I haven’t posted an update about my NaNoWriMo novel since I started writing it in November, aside from a small mention in my Plans for the New Year post, so here it is:

I “won” NaNoWriMo because I was able to write 50,000 words before November 30, but I wasn’t able to finish my novel.  I realized around the middle of November that my story was much bigger than 50K words.

Despite wanting to finish the novel, I stopped working on it in December, just because I needed a bit of a break from so much writing.

For about two weeks, I’ve been writing on it again for about an hour each day.  That seems to be a good amount of writing for me.  During NaNo, I was writing about 2.5 hours each day.  That was fun while it lasted, but that’s much more than I want to devote to it now.  I’m not pounding out the words as a result, but at least I’m writing again.

My goal now is to be done writing the first draft before April 1.  Not only do I have a offer to get a free paperback book printed by CreateSpace that expires in April, but I’m also pregnant with our second child, who is due in April.  Once this new baby comes along I just know I’m not going to have any time to write.  Any free time I have will likely be trying to get some sleep. 

My goal should be attainable.  I just took a recent look at my outline of major scenes and decided to estimate how many words each scene is going to take to finish.  It looks like I still need to write around another 25K words.  That’s not counting the minor scenes that go between each of the major ones, but even if I double my estimate to 50K, I should be able to finish even if I only write 720 words every day between now and March 31.  That word count is something I can definitely do, since I’m averaging over 1000 words a day as it is.

As far as the actual story, it’s obviously going to need a bunch of editing when I’m done, but overall I really like where the novel is going.  It’s basically the same story I started out with, but I’ve added a few unexpected subplots that help flesh out the supporting characters and help to mirror the theme of the main plot.  To be more specific than I was in my first post, it’s about a struggling artist, Ashley (Walsh) Haal, who is stuck in a bad marriage to her lawyer husband, Scott.  She has poor self-esteem that hurts her in both her marriage and her career as a painter.  Because of her best friend, Katee Hess, she ends up meeting an acclaimed photographer, Jacob Kanemura, and Ashley and Jacob become quick friends.  Jacob allows Ashley to see herself, and her paintings, in a new light and he begins to repair the damage to her ego that Scott has created over the years.  She also gets up the courage to have a gallery showing of her art.  Ashley and Jacob fall in love and they begin to have an affair, Jacob not knowing that she is married.  Meanwhile, because of Ashley’s new found self-esteem and courage, Scott has come to see that he has been a jerk, and tries to mend his marriage with Ashley.  Now Ashley is torn between Scott and Jacob.  She doesn’t know what to do.  Go back to Scott who is trying to be a better husband or stay with Jacob?  But after the affair comes to light, will she have a choice?  I also plan on throwing a pregnancy in the mix to further mess with Ashley’s head.  I think I want to make it Jacob’s baby, but I may have it be a toss up as to who’s child it is.  I’m also pretty sure that I want to have a bittersweet ending, with her going back to Scott at the end, but who knows at this point.  I still have a lot to write before I make that decision.

I don’t know what I plan to do with it once it’s done.  I want to get it bound, and I figure I’ll edit it when I find the time, but as far as who I’ll let read it, I’m not yet sure.  It may just be something I have sit on the shelf for the rest of my life. Who knows at this point.  At the very least I will have written a novel by the time I’m done.  That’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was about 10 years old.

As Donna Pointkouski said so well, over at What’s Past is Prologue:

This time of year you can’t read the paper, watch television, listen to the radio, or peruse the internet without tripping over a “Top Ten” or “Best of” list. It’s fun to hear other people’s views on the best and the worst and argue with friends on your personal lists. I always enjoy New Year’s Eve as a time to not only look forward to the new year, but also look back on the one that has just past before the door slams shut forever.

In that same vein, while listening to some music last night, I decided to write a post today about my favorite songs of 2008. Now… take this with a grain of salt though, because while a lot of these songs came out in 2008, some of them did not. I just discovered them in 2008.

In no particular order:

Songs by 30 Seconds To Mars. This band was, by far, my favorite band of the year. I was borderline obsessed with them at one point. My husband would say it was more than borderline. I love all the songs on their “A Beautiful Lie” CD, but my top five favorite songs by them would be “The Kill” (acoustic version), “The Story,” “R-Evolve,” “Hunter,” and an instrumental song “Time to Wake Up” that I found on the internet.

Two other bands I discovered in 2008 were Boys Like Girls and My Chemical Romance. I found them because they were listed under artists similar to 30 Seconds To Mars, although I really don’t think they are very similar. My favorite songs by Boys Like Girls are “Hero/Heroine,” “Thunder,” and “Up Against The Wall.”  I have to say that I don’t particularly care for many of the songs done by My Chemical Romance, but I love their song “I Don’t Love You”. That song was what initially inspired my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel idea. I remember having it playing on repeat for about an hour straight while I outlined my novel.

“Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Every time I hear a song by Coldplay for the first time, I think of U2, which is one of my all time favorite bands. I don’t know exactly what it is about the lead singer’s voice, but I think of Bono every time.  I think it’s more than their accents, but regardless, they get an immediate plus from me. This song, by the way, is also my daughter’s current favorite song.  She’s only two and a half, but she knows many of the words to it.

OneRepublic’s “Apologize.” I heard Timbaland’s mix of “Apologize” on the radio and absolutely loved it. I could barely wait until OneRepublic released their own album and I got it as soon as I could. I really like their sound.

“Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” by O.A.R. I liked this song when I first heard it, but didn’t quite appreciate it like it deserved until I really listened to it. Now it’s definitely a favorite of mine, likely because it was also an inspiration for my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel.

“Love Remains The Same” by Gavin Rossdale. The first time I heard this I recognized Gavin’s voice immediately, which I love. The song is completely different from his older (Bush) stuff, but I love it. If I had to pick one song to describe my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel this would be it, despite all the other inspiration I got from other songs, this one tops them all.  It might just be the favorite of my favorites.

Other favorites are these, however, they don’t rank as high on my list as those I’ve already mentioned.  Many of them were also key inspiration to my NaNo novel, which, again, is probably why they have stayed favorites:

“Forever” and “With You” by Chris Brown

“No Air” by Jordin Sparks w/ Chris Brown

“Leavin’” by Jesse McCartney

“Bleeding Love” and “Better in Time” by Leona Lewis

“Say” by John Mayer

“Stop and Stare” and “Say (All I Need)” by OneRepublic

And there you have it…  my favorite songs of 2008.

I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, mainly because whenever I do make them, I never keep them because I never, or rarely, remember them after December 31st (It’s not because of drinking, I promise).  So I figure, what’s the point?  But having said that… the topic of the 63rd Carnival of Genealogy is New Year’s Resolutions, and asks “What plans do you have for your genealogy research next year? How about for your blogging?”  I think I can at least answer those questions even if I don’t consider them resolutions, per se.

What plans do you have for your genealogy research next year?

First and foremost, I want to finish writing the genealogy book on my Seibert family that has been in the works since mid 2007.  I’m almost done with it, and besides, I promised my family I would have it ready by this year’s family reunion.

I’d also love to stop procrastinating about talking to my grandfather, Floyd Cummings, about his life and relatives.  I want to videotape him in an interview talking about his life, mainly before and during WWII.  I also would like to know more about his family.  I’d like to know the specifics about his relatives, like births and deaths and such, but I’ve heard some crazy stories in passing about his family that I’d really like to know more about; how some thought his Aunt was a black widow what with having 9 husbands and them all dying, how his grandfather was able to survive the 1889 Johnstown flood, and how his father pulled a prank on a neighbor, putting the neighbor’s carriage on the top of his barn, among many others.  I’d like to know the specifics, at least as much as he can remember, before he is no longer around to tell them.  I want my next big genealogy project, after I’m done with the Seibert book, to be a book about my grandfather’s side of the family, so this will be the perfect starting point.

How about for your blogging?

No new plans for my blog.  I will continue to post when I have something to say, and otherwise not.  That’s the way I blog right now and I like that.  I don’t see any reason to change.  The only thing that may happen is that I might not get as much time to blog because I am currently pregnant and will have another child to take care of next year.

As far as non-genealogy, non-blog related plans…

I can’t really think of anything other than I’d like to finish my 2008 NaNoWriMo novel, sometime in 2009, preferably before April.  I’ve written about 60K words on it so far, but I’ve basically set it aside for the past few weeks.  I’ve only written a day or two out of each week since November 30 and I feel the need to pick it back up again and work on it more akin to what I did during the month of November.  Maybe not 1667 words per day, but at least set aside an hour each day to work on it.  I needed a bit of time off from writing, but I think it would be fun to write again.  Besides I was just getting to the good stuff.

This is my fourth time attempting to write a 50 thousand word novel in a month, via NaNoWriMo.

Every year prior to this one, I’ve used my laptop to write the story.  Each day I’ve had a goal of writing at least 1667 words, and every year I would have to write for three (or more) hours, struggling to get those words out of my mind and onto the page.

This year, in only two days I’ve already written 5348 words and it was all done in less than 4 hours, without it seeming like a chore.  I have been pleasantly shocked by my performance.

