Word Count
by Jeremy on Aug.08, 2006, under Uncategorized
Just an update to let everyone know about the word count thing on the right. I read what she wrote in 2005 and loved it, so I’m going to support her in her effort in 2006. I encourage any of my friends who may want to as well to e-mail me and I’ll send you the code to pull the word count.
Looking forward to reading the finished work in December, sweetie. 
Edit: Actually, you can go ahead and get the word count code from here, if you want it. Obviously, I didn’t go into any real detail in parsing the XML, I was just picking the word count out of it. Enjoy.
August 8th, 2006 on 8:08 pm
What, so if I’d written total crap you wouldn’t support me?
August 8th, 2006 on 8:09 pm
Exactly.
… of course I would. Did you even need to ask?
August 8th, 2006 on 8:10 pm
No, not really. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to get revenge. Because it’s so enjoyable. *nodnod*
August 8th, 2006 on 8:12 pm
Yes… Sweet sweet revenge…
… and now I’m trying to figure out who would enjoy my revenge more.
August 8th, 2006 on 8:24 pm
I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.
August 8th, 2006 on 8:25 pm
*Jeremy goes to buy plane tickets for tomorrow.
Soon enough for you?
August 8th, 2006 on 8:28 pm
Sit, boy!
August 8th, 2006 on 8:29 pm
Hey, hey! I’m no dog. *pokes*
Besides, I can’t buy the tickets for tomorrow, anyway. No one would be here to pick you up in Denver. *sigh*
August 8th, 2006 on 11:58 pm
Ah, a fellow writer.
Word count codes are neat . . . except that I would always be too lazy to update mine.
I sort of have one in my display name for MSN, but it hasn’t been updated lately.
/me is currently in the throes of editing novel #1.
Oooh . . . I have a shiny link under “People”. Well, for one thing, I’m glad to know that I qualify as, say, a “People” and not a “Meta” (what is a “Meta” anyway? Do “People” just make that sort of stuff up to scare other “People”?)
Er, excuse me, but I got completely sidetracked and no longer have any idea what is being said about anything. Oh yes. National Novel Writing Month looks interesting, although I’m not very good at speedwriting novels–short stories, yes, I usually do those in one sitting (or two) before the idea gets “cold” and I have to make more tea. Novels aren’t like that because the characters live inside me–I have pretty much the last half of book 3 all in my head right now even though book 1 is still being edited.
However, participating in such a contest is definitely a nice thing to do for those who have the time and inclination to do so, and much congratulations upon you, Onyx, for being the winner last year. May the team of robotic word counters look favourably upon you again.
Now, this “Submit Query” button is looking very tempting, but I shall avoid it for another few seconds in the vain hope that Jeremy has some sort of word limit on his comments, and that I’ve managed to inadvertently trip some sort of security device he’s coded into WordPress using his elite PHP skills (yes, these are the same mental skills that cause him to leave Zend Studio open for 72 consecutive hours only to have it eat its own memory).
*runs and ducks*
August 9th, 2006 on 2:03 am
*shoots and misses* I’ll get you, Tachyon-fellow! Just wait until the next time I pop into IRC…
August 9th, 2006 on 7:24 am
*Stalk!* (Kidding, heh!) Just wanted to say Hello and wish you a good day!
August 9th, 2006 on 10:47 am
Thanks! I hope you have a good one, yourself.
August 9th, 2006 on 11:09 am
To Tachyon:
The main thing about Nano (as those of us who are addicted like to call it, which causes much confusion with iPod users
) is that it teaches you how to stop worrying about how bad you suck and just WRITE. This is very useful to the anal perfectionists like me, who spend so much time worrying about getting it “just right” that they never get anything on the page at all. The basic idea is, if you can get something DONE, it doesn’t matter how bad it sucks because that’s what revision is for. But, you can’t revise unless you have a whole story to do it to. (Well, you CAN, but then you end up with a REALLY NICE version of chapter 1, and nothing else. 
)
And, you only have to write 1667 words a day to finish within the time limit. (I usually try for 2k a day…then if I don’t quite make my goal, it doesn’t matter, since my goal’s higher than it needs to be and chances are I’m ahead from previous 2k days anyway.
) So it doesn’t really take as much time as it sounds like it would. Unless, of course, you procrastinate as bad as the rest of us do. Type a paragraph, chat a bit on msn, type another paragraph, go pee, type another paragraph, get distracted reading 3 pages on a forum, type another paragraph…and the next thing you know it’s 2am and you have no brain cells left. 
Damn. Now I’m jonesing for nano.