Story Snippets // NaNo Update No. 3

As you can see I didn't get this post published over the weekend as I had planned.  All I can say is, that's life, people.   And you gotta live with it.   Eh, what?

The story I worked on during NaNo was actually a continuation of this story snippet which I shared with you in a post back in July.  So if you didn't read that post, and would like a little more background information, I suggest you go and read that first.  Then you can come back here and torture yourself with more.  Okay?  Okay. 



Now my story is not about a little girl, but I thought this picture was cute,
so we'll just say this is the heroine when she was young.  How's that?

Without further ado...

My story (or rather, bits of it).

*****

This Billy of whom Rosa spoke so fondly--and whom, at this point, we must assume to be the hero of our story simply on account of his current relationship to our heroine--was not by any means a man to catch the eye of the female population.  His appearance in itself was not prepossessing--in fact, he was extremely ordinary--and his manners were nothing to write home about, for though not bad, they were certainly not genteel (a fact which rendered him rather "blah" in the eyes of romantic-minded girls.)  He was short, which unfortunately has not been the popular stature for young heroes this many a day--a tall man always being preferable where romance is concerned--and he also had a horrible habit, when taking a romantic walk with his girl by his side, of forgetting that he was supposed to be "in love" and acting as if he were merely a young boy strolling down the lane with his best buddy.  No wonder Rosa shivered at the thought of such a man.

     "Anyway!"  Rosa cried, sitting up abruptly and giving her head a good shake as if to clear it of all unpleasant thoughts.  "Why are we sitting here talking about Billy?  I can think of a hundred and one subjects more palatable than that one.  And besides we've entirely strayed from the original thread of our conversation.  Which was, will you come out with me and have a little fun this evening?"

     Nancy turned back to her desk with an air of one bent on conquering a most irksome task.  "No, I think I'd better not.  Anyway, I'm not feeling very sociable tonight."
    
     "You're never feeling sociable," Rosa exclaimed.  "And you need to stop it.  You wanted to come to college, and a big part of college is being around people.  So interact with them more.  Make some friends, for goodness sake!"

     "I have friends.  You and Eva."

     "We're your roommates.  We don't count.  Come on, Nan.  Make an effort."

     "I can't," Nancy said, with a long drawn-out sigh.  "I haven't the strength for it.  Math's taken everything out of me."

     "Oh!  Would you forget about math already?"

*****

Something inside her snapped.  Slamming her book shut, she shoved it and all her scattered papers into the top drawer of her desk, and threw herself onto her bed.  She was failing at this.  All of it.  Why was she such a weakling?  Why with every thought of home did she grow sad and shaky inside?  It was natural enough for her to feel a little homesick when she first came away to college, but that was eight weeks ago now.  And she'd been home for a visit just about every other weekend.  So what was her problem? 

She had chosen to come to college because she wished to study music.    She and Rosa had, had it planned ever since they were in grade school.  Rosa would write the songs, and then she and Nancy would sing them.  Together they would travel the world sharing their music with vast audiences of people.  It had been a dream they had shared for as long as Nancy could remember, and as far as she could tell, it was still her dream.  What then was this endless tugging of her heart toward home?  Was she just being a fraidy-cat?  So comfortable in her own little corner of the world that she was too scared to step out of it and try her wings? Or was she trying her wings in the wrong direction? 

*****

Nancy had never known any other home than the little white house on the corner of ----- Street; the white house with the dark red shutters, the spacious front porch, and the gray window boxes (which window boxes by the by never had any flowers in them anymore because the Roths were experts at killing plants, and had finally decided--after a great many successes in that line--that growing things just to kill them was a bit counterproductive.  Not to mention a waste of time.) 

So yes, there were no flowers in the window boxes, but that didn't keep the Roths' home from being one of the prettiest spots in the neighborhood nonetheless.  And in Nancy's mind, one of the prettiest spots in the whole world.

*****

     "I do miss home so much, though," Nancy said, dropping her head onto Billy's shoulder and sighing audibly.

     Billy put his arm around her in a comforting, protective manner, and assured her that "home missed her, too."

     "And Billy?" Nancy asked, peering up at him with a smile.  "Does he miss me?"

     "All the time."

     "Funny," Nancy mused, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.  "Seems to me I heard him say this very day how I was coming home too often, he never had a chance to miss me."  She sat up and gave him a triumphant look which said plain as plain, "There now, young man, I've backed you into a corner.  What are you going to do about it?"

     Billy just grinned.

