Last day of National Novel Writing Month

Finishing word count: 50,043.
I feel like singing that "You did it" song from My Fair Lady.
I'd like to say that this would not have been possible without the constant encouragement of many family members and a few friends. And let us not forget Sean's persistent encouragement in the form of shoving me awake and thrusting my laptop in my face every time I felt like giving up. He's really annoying like that, but it seemed like it worked. I think I would have ended the month at around 20k without him.
And I still have soooo much more that I want to say in my novel. I feel like I have so much yet to learn about my characters and where they're going in life, and how they're going to change from who they were just a few short weeks ago. *sniff* they're growing up so fast!

*muah* *muah* good night all, and thanks for following along with me during nanowrimo 2009!

Band of the Week

If you love Relient K, then you'll love Owl City. If you've ever wanted to hear a song about dentistry, you'll want to listen to Owl City. If you like doing the Carlton in your chair, you should get Owl City's latest album. And if this song doesn't make you want to run out to your backyard and dance, then you're a cyborg.

My thanksgiving list

This year I am particularly thankful for:
My new house and my pets who always snuggle with me when I feel lonely or depressed.
My job at the Mustang Chamber of Commerce and the opportunity it gives me to meet prestigious members of my community.
My husband and the fact that he has a job that he enjoys and that can lead to bigger, better jobs in the future.
Not being in school anymore and choosing to learn stuff instead of being forced to.
Despite the fact that I hate wearing roller skates at Sonic, I am thankful that now I am a decent skater and I might wear them just for fun someday when I quit.
Courtney Cantrell convincing me to participate in NaNoWriMo this year and thus I proved to myself that I can crank out over 3,000 words a day if I put my mind to it.
Sean for listening to me verbally work out my plots and characters with lots of hand gestures, and actually sounding like he cares.
My Kindle and all the books out there that I have yet to read, and all the knowledge and entertainment just waiting to be gleaned from them...
My whole wonderful family who made me who I am and claim me as their own!

Quote of the Day:
Mara, thank you for being such a wonderful helper today. And Jessie, thank you for.......being you. --Ellen Sue

Running out of names.

The most random way I've thought of to name someone:
pick a name I've already used, find in on the Top Baby Name list, and pick the name right below it in popularity.
Yeah.
Last night I even said to Sean, "Give me a boy's name, quick!"
No thought process whatsoever. (The name he gave me was Bill.)
Oh, although my favorite was when I realized about three pages later into the character's development that I had named him after the musician I was listening to. What musician, do you ask? Gordon Lightfoot.

Quote of the Day:
gonna buy me a long white robe, yes and lord, to help me home.
--Gordy :)

Getting complicated

I'm beginning to fear that my character bank is getting to big. And by that, I mean, too many interesting characters, from too many diverse countries and histories. I can't believe that my readers will be able to keep up with them all! And yet, each one is important in his own way. I mean, there's the bad king, and his minions, the good prince with his friends and followers who are trying to reestablish him as king, the other two allied Kings who are debating on how to help Phillip, and just all the other minor minor characters whom they fun in to on their travels. How can I possibly cull? as soon as I breath life into any of these characters, large or small, they become their own people, and it would be murder for me to cut them out of the story, to keep their little voices from being heard.
ah me, what a terrible life we authors lead, deciding who lives and who dies.

Mr. Lukas, Nobbian Minister of Foreign Relations

This is why Mr. Lukas is quickly becoming my favorite character in my novel:

