{"@context":{"rdf":"http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#","rdfs":"http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#","owl":"http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#","foaf":"http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/","dc":"http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/","dct":"http://purl.org/dc/terms/","sioc":"http://rdfs.org/sioc/types#","blog":"http://vocab.amy.so/blog#","as":"https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#","mf2":"http://microformats.org/profile/","ldp":"http://www.w3.org/ns/ldp#","solid":"http://www.w3.org/ns/solid#","view":"https://terms.rhiaro.co.uk/view#","asext":"https://terms.rhiaro.co.uk/as#","dbp":"http://dbpedia.org/property/","geo":"http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#","doap":"http://usefulinc.com/ns/doap#","time":"http://www.w3.org/2006/time#"},"@graph":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2011/10/nanowrimo-pre","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-5807979824494744510","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"
I've never sat up and counted down to the first of November before.
\r\nIn 2007 I used Nanowrimo as an opportunity to kick myself into writing some\r\nmore of a novel I started many years ago (reaching 35k new words by the end of\r\nthe month) and in 2008 I took part in earnest, came up with a totally fresh\r\nidea the night before and hit the fifty thousand, two hundred and twenty ninth\r\nword of Milo's World before midnight on the 30th. It was, quite simply, the\r\nbest feeling.
\r\nIn both 2009 and 2010, my degree objected strongly, and I didn't even try.
\r\nThis year, I know what being too busy to take part feels like, and I know what\r\nmissing out feels like. But I also know what taking part feels like, and I\r\nknow what winning feels like.
\r\nThis year, I'm writing an old idea in a new way. A short story from around\r\n2007 sparked novel scribblings in 2009, which got left to fester. Looking at\r\nthese scribblings with eyes two years older, I plan to take the core concept\r\nand solidify it into something readable.
\r\nThat's the theory, at least.
\r\nI'm terribly excited about creating some new lives. Then destroying one of\r\nthose lives, and watching the effects cascade.
\r\nI'm mostly nervous because I've never written anything set truly in this\r\nuniverse before. Fifty percent of Milo's World was, and that fifty percent was\r\nfrom the point of view of a child with an enormously vivid imagination, so\r\nthat doesn't really count.
\r\nA good chunk of Currently Untitled will be set inside the main character's\r\nhead; a head which is subject to the physics and realities of this universe\r\nregardless of how much her mind tries rebel against them.
\r\nHer name is Harriet, by the way, and her little daughter is Rosy. I'll\r\nprobably tweet about them as real people, because for the next 30 days, they\r\nmight as well be. Rosy's dad is called Zeke, and Harriet's inconsequential\r\nboyfriend's name is Paul, as far as I know. I'm also aware of the existence of\r\nPatrice, a panda with an eye patch, and Arthur, a tiny penguin.
\r\nI'll probably post some extracts here. But I can't post daily progress,\r\nbecause of various linearity issues that I may or may not elaborate on in\r\ntime.
\r\nBut now, I'm going to stare at the counter on the front page of the Nanowrimo\r\nsite, and try to figure out that first line...
","as:name":"Nanowrimo: Pre-madness","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2011-10-31T23:52:00.000Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/done"},{"@id":"blog:Done"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/fiction"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/nanowrimo"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-04-01T01:51:01.153Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2011/10/spells-wear-out","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-173028562666338053","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"One of the first lessons Turald learned during his time at Castle Qythe was\r\nthat spells wear out. They weaken, they lose their power, the more they are\r\nused. They were all taught this, he and his classmates, probably in their very\r\nfirst week of study. But few eight year olds take this kind of wisdom to\r\nheart. Most are keen to crack on with casting, and nobody thought to question\r\nwhy some of their oldest tutors never demonstrated even the simplest of\r\nenchantments.
