It's November already!!! We've been having some absolutely gorgeous Indian summer type days here in Venice this week. Sunny, warm, just fabulous. It's a perfect way to kick off what I hope will be a very interesting month for me.
I have LOTS on the table, hopefully not too much for me to manage to accomplish. I want to warn you that my November posts here on the blog might seem a little odd to you, in that they probably will not have much to do with Venice this month. I've taken on a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the month. It's NaNoWriMO (National Novel Writing Month), if you have heard of it before. I've signed up to do it, and will be posting my status along the way here. It helps to keep me accountable.
I did the challenge for the first time in July, during the summer "Camp" version. I did actually finished my book at 54,000 words, and surprised even myself. My project in July was a memoir ( I turned my blog into a book! It's still in pretty rough draft form, I've been letting it sit for a while before I tackle the task of revising. More on that project to come!) This month's project is something much lighter, a chic-lit romance. That's all I'm going to say about it, other than to add that no, it does not take place in Venice.
Today being day 1 of the challenge was a good day, I wrote 1861 words. Good for a first day for me, even a few hundred words more than I had expected to get done. Hopefully I can keep up the daily word count.
In addition to doing NaNoWriMo, I am also studying Italian with a vengence. Every day for the last two months I've been spending two hours reading, writing and speaking, with lots of vocabulary building and a fair amount of work on several verb tenses, in particular the imperfetto, which still drives me batty. I swear, I will be fluent in Italian one of these years!
Last but not least, I've kept my word on another of my 2013 resolutions- I not only took a rowing lesson, but I have joined the rowing club on Giudecca and will be taking more lessons there. I think it's going to take some determination and perserverance, but a year from now, I expect to see me rowing around a few canals in Venice.
So, friends, keep me in your thoughts and stick with me during this month of NaNoWriMo. I'm excited about what lies ahead.
4 comments:
Karen:
It would be wonderful if you not only wrote your book but also published it. I have always thought your writing was very approachable and smooth: it has a way of making the reader step into your world. I wish there were more authors and journalists who had your "flow." Another hope I have had was that you would put your blog out in book form one day, but that would take a lot of work. It would be immensely useful, not to say, enjoyable.
Good luck on the Italiano. Do you speak any other Romance languages? I am pretty fluent in French and know Latin and can get awfully mixed up when I open my mouth to say something and it comes out all hybridized.
One day I am sure you will start dreaming in Italian and then wake up to realize you are a fluent Italian rower.
Con ogni migliore augurio per il vostro successo
Jane
Jane,
You are a darling. We'll see how this novel goes. I'm liking it so far, and yes, I would LOVE to see it published someday. Michael is the published author so far in this family. He has a new novel coming out mid-December, published by Gemelli Press, titled A Beast in Venice. It's good, very good!
I have drafted my blog into a book, a memoir. I did that in July, but have left the editing for winter. It needs a lot of work.
I spent years studying French when I was a in HS and college, but remember next to nothing of it. It has not been helpful in my Italian studies much at all. I do find myself dreaming and thinking quite a bit in Italian. Where I continue to struggle is conversation. I am hopeful that having joined a local club I will have a bit more opportunity to speak. I know that sounds weird, knowing that I live in Italy, but believe it or not we speak English all the time- except for when we have some official stuff we need done.
Ciao, bella! and grazie!
Karen,
So great you are writing a book. I have enjoyed your posts and think you will do a great job.
I will be in Venice at the end of February for Carnevale. Hope I get a chance to see you although I imagine that it might be a very busy time for you. What's the chance of meeting at the hamburger place again...that was so unexpected the last time I was in Venice.
Diane- I'd love to see you again, we must plan it. We're here in February, but it won't be too busy I don't think. I believe the place you are thinking, Mood, has changed owners now, and they don't do hamburgers anymore. Where are you staying? Let me know, we'll figure out a plan.
Looking forward to it!
Karen
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