![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
It would be nice to reach 20k before Monday but I've got papers to grade and errands to run and then my sister leaves town so we'll see. Still, I feel good about my tally at the end of week #1:
For the second week in a row, I attended the Write In for the South Bay NaNo Writers. Once again, it was held at the Panera Bread & Bakery (where I've now become addicted to broccoli cheddar soup). I remembered to bring my ear buds because the music Panera plays is awful. I love jazz but this wanna-be-cool jazzy crap they play in doctor's offices or in elevators should be taken in small doses. Ha, that reminds me of the time I once used the term "jazzy" around a New York jazz composer. He told me that real musicians don't recognize this as a word, thus it doesn't exist. In other words, don't ever use the word "jazzy" when talking with jazz musicians. It'll only insult them.
Why am I writing this post again? Oh yeah--I started out talking about the write-in. I had a great time. There were four of us and we all talked from time to time but for the most part, I wrote from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The first time I looked at my word count, I noticed I had 667 words. After silently cursing out my laptop, I kept going and swore not to examine the number of words in the bottom left hand corner of Word 2007. But of course, I couldn't keep that promise. This time, I had more than 2k words. I lovingly stroked the side of my monitor. "You're a genius," I told it.
Finally, I realized that it was going on 4 p.m. and my stomach was grumbling again. I decided to pack it up and head home, but not before checking my word count for the final time. I was so surprised when I saw that my word count reached over 4k. I did all of that in about three hours? Last Saturday, I was able to write nearly 2k with the group and this time, I wrote nearly 4k. I never realized how productive meeting up JUST to write can be. You're surrounded by people pounding away on the keyboards so this energy somehow transfers to you. You're in the zone because everyone else is focused. You don't get distracted at all! I'm hoping to keep writing with people after NaNo's over because I can notice the difference in my concentration.
Writing at home often has too many distractions. Writing meetings give me the perfect balance of focus, creativity, and socializing. Also, they're the sort of thing you can do with people you don't know. I'm going to another write-in in Long Beach this Tuesday, which I've never been to but the only requirement is that I write so I'll fit in just fine. Seriously, best idea ever! You don't have to deal with the bullshit of talking about writing because everyone's just DOING it.
| |
16,878 / 50,000 (33.8%) |
For the second week in a row, I attended the Write In for the South Bay NaNo Writers. Once again, it was held at the Panera Bread & Bakery (where I've now become addicted to broccoli cheddar soup). I remembered to bring my ear buds because the music Panera plays is awful. I love jazz but this wanna-be-cool jazzy crap they play in doctor's offices or in elevators should be taken in small doses. Ha, that reminds me of the time I once used the term "jazzy" around a New York jazz composer. He told me that real musicians don't recognize this as a word, thus it doesn't exist. In other words, don't ever use the word "jazzy" when talking with jazz musicians. It'll only insult them.
Why am I writing this post again? Oh yeah--I started out talking about the write-in. I had a great time. There were four of us and we all talked from time to time but for the most part, I wrote from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The first time I looked at my word count, I noticed I had 667 words. After silently cursing out my laptop, I kept going and swore not to examine the number of words in the bottom left hand corner of Word 2007. But of course, I couldn't keep that promise. This time, I had more than 2k words. I lovingly stroked the side of my monitor. "You're a genius," I told it.
Finally, I realized that it was going on 4 p.m. and my stomach was grumbling again. I decided to pack it up and head home, but not before checking my word count for the final time. I was so surprised when I saw that my word count reached over 4k. I did all of that in about three hours? Last Saturday, I was able to write nearly 2k with the group and this time, I wrote nearly 4k. I never realized how productive meeting up JUST to write can be. You're surrounded by people pounding away on the keyboards so this energy somehow transfers to you. You're in the zone because everyone else is focused. You don't get distracted at all! I'm hoping to keep writing with people after NaNo's over because I can notice the difference in my concentration.
Writing at home often has too many distractions. Writing meetings give me the perfect balance of focus, creativity, and socializing. Also, they're the sort of thing you can do with people you don't know. I'm going to another write-in in Long Beach this Tuesday, which I've never been to but the only requirement is that I write so I'll fit in just fine. Seriously, best idea ever! You don't have to deal with the bullshit of talking about writing because everyone's just DOING it.
Tags: