There. Last NaNoWriMo post for now.

[UPDATED because I managed to write a little more today - and actually got in one ending.]

That right there is proof that I have reached one of my life goals: I wrote a 50k words (and change) original story in less than 25 days.

*happydance*

Now I shall wait for next month to finish writing all the possible endings and send the completed story off to friends and loved ones who want to read it.

Yeah, I'm walking on sunshine and clouds. :)

[And I'll be back for another dose of novel madness next year!]

So I've got a novel-like monster-manuscript-thing. Now what?

[Picture unrelated, but cute, and also, hey, it's a puppy-smile Totoro, what's not to like? ♥]

Okay, so that's the next question that might need tackling, whether it be for me, sitting on a manuscript that's 51,000 words and change long; or for anyone who's ever thought seriously about seeing their names in print.

To publish or not to publish?

Bear in mind that when I say publish, I initially mean "print off a bound and professional-looking book-like thing to proudly and perhaps overbearingly show off to family and friends". The whole idea of prepping the thing for actual PUBLICATION as in selling it in a bookstore comes a far second (and is anyway a topic I'm not actually qualified to write about - dammit, Jim, I'm an amateur not a published person!).

Enter John Scalzi and a very recent blog post.

Just to make it clear, there is a Grand Canyon's worth of difference between "vanity press" and "self-publishing". DON'T, for the love of all that is good and chocolatey (and bacon-y), go the vanity press route - you'll be fleeced, you'll be cheated, you may very well lose your intellectual property rights over your own work, and you're likely not going to *sell* at all.

Far better to do the proper self-publishing bit: Scalzi explains and advocates the use what is called a Print-On-Demand service. (Lulu.com, CreateSpace.com) It can be done for either peanuts or, under some special circumstances, absolutely for free - that last link is for NaNo-ers and is definitely something I'm looking forward to myself.

[I'm already thinking about the book cover design, and I haven't even finished the manuscript yet or even verified it, haha!]

Why have to learn all these things and go through all these hoops just for a proof copy or a bound manuscript anyway?

Well, isn't the mere idea of having a professional-looking BOOK with YOUR NAME on it as the author a good reason to look into self-publishing? After all, I'm one of those dreaming writer-types who wants to be published some day, go on book tours, sign autographs for adoring fans, etc etc etc. And let's face it, a lot of people who write or profess to write also have dreams running along a similar vein. So learning about these sorts of things in advance can be a big boost towards making those dreams come true.

I want to say here, though, that I've got modest ambitions for my NaNo manuscript [which was the whole reason why I decided to go for it in the first place]. I intend to clean it up and really shop it around to the local publishing houses and see if it has any chances of making it into a real honest-to-cookies bookstore. I freely admit that it may be naïve of me to think that a printed-and-bound manuscript will help me in such a quest. Still, not going to stop me from trying.

[Next question: conversion into e-book format for the people who've asked to read the novel.]

NaNoWriMo Status Report 4

And a happy premonition THAT was.

I have just crossed the 50k words mark of NaNoWriMo 2009 - that is, I've WON, and on the very first try. My current word count stands at 50,557.

Now I can take the rest of the week slowly, and dawdle while I decide on the ending that my novel will have, without having to worry about the word count any more.

But first I shall go and clean up the mess and then fall gratefully into bed.

NaNoWriMo Status Report 3

I have either one more Friday to do this if I decide to slack off, or the next NaNo post will be the one that says I just passed 50k.

Nov 13 - 30177
Nov 14 - 32461
Nov 15 - 32461 (Yes, I goofed off and did not write! XD)
Nov 16 - 34669
Nov 17 - 37348
Nov 18 - 40235
Nov 19 - 42565
Nov 20 - 44286

I guess I can allow myself to start looking forward to what happens after this.

1. Well, I will have to see if I can attend the Thank God It's Over party. I hear there will be a raffle and that there will be moleskine-type notebooks up for grabs. Oh my, do want. The PinoyWrimos bash is scheduled for 5 December.

2. If and only if I manage to finish this monster, go and do that "get a free proof copy of your NaNo work". It's something in the forums that I spotted some time during the month. The offer's from www.CreateSpace.com.

3. Get a lot of sleep.

4. Start working on concepts for next year's NaNo. Yes, I'm going to go again.

5. Cross my fingers and hope that the folks behind NaNoWriMo have already received my USD10.00 donation. :) I would have given more if I could. I'm really getting so much out of this novel sprinting monster thing, and I want to give something back.

Reading in My Sleep: Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework, 1982

I remember being quite the disaster in the needle-type Home Ec classes when I was in school: I couldn't figure out a simple embroidery sampler, I pretty much failed a unit on crocheting, and I still have an irrational fear of getting stabbed by the needles in a sewing machine.

So, yeah, imagine my wonder and my absolute overweening (and, needless to say, misplaced) pride in myself when I discovered that there were a few types of sewing that I could actually DO: things like do counted cross-stitch, mend seams in a cotton t-shirt, sew buttons on skirts. I think I can safely blame the cross-stitch part on my mom, who went through an absolute mania for the craft when she was pregnant with my younger sister. And when I say mania I meant she was stitching gigantic designs fit for framing on walls.

Having gained some small measure of confidence in plying a needle thanks to completing my own cross-stitch projects, I find myself more willing now to learn all these crafts. So far, I think I want to tackle crochet again. I want to make a scarf and perhaps a pair of fingerless gloves or two.

So it's a good thing that I spotted this book in a store a year or so ago:


Maybe you've seen one or two of those yourself: an all-purpose guide to needle-craft. Knitting, applique, quilting, rug making, macrame, lace, and of course the essential embroidery stitches.

This is the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework, edited by Virginia Colton. First published in 1979, the edition I have was printed in the same year that I was born, 1982. Yes, this book is as old as I am. And the amazing thing is, I wish I was that well-preserved: the pages remain crisp and clear, the pictures look great, there are no missing bits or pages or even a stray trail of chewed whatever.

I literally read myself to sleep with this book on those nights when there's so much on my mind. I may not be working the stitches or knots myself, but something about the book leads my mind into the same peaceful pace and patterns, so it's great for relaxing reading.

(I wonder if I'll feel the same, though, once I go and tackle a project or two. Like I said: rank beginner ahoy. I'm thinking of myself as having no knowledge at all - at least, not until I actually begin - and then FINISH a project.)

(Yep, this is what I'm going to do next after the whirlwind that is NaNoWriMo. Weekly update post on that one later.)