NaNoWriMo 2011




Last year I was intimidated by the word count that the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo demanded. It’s hard enough to come up with a ten-sentence essay for a midterm test but when you come across the requirement to win this annual feat, you’ll surely have second thoughts. Fifty thousand words. One must need to muster up the fortitude to come up with fifty thousand words to complete the NanoWriMo challenge and have that sparkly purple thingy in your NaNoWriMo profile. A fifty thousand word novel (or more) is an uphill battle even for veterans especially when you’re going by the awesome tagline ’30 days and nights of literary abandon’ but it sure comes with its perks:

Going to meet-ups or ‘write-ins’ as they call it is a good way to get to know other NaNo writers. I’ve been to one in Gateway and it was a unique experience. You don’t get to meet these kinds of people every day. Some of them are really peculiar and others are just those that are fun to be with like the two MLs or Municipal Liaisons for the Philippines. These guys are kind of like the heads for your country that keeps everyone updated with the activities about NaNoWriMo. You get to interact and share stories, plots and characters while having fun in a homey environment in the confines of a cafĂ©.

Another fun perk is that even if you’re not really a good writer, there are lots of people that would and will help you whenever you’re in a pinch. The forum is a hotbed for a lot of veteran writers that are more than willing to help you out. From characters to storylines to expanding your initial plot, people will surely help you out though sometimes these guys could be meticulous and nosy so be prepared.

Lastly, you’ll learn to be more responsible when it comes to grammar, story flow, time, and above all, the word count among many other things. Aiming for that elusive 50k isn’t really that hard if you keep your eye on the prize and focus in getting the job done. Last year I only got to thirty thousand words and gave up because I thought it would be impossible. This year’s win for me was bittersweet, not only did I reach seventy-two thousand words (my stories aren’t finished though) but I also realized that I really have the juice to go toe to toe with big guys. For me besides reaching (and exceeding) the 50k word count, the main prize is the chance to have a personal published copy of your NaNoWriMo novel. This year winners have the option to have five free paperback copies of their novel. I really wanted to opt for this but sadly, my novel is far from complete and I don’t really wanna publish a spinoff of a television series. Next year for sure I’ll be aiming for publication.

I don’t really know what will happen next year’s NaNoWriMo but one thing is certain for me, I’ll keep on winning and finish that elusive trilogy that I cooked up, thanks to NaNoWriMo. Because of it, I finally figured out the second and third book that will succeed ‘The Harlequin Wench’s story. I look forward to the next thirty days and nights of literary abandon and see what adventure and characters are going to be born from my delusional mind. By the way, this is a five hundred eighty-one word article.

Updates

I've been busy because of thesis, depression and other things that I'm currently doing to take my mind off things. The Harlequin Wench is still in the works together with the next chapter of Prelude. Life isn't really that great at the moment so apologies for the long holdup. After I finish my Chapter 1 and start with my related lit for my study I'll be posting the first draft of THW here and maybe another short story.. Til then,

How are men and women different? Besides the obvious, here is a short intro course.

*Handwriting:*

Men: To their credit, men do not decorate their penmanship. They just chicken-scratch.
Women: Women use scented,colored stationery and they dot the "i" with circles or hearts. Women use ridiculously large loops in the "p" and "g". It is a pain to read a note from a woman.Even when she's dumping you, she will put a smiley face at the end of the note.

*Groceries:*
Women: A woman makes a list of things she needs, then goes out to the store and buys those things.
Men: A man waits till the only items left in his fridge are half a lime and a beer. Then he goes grocery shopping. He buys everything that looks good. By the time a man reaches the checkout counter, his cart is packed tighter than the Clampett's car on Beverly Hillbillies. Of course, this will not stop him from going to the express lane.

*Relationships:*mvi2.jpg
Women: When a relationship ends, a woman will cry and pour her heart out to her girlfriends, and she will write a poem titled "All Men Are Idiots". Then she will get on with her life.
Men: A man has a little more trouble letting go. Six months after the break-up, at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday night, he will call and say,"I just wanted to let you know you ruined my life, and I'll never forgive you, and I hate you, and you're a total floozy. But I want you to know that there's always a chance for us." This is known as the "I Hate You / I Love You" drunken phone call, that 99% of all men have made at least once. There are community colleges that offer courses to help men get over this need.

*Sex:*
Women: They prefer 30-40 minutes of foreplay.
Men: They prefer 30-40 seconds of foreplay. Men consider driving back to her place part of the foreplay.

*Maturity:*
Women: They mature much faster than men. Most 17-year old females can function as adults.
Men: Most 17-year old males are still trading baseball cards and giving each other wedgies after gym class. This is why high school romances rarely work out.

*Magazines:*
Men: Men's magazines often feature pictures of naked women. Men are turned on at the sight of a naked woman's body.
Women: Women's magazines also feature pictures of naked women. This is because the female body is a beautiful work of art, while the male body is lumpy and hairy and should not be seen by the light of day. Most naked men elicit laughter from women.

*Bathrooms:*
Men: A man has six items in his bathroom--a toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, a bar of Dial soap,and a towel from the Holiday Inn.
Women: The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 437. A man cannot identify most of these items.

