WIP Wednesday - 2 Shawls and a Novel

Only a couple knits to share this week as I have mainly been working on two shawls. The last clue of  Jen's Mystery KAL was released yesterday. But Clue 3 and I didn't really get along last week, which caused me to frog some of the shawl and rework clue 2. 

Last Wednesday, I shared a picture of the shawl with leaf tips at the end of clue 2. Clue 3 involved picking up stitches on the wrong side of the shawl and making an "undershawl" beneath the leaves, so the leaves would be left loose. I tried a couple times and even after starting with the correct number of stitches, by the end of the first row of the first chart worked in Clue 3, my stitches were off. It got frustrating. I will pick up 300+ stitches only so many times before I give up and find another way. So I undid all 25 leaf tips. Lucky for me I had only wove in the ends of 5 of them so the first 20 were easy. The last five, I had to unpick the ends which caused the rows below them to begin to unravel, and well... I had to frog the shawl to the middle blue line you see above, between the two green sections. I reknit Clue 2, doing option 2 which didn't have leaf tips, but instead worked lace between the leaves. Originally, everyone was suppose to cast-off after clue 2 and pick up stitches for Clue 3, but I changed that. I added in some garter rows after clue 2 (the blue and green rows on top of the leaf  row), then did the last chart of Clue 3, which is the blue section on the needles. (sorry to any non-knitters who are totally confused right now).

A closer look at the leaves and garter rows.

Now I am onto the final clue. It's a bunch of garter rows before doing an I-cord bind off, which I've never done before. I admit, I kind of like my alterations compared to the original pattern so I'm not too upset that my shawl is different. There are over 500 stitches on the needles right now so it's hard to tell what it really looks like. Or how big it will be. Hope to have it off the needles by this weekend.

And last week, I got an email from my sister-in-law saying a shawl I had knit her got accidentally shrunk in the wash and asked if I could knit her a new one. I had the above yarn in my stash, which is the same brand as the old shawl, and cast on a Bradway shawl. Working with worsted weight yarn knits up so quickly. Loving the texture.

I made myself a wrist rest this weekend so I can write more at my desk instead of the couch.

And it's November, which means NaNoWriMo. I wasn't going to write a novel, since I had just finished writing one in August and have been trying to edit it. I looked through my notebook of novel ideas and nothing really jumped out at me. Then I looked at the ideas I had written down for the book series I had started with the novel "Lucy" written during Camp NaNoWriMo in 2012. And I started thinking I should have 2 books written and edited before trying to get the first published and so I made some notes about the second book and started writing yesterday morning. Wrote over 2,000 words while still in my pajamas. But, the novel is much darker than anything I have ever written before and I'm not sure I can keep that up for a month. It's kind of depressing to write. I'm thinking I might write the ending next so I know that my character has a happy ending, despite how crappy her life will be for most of the novel. We'll see. 

What have you been working on? Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? Or want to do it? It's not too late to start.

A Writing Wednesday Post

     As you can see from the picture above, my NaNoWriMo novel has been growing. I like staying above the curve. It really helped that I wrote around 7,000 words on the second day which gave me lots of wiggle room on my daily word count. I'm aiming for another 7,000 words today as I have challenged myself to finish on the 15th. I know that's crazy but I haven't written anything since last year's NaNoWriMo. I've been focused on editing this year and it's been really nice to just write. 

     How I feel about the novel changes every 100 words. Sometimes I think its good. Sometimes I think I should delete the whole thing. But I just keep writing. I can decide later whether it is any good. I admit that I deleted the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2013 because I didn't like it. It was a complete rewrite since I didn't want to save any of it. But it felt good to write then since I had my third child just 6 months before. Now, I want to write something that is good enough to edit. A first draft that is worth keeping. So I am keeping myself focused. Not reading much so my novel stays in my head. And I think about it a lot. I think I might even kill one of the main characters, which I've never done before. Although that might change if I get too attached him.