\r\nFor as long as he could remember, Turald had loved to explore dark places. He\r\nloved to see what was out of sight; to make known the unknown. When he was\r\nfifteen, he discovered a whole section of the castle's cellars that had been\r\nlost for centuries. To the delight of his wizened mentors, the expanse he\r\nfound was filled with age-old liquor which had been promptly and\r\nenthusiastically excavated. It was from then that his freedom had been\r\nunofficially granted to roam and explore the castle grounds as extensively as\r\nhe saw fit. Recognising his gift for discovery, Turald's studymaster, the\r\nancient but sprightly Professor Chalmak, quietly overlooked Turald's disregard\r\nfor out-of-hours and restricted-area rules that were strictly imposed upon the\r\nother students.
\r\nIn a broom cupboard, Turald once found a mousehole that lead two hundred\r\nmetres north and seventy four years into the past. One of the seniors had been\r\nable to use this to make peace with a long-dead, estranged father who had been\r\nin that classroom, all those years ago.
\r\nIn the shadowy corner of the library marked 'secret', Turald had found the\r\nheadmaster's daughter, missing for over forty years.
\r\nIn a tunnel that he had found through crawling into a large oak chest, Turald\r\nuncovered a delicate glass vial containing the last breath of the first\r\nphilosopher.
\r\nWhen Turald realised that his elders thought him special for his findings, he\r\nbegan to keep a diary of them. Through his diary entries, he noticed patterns\r\nin his actions. Or rather, repetitions. The shedding of light was the key.\r\nIllumination was all he needed to do to bring something once hidden out into\r\nthe open. His ability to conjure just the right incandescence became his\r\ngreatest gift. Thus, he practised with vigour.
\r\nCaves, caverns, abandoned ruins: Turald devoured their secrets, consumed their\r\nstories. He exhausted the castle grounds, graduated from the Qythe Academy,\r\nand ventured forth into the Olde Lande, searching without hesitation for doors\r\nto throw open. Eyes aglow with his own special kind of vision, he absorbed the\r\nmysteries of a world in shadow.
\r\nBut spells wear out.
\r\nHe recalled this first in a forest, under a bristling canopy so thick that the\r\nblackened foliage groping at his legs had long since found ways to sustain\r\nitself that did not rely on the land's pale sun. He could see the trinkets\r\nthat had been stowed away by blind magpies in treetrunk nests; the hoards of\r\nstolen food secreted into the undergrowth by milky-eyed squirrels. And then,\r\nhe couldn't.
\r\nThe flicker in his vision was fleeting, but enough to panic Turald, just for a\r\nmoment. Enough to make that first ever lesson come rushing back. Still young,\r\nstill adventurous, Turald shook his concern aside.
\r\nDeeper in the forest, he found a well; a man-made hole into the earth, darker\r\neven than woods entombing it.
\r\nWhy had man built such a thing so far into the shade? Turald could not resist.
\r\nHe descended, uncovering a concealed tunnel with his brilliant sight. Time\r\nhaving vacated entirely, Turald followed the route that stretched before him.\r\nNo magic nor mystery, nor hidden treasure presented itself, and the rhythm of\r\nhis steps lulled him into a trance. He walked blind for many hours before he\r\nrealised he was doing so.
\r\nA droplet of water striking the tip of his nose roused him enough for him to\r\nrealise he saw nothing. Turald stopped. The sudden lack of motion was jarring,\r\ndizzying. Turald sat. Water seeped into the hem of his robes, and he sat.\r\nYears of advice, words of warning, from teachers, mentors, elders, echoed\r\nthrough his mind.
\r\nSpells wear out.
\r\nSpells lose their power. Lose their potency. Lose their meaning.
\r\nSave the important spells for when you need them the most. Best to leave this\r\nworld with a spell in your heart, than to leave it because your spells have\r\nrun out.
\r\nTurald's light had run out, so he sat.
","as:name":"Spells wear out","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2011-10-29T13:52:00.003Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/doing"},{"@id":"blog:Doing"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/fiction"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/story"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-04-01T01:51:07.104Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2012/05/character","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-359769274262582498","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"Suddenly I find myself having to write some fiction to a deadline. A deadline\r\nthat isn't Nanowrimo, that is. This isn't something I've had to do since my\r\nEnglish language GCSE. I deliberately avoided pursuing creative writing in\r\nany formal or academic manner, for fear the joy would be sucked from something\r\nI love; for fear it would become a chore, or an obligation.
