Odyssey of Light Series: Part 2

Odyssey of Light Blog Series
Part 2: Remembrance Day (Or, "A Simple Motion, Coming Toward")

This is part 2 in a five-part series, in which I finally tell the truth about myself, my music, and my identity in Christ. While you read my story, you might question my ability to think clearly in the circumstances or wonder if I am reading too much into “signs.” I tell this story to the best of my availability, as it happened to me, and leave coincidences as what they are: just coincidences, maybe with a little push from God. To compromise the way I experienced the story at 17 is to compromise my identity, and therefore to compromise the reason I’m writing this.

That Labor Day Novel Thing: Taking On the 3-Day Novel Challenge

Because NaNoWriMo just isn't enough, apparently.

So who, in their right mind, would write a novel in three days? (Let alone the 30 required for NaNoWriMo.) There are certainly a couple of crazy people out there, and I am one of them. The 3-Day Novel Contest requires you to write an entire novel in 3 days. You heard me right. 3 days. I'm not quite sure how my hands are going to adapt to it yet, but I'll make it.

This contest was started in Canada and has been going on for more than 35 years. You start writing at midnight on Saturday of Labor Day and don't stop until Monday night, unless you want to stop by then. I told my roommate that it was akin to NaNoWriMo on crack, which sounds about right.

Yes, in case you're wondering, I'm planning on doing this contest. I will be writing a novel in 3 days, one that has absolutely nothing to do with Dvorak. I have my plan (pend) sorted out and I even have most of my time sorted out into blocks, but I know these are flexible. This is why I have an assistant. A rather good looking assistant who gladly does all of this for free (or at least a back massage).

I will be livetweeting my 3-Day Novel experience @SOSICapSid. I will be hashtagging #3DayNovel the entire time, as well as giving occasional updates on Facebook. Needless to say, it's going to be hard (especially on my hands -- I'll be QWERTYing it the entire time unless I really start having problems, and then I'll switch between QWERTY and Dvorak) so I could use all the support you want to give.

So what is my story about? I can't say explicitly, but it's not a new story to me. I even tried to write the entire thing down once...the summer after my junior year. And while the book was kind of bad, my dedication to this story wasn't. While I can't say the story exactly, my oldest fans (dating back to high school) know that the tagline www.@ has been used for it in the past. When I tweet this weekend, I will occasionally use the hashtag #wwwdotatmark to give some insight into my head and the process. The story is where the hashtag comes from.

It is my sincerest hope that you'll join me on this journey.

Goggles on, folks. You've got mail.

Rainbows and Butterflies

It's not easy to write a blog post when you're depressed.

I seem to have highs and lows these days. Most of it is because there are eight million people I can compare myself to on these lonely islands. I'm surprised all of us aren't in some form of therapy. In fact, some people think I do need therapy. I do have therapy -- I have writing, and music, and a boyfriend who listens no matter what, and a world I can wrap myself in. But there are still days where it's just hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Furthermore, there should be three steps I should follow whenever I get depressed:

1: Remember that this is a normal occurrence and there is no reason to freak out, or put myself down further. Also, remember that there is a world outside your room, outside these islands. Up north, there's a kid who takes pictures. Out west, there's a roller coaster with my name on it. Things may seem like they suck, but those are only lies that we all tell ourselves to keep ourselves "safe." In reality, that's an outdated fight or flight system, isn't it? We don't need that anymore, not in that way, at least. We should be scared of rabid bears on the loose, not of standing on stage and singing.

2: Get up from where I am, no matter how hard it is. Get some food, even if it's just chocolate. If possible, go outside and go get something. Start walking. Dance.

3: Never look back.

What about you? What do you do when everything's not rainbows and butterflies?

On NaNoWriMo: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A friend of mine is currently working on revising/editing his first big novel. He's also blogging about it, which means he's sharing the fun with all of us. I invite you to check it out and cheer him on.

But regardless. We got to talking over Twitter, and somehow, NaNoWriMo came up. His response was: "...my concern isn't whether I'll try or not, it's whether the result will be any good."

