If you have never heard of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, don't be surprised if you hear a lot about it starting in a few weeks. November is NaNoWriMo and I will be participating in it again this year, and I'm not the only one.
Every year this online event gets larger and more people hear about it. The idea is to write 50,000 words between the first day of November and the last day of the month. It doesn't have to be a great draft, or even a finished one, but it does need to meet or exceed the word count. There are no prizes, other than a great feeling and a certificate and web page badge, but you will have 50,000+ words of your novel written in a first draft, which is nothing to sneeze at, if you ask me.
I have participated several times. The first two times were during my dissertation writing phase and while I thought I could do my dissertation and my novel, I gave up on NaNoWriMo within the first two weeks or so. The third time I was going to finish but ended up uploading some nonfiction I had been writing that month (effectively "winning" the contest but not with a novel--so it was sort of a cheat).
This time I've decided to try again, with the novel that I was supposed to be writing ever since I lost my job at the end of March. I have an outline and a rough draft of the first chapter, but I will need to start fresh and try again starting November 1.
Here is my plan (and you might want to consider something like this if you decide to join the fun and write your own novel):
1. I'm going to use the next two weeks to review my character descriptions and outlines to reflect some changes I have been considering to the plot, structure, and characters. If you are starting from scratch, this is a great time to make some decisions about what sort of novel you want to write and make some notes or outlines about your plans.
2. I'm going to get some work for other projects done ahead of time (some publicity work for one of my volunteer groups which has an event in mid-November, for instance, could be prepared early, which will be good for the group and good for my ability to work on my novel).
3. I plan to set aside specific writing times where I am not allowed to look at online forums, blogs, or web comics. I am completely addicted to the internet and it is a problem.
4. I've been reading several books in the last few weeks. I will read a few more before the end of October, and think about how these books structure their plot and introduce new characters. I will also look at passages where I like the dialogue and see if I can figure out what works for these authors. I hope this will improve my own writing.
5. I will not only update my word count on the NaNoWriMo site but I'll keep an Excel spreadsheet which I had downloaded last year which allows me to track my progress and whether I am meeting my writing goals for the day.
I am hoping that this year I will be able to "win" legitimately, for the novel I planned to write when I started the month.
Are you planning on joining in on the fun? What techniques do you plan on using? Have you "won" in previous NaNoWriMo years? What helped you do so (or got in the way)? Let me know in the comments, if you are out there.
Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Social Media and Attention
Twitter. Facebook. MySpace. Blogs. Forums. Social Media is everywhere. If you are on the internet, you probably participate in at least one of these forms of social media, whether you are reading a blog (like this one) or post your information on Facebook or MySpace.
Several questions arise from this new medium of communication. One, should we post so much about ourselves in such places? Two, are we becoming a generation of self-obsessed writers? and, Three, what do we do about information overload with so much media to consume?
The first question is the one which is taking up the column inches in the traditional media. Because of Facebook's changing privacy options, people are suddenly up in arms about the lack of privacy and control over our information. Apparently some people have been posting private details of their lives on the internet without realizing that other people might see it.
This always amuses me. I have several websites and recently joined Facebook and Twitter. I did this partly to use social media to promote the organizations I belong to. It was easier to set up group pages in Facebook if I knew how to do it with a personal page. Now I'm addicted to reading the updates of my friends. I also set up a Twitter feed for an event I am working on and, although I have few followers, I do participate in conversations on Twitter from time to time (93 tweets in almost 3 weeks).
I also run this blog, anonymously, because I know that anything I put on the internet can be seen by others--that's the whole point of it. While I know that my identity could be discovered, fairly easily, I figured that by posting here anonymously I would at least stop the easy connection to my name by Google and other basic searches. That way I could discuss fears and anxieties without immediate problems in my job search.
The default for posting on the web should be--this will be seen by others and will, for a long time, be associated with my name. It may be used by spammers and marketers. It is certainly not private. That takes care of the first concern people have about social media. If you don't expect privacy from things you post on the internet (and therefore you pick and you chose what you put up there), then there isn't an issue.