As the Princess Adana stood over him, he trembled and kept his eyes on the carpet. He could only hope for mercy or a swift death. He didn't see any point in begging either way.
“You be Nobbian,” she said finally, and it wasn’t a question. “That is why Papa hates you.”
“Yes, I would think so,” Lukas managed to say.
“Quid are you doing here?”
“Eating.”
“No, I meant in Flubber.”
“Highness, leave him alone. Why are you questioning him so?” Dita asked, now wringing her cap in woe.
Lukas strained his ears to listen if the alarm of his escaped had been raised yet. He wanted to give up, lay himself down at this lady’s feet and wait for death to come. He didn’t want to run any more. Why was he? Oh yes, because Phillip was still alive. Little Prince Phillip, whom everybody believed was useless.
“Answer me,” Adana commanded.
Painfully Lukas lifted himself to his feet. He stared Adana in the eyes. “You be wasting my time with all your petty questions. I be going now.” And he pushed past her back into the hallway, his heart beating quickly.
He knew that in a few seconds she would regain her footing, and she would call out to the others that he had escaped. He knew that he would go down to the stables, saddle a horse, and gallop through the palace gates. He knew that they would come after him, but he would escape. He strode confidently down the hall, feeling as he did the day he strode into the throne room in Disco to receive his maroon ministerial epaulets. Phillip was alive, and Mr. Lukas was going to put him back on his throne. And if Mr. Lukas had set his mind to do something, it was certain to happen. They didn't call him The Bulldog for nothing.

Thought of the Day:
chocolate-covered raisins....mmmmmm.....good choice, Mar.

My Lord is near me all the time

Discovered this song today at Alameda Baptist Church. I found the tune uninteresting, but the words really caught my attention. It says something that I've often tried to express but always failed.

My Lord Is Near Me All The Time
Words and Music: Barbara Fowler Gaultney

v1: In the lightning flash across the sky
His mighty pow’r I see,
And I know if He can reign on high,
His light can shine on me.

v2: When the thunder shakes the mighty hills
And trembles ev’ry tree,
Then I know a God so great and strong
Can surely harbor me.

v3: When refreshing showers cool the earth
And sweep across the sea,
Then His rainbow shines within my heart,
His nearness comforts me.

ch: I’ve seen it in the lightning, heard it in the thunder,
And felt it in the rain;
My Lord is near me all the time,
My Lord is near me all the time.

peaceful time with cat and dog

Thought of the Day:
I love it when Saccy is sleeping beside me and Bella is sleeping by my feet and neither of them are bugging me but instead are looking like cute little balls of fur. And of course Jing is off in some other room, because she's anti-social. I get a lot more writing done when we are all settled like this. Feeling pretty good about myself right now; I wrote 1686 words yesterday and have written 1623 today with still about half an hour's worth of work left in me. And now I must stop dawdling.

november crazy

The key to NaNoWriMo, which I think they tried to tell me when I signed up, but never really sunk in until today, is that you have to just keep spewing it out, no matter how bad it is. Normally I would think of a better way to say-- "He looked down at his hands to make sure he was still invisible--he was." I wouldn't ignore the fact that I just used a dash two sentences ago. I would avoid at all costs using "desperate" three times in one paragraph, and using words like "alright" and "nonetheless". But these are not normal circumstances, my friends. Desperate times, desperate measures. If I have to just keep writing the bad screen play and wait for the artistic descriptions to come in December, then so be it. I will get caught up on my writing! I will further my plot along with terrible dialogue! I will go forth into the tempest which is......NANOWRIMO!!!!!!!

Quote of the Day:
the pen is mightier than the sword.
--wiki it.

Mustang Chamber of Commerce, this is Jessie, may I help you?

Thoughts of the Day:
1) I am really looking forward to Buffalo Wild Wings tonight. I have been looking forward to them ever since I had a craving for them on Sunday but Sean said we should wait until $60 wing night! mmm...mmm...good! I am going to buy twice as many as normal and eat them for lunch tomorrow.
2) it's amazing how just one pleasant phone call can make all the other bad ones and the boring-ness of the day seem insignificant. I think people under-estimate how powerful nice-ness is.
3) I love the slick pages of our Chamber directory. I might just flip through them needlessly so I can feel them.
4) it is so beautiful outside this week. I feel guilty just sitting in my office here.

NaNo update

Well let's just say that I'm not doing too well. I'm already 1000 words behind my personal goal and this story is starting to get old. I'm ready to work on something else! Hopefully I'm just overreacting and only reluctant to work on this story because it's the second chapter and I need to get to the more interesting parts.
In other news, I am working three days in a row and the Mustang Chamber of Commerce while my boss is at a convention. I'm hoping to be able to find many things to do in the office while she is gone. Lately my duties have been getting done quickly and I find myself searching for things after lunch time.
and since that is all my life consists of right now (nanowrimo and work), I must end my blog here.