NaNo does exactly what it was meant to do--get you to write something, anything, even if it sucks.  My problem has always been a lack of focus.  I can START several stories, but I'm terrible at outlining, and even if I do I tend to veer off course anyway.  I've only done it once, and didn't make the word count because I veered off course and didn't know where to go.

I ended up not doing it this year because I am working a weird schedule, plus I got about 500 words in and realized I needed at least a semblance of a plan before I could get anywhere, and I didn't have one.  The two clearest stories in my head are the one about making a movie and one about privateers that I've now started to write twice but haven't finished yet because I'm just not sure where it's going.  It's times like these that I wish I was better at outlining and planning the stories in my head, but invariably I just get scenes to the stories, not outlines.

Likewise, it is a really bad idea, when you are used to absently nibbling chocolate-covered raisins out of a bowl and actually putting away a fair few of them over a few hours' working, to have a bowl of chocolate-covered espresso beans in a place where you might do that with them.

...ouch.


My only comparable story is the time I absently ate an entire bag of Skittles while watching Seven (Se7en?  The one with Brad Pitt--yeah IMDB says Se7en...) and even though it was a movie theatre size, I usually don't finish a bag in one sitting.  I'm not much of a sugar person.  I was soooo hyper then nauseated, it wasn't fun.  And no, it wasn't from the grotesqueries in the movie, as I am not bothered by that sort of stuff.

(*t00t-t00t  distracts Sayessa while Tribblechomper inserts matches in Sayessa's pirate boots and lights them*)

Hey!  I got these boots on sale at Target*!  Watch it!

*stomps out matches*


_{*where all the financially-savvy pirates shop!}

I love 'em!  I think my favorite is the Za Lord's Guard.  Unfortunately, I'm not up for any new purchases at this time, darn it.

Just one quick, admittedly nitpicky, comment.  There should be a comma in the phrase, "Blood does not stain the Warden's cloak")

Just one nitpicky comment in return--it's an apostrophe, not a comma.

, <--comma.  ' <--apostrophe.

That ends our punctuation lesson for today.

Hey Sayessa, I just realized that a little part of me is in your first crowd picture!  On the far left there are two blonds and then a tiny bit of a black haired person with a white headband (has a little bow on it).  That's the top of my head.  Yep, I'm Murphy short.     Too bad I didn't know you then.  We were sitting pretty close together.

I knew I should have been more sociable, but alas I suffer from shyness.  There were just too many people there to try and get an informal chat going.  Chatting with the artist lady was about as far as I got!

Maybe I'll make it to the States next signing...  I can hope anyway.

I saw her painting last time too -I sat near her.  Wasn't it great?! But I didn't have a camera at that time...  Sheesh!  Last time = brain + no camera.  This time = camera + no brain.  Maybe next time I'll get it right!   

Jeez, maybe I even sat near you too!     I remember talking to a nice couple who told me about Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking series.  If you guys are out there, thanks!  I'm enjoying the series!   

I was in the front row last time, second one in.  The pics are back somewhere in this thread.   

So, now that Priscellie has moved my question to this area (and the topic should be named "Seattle", and not "Tacoma", as Tacoma is 30+ miles south of the actual signing)--who is going to show up at the Seattle presentation?

They got it right last time, and hey, close is good enough!     At least they didn't put Spokane or something.   

Obviously I'm not going, but there are a lot of people in that area that went last time.