Some people have said that my success is due to my story idea being much better than previous years (which I don’t actually agree with by the way), so it’s easier for me to find the words, but I think it’s mainly due to using my brand new (to me) AlphaSmart 3000.

When I sit down with my AlphaSmart, I can only write.  There is no internet calling me.  No music to distract me.  Nothing else to do but type.

Also, since there are only 4 lines of text readable at one time on the AlphaSmart, I can’t accidentally look up and see that paragraphs earlier there are horrible spelling or grammatical errors that need to be dealt with.  Or worse, I can’t start reading what I’ve written so far and realize it’s all been crap and I should just stop now before I kill the written language with my horrible prose.  All this can (and has to) be edited later when using the AlphaSmart.  It’s just not built to edit stuff.

No distractions and no ability to edit my work means that all I can do is focus on what I have yet to say.  And this in turn equals many many words written in a short amount of time.  I love it.

Now, after saying all this, I admit that I’ve only been writing for two days, so it could just be a fluke, but I really do think it’s all due to the AlphaSmart and it’s ability to keep me focused.

I recommend writing on an AlphaSmart (or something like it) if you are like me and have problems staying focused (or as my husband likes to say: if you have poor willpower).  It might help you focus too.  And I don’t see how it could hurt.

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Update:  Well, it’s been a week of writing and I’ve consistently been able to write an average of 2,330 words each day even when I’ve not felt very much like writing.   I’m almost positive now that it’s due to the AlphaSmart.

I said a while back that I was unhappy with my writing and that if I was going to tell stories in the future, that I would/should just stick to visual media, like graphic novels or screenplays, but I’ve decided to go ahead and do NaNoWriMo (NaNo) again this year.

I was all set up to create a 30 page graphic novel during the month of NaNo instead of writing a novel, as in, I had all my supplies at the ready: pencils, pens, bristol board, ruler, etc. But as I started practicing my drawing, I was not happy. Not at all. I was prepared to not have the drawings be perfect, but I didn’t realize just how unprepared I was to do this sort of project. I’m pretty good as drawing from life or a photo, but drawing something straight out of my head is completely different. I realized that I need to do much more drawing, and not just from photos, in order to get to the level I need to be to take on a project like this.

So, as I’ve already said, I’ve decided to once again attempt to write a novel for NaNo this coming month.

I plan to take my idea for the graphic novel and expand on it:

To make a long story short, it will be about a woman struggling with poor self-esteem, trapped in an abusive relationship, and her attempt to get out of the relationship and gain a healthier perspective on life.  It will have a hopeful ending, but she ultimately goes back to her husband.  It will also feature an affair and most likely a pregnancy.  At least I think this is what it will be/contain.  I’m not too sure of all the details right now, because as I write it, my perspective on the story will change as I get to know my characters better.  It’s a bit crazy to say (though I know other writers will understand), but my characters will tell me where the story should go.  I can’t force something to happen that they, my characters, don’t approve of.

Only ~3 and half days to go.  I’m so excited!

My husband and I were recently talking about creativity.

He tried to tell me in the kindest way possible that writing is just not my thing. He didn’t need to be gentle. I agreed with him right away. Whenever I sit down to write a novel I can’t ever seem to get the words to flow. When I do write, it’s generally flat and stilted. I do pretty good with non-fiction, but writing “literature” just does not seem to be my thing. I did complete NaNoWriMo last year, but the novel was horrible. Probably the worst thing I’ve ever written. Plot holes, one dimensional characters with multiple personalities (as in they changed their one-dimension qualities throughout the novel), etc.

However, I still have a very strong urge to tell stories, and I don’t think that will ever stop. We figured out that since I am such a visual person, I probably need to use a visual format, like a graphic novel or a screenplay, instead of a novel.

If you remember, I started a screenplay when Script Frenzy was going on. I was very happy with what I wrote in that case because it was a good way to translate what I see in my head onto paper. I just haven’t done much with it since then. I think I’ll dig it back out to see what I can do with it.

I think the idea of creating a graphic novel is a wonderful idea too, since I used to love to draw and paint. I just don’t see any of my current ideas fitting into that format. My husband, however, has written two stories that I would love to turn into graphic novels. One is about zombies and the other is a children’s story.

The only problem I see with getting back into writing/drawing is that I’ve not done either for at least a few months and I’ve started projects or developed interests in the mean time that already have me stretched a bit thin. I just have too many interests!

I also agreed to edit my husband’s 2007 NaNoWriMo novel for him, so I just don’t know how much more I’ll take on at the moment.

I’ll get the stuff out, but probably wont do much on any of it for another month, when I’m no longer consumed with my genealogy book or busy editing my husband’s novel.

