NaNoWriMo Day #2

     I've made it through Day #2.  I'm at 14 pages, 6,123 words.  Wow!  Who knew I had it in me. When I updated my word count on the official website, I found out that I am currently a day ahead of where I am suppose to be at this point, with only 43,877 words to go.  Whew!  Will I make it?  Keep reading each day to find out.  I'm sure I will be as shocked as you are.
     I sit at my dining table (nicknamed the tiny table by my son) with a laptop and write every evening for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  When I finish, I'm exhausted, hungry, and since I get very involved when I write, completely oblivious to what's going on around me.  I put lots of pressure on my knees and feet.  When I finally get up and stretch, my legs, knees, feet, just my whole body feels stiff and sore.  I need to find a way to relax while I write.  I'm sure that will come in time.  I'm just on day #2.
     The chair I use at the dining table is quite uncomfortable and although I don't notice it when I finish in the evening, in the morning when I get out of bed, my hip hurts.  It feels like it's slipped out of it's socket.  I injured it years ago in a freak "why don't you dump the nearly empty (HA!) 50 gal. soap barrel into the one we just opened" accident.  It's taken awhile the last two mornings to work it back to feeling no pain.
     I've been so tired the last two mornings, I can hardly get out of bed.  I've slept so soundly and deeply the past two nights, I don't know if a freight train running through the house at the end of my bed would even wake me up.  I believe that my exhaustion and tiredness will eventually disappate as I continue on my journey.  It takes time to change routines.
     Day #3 . . .has arrived.

NaNoWriMo Day #1

     Yes!  NaNoWriMo began yesterday.  So did I.  I wrote 3,290 words.  I have 8 pages to show for my work and a pretty tidy little novel started.  I'm not sure where it came from, or where I'm going from here with it, but I feel very confident.
      I wrote for 2 1/2 hours last night and it was heaven.  The words just flowed.  My only problem, was that after my heroine, Margaret, got started on something, I couldn't seem to budge her to go any other way.  We seemed to go round and round over the same ground together.  I could not get her to move on.  Finally, bleary eyed and tired, I had her faint, and slide off the couch.
     I think she'll forgive me tonight, when hunky Dr. Mike shows up.  Obviously, Dr. Barnett was not giving her the care she needed.  My gawd, he didn't even have a first name!  (Of course, I don't think Dr. Mike has a last name.  He could surprise me, but I doubt it.)
     Last night I thought Margaret might fall for Dr. Mike, but today, I'm not so sure.  I think maybe she's going to meet someone else who hasn't entered the picture yet.  We'll see how that goes.
     Margaret has definite ideas about what she will do and what she will not do.  It's all about what's good for the story.  So, hats off to your Margaret, thanks for the help!  ( I don't even know where the names came from.  I started out with a title and vague ideas and the next thing I know, Margaret showed up and took over the story.  She started naming names, having suppers, and decorating rooms.)
     Day #2 begins now. . .

My Sewing Machine is a Frequent Dinner Guest!

    For the past year, my little Singer sewing machine has been sitting on the side of my dining room table. . . .ever at the ready, should I need to stitch up my BOM "mystery quilt block project" quilt blocks.  The Singer has a vinyl cover over it, when not in use; which has saved it from pop spots, tomato sauce spots, Parmesan cheese sprinkles, taco sauce dribbles, cheddar cheese shreds, salt & pepper, and a variety of other indignities.  It's sat there through breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It doesn't eat much, has impeccable table manners, and only speaks when spoken too.
     However, when it comes time to sew, that's another story entirely.  My Singer turns into this Jekyl and Hyde character.  Silent no longer, the quiet guest awakens and it whirls, jiggles, runs flat out at top speed, and the thread flies.  Threads are everywhere; stuck to my hair, my clothes, the table top, the floor, the wall, to guests who happen by, and every nook and cranny that you can imagine.  It eats every type, every color of fabric that I feed it and spits it out with stitches and strings attached.  Manners are forgotten in the frenzy of attaching fabrics, one to another. As I finish the last stitch, in the last block of this month's assignment, my little Singer sighs, as I switch off it's light and unplug it's power cord.  It sits and waits behind a curtain of plastic; safe from food spills, elegant in white vinyl, as it returns to its role as my frequent dinner guest.

