That whole archery thing has cooled down enough for me to want to write again. I've jumped back to writing The Chronicles now, glad too, I missed it! The Journalist wasn't going the way I wanted it to, I couldn't figure out a proper way to start it without making writing it boring, so I'm taking a brake from that.
I'm doing a bit of experimenting with The Chronicles on POV. I mean, the main character is still the same but I'm messing around with first person POV, where before I was doing third person limited. I'm wondering if first person will be better or not for the story since I've got a major character arc to follow. I'll have to see which one works better, it's too early to tell anything.
I know that third person is supposed to give more freedom for the author, and I like the way third person reads with a narrator telling the story, but I also like first person because it's more intimate with the character, hearing the story straight from the character instead of having the story told to you by a third party. But there's also those annoying things like every paragraph seeming to start with 'I' and the character sometimes seeming to act whiny and stuff.
I have read first person done well though. The Name of the Wind, for example, was in first person and was, in my opinion, done incredibly well (plus it was awesome).
But I think, when you look at all the books, most of the good books are written in third person. Is that because it's more accessible for people to read? Is it because first person is harder to write well in? Do readers, in general, like having the story told to them opposed to living through the character themselves?
And when I think about it, it seems to me like first person should be the easier POV to write in, because it's the POV everyone lives in. When we talk about ourselves we say things like: "I went to the store today and got. . ." or "My sister told me I should go try this great restaurant. . ." Not: "Mrs. Black went to the store that day and decided to get. . ." or "Her sister had told her to try a great restaurant. . ." So shouldn't it be easier to write in first person?
I'll have to try and figure out exactly why third person is more popular than first person.
What do you guys think? What's the pros and cons for first person and third person, and why does third person seem more popular than first person?
I'm sending good writing vibes your way!
Showing posts with label Chronicles of Siron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chronicles of Siron. Show all posts
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Planning Progress
I have made much progress since deciding to get down and actually try to plan The Chronicles. I have finally - finally - figured out why the villain guy is after the MC specifically and not just finding someone else, that's been one of the largest holes in my plot that I've found so far and I had absolutely no idea how to fix it.
What's funny though is that I did not figure it out while actively trying to figure out that particular plot hole. I had been trying to figure out the process the villain used to become the villain that he is. Doing this has resulted in a new kind of magic for the book (one which I am excited about) and a whole system of stuff that has filled another small plot hole that I know of. While I was writing about this new kind of magic it suddenly hit me that this new kind of magic is what makes the MC so special and why the villain is after him and not someone else.
I really wish that I could tell you guys everything about this book because I'm so excited about it but I'm afraid to because I wish for this stuff to be published some day. And I'm a little bit wary about sharing my ideas on the vast interwebs where anyone in the world can see them. I hope you guys understand :]
Anyways, so far planning has been going good, still have tons of other things to plan though, like where in the fantasy world the events of this story take place but. . . I'm a little less daunted now! Though due to a certain fanfic that someone pointed out, the planning may go a bit slower because that story is just so addicting and hilarious! If anyone likes Harry Potter fanfic, try reading that, it's one of the best I've read in a long while.
And thank you guys for the advice last post! It helped me out and kept me from mentally drowning in the innumerable things about this story that are just overwhelming my mind :)
What's funny though is that I did not figure it out while actively trying to figure out that particular plot hole. I had been trying to figure out the process the villain used to become the villain that he is. Doing this has resulted in a new kind of magic for the book (one which I am excited about) and a whole system of stuff that has filled another small plot hole that I know of. While I was writing about this new kind of magic it suddenly hit me that this new kind of magic is what makes the MC so special and why the villain is after him and not someone else.
I really wish that I could tell you guys everything about this book because I'm so excited about it but I'm afraid to because I wish for this stuff to be published some day. And I'm a little bit wary about sharing my ideas on the vast interwebs where anyone in the world can see them. I hope you guys understand :]
Anyways, so far planning has been going good, still have tons of other things to plan though, like where in the fantasy world the events of this story take place but. . . I'm a little less daunted now! Though due to a certain fanfic that someone pointed out, the planning may go a bit slower because that story is just so addicting and hilarious! If anyone likes Harry Potter fanfic, try reading that, it's one of the best I've read in a long while.
