NaNo Survival Kit
NaNoWriMo is in less than a week. So today, I'll be making a list of all the things I'll be needing to prepare me and help me survive that frightening month.
- My laptop, obviously. It has good old Word on it, which is all I really need (although, I'd love a copy of Scrivener, which is unfortunately, Mac only at the moment).
- Tea. Lots of it. Last year, I went through about 4 (or more) cups a day. I think that this year, I'll need more.
- Books. As in research books. I'm writing a story set in 19th century Ireland, in the middle of a growing revolution. And whilst I'm not going to be totally sticking to history, I want things to be as accurate as possible, such as the lifestyle, the culture, everything that can help. So I've borrowed a whole bunch of books from my library (both local and uni) and flipped through them and made photocopies of the important pages and have been writing notes on the photocopies. It's been hard work. Also helping me with the research are various Victorian and steampunk films and novels (The Prestige, Howl's Moving Castle, The Time Machine, Van Helsing, Wild Wild West, Hellboy and others in terms of films. If anyone can reccomed any other Steampunk films, then I'd be thrilled. Ditto with Victorian films) (And in terms of books, I've recently read the first three of the Parasol Protectorate series, have read Boneshaker, and have Dreadnought ready to read, both by the amazing Cherie Priest; also Clockwork Angel from the library; The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova; The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner
- My journal and folder dedicated to this novel. It's got all my notes, my photocopies, pictures I've printed out for inspiration, everything.
- Music. I've just finished organising my iTunes, and I've gotten a whole heap of anime OSTs from my boyfriend, so all I've got to do is compile a playlist that will suit the mood for a steampunk story set in Victorian era Ireland. Any ideas? ^-^
- I bought a few candles and incense. I love writing by candlelight, I just find it so romantic and natural. And since I'm betting that most of my writing will be done during the night/early morning, I'm going to be using these candles a whole lot.
- Fingerless gloves. Because of my dodgy heart, my fingers don't have the best circulation, and therefore get numb easily, and I need to keep them warm (even in the warmish month of November). So yay, fingerless gloves. I wish I could type with mittens. :P
- Coffee. For those times when tea just isn't strong enough.
- A few various coffee shops strewn about the city, where I am sure I'll be spending a lot of my time at. A few of them are Starbucks', but that's okay, since sometimes, they play nice, jazzy music. This one time, I was at a Starbucks that played music that I swear was identical to the music in Sailor Moon. After that incident, my love for Starbucks has grown. Even if their beverages are less than tolerable.
- I need new headphones. When I write, like to listen to music. And if I don't get new headphones, then I won't be able to write whilst listening to music when I'm not at home, before midnight. Ugh.
- Candy and such. I need the sugar. ^-^
- My muse, the pig with wings (as seen on my blog a few posts ago)
- flashdrives to back up my work.
- Twitter and LJ and the people that congreate there. I need them to keep my sanity and to bounce ideas off of. ^-^
- Freezer full of microwaveable food because I'm too lazy and dumb to actually know how to cook anything other than cupcakes (although, a diet of cupcakes doesn't sound like a bad idea...). And while I'm at it, chips and dip.
- Something warm and snuggly to snuggle into while I write. I love snuggly things, especially when I write.