\r\nBut this semester I've imposed this on myself out of determination that my\r\nsupposedly 'interdisciplinary' masters actually deviate from Web or software\r\ndevelopment at some point. Not that making writing fiction a part of my final\r\nproject has in any way reduced the programming. Indeed, I've just added it on\r\ntop of an already substantial project outcome.
\r\nBut making an Interactive Fiction engine feels much more valuable if I\r\nactually write some fiction for it, doesn't it?
\r\nSuddenly, realistically, I have mere weeks to get this done. My subconscious\r\nhas been working on it since about December of last year, but I haven't had\r\nmany committal thoughts. So it's time to make (and justify) some decisions.
\r\nI already decided that, quite obviously really, the piece needs to revolve\r\nheavily around the city of Edinburgh. (Obvious, as the reader will be\r\nexperiencing it whilst wandering around the city, and I'm studying the affects\r\nof physical environment on immersion in a text). As such, I figured doing\r\nresearch about local myths and legends, particularly stories relevant to\r\nspecific places, is pertinent. Look out for updates on that. Historic and\r\nmythical local characters might be useful too.
\r\nIan Rankin has famed the Edinburgh\r\nstreets with his novels, but I'm no crime writer, nor mystery nor thriller. I\r\nwrite science fiction and fantasy; imagining new worlds comes far more\r\nnaturally to me than conjuring stories in this one. And my time is too short\r\nto venture into an unfamiliar genre. So this leaves me trying to figure out\r\nhow to set a story on the real world streets of Edinburgh whilst maintaining a\r\nfantastical element so that I keep my sanity and confidence in the prose.
\r\nOne potentially helpful aspect of Interactive Fiction, is that generally the\r\nstories are written in the second person. The main character is a perspective\r\ntaken by the user/reader/player. This means there is a primary role that I\r\ndon't have to develop too much as a character. Just enough to fit in with the\r\ncontext of whatever plot starts to develop, but with adequate openness to\r\nallow the user to project themselves into the character's place. Nonetheless,\r\nI'm going to need some attachment to this character in order to engage myself\r\nin the writing process. I know from experience that I'm far less motivated to\r\nwrite about/for characters who don't interest me, but when I discover a\r\ncharacter I feel really involved with, I miss them and desire to write more.
\r\nThat's the interesting point, really. I don't feel much as though I'm writing\r\ncharacters or their stories, but discovering them and learning about them\r\nthrough the writing process. I've lost control of characters before; they've\r\nbehaved unexpectedly or undesirably, sometimes even changing the whole course\r\nof a previously loosely planned plot. The same might apply to imaginary places\r\nor even objects.
\r\nBecause I don't have time to find a fresh character, world, setting that I\r\nlove, I have concluded that I need to hook this story back to something I've\r\nwritten in the past. Something I'm already invested in. This connection is\r\nonly meaningful to me (until the glorious day the still unfinished, few-year-\r\nold novel gets published!) so it needs to be loose. But enough to give me\r\ncontext. The connection I have settled on is Milo's World, the subject of\r\nmy 2008 Nanowrimo; my only successful attempt at reaching fifty thousand words\r\nin thirty days, though I have yet to write the ending to the story. Also part\r\nthree needs rewriting completely, those were dark days. Not to mention the\r\nrest of it. But that's neither here nor there.
\r\nThe important thing is, I met a couple of characters with whom I had great\r\nfun. I hung out with them for massive chunks of their childhoods. I learnt\r\nwhat makes them tick, and I learnt their secrets.
