so i herd u liek history?

I'm kinda playing fast and loose with the dates, but I have my setting. Ish. If there is anyone who reads this who knows things about Saxony at the time of the Second Crusade, or Mediaeval German life in general, call me.

I just decided to regard it as a sign when there was a major shipping city which had a formative event and a noble marriage to an unknown girl in the same year. Actually, she wasn't really unknown, but I have made the executive decision that the chronicle which she was mentioned in is not important. *brilliant smile* I have also decided that my main man was actually born ten years after the official record, cause I just don't want a 30 year old marrying a teenager in my story. No, thank you...

AANDDDD!!! I have names. *is pleased* The thing with history is these people come with names ready made! Even if they are mouthfuls like Adolf III von Schauenberg Graf von Holstein. Try saying that one in a hurry.

Oh, I am so in over my head. *dances off to make a character chart*

Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red dawn!

It's begun!

Fuelled by lovely earl grey tea, I got up at 5 am, and wrote what I dearly hope is 1667 words, (I presently do not have a word count function available, which is being fixed soon!) Then I went back to sleep for three hours. Somewhat counterproductive, maybe, but the idea is to get into my head the habit of getting up before breakfast. This is because my family thinks staying up to 10:30 is pushing it, so my February practice of writing till 2am is not going to go over well, I fancy.

Now, the story. 

Where is it situated? Um, somewhere in Europe.

When is it? Um, around the time of the first crusade? I think?

What are your characters' names? Let me get back to you on that one, kay?

What's the title? Next question, please.

What is the major character forming event? *sheepish*

Do you even have characters? Sorta. I mean, I found out that my one named character is totally ADHD today! That's something, right?

It appears that I have a trifle of research to do.

Update: I now have a map of hope and glory. 

May starts on Thursday? *panics*

Here are some lovely quotes I found while waiting for my files to upload to an ftp server.

To sum it all up, if you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever sent out and set rambling.
You must write every day of your life.
You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next.
You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfume and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads.
I wish for you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime.
I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you.
May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories- science fiction or otherwise.
Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.
-Ray Bradbury

Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.
-William Saroyan

There really are no characters in plays; there are relationships.
-Arthur Miller

First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about.
-Bernard Malamud

Never tell your reader what your story is about. Reading is a participatory sport. People do it because they are intelligent and enjoy figuring things out for themselves.
-George V. Higgins

Never feel guilty about reading. That's what you do.
-William Safire.

Tell almost the whole story.
-Anne Sexton

When the plot flags, bring in a man with a gun.
-Raymond Chandler

Sounds like fun.

excited!!!

Wow, I'm really exited about writing now.

I really want to write my own story, though I've done a shocking lack of work on it. Also, I was hit with a plot bunny that wants to turn a story that Bahnree is writing into an OC tournament.

So, the people who are participating have a character, or a couple of characters. They write a description of their character, and their fighting style, and maybe a bit of a back story so that the other participants can get a feel for who the character is. Then the characters are paired off in duels, and the writers have to write a fight, wherein his or her characters wins the duel. The trick is, their opponent is writing the duel too, with his or her character winning instead. Then independent judges will pick the best story of the two that are submitted, and the winner will advance to the next round, just like in a real life tournament. Then they are paired with another character, a duel takes place, etc.

*is excited*

This would be really good writing practice, and just, fun! Maybe we'll do it in June or July. Kendra and Stephanie could probably lure in a bunch of people, too. For goodness sake, I might be able to lure in some people, in fact.

Oh! And on the May/PENredux front, Kemendraugh is probably going to be doing the writing with Bahnree and I! I'm happy!

And, it's after midnight. Time to head for bed.

Appearances can be deceiving.

I found this today. I'm not sure when I wrote it, but I think I was feeling stressed. :P It's about a character who doesn't have a written story yet.

Sometimes, when she seems to be handling things so well,

all she really wants is for someone to hold her while she cries herself out.

Sometimes, when she makes light of what's going on,

it's because she's ashamed of how her life sounds like a sob story.

Sometimes, when she says, "I'm going crazy,"

she means it.

Sometimes, when she moves quietly through the room

it's because she's so frail she doesn't want to run the risk of breaking.

Sometimes, she's so still,

because all her energy is going towards staying upright and dry-eyed.

Sometimes, that self-possessed girl in the corner thinking,

is wishing with all her remaining strength that someone would please see what's going on.

Sometimes the obvious is no such thing.

You're A Prayer for Owen Meany!

by John Irving

Despite humble and perhaps literally small beginnings, you inspire faith in almost everyone you know. You are an agent of higher powers, and you manifest this fact in mysterious and loud ways. A sense of destiny pervades your every waking moment, and you prepare with great detail for destiny fulfilled. When you speak, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS!

Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

You're Ireland!

Mystical and rain-soaked, you remain mysterious to many people, and this makes you intriguing. You also like a good night at the pub, though many are just as worried that you will blow up the pub as drink your beverage of choice. You're good with words, remarkably lucky, and know and enjoy at least fifteen ways of eating a potato. You really don't like snakes.

Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

I laugh in the face of exams. I spit in their general direction.

I woke up this morning thinking;
"Well, if I travel during November, I'm going to have to have a laptop of some kind. Nothing fancy, just one that can handle word processing, a USB port, and internet access. A electric typewriter. But how would I charge it?"

This shows how stressed about exams I am today. My subconscious is occupied with the logistics of traveling during nanowrimo. *grins* Yes, I am in the middle of exam week, if you didn't' know. One week of 7 exams, all of which have been described in my hearing as "third year university level." But who even worries about exams when they're happening? You worry before and then when the days hit you are totally serene. *nods emphatically*

In other news, I'm starting to get really excited about writing in May, but I need to get the world imaged a little bit better in my head. I'll be writing in the very early morning, I think so, so I want to try to stave off the temptation to drop into science fiction. I don't know if that made sense to anyone, but anyhow...

I need to figure out a location for my people, and an era. Oh, I'm so excited! I'm still a little sad that only Stephanie and I are doing PENredux, but everyone seems to be busy with life. Oh, I don't know, maybe we'll find someone else who's willing to try to write 50,000 words in 31 days! *is hopeful*