Some Words Sunday — WriMo Sprints

Welcome June!

Cafe Office

For some of you, June is the beginning of summer vacations and the end of school days (or for those in the southern hemisphere, the exact reverse).

For me, it’s June Novel Writing Month (JuNoWriMo for short).

Last year I got involved with JuNoWriMo because I needed to get more work done on some old NaNoWriMo manuscripts.  The people at NaNoWriMo were running camps for two summer months but acceptance of NaNoRebels hadn’t fully sunk in to the NaNo community then.

Well, those of you who know me know I tend to jump in with both feet when I find something I like.  Although it was my first year, I went right in and help host sprints (although I wasn’t that active in the site forums).  I had a blast!  I even ran the CampNaNoWriMo simultaneously, clocking over 122K words for the month in two manuscripts.

I also learned some things (and with my ROW80 experiences, I have even more tools to use for this passion of mine).

One of these is how to best handle a sprint, not just for the day or the moment.  But how to do writing sprints in general…

See, there are a lot of writing sprints out there, especially on Twitter.  I like #wordmongering and the #teamsprinty sprints probably best of all because the communities are so close (the iWriteNetwork on Ning is wonderful too, but it involves adding another layer of process that slows down getting to the actual writing more than I like).  Thing is, as much as I love these groups, I think they handle the health of the sprinter badly.

This may be a shock to you, but it’s not healthy to sit in one place and just fill pages with words for hours and hours a day.  But it’s not just the days of writing.  It’s the hours too.  In fact…  it’s a half hour and less.

Moment of Heaven

So, may I modestly suggest some rules (call them guidelines) that I wish to see more often used during writing sprints, not just for WriMos but in general.  (These do not all involve health issues, obviously.)

Rules?  I thought We Just Had to Write

1. Be prepared!  Have playlists ready, have the caffeinated (or alcoholic) drink of choice poured and seasoned to taste, have a small snack available (nuts or something with a bit of protein and fiber and fat in it would be ideal–brain power demands fuel too)–this is not an excuse to just nibble.  If all is going well, you’ll be writing too much to get that cup to your lips more than once during the sprint.  The snack might end up waiting until your break.
2. Be prepared mentally!  It’s not enough to say have all your shit together.  You need to have your head in the game too.  Have an idea of where your story will  head.  Know what characters you are going to write about.  Have a visual image of the setting and the situation ready to write.  Have notes and pictures that you can look at if you need them.  Be ready to dive in at the start of the prompt.
3. When your sprint-host says to write–Write.  Don’t check email; don’t stare at your keyboard–write–even if it’s “I don’t know what Sally is doing now”.
4. If you don’t know what to write (next time–see rule 2), then ask your sprint-host for a prompt.  We have them–lots of them.  I like to use visual prompts of pictures and videos, but I also use text prompts.  When you get your prompt, follow rule 3.
5. Stop writing when your sprint-host says the sprint is done.  Don’t write through to the next sprint.  Sprints are usually spaced with a 5 to 10 min break.  This break is for your health and comfort.  Get up, move, stretch a little…. go to the bathroom, whatever.  Do not just sit and type.  The ideas will hold that long.*
6. Talk to your sprint-host; yes, we are doing our own stories too, but we like to know what we can do to help make things better.  We like feedback, encouragement, even banter.  Twitter is supposed to be a social network not just another office.

“LIFE” features prominently

And of course, I don’t have to make this a rule… Have FUN!  Writers write because we love words and stories.  If we didn’t, there are enough people who do who could do this work for us.  We could just read while sitting on the beach drinking Mai Tais (okay, well, maybe not that).  Thing is, writing doesn’t pay that much, not even when you start adding in the best sellers (if one adds in all the writing time before the big break and/or the money and time spent in promotion–well, more than a few are just starting to break even now).

Yeah? Well, My Muse Hates you now

OK, I hear you grumbling.  My muse needs nurturing.  I can’t get anything done without spending time in the flow.  Yadda yadda… Being “in the moment” or “maintaining  the flow” sound great…  all of those streams of consciousness saying sound good wonderful, but the flow is actually pretty forgiving–especially if you nurture it well.

Make a Sunshine Date with your muse (or a cold cellar walk for the emo-types).  Share a (skinny) latte with him/her…  Invite your muse for a few minutes of dancing to a favorite song.

Make the breaks fun, and your muse will hang around and be happier about helping you when you get back to work.

* If you are that afraid you will forget, take a little piece of paper and scribble down a note or two while standing.  The act of moving increases blood flow (which fires up the brain), and the act of writing helps build cellular connections that make remembering something easier.

ROW80 Check-In

Dungeon Office

Fellow ROWers probably will recognize the theme of this post as similar to that of my sponsor post this ROWnd.  I am adamant about the need for us to take care of ourselves.

For the next month, since I’m involved in the JuNoWriMo, I will be spending a lot more time writing than I need for my Five Sentences (I still am–I do sprints on the computer and then add Five Sentences in a notebook before bed).  The Five Sentences framework works though.  I use at them end of my daily total (min 1667 words) for that extra boost.

Thing about this JuNoWriMo….  I’m actually editing as much as writing.  Last fall, I made a very sketchy draft of Courting the Swan Song, more of a very detailed outline really.  Now I’m filling in that outline, adding (and subtracting) words as they fit the Swan Song series.

This ability, btw, is why I love JuNoWriMo (and the redesigned CampWriMos) so much.  It’s total word count on whatever project you need to work on, not word count on a new story.

In addition, my social media time is sky-rocketing because of the WriMo, but also becoming more focused.  I’m still doing my rounds of Facebook and Google+, and I hope to indulge a touch more time on Flickr and Reddit, but will probably save those for once a week.  Most of my online time will be Twitter-based.  Most of my writing will start in 750words and then move to Scrivener (that pattern worked well for me last year, giving me an online rough copy and then a home copy for tweaking).

And lastly, I fully intend to retain time for family and friends, as well as my passions of reading, photos, piano, and guitar.  Yeah…  I can do it all. 

Some Words Sunday — Blog Awards

Prize distribution (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have mixed feelings about blog awards.  Can’t say I like them, but I don’t hate them; I appreciate the kind thoughts of people who nominate me for them, but I hate the thought of accepting them and passing them along.

It’s not because I don’t want to tell people how awesome I think they are, but because I fear I’m putting extra pressure on them to do something because “I said so.”

Starlights by Eden Mabee

I feel like it’s not my place, people are busy, yadda yadda…

But I’ve been recently nominated by a bunch of wonderful people who write fun blogs, and well…  I’m honored.

I still don’t know what I want to do about them, but for the moment, let me list the awards and the kind people who gave them to me.

• Back in March the amazingly energetic Amybeth Inverness gave me The Next Best Thing (I say she’s amazingly energetic because she maintains two blogs, does a lot more social media than I do, great interviews, attends conferences and with several kids.  Wow!)
• Talented WIPpeter, ReGi McClain tagged me earlier this month for the Beautiful Momma Blog Award.  Thing is, I don’t really call this a “Mommy Blog”.  Mentions of my son are because he’s an important part of my life, and this blog is here to share parts of my life as a writer and creator.
• Jessica Minyard sweetly offered me the Seed of Light award given to people who inspire through words and/or art.
• Speaking of Seed(s) of Light, I was just offered one from ReGi as well, which is odd because I was thinking of naming her as one of my inspirations.  Have you seen her WIPpet posts?

Well, that’s a lot to consider.  Some of these will involve answering questions, some simply need to be passed along to new bearers who do great blogging, all deserve to be acknowledged…

Thank you all.

ROW80 Check-in

Not as much got done since Wednesday as I would like.  Bare minimum…  that’s the phrase of the day.  No backward steps, at least!

Five sentences a day keeps something new appearing on the page daily.  I love it, because there is never a time I feel like I cannot get five sentences written.  Before bed?  Yep, I can write five sentences.  Waiting in line?  Okay, maybe I only get one sentence done, but usually if I have to wait in one line, I am usually out and about doing errands that involve more lines–more sentences written.  As soon as I get up?  Oh, that’s easy!  I can even write five sentences as I wait for my computers to boot up.

Editing has been less vigorous, but that wasn’t on my list of must do‘s for these weeks anyway.  I’m spending more of the time figuring out where I want to take my fiction during the JuNoWriMo.  Some of the time has been spent watching shows and discussing reactions with my husband as to why we are drawn to certain characters or not.  Some was spent daydreaming (a very important task!)…

Carefully by Eden Mabee

Attention to my social media presence has made a resurgence of late.  I’m trying to be more involved, though in smaller doses so I can still get things done.  This week I resumed activity on Reddit, and G+ has seen me post and comment several times since Wednesday.  I’m not being as active on Twitter as I’d like–I keep missing the StoryDam and BiblioCrunch chats, and I only made a few #teamsprinty sprints.  And Facebook I’m cautiously approaching twice a week for visits and comments…  Hours drift away there.

On the “extra activities” end, I missed only one day of crunches (35 a day now, but I may be adding some more soon).  I’m finally getting my callouses back for guitar playing.  Although between guitar and piano practices, I’ve had to resume my physical therapy exercises for my wrist as well….  And to help my son along, I’ve been practicing some karate and fencing.  I’m eagerly looking forward to my next Renaissance Faire.

