It's madness, madness I tell you
One of the pitfalls I still fall into is thinking that when this happens (when school starts, when summer starts, when Helena goes to school, when they're both in school, when the cold weather comes, when hell freezes over, when I grow tentacles) then I will have time for things. That suddenly, my life (what I think of as my life as distinct from the collective I) will have a moment to breathe. It doesn't happen like that. It hasn't happened so far and I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen. I keep thinking it will, but that's the real sucker punch. Because I keep thinking it will somehow, magically fall into place if only... then I never really take my own bull by the horns. I just keep running ahead of all the rest of the bulls in my personal Pamplona.
Well, frak that. (I promise, more about frakking later.)
See those little bulls down there on the right? Under the list of blogs I read and a couple of other tiny banners? They're my bulls. I'm going to wrassle them, by golly, by gosh and by heck.
The first is a mild bull, almost a Ferdinand (at least in comparison to the second). It is NaBloPoMo* or National Blog Posting Month. Basically, I am contracting to write a post every day in November, including weekends. Including Thanksgiving. Including my birthday. Every day. Thirty posts. I like the idea of being more committed to this space, to being less convulsed by doubt, by posting no matter what the hell my mood is. To posting whether or not I think I have something to say.
This is on top of something I had already decided to try, but hadn't decided to talk about in public. Still now that I've gone completely loopy, I might as well be hanged for a sheep than a lamb. Or for a huge, mean, aged bull with a big ring in his nose and the steamy bullish anger of the ages raging through his tiny bull brain. I am playing along in NaNoWriMo in which you write a novel (well, you write 50000 words - - the novel bit you debate later) in a month.
I'll wait while you stop laughing.
So yes. A blog post a day. All the normal duties of parenting a day. Part-time working (one day with overflow). 50000 divided by 30 words a day, what is that, like 1600? Oh crap. That's a lot. Anyway. I'm thinking I'm not going to get much knitting done but you never know.
Two bulls. Four horns. Complacent little two handed me. What do you think is going to happen? And who is going to join in the fun?
*I heard of NaBloPoMo through Karrie who is clearly just as insane as I am. Or I'm as insane as she is.
Well, frak that. (I promise, more about frakking later.)
See those little bulls down there on the right? Under the list of blogs I read and a couple of other tiny banners? They're my bulls. I'm going to wrassle them, by golly, by gosh and by heck.
The first is a mild bull, almost a Ferdinand (at least in comparison to the second). It is NaBloPoMo* or National Blog Posting Month. Basically, I am contracting to write a post every day in November, including weekends. Including Thanksgiving. Including my birthday. Every day. Thirty posts. I like the idea of being more committed to this space, to being less convulsed by doubt, by posting no matter what the hell my mood is. To posting whether or not I think I have something to say.
This is on top of something I had already decided to try, but hadn't decided to talk about in public. Still now that I've gone completely loopy, I might as well be hanged for a sheep than a lamb. Or for a huge, mean, aged bull with a big ring in his nose and the steamy bullish anger of the ages raging through his tiny bull brain. I am playing along in NaNoWriMo in which you write a novel (well, you write 50000 words - - the novel bit you debate later) in a month.
I'll wait while you stop laughing.
So yes. A blog post a day. All the normal duties of parenting a day. Part-time working (one day with overflow). 50000 divided by 30 words a day, what is that, like 1600? Oh crap. That's a lot. Anyway. I'm thinking I'm not going to get much knitting done but you never know.
Two bulls. Four horns. Complacent little two handed me. What do you think is going to happen? And who is going to join in the fun?
*I heard of NaBloPoMo through Karrie who is clearly just as insane as I am. Or I'm as insane as she is.
posted by Francesca Amendolia at 21:57
19 Comments:
Oh my god. Stunts. I am so freaking excited for you- you have no idea.
The NaBloPoMo, I also, tenuously or maybe I should say, cautiously, agreed to partaking in for November as found on Fussy (http://www.fussy.org/nablopomo.html)
But the NaNoWriMo!!! That is freaking courage. I thought to myself, with NaBloPoMo I could always post some photography if I am not feeling articulate, but you are making a real commtiment to do both.
And stunts, I love ya for it. Because now I get to enjoy even more of you (posts everyday, whee!) and also, if you want some support around your novel- I am here friend. Just an email (or phone call) away.
