yakalskovich: (The Princess' typist in RW)
Maru ([personal profile] yakalskovich) wrote2003-11-12 10:09 pm
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NaNoWriMo is one month late

There is a rather new American custom, called National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo; it has existed for ten years or so, and the goal is to just sit down and write a novel of 50.000 words in the month of November to prove to oneself that one can.-

[livejournal.com profile] floppy_hat is doing this year, for example. Very admirable and challenging project.

Only, if it means to celebrate the success of one who did just that, it's one month late, I learned today.

I was at a lecture about literary St. Petersburg, hoping to learn one or two useful factoids (I did), and there I heard the following astonishing story:

In the autumn of 1866, the famous writer Fyodor Dostoievsky, who was always in debt because he was addicted to gambling, fell prey to a truly evil publisher who paid the writer's debt, provided that Dostoievsky gave him a new novel to publish on November 1st of the same year; otherwise, all past and future writings of Dostoievsky should be forfeit to that totally ruthless and cruel publisher. Dostoievsky signed that, and despaired. He *did* have a novel ready in his mind, but how should he get that down on paper inside just one month? This was 1866; no recording devices were yet around, and even typewriters had not yet gone mainstream. His friends advised him to hire a stenographer and dictate all that text; so he placed an ad in the classifieds, and a rather genteel and very young lady showed up at his door the next day. So, all through October 1866, he dictated his novel "The Gambler" (how apt!!) to her during the day; at night, she took her shorthand notes away and had them written in longhand, and he did his other work (he had yet another novel in the works which was going to be "Crime and Punishment", but that was far too long to attempt doing in a month). In the morning, they corrected the last day's work and then went on with the dictation. And they did it - without a break, within 26 days!! On December 1st that year the novel was published, and the satanic publisher's hold on Dostoievsky was broken.-

Three months later, he married the young lady, and his life decidedly took a turn for the better from then on.

May that be an inspiration you, Lazuli (a.k.a. [livejournal.com profile] floppy_hat ), and all the others attempting just that without evil publishers breathing down their necks, or any charming collaborators keeping them on track...

multiple identities

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-02 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
gah, stop confusing me with your split personality!

i know "calenture" as/from the title of one of my favourite lps from one of my favourite bands of long, long ago.

whence shall i go with calenture on my mind.

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-02 11:04 am (UTC)(link)
This is not a split personality, it is called and RPG or role-playing game. Perfectly legit fannish activity; nothing mental about it!

Oh, is it? Which band?

mental

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-02 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
it sure is if you keep deleting my pretty boy and then answer with the voice of a blond girl! puh.

the triffids.

Re: mental

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-02 11:40 am (UTC)(link)
You'd rather have me this way than blond and virtual? Ahh, well. The you shall have him if I'm logged in as he, from time to time; but I can't promise I won't keep being confusing, as the captain really isn't of this world, so to speak.

I shall have to look that record up, then. Calenture. Hmmm.

triffids

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-02 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
have i answered this already? lj been a real bastard.
anyway: yes.
i just don't like clicking on your mail and be told that the message has been deleted, that was all!


hm, i don't know if you would like them, but even less if you can find the triffids anywhere. they split up ages ago. their singer died :°(

i was going to use triffids as the word in the hangman game, but thinking you might drop in i didn't.

Re: triffids

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-02 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course LJ is a bastard; everybody keeps posting while watching the election. And no, I'm not looking at it. I can't do a bloody thing to change it, and I will not inflict that on my nerves. I will see what transpired when I leave for work around noon.

OK, if I metapost as whoever, I will leave it, were I talking to you. But don't worry if you meet even weirder creatures than the Good Captain that way.

Amazon has a CD by the Triffids that it will import for me from Far Far Away, charging me only 12,99 Euros for the whole thing. And after I ordered that, Amazon suggested Placebo DVDs to me, and I quite like Placebo, so if Triffids automatically makes them suggest that, I'll most probably like it.

hot icon

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 09:32 am (UTC)(link)
you thank that's why?
i accidentially listened to the news 2 hours ago and cannot believe it. i can't. the dangerous lunatic cannot win again!

i don't understand the second paragraph *feels stupid*

they are nothing like placebo. sadly i only have them on vinyl, so i cannot send you anything. i am still intrigued that one mention by meeeee makes you order them *gobsmacked and flabberghasted*

ps: that slasher code thing? would never work for me. because i do say "fiddlesticks" in normal conversation ...

