lisashafter

I don’t like writing sad endings, but with these kinds of themes (aka, a prophet preaching doomsday to an entire country), they’re hard to avoid. Time will only tell if the ending is horribly depressing or not; a lot depends on the falling action!

My word count is soaring, which is good since I have a busy weekend approaching. The 50,000 mark is getting really close— wish me luck!

Total word count: 45,053
Status: almost there!

~Lisa Shafter

P.S. NaNoWriMo Fail of the Week:
“Wow, that’s bad,” Tyran said, feeling shock and horror and other terrible emotions.
Bria looked at him, also seeming to exude shock and horror and other terrible emotions.

After three weeks of battling inhibitions, insecurity and lame ideas, I’m finally sailing along in the NaNo novel. I’m at the home stretch right now, and it looks like I might reach the goal by Thanksgiving again this year. I just wrote the beginning climax, and it was so sad that I almost cried (which probably means that it’s really lame). I don’t know how it’s going to end. I don’t know who lives or dies. I’m along for the ride, waiting in fearful anticipation of the decisions that will come down in these last few pages. It’s scary, it’s nerve-wracking, and it makes me giddy.

Total word count: 43,338
Status: ahead of schedule

~Lisa Shafter

Starting yesterday, I have a day job for the week, one that has, thus far, consumed a solid ten hours of my day. Hanging greenery for the city is turning out to be every bit as hard as I expected, and my fingertips are so sore (pricked and scraped by countless pine needles, florist wires, rusty nails, and bricks) that it almost hurts to type. I’ve been putting my head down every night and writing, still maintaining a good word count, but it’s harder… and the goal word count is catching up.

Total word count: 36,191
Status: ahead of schedule

~Lisa Shafter

Today, I plowed through my word count to reach a goal that I knew would bring me immense happiness. Sure enough, just a few minutes ago I reached the idiotic-grin-inducing word count of 33,333. Awesome.

~Lisa Shafter

This is my favorite part of NaNoWriMo, where I break the halfway point and go sailing on my way (or hurtling, as if falling off a building, depending on the way you look at it), blazing through the words and realizing that the story does in fact have some semblance of plot, no matter how weak it might be.

After I’ve finished a writing session, I often take a minute or two to think about the people for which I’m writing the story: namely, those who will read it online and those who will never read it but will receive the blessings of the money that people have pledged. When I think of the first group of people, I get nervous because I think, “This story is so stupid and boring, not to mention lame! Who would want to read it?” But when I think of the second group of people, I relax. This isn’t about me, I remember. This is about them.

Even though they’ll never know it, people all over the world will be able to eat good food and drink clean water and spread the Good News as the result of this novel, no matter how cheesy or redundant or poorly-written the writing is. Apparently, God can even work through contrived dialogue and clumsy narrative summary.

Back to writing!

Total word count: 28,006
Status: ahead of schedule

~Lisa Shafter

Today is the halfway point of the month, and my only “day off” between now and Thanksgiving. I decided to relax by pounding out almost 3,000 words, bringing my word count up to a bit beyond the goal for the day. Hooray for catching up!

Total word count: 25,170
Status: ahead of schedule

~Lisa Shafter

NaNoWriMo "fail" sentence of the day:

"Falen drew out a spear, a spear that had never been mentioned or worried about before until the moment when it was quite conveniently needed, and watched Hren struggle onto the shore."

How I love boosting my word count!

Total word count as of 5:55pm today: 20,604
Status: almost on schedule

~Lisa Shafter

P.S. When I revise this, I will have great need for synonyms for the words "vague," "oddly," and "thrashed."

In the past I have railed against writing with music in the background; how can anyone get a feel for the rhythm of the sentences, the music of the writing itself? But while I still hold that music is a distraction from any sort of problem-solving or editing, it’s useful when I have to blaze through a scene to boost my word count.

My dad introduced me to an iTunes radio channel called Cinemix, which plays all soundtracks. Although the dramatic music usually makes my writing seem much better than it really is, I did manage and exceed the word count for the day to the soft sounds of “Bloods and Bones,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Peter Pan.”

