If only novelling was as interesting as Minecraft

Still behind on NaNo, and I haven't decided if it's a bad thing that I don't really care.  I'll be honest - my story has barely any plot, or at least nothing of the sort that would keep me going.  I'm working towards something at least, but it's still not really a plot...

No, instead of writing like I should be, I've been playing Minecraft again.  It's one of those games that you play and play for days at a time, until you run out of goals again and get bored and don't play for six months.

I've only just updated my game today, well yesterday as it's after 2am, but you get the point.  I've been playing for around a week now I guess, and I was hesitant to actually update mostly because I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the new hunger bar.  Plus the idea of Endermen creep me out a little.  I have a hard enough time with zombies.  But I did it anyway.

My first world after updating - I make new to experience all the new stuff in a fresh world - and I spawn on a freaking island in the middle of the ocean.  Would you believe that?  A teeny tiny island with practically nothing on it, and which is miles from anything but a few other small islands.  I am so lucky that one of the small nearby islands had a single tree on it.  Seriously.

So... chop down that one tree to get wood.  Fortunately I got three saplings from that tree and I planted them all.  My little spawn island had a nice little area where I set up a tiny cave lair.  I always seem to set up cave lairs initially.  It's easier than trying to build above ground.

They changed a few controls between 1.7 and the current version (1.0?).  Or at least one that really threw me that first night - in the crafting screen, shift + left click on the things you've just crafted used to take just the ones shown and put them in your inventory, but they changed it so it takes all of them plus all the ones you are capable of crafting based on what you've got put together.  Which is all well and useful, except when you are used to the old method and accidentally turn all your logs into planks in one shot.  I spend the first night without torches.  But I did get to make a door first thing...

Spent a few days getting things set up to my basic standards - torches, door, furnace, crafting table, and at least a single chest.  That's really all I need to survive the night.  But you know what?  Not a single little animal spawns on my island even though zombies and creepers and other scary things do.

I planted wheat, but it takes forever to grow.  Went digging around underground in the hopes of finding spiders to slaughter for string for a fishing pole.  Which says something - spiders are almost as scary as creepers.  Didn't find any spiders, but I did find a bunch of stuff I couldn't mine yet - gold and gems and redstone and other things like that.  And plenty of lava.  On the upside if I ever need to build a Nether portal I've got plenty of lava available.

My hunger bar ran out before my wheat grew.  What followed was a slightly annoying period of time of my health depleting to half a heart, accompanied by the hurt grunt.  It wasn't long later a zombie killed me, but that did reset my hunger bar back to full.

I've got a fishing pole now.  Currently my goal is to simply get self sufficient where I don't have to worry about resources anymore.  Maybe when I get bored of that I'll take the boat I built and sail and sail until I hit real land and start over on the continent.  In the meantime, just call me Gilligan!

 So in short, I should be writing but I'm not.  I still plan to win though, but then again maybe last year's epic comeback has given me a skewed idea of where I ought to be right now.  I'm super behind, but I don't even feel any last minute worry...

NaNo has made me nuts

Or perhaps I've made my NaNo nuts.  That's probably the closer answer; I was already nuts.

This year is my "no kidnapping or torture when stuck" year.  I'll be honest, while I love my previous two novels, they do have a very similar underlying plot - Someone wants one of my MCs for some reason.  That someone eventually manages to kidnap that MC.  Other characters must rush to save victim before victim is killed or whatever.  Somewhere in there torture and villain gloating ensue, though to which character varies.  Villain is way overpowered.

Like I said, I love those novels (even if no one will ever be allowed to read 2009's).  And yeah, other stuff is going on around that basic skeleton.  But I didn't want a third story that relied on that same old same old to keep me moving, no matter how entertaining I find it.

Nope, this year is apparently my "silly" year.  My goal was something lighter, preferably without the overpowered villain screwing with everyone.

I'll be honest, I've had motivation issues this year.  Starting from day 1, I didn't really want to write.  I've had a very hard time making word count, especially on days I work.  That first day, it was late afternoon before I realized I had barely written anything, in fact only premise set up, and didn't even have any MCs.  So I had to make myself make some.

Evi is 13, and grew up in an underground society.  Tradition states she has to spend a year on the surface world.  Leaf is a fairy boy, can talk to animals, and talks...oddly.  I love him way more than Evi, though she's starting to grow on me.  I'm afraid she's managed to pick up "hates confrontations" from me, so it's probably a good thing Leaf doesn't mind them.  Maybe he'll be able to solve problems.  If he does he'll be the first character I've ever had that can do that.

I've got a lady with too many children, I have pirates and ninjas, I have a person who is part bird part human who tells awful knock knock jokes...  I'm not so sure I have a plot other than "travel around and get into trouble and silliness", but that's ok.  My story is a tv show.

Poor Ethan, Alyssa's making you watch her favorite show every day.  You could get off the couch and do something else until it's over.  But no, you stay there and watch and then complain you hate it.  Well maybe the latest episode with the pirates and the sea monster and the ninjas will entertain you.  We'll have to see, but in the morning.

It's officially the end of the 15th day.  I should be at 25k.  I am at 18,789.  I'm doing better than I was word count wise than I did last year, but I really don't have an excuse.  Last year I was handwritting.  Of course I'd be doing better by typing, just by sheer virtue of the fact it's faster.  And yet I'm still only averaging a little over 1,000 words a day.  I'll catch up this weekend I hope, and preferably get ahead.  On the other hand, that may kill my motivation...lol

Now answer me this: Why is it that a chapter involving a sea monster, a mutiny, bad jokes, a pickpocket cat, capture by pirates, and rescue via distraction by ninjas shorter than a chapter about looking for a job and babysitting for the woman with too many children?  I mean really, babysitting takes up more words?  Fair enough I did get a chunk of change out of simply listing off all sixteen children, but gosh!

Now see, why can't I write story like I wrote this blog post? 600+ words no problem, gee!