Fall-O-Ween Blog Hop

     I've heard of a quilt shop hop, but I've never heard of a "quilt blog hop".  Check this out!  New quilting patterns by well-known quilt designers, everyday, beginning September 27th through October 6th.  Leave a message on each blog on the day that the project posts, and be eligible for prizes, (not to mention that this is a great way to get your blog out there for others to find).  Enjoy!  And good luck. . .

What Does "NaNoWriMo" Mean?

     Is this some strange new language or is this in fact English?  It is, in fact, English.  "NaNoWriMo" stands for "National Novel Writing Month". (Check out the link in "links of note").  During the month of November, people all over the world attempt something that is nearly impossible, maddening, and highly stressful.  They try to write a 50,000 word novel in a month.  Not a complete manuscript by any means, but a roughly rough draft.  This year I am attempting to do the same.  I am going to join with a group at the library and we are all going to attempt this feat of modern novel-dom.  (I do believe that novel-dom should be right up there with "truthiness".  If Stephen Colbert can create words, than so shall I!)
     To get ready for my attempt at "NaNoWriMo" I completed a project that I called "30 poems in 30 days".  I wrote a poem a day for 30 days during the month of July.  I had a general theme and diligently wrote a poem every single day for 30 days.  I enjoyed it so much and my momentum was such that I did not want the project to end.  I currently am revising and editing these poems and I hope to publish them.  Several exceptional poems came out of this writing frenzy that don't fit the theme of the book, so I am going to send those off for publication as individual poems.  What's interesting about the ones that I'm going to publish outside the book, is that they more or less arrived complete and have required little or no editing.
     By the end of year, I will be editing my novel (if all goes well during "NaNoWriMo"), editing my book of poetry, and the other night I happened upon a children's book that I wrote several years ago.  I entered it in a contest years ago.  It didn't win, but I think with some work it could become something great.  (Or not, who knows) 
     I'm glad that you checked in with me today. . .leave me a comment. . .tell me a story . . let me know you're out there. . .

Links of Note

     There are several new additions to my blog today.  I've added a "Links of Note" box.  I'll keep adding, subtracting, and updating links in this area.  So keep watching for new links as I rotate out the old ones and new ones take their place.
     The Silver Needles Quilt Guild link goes directly to the newsletter section.  I've been the newsletter editor for two years now.  I really enjoy it.  I believe I'll continue in this capacity for at least another year.  Maybe longer.  (I'm also serving as the President-Elect = vice president, this year, which means I'm the President next year.  I'll see how that goes)
     The Sunrise Presbyterian Church link goes directly to the church's newsletter section.  I've been the newsletter editor for the church's newsletter since August of 2009.
     Check out the other links, when you have time.  They are quite diverse, as my interests are quite diverse.  You might see something that you didn't know that you were looking for.  That's all for now. . .

Potpourri-a mixture. . .a medley or miscellany

     Have you seen my first ever You Tube video?  If not, check out my archive for July.  I attended an art fair in June and the video features art installations from this nationally juried art fair.  The video is fun, has a musical score, and it's brief.  I don't know how many more of these I'll be creating in the near future, but I do have one planned  for October/November 2010.
     This new video will be from a quilt show.  Silver Needles is a quilt guild that I'm involved with and in October we put on a "quilter's trio" event.  It's a luncheon, quilt show and auction. The tables are decorated, the table hostesses give handmade gifts to their table mates, lots of food, fantastic quilts to view, and unique handmade gifts are auctioned off to the highest bidder.  I almost forgot the most important part.  Every year there is an "opportunity quilt" a bed-size quilt that we sell chances on.  I always buy chances but never win.  I'm hoping I win this year. (The winner of the "opportunity quilt" was Maryglyn Garwood.)  The quilt is not in "my colors" and I think if I had it on my bed it would take me in decorating directions that I haven't previously traveled in.  Did I mention that this is our big fundraiser for the year?  The video should be available in early November.  Be sure and watch for it.
     I have been involved in a year long "mystery quilt" project.  At the next class, the instructor will unveil the finished quilt which I've worked so hard to complete, block by block. I'll be sharing the journey with you, block by block, as well as the additional quilt that I made using the same patterns but a different color scheme.  Watch for additional posts, where I will reveal more information about "The Mystery Quilt Project".
     Until then. . .enjoy life!  Autumn is here!