And thank you guys for the advice last post! It helped me out and kept me from mentally drowning in the innumerable things about this story that are just overwhelming my mind :)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Character Arc
Yesterday, Claudie A. posted about something she read in a book about writing. The book is Plot and Structure, and what Claudie posted about it is something that I've needed to know for awhile. It's a little tidbit about character arc. Now, you may not know this but The Chronicles, the whole trilogy, follows one big character arc, and a plot of course, but the character arc is just as important, if not more so, than the plot itself. I've been struggling with this because I'm not entirely sure how to drastically change a person throughout the course of the trilogy, or any length of time really. But this thing that was posted about character arc has helped clear some of the fog for me.
It's the four layers of protection that surround the core self-image everyone has of themselves. The four layers starting from the outermost to the innermost is: opinions, attitudes, values and beliefs. Change a couple opinions and an attitude changes, change a few attitudes and a value may change, change a couple values and a belief changes, change a few beliefs and, ultimately, the core self-image changes too.
That little bit of information has helped me immeasurably. I think I'll be getting that book too and see what else it has to say, and maybe look for a book or two specifically about the character arc. The funny thing is that I didn't entirely realize how badly I needed to know about the character arc until I read that post.
The way for planning this book is now a little bit clearer and I am so happy for this! Thank you Claudie.
It's the four layers of protection that surround the core self-image everyone has of themselves. The four layers starting from the outermost to the innermost is: opinions, attitudes, values and beliefs. Change a couple opinions and an attitude changes, change a few attitudes and a value may change, change a couple values and a belief changes, change a few beliefs and, ultimately, the core self-image changes too.
That little bit of information has helped me immeasurably. I think I'll be getting that book too and see what else it has to say, and maybe look for a book or two specifically about the character arc. The funny thing is that I didn't entirely realize how badly I needed to know about the character arc until I read that post.
The way for planning this book is now a little bit clearer and I am so happy for this! Thank you Claudie.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Getting a Proof Copy
I've just submitted year '09 NaNo, Angels, to createspace to get a free proof copy. The reason why I've submitted the NaNo from '09 and not the one from '10 is because I accidentally let last years free proof copy code go to waste. I had totally forgotten about it, kept putting it off because I didn't think it was ready to be in such a printed form. And before I knew it six months had passed and the code was no good.
Anyway, I didn't do a proof of The Chronicles because I'm actively working on it and the first draft is bad. Well, Angels is bad too, horrible really I cringe every time I read some of it, but it'd still be nice to have an actual copy of it. I'll probably begin to rework it, I've got so many different ideas on what I could do with angels, maybe I'll work on it during those times I get tired of working on The Chronicles.
So here's the cover that I made for the proof copy:
Anyway, I didn't do a proof of The Chronicles because I'm actively working on it and the first draft is bad. Well, Angels is bad too, horrible really I cringe every time I read some of it, but it'd still be nice to have an actual copy of it. I'll probably begin to rework it, I've got so many different ideas on what I could do with angels, maybe I'll work on it during those times I get tired of working on The Chronicles.
So here's the cover that I made for the proof copy:
(Click it to make it bigger)
That's the spine and back cover too. I don't really like the summary, but couldn't really think of how to make it better. . . Otherwise I really like it! I think it's a lot better than the one little cover I made back in '09, right before I wrote the book. The book in total also came out to 190 pages after it was formatted. That surprised me because I thought it would be 150 pages at the most. So I'm really excited and can't wait to get the proof! Has anyone else gotten a proof copy of their book(s)? Did it come out good?
I've also found this really awesome place called the Cartographers Guild, a forum for people who like to draw maps. There's some really useful tutorials there for doing things in photoshop or gimp and stuff and many of the people there are very talented. Some of the maps are really artistic and beautiful.
Hope everyone's doing well!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Characters and Contests
Hello everyone!
I don't think I've said anything yet (cause I've been so busy reading The Name of the Wind) but I've got all my writing help books in! Well, except for the one about making languages because, apparently, it took them four days to figure out they no longer had that book before shipping off the other three. And unless I want to buy a new one from 84$ and a used one from 190$ I don't think I'm going to be getting one very soon.
Anyway the other three books are awesome! I got How to Write a Damn Good Novel which is awesome so far and Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting which is awesome as well. Though so far I like the damn good novel one more than the screenplay one. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland isn't exactly what I had expected, it's more like an encyclopedia of cliche's than. . . Well, a 'help me write' book.
I'm actually starting to do some character development as well, for only my main character so far. It's fun, I learned a few things about him that I didn't know (like an unfortunate encounter with acid) so things are coming along nicely. However he's not very nice and if he ever met me he'd probably try to kill me, being his author and all. . .
Oh! For those of you interested in contests Tahareh at Grab a Pen is giving away two gift cards for those who follow her and comment on this post. You can do a couple other things to up the number of times your entered, just read the post. If you enter I wish you luck!
Have a nice day everyone!
I don't think I've said anything yet (cause I've been so busy reading The Name of the Wind) but I've got all my writing help books in! Well, except for the one about making languages because, apparently, it took them four days to figure out they no longer had that book before shipping off the other three. And unless I want to buy a new one from 84$ and a used one from 190$ I don't think I'm going to be getting one very soon.
Anyway the other three books are awesome! I got How to Write a Damn Good Novel which is awesome so far and Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting which is awesome as well. Though so far I like the damn good novel one more than the screenplay one. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland isn't exactly what I had expected, it's more like an encyclopedia of cliche's than. . . Well, a 'help me write' book.
I'm actually starting to do some character development as well, for only my main character so far. It's fun, I learned a few things about him that I didn't know (like an unfortunate encounter with acid) so things are coming along nicely. However he's not very nice and if he ever met me he'd probably try to kill me, being his author and all. . .
Oh! For those of you interested in contests Tahareh at Grab a Pen is giving away two gift cards for those who follow her and comment on this post. You can do a couple other things to up the number of times your entered, just read the post. If you enter I wish you luck!
Have a nice day everyone!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Some Major Changes
My first post of the year!
Yeah. I have no excuses for not posting for so long. I was just being lazy. So much for the 'Quit procrastinating' thing.
BUT! The good news is that my story, The Chronicles, is slowly coming together, bit by bit. I think that I'll actually begin writing it within a month. Something that sorta bothers me though is that the story is pretty much completely different then what I wrote for NaNo. I mean, don't get me wrong; what I have now is way better than what I had during NaNo. But this will just be another first draft, not a revised or second draft or anything.
The basic idea of the plot I originally used is still there, if you peer really closely. It's been so stretched out of shape that it's almost completely different. New elements are being added, one of which I am so excited to have thought of, and others are being taken away some that I wish didn't have to go.
Like the dragons. I'm still on the fence about it but I'm pretty sure they wont make it into the story. At least not with human or greater sentience. If dragons appear in the story it will most likely be as an animal. This is disappointing for me, because I am attached to the dragon characters I had, Oris in particular, but there's just no need for them, really.
Another race of beings will be taking their place though, and these beings aren't there just to be there, they are actually important to the plot this time around. If only I could figure out what they looked like. . .
And remember the remnants in my first NaNo book (the one named 'Remnants' :p)? I believe I mentioned them in the summary. Well, their numbers have been cut. There used to be nine. Now, this may be a silly reason for cutting down the number but when I realized that was the exact number as the ring wraiths in The Lord of the Rings it just had to be cut down, not entirely because I was thinking of other people noticing but because once I had made the connection that was all I could see. Nine ring wraiths. Crap.
But having to cut the number down has actually worked in my favor! You see I cut it down once, being very disgruntled about having to do so in the first place and so, focused as my mind was on the number I had to cut it down to, a brilliant idea popped into my head. The number was a significant number, very significant. Apparently significant to a certain religion in my book, which I didn't know it was until that moment. But I would have to increase their numbers by one, thankfully it wasn't the number nine. And so, this had given a solid reason for there to be as many as them as there are other than mere coincidence!
And the third most prominent thing that is being changed is that the main character, Siron (name now subject to change), is getting a sibling. This is going to completely change his personality and psychological state from what is was previously, especially when it comes to fighting against the 'evil' people and what not. And no, it's probably not how you're thinking.
Remember that book The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss that I talked about awhile ago? Well I finally ordered it. I had to get it from the internet though because, well, I got the UK edition instead of the US edition. Why? Because I like the cover for the UK edition so much more! That may superficial, and yes, it probably is, but hey, it's really cool looking. And it took me forever to find it in hardcover, seems like they don't print the UK Hardcover edition anymore or something. Can't wait until it gets here, and more importantly to read it!
Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll try not to go so long without posting this time!
Yeah. I have no excuses for not posting for so long. I was just being lazy. So much for the 'Quit procrastinating' thing.
BUT! The good news is that my story, The Chronicles, is slowly coming together, bit by bit. I think that I'll actually begin writing it within a month. Something that sorta bothers me though is that the story is pretty much completely different then what I wrote for NaNo. I mean, don't get me wrong; what I have now is way better than what I had during NaNo. But this will just be another first draft, not a revised or second draft or anything.
The basic idea of the plot I originally used is still there, if you peer really closely. It's been so stretched out of shape that it's almost completely different. New elements are being added, one of which I am so excited to have thought of, and others are being taken away some that I wish didn't have to go.
Like the dragons. I'm still on the fence about it but I'm pretty sure they wont make it into the story. At least not with human or greater sentience. If dragons appear in the story it will most likely be as an animal. This is disappointing for me, because I am attached to the dragon characters I had, Oris in particular, but there's just no need for them, really.
Another race of beings will be taking their place though, and these beings aren't there just to be there, they are actually important to the plot this time around. If only I could figure out what they looked like. . .
And remember the remnants in my first NaNo book (the one named 'Remnants' :p)? I believe I mentioned them in the summary. Well, their numbers have been cut. There used to be nine. Now, this may be a silly reason for cutting down the number but when I realized that was the exact number as the ring wraiths in The Lord of the Rings it just had to be cut down, not entirely because I was thinking of other people noticing but because once I had made the connection that was all I could see. Nine ring wraiths. Crap.
But having to cut the number down has actually worked in my favor! You see I cut it down once, being very disgruntled about having to do so in the first place and so, focused as my mind was on the number I had to cut it down to, a brilliant idea popped into my head. The number was a significant number, very significant. Apparently significant to a certain religion in my book, which I didn't know it was until that moment. But I would have to increase their numbers by one, thankfully it wasn't the number nine. And so, this had given a solid reason for there to be as many as them as there are other than mere coincidence!
And the third most prominent thing that is being changed is that the main character, Siron (name now subject to change), is getting a sibling. This is going to completely change his personality and psychological state from what is was previously, especially when it comes to fighting against the 'evil' people and what not. And no, it's probably not how you're thinking.
Remember that book The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss that I talked about awhile ago? Well I finally ordered it. I had to get it from the internet though because, well, I got the UK edition instead of the US edition. Why? Because I like the cover for the UK edition so much more! That may superficial, and yes, it probably is, but hey, it's really cool looking. And it took me forever to find it in hardcover, seems like they don't print the UK Hardcover edition anymore or something. Can't wait until it gets here, and more importantly to read it!
Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll try not to go so long without posting this time!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Christmas is almost here!