     And this year, I am loving the badges. There have been badges other years but for some reason I really need them to keep me going this time. I really pushed to get that 25,000 word badge this week. If I add to my word count every day of November I get that last calendar badge so even if I reach my crazy goal of 50,000 words by the 15th, I'll still keep writing but probably not as much. Just for a silly badge. It's weird how our brains work.

This guy has been enjoying a lot of PBS in the mornings so I can write. He's not complaining but he's never far away. If I write at my desk instead of the couch, he sits on my lap to watch tv. 

And to distract me from my writing, Jen's latest Mystery KAL shawl started today. I forced myself to write 2,000 words before I could cast on. I'd like to write another 5,000 words today so I might have to limit how much I can knit (although I cast on while waiting for pictures to download from the camera). If you're a knitter, you can find the pattern here. 

Socktober Results plus a new WIP

Socktober is finished and I think it was a great success for me this year.

Here are all the socks I knit last month. 2 complete pairs (at the top) which are Christmas gifts. Bottom row is the first finished Frankensock for me and the first finished Cusp sock and almost half of the second. 6 socks in a month is pretty good.

Wrapped up the socks with ribbon instead of stretching out the cuff. 

My mother gifted me some red yarn for Christmas last year to make a red scarf for charity. She had suggested the Red Scarf project in southern Ontario which brings awareness to AIDS. But I have also discovered that there is a Red Scarf Project in the States in support of Foster care. I think I'm going to send my scarf to the Foster Care one which means more to me - I have family that used to be Foster Parents and played with several foster kids growing up. I am doing the Wheat scarf by Tin can Knits which is a free pattern. Side note - I'm using straight for the first time in a long time and it feels really weird.

And I had no plans to do NaNoWriMo this year but when an idea came to me just before midnight, I decided to write. And write I did! Just over 10,000 words in 2 days! Trying to keep the momentum going but I'm a little concerned what's going to happen to all my gift knitting/ quilting if I spend this whole month writing. Time for my husband and kids to do some of the crafting this year? 

Still Editing.

I've still been busy this past week editing. I had my mother read the very rough first draft of "Lucy"over the summer and she gave some helpful suggestions. One of them was moving an important part of the plot to earlier in the novel. So part of chapter 10 was moved into chapter 4. That means the next few chapters will need some major editing.

Floyd "helping" me edit. 

And sometimes the editing needs to be set aside so I can use my new yarn swift for the first time and listen to podcasts while Floyd naps.  I love the swift but the screw got stuck after the third hank was wound. Not too happy about that but my husband is going to try and fix it.

Now back to editing.

Finally Editing

     It's that time again. The older kids are in school and I am left alone for most of the day with a toddler for company. The last few weeks of summer vacation I started to get the writing itch. But I didn't want to start something new, I wanted to edit. However, editing takes focus and time and three kids running around the house don't really help with that.

      So I fought the urge and got frustrated that the kids take so much of my time and energy. Then last week I realized I could start planning and get ready for when I would have more time for myself. I made notes of some editing ideas and decided to make a map and some sketches to help me.
I spent some time Thursday and Friday drawing a map of the town my novel takes place in. I then drew an outline of what my main character's house looked like on the inside, since I don't think the layout I have in my rough draft makes sense - especially the second floor.

     Once I was done, I cleared most of the stuff off my bulletin board and put them up. My desk got cleaned off last week as well and once again I have room for my computer and my notes and whatever else I might need. I bought some new pens that I love and I feel ready. Ready to tackle my novel and edit it and make it something I could be really proud of. I know I will have many moments over the next few months that I'll want to throw in the towel and forget that I ever wanted to be a writer but when that happens I want to remember what I feel like today. The desire to write and to share my work.

     I know I don't talk about my writing much on the blog and there's the possibility that might change but not until next year. I have continued my Little Poem Project everyday this year but I have not been sharing it here. I've been brainstorming ideas for what I might want to focus on next year that I can share here on the blog. But for now I'm happy that I've spent time editing or making notes about my novel 5 of the last 6 days.

Drawing of main characters house. 

Sketch of the town. This has been really helpful.

