Funny. Most of the advice about using social media discusses how important it is to comment on other people’s blogs with links back to your blog. This is how you rise in the Google rankings, so people find your blog, so you become popular, so more people read your writing. But after my experience with spam comments, I’m not inclined to give my blog address in a comment.
Despite putting in the recommended spam filters, all but one comment over the last month has been spam. Somebody trying to sell something. Often the same something but done with minor variations to get past the spam filters after I mark them as spam. There are programs that key on to a word in a blog and post a comment. Luckily, my comments all are moderated, but today I turned off commenting. I don’t have time or tolerance to deal with the spam.
NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, and I’m trying to get two novels outlined before the end of October. The last time I outlined two novels, I did the ‘second’ one by the end of September so I had all of October to focus on the ‘main’ one. Since the goal is to write 50,000 words in November and I often draft 100,000 words, I don’t *have* to write two novels in November. But last year I finished my first one mid-way through the month and was scrambling for something to write since I love the way I can get out of my own way and let the words pour forth in November. But it was annoying not having an outline to work from.
So, I’m working on two outlines. Which, of course means writing two novels in November. Oh well, I do like challenges in my writing.
We used to
talk while doing barn chores
about tests, school plays, and prom.
We talked as equals;
I was six years younger.
We used to
write long letters to each other,
then long emails.
We found written words
easier.
We used to
be pregnant at the same time.
The last trimester with my middle child
overlapped the first three months
of her only child.
We used to
be complete opposites
about choices, money, politics.
But we agreed
Dad was an honest politician.
We used to
be the two daughters
who had moved the furthest from home,
but made the most effort
to see Mom.
We used to
share tastes and quirks,
synchronized despite the distance,
connected by blood, words, and life
as sisters.
From the moment
my brother and I said
we would visit,
your every phone call and email
ended with,
“I’m so happy.”
You warned
that you tired easily,
had to avoid germs,
and looked different.
But you were excited.
“I’m so happy.”
You asked,
what type of beer
he would like.
You bought wine for me,
and flowers.
“I’m so happy.”
In a tragic novel,
we would have arrived
too late.
The timing was perfect.
We talked and hugged.
“I’m so happy.”
You gained energy
from our visit,
but the cancer remained.
During our last hug,
you said,
“I’m so happy.”
It is rather hard to come up with something after posting poems about my sister. Seems like whatever comes next should be extra-profound, but that’s difficult.
I’m trying not to do any editing of my writing this week, and my outlines for what I’m writing starting November 1 seem ‘good enough.’ Which means I can still add stuff, and will appreciate everything that I get done ahead of time for plot and character, but I’m really just chomping at the bit to start writing. My goal is the first draft of two novels, which is a challenge. To help with this, I shouldn’t do editing as that puts me in the frame of mind to be critical about my writing which isn’t what I need for the next month. We (people who do NaNoWriMo) talk about ‘getting rid of our internal editors.’ Mine gets pretty quiet in November and the main way that happens is by focusing on word count.
Depending on how long my first drafts go, I’m aiming for 160,000 to 200,000 words in November, which is 6667 a day. Since I like to get things done early, that really means a bunch of 10K days. It’s not going to be easy. Especially if either of the books takes more than 100,000 words for the first draft. I’ll see.