This is the reason I haven't posted in so long. I had to get gifts for my parents and help my mom figure out what to get everyone. I got my dad a tomahawk. Still don't know what he'll think of it but it's really cool looking. I got my mom a silver necklace shaped like an angel wing, reminiscent of my '09 NaNo about angels and how my love of angel wings came to be. She'll love it, I know. We got my dad one of those electric cigarettes and we're going to slowly get him to quite by lowering the tobacco content over an extended period of time, haha :) But that was a wild goose chase, we originally bought it at the mall, one of those little booth stores in the middle, and went home, got online to see if we could get it cheaper, thinking we could return it if we found it somewhere else. We did find it, way cheaper. So cheap we could buy three (two extra for gifts for others in the family) and a bunch of different flavors. My mom called up the people we bought the cigarette from at the mall and they said that the website sold refurbished ones. So she then called the website when finished with the mall people and they said they weren't refurbished in any way, so she ordered them.
So, today we went to the mall to take back the other one, and find out that they don't do refunds. Only exchanges. My mom was livid but there wasn't really anything she could do, no matter what she said. The people did not tell us that they didn't accept refunds and that's just not right to do to you're customers. So, we exchanged it for a case and refill things and, well, that's it. But we learned our lesson. Don't buy something until you check online first, and don't trust those people at those stores in the middle.
Whew. Anyway.
I really like the atmosphere of the time leading up to Christmas, it's jut a kind of lighthearted feeling that doesn't really come around during any other time of the year. Even in the chaos and stress of making sure you get everyone gifts (and what are you supposed to get everyone anyway!?) and you don't spend every last penny. What do you guys like about Christmas? Other than getting gifts, I mean ;)
I've been slacking off my story a bit this month, I thought I finished my map finally hardly a week ago but I've got to move the continents around some before I'm done and add in the islands. And I have been messing around with things like myths, customs and, cause of all this holiday cheer, potential holidays and where they may originate from for my worlds countries.
I'm also going to compile my list of goals for next year before the month is out, though I have a strange feeling it will have to do with writing.
This is the reason I haven't posted in so long. I had to get gifts for my parents and help my mom figure out what to get everyone. I got my dad a tomahawk. Still don't know what he'll think of it but it's really cool looking. I got my mom a silver necklace shaped like an angel wing, reminiscent of my '09 NaNo about angels and how my love of angel wings came to be. She'll love it, I know. We got my dad one of those electric cigarettes and we're going to slowly get him to quite by lowering the tobacco content over an extended period of time, haha :) But that was a wild goose chase, we originally bought it at the mall, one of those little booth stores in the middle, and went home, got online to see if we could get it cheaper, thinking we could return it if we found it somewhere else. We did find it, way cheaper. So cheap we could buy three (two extra for gifts for others in the family) and a bunch of different flavors. My mom called up the people we bought the cigarette from at the mall and they said that the website sold refurbished ones. So she then called the website when finished with the mall people and they said they weren't refurbished in any way, so she ordered them.
So, today we went to the mall to take back the other one, and find out that they don't do refunds. Only exchanges. My mom was livid but there wasn't really anything she could do, no matter what she said. The people did not tell us that they didn't accept refunds and that's just not right to do to you're customers. So, we exchanged it for a case and refill things and, well, that's it. But we learned our lesson. Don't buy something until you check online first, and don't trust those people at those stores in the middle.
Whew. Anyway.
I really like the atmosphere of the time leading up to Christmas, it's jut a kind of lighthearted feeling that doesn't really come around during any other time of the year. Even in the chaos and stress of making sure you get everyone gifts (and what are you supposed to get everyone anyway!?) and you don't spend every last penny. What do you guys like about Christmas? Other than getting gifts, I mean ;)
I've been slacking off my story a bit this month, I thought I finished my map finally hardly a week ago but I've got to move the continents around some before I'm done and add in the islands. And I have been messing around with things like myths, customs and, cause of all this holiday cheer, potential holidays and where they may originate from for my worlds countries.
I'm also going to compile my list of goals for next year before the month is out, though I have a strange feeling it will have to do with writing.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
My Map!
