Tag: national novel writing month

NaNoWriMo2024: Poetry, Music and More

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

NaNoWriMo is here, and for the first time in six months, I’ve decided not to work on a novel this month. Instead, I’m putting together a poetry collection of at least 10k words. I don’t like the idea of assigning a word count to a poetry collection, but it is a good place to start.

So far, the word count is around 356, and I’ve started on four poems. What I like about this idea is that I want to push my poetry into a new direction, more prose-like and with a storyline like a vignette or a novella-type creation.

While I’m working on this, I’ve been reading Dorianne Laux’s Finger Exercises for Poets, and it’s already helped me explore new ways to compile fragments of poems and build my dictionary of specific words that represent my world, my past, present, and future. What I value is Laux’s emphasis on incorporating all of the senses in poems and finding one’s own persona—the persona, voice, distinctive to a poet that takes time and work to develop.

At the same time, I’ve held off on posting any updates on my blog for a while, but finally, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I started graduate school and am close to finishing my first semester. I’m working on a Master’s in Library and Information Science from SJSU.

I’ve wanted to work on this degree since I graduated college in 2018, but I finally took the plunge this year, and it’s been fantastic. I’m a part-time student since I’m still working full-time, but so far, it’s been a good balance between the two.

Graduate school is a different experience than undergraduate school. The workload is heavier, and the studies are more complex and focused. I’ve always been drawn to this type of academic study, and now I’m wondering if pursuing a PhD in Library and Information Science after this may be a good fit for me.

Besides NaNoWriMo, which is now my poetry writing month, I’m listening to Nine Inch Nail’s Ghosts VI: Locusts album, watching Only Murders in the Building, and bracing for another four years of Trump. Why does it feel like I’m living in The Twilight Zone?

I could write a whole other blog post on the anxiety and other emotions I have when it comes to the outcome of the election, but at this point, what does it matter to expend energy on that topic in that way? Maybe I will eventually, but not today.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo24? If so, I want to hear from you. Leave a comment below, and let’s connect!

The featured image for this post was generated by AI – what do you think?

NaNoWriMo23: End of Week Three

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

The city is taking down the fences and blockades for APEC, and I’m relieved. The past week there was an undercurrent of tension pulsing through the city (huge understatement). We all need a break, some space, and just a moment to take a breath.

This week I wrote here and there and tried to read as much as possible. I’m still reading Kingdom of the Cursed and just got my copy of Daughter of The Moon Goddess (I’ve been waiting months for a copy through my library!).

Today, my goal is to write another chapter of my NaNoWriMo project and hopefully squeeze in a couple of hours of reading. I’ve been thinking more about writing poetry and have some images in mind that I want to explore; a blend of natural elements and usual existential crises so I may jot down a few ideas later too.

I’m also going to watch The Killer with my partner (hopefully tonight) and, if possible, play a bit of Hogwarts Legacy – I’m nearly level 37 and curious how I get my hands on Merlin’s robe.

What are you reading? Are you working on a writing project for NaNoWriMo? Leave a comment below. I want to hear from you.

Thank you for reading!

NaNoWriMo23: End of Week Two

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

It’s a cold, crisp Sunday morning. There is a reassuring calm to the quiet streets even though APEC starts soon.

Dry, crunchy leaves litter the sidewalk. My Boston Terrier stops to sniff a lamp post.

The sky is a vibrant blue, speckled with cream-colored clouds, providing a pleasing stark contrast to the looming buildings downtown.

It’s the end of week two of NaNoWriMo23 and I haven’t made much progress. I’ve done enough thinking about my book but had little time to write another chapter this week.

At the minimum, I’ve been completing more of my daily writing goal (minimum 3k words) either in the morning before I leave for work or after I get home. This is helping me stretch my writing legs for the weekend when I do the majority of my writing.

Today, my goal is to write a chapter, researching freelance opportunities, and will probably sneak in some time to play Hogwarts Legacy (finished Herodiana’s Puzzles yesterday).

How’s your writing progress going for NaNoWriMo23? Leave a comment, or you can find me at NaNoWriMo.