\r\nThe point-of-view character in Milo's World is Dusty. I first met him as a\r\nfour year old, and quickly discovered he had access to a secret world, where\r\nhe regularly snuck off to play with a boy his own age, Milo, who seemed to\r\nlive full-time in this world. They had all sorts of innocent adventures, and\r\ngradually met other occupants. I spent time with Dusty and Milo again aged\r\neight, to find that not much had changed. They had befriended some strange\r\ncreatures, and were privvy to experiences they could not understand yet. At\r\nage twelve, they were growing up. Dusty has gained a few home-world friends,\r\nhas developed an amazing talent for drawing caricatures, and his parents have\r\nlong since assumed that he's over the 'imaginary friend' stage. But his grip\r\non their 'reality' is disjointed. There are more kids around in Milo's world,\r\nliving in a network of tunnels and working and playing together, and with the\r\ncreatures of the world. One species of creatures in particular have\r\nintroduced curious technologies and ways of thinking. When Dusty is sixteen\r\nyears old, he is balancing regular high school drama with other-worldly\r\nadventures, but just barely. He and Milo are working with one of the\r\ncreatures to learn about a contraption that they played with in their youth,\r\nand have dubbed The Reality Machine. Using it is hit and miss, and many of\r\nthe things they find out about it, they learn the hard way. When Milo's world\r\nand Dusty's home-world begin to bleed together through misuse of the Machine,\r\nthings start to take a turn for the confusing. Cue the hilarious, semi-\r\ncliffhanger ending, strongly linked with Dusty's drawing skills, I haven't\r\nwritten yet.
\r\nSo where am I going with this? In my Palimpsest story, Dusty is grown up.\r\nLong since grown up. He is old, mad-scientist-proffesor-ly, and living in a\r\nworld that bears the consequences of his actions as a child. Right away we\r\nhave the existence of and ability to cross between alternative realities (via\r\nan understood and controllable Reality Machine, in case you hadn't cottoned).\r\nSplendid. I'm in my comfort zone already. So how about... the playable\r\ncharacter is Dusty's lab assistant. Their age, gender, appearance, don't\r\nmatter. Their temperament matters probably only a little bit. What matters\r\nis the fact that they have the ability to zip around in space and time.\r\nWhaddya know? Every single exciting era of Edinburgh's history is open to us\r\nto explore.
\r\nAll I need now is a reason Dusty might have sent his assistant across to\r\nEdinburgh in our version of reality; something to pursue, something to figure\r\nout. Or just a malfunctioning Reality Machine.
\r\nI call this a start.
\r\nAs always, comments and suggestions welcome!
","as:name":"Character sketching","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2012-05-24T23:38:00.000Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/milos+world"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/done"},{"@id":"blog:Done"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/fantasy"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/fiction"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/icp"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/icpLog"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/Milo%27s+World"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/msc"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/nanowrimo"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/Palimpsest"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing+challenges"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/palimpsest"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/icplog"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-04-01T00:11:29.385Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2012/10/national-novel","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-76287535841199097","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"That's write right, it's the eve of\r\nNanowrimo.
Last year, my MSc got violently in the way and I clocked out at about 15,000\r\nwords. I'm hoping that this year, my PhD will make friends with my month of\r\nliterary abandon, and both will come out better for it.
\r\nI stumbled into a new world last May, wandered around and met some characters\r\nover the summer, and have been mulling over them ever since. I put pen to\r\npaper to draw a map today, and discovered that more of the world was there\r\nthan I thought.
\r\nI have three viewpoint characters, and next I'm going to draw some squiggly\r\nlines on a piece of paper to figure out where their paths cross, and what\r\nmight happen to them along the way. Over the years I'm becoming more inclined\r\ntowards plotting in advance, but a large part of me never really thinks\r\nit'll help.
\r\nI've been reading A Song of Ice and Fire, and am now gagging to create a world\r\nwith half as much depth and drama as GRRM has done. Mine will be fantasy,\r\nwith a hint of sci-fi and a dash of Ancient Egypt (probably no medieval\r\nknights).
\r\nThis year I'm going to work in\r\nyWriter in an attempt to keep on top\r\nof things as I expand settings and characters.
