The Snowflake Method

The Snowflake Method is a rather anal retentive way of planning out your novel that, for some reason, really appeals to me. :) It was created by R. Inglemanson, a physicist, PhD, author and now public speaker (usually about writing and his snowflake method). You can find all the steps to the snowflake method here.

Here's the skinny:

Essentially, you start with just one sentence. (The "gist" of your novel...everything boiled down to one, short (as possible) sentence.) From this one sentence, you expand to one paragraph. Then one page, then four pages, and so on. There's also detailed character sketching and scene mapping. All of this, especially when explained by Inglemanson, makes perfect sense and seems perfectly logical.

I am prepping for NaNoWriMo 2006. (National Novel Writing Month...essentially its a challenge to write 175 pages or 50,000 words between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30) Last year, I completed my 50,000 word crappy "novel" in 11 days. Somewhat impressive. However, this year, I would really like my "nano novel" to be 1) Readable and 2) less rambling. ;) All that being the case, I have decided to, like, actually plan out my November Noveling Adventures.

Thus, the snowflake method.

I'm going to give it a shot. It will take approximately a month and a half to do correctly, but I'm up for the hard work!

I recommend you, at least, check out Inglemansons's site if you have any interest in writing a novel, long piece of fiction, and especially if you're interested in NaNoWriMo. Take what's good, leave what isn't. (I sure am. Spreadsheets? Ummm. No.)

Happy Writing!

days of dial-up

Economy has required us to revert back (in time?) to dial-up. This is excrutiatingly painful as I have not used anything but high-speed internet for several years now (4 at the very least). Your average, every day, web browsing is really not all that difficult, however, downloading is another story, as are the large flash presentations my online classes like to use. A "simple" flash presentation that should take about 10 minutes to view literally took me over 45 minutes. Throughout the entire thing I felt like bashing my head directly into the monitor (thankfully, I didn't) One minute of the thing would play...followed by 5 plus minutes of nothing...followed by another measly minute, and so on. ARGH! And forget about downloading. I never even realized how much I downloaded on a daily basis until I discovered how SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW the downloading process is on dial-up. It really makes you stop (literally) and think about what you're doing online.

Positive points to all this nonsense: For practical reasons, I can no longer just sit in front of the computer and while away the hours on the internet. A) I cannot hog the phone line B) Two people cannot be on dial up (cost effectively) at the same time, so I cannot hog the internet time and finally C) (my personal favorite) I can no longer aimlessly wander around the internet. Everything takes so darn long to do now, that I literally have to make a list, prioritize and then kick serious butt to do it as quickly as possible so I can get in as much as possible in as little an amount of time. Why is this a good thing, you might be asking? Well, first of all, it forces me to prioritize and actually do things with a purpose. This is an excellent development. It also means I spend less time on the internet and more time doing other things, like write snarky blog posts while waiting for the love of your life to finish his business online, or hey, even do housework. LOL!

So, bitching and moaning aside, this is actually a good thing. It just takes some getting used to, and I sure am not used to it yet. ;)

Hooray for mobility!

Eric and I switched computers again. You see, originally, I gave him my laptop because his back was not doing well and he was laid up on the couch most of the time---> thus, unable to use his desktop computer. So, we switched computers and voila! He had computer time again, and I got to experience what it is like to operate a bulky desktop (which I thought I wanted...) again. Then, the two of us proceeded to suffer in silence because, as it turns out, he prefers desktop computers and I prefer laptops...yet he was using a LAPTOP and I was using a DESKTOP. See the problem? ;)

Well, today we discussed it and it was quite funny, actually. I mentioned off-handedly that I missed having a laptop. To which Eric replied "I miss having a desktop". This revelation was followed by lots of "really?" "No, I mean, REALLY?" "well, whattayaknow." This was promptly followed with a transfer of computers, and several hours of messing around with the settings on our respective "new" computers and deleting of the other's "junk" (as I kindly refer to it). (and of course, knowing Eric, as soon as I gave him the desktop he promptly opened it up and started tinkering, making it "bigger" and "better" and "meaner"...and then it stopped working. Don't worry, its up and running now.) Its funny what happens when you communicate.

;)

Enjoy the Silence...

I receive an email about every day from a list I am subscribed to, called "Daily Power Words". It contains a word to reflect on throughout the day, a passage about the word, and an exercise. I LOVE THIS LIST! Today's word is: relaxation and the exercise is to take a few minutes for silence and reflection every day for a week (or more!) and write about the experience. I am going to do just that...and I will write about my experiences publicly, here on this blog. Oh goodie!

This afternoon I sat down for about 5 minutes. I couldn't sit for longer because someone knocked on the door, but those 5 minutes really went a long way towards helping me feel centered. I changed out of my jeans and into my baggy pants, sat on the bed, closed my eyes and focused on my breath for almost exactly 5 minutes. That's it. So simple, right? Well, wrong! My mind was scattered and running wild. My thoughts were bouncing all around inside my head, and it was actually hard work to just focus on my breath. However, towards the end of the 5 minutes, it was becoming a little easier...so I am sure the more I work at this, the easier it will become.

I wrote earlier today that I wasn't feeling much like myself. Well, actually now...after the 5 minute meditation break, I am feeling MUCH more like myself. I might have actually found the key to it all. We'll have to see if this trend continues.

Depression, pills and doctors, oh MY!

I was really depressed last night. (Laying on the floor and crying...the works...) I could tell Eric was really worried. I took a hot shower then went straight to bed (at 9pm!!) and proceeded to sleep about 12 hours straight. This morning, I am feeling much better...but I'm still not quite myself.

I don't know what to do. I take all the pills that they prescribe to me. I go see my therapist, dutifully. What else can I do? I really want to know.

----> Alright I know of two things that can help: Better diet and exercise. Well, the better diet is hard to do on as tight a budget as I'm working with. Exercise? Well...my first instinct is to whine about the heat, or about the fact that I don't have the proper type of shoes. But I recognize these as excuses...part of my innate tendency to sabotage myself...So, recognizing that, I will go for a walk today! I plan to, later on, when it cools off a bit, go to one of the lakes nearby and walk on one of their trails. I think that would be nice...and I have a sneaking suspicion that it just might help me feel a bit better, too.

I also want to quit smoking. (go ahead, roll your eyes!) but I don't think now is a good time. School starts next week. I'm planning a wedding. And I also don't want to take on "too much" at once. ie: school, wedding, diet changes?, and exercise changes. ALL that PLUS quitting smoking? I think its too much, and I'd be setting myself up to fail. I will wait a few weeks...wait until things settle down a bit and I get into more of a routine with my new "things"...and then see about quitting.