*****

Billy was a firm believer in the old maxim: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  Perfection was something he never strove for.  He'd seen enough from watching his oldest brother to know that it was a never ending pursuit, and frankly he didn't have time to worry about such things.  Life was too good, and too short, to waste time chasing after stars.

*****

All of a sudden Nancy had the sense that someone was watching her.  Ending her song abruptly she turned around and saw him standing at the back of the room.  The young man who had stared at her with such admiration at the end of last week's choir practice.  That him whom she'd almost forgotten about and yet remembered so vividly now that he was standing before her. 

     "I'm sorry if I startled you," he said, smiling apologetically.  "It was just too pretty to pass by.  You sound like a chirrupy little bird when you sing.  (Oh, dear.  I do hope that was a compliment.  I definitely meant it to be one.)"  He added quickly.

     Nancy laughed and stammered out something about it "being a very nice compliment indeed."  She felt enormously awkward knowing that he'd been listening to her sing without her knowledge, but she couldn't help but respond kindly to him all the same.  There was a sweetness about him that endeared him to her somehow.  Perhaps it was the way his right eye almost winked at you whenever he smiled.  It gave him the look of a mischievous little boy, and truth be told, Nancy had a weakness for mischievous little boys. 

*****

"Maybe it was something I did.  Oh, Rosa.  Do you think we've grown apart since I've been at college?  Maybe I've changed.  Maybe Billy doesn't feel like he knows me anymore.  Maybe I've been too distracted and busy to realize that we're going in two different directions."

Nancy's face was a perfect picture of despair now, and Rosa's heart smote her.  She had no idea Nancy would take it this way.  She had been so upset by Billy's behavior and so eager to smash him for it, that she hadn't realized she'd been depending all the time on there being a logical explanation which would totally clear him and make everything right again.  And she had expected Nancy to have that explanation.  Yet here she was, totally taken aback by this report and actually questioning hers and Billy's relationship.  This was far worse than Rosa could have imagined.

"I think I've lost him, Rosa.  I've lost Billy, and it's all my fault."

    

 ~*~

Well, there you have it.  And now, confession time.  First, the second to last snippet was written as a snippet, specifically for this post, because I haven't actually written that scene yet, but I wanted to introduce you to the "other young man of the story" anyway.  (Just because.  I thought it would be more interesting that way.)  Also, the last snippet was a scene I wrote out of order.  I'm definitely not that far along in the story yet.  But I wanted to include that, too, because...well, I wanted to have some sort of suspense for you all.  And it is suspenseful, right?  I mean, you're all really confused now as to whether or not I've changed my mind about Billy and Nancy ending up together, right?  RIGHT?  (Don't give me that knowing look.) 

Okay, so please tell me what you think.  You can be honest with me.  I hardly expect you can be more critical of my writing than I am of it myself, so tell me truly.  What did you think of these?  Any glaring faults?  Are you--even the tiniest bit--curious to know more?  And just because I enjoy talking about my characters, is there any one character in particular that you'd like to read more about?  

Seriously, let's talk about it!  :)

What I Learned // NaNo Update No. 2

(Sorry you have to endure two posts from me in one day, but I'm going to be working all day tomorrow and I really wanted to get these updates published so that I can stop thinking about them.  The third and final post will be coming sometime this weekend, hopefully.  And no, you needn't worry, it's not going to be another long rant about how I can't write because that would be silly, especially as I shall be sharing story snippets in that post and there's no point in stating the obvious.  :P  (I'm sorry.  Do I enjoy insulting myself, or what?) 

Moving on to the subject of this post.  What I learned while participating in National Novel Writing Month...

~I am a very lazy writer.

If the words don't start flowing within the first five minutes or so, I give it up as a bad job and decide that perhaps after all today is not the day for genius to burn.

~Keeping track of how many words one writes can be very rewarding.

But mostly discouraging, especially when one's word count is rising at the rate of 9 1/2 words per hour.   (Yes, I did the math.  30 days.  720 hours.  6948 words. Average it out and it comes to just about 9 1/2 words per hour.  Yeah, I think it's pathetic, too.)

~With all the time in the world, writing a 50,000 word novel in a month is an absolute cinch!

But do I have all the time in the world?  No.  I don't think so.  (There was bound to be a catch somewhere.)

~Practically everyone believes in me!

Practically everyone, that is, except that one stick in the mud, me.  (Spoil-sport.  Look, I know you don't like to go with the crowd but on a matter such as this, couldn't you be a bit more obliging?)

~I have a talent for saying way too much in my writing, while at the same time saying very little. 

It's the art of overly-descriptive, semi-repetitive, jibber jabber.