\r\nI'm hoping to attend more than just the launch party for the Edinburgh\r\nNanobeans group this time round. Though they do meet across\r\nthe wrong side of town, so I might also start my own write-ins (consisting of\r\njust me) in Himalaya Cafe on South Clerk St. (it's ever so comfy, and the chai\r\nis the best). If you're writing too, and in that neck of the woods, come and\r\njoin me. I'm tentatively saying I'll be there between 10 and 11am every day\r\n(except Sunday, they're closed), starting on the 5th. (This is going to cost\r\nme a fortune in chai, isn't it..)
\r\nStay tuned for progress updates. Or lackthereof.
\r\nPS. I know I promised notes on papers related to my PhD... One day. One day.
","as:name":"National Novel Writing Month","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2012-10-31T20:01:00.001Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/done"},{"@id":"blog:Done"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/fantasy"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/nanowrimo"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing+challenges"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2012-10-31T20:02:23.377Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2012/11/national-novel-procrastinating","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-1244692952202844188","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"It's day nine, and I'm on two thousand, eight hundred and seventy words.
\r\nA quick calculation might tell you that that means I'm quite behind\r\nschedule. This may be my worst year yet. There's still\r\nplenty of time to get back on track though! Right..?!
I've only spent any time writing on about three or four of those nine days so\r\nfar. But I have been to a conference, organised some\r\nSocieTea events, read bits and pieces\r\nrelated to my PhD, cleaned my flat, watched a few episodes of Arrested\r\nDevelopment, learnt some new crochet stitches and started crocheting a hat,\r\nand baked a lot.
\r\nI did meet the Edinburgh NanoBeans and had a great time at the write-in in\r\nPulp Fiction last Wednesday. We may have spent\r\nmore time collaboratively developing the backstory of Pedro the Guide Bear (a\r\ntroubled young grizzly attired in an Elvis costume and boater hat who\r\nconstantly struggles against his estranged father, Yogi, the leader of an\r\norganised crime syndicate) than actually writing our novels though.
\r\nI have learnt one particularly important thing this year, that's never come up\r\nbefore.
\r\nTalking ideas through with other people is really useful!
\r\nLast Sunday, Beth helped me explain\r\nthe absence of a main character's mother and fix a potential looming plot hole\r\nwith one fell swoop. Telling Kit about the\r\nvarious civilisations and layout of the land in my world allowed him to pick\r\nholes and question things, raising, and partially solving, some things that\r\ndidn't make sense or yet more potential looming plotholes. And\r\nCaitlin (a new\r\nNanoBeans writing buddy) pointed out that just because a character had been\r\nanticipating reading a letter for the last thousand words, didn't necessarily\r\nmean the letter had to contain anything interesting... it could be a\r\ndisappointment to the character... which helped, as I hadn't figured out what\r\nthe letter said, and all of a sudden the character was opening it.
\r\nI sure wish blogging about Nano counted towards the word count.
","as:name":"National Novel Procrastinating Month","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2012-11-09T15:58:00.003Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/done"},{"@id":"blog:Done"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/fiction"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/nanowrimo"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/tips"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing+challenges"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2012-11-09T15:59:04.888Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2013/08/rhia-ro","@type":"as:Article","blog:tmpcontent":"# Rhia Ro\r\n\r\nI sometimes get asked what rhiaro means.\r\n\r\nRhianna, or Rhia, was one of several daydream personas I had when I was wee. She persisted longest, so that was the name I chose (when I was around 9 or 10 years old I think) and I decided any budding author worth their salt needed a penname (I always wanted to be a writer of fiction; I still do). I scribbled Rhia Ro at the bottom of all my short stories for years, and when I started to converge on a consistent online identity, that's what I went with (before then, you might've known me as gerbilsbhs, theboynextdoor, TheRingleader, mysticalmoonflower or kirilya).\r\n\r\nBuying rhiaro.co.uk at the end of 2008 was a real formative moment for Rhia and myself.\r\n\r\nMost people instinctively pronounce it rih-haro ree-haro or ree-aro, and that's okay, but really it's reah-ro.","as:actor":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/about#me"},"as:content":"I sometimes get asked what rhiaro means.
