So, with one day before the start of National Novel Writing Month, I came up with the title for my novel: Cards of Change. Cards will be figured into the novel rather prominently: business cards and tarot cards. (Should I maybe even throw in some playing cards?)
A trip to the fortune teller will offer Mara clues to her impending doom. Over the course of time, Mara's business cards will change as she is forced to change jobs.
So, didn't go to the haunted house last night, so I'm taking my son and his friend tonight instead. 4 trick or treaters so far tonight.
Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Halloween Eve
The night before Halloween, and we're going to hit Screamland tonight. We won a pair of tickets a little while ago, so we might as well use them. Went to the same one last year and it wasn't all that scary. We'll see....
Let's see, the temp job is going fine (though it's JUST a temp job) and I have a second interview with the State on Thursday (yay!).
In any case, the ideas for the novel progress. I'm considering having the first chapter of the book begin a week after the MC begins her job as a Public Defender. The second scene will involve her visiting the graves of her parents and grandparents.
The second chapter will be written from an entirely different viewpoint, that of someone trying to research into the MC's background. It will likely be a fairly short chapter.
Let's see, the temp job is going fine (though it's JUST a temp job) and I have a second interview with the State on Thursday (yay!).
In any case, the ideas for the novel progress. I'm considering having the first chapter of the book begin a week after the MC begins her job as a Public Defender. The second scene will involve her visiting the graves of her parents and grandparents.
The second chapter will be written from an entirely different viewpoint, that of someone trying to research into the MC's background. It will likely be a fairly short chapter.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Doing the Dance of Joy!!!
Well, I had the interview with the hotel today. They were looking to get someone started tommorrow or Friday! That's really really fast in the grand scheme of things! Arriving there, I knew I was probably one of the most qualified candidates they could hope for because not only do I have industry experience, but I was doing pretty much the exact same duties while working for one of their closest competitors!
My horoscope has been saying things would improve, and my husband (who is rather inuitive) said the same thing. And for once, both were right! I got the job! Now with that said, at the moment, it is only a 6 week minimum temp assignment, but there is a chance that it could become permanent. The commute will suck, but it's not far from my husband's office, so we could carpool. And then the funny thing is, another employer called me wanting to schedule an interview. DOH!!! Well, I'll call him back tommorrow.
So with job hunting temporarily out of the way, I can focus more on writing that Nano Novel. Whoo hoo!!!!
My horoscope has been saying things would improve, and my husband (who is rather inuitive) said the same thing. And for once, both were right! I got the job! Now with that said, at the moment, it is only a 6 week minimum temp assignment, but there is a chance that it could become permanent. The commute will suck, but it's not far from my husband's office, so we could carpool. And then the funny thing is, another employer called me wanting to schedule an interview. DOH!!! Well, I'll call him back tommorrow.
So with job hunting temporarily out of the way, I can focus more on writing that Nano Novel. Whoo hoo!!!!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Tuesday Afternoon
Okay, I have been a little remiss in posting, but there hasn't been a lot to report. I had my interview with the State today, and I think it went well. But heck, you just never know.
Also have an interview tommorrow with a Hotel company. Crossing my fingers, but should be a good chance of getting it since I've got industry experience. Heck, I used to work for one of their direct competitors.
Okay, so on to Nano: I took another dare, that of adding a character that wears black, wears sunglasses at night and doesn't speak. Hmm...a vampire novel featuring a character like that? I think it's pretty doable!
My thought is just to have him be a very ancillary character. Maybe like the Gangrel bodyguard for the Prince of the city. He wears the glasses to cover up an 'animal feature' like rat eyes, wolf eyes, or serpent eyes. Hmmm....I think I'll go with serpent eyes. People might mistake him for a Setite (a group that isn't well liked), which would also explain why he wears the glasses....
So that makes 5 dares so far.
Also, I saw a post soliciting Nanowrimo Bloggers, so I submitted the site today. If you're writing a Nano Novel and interested in joining the list, you might want to pay them a visit http://nanoblogmo.blogspot.com/
Not much there right now, but perhaps tommorrow???
Also have an interview tommorrow with a Hotel company. Crossing my fingers, but should be a good chance of getting it since I've got industry experience. Heck, I used to work for one of their direct competitors.
Okay, so on to Nano: I took another dare, that of adding a character that wears black, wears sunglasses at night and doesn't speak. Hmm...a vampire novel featuring a character like that? I think it's pretty doable!
My thought is just to have him be a very ancillary character. Maybe like the Gangrel bodyguard for the Prince of the city. He wears the glasses to cover up an 'animal feature' like rat eyes, wolf eyes, or serpent eyes. Hmmm....I think I'll go with serpent eyes. People might mistake him for a Setite (a group that isn't well liked), which would also explain why he wears the glasses....