Up on the bulletin board for easy reference while I edit. I've been adding to the map as the characters explore more of the town in the novel.

And here is how I've been editing. I make notes/ edits on my printed out rough draft and then make the changes on the computer. The post-its contain big changes  - full sentences or even a paragraph that I want to add. Each is numbered so I know where in the story it goes. I'm doing a chapter at a time. I might also be watching the U.S. Open.

Only problem with working on the couch. Floyd tries to help.

But at least he gives me kisses.

Making room for editing and Floyd. He's also on my lap while I write this blog post. I guess my lap is more comfortable than a couch for watching tv.

What I read in January

This is might be a short post. I haven't been doing much reading this month. I've started a few books and then returned them to the library because I didn't want to give them my time. It's not that they were bad books, it's just that reading them wasn't how I wanted to spend my time. A few I'll get out again from the library when I need something to read but not any time soon. 

I haven't written much this past week either. I am now at the stage where the new chapters need to meet the old chapters and the ending of the novel is going to change. I had three possible plausible endings I could go with and then a bunch more that were possible but maybe not as believable. I've been doing a lot of thinking about it this week, about what direction I want the novel to go and I've done plenty of knitting and some quilting while I thought but not much writing. I think I finally decided what ending I'm going to work towards - although that could always change as I write, but I hope to get back to writing as soon as I post this and have some lunch.

Now onto the few books I read this month.

Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean

Instead of making resolutions this year I am focusing more on changing habits. Some small, some big. A good read but there were several chapters full of studies of how habits are made and how they're broken. I was looking for more how to actually break the habits but it did get into that. I did enjoy reading it and have made steps towards trying to change habits I didn't like and making new ones - including getting back into yoga. For several years I have put start doing yoga again on my resolutions/ goals for the year list and I don't do it. This year, I'm doing it; usually while Floyd watches Sesame Street. And I'm beginning to associate the show with my time to do yoga - it's becoming a habit. I can't leave him alone in the living room so I do yoga beside the couch and he often interrupts and I have to kick toys off the mat while I do it but I'm doing it 2-4 times a week and I feel great.

Broken Cup by Margaret Gibson

A great, powerful collection of poems written about her husband's battle with Alzheimer's and how it impacts their lives. Whether you know anyone who has had Alzheimer's or not it is an amazing collection of poems to read. I think those who are or who will be taking care of their aging parents could also relate to a lot of these poems. 

The World Split Open - collection of essays

I'm not actually done this book but it is due back at the library today and I can't renew it so I will be finishing it. I think any writer would enjoy this. I love that both Margaret Atwood and Jeanette Winterson are in it - they are two of my favourite authors. And the sub-title sums the book up best, "Great Authors on How and Why We Write".

A Writing Wednesday post...

... because I've actually been writing.

     When I finished my NaNoWriMo novel at the end of November it had 50, 411 words. Skimming it last November, I had added and corrected some words but hadn't done any real editing. Last year was the first time I went into NaNoWriMo with a real plan, including a chapter outline. I didn't really look at the outline as I wrote but just writing it down before let my brain know where I saw the novel going. I finished the novel suddenly, and a few days early, because I decided to omit one major event I had planned for the novel. It no longer seemed to fit. Last week I reread the whole novel from beginning to end  - only took two days - and realized that the major event needed to be in it. I tried to figure out where exactly in the story it now fit and started writing new chapters. Since last Thursday I have added over 12,000 words to the novel. Several times I wrote over 3,000 words in one day. I know there will be some heavy editing needed for the chapters before the new chapters and especially the ones after, but the new material has me very excited to be working on this again. I was even going to give myself the day off from writing today but somehow I've already added another 700 words. I guess when I'm in the groove I better write!

My writing plans for 2015 are to focus on what I've already written and not start another novel until November. The first four months will be spent on editing/ rewriting last year's NaNoWriMo novel, tentatively titled "Stronger with Time". I don't like the title, so that will need to change, but it needed to be called something. When it gets to a point that I am happy with it or just so sick of it that I need another pair of eyes or two, I'll give it to some readers for feedback. And after receiving that feedback and revising again, I plan on sending it out to agents. I am going to be researching literary agents this spring and trying to find several that I think would be a good fit for me. I have thought about trying to be my own agent and submitting to publishers but I'm not sure if I'm ready to do that. 

