and fell into the crevasse as the sides of the new ravine and the new teutonic plate settled down into their new places. The fissure exposed only a long and dark pitch black nothingness that extended as far down to the core of the Earth as it was possible. Only a modest, and insignificant pin-prick of intensely bright yellow shone deep down near the core of the world. It was as if the world was admidst some growing pains and needed to somehow expand and stretch and grow the long steam of its spine starting down from the bottom and cracking it lengthwise up until the surface of the neck, which was seen as the exposed portion of the earth. The outermost part of the shell of the turtle’s back as it slowly shambles and making its way across the long highway of the Milky Way of the universe and galaxy.

A long, stunning, gorgeous, alluring plume of ghastly, gaseous smoke raised up out of the fissure. The sky above was a black canvas light only by tiny pinprick light of stars flickering in and out from high above. Evergreen trees, freshly dusted with a sprinkling with snow swayed lightly as a breeze shifted through the air. Freshly fallen snow also blanketed the ground, giving the dazzling light show a reflection, the perfect backdrop to shimmer across.

The lights danced across the sky as it mixed in with the oxygen and hydrogen and nitrogen that lived in the lower atmosphere of the world. Beautiful hues of magenta, emerald, cobalt blue, gold and silvers swirled and tapped across the sky, inching their way out from the fissure. At first only a small flow of magenta fluttered into the air, shyly moving from the ground and mixing slowly with the air until the air pushed it higher and farther from view. Then the fissure pushed out a stream of cobalt blue that got pushed out, almost as if it were a geyser, blasting the deep blue color directly into the winds stream heat that the air contained. Finally, like the whelping from a litter of kittens, a small but wide gush of emerald green hovered and slowly swayed from side to side as it zig-zagged its way to slowly join the other colors. As the three primary colors joined in oceans of swirling and circling, they clashed and collided together to create and form other amazing hues of violets, purples, silvers and golds.

The small, steady blurry cloud moved their way higher and higher into the air and split into ice-like diamonds that bounced gently across the top of the clouds before falling back down to the ground and melting back into the ground it was once safely tucked under. From start to finish, this process took all of a slow but steady fisfteen minutes and forty-seven seconds. And once it was done, the whole dance started again, as if the Earth sighed and was softly letting out a long, small whisper of prayer to the dark sky, the stars, and the planets that sat so far away from it.

It was late in the night, the sun having set many an hour ago. A small steading shhishing sound emitted from the fissure, barely audible, giving the already freezing evening a more dark and horrific feel to it. Nothing else was above ground or out along the ice. To do so would only mean certain death by either predators or the cold. No one noticed the dazzling smoke and light show as it began the nightly dance of painted color across the night sky.

This dance went on for hours and hours, and the moon passed high over the darkened sky, being the only witness to this new ecological phenomena. Soon, it grew tired as the lights shifted in and out of intricate patterns flowing in the sky. The morning light began to descend upon the northern sky for a small and brief appearance. While the light cast shadows among the trees, it barely affected the light show. In fact, it enhanced and caused the gasses and colors to appear even brighter. A white polar bear galloped across the ice, in search of holes that might provide it with sustenance for the day and those that followed it. It caught smell of the fissure and cautiously crept closely to the edge to see what beast might be inside. As it stepped closer and closer to the edge, the hair sitting on the back of the polar bear stood on edge and a low growl began to carve a path through the winding windpipes of inside of the bear from the belly to the mouth. It was not the sound of fear, or hatred, but a curious snort and throaty sound of warning and hesitancy. The moment it escaped the mouth of the bear, through long incisors and sharp fangs, the bear spun on the left and right haunches and galloped off in the opposite direction. It silently vowed never to return close to this edge and hoped that the cry of warning would have reached via echo location to hir companions and steer them away from this area. Something was amiss and the critters who lived next to or near this area would do well to keep away from the crack.

A lone prop-jet plane sped across the sky. The sun begun a slow descent for the evening and the evening winds kicked up, spinning and pushing the light show into new heights. The pilot gaped in amazement at the show happening outside his cockpit window. He looked at the star charts and flight paths wrapped in plastic and sitting on the seat next to him. Confinement spread across his face as he realized that it was too low and the wrong time of the year for the aurora borealis to appear so strongly. “What the hell,” he said,” This should not be happening in Washington State. Now here is one for the record and trivia books. Makes me wish that I had brought my camera along with me for the ride. Betty and the kids would have loved to have seen this. Darn them for not wanting to come out here on this run. Oh well, I guess it is their loss.” The pilot circled his plane three times just so he could maximize the time to watch the live-action paint show that God had decided to provide him with on this very special night. Once his curiosity and spiritual desires were satisfied, he sped off to finish his delivery run.