So that makes 5 dares so far.
Also, I saw a post soliciting Nanowrimo Bloggers, so I submitted the site today. If you're writing a Nano Novel and interested in joining the list, you might want to pay them a visit http://nanoblogmo.blogspot.com/
Not much there right now, but perhaps tommorrow???
Friday, October 15, 2004
Friday, Friday, Friday!
Well, survived another week, but no news on the job front. So I've decided to redo my resume.
On the political front, I had one person stop by my house Wednesday to make sure I hadn't changed my vote or my concern over the issues. (I hadn't), and had someone else call tonight to make sure that I was still voting for the candidate and could I be sure to turn my ballot in early? (See, here in Oregon, we don't go to the polls, we have mail in balloting.)
On the subject of voting, the local newspaper announced that there were record numbers of voter registrations. Yay! Maybe we really will have a decent turnout this election, even though Nader's off the ballot.
So on to Nano:
I went through the evil overlord list and picked a few to include in my book. At this point, the person(s) I'm going to use I haven't defined as of yet. So, they are:
I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.
A very important thing for vampires. You don't want people to know where your inner sanctum, which is commonly called a haven, is.
I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.
Hee hee! A villian dressing in cheery colors! What could be better???
I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to illustrate how evil I really am. Good messengers are hard to come by.
How very true.
If an advisor says to me "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?", I will reply "This." and kill the advisor.
Hee hee! This is a good one!
My security keypad will actually be a fingerprint scanner. Anyone who watches someone press a sequence of buttons or dusts the pad for fingerprints then subsequently tries to enter by repeating that sequence will trigger the alarm system.
Something every well-secured haven needs.
No matter how many shorts we have in the system, my guards will be instructed to treat every surveillance camera malfunction as a full-scale emergency
For a vampire, any daytime security breach is potentially deadly.
Any data file of crucial importance will be padded to 1.45Mb in size.
And make sure that the computer DOESN'T have a CD Burner.
I've got it outlined a bit. I just have to decide if I want to include an additional POV in the novel.
On the political front, I had one person stop by my house Wednesday to make sure I hadn't changed my vote or my concern over the issues. (I hadn't), and had someone else call tonight to make sure that I was still voting for the candidate and could I be sure to turn my ballot in early? (See, here in Oregon, we don't go to the polls, we have mail in balloting.)
On the subject of voting, the local newspaper announced that there were record numbers of voter registrations. Yay! Maybe we really will have a decent turnout this election, even though Nader's off the ballot.
So on to Nano:
I went through the evil overlord list and picked a few to include in my book. At this point, the person(s) I'm going to use I haven't defined as of yet. So, they are:
I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.
A very important thing for vampires. You don't want people to know where your inner sanctum, which is commonly called a haven, is.
I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.
Hee hee! A villian dressing in cheery colors! What could be better???
I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to illustrate how evil I really am. Good messengers are hard to come by.
How very true.
If an advisor says to me "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?", I will reply "This." and kill the advisor.
Hee hee! This is a good one!
My security keypad will actually be a fingerprint scanner. Anyone who watches someone press a sequence of buttons or dusts the pad for fingerprints then subsequently tries to enter by repeating that sequence will trigger the alarm system.
Something every well-secured haven needs.
No matter how many shorts we have in the system, my guards will be instructed to treat every surveillance camera malfunction as a full-scale emergency
For a vampire, any daytime security breach is potentially deadly.
Any data file of crucial importance will be padded to 1.45Mb in size.
And make sure that the computer DOESN'T have a CD Burner.
I've got it outlined a bit. I just have to decide if I want to include an additional POV in the novel.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
The Week's Almost Over
So, I did parent conferences today. Most of them had good things to say about my son, but he's having trouble in one class, but at least he's pulled his high F up to a high D. Maybe he can pull it up to a C- by the time grades come out.
So, on the work front, I've been tinkering with my resume. Maybe I'll start having a bit better luck getting more interviews.
Okay, so now for Nano:
The MC is actually based (loosely, very loosely) on John Grisham's The Street Lawyer. Her name is Mara Ravenclaw (yes, I took it from Harry Potter). She comes from a life of priviledge, as her father was a lawyer. She could have gotten a job at any firm, but chose to work for the Public Defender's Office instead.
You see, my own brother is a lawyer. Not a corporate attorney, but a criminal one. Specializing in Drunk Driving. Therefore, in some ways, the character is a tribute to him.
Now, on the Nano Forums, you will find a Topic titled "Dares". People make them and take them, in part to help you meet the 50,000 word minimum. At this point, I have accepted 4 dares and made 3, one of which was accepted.