*Shoes:*
Women: When preparing for work, a woman will put on a wool suit, then slip on Reebok sneakers. She will carry her dress shoes in a plastic bag from Saks. When a woman gets to work, she will put on her dress shoes. Five minutes later, she will kick them off because her feet are under the desk.
Men: A man will wear the same pair of shoes all day. Let's not talk about how many days he'll wear the same socks.

*Cats:*
Women: Women love cats.
Men: Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

*Children: *
Women: A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and soccer games and romances and best friends and favorite foods and secret fears and hopes and dreams.
Men: A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

*Dressing Up:*
Women: A woman will dress up to: go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, get the mail.
Men: A man will dress up for: weddings, funerals.

*Laundry:*
Women: Women do laundry every couple of days.
Men: A man will wear every article of clothing he owns, including his surgical pants (the ones that were hip about eight years ago) before he will do his laundry. When he is finally out of clothes, he will wear a dirty sweatshirt inside out, rent a U-Haul and take his mountain of clothes to the Laundromat. Men always expect to meet beautiful women at the Laundromat. This is a myth perpetuated by reruns of old episodes of "Love American Style."

*Eating Out:*
Men: When the check comes, each man will each throw in $20 bills, even though it's only for $22.50. None of them will have anything smaller, and none will actually admit they want change back.
Women: When the girls get their check, out come the pocket calculators.

*Mirrors:*
Men: Men are vain and will check themselves out in a mirror.
Women: They are ridiculous; they will check out their reflections in any shiny surface: mirrors, spoons, store windows, bald guys' heads.

*Menopause:*
Women: When a woman reaches menopause, she goes through a variety of complicated emotional, psychological, and biological changes. The nature and degree of these changes varies with the individual.
Men: Menopause in a man provokes a uniform reaction-he buys aviator glasses, a snazzy French cap and leather driving gloves, and goes shopping for a Porsche.

*The Phone:*
Men: Men see the telephone as a communication tool. They use the telephone to send short messages to other people.
Women: A woman can visit her girlfriend for two weeks, and upon returning home, she will call the same friend and they will talk for three hours.

*Richard Gere:*
Women: Women like Richard Gere because he is sexy in a dangerous way.
Men: Men hate Richard Gere because he reminds them of that slick guy who works at the health club and dates only married women.

*Madonna:*
Same as above, but reversed. Same reason.

*Toys*
Women: Little girls love to play with toys. Then when they reach the age of 11 or 12, they lose interest.
Men: Men never grow out of their toy obsession. As they get older, their toys simply become more expensive, silly, and impractical. Examples of men's toys: little miniature TVs. Car phones. Complicated juicers and blenders. Graphic equalizers. Small robots that serve cocktails on command. Video games. Anything that blinks, beeps, and requires at least 6 "D" batteries to operate.

*Cameras:*
Men: Men take photography very seriously. They'll shell out $4000 for state of the art equipment, and build dark rooms and take photography classes.
Women: Women purchase Kodak Instamatics. Of course, women always end up taking better pictures.

*Locker Rooms:*
Men: In the locker room men talk about three things: money, football, and women. They exaggerate about money, they don't know football nearly as well as they think they do, and they fabricate stories about women.
Women: They talk about one thing in the locker room-sex. And not in abstract terms, either. They are extremely graphic and technical, and they never lie.

*Movies*
Women: Every actress in the history of movies has had to do a nude scene. This is because every movie in the history of movies has been produced by a man.
Men: The only actor who has ever appeared nude in the movies is Richard Gere. This is another reason why men hate him.

*Jewelry*
Women: Women look nice when they wear jewelry.
Men: A man can get away with wearing one ring and that's it. Any more than that and he will look like a lounge singer named Vic.

*Conversation*
Men: Men need a good disagreement to get talking. For instance, "Wow, great movie." or "What are you,nuts? No REAL cop would have an Uzi that size."
Women: Women, not having this problem, try to initiate conversations with men by saying something agreeable: "That garden by the roadside looks lovely." "Mm hmm." Pause. "That was a good restaurant last night, wasn't it?" "Yeah." Pause. And so on.

*Leg Warmers*
Women: Leg warmers are sexy. A woman, even if she's walking the dog or doing the dishes, is allowed to wear leg warmers. She can wear them any time she wants.
Men: A man can only wear leg warmers if he is auditioning for the "Gimme the Ball" number in "A Chorus Line."

*Friends*
Women: Women on a girls' night out talk the whole time.
Men: Men on a boy's night out say about twenty words all night, most of which are "Pass the Doritos" or "got any more beer?"

*Restrooms*
Women: Women use restrooms as social lounges. Women who've never met will leave a restroom giggling together like old friends. Women also go to the restroom in packs, at least two women at a time excuse them- selves to use the restroom.
Men: Men use restrooms for purely biological reasons. Men in a rest- room will never speak a word to each other. And never in the history of the world has a man excused himself from a restaurant table by saying, "Hey, Tom, I was just about to take a leak. Do you want to join me?"



http://jlpicard.blogspot.com/)

(Got this from

blues..

