The Studio - Days One, Two, and Three (plus a little extra)

Actually, we're just about to head to day five, but I kept forgetting to update the first three days. But better late then never, I suppose. But I will post day four, along with the next two days, in due time.

The Studio: Days One, Two, and Three

The first day at the studio went better than we had hoped - we managed to get all of our scratch tracks down, plus we got the final tracks in for one song, and part of the final tracks for another. (For those of you who don't know, a scratch track is a recording of the main vocals usually coupled with the dreadfully annoying thing called The Metronome. We then proceed to record the final tracks, keeping in time with the metronome, and the lead vocalist can focus on the instrument he/she is playing, instead of singing.)

Our recordings are done at Swallow Hill Music Association in Denver. Sound guy, we found, was very nice and very patient with certain eleven year old brothers I know of, who are fascinated with the complicated and very expensive sound equipment.

Second day also went pretty well. We managed to get another good chunk in the final instrumental tracks down.

On the third day, Sean started feeling pretty sick, so he had to quit early. We tried to get him feel better by getting him some Ginger Ale and letting him walk around outside to get fresh air, but that didn't work. So we did what we could without him, and then called it a day.

On our way out, Dad, carrying his bass, managed to knock into a snow-covered branch at just the right moment with the top of the bass. I was walking right behind him. Gotta love cold snow down your back.

And I know there are no pictures - that's because I keep forgetting my camera. >.O I'll bring it with me tomorrow and see if I can get some good shots out of it then of the studio. :D

Plus a little extra:

Looky! Benny has a kilt. (Mom said skirt. Dad insisted he was a Scottish bus and was therefore wearing a kilt.)

And Benny covered in snow:

Stay tuned for more!

Hi! Remember me?

So, waiting two months between posts is probably not a good thing, right? Especially since I started my blog with the intent to update it at least weekly?

Oh, well. I'm posting now. That's good, right?

A lot of things have been going on lately, too many things to really sum up in one post, which is why going so long without updating is such a bad idea. I could try, I suppose, to sum it up in one post, but I'm not going to do that right now. (I do have an update post in the works, though, for band related things.) Right now I'm going to talk about....

NANOWRIMO 2011

NaNoWriMo is approaching as quickly as a freight train. A very large and intimidating freight train carrying a load of over 50,000 words. Thousands of authors across the globe await nervously for it's arrival, sharpening their pencils and keyboards and stocking their shelves with coffee. (Because I doubt any of them will have the time to run to the grocery store.) Some dread it, some are so exited they're almost giddy.

Among the people embarking on this month of literary insanity is me, happily joining in the fun with several members and friends from TheLion'sCall and Holy Worlds. NaNoWriMo is so much more fun when doing it with others. And for me, it's a lot easier to actually get something done if someone's holding me accountable.

This would be my third year doing NaNo, and I'm quite interested to see how it goes. My first year went smoothly and quickly (perhaps too quickly), finishing my goal within six days, with the final word count being around 62,000 before December. My second year I only just barely got to the 50,000 word minimum at the end of the month. Two very sharp contrasts. So I have absolutely no estimates as to how well I think it'll go.

My novel that I'm working on is probably my all-time favorite of all of my stories. It's the first book of a Trilogy, temporarily titled The Allikkai Chronicles, called "Above the Gray Skies." The synopis on my NaNo page is as follows:

Allikkai and the Graylands: Two worlds stacked, unaware, on top of one another. One is mystical, thriving, and colorful - the other dead and isolated. But the two share the same fate.

The disinherited prince of the Graylands, Xennon, seeks a better future for his people and is willing to risk anything to lead them to safety. Breyanna is a cursed girl trying to win her place back into society. Together must piece together the puzzle of the Grayland's wretched state to prevent the same from tragedy from happening to his hope, and her home - The Land Above the Gray Skies.

So, my friends, prepare your pencils and flex your fingers! NaNo is approaching. And for those of you who are not participating in NaNo... I hope you don't miss us too much. :P

Happy Writing!