Word of the new light show slowly spread through word of mouth and the once abandoned wilderness near the backside of Mount Rainier became a popular autumn destination spot. People slowly trekked their way into the area via snowshoes, snowmobiles, and skis. They brought coffee and hot chocolate and the dogs and the children, as hardly anyone this low in the hemisphere had ever been fortuitous to bear witness to something as awesome as the aurora borealis. Children ran around making circles in the snow as they attempted to mimic the patterns made by the dancing colors wavering and moving high overhead. Couples held hands in one another as they felt the power of the world draw them closer together in the bonds of emotional caring. Everyone reveled in the amazement of mother nature. They were so captivated and enthralled that no one noticed the absence of sound from birds or beasts. They did not see or recognize the unsteadiness and the nervous behavior from the pets they brought with them. Dogs would stammer and step from left to right and mummer nervously in the snow. Some tugged at the lead the master placed around them, trying desperately to grab the attention of the person nearest to them, hoping they could get the two-legged to move away from the unnatural event.

Only two visitors came to the center of the newest heavenly show. Two park rangers huddled against one another in the sub-zero freezing temperatures. “This has been going on for the past two days now,” the smaller of the two rangers said, her voice trembling as she brought her fingers up to her face to breathe warm, moist air across them to keep the stealthy frigid air away from them. Soon more and more people came and that is when the Federal Park Rangers took notice.

It was late in the morning, on the third day that the fissure erupted forth from the deep below and started sending gasses up and out from the center of the world, when the familiar olive green trucks and Jeeps speed through the pavement only to bounce off into the mud and ice and snow on logging road number four hundred and sixty four for the next two hours. Jillian pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face as the crappy suspension and traction bobbed her body back and forth. Static called out from the truck’s walkie talkie, alerting her to the fact that she was now in radio silence territory. Nothing would be able to be reported back to headquarters if they had found anything. All she and her boss, Steven, knew was that a whole lot of people decided that Humble Campsite was a great winter destination spot, an location that had never drawn in many people in the thirty years the location had become a part of the forest service campsite string. Her bosses and the State Transportation, who feared that the logging road would send civilians unused to the harsh road conditions out in the back country, would soon find themselves trapped or worse, decided to send them over to “check things out.”

The temperature rose a few degrees, but the sun still refused to make an appearance for the day. Steve, who was sitting in the Jeep, leading the two of them to their destination, flashed his lights at Jillian. She sighed and hoped that the signal meant one thing. That they were close to their destination site where they could begin their day and figure out what was going on. The thick and dense trees opened up and the breathtaking sight caused Jillian to gasp and blink twice. Before her was a magnificent sight of colors and patterns. The sky seemed to be alive with the most vivid light show ever seen. “Damn, no wonder they are all so attracted to this location. That is so totally amazing. It is almost unreal. I have never seen anything like this before. I hope Steve is getting an eyeful of this.”

Soon after the Jeep pulled off the side of the road and powered down. Jillian pulled up beside the Jeep as far as she could off the logging road as she could. Now that the lights were dimmed they could experience the silent dance hovering over their heads.

Steve scratched his head and looked at Jillian. “I do not know what to make of it,” he said, shaking his head. “This is unreal. So unnatural. I have never seen this this far South. “Jillian, when did they say this started going on?”

“A pilot first reported it a few days ago, sir,” she said looking around. “They gather out there, and apparently the lights go on for some distance. What do you think is causing it?”

“Well, whatever it is… it is a bit unnerving. I have a bad feeling about this. Come on, lets grab the gear and set out. The sooner we can figure out what is going on, the better we will be able to tell Washington D.C. and figure out how to contain this. Word is getting out, and I am sure, more and more people will make the long-ass journey up here to see this. I will bet that this place is going to be a circus soon.”

Jillian nodded and slung the backpack over her shoulders. She hoped that they would figure out how to deal with this so that people could experience the phenomena safely.

Admiring the forum banners, I stumbled across one that had a design and theme that resonated in me. So out comes Photoshop and my digital crafty side took over. By the time kender arrived home I had started files for a Dust Cover (for my author’s bio page), and a Desktop graphic. About an hour ago, I finished the designs on all three.

Ladies and Gents… I’d like to present this year’s idea:

Now all I need is to develop that idea into a REAL plot and maybe get a rudimentary outline ready by November 1st. Any out there want to talk plot shop?