I want what I do to be fun and not feel like something else I have to do.

I’ve been writing a lot of fiction lately (well, a lot for me) and I’ve been realizing that I prefer to write in longhand rather than on the computer.

Writing on the computer is nice because that’s ultimately where I want my story to end up, so if I write it on the computer I don’t have to later transcribe it. But, writing on the computer makes it much easier to go back and edit things. That may sound like a good thing, but for me it’s the kiss of death.

When using a word processor I find myself just writing the gist of things rather than what I really want to say, telling myself that I can easily go back later and fill in the details. But that’s the thing, I never go back, so sections of my story are anemic. Sure, I could fix that in a second draft, but by then it’s likely that I will have forgotten the ideas and feelings I originally wanted to evoke. Also, if the reason I put off sections is because I found them too boring to write, then they are likely too boring to read and they should have been cut out in the first place. The problem is that sometimes those scenes are pivotal to other later action and I end up not knowing how to fix it when editing. I don’t want to excise the stuff, but I don’t know how to make it exciting. When I write longhand, I get it all out right then and there. I have to. There’s no room to squeeze it in later like there is on a computer. And if it’s too boring a read at that moment I have to find a way to fix it, at that moment.

I also like the freedom pen and paper allows me. I’m not tied to the computer. I can sit wherever I like. One of these days, when it’s nice, I really want to get outside and do some writing. I think that would be really nice. I always seem to get the best ideas when I’m sitting outside.

I also just love using pen and paper. I don’t know what it is about the feel of paper under hand, but it makes writing so much easier. The words just flow out of me, whereas when I sit down in front of a computer I immediately feel blocked.

Anyone else feel the same way as I do?

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Oh… Sitting here writing this while husband watches TV, I just realized another benefit of using paper: You don’t get dirty looks for typing too loudly.

I’ve been reading a lot of Wil Wheaton’s blog lately. A little over a week ago he linked to another blog that listed Steven King’s book “On Writing“, as one of the four books every aspiring writer should read.

I got the book from the library the other day and a funny thing keeps happening as I’ve been reading it. Since I haven’t gotten very far through the book most of it is generic stuff that could theoretically happen to anyone. Then King will briefly mention one of the books he has written, and I think, “Hey, wait. I’m reading a book by Steven King, not Wil Wheaton.” It throws me a bit and I have to backtrack in order to get my bearings.

I keep doing it. I don’t know why.

It may have something to do with the fact that King wrote Stand By Me and Wil recently mentioned the movie on his blog. Who knows. I just find it interesting.

I’m not a fan of most Steven King’s books, because of the genre, but I know he’s a good writer. I also know that Wil Wheaton is a good writer, however, I don’t think I would have truly realized how good he is unless I hadn’t mistakenly read part of the book as written by him instead of King.

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As an aside… After reading more of this book, I have become really inspired. Another story idea popped into my head while reading it and I’m really excited about it. Without saying too much (or anything really), it’s based loosely on an idea (actually more like a theme) I’ve had running through my head for a while. It’s just now I think I’ve finally discovered an angle that might work.

Script Frenzy 2008 is now officially over. A big congrats to all those people who finished their script!

I didn’t get much done on the script project I mentioned earlier, but I’m happy with what I did do. Unlike the past times I’ve tried to write this story, I finally got across what I’ve always wanted to, at least in the part that I’ve written. Even though Script Frenzy is over I plan to continue working on it in the coming months.

For those curious, the story is a loose fictionalization of how Indians kidnapped Phoebe Tucker-Cunningham and murdered her children, her time with the Indians up until the time she was ransomed by Simon Girty, and her husband’s three year search for her. My daughter is descended from Phoebe Tucker and Thomas Cunningham. She is their 6th great-granddaughter:

1 Thomas CUNNINGHAM
+ Phoebe TUCKER
    2 Sira Leah CUNNINGHAM
    + Benjamin HARDMAN
        3 Thomas HARDMAN
        + Sarah FLING
            4 Henry Green HARDMAN
            + Florinda Alice WOODFORD
                5 Walter William HARDMAN
                + Ermal Jane VANHORN
                    6 Living HARDMAN
                    + Paul Emerson WOLF(E)
                        7 Mother-in-law
                        + Father-in-law
                            8 Husband
                            + Me
                                9 Daughter

For those who know me well, you know that I’ve been working on a “genealogy book” for a few months now. I haven’t elaborated on what exactly that means, so I will talk about it here.

