NaNoWriMo

Well, I did it. I have officially signed up for my first NaNoWriMo. Wish me luck!

Music as inspiration

I want to write a novel written exclusively while listening to The National. Matt Berninger's voice really just sets a tone in my mind that feels translatable. I may even have the beginnings of something in mind. I guess I'll just have to keep listening to see where it takes me. That is all...for now.

Here's a taste:

Checking in

Blog, I haven't forgotten about you. I just don't have much to blog about at the moment.

For my loyal readers (all two of you), I also have a tumblr blog: reachingforit.tumblr.com. It's more or a less a scrapbook of things I find interesting or inspiring.

Adventures in Reading: "The Girl with Glass Feet" by Ali Shaw

What attracted me to this book was its pseudo-Magical Realism with a European twist.

Oh boy.

This book was...not good. The premise was good. The ideas were good. But the book really read like a first draft. I mean, I now literally use some of the sentences from this book as examples of bad writing. It felt basic and underdeveloped.

And it was totally inspiring because if this can get published and end up on the best-seller list, then I KNOW I can do it.

So sorry, Ali Shaw, for the backhanded compliment. I truly truly hope to someday be where you are right now. Only better.

Good words

I apologize for my absence. I was away for a week, and then blogger wouldn't load. Anyway, here are some words from two friends' recent wedding that I just love.

The Quiet World by Jeffery McDaniel

In an effort to get people to look
into each other's eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn't respond,
I know she's used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.

I always knew I was special

I meant to post this a while ago, but...well, didn't. But here I am! Better late than never, I suppose. Anyway...

My brain is special. Seriously. I have a neurological condition called synesthesia. Basically, I use more than one sense at a time when thinking of abstractions such as numbers and letters (ie, I see letters as specific colors). One in twenty people has this condition, and until recently, I was the only person I knew with it. However, the other day a friend of mine said something about her name "being" green, and viola! One of my very favorite friends is also a synesthete!

So now I'm wondering who else I know that also has this condition. If you do, speak up! We can start a club.

Change of scenery

I am currently sitting in the absolutely perfect sunshine on my back patio. Ok...technically I am completely submerged in the shade, BUT...when when your skin is a lovely porcelain, a la Snow White, it's basically the same. Anyway...I was sitting in my house, watching something I wasn't even interested in on tv, and I just thought, you know...this isn't what I want my life to look like. So, I picked some peas from my (landlady's) garden, gathered the necessities and set up camp on my patio.

I also picked up a new book. I'm going to finish the John Irving book, but I just need something different right now. Something to inspire me. Something more along the lines of what I'm interested in writing. So, this afternoon I will begin "The Girl with Glass Feet" by Ali Shaw.

I've gotten in a really terrible reading and writing funk. I want to be excited about both of those activities, and I'm not. I think the best (and probably only) way to get out of this kind of funk is to create a better daily routine for myself. I'm learning that I am not a very disciplined person, and it's something that I truly want to change. Consider this a step in the right direction. Laptop down, reading glasses on.

Oh...and can anyone tell me why the shade keeps moving?