~I'm horrible at transitioning from one scene to another. 

Okay.  Forget transitions.  I'm horrible at writing scenes, period.  I have such a hard time making my characters do things.  I can make them talk, but what do I make them do?  How do I move them from one room to another without describing every single step they take?  How do I make a scene come alive with just a few simple words? 

~It's commonly said that NaNo is a risk to one's sanity...and even perhaps to one's life.  Well, it had nothing on me.  I survived it quite easily.

It's called admitting when you're licked and knowing when to beat a retreat.  Like one week in, perhaps, before the stress really begins to do things to you.  Just fall back.  Chill.  Give up.  Quit.  Ruuuuuun!  (Hey, it worked for me.  It can work for you.  Just trying to preserve lives here.)

~I hate my writing with a vengeance.  It makes me SO mad.

Because it rarely does what I want it to do.  And it rarely sounds how I want it to sound.  It's just the orneriest thing ever!

~Making up stories is fun!

No.  Making up stories is tragic.  Especially when you're bursting to get your characters out onto the page so you can read about them...but they simply won't be got out.  They're stuck.  Oh! the pain!

~It's one thing to know what sounds good in a story, and quite another to actually go and write it.

Couldn't have said it better myself!  (Wait!  I did say that!)

~Some people simply don't know when to quit.

I am speaking specifically of Natalie.  Honestly, people, I tried all month long to set her a good example of how to quit, but she never caught onto it.  She just kept going, going, going.  Like she was in the middle of a writing challenge or something.  (Mwhahaha.)  Seriously, though, she did an awesome job!   I won't tell you what her final word count was because she may want to tell you that herself, but I assure you, it totally and completely put my word count to shame.  YAY FOR NATALIE!

And while I'm on the subject of congratulating those strange people who stuck with this thing through the whole month, I have to mention Kate Marie.  Because apparently she didn't get the "it's time to quit" memo either.  She went and wrote 50,000 words...plus some!  And did it all by hand, too, which ...*shivers*... let's not even talk about that, okay?  Congratulations, Kate, my friend!  Remind me never to try and race you in writing a story. 

~Failing to reach a desired word count is nothing compared to failing to express oneself properly. 

I'll be honest and say I'm still a little shaken about my ability to write.  I mean, I'm writing right now, so obviously I can write.  But what I mean is, my ability to write stories.  Because it's a completely different ballgame.  And actually I'm beginning to think I really don't know how to do it. 

In other words...

~I HATE WRITING!

But somehow I have a feeling I'm going to go right on doing it just the same.  Why is that?

For those of you who participated in NaNo this year, tell me, how did it go for you?  Are you glad November is over?
And for all of you, how was your November?  Did you have a good Thanksgiving?  Have you decorated for Christmas yet?

Talk to you soon! 

Sincerely, Miss March

Well, I'm back // NaNo Update No. 1

Good-day, old chaps.  I'm here to announce to you that I have officially made it through National Novel Writing Month!  (And yes, I know you're simply bursting with pride at my accomplishment, but please hold your applause.  I haven't told you the half of it yet.)

 

Now.  Are you ready to hear about my bold and daring exploit?  My courageous endurance in the face of such alarming odds?  My perseverance, my strength of character, my stick-to-itivness.  In other words, are you prepared to be blown away by my utter brilliance, and dazzled by my extreme novel writing abilities?

Well then, be amazed, folks!  For I, Miss March, wrote an earth-shattering 6,948 words in just 30 days! 

Aren't you absolutely astounded?  I have a feeling you must be.  Though maybe not by my brilliance, so much as by my utter lack of it.  Because, yes, folks.  6,000 words is piddling.  I knows it.  And I'm sure you're all wondering now how I could possibly have managed, after all this time, to come up 44,000 words short of the goal. 
 

Well, I'll tell you.  It's a trick I've learned, see?  I'm calling it the "Miss March Maneuver", but ordinary people usually just refer to it as "giving up."  There's nothing to it, really.  And yes, that's pretty much what I did.  Though not completely, mind you.  I continued to think about my story all month long, and wrote out a scene now and then whenever the mood struck me; but as for real, focused, determined work.  No.  I'm afraid that went out after the first week.

Here's the process in a nutshell:

Week 1:  Sits down at desk with loads of good intentions.  Starts writing.  Gets stuck.  Goes and cries.  Comes back.  Writes more.  Feels good about it.  The end.

Week 2:  After a weekend of feeling majorly stressed out, Miss March returns to work with the intention to relax...which translates into having no motivation whatsoever.  Sits down at the desk.  Thinks about writing.  Gets up, leaves the room, and watches Get Smart instead.

