Friday, November 14, 2008

NaNoWriMo Has Broken Me

Ugh, y'all. Y'ALL. So remember how in my last blog, I said I'd gotten 20K words done on Rebel Belle? Guess how many I've written since then. Yeah, ZERO. My productivity, it is nil. Part of that I think is being smack in the middle of NaNoWriMo, which is thoroughly kicking my ass. However, I have an excuse! Several of them! So here they are, my list of The Four Things Currently Making Rachel Suck At Writing Like Whoa:

1) A Cold

This is the biggest one. I have a particularly yucky cold, like pretty much everyone else on Earth at this time of year. Have you ever tried writing a novel while on prescription strength decongestants? It is not good. It leads to you going back later and being like, "Um... did I write a scene that takes place on the moon? And why are there also unicorns on the moon? Also, why is one character only speaking in vowels?"

2) Unsolved Mysteries

I completely, totally, unabashedly, and unironically LOVE the show Unsolved Mysteries. When I was in college, they used to show it on Lifetime from 10-12 every week day, which meant that you could find me on the couch, bowl of Pasta Roni in hand, every day at those times. Didn't matter if I'd seen every episode (and I have. There is NO segment of Unsolved Mysteries you can whip out that I have not seen), I would sit there and happily let Robert Stack and that scary, scary theme song creep me all the hell out. And now Unsolved Mysteries in back! Okay, so it's on Spike, and since Robert Stack is offering stern narration to the angels now, it's hosted by Dennis Farina. It also has a much less creepy theme song. And, okay, for the most part, it's just re-edited old UM segments. BUT I DO NOT CARE! It's Unsolved Mysteries, and it is AWESOME. It comes on from 12-2 every day, and so, once again, I find myself on the couch at those times. And that means that if I haven't got my writing done by 12, it's probably not happening today. Damn you, Dennis Farina!

3) Gossip Girl

This is the best show ever on TV. Okay, okay, so I was saying that about Battlestar Galactica last month (I'm still right on that, too, though. BG rocks my face off.)But seriously, Gossip Girl is everything that is campy and good. Weirdly enough, I didn't really like the books when they first came out. All the drinking and drugs and casual sex made me get all pearl-clutch-y. Not that I don't know teens drink and do drugs and have sex- I did teach high school, after all!- but there was something so...weird about the way the GG kids did it in the books. It was like they were all 40 but in the bodies of 16 year olds. So I was late coming to the show. But thanks to the wonder of TV on DVD, I'm now getting caught up and it is OMFG SO GOOD! All the scandal is still there, but the actors are-shocker- really good, and so I buy their whole sexually jaded youth thing. Plus, the clothes are amazing. I mean, look at this outfit.



Who dresses like this? Chuck Bass, that's who, and I LOVE IT!

But, again, the temptation to watch Gossip Girl dvds is quite detrimental to writing. And now, the last thing keeping me from NaNoWriMo Glory...

4) Stephen Duncan

That's right, Stephen. You. See, Stephen is Another Awesome Alabama Writer, and he started this most excellent Facebook group, Buy a Book, Save the World. Basically, the publishing industry is taking a hit like, um, EVERY OTHER industry in America, and so BAB,STW is all about getting out there and buying books to help the industry we love so much. So I of course joined this Group of Awesome, and wanted to do my part to save the world.

And have I ever.

Over the past couple of days I have bought (turn away if you're reading this The Husband!) 10 books. TEN, PEOPLE. And they are all so great! I got a bunch of Kate Brian's Private series, and the new Stephen King of short stories (his short stories are even better than his novels as far as I'm concerned), and The Heretic's Daughter, which is GREAT, a series of graphic novels about VICTORIAN MURDER. Is that not the greatest thing ever? Or maybe it just is to me. I'm obsessed with Victorian-era crime. When I went to London a few years back, I was beside myself with joy to go on the Jack the Ripper tour. And trust me, if any of you visit London, you MUST do that!

All of these books are crying out for me to read them, and guess what that means? That's right, Rebel Belle gets sadly neglected.

As they say, tomorrow is another day, and I'm sure I'll be hard at work again soon. But until then, I'll quote Oscar Wilde and say I can resist anything but temptation!

5 comments:

Stephen Duncan said...

I'm blushing!

Wow! 10? That's committed. My TBR pile is getting ever bigger, and some are research books. Interesting stuff those books, but choosing between fiction and research books is akin to deciding between a Limeade at Toomers and an already opened beer that someone left in the fridge who knows how long ago. Who does that, anyway?

At that rate, I'm wondering if I'll ever get undistracted (probably not a word) enough to sit down and write. My zero word count stretch is embarrassing.

Amie Stuart said...

Wow I've only bought three this month. I'm such a loser! LOL

Srsly...I think sometimes new ideas need time to cook. Maybe you've reached the point that RB needs a little simmerin' :)

Carrie Harris said...

Yeah, uh... my characters are speaking in vowels only too. And I am sick, but I have been resisting the urge to medicate. Which I think is actually worse...

I'm joining that group. It's an excuse to buy books, I mean, come on!

Serenity said...

Since I work full time I have a pretty small goal for my novel writing each day, and I still don't accomplish it. Today I added a really beautiful quote that I think will open the book nicely. Sadly, when I'm considering television, a magazine, a book about writing, and/or going to sleep tonight I'm sure I'll say, "Copying a quote by someone else? Yea, that counts."

Stephen Duncan said...

Okay, I'm officially pathetic. Whole weekend. Zero words. I sat down in front of the computer at least 15 times. I know the story. I know exactly where it is going, but this one freakin' part is killing me.