Captains log, ROWdate 10-22. We are nearing the NaNo system where two million wordsmiths are poised to invade by imposing 50,000 words each upon an unsuspecting populace…
*grins* Hi there!
She loves perching like a parrot
Yes, it was a fun week. Whew. Kids, cats and a big helping of NaNo prep on the side. Yesterday, I had the rare opportunity of having the house to myself. Did a little cleaning, a lot of NaNo prep and some research (i.e. I watched TWO movies in peace which never happens: Star Trek (2009) and Red, which is a total freaking funfest).
You’ll notice the kitty pictures I’ve sprinkled through the post. That is our new little girl, Tillian. She is a hyperball of lightning mixed with utter cuteness. It was funny, the first day we had her she was strolling through the house, you know, kitten exploration at Warp 9, leaped up on our fireplace grill, unbalanced it (surprise) and did this cool back flip as it fell. Crash. She sits on her haunches, tilts her head looking at it and then starts cleaning herself as if nothing happened.
Napping with Dad
Have to love kittens.
Okay, goals.
Thanks to great advice on Alexandra Sokoloff’s and Larry Brooks (storyfix) blogs I’m getting the outline targeted down to what should be an effective scene and beat sheet by next Sunday. Big thanks to my critique group (Warrior Writers) for helping me smooth out the story concept and find the humanity of the story while I was lost in the minutia of world-building. A good week on this one and I have hours of time blocked out today to move it to the final stage.
Kristen Lamb’s Blogging for Brand is going good and I’m current on all the lessons. My only concern here will be the November half of the class when I’m trying to balance it with NaNo writing. Since I’ve cleared most of my other blog responsibilities for November (by pre-writing posts and such) it shouldn’t be difficult to block out time for it a couple times a week.
Cute and comfy
All good on the treadmill. Three walks all at increasing speeds, a warmup to full action. Next week I’ll be moving back to where I was in Round 3 (3.5 mph for most of the time with inclines of 2-6 for those that have used treadmills, minus warmup/cool down). Tweeting “#ROW80 Accountability” has worked quite well. Thanks to all of you that tweeted your support, encouragement and had a bit of fun. It is all appreciated *smile*
Well that is all for this week. I hope you had a great week and enjoy the kitten pics.
Peaceful Journeys!
Our new laptop guard. She will type for food and toys.
Gene Lempp ~ Writer 
Love the kitty photos 🙂 We got a kitten in May and she is constantly knocking stuff off my desk (and falling off my desk herself) and then looks at me after a huge crash like “Did something just happen?”
I need to look into Kristen Lamb’s things after I’m done all these I have going on now (maybe next ROW80!)
The kitten pics ROCK – she is sooo adorable and what a gorgeous name. I love kittens but they are usually a wild handful. I can picture the backflip now. LOL!
Great work on the goals. Sounds like you are coming along beautifully story wise and treadmill wise. Super fantastic! Looks like you’ll be ready to rock the NaNo and the fab new bod you are building!
Keep it up – you are inspiring the rest of us to get writing but also to get off our butts and get active!
Oh man, your kitten is adorable – and the photos are as close as I want to get to it – having just survived the ‘teen months’ with my spaz-cat. Aside from competing for the keyboard, she and I coexist pretty well now. Good luck on NaNo, and kittenhood survival.
KITTY!!!!!!!! Adorable =) Still loving the ROWdate thing. Great job with the getting in shape, keep it up!
SO CUUUUUUUUTE 😀 *jealous*
Keep up the good work, Gene!
Crystal: Trying to keep Tillian from leaping into cereal bowls is a bit of a challenge for us. The smell of milk is just too much for her. I’d highly recommend Kristen’s class (or any of the Who Dares Wins classes).
Hartford: Thanks for the wonderful support. You are always so upbeat, appreciate it. BIC (butt in chair) has to be balanced with BOC (butt of chair) or we will soon have BTBFC (butt too big for chair). Love the new pic 😀
Laura: Ugh, thanks. She is a handful at this point but we have five people to manage her and an older cat that happy to hiss her into compliance when needed. Built in kitty nanny.
Jennifer: Thanks, Jennifer. Love to have you as part of the “bridge crew”.