So let me ask you a question: if you're trying to write a novel in a month, 50,000 words, is the result guaranteed to be good? Well, no. In fact, sometimes it's a total crapshoot.

I've naturally gotten better over the years -- Blue Impulse and Dvorak Classic are both NaNo novels (okay, Camp, but officially), and Steel Angel is as well. I'm currently workshopping my 2011 NaNo with my writing group. But don't ask me about 2007. That novel will basically never see the light of day again. And 2012 has some serious work to be done before it can see the light of day (mostly because it's the sequel to 2011's).

So why do I still do NaNoWriMo if I know I won't get a good result every time? I've mentioned this before: the community.

No matter where you live, there is likely to be a group of people -- PHYSICAL PEOPLE -- near you who will also take part in this November challenge. Official volunteers set up groups and events that you can go to, take your writing apparatus, and sit and write. I should know because I used to be one of these volunteers for five years.

But don't think that all we do is sit and write. A year after I left the Oxford, Ohio NaNoWriMo region, I visited them on a weekend for an event. I brought cookies and smiles, and got yelled at by one of the writers saying everybody had to focus and stay quiet.

I wanted to throw something, but all I did was throw myself out.

The beauty of NaNoWriMo is its ability to take itself seriously and NOT do so at the same time. People come in with varying levels of preparation. I come with my plan, which I'll be detailing when it gets closer to November. Some people come only with their laptops and no idea how they're going to get through the month, but they want to. That's enough to start, but usually not enough to finish with.

This is why I ALWAYS recommend first-timers to go to as many events as possible. Being around other writers is infectious, and plus, it means you inevitable glean ideas for your own manuscripts, NaNo or not. I would recommend going to the events even if you don't 100% know you'll be doing NaNoWriMo. It's good for sitting and writing sprints, but it's also good for your self-esteem. The other writers there are all writing, and it's not a competition to see who does best.

It's like a running race where everybody strives to cross the finish line, and where the racers run back and help support the people behind them. The words "I will not let you have this cookie until you meet quota" are pretty commonplace, but so are "Do you need a hand massage?"

And at the end of the month, you have 50,000 words. Unless you're me, in which case there's usually a bit more. Regardless. 50,000 words. Perhaps they all suck. Perhaps you will delete the file immediately. So what? After 50,000 words, you have a group of people who remembered you did the event and won't forget you're a writer. Some of those people will also be in local writers' groups, which will give you a chance to meet year-round. This happened both in Zanesville (the Y-City Writers) and in NYC (the critique group I mentioned before). And sure, you can join groups year-round, but there is something about November and the frenzy and the tornado that sucks you in.

Besides, man...50,000 words. There's gotta be something good in there SOMEWHERE.

Why The World Needs Superheroes (And Why I Need the Dealey Five)

I told myself I would sit down and write a blog entry today, because it had been a while since I had written one. Of course, getting up out of bed and not watching soaps/daytime television/sitting in bed reading manga/playing Pokemon/generally feeling sorry for myself is never a good idea, though it always seems like one when you're stuck in it. We all get depressed for whatever reason or another, and that's what I'd like to try and tackle today -- as well as to my solution.

Write More Better: Who Am I (And Who Am *I*)

In today’s article, I will tell you who I am -- my background, things I like and dislike, what not -- as well as who *I* am -- how I’m somehow qualified to sit on my chair and blog about writing, and why you should listen.

Sunday Stack: Vacations Make You Think

So I spent the better part of the past week on vacation in North Carolina. Being out in the middle of nowhere warrants next to no phone service and very spotty Internet. It also makes a great place to reconnect with yourself instead of being bombarded with lots of people needing your attention. Sure, I downloaded a lot of stories from Wattpad, but I spent equal times reading and playing solitaire without a care in the world.

It was really refreshing, and because of it, I probably don't have much to show for it (other than a sunburn). But I think we'll see how this trip spreads throughout the rest of my life soon.

This next week, I have an album to work on...and I still don't have a title. Any suggestions? :S

How To Be 100% Perfect In Everything You Do

There’s really only one secret to being 100% perfect.

Write More Better: Write What You Know

My boyfriend Garo is a slacker.