Going For It (or: Waiting on Others Is Not A Good Idea)

Earlier this year I mentioned that I was going to do Camp NaNoWriMo with my sister, but as it got closer, it became apparent that this wasn't going to happen. My sister changed her mind, I was really looking forward to what she was thinking of writing, and I got swept up in the job hunt and working on my own writings.

As the month of June comes to an end, the month we would've done Camp NaNoWriMo, I realized something very important: if I want to do something, why do I wait on others to join me? Oftentimes, I do it because I want my loved ones to join in all the fun. The other reason, sometimes, I hate doing things alone. I still find it weird to go to the movies or eating at a restaurant or even going to a concert alone (though I've done these many times solo). I have said to others before that I don't mind doing a lot of things alone, but there are times I do feel like a hypocrite (like now).

But why do I fret about being forever alone? I am not in the least! I have friends I stay in touch with and I have a very strong relationship with my parents and little sister. We are just independent people with different schedules and things to do. And knowing me, the moment I do find people that will join me in the fun, I'll start wishing for the days when I did everything alone (ye gods, self, make up your damn mind!).

Right now, it's finding the balance to do what I love alone and doing it with my loved ones. It's only a matter of doing.

Whether I do NaNoWriMo with a bunch of peeps this year or go see Stop Making Sense alone next month, I'll figure it out one of these days. Or at least, get a general idea.

~~

Side note: I'm currently reading the archives of Susannah Conway's excellent blog. I absolutely love her work and look forward to getting a copy of her book one of these days!

Why I Will Do Camp NaNoWriMo This Year (and Other Assorted Thoughts)

It is for the silliest reason ever. My sister is actually going to throw her hat into the ring. She told me about it a while ago and I decided to join her, since "why the hell not?" was the only reaction I had other than "what possessed her to try it out this time?" Either way, I will be working alongside her this time for Camp NaNoWriMo... and if she enjoys that, then she'll join me for the main event in November!

I'm gonna evoke the Zokutou clause this time. Actually, might as well for both events! I won back in 2011 and 2012 honestly (meaning I started from scratch on the first day and finished with 50k by the 30th). I already have an idea of each story I may end up working on.

Either way, even with that going on, I also have been real busy with job hunting-related stuff. I had an interview the other day with a local bank for a possible full or part-time position. I'll keep y'all up to date on how that goes. I feel like I could've done better at the interview, but I hope I did enough to show the manager that I am worth hiring. Trust me, ma'am, once you get me in action... you'll see that I am worth all the training time and salary the company will pay me!

That's about it here for now. I really need to get better about updating this. My bad.

Change of plans

For Camp NaNoWriMo, just the last two NaNo projects. I was being stupidly ambitious.

Camp NaNoWriMo Plans

So after thinking about it for twenty minutes (no really, it took me that long) I have decided to do the rebel thing and not write a new novel. I rather add more to Thorns (2011's NaNoWriMo project), which remains "incomplete" at 51k. And then last year's project, Spiders, needs some serious tightening up and continuity errors fixed (there's a butt-ton of them, apparently). And also, because I'm stupidly ambitious, do a second draft of my first one-month writing success: Blues.

Sure, with the news of the job thing happening (I have a feeling I won't get it, so I'll be searching elsewhere, which was my original plan), though it's still a dose of:

I almost had a moment of

But no, I shall persevere. I will do this thing, since I won't do it for November, since I'm trying for grad school again. And now, to choose the short story that will be my possible ticket to three years of MFA learning... and oh yeah, wasn't I working on Dolls?

Dammit.

*memes do not belong to me*

Random-ass announcement

I have decided, after really thinking about it for a few months, that I'm going to try for grad school again. After learning from my mistakes last time (not sending in my best work, etc.) and really changing as a person from the last time I did it (which was two years ago, for anyone who's counting); I feel that I'm prepared to try again. If I fail, I'll do it again, until my GRE scores expire (they last five years from the day of testing... I think).

In lieu of this, that means I will not participate in NaNoWriMo in November because I rather concentrate on the application. Instead, I'll do Camp NaNoWriMo in July! It's like the original thing, but in the summer! And with camping metaphors! I have no idea what I want to do for that, but I'll announce it in due time (and when I make up my damn mind).

And yes, I'll still be looking for a job even with the grad school thing happening. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it when it is time.

Did not go as well as I expected...

Warning: this post contains a brief discussion of blood donations. Reader discretion is advised.

I hate to do this, but I have to drop out from Camp NaNoWriMo. Turns out the story I was working on did not want to go as long as 50k. It wants to be a long short story, or a novella. It can't decide what it wants, and neither can I. So, that is the main reason. The other is a botched blood donation.

Lemme explain the latter more. What happened was the nurse had stuck the needle so far it went past my vein and into my body. Even when he adjusted the needle, during the return process, the solution burned. I was going to do a double donation, but it was cut down to a single due to the pain. After it was over, the nurse said I will develop a hematoma. It later bruised all over my the left side of the donation area (in this case, on my right arm). I can barely stretch my arm without pain (this is due to the hematoma pressing on a major nerve). I am doing so much better, but it still hurts and yes, I still have the bruise.

Yeah, see why I wasn't able to do much in the last few days? I hate to give up, but I'm so far behind and I rather concentrate on other things at the moment. Like starting up story projects and getting ready for several big things. One of those may include getting a new job.

Will keep y'all updated. No hematoma will keep me from writing! Though, one will keep me from fist-pumping, which kinda sucks... oh well.

Update on Camp NaNoWriMo

On a lighter side of things, I'm making headway on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. Since I'm playing catch-up and all, I may not post much about it here for now. Will keep you all updated.

Long absence, explained

 Warning: the following post contains discussion about anxiety and drunkenness. Reader discretion is advised.

This time, it was not an illness. It was something just as bad, though. Ah yes, my old friend anxiety came into town a couple of weeks ago. You see, it came while I was hungover from sangria and buzzed from two cups of coffee and a baby bottle of Coca-Cola. Next thing I know, I wasn't sleeping well and barely functioning at work. Atop that, I had to prepare for my best friend's bridal shower. So much to do and yet anxiety wanted so badly to derail all my plans (including drafting out plans for my Camp NaNoWriMo novel). It succeeded. I could only go to work and survive the shift before returning home to sleep. Several days would pass before anxiety packed its bags and left town. I don't know when it'll return, but lemme just say that I'll never drink a full bottle of sangria in one night ever again, then chase it the next morning with coffee and Coca-Cola.

This is why I haven't written in a while or why there was no post about Camp NaNoWriMo.

~

And now I drink coffee (albeit instant). Does that make me a real writer now?

The point is to keep going...

Since recovering from my illness, I've had some time to think over about my writing. Starting today, I'm going to work on another novel project. There is a twist to this one, though. I'm planning on using Scrivener software! Since I won a coupon for it last year, I've been meaning to use the software for something.You shall know this one as City.

I will also participate in this year's Camp NaNoWriMo (in June)! Since I'm going to reapply for graduate school (prepare for it, Michener Center! I will get into your program!), I want November to be freed up. That is, if I don't find a good short story to send to them by that point. The story is mainly the reason I didn't get in last year, or so I think. But if I do find a story to submit by then, I may do NaNoWriMo again in November. What I might do is find someone I know and recruit them to be my reader (or bulls*** detector).

So there you go, peeps. What are your long-term plans? Short-term? Let me know in the comments!