NaNoEdMo - Day Two

I've so far managed to log just under four hours over the past two days - so I'm slightly ahead of schedule! I'm still not sure what my editing style is yet. So far I'm working on a chapter at a time. I've even copied each chapter into a separate file because I feel it's less daunting working on smaller chunks. There are a few plot points to iron out, but I'm getting there... slowly.

Doing it now (starting tomorrow...)!

On this last day of February, I find myself counting down the hours until the start of EdMo. Am I prepared? A little. Am I nervous? A little. Have I any clue as to what I'm letting myself in for? No. Am I going to stop this whittering and get on with it? I hope so!

Somewhere along the way, I managed to persuade John, one of my writing buddies from Skeealleyderyn, that he should join me in this madness. (He called it bullying, but I prefer persuasion). It might seem crazy to attempt this now amongst all the other commitments we all have but I think, if not now, then when? A strange thing happened last week when I was working with my spreadsheet. When I came to a difficult bit, where I'd normally give up, with the intention of coming back to it with a magically conceived solution, I made myself stick at it. It was this sense of, "It's now or never" hovering over me. I don't want it to be never, so I'd better make it now.

Regaining some focus.

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I know I said I wasn't going to bother waiting for EdMo, but I looked at their site again today. It seems that, unlike WriMo, you can use an existing WIP for your EdMo - yay! This is good as it means I can use EdMo to help me to focus.

I made some progress today by setting up a spreadsheet with five basic columns: chapter number, chapter heading, brief chapter description, problem and suggested solution. So I broke down the main outline chapter by chapter adding my thoughts to the last two columns as they ocurred to me. I can now feel a sense of clarity - and more importantly, enthusiasm once again!

Don't want to wait for EdMo!

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In keeping with my last post, I had an email from NaNoEdMo this morning, reminding me that this annual event is to start 1st March. To be honest, I don't think I'm going to wait another week to get stuck into my editing, but I'll keep it in mind if the going gets tough... which it probably will. There seems to be a specific month for every stage of the process. I've survived three NaNoWriMos but never attempted an EdMo, or any of the other spin off events if it comes to that. Mind you, I don't feel I have to have my hand held the whole way. In fact, it's possible that I might have had my hand held a little too tightly over the past five years. It's a bit like learning to ice skate; you need some support and guidance in the early stages. But, sooner or later, you have to let go of the sides and just go. Hopefully, you'll glide along, regaining your balance. If you're really lucky, you might do it so convincingly and elegantly that people believe you can do it. You never know, you might even begin to believe in yourself!

Dusting Off The Cobwebs

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Yes, it's about time I updated a few things around here. On the one hand, I've been debating (with myself,) whether I want to continue with this blogging malarky and if so, on what basis? One thing's for certain, I don't think I can get away with one post a year! So, if I'm going to do it, I should do it properly - ie regularly - or not at all.

The same is true of writing. Again, I've been having some serious discussions (again, with myself - and at this point, you're probably wondering whether you even want to tune into anything I might have to say...) The main question has been, "Do I want to write? If so, then why the hell am I not writing?" OK, so that's two questions - I think I'm allowed two questions? The truth is, I have written, amongst other things, a novel which is still very much in a fledgling state. In other words, it needs editing. I am at the editing-thinking-rethinking stage and whichever way you look at it, it doesn't feel very much like writing; it's so much harder. I miss bashing off thousands of words, but there comes a point when the splodge of words you have in front of you needs careful sculpting into something (hopefully) worth reading. So there you have it. I'm not writing (much) at the moment because I'm sculpting splodges of words...

Wandering around Wonderland

I'm not usually a big fan of film makers who "mess" with my favourite books. I do however make an exception for anyone who has made a film adaptation of Alice (in either Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass). There's something about the Alice books which remain enjoyable, no matter how much they have been messed with. Having said that, to anyone for whom an Alice film, especially the Disney version, is their first introduction to the story, I would urge you to go and read the original books by Lewis Carroll first. At least you will then know that Tweedledum and Tweedledee never set foot in Wonderland or that the Cheshire Cat never sang Jabberwocky. Once you know which characters and poems belong to which book, you can sit back and enjoy all the weird things that film makers do to them. Disney's version in particular, is a bit of a mish mash of the two books, but it's no less enjoyable for that.

I've just ordered a copy of Jonathan Miller's film adaptation from 1966 which I only saw once but it left an impression for being more unusual than some of the more colourful versions such as the one with Fiona Fullerton as Alice or the more recent one with Tina Majorino in the title role. In this latter version, not only do we find those pesky twins back, but there's a whole section from Through the Looking Glass slotted in for some bizarre reason. Don't get me wrong; I liked it - but, what was it doing there? Why not make a whole film of Through the Looking Glass and have done with it?

Looking ahead, I can't wait to see what Tim Burton does with the story, especially since Alan Rickman is lending his voice to the Caterpillar. Unfortunately, this new film wont be released until next year.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with this, and if I'd been a good girl and stayed away from the internet like I promised, I'd never have stumbled across this little gem:

A strangely mesmerising, hypnotic thingy...

Enjoy!

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Now what is she up to?

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Having resisted the whole Twitter thing for so long, I can't believe how much I've enjoyed it over the last week. There are numerous positives, for example, having a finger on the pulse of many "trends." Being able to follow other Twitterers has been fun and varied. I've also discovered (as an aside) what Google Reader can do having idly subscribed to a few feeds in the past and then forgetting about them. There is of course, one big negative to all of this; it zaps a lot more time than I would otherwise like. So, we're back to the same old same old...

I know I was supposed to have given up procrastination... and I will... tomorrow!

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