In admiration,
K
Good for you, brave woman - and good for all of us! You are such a touching, realistic, funny, ironic, insightful, compelling writer, who is a joy to read.
Thanks for sharing.
I see that you still suffer from the same problem that I have - it's no so much that you *can't* say NO, it's just that there is so much that you *want* to say YES to!
I think you are insane - but insanity is a good place sometimes, so I will join you in NaBloPoMo - see you in our blogs!
Yay!
I think blogging may actually be a good warm up before beginning the novel each day. But yeah. Wild two-year-old I can barely manage, college classes, a post-a -day and a novel? Should feel like having a sleepless newborn again.
Best of luck Stunts!
Oh. OH. I hope you find this time for yourself and your writing.
That said, I can't even think about signing on for this particular fresh hell. And if I'm like this now, how the heck am I going to deal with kids?
When is your birthday?
I wish you fortitude and courage for your upcoming Bull Wrestling Competition. I look forward to reading the fruits of your labors. Yes, indeed.
Your writing taps into the most (as opposed to the least) common denominator. Go for it.
I'm impressed and I'm CONVINCED that you'll do it and all of us will benefit from your talent.
You are a lovely writer... I can't wait to see what you come up with.
And, incidentally, "Ferdinand" is one of my absolute favorite kid stories. If ever there was a Ferdinand, it's me.
:)
Rock on, sister!
Rachael
i have heard about this
and i have been curious
but not sure i am ready
to take that kind of
commitment-plunge.
:)
and eventually time
does become yours again...
mine are 11 and 7...
things are much easier now...
they can entertain themselves
for periods of time...
they can entertain themselves
SAFELY i guess i should add.
:)
heehee
looking forward to your
november posts though!
Oh wow! Okay, Jaek, you, and Fritz have all written about doing this. I was thinking about it seriously - and I even talked my youngest into doing it with me (they have a junior nanowrimo for the under-13 set - they set their own word goal). Paul and I did this last year - we found the book No Plot, No Problem last December (we'd never heard of it before) - right after 2005's nanowrimo ended. So we did our own, from December 16-January 15. If you checked out my archives, you would see that I was constantly behind Paul and behind the goal for the day (it is 1667 words/day - I made a chart posted it next to the monitor, so I could cross off each day's goal). But I finished the damned thing. Do it. You will be so proud of yourself.
Gads, what a brave woman you are (and soon to be a prolific one as well)! Your pieces are always well written - can't wait to read them.
Just had another thought - you should be submitting some of these to women's magazines. You express yourself so well, talk about timely subjects, and have a wicked sense of humor. You could be earning while messing with the bulls...
You go, girl!! If anyone can do it, it's you! And selfishly, I hope you do it, so I can be treated to reading your blog every day.
It's a good idea but (I'm always full of buts, sorry)... Wouldn't it be better to write, say 1000 great words rather than 1600 average ones? Or 500 wonderful ones rather than 1667 poor ones. The value in writing is obviously not the length. The benefit of "Nanowrimo" is in helping you get round to it. It would be a shame if you compromised your product just to meet a (silly) artificial target.
R
Sounds good. I look forward to it... Hell, I might even join you!
I'd decided to do NaNoWriMo too (yet another example of how in synch we always seem to be), though November in general is a hard month, and this November in particular is harder still.
R -- the point to writing 2000 words a day, no matter if they are good or bad, is that it forces you to go places you might not otherwise have gone if you were concentrating on making sense. Then at the end, you have enough to tell whether you might actually have ... something ... which a smaller number wouldn't necessarily make clear. Or something.
Did I miss it, or did you never get back to "frakking" as promised? As a "Battlestar Galactica" fan despite my advanced years, I find the word gives a whole new finish to the acronym MILF.
No, I haven't yet got back to frakking. But I will. And (if you can be bothered) see a past blog entry for what I think about MILFs. Um, let me see. It's here: http://stuntmother.blogspot.com/2005/08/milfs-also-known-as-yummy-mummies.html. Bugger trying to figure out how to post html code in the comments.
And Richard -- I agree with the Excellent Walker. I would also add this: that sometimes it takes 2000 silly words to find 500 good ones. I agree with the point about the artificial target, though.
You go girl. I watched the fraking season premiere of the show that is responsible for making that word popular and I've never been so fraking depressed in my whole life. Frak is good, but I will always be partial to it's crasser mother.
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