The last two days have been fun! I'm almost done with my ginormous map and when I say 'ginormous' I mean ginormous. Take a look:
Click on it to get the full effect. The cellphone is just to give you an idea of how big it is. I had to move my couch out of the way cause there wasn't enough floor space after awhile. I probably went overboard regarding how big this thing is, but there is no way I would've been able to draw it on a small piece of paper, I just wouldn't be able to wrap my mind around drawing a whole world with continents and stuff on a little piece of printer paper.
Although, I did have a much smaller map that I was using before I drew this big one:
That's all I had before but then I traced it onto the bigger paper and added on and on and. . . Well, you get it.
I actually have to add one or two more continents before I'm done with it but I got too excited and took pictures of it, traced it into the computer using GIMP and made it look like an awesome map! Something I've never gotten to do before because I never had a desktop before with an actual MOUSE! All I had before was a 13'' laptop. But, anyway, here is the awesomeness of my map as it is so far:
Click on iiit!
I've still gotta add mountains and stuff like that and make it look more. . . map-ish and stuff but I'll do that after I figure everything out :D
Haha, okay. This is the first time I've drawn a map of this magnitude and actually got to put it in the computer to do stuff like this to it so I'm a bit excited right now. Drawing this map had been an awesome inspiration and brainstorm too! I've got ideas for different countries and conflicts and ways of transportation AND I think my story may take place somewhere else than I had it set all this time, but we'll see :D
Friday, December 10, 2010
A Somewhat Major Breakthrough
I have belatedly realized that my series needs a lot more work than previously anticipated.
A lot more.
Though, really, this shouldn't be so surprising to me. After all it was a NaNo and everything. But really, I don't think I could ever have expected the sheer amount of work that will need to go into this story. The research and the reworking and everything. Last night, I discovered that every single one of my characters are as flat as the paper they're written on, and will continue to be so unless I work on them. I learned that the world needs a lot more work, and not just the history and legends and that kind of thing, but the lay of the land. Mountains, forests, things like that. Even the cities themselves are flat. The cities I wrote about have no character, aren't unique in any particular way. I didn't differentiate very much of anything between countries and the like, I actually hardly even mention them.
And then there is the magical system which needs to be much more defined and developed than it is at the moment. It's really quite pathetic right now I think. I've still gotta figure out the rules for the magic and so many things.
So, in short, my book is a pile of slush at the moment and is in desperate need of revisions and research.
But, even though I am a bit put out by this revelation, I am actually excited. Like, really excited. The only problem is that I'm not entirely sure where to start. I mean, I know what I need to research, but I just don't know where to start with it all.
But I did actually do something substantial regarding my story today. I greatly expanded the small map I had previously. I really like it, I want to take a picture of it but am wary of doing so. I had to break out the giant floor pad paper that we got years ago for my baby cousin. This thing is like two and a half foot wide and two foot tall. I traced my previous map onto here and then added to it, bringing more of the world onto the page. It's fabulous but still only a small fraction of the world. I have a very strong urge to tear out a bunch of these large pieces of paper and tape them together and draw until I have all the world finished. I might actually do that tonight, it sounds fun! But I have a feeling it will be ridiculously large. . .
I have decided that it is a near waste of time to read through my book any longer at this point because so much of it needs to be trashed and I already have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done. I'm going to get all this research and stuff out of the way so I can have a more developed world and more developed characters and then I will start over, write everything from scratch again. I have a feeling that by that point the whole story will be different, but I know that it will be a better different, and that it will be so much better than what I have right now.
And also, has anyone read or heard of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss?
I remember finding it awhile ago and thinking it might be good but I never bought it or anything, just put it on the wish list. But the other day Ted Cross mentioned Patrick Rothfuss's blog and I checked it out and remembered The Name of the Wind, read the excerpt and have decided that it will probably be one of the best books I will have read.
I had totally forgotten about this book until the day before yesterday, but since then, I have been obsessed with it and made the mistake of tacking it on to what I want for Christmas. So now, I can't really buy it until after Christmas because someone may have bought it as a gift. I so wish I had said nothing.