That’s about it from me.  Why not stop over to visit more ROWers now that you have some free time? wink wink nudge nudge

What’s With Wednesday — Feeling Secure

Round and round we go, and where we stop, nobody knows.

Faded Glory

For the second year in a row, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (a.k.a CISPA) has passed the US House of Representatives.  Last year the Bill never made it through the US Senate, possibly because it was under threat of a presidential veto, possibly because of the fairly vocal internet uproar about the Bill’s many flaws.

At present the US Senate is not looking at voting on it anytime soon.  CISPA’s authors say that most of the concerns for personal privacy have been addressed in amendments to the new version.  Others are not so sure of this, and indeed, President Obama has restated his determination to veto the Bill.

So what exactly is CISPA, and what does it mean for bloggers (and writers)?  This short piece by PC Magazine does a nice job of summarizing many features of the Bill.  I’ll let you read up on the details and make your own opinions.

For me, the biggest issue with CISPA isn’t privacy.  The information that would be shared with the government is nothing that they cannot attain already by following due process.  It’s that due process part that is this issue.

CISPA takes due process and tosses it out the window…effectively.

If you look at this list of agencies that will be able to gain access to your information if CISPA passes, do you have the same questions I do about it?  As in “why do these agencies need information to protect us against cyber-attacks from China and Iran?” (Bill proponent Mike Rogers’s (R-MI) words, not mine), among others.

The Bill has been amended so that companies who share information can “anonymize” (yes, I know that’s not a word) data, but there is no real requirement that it be done.  Indeed, companies that just share it all are exempt from legal repercussions for any violate of the Terms of Service/User Agreements their users have agreed to.   As “Time is money” often rules the corporate sector, why would a company invest extra time in safeguarding private data when it gives them little to no extra again?

And speaking of money, let’s look at a newer amendment to CISPA.  Presumably  to ease fears that corporations who have shared data with the government won’t be fully nullifying their Terms of Service and User Agreement contracts with customers, there is now a fine imposed for any other use of this information beyond protection of a cyber-attack.   But how big of a fine?  A look at the recent case where the Google StreetView car accidentally collected personal data (email addresses, passwords, URLs, etc.) as they drove down streets in Hamburg, Germany shows that fines are basically trivial.  In the Google case, it was an accident, and they fully admitted the problem, but when any company can make up the loss of a fine in less than an hour of business (or as [again] in the Google case, 4 seconds), violations can become more profitable than following the law.

Why am I suddenly picturing a Steven Segal movie now?

Sorry.  This isn’t supposed to be me fear-mongering or promoting conspiracy theories to you.  There are plenty of enough sites out there to do that.  But I do suggest you  look up CISPA on your own and see what you think of it.   And try to consider this when you do–most people who go into public service do so because they really do want to help make the world a better place (especially those in the lower strata of politics).  The problems we see in politics usually aren’t the result malicious intent or a wish to harm anyone.  It’s solely a matter of a better place for whom, and how determined are some people to promote their vision of better.

ROW80 Check-IN

As you can see, I’ve been occupied with reading lately.  Reading law wears on me; it’s hard to believe that I wanted to be a lawyer in high school (or that went out of my way to volunteer at a law library in college).

Thing is, one needs to know how to read these documents, because legalese is everywhere and just saying “I agree” can have its drawbacks (you may want to read the comic thread… or the whole comic–Userfriendly makes the ins and outs of IT fun).

A bit of this, a bit of that

Still, I managed an awesome evening of writing and editing last night (turned off the internet distractions and just worked).  I wrote some wonderful notes on Monday and got all my comments done for both my sponsor posts (including my sponsor post–complete with formatting errors–on the Round of Words in 80 Days blog)  and on several others blogs.

I was a busy blogger this week.  Facebook, Google + and Twitter kind of fell by the wayside, and truthfully, I feel better for it.   Less and less of the time, I feel inspired to hang out online.  The exception?  I may resume my reddit hour or so–there is a lot of discussion about current events there and keeping up better would be nice.

So that’s my week.  Hope you all are enjoying your ROW80 journey.  Here’s the new linky.  Go ahead and visit a few more of us.  We love to hear from you.

Photo credit: me (images from my Flickr feed)

Related articles

• Terms & Conditions: Congress has privacy policies in its sights with CISPA (digitaltrends.com)
• CISPA, the Fourth Amendment and you (news.yahoo.com)
• Cybersecurity Bill Allows Employers To Seize Employee Facebook Passwords… Wait, What? (abovethelaw.com)