Manon: Yep, Tillian is a little bundle of super-cuteness (most of the time). Thanks for the support 🙂
What a cute kitten! I used to have a cat, Eilish…who was the fattest, snuggliest (is that my new word? ha), most beautiful kitty-girl ever! But…I developed a severe allergy to cats unexpectedly – landing in the ER on Christmas Eve with eyes swollen shut, hives from head to toe, and ready to crawl out of my skin! Imagine that sight! Oy.
A friend of mine took her. I’ve been a dog lover since. Ha! :}
Glad to hear you’ve prepared so well for NaNo. I haven’t written any posts, but I will drop my check ins to once a week for ROW80 – and play it fast and loose with my blog visiting goals during November. I need to focus on writing.
Have a great week, Gene.
Great update Gene! I love how you’ve built in balance for NaNo by already starting an exercise routine, getting accountable with the routine 🙂 , tons of preplanning for what you will write in November and prework on the blog. You are an organization master… KITTY!!!!… sorry I got distracted. She’s beyond adorable BTW. She’s also going to be a great cuddle writing partner once NaNo starts. Or entertainment as she tries to bat at the keyboard and get your attention.
How did you come up with the name Tillian? I’ve never heard that before and I REALLY like it!
Looks like you’ve got all the bases covered there, November is on the horizon 🙂
Yay kitty. Like Barbara said, I’m sure you with either find entertaining kitty breaks, or maybe some un-needed distractions during NaNo. On the bright side you’ve prescheduled blogs which is excellent. I think it would take a lot of organization to complete NaNo. I’m rooting for you all!
U haz a cute kitten! And yes, I’m doing NaNo this years as well. God help us all. 😀
Love the story of the kitten and the firescreen, lol. Sort of a “yep, I meant to do that” kind of thing. Cats are good at that. 🙂
Good luck with NaNo, Gene! I’m excited for you! If you need a laugh, let me know. I’ll make funny faces at you. %D
I lovelovelove the kitty pictures! One of the things that I hate the most about living away from home is that I don’t have the family cat nearby, and he is a great one for “guarding” the computer screen (or stealing my desk chair when I want to work, or distracting me with demands to have his stomach rubbed). Btw, I love the movie Red — such a fun, entertaining movie.
Have a great week, Gene!
Cute new kitten, Gene! I’m so jealous of how far you are on your writing prep and goals. I hope to get caught up on monday. Our yahoo loop wouldn’t let me post my logline into the WWBC, so I ended up emailing it to Kristen. I’ll try to post it again so the group can help me out. Grrr computers. I’m looking forward to all the NaNo chatter since so many of us are participating. Should be exhausting, I mean fun!
LOL. Looks like the kitty’s already claimed the house for her own. Congrats on all your progress and pre-planning.
Nadja: Wow, Merry Puffy Christmas sounds like a blast. Yeah. Luckily, kitty pictures are non-allergenic 🙂
Barbara: With kids, pets, job, writing, blogging, etc., being organized is a survival necessity. Not sure I succeed every day but I do try. Oh, I have a door on my office, which I think the kitty believes is cheating, but, um, yeah, I win 🙂
Sara: Daughter #2 names the kitty. Tillian is the first name of the lead singer in the band Tides of Man (one of her fav groups).
Nicole: Lots and lots of pre-planning to do NaNo, yes. Fortunately, my wife and girls think it is a cool idea (will see if that holds through November).
Ral: Well said 🙂
Kathy: Kitties are crazy people. I think I said it was like watching a toddler on crack. I may take you up on the silly face offer 🙂
Lena: It is hard to be away from our little friends, but it is for a good cause. Maybe try Kittycam?
Jess: NaNo exhausting. Hm. Prepping for NaNo has been exhausting, I can’t wait to start the writing 🙂 Emailed you.
Katy: Yes she has! Thanks, Katy 🙂
Sweet kitty pics 🙂
Love Alexandra Sokoloff and Larry Brooks, their blogs have been full of wonderful prep info, even for those of us not doing NaNo.
Sounds like you’re doing really well with your goals! Good luck with the upcoming week.
