NaNoWriMo Eve + My First Storyboard

I'm wandering around aimlessly waiting for NaNoWriMo to start.

Two weeks ago I spent about 3 hours at OfficeMax lovingly touching every post-it pad known to man and came home with this:

That's Terry at the bottom with Larry the Lobster

I stayed up until 5 in the morning that night making my first ever storyboard! It's now my road map, one that will likely change (yay post-it motility) over the next 30 days.

I've got a chiropractor appointment lined up tomorrow to work out whatever kinks I create writing my arms off tonight at midnight.

We're heading out to Italian food and then seeing Hereafter so we can kill time until 1) kids stop ringing the doorbell screaming "Trick-or-treat" at our purposefully darkened house 2) NaNoWriMo begins.

Now I'm going to do some dishes. I'm THAT bored.

15 Authors Who Have Influenced Me

Grabbed this meme from c(h)ristine. Oh man. Sorry, edited slam poetry for a student today.

The Rules: Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen authors (poets included) who’ve influenced you and that will always stick with you. List the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag at least 15 friends, including me, because I’m interested in seeing what authors my friends choose.

52 Faces note - consider yourself tagged if you're a writer blogger who's reading this! And let me know - I can't wait to see what you all say.

The top 3 in bold I owe ALOT of my early writing style and content preference to.

1. Alice Hoffman
2. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
3. Louise Erdrich
   
4. Sharon Creech
5. Ellen Wittlinger
6. Audre Lorde
7. F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Francine Pascal (got to meet her!!) and her team of ghostwriters, including
9. Ann M. Martin
10. the Berenstein Bears creators (got to meet their son!!)
11. Gloria Steinam (does non-fiction count?) (met HER too!!!)
    
12. Catherine MacKinnon (as you can see I used to be a big feminist)
13. Maria V. Snyder
    
14. Maxine Hong Kingston
15. my younger self when I was a playwright and monologist
    

Girl Math Genius

One of my prodigy students makes me want to brag about her as if she were my own child.

My job is usually hilarious (teenagers have a really great sense of humor and most haven't lost the ability to play yet) and sometimes frustrating ("You failed a THIRD class?")

And sometimes, my students are so brilliant and perfect I can hardly comprehend it.

One of my sophomores just took the SATs for the first time and emailed me:

"I totally botched the SAT and ended up with a 2360. Should I take it again?"

For those as old as I am - the new SAT perfect score is 2400.

Let me remind you that this girl just turned 15.

IN YOUR FACE! (I need to brag about this because my own SAT scores were really low. I can now live vicariously through her as if I were her Chinese mom.)

No Good, Very Bad Day (with Very Bad No-Friends)

Bad Day

I should read that book right now.

I went in to work for the first time today and driving there was mostly okay, although I was still rocking my daily headache. Yup. I've had a 2-week headache now. Really fun.

On the way after meeting Jifo for dinner, however, I had a major traumatic moment when a car almost hit me and I devolved into a panic attack and couldn't drive home.

An episode that Jifo, in his usual smooth way, escalated by 1000%, which resulted in a major blowout.

(Please tell me I'm not the only woman in the world who dates guys that are complete morons in crisis situations?)

So it's almost 6 a.m. and I can't sleep; I'm totally depressed and in post-traumatic shock. I don't have a therapist right now, so you get to hear the crap that's on my mind.

Bad Friends

The most angering lesson I've learned from the accident were who my real friends were. I have maybe 1.

After my accident, I stopped going on gchat since being on the computer exacerbates my neck pain. An interesting thing happened: I lost all my "friends."

Not a single person has wondered why I've been completely silent the entire month of October.

My nascent jogging buddy who wanted to start a business with me hasn't wondered where I went. Another person who used to chat me every hour even when my "I'm away" icon was on - nothing.

These aren't far away acquaintances - at least I thought. These are people I talked to every few days and hang out with at least once a week.

$*#! you very much Los Angeles for once again producing the nation's most reliable people. Unfortunately I'm unsurprised. I've lived in this city before.

But the one I'm bitter about every day is the girl who was my best friend for 10 years. Our (second) (third?) estrangement has been a long time coming.

This summer someone we both know got in the middle of us and sped up our demise. Another set of bffs could have gotten through it and processed it like proper Lesbros, but we'd been so weakened to begin with it wasn't hard to tear us asunder.

She'd only call me if I called her first. She'd only chat me if I chatted her first. And that's if I was lucky enough to be deigned a response. When she set the date for moving across country, I found out through getting tagged in a facebook note with 60 other people.

It's clear now that I was a low priority for a long time. But I held on because I felt like I couldn't live without her. That I would never meet anyone who comforted me as much as she did and understood me as well.

But I was tired. I was the only one holding up the house of our relationship. All I had to do was step away and it would fall.

So I did.

I decided I had enough with one-sided relationships. I would put in as much effort as the other party did. With dear bff, that was none.