\r\nRhianna, or Rhia, was one of several daydream personas I had when I was wee. She persisted longest, so that was the name I chose (when I was around 9 or 10 years old I think) and I decided any budding author worth their salt needed a penname (I always wanted to be a writer of fiction; I still do). I scribbled Rhia Ro at the bottom of all my short stories for years, and when I started to converge on a consistent online identity, that's what I went with (before then, you might've known me as gerbilsbhs, theboynextdoor, TheRingleader, mysticalmoonflower or kirilya).
\r\nBuying rhiaro.co.uk at the end of 2008 was a real formative moment for Rhia and myself.
\r\nMost people instinctively pronounce it rih-haro ree-haro or ree-aro, and that's okay, but really it's reah-ro.
","as:name":"Rhia Ro","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-08-10T20:44:00+0100"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/name"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/penname"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/pseudonym"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/rhia+ro"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/rhiaro"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}]},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2013/10/nanowrimo-why-do","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-5673246602677339428","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"T'was the night before Nano.
\r\nA world swims in my head.
\r\nI'm way scared of planning.
\r\nI'm alone in my bed.
\r\nDon't know if I'll sleep.
\r\nOh, what have I done?
\r\nMaybe I'll dream all fifty thousand tonight.
\r\nDon't panic; it'll be fun!
\r\nI'm not aiming to 'win' though.
\r\nJust aiming to write.
\r\nAny words better than no words.
\r\nI'm sure my PhD will be alright.
","as:name":"Nanowrimo: \"Why do I do this to myself?\"","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-10-31T23:30:00.000Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/done"},{"@id":"blog:Done"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/doing"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/nanowrimo"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/poem"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing+challenges"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-11-03T00:23:50.849Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2013/11/nanowrimo-begins","@type":"as:Article","blog:bloggerid":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18505529.post-2160270447291162047","as:actor":{"@id":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/12227954801080178130"},"as:content":"I've committed to Nanowrimo for the seventh year. I almost didn't. It's\r\ndistressing and frustrating and sucks at my self-confidence like nothing else.\r\nIt makes me feel like a failure in a way that nothing else can.
\r\nBut it makes me write.
\r\nIf I don't commit to it, I don't write a lot of fiction. Maybe a burst every\r\nsix months.
\r\nBut every November for the last few years, I've written literally thousands of\r\nwords. I've brought vague, lingering ideas to life; I've fleshed out\r\ncharacters; I've explored worlds.
\r\nEvery November for the last few years, I've bashed out incoherent paragraphs\r\nfiguring I'll fit them in properly later. I've exhausted ideas that I now\r\nnever want to hear of again. I've killed my love for characters, and tired of\r\nworlds.
\r\nI've doubted my writing abilities, my imagination, my creativity, my\r\nstorytelling. I've convinced myself that I'm incapable of finishing anything.
\r\nThe one year I hit 50,000 words? (50,299 to be precise). I was maybe a\r\nchapter away from finishing the actual story. The third quarter needed\r\ntotally replacing and didn't really fit with the main story. Four or five\r\nyears later, I still haven't written that final chapter, even though I know\r\nwhat the outcomes are to be. I haven't even typed it all up, let alone re-\r\nwritten part three. I didn't fall out of love with the characters or the\r\nworld, and I think about it a lot, and it breaks my heart.
\r\nEvery November I've made a few new friends, and reconnected with old ones.\r\nBonding with someone over Nanowrimo is an experience that stands alone. I've\r\nhad one more conversation-starter than usual. I've discovered some new cafes\r\nand new writing software. My productivity has increased as a result of using\r\nThe Work I'm Supposed To Be Doing as a distraction from writing.
\r\nEvery year I tell myself I'm doing it to make myself write. The 50,000 is\r\nirrelevant. I just need to write some words. More than none. Then I'm a\r\nwinner. But not hitting 1,667 per day still feels like a gut-wrenching\r\nfailure. Finding out someone else is further on than me brings me down a\r\nnotch. Even with my inner-editor firmly silenced (she crawls into the\r\ncupboard of her own accord on the 1st of November these days) the inability to\r\njust sit down and churn out words right off the bat is crushing.