I’ve been working on my family’s genealogy for a long time now, and I’ve always wanted to write a book about my ancestors. I initially thought I’d write an “All my ancestors” book that would cover everyone in my family tree. I quickly realized, however, that this type of project would not only never get finished due to the sheer volume of information I have, but only a couple people would ever be interested in it, mainly myself and my children.

So, I’ve decided, for now, to write only about one branch of my family tree, the Seibert family, which covers all the ancestors of my maternal great-grandmother. The Seibert family holds a reunion each year, so I gathered info and photos from the family at the 2007 reunion and I’ve been working on compiling it for this year’s reunion.

Writing this book has actually helped me break through a lot of brick walls on this line of the family. I initially thought that I would only be able to go back so far, but since starting the writing of this book, I’ve discovered two more sets of parents and I’ve also found information that helps to substantiate or refute family lore that I had just assumed would never be answered.

I am very happy I’ve been able to find all of this info, however, the scope of the book has also grown quite considerably because of it, which might be a problem. At this point, I have much of the book already written in some form or another, but only three chapters are completely finished and there are eight more to finish, not to mention I still have to create the index, fix the source citations that LaTex (my typesetting program) screwed up, and edit photos/maps/charts to be the right size for the book. I still have so much to do that I don’t know if I’ll get it all done in time for the reunion this summer.

Another problem I’ve found, that I didn’t anticipate, is that I occasionally need to get away from the book for a few days and that just puts me farther behind schedule. I absolutely LOVE every aspect of genealogy, (Except maybe the hours I spend at the library or similar archives. I wish it were ALL online.) so I figured I wouldn’t mind spending most of my free time working on it. However, I’ve found that even I have limits to how much genealogy I can take.

If I don’t finish it by the 2008 reunion, it won’t be the end of the world. I’ll just end up finishing it for the 2009 reunion instead, but I did sort of promise it would be done and I would feel bad about not having come through. I’ll think about that later if it comes to that. I hope it doesn’t.

For those who want more details about what it will cover, this is the current Table of Contents (Each chapter will cover the people named in the chapter title as well as each of their children.) In parentheses, I’ve noted some of the info to be covered:

Ancestors and Descendants of Freidrich William Seibert (1889-1949) and Irene Mary Beckman (1890-1985)

Part 1: Ancestors of Freidrich William Seibert

Chapter 1. Valentine Frey and Katherina Knoerr (Will cover family lore dealing with wine making and being a “millionaire”)

Chapter 2. Jacob Seibert and Malinda Frey (Will cover involvement with the Masons and the Knights of Pythias and community service in Louisville, Kentucky)

Part 2: Ancestors of Irene Mary Beckman

Chapter 3. Moritz Sermersheim and Cacilia Berger (Will cover info on Waghurst, Baden, Germany)

Chapter 4. Charles Rix and Maria Anna Sermersheim (Will cover desertion, the battle of Vicksburg, aftermath of Civil war, and what it was like to apply for a pension)

Chapter 5. Herman Peter Beckmann and Katherina M. Stroemsdoerfer

Chapter 6. John Herman Beckman and Drusilla Irene Rix (Will briefly cover WWI)

Part 3: Freidrich William Seibert and Irene Mary Beckman and their Descendants

Chapter 7. Freidrich William Seibert and Irene Mary Beckman (Will cover union organization in Akron and Barberton, Ohio and political activity in the Communist party)

Chapter 8. Thelma Corrine Seibert (My great-grandmother; will cover her life as a civil rights lawyer who was involved with the Communist part)

Chapter 9. Dorothy Dixie “Dots” Seibert

Chapter 10. Linton Frederick “Buzz” Seibert (Will cover the “Battle Axe Regiment” in WWII: Saarbrucken, Spicheren, and earning a Purple Heart)

Chapter 11. John Rix “Babe” Siebert (Will briefly cover WWII, stationed in Australia)

Appendix A: Theobald Seibert and Catherine Kintzer (Probable parents of Jacob Seibert; Will cover info on Wolfersweiler area of Oldenburg, Germany)

Appendix B: Explanations of trades/occupations (Will cover cabinetmakers, patternmakers, carriagesmiths, coopers, among others)

Appendix C: Explanations of diseases/causes of death (Will cover mainly different cardiovascular diseases, but also Bright’s disease)

Once this book is done, and I’ve had enough time to fully recover from writing it, I plan to switch to another branch of the family and write about that one. However, as of right now, I’m not sure which branch I want to work on. It’s been so long since I’ve looked at any other part of my family tree that I really don’t know which one would be the best to attack. Having said that, I think I’ll probably lean toward my grandfather’s family regardless. My grandfather has such a wealth of knowledge regarding the family that it just makes sense to tap that resource before I no longer can.