I stopped instant messaging her every single time she signed on, although the sight of her online used to make me so happy. I waited to see if she would message me. Every day I looked at her name and the green available dot next to it and thought, "I knew this about you but...wow."

I stopped calling. You can bet her ringtone hasn't rung my phone.

I stopped emailing. You know the rest.

And not just with her. I got tired of making the one-way effort with everyone. A new gal pal I adored was the prototypical California flake - she even admitted it. She would agree to hang out - then suddenly disappear on that day. I can't afford to spend any more time and emotional energy on girls who only like to be around boys.

It's been a lonely time during this accident. The most supportive and caring people have been co-workers, the students I counsel and their families - I showed up today and there was a bouquet for me from a senior!

It's so ridiculous I don't know what to make of it. I never saw co-workers as true friends, yet they were the only one to send me well wishes and ask how I was and if I needed anything.

Hell, they're the only ones who keep up to date on me enough to know that I was even IN a car accident.

You know who prayed for me? My regular prayer-guy (he reads my blog) and the mother of one of the students I had to transfer to another counselor to lighten my load.

Fair Weather and No Weather

I haven't wanted to say it because it would make it real. But my best friend is no longer my best friend and hasn't been for a while.

I'm not averse to reopening that friendship. As Jifo said, I'm closing the door but I'm not locking it.

I'm bitter and resentful and full of disappointed rage at how few people in the world really care about me, especially during the bad times. Jifo helped put it in his Canto-cynical-realistic perspective: in the end you only have yourself to rely on.

This pill still tastes bad in my mouth, but it also comforts me. I reminded myself tonight, as I sat on the couch recovering from the fight, that no matter who's around you, you still die alone. No one can walk to the other side with you. That's a leaving we brave on our own; maybe I shouldn't rail against learning to do that now.

Pit Bull Attacks Baby! (Again and Again!)

Ack I missed Pit Bull Awareness Day! It was this past Saturday, Oct 23.

Longtime readers know how much I love pibbles. Our first foster, Peanut Butter, was a bully mix and he was a soulmate of mine that I'll likely never meet again.

I can't wait for the day I can own a pit bull forever. (We only have time for one dog right now.)

Here's one of my fav vids of a pit bull attacking a helpless infant.

NaNoWriMo Acapella

I'm so psyched for this year. It's the first time that I've actually plotted...well, anything and then wrote it.

To get you in the mood, here's a NaNo song from Errol Elumir with camera fx I wish I knew how to do:

If You've Got Writer's Block, You've Got Too Much Time

It's been fun reading all the NaNo prep posts in the writer's blogosphere lately, but one issue's come up that I find annoying: motivation/discipline loss (some call it writers block).

One site that I adore reading seems to be particularly neurotic about preparing for NaNo and writing in general, from using excel spreadsheets to keep track of your friends' word counts (not even your own!) to taking care of their life a month in advance. (It's written by a set of writers, so I'm not picking on anyone specifically.)

The question that comes to my mind is: why do you need so much fluff around your writing?

-or - How nice is your life that you have time to worry about writing instead of actually writing?

I'm not trying to be condescending; here's some context:

I work almost full-time, and I have to drive in L.A. traffic to get to that job.

In addition, I have to exercise every weekday otherwise I'm unable to sit/stand through my computer-heavy job (I convert my desk into a standing workstation half the day so I don't get dead-ass syndrome).

Third, I have pretty intense hypoglycemia and I have to eat every 2-3 hours or I get the shakes and a migraine. Do you know how much time it takes to prepare/get and eat food six times a day? I really don't enjoy food as anything other than fuel these days and I eat half those meals at the computer.

Fourth, though I don't have children, I'm raising a dog.

Fifth, I'm an insomniac who needs 8-9 hours of sleep. So I'm either exhausted or playing catch-up all the time.

Lastly, my boyfriend's not a fan of cleaning, so a lot of the chores fall on me if I want to use plates when I eat and wear underwear to work.

On top of this, I make time to write at least an hour a day, more if I can. (This past weekend, I put in about 5 hours each day while Jifo did a Call of Duty marathon. We were happy and very sore campers.)

It's hard to get uninterrupted time unless it's 4:15 a.m. like it is right now, so when I do get to write, I TREASURE the CRAP out of it.

I have never in my life understood writer's block. To me, that's a writer with too much time.

Or one who doesn't like their book very much and should probably switch plots or POV, or something.

Seriously, if your work doesn't make you obsess over it and look forward to jumping into that world because it's so much more awesome than your real life of bills and clients and sagging butts, then think how your reader will feel? "Writers block" could actually be a really helpful indication that you've gone down the wrong path.

It may also be a sign that you need to brush up on your craft. The better a writer I become, the more writing and revising I do. I'm constantly acquiring new skills, reading writing blogs when I want free advice, rewarding myself with a craft book if I finish a big project (I'm looking forward to Donald Maas' workbook when I finish NaNo 2010).

