NaNoWriMo -- I have not been writing

I have not been writing, despite the zest I had two weeks ago to hit 20,000 words by the end of the month. Is it really that surprising though?

It's so easy for life to get in the way. To let life get in the way. Brian has been sick. I got a little sick. I'm in the middle of becoming a full-fledged employee at the pharmacy instead of a contract worker. I'm thinking about the upcoming holidays. We went to Ren Faire this weekend with friends. Yeah, it's easy to let things get in the way.

I did get a pretty sweet hat there though.

Someone I knew in college maintains a blog I've started to creep follow and is trying to accomplish a post-something-every-day challenge this month. I'm starting to wonder if she had the better idea. Prompts are much easier to follow for me than some open-ended "write something" challenge.

It's not that I'm completely devoid of ideas, I just don't have any that are cohesive or I feel the need to ramble on about for thousands of words. Or I feel like there's just so much to say, I'm too intimidated to start on them. For example, I've toyed with the idea of writing a major dissertation on where I feel I am in studying aikido; my strengths, weaknesses, goals, roadblocks, etc. It would fill a lot of space, yes, but would require me to make outlines and rough drafts and possibly publish in parts, and I just don't feel that engaged with the idea yet.

I also thought of doing a reflection on this year's attempt at gardening - yeah, the one I wrote so many blogs about then kind of stopped mentioning? Most everything died. I got two red bell peppers that were smaller than golf balls. I wonder if it needed the magnesium I saw about half a dozen articles suggest. My tomato plants shriveled (except the one random one I planted in the box that decided it wanted to be ground-cover but never make fruit; it's still green and happy out there). Rabbits ate two attempts at radishes. The third, container-attempt have had something chew on them, but in fairness have maintained foliage for a couple months. The herb tower dried up. The basil still looks all right, but I don't know if it will survive the winter. Aaaannnd... that's about it.

In regards to the hat above, it was the first step in my goal of building a costume for Ren Faire. Brian and I both agreed that we've been going for so many years, it was time to start dressing up. He can't decide between being a musketeer or going with a steampunk idea. I was bouncing between a pretty standard wench costume and a pirate. Finding this hat though kind of cemented the pirate idea. The rest of the costume exists perfectly in my head, I just need to find the other pieces in the real world.

Anyway, the point of that was that I also thought of writing out a complete character sketch for the pirate I wanted to be. If you're going to dress up, you might as well adopt a persona as well, right? I even started writing about her during a break in my new employee orientation today. The bones of a backstory with the barest traces of fleshing out.

Every time I try to write an actual story though all my inspiration peters out within a couple paragraphs. It's not that I don't intend to write much, I just can't seem to stretch it out. Blame the three years of journalism?

I suppose I have managed to write more, even if nothing is related. And I think about writing more now, but it's coupled with the frustration of "Why can't I think of more to write about??" Baby steps, I guess.

If I have learned one thing it was that I shouldn't even try to drink decaf coffee in the evening. I tried that first night I wrote something and I could NOT fall asleep. Sticking with tea or alcohol in the evening, methinks. Maybe this quote will spur my next writing venture:

Hemingway apparently didn't say this, but I'm willing to give it a shot (har) anyway.

Word Count: 713
Total Word Count: 4,722

In defense of sport and demo martial arts

Recently, a video of a ten-year-old Irish girl performing a series of sword techniques has been circulating on Facebook. This was the best way I could find to link it to this blog, since the video I'm specifically referring to doesn't seem to be on YouTube.

A lot of the people I originally saw sharing and commenting on it were not, to my knowledge, involved in martial arts. Most of them were impressed with the girl's fierce display. For a young kid to be able to perform the kata with such ferocity clearly indicated to them a future in badassery.

Then my martial arts friends got a hold of it. I saw this still from the video (shared from a sword arts page I am unfamiliar with) featuring this added caption.

It led to a discussion with Brian about the snobbery we've noticed in martial arts circles. A sort of "pooh pooh" attitude toward any art that is not the one that particular individual practices.

Brian and I have both been playing in tomiki aikido for almost four years. Before this, I had played with a college judo club and Brian grew up with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Both of us spent time in competition-focused environments before joining the aiki crowd, which does not generally compete.