Week 3:  Manages to write a little more than last week (which isn't saying much).   Feels fairly content with the idea of failure, especially as there doesn't seem to be much chance of anything else at this point.

Week 4:  Watches a certain friend's word count go up at a steady and consistent pace, and suddenly decides it's time to put a little more effort into this thing.  So she does.  A very little effort.  Writes another whole scene.  Woohoo!

Week 5:  Plans to write two more scenes.  Doesn't succeed.  Cries.  Despairs of ever being a writer.  Has a sudden, unexplainable mood change and finishes out the month actually feeling semi-hopeful that one day she will write a story.  (Don't even ask.  Her moods are constantly changing.  I can't keep up with them.)

*****

So, yeah.   That's about the size of it.  The month certainly didn't turn out as originally planned.  I had, of course, intended at the beginning to be much more purposeful about reaching 50,000 words, but...well...that was before I knew what I was really getting into.  It's okay, though.  Despite my failure to come within shooting distance  of that elusive word count, I still consider this month to be a success.  Because hey!  I actually started a story!  And that, for me, is huge. 

And I love my story.  Not so much how it's turned out on paper so far, but the story in my head.  Doing NaNo certainly pushed me to think about it a lot, and a plot has now begun to take shape in my mind, which is super encouraging.  (You know, because it's always nice to have a bit of an idea where your story is headed...) 

I still very much want to finish this story someday, but as a dear friend so kindly pointed out to me: "Some stories just need more time to simmer. This may not have been the right time for every plot detail and character to come together in your story, and that's all right. That day will come soon, I'm sure."  Thank you, dear friend!

And thank you to ALL of you for being so kind and encouraging to me this past month!  You all are the best! :)
 

"Miss March, you are not a quitter!"

"Would you care to bet on that?"



 

"You have a talent for writing."

 

 

"Is that so?  Well, I should like to know where it runs off to then, every time I need it."

 

"And writing a novel is really not that difficult, if you will but work at it."

 

"Pardon me, but wherever did you get such a ridiculous notion?" 

 

"It is entirely possible for you to complete your word count each day." 

 

"Do NOT speak to me of word counts. You poison my tea with such talk." 

 

"All you have to do is set aside one half hour--or even an hour--each day to devote to this task, and you will be a winner."

 

"You're kidding, right?  ME?  Write a thousand and more words in the space of an hour?  What utter nonsense!  It simply can't be done!!"

 

"It can be done.  All it requires is a bit of strength and determination.

 

"Which you know quite well I haven't got..."

 

"You must see this thing through."

 

"Why must I, Jeeves?"

 

"Because...

 

 The world needs your novel!"

 

"Oh, I say!  Is that all?  Well then, the world may just have to learn to do without it...and not be so selfish."

 

 

Do any of you get the feeling that my novel isn't coming along so well right now, and that I'm looking for ways to distract myself from seriously thinking about it?  Well, if so, you are entirely correct.  My novel is giving me grief, people.  Enormous amounts of grief. 

 

But let us not end on that note.  Let us be positive!!  Tomorrow is a new day, my friends! A new beginning!  And I am positive...

 

That my novel will be giving me grief tomorrow, too...

 

November is shaping up to be a very busy month...

So busy in fact that I've decided I probably need to take another blogging break.  I really hate to do that since I just took a month long break back in August, but...desperate times call for desperate measures.

And yes.  The current situation really is desperate.

Because you see, I've gone and signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which means that for the next thirty days I'm to be working on writing a novel.  A 50,000 word novel!  Which is totally ridiculous, considering that I'm horrible at writing full fledged stories.  I mean, I've never even written a decent short story before, so how in the world am I going to write a 50,000 word novel? 

Yep, I think I've just gone crazy.  (And I blame Natalie and Cordy for this problematic situation, because I am not "the kind of girl to do this sort of thing, if I had been properly looked after."  But it seems they encouraged me too much, and now here I am.)

So yeah.  Just wanted to let you all know that you probably won't be hearing as much from over the next month.  I'll miss you, but I'll look forward to catching up with all of you come December.  :)

Also, I wanted to remind you that Rose is hosting a Classic Hollywood blog party over at her blog the first week of November.  Anyone is welcome to join in, so head on over there and enjoy the fun!

Have a lovely week, my friends! 

And Happy Thanksgiving!! 

(You know, just in case I don't have time to wish you happiness on the actual holiday.) 

(Better early than never, I always say.)