Once I am done editing that novel, or need a break from it, I'm going to finish the rewrite of "Lucy" that I had started last year. I need to sit down with that work again and make some changes as something about it is not right, but I don't know what. And if there's time this year, I hope to finish writing my first NaNoWriMo novel from 2011. It currently has over 70,000 words and several chapters still need to be written. I'd like to finish it, as I still love it. Especially since writing it, is what convinced me that I am what I always said I wanted to be when I was growing up, a writer.

And when I need a break from writing/ editing novels? I plan to start sending out poetry to magazines/literary journals. I have always enjoyed writing poetry and it's a nice change from novel writing. I am currently going through old poems and deciding which ones might be good enough to publish after a little work. And of course, I'm enjoying The Little Poem Project that I publish on the blog every Saturday.

I have a good feeling about this year and am looking forward to all the joy and frustration my writing will bring me.

Little Poem Project - January 10-16

Sharing all my little poems from this week. You can read more about this project here. Enjoy.

Saturday, January 10th.

Sunday, January 11th.

Monday, January 12th.

Tuesday, January 13th.

Wednesday, January 13th.

This one popped into my head while doing yoga that morning and wouldn't leave.

Thursday, January 15th.

Written in celebration of the safe delivery of the baby my SIL was carrying as a surrogate. "Little" Norman came into the world at 9 lbs 5.5 oz. Everyone is doing well.

Friday, January 16th.

The Little Poem Project - January 3-9

Here are my little poems for the past week. I wrote one everyday but am only sharing 6 here. Yesterday's poem is for my eyes only for now. So far, I am really enjoying this project. You can read more about it here.

One thing I noticed is that the time of day I write really alters the mood of the poem. Most have been written at the end of the day. At least one was written in the morning and one in the afternoon and those ones seem more hopeful/ happy. To me, anyway. By the end of the day, I usually feel pretty defeated and tired and I think that shows in the poems. I'll have to try and continue to write them at different times of the day. Last night I was thinking a neat 24 hour project would be to write one poem every hour to see how my day is reflected in what I write. Maybe I'll try that one of these days. 

Enjoy this weeks poems.

Saturday, January 3rd.

Sunday, January 4th.

Monday, January 5th.

Tuesday, January 6th.

Wednesday, January 7th. I really wanted to use the frog paper and it inspired the poem.

Thursday, January 8th.

Writing Wednesday

Another Wednesday, another NaNoWriMo update. Picture was taken after writing yesterday which had the lowest word count (I blame the 1 hour dentist appointment). Luckily I have 12 days to write 15, 114 words. I can handle that. Then I can get back to blogging (I've already started to think about December posts) and knitting in the evenings instead of writing. I haven't started the sweaters I want to knit for my sons and I need them done by December 21st, which is when we open gifts here. 

And sign-ups are open for Friday Night Sew-In, which is this Friday, if you're interested. I have an Advent quilt I need to work on so I'll be participating. 

Writing Wednesday - NaNoWriMo -ing

Hopefully those pictures tell you what I've been doing this month instead of blogging. I've still been knitting and have at least 3 finishes to share later this week. Maybe I'll get a fourth done but probably not. 

To explain the pictures above, to stay on pace, I'm supposed to have 20,000 words written by the end of today (the 12th). However, when I was done last night (the 11th) I had already written 21, 390 words. I've been able to stay a day ahead for a few days now and it really takes the pressure off. I don't have to write today and I'll still be ahead. I'll still write but I only need to write a few hundred words to stay a day ahead. This has allowed me to have really productive days where I write more than 3,000 and some days that aren't. I force myself to write at least 1,000 words every day. 

The novel itself is basically staying with the outline I created. Some of it has changed as I wrote, as I don't always look at my notes while I'm writing. I just go and then check to make sure I included everything that I wanted to. So far, so good.