Given how much I love writing, I wouldn't waste a second of my valuable time on anything other than the actual work itself. That and my guilty pleasure, Nikita and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Hey you have writer's block, I have reality TV and the CW.

Marcus Mumford is a Few Miles Away and I'm At Home

I so wish I was at the Mumford & Sons concert at the Palladium tonight!!

Every single city on their U.S. tour is sold out and the resellers were gouging like cannibals.

I recently discovered that Marcus Mumford looks like a character in the novel I'm revising (the one I'm going to finish during this NaNoWriMo).

Which is interesting, because I have a secret crush on my character, a bookmaker (nobody in my critique group thought he was hot...sigh) and I also have a non-secret raging lust for Marcus Mumford that I'm trying to get over, because apparently everyone ELSE in the world likes him too.

It's always the men with the vests...

Screw you Marcus Mumford! If I can't have you watch you play then I don't want you and your adorable waistcoat and brilliant songwriting and unique voice like gravel!

And She's Moving to an Island!

Don't you wish your recession job hunt story concluded in the Caribbean?

When I called winner #2 of my 30 After 30 contest, I found a laidback Long Beach native who had just finished her journalism masters in Phoenix, AZ.

Chrystall Kanyuck (nee Chrystall Kanyuck) had found me through a song I sang on for Hepnova, the bi-coastal, 3-city can't-name-the-genre band. I chatted with her about collaging, my new favorite verb, and then she dropped the news: she had just found a job in the British Virgin Islands.

The BVI, as the hip kids say.

Picking up and plopping down in another country to be a reporter is exactly the kind of chutzpah I like. Here's what she had to say about turning trash into masterpieces and moving to a tropical island:

52 Faces: How did you get into collaging? (Yes I've turned this into a verb.)

Chrystall: I started collaging in high school mostly out of just needing something to do. It was convenient because my grandmother was a bit of a hoarder; I always had access to discarded reader's digest and AARP magazines. The feeling of making something new and fun out of essentially garbage was addicting, though, so I kept at it.

52 Faces: Have you ever collaged (there it is again) something dark or even negative? I mean, collage can't only be happy-joy-joy woowoo, right?

Chrystall: Most of what I make has a mix of positive and dark themes. The one I finished most recently, for example, looks pretty and kind of romantic, but there's also the exploding volcano and this sad little lonely guy in the corner. Other ones look -- when I go back to them after they're finished -- like heartbreak or loss or very chaotic. I think they just reflect how I'm feeling while I work.

52 Face: How do you have the guts to move to a Caribbean island by yourself? Do you have a great support system or just really big kahunas?

Chrystall: I think I've been too wrapped up in my excitement about it and getting prepared to be nervous or scared so far, but I'll have to keep you posted!
I definitely do have a lot of support from friends and family: they're helping me with everything from storing my coats to paperwork to just talking me down when I get overwhelmed about how much there is to do.
From everything I've read and the folks I've talked to so far about the BVI, the toughest adjustment for me will be all the rain.

52 Faces: Did you always want to be a journalist when you grew up? If not, then what?

Chrystall: I thought for a while I might teach or get into something science-y, but journalism is the thing I kept coming back to. I still have the press pass from my high school paper :)

Go visit her blog! Enter 30 After 30!

Return of the NaNo

Who's NaNoWriMoing this year?!

Leave your NaNo name in the comments or friend me at YellowTypingFiend.

Even before the accident, I knew I'd be in crunch time at work, so I'm doing a modified word count this year.

Word Count Goal: 20,100 in 2010

Let's take a little trip down nightmare memory lane...

NaNoWriMo 2008 : The Apocalypse

Not only did I not win, but I almost dumped my boyfriend and died from a tantrum. (It's aaaalmost funny now...almost)

But I did complete my goal of 30,000 words.

::Wayne's World time warp::

(if you're too young to know this reference, you're probably the right age to hire me as your college application coach)

Now in 2010 I have way too many manuscript half-babies in various stages of gestation; the last thing I need is to start another one.

Sooo, I will be writing the rest of that 2008 manuscript.

I know, I know, it's supposed to be an entirely new novel. BUT - it is. Because I will pick up where I left off and all 20,100 words will be entirely new.

The only reason I won my first and third years is because my company disappeared in the financial crash (2007) and I dropped out of journalism school (2009). Therefore, I encourage you to set modified word counts even if you don't have time to finish all 50,000 words. It's worth it.

HIt and Run

"Doc, I feel like I've been hit by a semi!"
Too soon?

How did YOU guys spend your weekend?

All jokes aside, my back is injured and I'm on muscle relaxants. It's frustrating not being able to go anywhere (SoCal is not exactly a walking place to live) and not being able to work out every day, a nice habit I'd just picked back up.

I hope my boss lets me work from home, because the lost wages would be one more thing to groan over.

But I am glad to be alive and relatively healthy! Take care on the road, everyone. And remember, a hit and run is a crime with punishment that varies according to municipality. NEVER leave the scene of an accident.

Any tips for rehabbing a rear-end back injury are appreciated...