September
30

Be a NaNoWriMo rebel

Posted In: Misc by graham

After a few days time of pondering, I decided today I will participate in the 2009 NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). But I am not going to write a novel. So that leaves non-fiction, and labels me a rebel!

NaNoWriMo Rebel 2009

Over the previous nine years of NaNoWriMo, enough people have rebelled to warrant a separate special area in the online forums. I would have been a rebel anyway, but it's reassuring to know I'll be joined by others.

I've chosen non-fiction because I want whatever is produced by the end of the month to be something I've always planned to write, even if it is a first draft.

My procrastination to write a book is just as common as the novelist participants; I've always planned to write a book, but it's never gotten off the ground. NaNoWriMo motivates me to attempt to reach the goal and win by writing 50,000 words.

Other things I like:

  • Anyone and everyone can be a NaNoWriMo winner
  • It only lasts one month
  • I'm writing with others, virtually
  • I can write anywhere at any time during November
  • It costs nothing out of pocket
  • The time spent is well spent
  • Even if you "lose", there are fringe benefits

Personally, some things I hope to gain:

  • Prove my idea is a good one (or disprove it)
  • Write a lengthy draft at the fastest speed possible
  • Force myself into a daily writing regime, hoping this will ignite my blogging and continuous writing

You may ask, what is my topic? Well, the conversation would probably go something like this,

You: "So you're a non-fiction NaNoWriMo rebel huh? What's your topic?
Me: "Oh... I see what you're after - get your own topic!"

If you've ever planned to write anything - novel or otherwise - consider NaNoWriMo this year.

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September
15

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After:

When you need to understand a new database schema, making a model like this is a big help. I still like DBDesigner4 fromfabFORCE.net to get these simple models done. Yes, I know there's a much newer GUI program, MySQL Workbench, that could do a better job. One day I'll have time to test you again, Workbench. But for me, DBDesigner4 is a simple yet powerful tool.

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