Last day before the insanity begins

I thought it would be extremely difficult not to start my novel today, a Saturday, since I'll have a lot of time on my hands.  I've actually decided to instead get some other stuff done which will most likely become neglected over the next month.

Also, I'm writing a little.  Not on my designated "november novel", but notes on my new idea.  Picking out character names, deciding which one lived with which ... and who's the murderer.  It's fun.

I'll probably read something today and treat myself to some clean clothes.  And even thought it's Halloween, I can't see myself giving a care since I'm A) too old to ask for candy and B) I have no kids to take around asking for candy.  I don't anticipate any kids coming to my door, either.

Good luck to all my NaNoWriMo followers!  November is going to be a lot of fun.  Aim for your 1667 words a day, and you'll be just fine.  (I should know ... not only did I participate once before, but I imposed the challenge on myself two other times all by myself and "won" each time.)

A new plot

Oi.  A new plot snuck up on me a few weeks ago, and it's developing really nicely.  However, I already have a nice, very detailed outline to work from in November.  Maybe the same thing will happen this year that happened last year: I'll finish my planned story 2 weeks in and then start on the new plot in the second half of the month.  Last year, I was unemployed, though ... this year, I'll probably be doing overtime.  Eh... it can't hurt to have too many plots, right?

It started as just a murder mystery, but a ghost story has sort of crept into it.  I've wanted to do a ghost story for a while (especially dealing with spirit photography), but couldn't think of a non-cheesy way to approach it.  This murder plot coupled with a ghostly sub-plot complement each other nicely; while the amateur sleuth is trying to figure out who killed her friend, she's also got to reconcile her feelings about the afterlife and if her murdered friend is still in her apartment.

I still need a title for this thing.  I can't keep calling it "New Idea" ...

Edit:
Ah, I've got a title:  Die once, and then ...

It's actually taken from a Bible verse which some use to prove there are no ghosts.  But it's got all the elements of a murder mystery in it as well.  We'll see if it sticks.

Finishing touches before the ... beginning.

Only a week to go before NaNoWriMo starts.  I wish I could do more right now than tinker around with an outline I'm not even going to use in November (because, if you remember, the out line I'll be using has long since been finished).

So I'm stocking up on good music to keep me going during November.  Lots of Turkish pop (especially Murat Boz and Gökhan Özen) and wordless soundtrack stuff (I'm really loving the Bleu soundtrack because of its sadness ... it fits certain scenes).  I've also stocked up on some lovely flavored coffee creamers.  

Procrastination?

I've gotten a little done in planning another story.  They come up whenever they feel like it, so I have to take care of them when they do.  This one is a murder mystery.

I'm only getting so far with it, though.  I have the beginning.  I have (I think) a pretty creative murder.  What I don't have is a middle and an end.  But these things eventually fall into place.  In the meantime, I'm writing down little details I think of.  Even if I don't know where to put them right now, they might just fit in later.

It's still just about half a month to NaNoWriMo, so I can't get started writing my main project the way I really want to.  What have I been procrastinating with?  Check it out:

moar funny pictures

Am I wrong?  I was watching Demetri Martin the other day thinking, "Wow, he totally reminds me of someone..." and I figured it out today when I watched a Shahid Kapoor movie this afternoon while I wasn't writing.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm giving up on the novel I finished earlier this year, which I refer to as "Exchange".  It doesn't even have a proper title.  It's not keeping my interest while I edit.  I don't know.  Maybe later I'll polish it up and it'll be good, or maybe I can chalk it up to practice and push it aside.  (It really was excellent practice.)

NaNoWriMo site updated for 2009!

Weird thing to be excited about, maybe, but I'm excited.  The forums are clean and ready for November.

Even though I've already finished the outline for the novel I want to write during the program, I'm filling my time answering other people's questions and (of course) coming up with a new novel idea, which is threatening to distract me way, way too much.  Maybe I'll work out some of the details of the new idea during October, write Awake during November, and tackle this new idea head-on in January?  We'll see.

Anyway -- I hope some of the people over at National Novel Writing Month meander over here and check me out.  Yes.  Good times for all.