Total word count: 18,529
Status: on track

~Lisa Shafter

I’ve been in a depressed mood both today and yesterday, and this evening my boyfriend suggested to me over the phone that I should write because it would cheer me up. I answered with a sarcastic, “You’d think so, wouldn’t ya?” because writing has been like pulling teeth lately. However, I got out my laptop, tuned in to Cinemix (all soundtrack radio) and began pounding the keys.

Not only did I blaze through over 3,000 words and finally catch up to the goal word count, but I’m feeling much better now. My boyfriend was right all along— why don’t I listen to him more?

Words written today: 3,162
Total word count today: 16,169
Status: two words ahead of schedule

~Lisa Shafter

Last year’s NaNo wasn’t a breeze, but it was definitely easier than this. I pounded out a thousand words this morning but I’m still 4,000 words behind schedule. Time for a lengthy dream sequence/narrative description that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot!

Ah... I love NaNo.

On a different note, I’m trying to think of a scary-sounding name for a group of islands. Right now they have the placeholder name “Islands of Sasperella.” Hardly intimidating. Anyone have any ideas?

Total word count as of 2:44 today: 11,009
Status: behind schedule

~Lisa Shafter

I managed to write almost 2,000 words in half an hour today. While I have not yet caught up to the goal word count, I do consider this a small victory. I also had my first NaNoWriMo nightmare last night (I dreamed that Mom read the novel and said it was the worst book she had ever read), but managed to push through it. It’s a busy day, but there’s always time for writing!

Goal for the week: catch up and exceed the word quotas for the week. It’s on!

Total word count as of 12:39 today: 10,016
Status: behind schedule but catching up

~Lisa

I have a vague feeling that someone has it out for me. Over the past few days I’ve been knocked to my knees by all sorts of ailments, everything from fainting spells to pulled muscles to ingrown toenails. I’m still functional, and I’m definitely not as sick as I could be, but it hasn’t been good for my NaNo novel. Never fear, though— I’m getting ready to write at this moment!

Total word count as of yesterday: 7,623
Status: behind schedule

~Lisa Shafter

The first real surprise happened in my story today— a minor plot point, but delightful to me. The best part about NaNoWriMo is the element of surprise, finding that moment where a characters leap to life and run off in a completely different direction than you anticipated. A writer can only dash off after them, typing furiously, trying to keep up before they disappear again. Run, writer, run!

Total word count as of today: 7,094
Status: on track

~Lisa Shafter

Last year, I attended a write-in on November 1st, pounding out about four thousand words in one day. That was a wonderful beginning, but this year things have worked out a bit differently. This week is the busiest batch of online students that I teach, with papers averaging seven pages each instead of the usual two. I’m also visiting some friends at college, so between socializing and working I have little spare time. Even so, yesterday I sat down with determination and pounded out some more words.

Today I also received the cash from my first pledge. Thanks, Lauren!

Total word count as of yesterday: 3,417
Status: barely on track

~Lisa Shafter

A couple of weeks have passed since my return to St. Louis from Washington— a vague rushing blur of adjusting to a new house, new roommates, new walking routes, new chores, new routines. Life continues to spin forward in its typical whirlwind, and I'm in the eye, observing it all rush around me, waiting to dive in again. Today I launched my next big adventure.

"Cale knew, as all men in Chaldia knew, that Dreamers deserved nothing short of death…"

With these words I began my 2009 National Novel Writing Month novel, stuck for now with the clichéd title "Dreamer." I have asked friends and family to pledge money based on my word count, with the donations going to my two favorite charities, Voice of the Martyrs and Samaritan's Purse. Many have pledged, and many are interested— more than I hoped for, which just makes me more determined to write a NaNoWriMo novel that will do them proud. I wrote the prologue this morning before church, and I hope to write more this afternoon. I'll post my word counts on my blog about every day so you can track my race against time. Well, I will as soon as I figure out how to find the word count on an InDesign document.

I'm off to write now. Stay tuned, folks!

~Lisa Shafter

An excerpt from my diary on the way home:

"My trip to Washington never happened.