While there are a lot of egos in the mixed martial arts crowds -- at least in some that spill in to visit our dojo from time to time -- neither of us feel that there is anything inherently wrong with practicing a martial art in order to demonstrate it or compete with it. We seem to be the minority in this thought process.

Over and over we hear martial arts veterans saying things like "Oh, jiu-jitsu is good if you want to lay down as soon as a fight starts," or "Aikikai is too fluffy to be useful," or "judo guys train to let go if you tap, what if a street attacker taps? They'll just let go."

If there's one thing to understand from doing martial arts for any considerable length of time, it's that every system has holes in it. Period. If there was one perfect martial art, everyone would do it. There are different systems because they evolved for different situations, cultures and goals. The United States, in general, is not a feudal society. But we've always loved a good fight (ex: boxing). Thus the rise in MMA's popularity (my issue with MMA is unrelated to the fact that it is a sport, but that's another blog topic all together).

Judo and jiu-jitsu stemmed from the fighting styles of warriors who used swords, staffs and their own hands to take down enemy soldiers. Aikido and aikikai stemmed from judo (I'm sure there are similar lineage connections in the "kick-punch" arts of karate, tae kwon do and others, but having not practiced them, I cannot list them off the top of my head). But no one art was ever intended to be all-inclusive. Certainly principles can be taken from one art to the next and applied successfully; aikido principles of keeping centered, oscillating your opponent and moving yourself, for example, are very applicable on the ground, where most aikidoka do not frequently go.

Aikido is largely a standing art, so my weakness was groundwork. So I started playing with Brian, practicing how to move so I wouldn't get scared should I ever end up on the ground. His BJJ background helps me with the hole in my understanding, and it helps me practice principles like keeping my hands centered in alternative environments. I'm not a fan of the joint locks that he favors, but I've learned where they can be useful, though they don't creep into my randori much.

But what's with all the hate for training to get points? Or training to demonstrate? Just because someone has spent their energy focused on submitting opponents or maneuvering out of unfavorable positions means they aren't as much a martial artist as someone who focuses on "being the water" and moving around an attackers force? Or a person who practices beautiful katas with non-obstinate partners can't be taken seriously because "Well if I do this, that won't work."

Yes, martial arts are generally studied to be some sort of defense system for the practitioner. Yes, martial arts training can save lives and even de-escalate  intense situations. But you can not tell me, assuming that ten-year-old Irish girl continues training, that if someone tries to grab her while she's holding a broom or pole or other stick-like object she wouldn't walk away unscathed. Or if a "points-fighter" jiu-jitsu guy or boxer gets tackled by someone fleeing cops he wouldn't be able to at least daze the assailant until the authorities can catch up.

I just wish the attitudes of superiority could take a back seat sometimes. Sure, there are a lot of problems with MMA. There are also a lot of problems in judo, aikido, karate, jiu-jitsu and any other system of martial art under the sun. The point is not not argue about which art is better. The point is to pick one that works from you and explore the others to fill in holes you find as you go. Keep an open mind.

It's okay to disagree with the approaches of other arts. It's fine to try it and conclude "this won't work for me." It's great to try it and think "this approach would work really well with how I do this." It's not okay to flippantly say "This art sucks."

Martial arts is a personal journey for each practitioner. Some do it for exercise, others to learn to defend themselves. Some love the art side and others love the people. Most I've met do it for some combination of things. Let's not take away from another person's journey by belittling the path they chose.

 

(Hell yeah this is going toward my word count)

Word Count:  980

Total Word Count: 4,009

NaNoWriMo -- Characters and Setting

A writing exercise from this site asks "Your main character invites you to his/her place for dinner. What sort of home does he/she have? How is it furnished? Any family, roommates? Pets? What is served?"

I used a character from a vague concept Brian and I came up with about a year ago of a world where everyone has a "mutant" ability (yes, very X-Men). Over a couple of hours I wrote over a thousand words in a conversation between myself and "Solomon." I did intend to publish it here, but was more impressed with where it went than I thought I'd be, and now don't really want to share it with the public until I've fleshed it out some more in another exercise. So instead you get an excerpt and an updated word count. Sorry...

~*~

Solomon was a younger man than his name might make some assume. He had all the awkwardness of a twenty-something trying to behave as a grownup while still trying to discern what that even meant. 

"Are you thirsty?" he asks, his hand on the beaten up refrigerator handle. "I have some cold water or I can make some tea."

