The Purple Bar: Nirvana

Sunday, November 29, 2009


NaNoWriMo Soundtrack song that was playing when I validated the win: "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. I came with no plot. No plot? No problem! ;)

On Nov. 1st I had absolutely no idea what to write. I knew Lily's story wasn't finished, but didn't have any ideas about where it was going to go. This month has been a series of discoveries and moments of amazement as I watched her story unfold on the page before me. I started this journey last year with other writers from all around the globe. I've 'met' some wonderful people, and received so much encouragement from everyone. I can't tell you how much of a 'wannabe' writer I felt like when I started my first NaNoWriMo last year. Could I do it? Was I just fooling myself? Could I do this and dare to call myself a 'novelist' when I had yet to publish a novel? (Notice I said 'yet' to publish a novel. I'm a firm believer in mentally manifesting what you desire. The universe usually delivers. It will happen, hopefully soon.)

I'd wanted to be a novelist ever since I was fourteen years old and read "The Shining" by Stephen King. I didn't sleep for three days and was constantly nervous. I startled at the slightest noise, for certain Jack Torrance was after me with an axe.

I had my "Aha!" moment right then and there. I wanted to be a novelist. I wanted to write novels that made people lose track of time. To forget the dishes in the sink, the bills, their problems. And look up at the clock amazed that they had been reading for hours. That's the kind of writer I wanted to be. And I still want to be a writer on that level of skill. I'm not comparing myself to Stephen King. That would be insane on my part. He's the Master of Horror, and always will be in my book. But it's his level of skill and ability to take me out of my own world and put me in his that I admire. And it's a world that I don't want to leave once I'm in it. That's what I want to achieve as a novelist. To take my readers out of their world and put them in the one I've put down on paper. And make them want to stay in that world I created, and be filled with regret when they reach the last page and have to leave.

But last year when I finished "Cast the Circle Widdershins" and not only tied up the plot in the ending but also a sub-plot, I was amazed. I couldn't believe I had tied up all the loose ends without even thinking about it very much. I thought, "Maybe I can do this again. Maybe I can tell a story, and it be good."

And I must say that this story is really getting good, even if I did write it. I'm anxious to find out what happens myself. :)

"Cast the Circle Widdershins" isn't finished. And neither is "Call the Four Corners". I've yet to type "The End" on this second novel in a series of four.

Stay tuned. It's going to be a wild ride.


P.S. Happy Birthday, Toney. I miss you.




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Nanolysers are Awesome

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Here's mine: Helen's Nanolyser

P.S. I'm sorry to disappoint you if you click on my profile link in the sidebar for Book Marketing Network. You won't see much there until December as I haven't had time to personalize my profile. Check back next month please. ;)




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Over the 25k Mark: It's a Downhill Ride from Here

Sunday, November 15, 2009


After writing over 4,000 words in 24 hours I have finally hit the halfway mark. Final word count for tonight: 26,184. And it's all thanks to Alternate Shift at Work who as far as I know actually showed up on the job today. Don't even think about calling in tomorrow. Seriously.

The Most Honorable Mentions go to:
1. My family and friends who have unceasingly cheered me on every day this month.
2. My Fellow Scribes on Facebook and Twitter. You are an invaluable source of inspiration. And I do have quite a few cheerleaders on both networks. Thanks Tammy, Kathy L. and Kathryn on FB. And KVLong, Devon Ellington, Kippras, Nanda, JordanDrew, tamlynleigh, MoonStaress and the rest of my fellow writers and my NaNo family on Twitter.
3. My Alabama North Regional Municipal Liasons on the NaNoWriMo site. Thanks so much Amy and Brian, and everyone else in the Region!
4. Liquid Story Binder. You make writing a wonderful experience. Even the times when I have no more words left and I want to pull my hair out. You have many pretty bells and whistles that I can play with while I'm waiting for my Muse to whisper in my ear. Or for inspiration to strike. Whichever comes first.
5. My awesome heating pad that has a "Stay On" feature. It's tied to the back of my chair with shoestrings. It's been like that since last November. I've never taken it down. I think it will take up permanent residence there due to the fact that I will be living in Edit Hell in December.
6. Elvira, the most wonderful computer in the world. She has been holding up wonderfully, but I'm starting to believe she'd telling me that I have been working her way too hard for the past year. She seems very tired. Along with her, my back and my knees are telling me I really need a netbook so I can cut this invisible chain that has me tied to my chair. Then writing at work with LSB won't be a problem when Alternate Shift @ Work calls in every week on one of my off days.
7. My AlphaSmart 2000. This thing has really saved me on the word count. If not for it I would be so far behind I would probably give up. I'm grateful I have it. It was a mere $20 on eBay. But it won't run LSB, and I find myself forgetting essential plot points when I'm writing at work because I can't go back in previous chapters and check the details. Yes, I do believe it's time for the netbook. I am already saving up.

I'll have more Honorable Mentions on the 30th. This is enough for today. It's off to bed now. I have tomorrow off as well (do you hear that AS@W?) and I want to get as far ahead as possible. It's too nerve-wracking for me to be behind. It aggravates me on a physical level to the nth degree. That's not good.

It's feels so good to be coasting downhill.

On to 50k!




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Digital Life: The Exponential Growth Rate of Information

Thursday, November 12, 2009




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Just Check the Sidebar

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I'm behind. To check my word count, just look on the sidebar for my widget. No. Time. To. Post. Must. Write. Faster.




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NaNoWriMo Day 6: 10,276

Friday, November 6, 2009


This includes names. But I'll mix and match them so it won't be a person from real life.

I would say something about my writing process, but I don't want to jinx it.

One more day off to try to get housework and yard work done.

Alternate Night Shift Worker has turned in her notice. I'm going full-time, but probably not until next month, thank goodness.




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NaNoWriMo Day 1: 1,774 words and counting

Sunday, November 1, 2009


I got up at noon yesterday. I worked last night. I stayed up until 7:30 AM working on my outline of over 700 words that don't count towards the total word count. I got up at 9:15 AM to go see Buddy, and then came home and wrote some more. I have one hour to rest before I go back to work. My wrists already hurt. Tylenol, Advil and Aleve will be three of my best friends this month. But I'm having fun. That is the insanity of which I often speak.

After tonight I am off for three days. During those three days I will be a noveling fool. I want to get a buffer on the word count just in case something happens. Getting sick last year during Thanksgiving taught me a lesson I haven't forgotten: Get Ahead Early.

Having a blast, meeting people from all over the world on Twitter, in the NaNo Forums and NaNoChat. I'm too tired to make links for these sites. You can Google it. ;)




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Ink In My Sweet Tea: The Journal of a Southern Writer by Helen H. David is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.



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