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I suppose it would be good to talk a bit about what I've been reading lately. It might help me focus on the upcoming task.
The last book I finished was The Monkeywrench Gang by Edward Abbey. During our vacation in the desert of Utah, everyone we met told me I should read it. One of my brother's friends even named her dog after one of the main characters (Hayduke). Seeing as how I already owned the book because I was supposed to read it for a class in college several years ago and never did, I figured now was the time. It was a good read and our trip to the West really helped localize the setting and make it seem more real.
Before that, I read The Testament. That was my first John Grisham novel. That was a good read as well, though the main character was really depressing and the storyline was kind of bizarre. The quality of the narrative seemed to keep it grounded though; I had no trouble getting through it.
I'm not reading anything at the moment...nothing good on hand and hardly any time.. I'm always open to suggestions though.
To say I've been distracted lately would be something of an understatement.
Those few of you who regularly read my journal will have noticed its absence of late. I thought I had decided to put it to bed for good so that I could concentrate entirely on my new business, but as it turns out, I don't concentrate on solely one thing very well. It's not good for my mental well-being, either.
I ran across nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) last year or the year before and thought it was an interesting idea, but I never really considered taking the challenge until now.
When I signed up this year, my thinking was that now I have more time than before - I can do it now. But since going full-time on my own as an independent translator, I realize that isn't really the case. A more accurate assessment is that I can make my own schedule. And since I've been known to stay up till 3 AM or later (earlier) to work on projects I actually care about, it turns out that it still works out rather well this year.
So nanowrimo is on. I've talked the talk; now it's time to walk the walk.
In my classic writing form, I have been actively blocking this endeavor from my conscious mind. Naturally - thinking about it certainly won't help. Better to just squint and stumble blindly forward. Easier.
This journal is not intended to continue in as long-winded a fashion as this entry; I need to spend that potential time writing novel words. With a goal of 50,000 words by November 30th, I need to create 1666.6666666666666666666666666667 words per day.
Piece of cake.
Right?