"Water please," I respond, smiling to try and put him at ease. 

"Okay, have a seat at the table. Anywhere is fine."

The apartment is dim with a brown color scheme touching everything from the rough floor to the aged windows. Even the art on the walls has a burnt sienna look. Despite the cold outside, Solomon's home is warm, like most homes of those who can manipulate heat. The brightest light shines above the dining table, carefully set with mismatched dishes and flatware. 

"I made us a pot pie, sort of," Solomon says, handing me a glass. "I didn't have enough of anything to make a main dish or sides, but it usually comes together in a pie all right."

"At least it smells good," I respond. The aroma of pastry and something savory wafted into the dining room from the kitchen with the young man.

"We're about ready to eat," he said. "I took it out a few minutes ago to cool."

I take a seat on the longer side of the table, near the place setting at the head. The chair wobbles a bit and creaks with my weight, but holds fine. 

~*~

Word Count: 1,514
Month Word Count Total: 3,029

NaNoWriMo -- Playing with prompts

While it was still slow at work this morning, I poked around online for some good exercises and prompts to get me writing. I found a list on this blog that asked to choose a set of three elements and write a story that includes all them. The three elements I chose were: a hitchhiker, an allergy, and a mistake in a map. I wrote about a page (by hand), and I'm going to transcribe and try to wrap it up tonight.

~*~

Merle's pickup chugged along the two-laned CR 135. Two newer, faster models of car had already sped past him since he left Molly to get some supplies in town. He didn't mind being passed. 135 was a popular alternative to the interstate for travelers, whose destinations were surely more important than the nearby feed store and post office.

As Merle neared the intersection that would turn him toward Stephenville, he slowed to eyeball a man in a flannel shirt and ripped jeans walking backwards on the shoulder, toward the same stop sign. He looked to be in his twenties and was holding his right arm out, thumb up. He had a weary, desperate look to his face.

He reached to his door compartment to brush the handle of a pistol he kept there as he pulled over. The man walking jogged to the truck to meet him as Merle reached across the cab to roll down the window.

"Hey, thanks for stopping, man," the hitchhiker panted, a half-smile of relief on his face. "I've been walking for about two hours."

"Where are you headed, son?" Merle asked.

"I was trying to get to Krugertown, but I got lost," the younger man said. "My phone died right after my piece-of-shit car, and I think my map is out of date," he said, pulling a dogeared state road map from his back pocket.

"Krugertown? That's twenty miles west of here, son," Merle said. "I'm heading up to Stephenville. You can probably hire a tow there, and the mechanic is decent."

"That'd be great, thank you!" The man opened the truck door and pulled himself in. "I'm Avery, by the way."

"Merle," the older man responded. He reached to shake Avery's hand. "What brings you to the back of nowhere with a busted car?" he asked, taking a right turn onto Miller Road.

"A woman, wouldn'tcha know," Avery said. "My girlfriend. I was trying to surprise her. She wants this cat, but I'm allergic. There's an allergy clinic in Krugertown, I was going to get a shot there then pick up the cat and surprise her when she got home from work."

Merle scoffed. "Never was a fan of cats," he said. "Too selfish. Fortunately, Molly prefers dogs anyway. We have two, they go with me duck hunting."

Avery smiled politely. He wasn't much into animal hunting.

"So why a cat?" Merle asked.

"Oh, Celine loves animals," Avery said. "She has a big aquarium, but she's looking for something she can actually hold and train."

"Train? Never did see a person who could train a cat," Merle said.

"Celine is pretty gifted," Avery said. "I've seen her sic her three-year-old nephew on his dad with just a nod after twenty minutes."

Merle chuckled. He and Molly never had kids of their own, but he enjoyed playing with his nieces and nephews as they grew up.

"Where are you from?" he asked Avery. "Must be a smaller place, if you have to go to Krugertown to get an allergy shot."

"We live out in the mountains, actually," Avery said.  "Celine's parents let her stay in their lodge."

"That sounds mighty nice," Merle said. "We live on the other side of those mountains, but out of the woods. You don't head into town often enough to know your way around?"

"Not really. I don't have a lot of reason to leave. She keeps me busy."

They were pulling up to the main street in Stephenville. Merle hung a left to head toward the local towing company.

"Where's this cat you were going to pick up?"

"Oh, it's at the wildlife preserve."