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 12:16 pm (UTC)(link)
mmh - ok, admit it, you are doing your best to pull me onto the dark side get me to read those rpgs!

*goes back to find what the question was*
ok, now i can't find what you wrote. i think i will go to bed now.
6 hours earlier than usual. yup, must be sick.
eta: ah, right, it's all clear and it was all clear before i forget it was clear so i must now remember not to forget (again) that everything is clear.

oh goody, i want more sockpuppets.
seriously.

nothing, believe me, could actually drive me any more mental. cross my heart etc. ask my flist. it is always them saying "you are soooo weird" and inching backwards ...

[identity profile] father-grigori.livejournal.com 2004-11-03 12:37 pm (UTC)(link)
On the Captain's flist, the whole RPG is running, backwards as is usual on blogs. In case you crave distraction at some stage in the future, my dear.

Is this sockpuppet mental enough yet?

ra ra rasputin, lover of the russian queen

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
says youse to meee who never reads fics but only saves them?!
i really want to finish this one novel, but i never get further than a chapter, and that is killing me.


i like pictures *serene* they don't require reading.

nope. not socky enough either!

another one

[identity profile] g-goodmountain.livejournal.com 2004-11-03 12:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Which is why you make icons, huh?

Her's another with just a drawing from somewhere online for an icon. Mental enough yet?

girly gulla

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-04 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
pfffft. i did write! you just did not lower yourself and read it.

gunilla. that's - trauma. did you also have the "gulla" books?



this one nearly succeeded, if only i did not dare click on the mail as i feared a flamer or other nasty individual, not knowing the name.

Re: girly gulla

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-04 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
och, come on, i thought i was on your flist! i posted it a week ago!

snapewithpotbellyistehhit.

the second part is much better, but i felt too low to post it yet.

Re: girly gulla

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-04 10:17 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry; one does miss things on flists, sometimes.

But you are most definitely on it.

Re: girly gulla

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-04 01:32 pm (UTC)(link)
i think by the time it took for me to bloody open this reply page, you might have sent another one.

aaaanyway, i think i am going to introduce *sat* and *ret* signs for you as well (demarcating me teasing you, okay? ;P) coz that's mostly what i did.

i know. if you did not find it yet, go to my page and four down, i lj-cut like a good scout.

Re: girly gulla

[identity profile] pteppicymon.livejournal.com 2004-11-04 01:54 pm (UTC)(link)
OK, read it now. Huh, wild!! Hmm, not a pairing for me, but - wild stuff.

i hates the snarry!

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-04 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
argh. is it really not appearent that this is not!not a pairing for me either?!

wah!

what am i doing wrong!

*cough*

Re: girly gulla

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-04 10:35 am (UTC)(link)
I didn't see it; it is possible to miss things on a flist, especially if they're locked and one is the Captain instead of oneself...

I'm sure I'll find it on your LJ proper.

Re: girly gulla

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-04 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
ah, see, there is another reply. hm. nope, mine was not locked at all. hence i had to remove the very important illustration. hope it still makes a little sense. the second part has been ready for a week, but i find posting (i.e. in four communities) exhausting.

good hunting.

Re: mental

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 09:29 am (UTC)(link)
did i answer that ? *feels like donkey*

not of this world indeed - you do elevate james, doncha.

Re: mental

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)
i knoooow, but my interpretation is much funnier! ;P

as long as you don't delete and repost, i'm happy not complaining.

the current trend on mine is now a lets-pull-ourselves-together-and-be-strong.

Americans on flist

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-03 12:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Mine are depressed and saying the f-word, and posting under flock. I offered them asylum on my sofa.

Re: Americans on flist

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 12:14 pm (UTC)(link)
i saw, i especially went to your lj (for this, and to check what i was actually talking about).
epicyclical posted a sane thing about it not being that easy to move to countries people want to move to.
fiendling and wayfairer say stay-and-be-upright etc.

i want your hub.

Re: Americans on flist

[identity profile] cpt-tantony.livejournal.com 2004-11-03 12:24 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not my hub, it belongs to my for-pay work. But I can borrow it, as it's spare, and there's two of them. And I had one for a few months, during my visitor season, so I could do my Morning Session with the RPG in the kitchen while the visitors were still sleeping on the sofa.

Re: Americans on flist

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2004-11-03 12:32 pm (UTC)(link)
very considerate.
i know people who made the technicians install them a sekkrit second one. or something.