The second question is a bit more complex. There are a lot of jokes on the internet (and serious discussions as well) about how people are detailing the inane everyday actions of their lives as if others should care. People use Twitter to post that they're going out to eat or post their dinner menu as their Facebook status. Everyone and their uncle, it seems, starts blogs thinking that they can earn money through posting about their day.
It is possible that one aspect of social media has been to give everyone a voice--and that the expectation that we have to be heard (and should expect to be heard) has led to unsupportable social behavior--a generation who believes that every thought should have an audience (and deserves one).
When printing was hard, you had to work to get your thoughts a larger audience. Only a few could expect an audience and not every thought was deemed worthy of print. Now that there is no barrier to getting your thought to an audience, the overall quality of the thoughts being printed is much lower (because there are substantially more thoughts going out to the public). There is plenty of good material going out but it is accompanied by a huge slew of lesser quality.
However, I do believe that the good thoughts, worthy of an audience, are still out there and more and more people are discovering their ability to communicate (having been given the chance, something not possible even 50 years ago). This is a good thing, even if it is harder to find the good writing in the avalanche of people expressing themselves.
Naturally, this avalanche of people posting information on the web leads to the third issue of social media--the overload when consuming media. I can hardly believe how much time I spend each day on the computer. My laptop is opened when I wake and is closed when I go to sleep. Most of the day it is my constant companion. I check my email constantly, then check my RSS feeds, look at Facebook and check Twitterfall for my search terms.
I am addicted and almost feel twitchy when away from it for too long. I never meant to get so involved with all of it. I only started reading blogs about 4 or 5 years ago. I joined Facebook and Twitter this year. I've had my own websites for much, much longer but it wasn't a constant thing to maintain every day.
There is so much out there. I could web surf all day and still feel like there was more to consume. The information overload coming to us is tremendous and nonstop. I don't have an answer for this. Perhaps each person has to create artificial limits to keep it under control. I just know that I have subscribed to three more blogs recently and it feels like the information avalanche is simply too much at times.
Social Media pulls at our attention all of the time, and also flatters us with the idea that other people are paying attention to us. Either way, it is addicting. While the ability to get published, easily, is a wonderful benefit, it also means that we get drowned in triviality and mundane observations and, simply, too much information (even if much of it is wonderful).
It's a curse...and a blessing. How much of either it is depends on how we manage it.
Several questions arise from this new medium of communication. One, should we post so much about ourselves in such places? Two, are we becoming a generation of self-obsessed writers? and, Three, what do we do about information overload with so much media to consume?
The first question is the one which is taking up the column inches in the traditional media. Because of Facebook's changing privacy options, people are suddenly up in arms about the lack of privacy and control over our information. Apparently some people have been posting private details of their lives on the internet without realizing that other people might see it.
This always amuses me. I have several websites and recently joined Facebook and Twitter. I did this partly to use social media to promote the organizations I belong to. It was easier to set up group pages in Facebook if I knew how to do it with a personal page. Now I'm addicted to reading the updates of my friends. I also set up a Twitter feed for an event I am working on and, although I have few followers, I do participate in conversations on Twitter from time to time (93 tweets in almost 3 weeks).
I also run this blog, anonymously, because I know that anything I put on the internet can be seen by others--that's the whole point of it. While I know that my identity could be discovered, fairly easily, I figured that by posting here anonymously I would at least stop the easy connection to my name by Google and other basic searches. That way I could discuss fears and anxieties without immediate problems in my job search.
The default for posting on the web should be--this will be seen by others and will, for a long time, be associated with my name. It may be used by spammers and marketers. It is certainly not private. That takes care of the first concern people have about social media. If you don't expect privacy from things you post on the internet (and therefore you pick and you chose what you put up there), then there isn't an issue.