Just finished with my internship in Rainmaker Asia, the main reason why I wasn't able to continue Prelude and The Harlequin Wench. Being in my own school for the second part of my internship will prolly give me more time to right and chill. An annoying task of thinking of a vid for the freshmen orientation day is breathing down my neck as well. I won't be doing it most probably but I will finish the 'commercial' for Psychology. I just hope I can find a camcorder that I can borrow..

Prelude Update

I'm in the middle of doing the third chapter.. HOORAY!! *ala Chester A. Bum*

Nothing special in terms of the hunt, but this chapter will dwell more on the relationships of the characters. Some discreet revelations and a visit from someone from the original storyline. Oh, and this is somewhat a Christmas chapter, revolving around the month of December.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) review

This 'zombiefest' is a seriously funny, cleverly-written, and well-acted love letter to movies in general, horror movies in particular, and zombie movies in the extreme. You'll find plenty of directorial flourishes referencing the likes of Guy Ritchie, Quentin Tarantino, Sam Raimi, and of course, George A. Romero. It's only shortcomings are the occasional tendency to over-extend a joke (breaking the pace by doing so), and in having so much of its comedic potency dependent on how well the audience knows the genre which inspired it.

The titular Shaun (Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the script with director Edgar Wright) is already well-accustomed to the life of a zombie. Every day, he staggers out of bed with even less enthusiasm than a typical reanimated corpse, and drags himself off to his hateful job as the assistant manager of an electronics store. While he's sleepwalking through work, his slobby best friend and flatmate Ed (Nick Frost) plays video games all day and deals a little weed on the side. After work, they habitually meet up at a pub called "The Winchester" with Shaun's too-cute-for-him girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) and her annoying flatmates. Despite the fact that she loves Shaun, Liz is just a little fed up with the numbing grind that their lives have become, and his apparent lack of ambition to do anything about it.

When Liz dumps him, Shaun and Ed go on an all night drinking binge that turns into a next-day hangover from hell. They stagger about the debris-strewn and zombie-infested landscape completely oblivious to what's going on at first, until they are finally attacked by one that has wandered into their back yard (a girl who they at first mistakenly diagnose as being merely drunk). Once they realize the gravity of the situation, and make several laughable attempts to kill a couple of zombies with common household items, they find a spade and a cricket bat in the woodshed and starts whacking his cricket bat through the hungry herds to win back Liz and save his sweetly dotty mum (Penelope Wilton) from becoming lunch.

Shaun's idea of sanctuary, naturally, is the local pub. "You got your pints, you got your pig snacks. What more do you need?" Part deadpan farce -- the survivors are downright unfazed at the sight of the shuffling undead -- and part bloody slapstick spectacle, "Shaun of the Dead" playfully references its inspirations, from "Night of the Living Dead" to "28 Days Later." But it isn't a spoof so much as an ingenious twist on a familiar genre, right down to an inspired coda that answers all the questions left open in every previous zombie apocalypse: What happens next? The priceless solution is as inevitable as it is hilarious.

Wright directs with an eye for understatement, mining deadpan comedy from a dwindling band of survivors constantly on the verge of hysteria, but also registering every loss with genuine empathy and gravity. He gives you reason to care through the laughs. In the argot of the film, it's bloody brilliant. There are moments when the story is gently poking fun of Zombie movies, but always in a way that fans of those movies will enjoy. Sprinkled throughout the story are also sly references to earlier zombie films. "They're coming to get you Barbara," is said by one character in an obvious reference to Night of the Living Dead, and later a radio commentator can be heard saying, "Rumors that it was all started by rage infected monkeys, have not been proven," an obvious nod to 2003 zombie flick; 28 Days Later.

Well-paced, very funny, and featuring a likeably dopey cast that you can root for, Shaun of the Dead is one of the best comedies of 2004.

Well..

I finally transfered all the 'good' stuff from my old wreck-of-a-blog. I've been wanting to do this move for quite some time now but haven't had the time to do it (until now). Most of these things are from the past three or so years. Some of 'em doesn't really make sense but are good reads (at least for some of my friends). I don't know what I'll put in here or if I do put stuff here consistently because I know myself and I won't be able to manage this straight up and knowing the fact I'm currently doing my internship and senior year (yes, senior year) is coming up. The only thing I can guarantee to myself and to the few that visits this place is that I'll be posting stuff here from time to time. Stuff that would be fun to read or watch, stuff that would annoy and offend others, and stuff that would just be boring to the general public domain.

I've done The Bashing Board back in my Multiply account and honestly, I was successful with it. So now, with a whole new batch of 'bashees' and fresh ideas fueled by hate, I'll be posting 'season 2' of The Bashing Board here in Chum in the Water. Sadly, most of them are female. Why? Well, I haven't really been 'socializing' with the male species of my genome that much since..... Erm, yeah, you get the point.

Another thing is the Prelude chapters. I've left off and cut The Bitch and The Witch but I might revamp the whole chapter and post it here and continue from there. The series has a lot of potential and I really want to finish it even though it's gonna take a hell lot of time and effort to do so.