NaNoWriMo part 3

My notes ready for NaNoWriMo on Saturday. Quite a messy lot there. I hope to have them more organized and in a notebook by midnight Friday. 

NaNoWriMo 2008, again

I'm really psyched this year about hopefully, finally reaching that magic number: 50,000, maybe even surpassing it. I purchased today two items to help me reach that goal.

I will be using my Macbook for the actual writing, but I still need to update my notes. I have approximately 15 pages of notes, mostly from index cards during my long commute to and from work (2 hrs) - my BFF hates me now because I have so many notes and she doesn't (na na na na) - I may have to add her to the story as a victim. (MUHAHAHAHA)

I also purchased a new flash drive, 4GB, to take with me. I will not be writing at work, unless I take the laptop with me and write during lunch. When I wrote my first one in May 2007, I wrote it either before work or after I came home. Nothing was done as work, except email one piece to myself to put in that night. 

One problem I did have with the May 2007 writing was that I was writing on two different computers at home - so I've solved that problem with the purchase of the flash drive. This one is 4GB, but there is also one, silver in color, that's 8GB I might have to purchase instead. Any excuse is a good excuse to purchase techie stuff.

So now I can go between the Macbook and the iMac with the writing - I just can't lose that drive!

Is my breakfast food trying to kill me?

I opened my Special K Bar (strawberry, of course) this morning and found another wrapper inside with masking tape. I'm sure this is not tampering, but it sure does make for a good story idea.

Writing exercise

When I travel, I send back postcards, addressed to myself, and put tidbits of story ideas or something of the like on them. I number them to make sure they all arrive. Here are a few from the past few years.

A twist to the car accident

I've decided that my car accident will be staged, and the woman who was going to be killed in the accident will have been murdered BEFORE the accident happens. Now what have I gotten myself into?

Did I work on my accident scene last night?

No. See what I mean about a procrastinator? I spent the evening watching reruns of Law and Order, then watching The Mentalist that I Tivoed while watching the reruns.

I am a procrastinator

I am admitting the truth at last. I like to procrastinate.

When I should be plotting my novel for next month I find myself in the toy section of the local Wal-Mart buying cars to help me with creating the accident scene. I told myself I could not work on that scene until I had the cars.

There were so many to choose from. All I cared was that I had three different colors so I could make notes on how the accident took place, try different scenarios. I had to make do with a Dodge Charger (white), VW Golf (blue/gray) and the Ferrari (yellow) - all the other cars were either tricked out or not normal looking. I wanted regular cars. And at a buck each, I did good.

I bought them this morning on the way to work. I'll have to discover if I can write about the scene later tonight after dinner. Now I just need to draw the setting then I can play until I decided on who hits who.

The new idea

I've been trying to choose which story to work on next month for NaNoWriMo 2008. I want to officially finish this year.

I've been trying to create a car accident where all is not as it seems. I have found from watching too many episodes of Cold Case on A&E that I really like the idea of cold cases being solved years later. So my older car accident will kill three people. Then an accident investigator who comes along a few years later and gets involved with reopening the case, discovering some things about it that don't look right when compared with the original case notes. Of course, because of the investigator opening the case again, some more people will have to be murdered. I just love killing people in my stories. Keeps my co-workers safe.

So now I have to plan the original accident scene and what will be wrong with it that causes the investigator to take another look at it.

then plan how people today are involved and how to do away with them.

The grisly body count was five.....

When B walked into her office today a scene from a horror movie awaited her. FIVE bodies were found in various positions around her office.


People passing by glanced toward B's office then away, quickly walking away. What is going on in there were on their minds and they strove to push the images away.

Every one knew who this one belonged to: G. How people knew is still a mystery.

Next came L (me), who keeps being run over with the chair.

Then D, lying on her side in misery.

And don't forget L, who gets here before anyone else. She was the first to go. She tried to escape, but was caught at the door, trying to escape.

And last but not least, M, who died in the process trying to call B for help.

Coming Attraction

Here is preview of what my boss will discover when she returns to work Thursday morning. Hopefully I will still be employed by the end of the day.

L says I need adult supervision.

While my boss is away......

....I will be plotting murder and mayhem in her office. She deserves the time off, considering all the hours she has been working recently. But I don't like it when she takes off. I miss her e-mails. I miss hearing her laugh. I miss her, period. 

The first time she went on vacation (she's been the boss about 2 years now) I drew the outline of a dead M&M on her floor and covered it with a napkin (AKA sheet). I made the eyes out of Xs and took lots of pictures. She loves M&Ms and laughed hysterically when she returned. I had her M&M dispenser on the floor, a few pieces of candy scattered, crime scene tape (isn't the Internet great?), evidence markers, you name it, I did it. 

This time, I think I'm going to do the outlines of the five of us in the office. Her office isn't huge, but I think there's room to get five bodies in there. And maybe a missing persons poster of my boss, for being gone so long. That will teach her to take a few days of vacation.

If looks could kill.....

...some blood might have been shed.

I was driving to grab a bite to eat before going to visit with L while she was at work. I pulled up to the stopped traffic in front of me and looked behind me. There was a burgundy PT Cruiser behind me with a woman driver. She looked to be singing or talking or yelling or something. No one was in the vehicle, unless there were small children in the backseat I couldn't see.

We sat there waiting for the light to change, being several cars back from the light. She just kept moving her mouth. I finally realized she must be talking on the phone using one of those hands-free gadgets for your vehicle so you could drive and talk at the same time. I will admit I like the idea of the hands-free devise, but she looked like an idiot talking with no phone attached to her ear. Even people in stores and business who walk around with the ear piece - you might get yourself killed one of these days because someone thinks you are talking to them instead of someone on the phone, which brings me to the reason for the post.

I think murdering someone (in a book, not in real life) for this reason would make an interesting story. The suspect could either use this as their only reason, or use it as the reason when there are other motives to kill the person and this one might get him/her off the hook easier if caught. I may have to work on this and see where I end up.

Too many choices

I looked in my story notebook last night and found 12 tabs with title written on them. These are ideas I get and just write a blurb on a sheet of notebook paper and stick in here. One day I will come back to them. I couldn't believe I has 12 of them. Will I choose one of them for NaNoWriMo this year? Not sure. I need to work on each one and determine if I can write by the seat of pants again, or do I need to outline and detail of them before writing. Ugh!

NaNoWriMo November 2008

What am I going to write for this year's contest? I have no idea.

I tried last year and made it to about 11,000 words before school and work got in the way. That story involved a life size chess set that came to life, searching for its lost queen. I was drowning in deep water until I killed a character then all the pieces started falling into place. By that time the month was almost over so I didn't continue. 

I did write one novel, in May 2007, with my friend L. We followed the same guidelines used during this month-long contest. I ended up with 50,044 words and three murders, one attempted murder and a 20 year old murder solved. I felt as proud of that novel as I did when I earned my master's degree.

I was talking with L and G today about this year's contest. L said she couldn't find her notebook where she had written some notes for a future story she was thinking about working on this year. She thought it was in a blue notebook, but she's been unable to find it. I told her I didn't want to hear another word from her about how organization will set you free. She just grinned. 

When I wrote the story for May 2007, I started with the idea and went from there. I had no idea who my characters were or how the story would turn out. In the end, the killer ended up being someone I was not expecting. I will now have to rewrite some scenes to add new information because this character didn't show up until I was writing that last scene.