And another awesome thing is that this is a BIG book. Like nearly 700 pages big. And his second book (which will be out in march)? Well, it's just over 900 pages long.
So, if anyone has read this book, please let me know what you thought! (Spoiler free, of course.)
A lot more.
Though, really, this shouldn't be so surprising to me. After all it was a NaNo and everything. But really, I don't think I could ever have expected the sheer amount of work that will need to go into this story. The research and the reworking and everything. Last night, I discovered that every single one of my characters are as flat as the paper they're written on, and will continue to be so unless I work on them. I learned that the world needs a lot more work, and not just the history and legends and that kind of thing, but the lay of the land. Mountains, forests, things like that. Even the cities themselves are flat. The cities I wrote about have no character, aren't unique in any particular way. I didn't differentiate very much of anything between countries and the like, I actually hardly even mention them.
And then there is the magical system which needs to be much more defined and developed than it is at the moment. It's really quite pathetic right now I think. I've still gotta figure out the rules for the magic and so many things.
So, in short, my book is a pile of slush at the moment and is in desperate need of revisions and research.
But, even though I am a bit put out by this revelation, I am actually excited. Like, really excited. The only problem is that I'm not entirely sure where to start. I mean, I know what I need to research, but I just don't know where to start with it all.
But I did actually do something substantial regarding my story today. I greatly expanded the small map I had previously. I really like it, I want to take a picture of it but am wary of doing so. I had to break out the giant floor pad paper that we got years ago for my baby cousin. This thing is like two and a half foot wide and two foot tall. I traced my previous map onto here and then added to it, bringing more of the world onto the page. It's fabulous but still only a small fraction of the world. I have a very strong urge to tear out a bunch of these large pieces of paper and tape them together and draw until I have all the world finished. I might actually do that tonight, it sounds fun! But I have a feeling it will be ridiculously large. . .
I have decided that it is a near waste of time to read through my book any longer at this point because so much of it needs to be trashed and I already have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done. I'm going to get all this research and stuff out of the way so I can have a more developed world and more developed characters and then I will start over, write everything from scratch again. I have a feeling that by that point the whole story will be different, but I know that it will be a better different, and that it will be so much better than what I have right now.
I remember finding it awhile ago and thinking it might be good but I never bought it or anything, just put it on the wish list. But the other day Ted Cross mentioned Patrick Rothfuss's blog and I checked it out and remembered The Name of the Wind, read the excerpt and have decided that it will probably be one of the best books I will have read.
I had totally forgotten about this book until the day before yesterday, but since then, I have been obsessed with it and made the mistake of tacking it on to what I want for Christmas. So now, I can't really buy it until after Christmas because someone may have bought it as a gift. I so wish I had said nothing.
And another awesome thing is that this is a BIG book. Like nearly 700 pages big. And his second book (which will be out in march)? Well, it's just over 900 pages long.
So, if anyone has read this book, please let me know what you thought! (Spoiler free, of course.)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
So Here I Am. . .
Wow.
Like, wow.
I've had no idea what to do with myself today, other than play those video games I've been dreaming about but it's been very strange, to say the least. I feel like I should be writing, but that guilt that has plagued me for most of the month is absent. It feels sorta empty, to tell the truth. I can't believe I'm already starting to miss NaNo, maybe I really am insane ;)
Tomorrow though I'm going to start writing again, I at least want to finish The Journalist sometime soon, and I'm going to be going over The Chronicles, re-plot everything and see what can be salvaged from it. Ooh, I can't wait to print that sucker out. . . It's the most I've ever written so far on a single story line!
This last month has been crazy, much crazier than last year, I think. I've learned a lot from the experience. Like how to just write things because they sound interesting instead of sticking straight to the outline, and how to use an outline as well and not just pantsing the story. I've written something very different than what I have before, trying to go with a deadly serious tone and still not sure whether it was a fail or a win. I've been working on creating a very diverse character with a personality changing story arc that I've never before attempted, straying from the path of good natured character that I usually write into the dark evil characters, which has really been a joyful journey for me. I also dabbled in writing today's modern world with a touch (or perhaps an explosion) of magic in it with The Journalist and found that I am loving it immensely, it is the first story I've actually begun writing that has anything to do with our world, because I usually detest writing about the world we live in from day to day with the usual technology and everything, but in The Journalist it strangely fits perfectly.