The Dares I chose are:
Having a character use something from the evil overlord list
Name an establishment the The Black Cock (now I've got a name for the bar)
Include at least one terrible pickup line.
Start the novel with a certain sentence. Well, since it's not November yet, so you'll just have to wait and see what it is....
Next up: Friday, Friday, Friday!
So, on the work front, I've been tinkering with my resume. Maybe I'll start having a bit better luck getting more interviews.
Okay, so now for Nano:
The MC is actually based (loosely, very loosely) on John Grisham's The Street Lawyer. Her name is Mara Ravenclaw (yes, I took it from Harry Potter). She comes from a life of priviledge, as her father was a lawyer. She could have gotten a job at any firm, but chose to work for the Public Defender's Office instead.
You see, my own brother is a lawyer. Not a corporate attorney, but a criminal one. Specializing in Drunk Driving. Therefore, in some ways, the character is a tribute to him.
Now, on the Nano Forums, you will find a Topic titled "Dares". People make them and take them, in part to help you meet the 50,000 word minimum. At this point, I have accepted 4 dares and made 3, one of which was accepted.
The Dares I chose are:
Having a character use something from the evil overlord list
Name an establishment the The Black Cock (now I've got a name for the bar)
Include at least one terrible pickup line.
Start the novel with a certain sentence. Well, since it's not November yet, so you'll just have to wait and see what it is....
Next up: Friday, Friday, Friday!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
The Projects Continue
Well, interview at 9 a.m., nap at 11. Hey, it's tough getting out of bed and out the door so early!!!
Interview went pretty well. Also visited my old boss since I was in the neighborhood. It's a good idea to try to keep in touch with them, as you'll never know when you're going to need references.....
Next up: Parent Conferences tommorrow!! I'm rather dreading it.
Nano: Well, for my first attempt at Nano, I'm going to stick with what I know and write a vampire novel. I've been playing Vampire the Masquerade for some time now, so I'm pretty familiar with it.
The novel in question will be set in Seattle, and is basically the unwritten (but outlined) back story for one of my VtM characters. More later.
Interview went pretty well. Also visited my old boss since I was in the neighborhood. It's a good idea to try to keep in touch with them, as you'll never know when you're going to need references.....
Next up: Parent Conferences tommorrow!! I'm rather dreading it.
Nano: Well, for my first attempt at Nano, I'm going to stick with what I know and write a vampire novel. I've been playing Vampire the Masquerade for some time now, so I'm pretty familiar with it.
The novel in question will be set in Seattle, and is basically the unwritten (but outlined) back story for one of my VtM characters. More later.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
First Post
Hi there, and welcome to my world!
I'm currently attempting to do two rather stressful things in hopes that one will be completed soon:
1) Find a new job
2) Try my hand at this year's Nanowrimo competition
Personally, I don't know which is worse. It's my first year doing Nanowrimo, but not the first time I've had to job hunt.
With that in mind, a couple tips on job hunting:
First, check your own references once in a while. I recently learned that one of the phone numbers doesn't work and had to update my resume accordingly.
Two, tailor your resume to the job. The fastest way to get your resume tossed is by applying for a Bookkeeper position with a resume listing Objective: Accountant Position. They'll think you're overqualified. Worse yet, you could get the interview and have them tell you you're overqualified.
Nanowrimo: You'll find their website here:
http://www.nanowrimo.org Basically, the challenge is to write a 50,000 (or more) word novel in a month, starting November 1st. I got the challenge on the Sanguinus Curae Forums from Elysium Keeper, whose blog you will find here:
http://keepersnanoproject04.blogspot.com/
I'm currently attempting to do two rather stressful things in hopes that one will be completed soon:
1) Find a new job
2) Try my hand at this year's Nanowrimo competition
Personally, I don't know which is worse. It's my first year doing Nanowrimo, but not the first time I've had to job hunt.
With that in mind, a couple tips on job hunting:
First, check your own references once in a while. I recently learned that one of the phone numbers doesn't work and had to update my resume accordingly.
Two, tailor your resume to the job. The fastest way to get your resume tossed is by applying for a Bookkeeper position with a resume listing Objective: Accountant Position. They'll think you're overqualified. Worse yet, you could get the interview and have them tell you you're overqualified.
Nanowrimo: You'll find their website here:
http://www.nanowrimo.org Basically, the challenge is to write a 50,000 (or more) word novel in a month, starting November 1st. I got the challenge on the Sanguinus Curae Forums from Elysium Keeper, whose blog you will find here:
http://keepersnanoproject04.blogspot.com/
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