Friday, November 7, 2008

Smiling through gritted teeth

Random crabby thoughts...
  • To everyone who thinks that the outcome of the recent election is "the worst day in American history" and the end of freedoms and the descent of the Marxist state, I say: really? When the rest of the world seems to be celebrating the change, I have to think this result not as bad as it's being painted. Shockingly, I do think that global opinion of the U.S. is important, and that it's surely taken a beating in the last eight years. Perhaps we need to think about ourselves more as citizens of the world, and not saviors. Just a thought.
  • I'm sure it was meant well, but Backdate's latest post is a bit upsetting. Vesuvio, I'm sorry that I'm airing this here, but you seem to have left comments locked on the topic. NaNo isn't a path to published greatness, and I get what you're doing with the mock comparisons, but it rang a little harsh to my ears. No paid authors were harmed during the production of this event, and I think very few people have realistic aspirations of a publishing career from anything written in these four weeks. The world might be a little more interesting if more people did pick up a trumpet, a camera, or a paintbrush and see what they could produce. Can't we all just get along?
  • The hardest thing about sacrificing my lunch hour to the Brigade has been weaning myself from the lunchtime walks and (worse yet) the thrift stores. Gahhh, and it's sunny today, too. I don't want to break the mojo by taking an afternoon off, but still... wahhh.
  • After some back-and-forthing, we now have a number of AlphaSmart Pro's at home. My wife's original one, one other slated for me, and a bonus third one that's gone to my son. I'm staying typewriter-pure for November, but am seriously eyeballing this as the means to forge my final typed revision into digital form. Best of both words, and more flumping on the sofa in December, something not do-able with the big standard Royal.
Have a good weekend, and lots of word-count to the NaNo'ers out there.

5 comments:

Monda said...

Random crabby responses:

1. If people didn't want to elect Obama, he wouldn't be our next president. I know that's been an iffy kind of thing to say in past presidential elections, but 53% to 46% is a clean win. Will of the people an such.

2. Oh, Backdate. What are you going to do instead? The whole tone there reminded me of teaching AP English years ago. You know, those brilliant students who never turn anything in? Yet are always more clever and glib than anyone else? Besides. I fully intend to dance across Oprah's stage with a hard copy of my NaNo novel. Eventually.

3. I'm behind in my word count goals. Teaching gets in the way. My Perfect Grandson needs hugging. My daughter needs a pep talk. Life happens and so what? I'm not quitting.

4. All of you AlphaSmarts are going to make me throw down the money. I can feel it coming. I'm weak like that.

Strikethru said...

1.) I second Monda. If you're not comfortable with democracy, you're in the wrong country.

2.) I have definitely tried a type of NaGoghMo and thought it was a hoot.

3.) Get out and get a little of that sun and hit a thrift store. A man has to have a break from literary pursuits to remain well-rounded!

Olivander said...

Vesuvio's type rear their pretentious rears every year. You can't possibly call yourself a real writer unless you are capable of turning out brilliant novels worthy of first-draft submission to a major publishing house on the first go. These are people who are so insecure in their own talent that they feel it necessary to cut down even those who never intend to publish their work, who are doing it just for fun. ("Fun? Writing isn't supposed to be fun! It's supposed to be torturous, soul-wrenching labor! Real writers carry their angst for all to see.")

Feh.

Elizabeth H. said...

The way I see it, a lot of writing is kind of like photography: you may have to burn a couple of rolls to get that one magnificent shot that makes it all worth it. And that's how I see NaNoWriMo: it gives you permission to shoot the roll. And while a lot of what you come out with won't be worth keeping, there will be a few marvelous gems here and there. Those who try to get those gems without being OK with the rest may well be doomed to failure.

And honestly, although there are those (especially some of the younger crowd) who just try to produce as much text as possible, in reality, 50k in a month's time is perfectly doable. I can get in the daily goal by writing an hour in the morning, during lunch, and another half hour to an hour in the evening. That's a lot, but it's not ridiculous. And if I can hold on to just one of those three times after November ends, my story will move forward a steady 500-1000 words a day. That would seem a prodigious goal, without the NaNoExperience to temper my views.

mpclemens said...

I'm trying not to buy into the hatin' but I guess the "anybody can write" idea is bothersome to some folks. No, not everyone can write well but given the kind of crowd that literary events like NaNo or poetry slams or the like attract, I'm inclined to believe that there's going to be more gems than turds, to be blunt.