Author: nsiemers

  • Something NaNo This Way Comes

    Whelp.  It’s already November 7th.  We are one-fifth of the way through the month.  If you’re as obsessive-compulsive about keeping up with par as I am, you’re one-fifth of the way through your word count goals.  It’s pretty beautiful.  Last year, I had a lot more buffer by this point in the season… but then again, my first year I was pretty consistently lined up with par the whole time.  So, no cause for alarm yet, I suppose.

    I’m even happy with my idea this time around.  Hopefully the third time is the charm, and this will be the novel which I actually finish writing once November ends.  My first NaNovel quickly fell apart, what with all of the ridiculous plot holes and glaring inconsistencies.  My second NaNovel is a lot more solid, but the climax of the novel calls for a lot of action and violence- something which I am utterly horrible at writing.  This time around, my NaNovel is soft SciFi, and the villains are working through subtle manipulation instead of brute force terrorism.  So, hopefully, this type of conflict will be far enough in my comfort zone to be able to finish it.

    Okay, yes, there is something to be said for using NaNoWriMo to reach outside of your comfort zone, and write something you’re not familiar with.  But that’s for people who have finished works under their belt.  Let’s get the cart connected to the horse before we try and pop wheelies and do horse stunts, hey?  And anyway, this is only my third NaNo.  Check back in a few years, and we’ll see how things are going. (more…)

  • Mono-Life

    Scott waved hello to Greg as he walked past his cubicle on the way to the break room, as he did every morning before his shift started.  Despite the fact that Greg and Simon had cubicles facing each other, Scott never bothered to wave at Simon.  Why would he, after all?

    “Good morning to you, too,” Geoff said, as Scott approached the vending machines.  “So what’s new with you?”

    “Oh, nothing much,” Scott replied, as he pulled out his wallet.  “Feeding my coffee habit.  I stayed up late last night for no good reason.  Mostly I spent the night watching TV.  Discovery, History, EPSN, and some local sit-coms.  Whatever floats my boats, you know.”  He retrieved the cup from the vending machine, and held it up to his face to breathe in the fumes.

    “You do have a lot of boats,” Geoff said, nodding in agreement.  “Myself, I was split evenly between reading and workout out at the gym.  Lately, I’ve been- hang on, I’ve got to get this.”  Geoff silenced his phone and walked over into a secluded corner of the room.


    “Sorry about that,” Greg said, spinning around in his chair to talk to Simon.  “Anyway, I thought the doctor said you weren’t allowed to have coffee anymore?”

    (more…)