One day has passed since my flight to Seattle from St. Louis, and in the evening of that day I had a dream. It all seems vague now, a haze, an illusion of something that might've been but wasn't quite. I have the memories of another person: of sea anemones and boardwalks and ice cream and the Space Needle, but they are not mine. Time has not passed. It could not have passed. I think fondly of those back home, but I don't miss them. How could I? I've only been gone a day.

The world rushes by beneath us, a great stretch of blackness with tiny lights like phosphorescent plankton. Something in me is awake, is alive, is pressing forward, is glowing, is begging for another adventure I did not have. It long for a time when reality flipped on its head, time became an irrelevant ticking, and the line between life and the impossible such a blur that it is beyond my mind to sort it out.

However, as I drift, suspended, above the black ocean of land with a cup of orange juice by my hand and misty lights seething beneath my shoes, I have it all."

There are few things more satisfying in life than hiking up a mountain and coming home to a mug of hot cocoa. I expected the former but not the latter, today, but Beth, the wonderful woman who has decided to be my surrogate mother while I'm out here, gladly provided the Nestles, honey dijon potato chips, chocolate-covered raisins, and homey atmosphere that created the perfect ending to a long hike in the ferns and mossy trees.

There is nothing better on earth than a community of Christ-followers. Today my sister and I went out for coffee with some of the young adults from the First Baptist Church of Bellingham. I've grown too confident over the course of these few weeks to be nervous, but their friendliness and obvious Love for everyone astounded me. We spent nearly three hours at the Adagio Coffeehouse, sipping our drinks, eating homemade banana bread, and Talking. Each person listened in turn to the others' ideas, hobbies, dreams, thoughts on the sermons, life stories, causes, interests, stories, and everything else. Everyone wanted to hear about my novels, and I in turn learned much about their lives, their loves, and the fascinating adventures that each of them calls life.

It will be with a wistful sigh that I return to the generally unfriendly, or at least anonymous, church in my hometown next week.

Today, I had work to do. My online students had piled up and I knew that I had to plow through them in a blaze of glory on my day off. It was a gorgeous day outside, but that describes almost every day here! So I decided it was time to buckle down and work.

My sister had no reason to stay in the hotel room with me, so she announced that she was headed off to Boulevard Park, which is about a ten-minute bus ride from here. "I'll be back at six," she said before grabbing her backpack, two bus tokens, and her wading shoes and heading out the door. I told her to have a good time.

Bellingham is generally a safe town, about as safe as my hometown. It has its bad neighborhoods, but they're fine for anyone during the day as long as one is careful. But even so, I had to focus hard on my students, focus hard on not worrying, and try to avoid thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to her. I think, for a few hours, I got a small touch of what parents must feel like all the time.

She came waltzing back in at 5:19, having spent time at the park drawing and watching the seagulls. I felt the weight of imagined responsibility lift from my shoulders, once again reminding myself that my sister is not so little anymore.

Still, it gave me an interesting perspective on children going off to do their own thing when so many dangerous situations are possible. How do parents stand it?

1. Listened to my pre-stolen copy of Watching Judas's new CD, Mary Meets Sally, on a bus ride to Seattle.

2. Explored the Pike Place Fish Market with my sister, showing her all the sights, sounds and smells.

3. Watched a pianist who had dragged a 66-key upright into the street beside the market to perform.

4. Ate lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory, something I've been dying to do with my sister since last summer.

5. Discovered that Myrtle-Edwards Park has a wonderful view of Puget Sound and absolutely no restrooms.

6. Was unimpressed with Sculpture Park.

7. Stood at the base of the Space Needle and said, "Yup, there it is!" while taking several pictures.

8. Wandered into a souvenir shop just in time to see the climax of the original Stargate movie playing on TV.

9. Visited the Seattle Aquarium and saw some of the most adorable seals and sea otters of all time.

10. Talked to a guy at the touch pool and learned about starfish, anemones, sea cucumbers, and volunteering.

11. Spent way too much on gifts and souvenirs, but enjoyed every minute of it.

12. Killed time in expensive clothing stores while waiting for the bus.

13. Stared in wonder at the sunset between huge, glassy buildings.

14. Sat at the bus stop in the dark and wondered if we were stranded in Seattle for the night.

15. Got home safe and ate pizza to celebrate one of the best days ever!