\r\nBut it does make me write.
\r\nWriting fiction is my first love. What I wanted to be when I grew up was\r\n"author". It was a complicated word I knew when I was quite little. Along\r\nwith "aspidistra", but that's another story.
\r\nImagine if I'd gone on to study it? If I was writing because someone told me\r\nto write? If I had to write to move forward in life? I'd probably have burnt\r\nout well before now.
\r\nI guess it hurts so much because it means so much.
\r\nAnd that's why I have to get over myself and just get on with it. If...\r\nwhen?... if I succeed, where success is writing a story I'm happy with,\r\nregardless of length, the boost will be indescribable. I'll get a new lease\r\non life. I'll be sure I can do anything.
\r\nI'm going to the Edinburgh NanoBeans launch party tomorrow. It's at 2pm in\r\nForest Cafe. I'm going to add loads of new people (People Who Understand) on\r\nvarious social networks to increase the chances of being asked how it's going.\r\nMostly I'll just have to shrug and say slowly, and feel guilty about that\r\nmovie I watched or that extra batch of brownies I baked. But maybe... just\r\nmaybe there will be a time this year when I can say "it's going great! I'm\r\nahead of target."
\r\nAnd just for some encouragement, here's are some pictures from 2008:
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThanks Nano. I need you. Never leave.
","as:name":"Nanowrimo: It begins","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-11-03T00:31:00.003Z"},"as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/done"},{"@id":"blog:Done"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/doing"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/nanowrimo"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing+challenges"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:updated":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2013-11-03T00:31:53.773Z"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/05/1431590828","@type":"as:Announce","as:actor":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/about#me"},"as:content":"","as:object":{"@id":"http://werd.io/2015/publish-on-your-own-site-reflect-inwardly"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2015-05-14T09:07:08+0100"},"as:summary":"Amy shared http://werd.io/2015/publish-on-your-own-site-reflect-inwardly","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/blog"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/indieweb"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}]},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/07/tfgrahamehttpstwittercomtfgrahame","@type":"as:Note","sioc:has_reply":{"@id":"https://twitter.com/tfgrahame/status/626519955849224193"},"blog:tmpcontent":"[@tfgrahame](https://twitter.com/tfgrahame) I could write a whooooole other post on my feelings about the physical and mental processes of writing.","as:actor":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/about#me"},"as:content":"@tfgrahame I could write a whooooole other post on my feelings about the physical and mental processes of writing.
","as:inReplyTo":{"@id":"https://twitter.com/tfgrahame/status/626505442324254720"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2015-07-29T22:34:32+0100"},"as:summary":"Amy wrote about writing, & memories","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/memories"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:to":{"@id":"https://twitter.com/tfgrahame"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/08/1440948480","@type":"as:Add","as:actor":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/about#me"},"as:object":{"@id":"http://thesiswhisperer.com/2010/11/23/phd-paralysis/"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2015-08-30T16:28:00+0100"},"as:summary":"Amy added http://thesiswhisperer.com/2010/11/23/phd-paralysis/ to https://rhiaro.co.uk/bookmarks/","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/phd"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/thesis"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:target":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/bookmarks/"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/09/astounded-humbled","@type":"as:Note","sioc:has_reply":[{"@id":"https://brid-gy.appspot.com/like/twitter/rhiaro/647468597745426435/55247494"},{"@id":"https://brid-gy.appspot.com/like/twitter/rhiaro/647468597745426435/5848122"},{"@id":"https://brid-gy.appspot.com/like/twitter/rhiaro/647468597745426435/88408565"},{"@id":"https://twitter.com/emax/status/647469187904991232"},{"@id":"https://twitter.com/emax/status/647471018580291584"},{"@id":"https://twitter.com/rhiaro/status/647469311074914304"}],"blog:tmpcontent":"Astounded and humbled by [eMax's](http://hip.cat/emax/) epic sleep-deprived multi-paper writing skills. When I grow up, I want to be just like him. I am privileged to coauthor with him and [DMR](http://www.mo-seph.com/).","as:actor":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/about#me"},"as:content":"Astounded and humbled by eMax's epic sleep-deprived multi-paper writing skills. When I grow up, I want to be just like him. I am privileged to coauthor with him and DMR.