Writing Wednesday

Picture of adorable son in his Halloween costume so this post has a picture.

Here we are at another Wednesday. At least this Wednesday feels like a Wednesday. Last Wednesday felt like a Thursday and that totally messed me up - 2 days to the weekend instead of 1 can really defeat a stay-at-home mom. This week has been off to a bad start. Husband has been sick since the weekend and been home all week and now my daughter is home today. The boys and I have escaped it so far. I don't make a very good nurse but I've been doing my best. I made rice krispy squares and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies because my husband wanted them. And I've tried to be nice in the morning and get the kids to school even though I am not a morning person. But I'm exhausted and ready for everyone to feel better.

Hey, I thought today's post was supposed to be about writing? I guess the first paragraph was my attempt at an excuse. I wrote on Friday and finished the rewrite of chapter 1 of Lucy. I added over 700 words to the chapter. I mostly added more descriptive detail of the characters.

Then my procrastinating mind started to think of another idea. I have never written fiction with a first person voice. I've always written in the 3rd person, thee all knowing narrator. My idea had a female character narrating. Then I started thinking about Lucy being written in 1st person. I've heard of people changing their whole novels from 3rd to 1st after the manuscript's been accepted and it sounded like a lot of work. I'm going to try a couple chapters since I think I know Lucy well enough to write in her voice. That's the tricky part, I think, staying in the character's voice and not mine.

We'll see how it goes. Hopefully no one else in the house gets sick. I'm running out of baking supplies.

Writing Wednesday : Well loved books

I know today should be a post about all the books I read this month but there's enough days left in September that I'm trying to get a couple more finished and I'll write a post next week. 

Today's post is about my love of Russia. Well, Russia before the Revolution. I think two things in childhood started my love of Russia and it's monarchy. First was the Catherine the Great mini-series staring Julia Ormond. I can remember watching that with my mother and loving it. I can't believe that was 1991!

The second, is this book. For some reason it wasn't with my mother's books but sat with some other novels on the kid shelf. I can remember holding it and staring at the cover. When I left home I took it with me. I eventually borrowed a copy from the library and read it, since this one was in rough shape. I know I did a project about them but I can't remember if that was my last year of high school or my first year of university. I also read Massie's second book about them (I own it as well) and have a book that contains most of Nicholas' and Alexandra's letters to each other. I don't know why I'm interested in Russian monarchy, how they treated their people, their wealth and the revolution that ended it all but I am.

The Little Guy got hold of the book one morning and within a couple seconds the book was in pieces and I was almost in tears. I love the cover and that it was now in two pieces broke my heart. Who knew it meant so much to me.

I also remember reading this page over and over again as a kid and being in shock that these were real people.  The heading is perfect: "THEIR LOVE COST AN EMPIRE". Who would't want to read more?

But my son's destruction of my beloved Russians didn't end there. This is what my copy of Doctor Zhivago looks like. He's lucky that he's so cute or he'd be out of here.

Now I  need to decide what to do with my destroyed novels. They aren't worth fixing but I can't bring myself to throw them away. I love these words but they are unreadable as is. Then I remembered something I've been wanting to try for awhile but haven't. Blackout poetry.

I started with the Contents page of Zhivago.

Blacked out some lines and came up with this:

Contents

Express World

Inevitable.

Farewell Journey.

Part Arrival.

The Forest House

Again.

It's not great but it was fun and creative. And I couldn't stop at just one.

The translator's note has been transformed.

Then I started with some of the pages that came loose from the novel. The first few I started at the top and worked my way down. Then I started by picking a few words near the middle of the page. Then I would go to the top of the page and leave either individual words or several words exposed with the others blacked out. This was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I think I need to buy some more sharpies. If you click on the pictures, they will enlarge and you can read them. I'm thinking of continuing this project and adding a page for it on the blog. I'm unsure what my mom will think of this. I'm glad I got to do this with a well loved book instead of one I didn't care for. It somehow makes the "poems" more special.

I haven't done anything to Nicholas and Alexandra. Yet.