NANOWRIMO and Scrivener and Tanning Salons!

I'm well pleased with myself this morning because a few nights ago I finished my NANO project. The last 1067 words were stumping me. I didn't know where to add another chapter or to extend one already created. So, I did both in a way. Luckily I still have a week to go before Nov. 30th! So I can keep right on typing if I want to.
When I was reading through correcting spelling and taking "ly" and "s" off some words, I realized I had no animals in my story. If it was a city setting that wouldn't have been a problem, but out here on the Eastern Shore it seemed to border on impossible.
So, to knock off that final 1000 plus words I wrote a dog into my story. It meant going through certain parts of it to make it work but, before I knew it I had my thousand words and then some. So, I was pretty happy with that.
NANOWRIMO is an annual event. This was my first experience with it and their site is almost daunting for the uninitiated. But, I roamed through it every time I needed a break from some of my characters and tried to get comfortable with it. You can have a look at it by visiting: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node
It seems that some people use emails for messages. Personally, I use emails as letters. So, I was getting quite a few emails from people in my regional area which were in most cases, messages. I didn't know any of them and they were, or seemed to be arranging write-ins all over the province. I of course could not go to any of them because I live too far off from all of them. I also doubted I would get much writing done in those venues.
I really like the peace and quiet of home when thoughts can go uninterrupted for hours if necessary. And, being on a limited income tossed a spanner into long drives with only social purposes in mind.
Many of the participants had done NANO before. So, they had a fair idea of what to expect, but being new to this experience I was completely unsure and I still am

Scrivener

In addition, I was using a beta version of Scrivener. Now APPLE users have had the benefits of Scrivener for some time, but it's only recently that this powerful program became available to the WINDOWS user.
And, I'm really glad it has done. What a sweet program. It keeps you organized. Completely organized especially in the composition of a novel or story of any length. Scrivener offered the beta to NANO participants on trial with a percent off next month if you decide to buy it. I shall be buying it.
I usually write in WORD and then move it over, but I started this draft in blog so I might as well finish it.
When I did reach my 50,000 + words for NANO I felt pooped. So, when that happens to a writer, it's best to go do dishes or some other activity until your body catches up with your mind or vice versa. I've had some great ideas since but not for that project. So, I might get some other things completed and then return to it.

TANNING SALONS

In today's paper the NS government has decided to pass some legislation on tanning beds which will make it an offense to sell tanning services to anyone under 19 year so age. I have a small tanning salon that is about ten years old now and I've never sold tanning services to anyone under eighteen without their mother's coming to see me and me seeing their mother, sign the permission card. Now the government has decided to be "mother" instead of those who do the job already.
In the ten years I've been in business I've never once had a representative of government inform me of ANY legislation in regard to the services I sell. They do take the registration fees I pay to be in business and they're certainly not above accepting my HST reports annually.
Now, out of the blue, they have rules. Not only rules, but "legislation"! It is my sincere hope that all tanning salons in the province of Nova Scotia will get copies of these new rules and all the legislation covering tanning salons. I may have to wait a while for them, but I don't mind.
It comes down to who you want to believe. In certain parts of the world, (like Australia) the ozone layer that protects people's skins from the sun is damaged. So, children MUST wear hats to protect them. Australians of course are not vitamin D deficient as people are in certain parts of North America. You get very depressed if you are vitamin D deficient and your physical well being can be damaged and at risk for all sorts of things.
Certainly the overuse of ANYTHING is harmful. In my salon, people do not over-tan. I just don't allow it. I do know that some salons are not as vigilant, and allow some people to tan twice or three times a day! Can you imagine what THAT would do to your skin?!?!
Tanning is a cosmetic product and should be used and sold as such. At Ticker's it always has been. I'm not advertising because most of my clients come back annually. Ninety percent of them are adults, so NOT selling tans to teens will not effect my business one iota.
I guess the point of my rant is, that in ten years I've never heard anything from the provincial government on or about tanning. Now, out of the blue they've made decisions regarding it and not one tanning salon owner was participant in those rules or legislation. I guess that tells me everything I need to know.
Stay Well, until next time.

NANO Madness

Well, here I am again thankfully! It's been a busy time. It usually is for me. My significant other is still in hospital and has survived the operation of course, as I knew he would. But, then he developed some infection so they’re trying hard to kill that. He’ll be released once they chase the germs away. So it’s all-good!

I’m sure he’ll be stunned when he gets home to see what I’ve been doing while he’s been gone.I've got a large closet reorganized and taken on several new activities.

 I inadvertently joined NANO last night but I'm going to give it a go anyways. I just went to the site to see what all the fuss was about and the sign said " sign up" and I clicked it.

I thought they meant sign up for the site (it was late and I was tired) but it meant sign up for the writing exercise. Sometimes things happen. Serendipity.

Have a look if you're interested, the site is www.nanowrimo.org Just be careful what you click on! You could end up like me with 50,000 words to write before the end of November.

There are rules to follow of course and I read them through as fast as I could and introduced myself in the forum and I may be the older one in the regional group. But that doesn't bother me either. Someone has to be.

I've never done a NANO before but it's a worldwide event and even as I sit here typing into my blog hundreds of people all over the globe are up typing into their NANO manuscript. It's a good exercise for any writer or any "wannna-be" writer. It instills the "write everyday" element that a good writer needs.

I've heard about NANO for donkey years of course. It's hard to miss hearing about it. Even living in a very small hamlet on the coast of Nova Scotia, you do get news. The N.S. Writer's Federation Newsletter made mention of it as well. I have friends on Writing.com who are also nano-ing their little hearts out.

I think the problem with so many writers is that they want instant recognition and publication. Oddly enough you can get that easily on the Internet. Ten year olds do it daily!

Some writers just don't understand the publication process from a publisher's point of view. Nor do they even care! Publishers are in the business of publishing to make a profit, by printing and distributing books. Usually that means QUALITY books. Books that have been well edited; and books that have good grammar. Not to placate ever-sensitive writers.

Many writers think once they've written a piece, that its inspired. Completely inspired and needs no alteration at all, ever. The problem with that attitude is, it's a red flag that means it needs a lot of work to make it publishable. Unless you're an incredible genius with a Master's degree in English and a PhD in Science. Then publishers know you have the dedication gene at the very least.

If on the other hand you have high school math and some good ideas and some writing credits you might still knock out a book. It would still take a great deal of work to make it publishable. The problem today is that with e-books you take your chances as to the quality of what you're getting unless you buy books online from a credible source.

If it were "easy", everyone would be doing it.

If you find this entry short, I’m writing my Nano so be patient and I’ll be back here during my breaks. Stay Well!