Merle looked sideways toward Avery. "The preserve?" Maybe the owners had a stray with kittens they were pawning off?

"Yeah, she did a lot of research before she contacted them," Avery said. "Being in the mountains, there's lots of room for them to roam and hunt."

"So no lap-cats for you?"

"Lord no. Those suckers full-grown are the size of a couch."

Merle frowned and turned toward Avery as they waited for a light to turn green. "Just what in the sam-hill kind of cat are you talking about, boy?"

"It's a tiger cub," Avery responded matter-of-factly. Merle laughed.

"Oh man, son, you had me going there for a minute!"

Avery smiled. "It's not a joke. We're getting a tiger, as soon as I know I won't be sneezing my head off the whole time we're training him."

Merle's eyebrows knit up as he started adding some more items to the list of supplies he was keeping in his head. This crazy son-of-a-bitch was talking about keeping a tiger in the woods behind his home.

As they pulled up to the tow company, Avery flashed a smile and thanked Merle for the ride.

"Really appreciate your help, man," he said. "I'll be sure to teach the new cat to leave duck-hunting dogs alone."

"You do that," Merle said.

As Merle pulled out of the parking lot to head to the feed store he called Molly to tell her about the hitchhiker.

"Honest to God, he was planning to get a tiger," he said. "Be sure to grease the bear traps, honey. I'm going to get some more ammo for the rifle and MREs for the bunker. Goddamn people are going to make us go underground before the election even takes place this year."


Word Count: 900
Month Word Count Total: 1,515

~*~

Soo yeah. Not a great story, but kind of fun. Also not the kind of exercise I was intending to do, but definitely got my brain going and my fingers typing. Kind of considering trying another one before the Brian gets home tonight.

NaNoWriMo -- It's time

Four Novembers ago I learned about this thing called National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. It's actually an international movement in which people take on a challenge to write 50,000 words in thirty days (about 1,666 words per day, by the quick Google search I just did).

I learned about this while I was reporting in Killeen. I thought it was interesting, but it was several weeks into November at that point, so I filed it away for "next year." Something similar probably happened in the next three years as well, and here I am, at almost 10:30 p.m. on November 2, 2015.

Challenge accepted.

I just made a profile on the NaNoWriMo website. I'm taking on the challenge, but tweaking it a bit for myself. Because there are no police or hard-set rules for this.

Firstly, I don't for a minute believe I will accomplish the entire 50,000 words this month. I'm already two days behind, I have no concept for a novel (well, one, but not really) and I haven't managed to do something consistently in a long time, as oft discussed in this blog. So instead I am challenging myself to write something three times per week this month. I will keep a word count and I will add it to my writers profile on the website, but this is largely just a way to get my feet wet again.

Secondly, surprise! I think I'm going to do the writing here on the blog. This will make it easy add updates to the writers profile and, heck, the more people I tell about this the more likely I'll feel some drive to stick it out. Accountability, friends. That's what I'm seeking.

Thirdly, and on a more selfish, non-writing centered note, I am extremely curious to make contact with the local group of writers. The website allows participants to make contact with others in their area and plan meetups to write and, I assume, bounce ideas and edits off each other. It has been so long since I was in the company of writers and I miss the type of discussion to be had there. I want to know what they do for a living, if writing is a hobby or a passion, what kind of ideas they want to share with the world and what struggles they face. Maybe you can leave reporting, but reporting never really leaves you.

I'm also kind of lonely and realizing how little social life I have here, and I would like an excuse to meet some people with similar interests and maybe make some friends. Yes, that's the selfish part of reason three. Sue me.

Honestly, I have very little worth taking, unless you want a lot of coffee mugs.

So what will I jabber on about three times a week without an outline? Without even a vague story idea? Well, the NaNoWriMo website links to several blogs and articles to help writers with things like character development, writing conflict, establishing setting and other useful writer-y things. My idea is to pick one thing and explore it for a thousand words or so a few times per week. After some time, I'd like to combine the skills I'm practicing into a short story (~2,000 words). I'm iffy on posting a story to a public blog, but I'll make the final decision on that if and when I get to that point.

Ideally I'd do two stories this month, the first followed by a second round of skill-honing and another story so I can compare my progress at the end of everything.

Here it goes. Another internet-found challenge to take on. Wish me luck and determination!

Word Count: 615
Month Word Count Total: 615