Very nice kitty pics. Fun to have a new member of the family!
Sounds like you’re rocking the NaNo prep. It will definitely pay off. The one time I participated it resulted in 50,000 words of crap. (I’m being hypercritical, of course, maybe 20,000 words approached decent.)
Thanks for the kitten photos! She’s really cute.
Awww such a cute kitten and I love ROWDATE!! Nice job with your goals this week and best wishes for next week. Have fun with the Nano prep!
Tillian is absolutely adorable!
I admire how easily you plow through your goals. You are a fantastic inspiration for many of us at ROW80. Keep up a great job. Oh, prewriting blog posts is something that I need to return to doing — thank you for reminding me about this nifty technique 🙂
Love the kitty photos, from a family of 7 indoor kitties (plus several in the yard). Good luck with the NaNoWriMo, I do not see how people can do that – I cannot even keep up wit ROW80 goals (yet).
Kevin
Love the opening for your ROW check-in. I imagine anyone who followed the old Star Trek series could appreciate it. Do feel free to keep writing your intros that way. I’ll certainly come back to read them 🙂
Very cute kitty pics. My cat is full grown now, and every once in awhile I consider getting a new kitten, but my current one doesn’t tolerate other cats very well. Needless to say, I stick with looking at pictures of the younger ones (and having a hamster that is kept in a very high place out of reach).
Great job on the goals. Keep up the good work. Hope Nano doesn’t overwhelm you too much. It looks like it is tough!
That is an adorable kitty! Congratulations – both on the goal progress and the new cat! NaNo seems intimidating; I admire you for taking it on.
Hope you have a great week blessed with productivity and adorable kitty antics!
Love the kitty pix. And am amazed by your ability to multi-task! I need to front load some new blog posts for when I start grading essays in November. If I can’t whip off a few, it may be dark at my place! I’m scared!
Thanks for reminding me I need to stay focused.
adorable kitty pics.
Love the intro to your blog, Captain, and congrats on all the strides you made this weekend. I can’t believe NaNo is right around the corner. It’s the first time I’ve done it. I hope it will give me the incentive to write my next novel. I’m not a planner. I just go with the flow and see where my characters take me. It is certainly a challenge.
Good luck to you and your exercise routine. It’s a great way to get in shape and clear the cobwebs from the mind.
See you back here on the holideck on Wednesday. Out. 🙂
Your kitty is adorable. I forget if you met your goals, LOL, just kidding. It sounds like you’re doing well and you have a new kitty to help you. Good luck next week!!!
Adorable kitty pics. Reminds me of when my husband and I got our kitten Periwinkle, a silvery gray tabby named for my gnome rogue/cleric I played in one of his D&D games (Periwinkle Razzmatazz Gullystomper). We had to give her up after our son was born because I got tired on her peeing on the baby’s things. Kitty teen angst. Fortunately, friends took her so that I still got to see her on a frequent basis.
Red is awesome! It goes well with The A-Team movie.
And best wishes on NaNo!
What a sweet pea! Thanks for sharing the pictures. And congrats on your Row80 goals! You’re doing great as always. Keep it up:)
Sweet kitty! Love the back flip! Congrats on your progress…you’re going to rock Nano.
Amazing you got so much done with a cute kitten to play with. Awesome job!
Yo, ROWbro. Annie and Clooney send welcome barks to the new kitty on the block. You’re Rocking The ROW with your goals. Nice job. Keep it up, and get ready for a hairy NaNovember. ~clink~
So adorable. Our babies are now 3 and still as affectionate as ever and yes, trying to sit on the keyboard even though they don’t fit. Have fun and enjoy. Don’t get too distracted. *grin*
Sounds like you have had a great week and glad your NaNo preparations are going well. I am so excited and nervous to get started! Hope the rest of your week goes well and I look forward to hearing about your last week of NaNo prep!
I’ve heard good things about Larry Brook’s blog- thought about checking it out, esp. when I hit the mire of the middle!
You’ve got a Nano-ly intensive month coming up- good groundwork there. And Tillian is a wicked sweet name.
Oh man, cuteness! How do you get any writing done with this guy around. I’d be stopping every five seconds to snuggle!
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse