November is National Novel Writing Month. It challenges aspiring novelists to complete a 50,000 word rough draft in 30 days. I discovered NaNoWriMo when I was in middle school and I was positively titillated by the prospect. I have never been a NaNoWriMo winner, and this is another year that it won't happen.
I have written 50,000 words in less than 30 days before, so I have no compunctions about my giveuppance in this instance. I don't need a t-shirt to prove that I'm a novelist, nor do I need to have my inbox flooded with pep-talks from other writer. I haven't read any of the pep talks, but I imagine that they focus on artsy-fartsy things like the beauty of writing and the satisfaction of finishing something, and the need to carry on even when inspiration is miles away. Who has time to read that stuff? No offense, NaNoWriMo.
Furthermore, I have other projects filling my November. I am starting a course in Chinese (super-duper excited for this). I am enduring hours of Christmas music at my retail job. Can that really be considered a project? I feel like it is. Aye, aye, aye. Oh, and I'm also still attempting to edit my novel.
On the last project, I admit that it has been the subject of my negligence lately. Sigh. However, my goal to have it completed by the end of 2013 stands. I invested too many hours in that bad boy to let it fall into the annals of the uncompleted now. You see, this is like my pep talk to myself, so if you don't read it, I understand. ; )
I'm on project and personal life overload, I feel, and NaNoWrimo don't got no place in there (I say as I bobble my head). NaNoWriMo is a great motivator for writers who have trouble spinning out a completed rough draft or those who hare looking for a writing launchpad. It's also a fun idea. The sense of community is nice. However, I am making November my novel editing/bunch of other stuff month.
I started on a novel for NaNoWriMo this year, and I'm almost halfway to the 50,000 word goal. I may or may not ever finish it. Oh well. I don't mind if that one falls into the annals of the uncompleted. It was fun while it lasted.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
9 More Things You Didn't Know About the English Language
Gear up, nerds! English is a strange and unfathomable form of communication. Here are some more useless and fascinating facts about it.
- "uncopyrightable" is the longest word in common usage that contains no letter more than once.
- A sentence that has all 26 letters of the alphabet in it is called a "pangram." Here's an example: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Why is there even a word for that, seriously?
- We can find 10 words in the 7-letter word "therein" without rearranging any of its letters: the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.
- The longest word with only one vowel is "strengths."
- The longest one-syllable word is "screeched."
- There are no real English words that rhyme with any of the following: month, silver, angel, orange, and bulb. Beware, couplet writers!
- It's generally agreed that "the sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is English's toughest tongue twister. Good thing I don't know many sick sheiks or sixth sheeps.
- The words "silent" and "listen" contain all the same letters.
- There used to be a word in the dictionary without a meaning. The word was "Dord" and it got there because of an error. I love it. That poor word. We should give it a meaning and get it back into the dictionary!
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