","as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#datetime","@value":"2015-09-25T18:48:59+0100"},"as:summary":"Amy wrote about phd, academia, chi2016, writing, emax, & acwri","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/academia"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/acwri"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/chi2016"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/emax"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/phd"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}]},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/05/pietercolpaerthttpstwittercompietercolpaert","@type":"as:Note","as:content":"@pietercolpaert Count me in! I've started my thesis with markdown, github pages & csarven's LNCS css but switching to dokieli imminently
","as:inReplyTo":{"@id":"https://twitter.com/pietercolpaert/status/736279803259654145"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime","@value":"2016-05-28T05:02:59+01:00"},"as:summary":"Amy wrote about phd, writing, research, linked, dokieli, thesis, markdown, selfdogfooding, & tooling","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/dokieli"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/linked"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/markdown"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/phd"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/research"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/selfdogfooding"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/thesis"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/tooling"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}]},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/07/hemingway-editor","@type":"as:Add","as:name":"Hemingway Editor","as:object":{"@id":"http://www.hemingwayapp.com/"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime","@value":"2016-07-31T13:32:05+01:00"},"as:summary":"Amy added http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ to https://rhiaro.co.uk/bookmarks/","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/academia"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/app"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/phd"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}],"as:target":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/bookmarks/"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/11/58290f13e3da5","@type":["as:Announce","as:Like"],"as:content":"This is really quite excellent.
","as:generator":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/sloph"},"as:name":"How to blog about code and give zero fucks","as:object":{"@id":"http://garann.com/dev/2013/how-to-blog-about-code-and-give-zero-fucks/"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime","@value":"2016-11-14T10:23:00+09:00"},"as:summary":"Amy liked http://garann.com/dev/2013/how-to-blog-about-code-and-give-zero-fucks/","as:tag":[{"@id":"http://garrann.com"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/blogging"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/hacking"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/tech"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}]},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/12/coauthor-timezones","@type":"as:Note","as:content":"Coauthoring papers with people in vastly different timezones has the advantage that there's someone working on it 24/7. And also that you're not distracted by debating changes in realtime, you can just get on with it and deal with the consequences later..
","as:generator":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/sloph"},"as:published":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime","@value":"2016-12-14T13:14:00+08:00"},"as:summary":"Amy wrote about writing, phd, academia, & csarven","as:tag":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/academia"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/csarven"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/phd"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/timezones"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"}]},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing","@type":"as:Collection","as:totalItems":{"@type":"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#nonNegativeInteger","@value":"66"}},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing?before=https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/12/coauthor-timezones&limit=16","@type":"as:CollectionPage","as:items":[{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/12/coauthor-timezones"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/11/58290f13e3da5"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/07/hemingway-editor"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2016/05/pietercolpaerthttpstwittercompietercolpaert"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/09/astounded-humbled"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/08/1440948480"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/07/tfgrahamehttpstwittercomtfgrahame"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2015/05/1431590828"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2013/11/nanowrimo-begins"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2013/10/nanowrimo-why-do"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2013/08/rhia-ro"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2012/11/national-novel-procrastinating"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2012/10/national-novel"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2012/05/character"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2011/10/nanowrimo-pre"},{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/2011/10/spells-wear-out"}],"as:name":"writing","as:next":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing?before=https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/01/2018-in-review&limit=16"},"as:partOf":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing"},"as:prev":{"@id":"https://rhiaro.co.uk/tags/writing?before=https://rhiaro.co.uk/2011/10/interactive-bliction-2&limit=16"}}]}