Short Stories and Organizing

So I'm still about halfway through "The Language of the Unheard" and while I'm wrapping that up, I've decided to try my hand at some short stories. I haven't written many short stories since high school, where I used to write them almost exclusively. I've heard they're a good way to get your foot in the door and if you get them published in a magazine, they might even make you a little cash!

So my first one is entitled "The Banks of Belronan" and it is a classic tragic romance about selkies, the mythical seal women of Ireland. I'm writing as a frame story with an old woman telling a tale she was told as a child. We'll see how it turns out.

I also finally organized all my little scribblings of story ideas and tidbits into Microsoft OneNote and I feel so much better now. I had to go through two notebooks, the notes section of my phone and countless random pieces of paper to find them all, but they're all sorted by type into the one program now. There's places for me to add more notes to them later on and pictures of things that inspired me etc. I am including an amazing picture of the Aurora Borialis that just keeps me in awe. Anyway, now I don't have to worry about losing things and when I want to find an idea for a story, I just have one place to look. In fact, the selkie story was one that I had thought of a while back and forgotten about until I did this.

Aaron is going camping with his brothers for a few days next week so I'll have to house to myself. I plan on eating lots of cheese-filled foods (he's lactose intolerant but I love cheese), doing a lot of writing, staying up ridiculously late, sleeping in, and watching plenty of chick flicks.

SURVIVAL KIT FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT or NOT ABOUT WRITING

The title pretty much says it all.  I have been talking, reading and breathing nothing except writing for a while now, so I decided its time for something new.  Something informative.  Something useful.  So here goes my SURVIVAL KIT FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT (subtitled: Getting by on Little or No Sleep)

First off, I'd like to say that I am an expert in this field.  I am way over-qualified to write this. (By the way, never trust anyone who says that they are an expert at anything.  The real experts don't have to say it.  But I do.)

SURVIVAL KIT FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT:

1. Toothbruth and toothpaste. I don't care where you are or what you are doing that is making you stay up so late, brush your teeth in the morning.  It will trick your brain into thinking that you are getting up, not staying up.  Besides, I've heard that this can also be good for your teeth.

2. Water.  Drink at least twice as much water as anything else.  This goes for the whole night.  If you drink two cups of coffee, drink four cups of water. Etc. It's also good for you, and being hydrated is important for making sure you feel the best that you can.

3. Breakfast. Eat it.  Food will make you feel better and give you more energy.

4. Speaking of energy: 5-Hour energy is amazing.  No sugar, very few calories and it tastes ok too.  It's better than sugar filled energy drinks.  You will thank me at noon.

5. Visine.  Or similar eye drops.  Its amazing how much better you feel when your eyes aren't blurry and they don't itch and they aren't red and puffy.  One drop of an eye drop in each eye will do wonders for you.

6. Tylonol.  Or pain killer of choice.  You don't have to take it, but keep it on hand in case you feel a headache coming on. 

Now of course nothing replaces real sleep, but with these six simple things, you can almost pretend like you did sleep.  They really work wonders if you go with all six of them.  I promise.

2:56AM Update

Yes, I'm still awake.  Just hit 26,000 words and starting to feel a little tired.  But at least I am way out in front on my word count, over 6,000 words higher than where I need to be to be on track.  So that is a nice feeling. 

Happy Noveling!

2:05AM Update!

Well, as you can see from the title, it's 2:05AM and I just passed the 25,000 word mark! Halfway there and it feels great! The NaNo website has these cool stats for number people like me, so according to mine, I have to write 1389 words per day to finish on time, and on average I've written 2085 words per day and at that rate I will finish on November 23.  That's a whole week ahead! This is the first time that I've been scheduled to finish earlier than November 25.  Two years ago I hit 75,000 words and finished my novel on November 25, so the goal is to beat that this year. 

Well, more stretching exercises for me and then on to 26,000!

1:10 AM update!

Not that anyone probably cares, but I promised updates, so here they are.  It's 1:10 AM. I got home from Aaron's store about quarter to midnight, stopped at the store to pick up some novel food in the form of Pringles, 5-Hour Energy, G2 Gatorade, Cherry Dr. Pepper and Red Vines, and then got to work on the novel.  So as it stands now, I'm at 24,084 words and going to push on towards 25,000 here in a minute after I do some stretching and breathing exercises to keep me from being too sore tomorrow.  I'm feeling good, the novel is coming well, I'm right in the midst of the suspense of my novel and the story is so creepy that I'm getting scared just writing it. 

Onward to 25,000!