Nanowrimo is coming!

[annathepiper]

First up: everybody say hi to lethendy, joining my Friends list by way of Great Big Sea fandom! Because when it comes to Great Big Sea fans on my Friends list, as the B'ys themselves have been heard to sing, "There's always room for more."

Secondly, pretty much because it's necessary: PANDA CAM! It's the webcam currently aimed at the panda at the National Zoo--the one with a panda cub. It requires you to install Real Player. If you're okay with that, go ogle the panda goodness. Because, well, PANDAS.

Not too much to report on the work front, aside from that as of tomorrow, I'll have two months left on this contract. I'm not looking forward to being unemployed again. But I am looking forward to having more writing time, because...

... although I don't think I'm going to formally participate this year, Nanowrimo time is coming. I could very easily throw either of the SF novels on the queue at this year's effort, but I think I could much more effectively use the time by trying to plow through the last half of Lament. For those of you not on my Writing filter, I'm set to break the 100K barrier as of the next chapter, and I'll only be halfway done with the book at that point. If I want to finish this monster's first draft by the end of the year, I really ought to buckle down hard during my off-time. Nanowrimo could help me pull that off.

I will, however, wave cheery pompoms for those of you out there who will give Nanowrimo a formal go this year! If you're not already on my scuzzboppers community, consider using that as your place to commiserate with others about your adventures.

Also: while I am very satisfied with my shiny new Darcy-at-his-desk icon (snurched from and credited to iconzicons on my userpics page), I have also decided that I need me a Jack-at-his-desk icon from M&C. I am pondering what caption it ought to have on it, too. Perhaps in my copious recovering-from-surgery-time, I shall have to try my hand at icon crafting again!

Tuesday morning miles: 1.0
Tuesday evening miles: 1.75
Wednesday morning miles: 1.0
Miles out of Hobbiton: 285.3
Miles to Rivendell: 172.7

Comments

[spenceraloysius.livejournal.com]

You should also check out the panda cam at the San Diego Zoo. I believe they suspect their female panda might be preggers.

[annathepiper]

Cool! I'll check that out too. Good year for pandas! ;)

[firni.livejournal.com]

PAAAAAAAAAAANDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!

*waits for it to load*

YAY REAL ALTERNATIVE PLUG-IN!

*still waiting for it to load*

sigh

[annathepiper]

No pandas? Aw!

[firni.livejournal.com]

I will, of course, try again tomorrow!

[annathepiper]

Yay! May there be pandas!

[firni.livejournal.com]

There better be, or I'll... cry or something.

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

*g* My last post remind you about NaNoWriMo? I can't wait for this year's challenge to start. Now, if I can only decide which of the two stories to try.

[annathepiper]

I'd been thinking of Nanowrimo already, but your post was a nice reminder, yes!

If I really want to get technical, I've already thrown words at both my SF novels, so by Nanowrimo's guidelines they ought to be considered out of the running. So should Lament. I'd have to do my Rapunzel tale, perhaps, or the followup to Faerie Blood.

But I think I'd rather work on Lament!

You, though--hrmm. How well do you have both planned out? If it were me I might take a week to review what I have on each story and see if I can figure out which one is more solid in my brain. Perhaps if you get good solid notes on each, you could always just start one on 11/1, and if it doesn't click fast enough, work on the other! You'll always have the other to do as another work later.

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

Well, I have each plotted out enough to know how I want it to go and about when each event is to take place to reach the end. Both are quite solid in my head right now as well as on paper for writing reference. It is so hard to decide sometimes. heh

I'm so excited about this year's NaNo.

[annathepiper]

If you have them both that solid, that's very cool. :) Guess at this point if it were me, I'd just pick one at random and get going on it--and if I need to, jump to the other. Either way it sounds like you have a plot you're excited about, so either way you can't go wrong!

[twina76.livejournal.com]

Well, hello there! I didn't know you were around! it's Alison from the Powder room! care to join my flist?

[annathepiper]

Hello, and welcome aboard! Thank you kindly for the invite; I shall take you up on it. :)

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the introduction :)

A big hello to everyone on annathepiper's Flist - I look forward to getting to know you.........

The pictures of the baby panda are adorable - thanks for the link!

[annathepiper]

You are very welcome! Both to my journal, and for the link. ^_^

[kissare.livejournal.com]

PANDAS!!!! I have the National Zoo's Panda Cams bookmarked (yes, a separate bookmark for Cam1 and Cam2 - I am a panda junkie!). I've been having a heck of a time getting through though, because of the high volume. Everyone loves a baby panda! It IS a good year for pandas... must be because of the new panda porn program! Maybe it's really working! ;)

[annathepiper]

*chortle* "Panda porn"! "When a boy panda and a girl panda love each other very much..."

[kissare.livejournal.com]

You read about the panda porn, right? Kind of a 'Do It Yourself' video series for pandas, to show them how to mate and how to care for babies?

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3814397.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2069371.stm

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/06/27/giant.panda/

Where the logic was that pandas were having excessive trouble reproducing because they'd never seen pandas do it... so researchers videotaped pandas gettin' it on, and started playing those videos for captive pandas! (Also videos of mama pandas caring for itty bitty baby pandas, since they also had problems with captive pandas giving birth, not recognizing their offspring as pandas, and rejecting them until their fur came in.)

I wonder if this panda 'baby boom' is the result of the panda porn!

[annathepiper]

OH MAN, that's funny. :)

And hey, it seems like a logical conclusion to me! I wonder if anyone's actually comparing whether the pandas who see the videos are reproducing more often than others who aren't. What a thing to be studying! Thanks for the links!

[kissare.livejournal.com]

I thought it was terrifically clever! Whoever first came up with the idea should be getting some kind of award. I mean, it's a good point! They live more or less in isolation from their kind, they never get to see the older, more experienced pandas reproducing, and don't have racy public tv or high school sex ed (as misguided as that may be) to give them the general idea of how to get started. It's ALL trial and error. Each new panda has to reinvent the wheel... until now! Panda research makes me happy all over. Especially when it results in MORE PANDAS! :)

[annathepiper]

More pandas! I'm for that! ^_^

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

It is vastly unfair for Nanowrimo to happen at the same time as all my term papers are due.

I'm going to try for the same modified version I didn't quite get last year, though - ten thousand words.

I write very slowly (about a thousand words of fiction a week when I'm _on_), so I think that's a decent challenge. :)

[annathepiper]

That's the entire trick, I think--finding a system that works for you and just keeping it going. As long as you do that, I think you fulfill the spirit of Nanowrimo quite nicely! Good luck! :)