What else have I been up to? Going to Lori’s Diner, seeing What Happens Later, and racing to finish No Time to Spare.

Here’s to another week! Thank you for reading.

NaNoWriMo2022: End of Week Two

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

It’s the end of NaNoWriMo week two, and I feel I’ve made pretty good progress. At the beginning of the week, me and my boyfriend when to Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation Book Tour at the Castro Theatre. It was fun to get out and enjoy the city after work instead of staying home and watching reruns.

Since I didn’t have time to write that night, I’ve been a little behind since then, but now I’m hovering at around 19k words written. I’ve already written nearly half a book, and I’m not quite sure what my characters will do or how the main conflict will resolve, but I like my momentum.

I’ve focused on making this NaNoWriMo as stress-free as possible, so I’m doing my best not to put any pressure on myself, thinking I’m writing the next big fantasy hit (that’s certainly not the case).

Drink of the night: A splash of pineapple juice and Haku Vodka
Snack: Pretzels
My latest obsession: Sweetened dried orange slices

My plans for week three? I need to sort out the antagonist of my story and decide if my main character’s going to step into a leadership role or solve a mystery, maybe both. How’s your NaNoWriMo going? Are you looking for a writing partner? HMU on nanowrimo.org; my username is alinahappyhansen 🙂

NaNoWriMo2022: End of Week One

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

With a finger of Haku vodka and the rest unsweetened cranberry juice, I type away on my laptop while taking periodic sips of my simple homemade cocktail. It’s supposed to rain, pour today really, but there’s not a whisper of raindrops yet.

I just finished lunch, steaming hot rice topped with tuna and mayo mixed and a sprinkling of Tajín. Is this what happens when you get older, your taste suddenly evolves, and you crave absolute bitterness and savory flavors? I’m not sure. But I am sure that the end of week one of NaNoWriMo went unexpectantly well for me.

For October, I’d been writhing with anxiety, unsure what my upcoming novel would be about. But now, with only a few thousand words down and a fuzzy picture in my head, big surprise, it’s gonna be about witches.

It’s easier than I thought to create something from nothing. The ideas that flow in the back of my head take on an existence of their own. Without careful planning and the millions of compartments that occupy the space between consciousness and my imagination, the hideaway desk that is my mind would be a wreck.

Besides taking an hour to two hours a night to scrap together the minimum word count (or more, if I’m willing), I’ve spent most of my time reading. For the first time in over two years, I have enough time to read and read more.

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik

No Nature: New and Selected Poems by Gary Snyder

A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book #3) by Sarah J. Maas

I’m gravitated towards Fantasy recently and slowly spinning around poetry as usual. Nothing changes. This is far from unusual for me. And sadly, with Halloween 2022 now over, I’ve got the rest of San Francisco’s mild yet wet Fall/Winter to look forward to.

The fog hangs low, and there are dead leaves strewn on sidewalks and streets here and there. Walking through Chinatown, the Transamerica Pyramid often comes in and out of view as I walk southbound on Stockton Street. On most days, a good portion of it is hidden by the fog; on others, the soft lighting and bright colors of the century-or-so-old buildings in the forefront create a pleasant contrast.

Yes, there are days when it feels like I’m walking on a Bladerunner set sometimes, and other times, I get the sense that I’m traversing through a mystical city hanging in the balance between the sea and the rest of the land mass that is North America. Somewhere in between, close but also far away.

There’s plenty of inspiration to go around this city and more than enough details to invigorate a fledging novel. Dead baby sharks for sale on a street corner, pigeons with one foot or crumpled toes hoping in the gutter, a white cat in the window of an herbalist shop, hanging roasted ducks…I could go on forever.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? I want to hear from you. You can connect with me today on nanowrimo.org ~ my username is alinahappyhansen 🙂

Want to get a feel for my novel?

Below you’ll find a link to my WIP’s Pinterest Board visuals and the playlist I’ve been listening to as I write.

Vincent’s Collection of Mystiques ~ Pinterest Board

Spotify Playlist ~ This is Pensees

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, I wish you the best of luck!