Let’s get 2014 started already

Well, 2013 was supposed to be the Year of the Snake Mouse.

As it turned out, it was more like the Year of the Snake Mouse Curled Up and Hiding in Dry Bush that Served as Camouflage.

I did not have my best year, financially or creatively, for reasons I hinted at in previous posts and am not yet ready to make explicit. I often felt unmotivated, uncertain, unmoored. I didn’t even create a new calendar like I usually do. (Went and bought them at the B&N at 50% off this year after Christmas.)

That will change in 2014. I feel that my mindset is already reverting to normal – if not better. (Sometimes, that happens when you’re not actively trying.)

I’m tired of the way things are now. I’m tired of dragging my feet.

I am ready to dance.

Photo credit: Dalbera (Flickr)

Let’s get the party started.

P.S. Today is our fifth wedding anniversary, too. Right now, we are out there, enjoying our time together.

Note to self

Spend more time (and money) in places like this in 2014:

 

(Photos taken at Bookman, Orange, CA)

No no, NaNoWriMo

In November, I announced that I would attempt two writing goals at the same time: NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). As you can tell by looking at last month’s posts, I succeeded at the former. The latter...not so much.

Needless to say, I did not partake of this cake.
Photo credit: cvillewrimos (Flickr)

 

My participation in NaNoWriMo consisted of fitful writing on paper and a few pages in Word.

 

It looked like this.

 

I learned two facts about myself.

One, I cannot achieve two major writing goals in a month. And have a busier-than-average-for-this-year freelance slate. And help take care of our neighbor. And do all the other things I need to do.

Two, the NaNoWriMo format does not work – for me.

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000-word (or more) novel in the thirty days of November. I did some calculations, and this is what it means:

50,000 words divided by thirty days equals (approximately) 1,667 words per day.

A letter-sized (8.5 x 11 inches) page of words in Courier New font, double-spaced (the usual standard for writing submissions) adds up to about 250 words.

1,667 words divided by 250 equals approximately 6.7 pages per day.

Now, I can write 6.7 pages of fiction on any given day.

I am not sure about writing 6.7 pages of fiction every day for a month – on top of all the other things I must do.

But you know what?

That’s OK.

I don’t need NaNoWriMo to write a novel. Most writers don’t.

If you were to average just one page a day for a whole year, you would end up with 365 pages (on non-leap years). 365 times 250 equals 91,250 words – way above the NaNoWriMo minimum of 50,000.

(Did you notice that there’s more math in this post than in the previous 262 combined?)

If I take just half a year, or six months, I’ll just need to write two pages a day.

Hey...I can do that.

If I keep it in mind...and just do it.

This is not a NaBloPoMo post...

...it's the first of December!

But I just want to show you what I waited for all last week...

...sitting at a coffee shop to read and write.