The second question is a bit more complex. There are a lot of jokes on the internet (and serious discussions as well) about how people are detailing the inane everyday actions of their lives as if others should care. People use Twitter to post that they're going out to eat or post their dinner menu as their Facebook status. Everyone and their uncle, it seems, starts blogs thinking that they can earn money through posting about their day.
It is possible that one aspect of social media has been to give everyone a voice--and that the expectation that we have to be heard (and should expect to be heard) has led to unsupportable social behavior--a generation who believes that every thought should have an audience (and deserves one).
When printing was hard, you had to work to get your thoughts a larger audience. Only a few could expect an audience and not every thought was deemed worthy of print. Now that there is no barrier to getting your thought to an audience, the overall quality of the thoughts being printed is much lower (because there are substantially more thoughts going out to the public). There is plenty of good material going out but it is accompanied by a huge slew of lesser quality.
However, I do believe that the good thoughts, worthy of an audience, are still out there and more and more people are discovering their ability to communicate (having been given the chance, something not possible even 50 years ago). This is a good thing, even if it is harder to find the good writing in the avalanche of people expressing themselves.
Naturally, this avalanche of people posting information on the web leads to the third issue of social media--the overload when consuming media. I can hardly believe how much time I spend each day on the computer. My laptop is opened when I wake and is closed when I go to sleep. Most of the day it is my constant companion. I check my email constantly, then check my RSS feeds, look at Facebook and check Twitterfall for my search terms.
I am addicted and almost feel twitchy when away from it for too long. I never meant to get so involved with all of it. I only started reading blogs about 4 or 5 years ago. I joined Facebook and Twitter this year. I've had my own websites for much, much longer but it wasn't a constant thing to maintain every day.
There is so much out there. I could web surf all day and still feel like there was more to consume. The information overload coming to us is tremendous and nonstop. I don't have an answer for this. Perhaps each person has to create artificial limits to keep it under control. I just know that I have subscribed to three more blogs recently and it feels like the information avalanche is simply too much at times.
Social Media pulls at our attention all of the time, and also flatters us with the idea that other people are paying attention to us. Either way, it is addicting. While the ability to get published, easily, is a wonderful benefit, it also means that we get drowned in triviality and mundane observations and, simply, too much information (even if much of it is wonderful).
It's a curse...and a blessing. How much of either it is depends on how we manage it.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Power of Language
I went to a lecture earlier this week that focused on the power of language and how to "do" Shakespeare in a way which is the most empowering to the words and, therefore, the acting of the words.
I was struck by something that has always been a big part of my life--the power of words. I used to talk to my students about the power of language, to change people's minds, to effect them, to hurt and to heal. Words matter. This is why I have always been a reader, because I'm inspired by the power of narrative. I love a good story. I get caught up in reading in a way that nothing else has ever done.
Shakespeare was an early influence on me. He is one of several authors whose use of language compels me to read and re-read his works. They are old friends, whose visage returns to me in times of trouble. I will often find bits and pieces of my favorite authors' words in my mind, comforting me and enriching my life.
Today I'm posting just a short piece, to remind you of the power of language. Words matter. We should use them carefully. This means not only caring about what we write (and how we write it) but also to think about what we speak. Words we speak or write can have a profound effect on those around us. Let's make our words count and make a positive difference.
Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. ~James Michener
I was struck by something that has always been a big part of my life--the power of words. I used to talk to my students about the power of language, to change people's minds, to effect them, to hurt and to heal. Words matter. This is why I have always been a reader, because I'm inspired by the power of narrative. I love a good story. I get caught up in reading in a way that nothing else has ever done.
Shakespeare was an early influence on me. He is one of several authors whose use of language compels me to read and re-read his works. They are old friends, whose visage returns to me in times of trouble. I will often find bits and pieces of my favorite authors' words in my mind, comforting me and enriching my life.
Today I'm posting just a short piece, to remind you of the power of language. Words matter. We should use them carefully. This means not only caring about what we write (and how we write it) but also to think about what we speak. Words we speak or write can have a profound effect on those around us. Let's make our words count and make a positive difference.
Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. ~James Michener
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