I've also tried really hard to put in more detail of the surrounding scenery in my writing, as my cousin pointed out there wasn't enough of when she read some of last years story and I've begun to notice it really was very severely lacking. Like it really was all in my head :p
This month, I've also learned that I can write a ridiculous amount of words (or to some other people, not so ridiculous) in a very small amount of time, while procrastinating to the max. I mean, come on, I went days without writing a word. I don't remember going a single day without writing last November, yet I only wrote the minimum 50k last year. So. . . Those are some of the things I've learned this month. I've discovered many things I need to work on, many other things that I enjoy, and that no matter how utterly painful it is for me to write sometimes, I still enjoy it in some twisted way, even those really tough bits where I'm writing a word a minute and my brain just feels like it's melting into mush, I even like it then because I'm writing. And today, even though I got to play World of Warcraft, I just don't feel as satisfied with myself as I am after a day of writing.
Cheers to writing, to National Novel Writing Month and to amazing stories winner or not! We've all made it to the other side.
Like, wow.
I've had no idea what to do with myself today, other than play those video games I've been dreaming about but it's been very strange, to say the least. I feel like I should be writing, but that guilt that has plagued me for most of the month is absent. It feels sorta empty, to tell the truth. I can't believe I'm already starting to miss NaNo, maybe I really am insane ;)
Tomorrow though I'm going to start writing again, I at least want to finish The Journalist sometime soon, and I'm going to be going over The Chronicles, re-plot everything and see what can be salvaged from it. Ooh, I can't wait to print that sucker out. . . It's the most I've ever written so far on a single story line!
This last month has been crazy, much crazier than last year, I think. I've learned a lot from the experience. Like how to just write things because they sound interesting instead of sticking straight to the outline, and how to use an outline as well and not just pantsing the story. I've written something very different than what I have before, trying to go with a deadly serious tone and still not sure whether it was a fail or a win. I've been working on creating a very diverse character with a personality changing story arc that I've never before attempted, straying from the path of good natured character that I usually write into the dark evil characters, which has really been a joyful journey for me. I also dabbled in writing today's modern world with a touch (or perhaps an explosion) of magic in it with The Journalist and found that I am loving it immensely, it is the first story I've actually begun writing that has anything to do with our world, because I usually detest writing about the world we live in from day to day with the usual technology and everything, but in The Journalist it strangely fits perfectly.
I've also tried really hard to put in more detail of the surrounding scenery in my writing, as my cousin pointed out there wasn't enough of when she read some of last years story and I've begun to notice it really was very severely lacking. Like it really was all in my head :p
This month, I've also learned that I can write a ridiculous amount of words (or to some other people, not so ridiculous) in a very small amount of time, while procrastinating to the max. I mean, come on, I went days without writing a word. I don't remember going a single day without writing last November, yet I only wrote the minimum 50k last year. So. . . Those are some of the things I've learned this month. I've discovered many things I need to work on, many other things that I enjoy, and that no matter how utterly painful it is for me to write sometimes, I still enjoy it in some twisted way, even those really tough bits where I'm writing a word a minute and my brain just feels like it's melting into mush, I even like it then because I'm writing. And today, even though I got to play World of Warcraft, I just don't feel as satisfied with myself as I am after a day of writing.
Cheers to writing, to National Novel Writing Month and to amazing stories winner or not! We've all made it to the other side.
Monday, November 29, 2010
My New Story Is Working! (Day 29)
Well, I'm already behind by at least 5k but I think that'll be okay. I've wrote about 4 1/2 thousand today and plan to write about 3k more tonight so I can get up on that 5k I'm behind on, so according to this plan, I should reach 100k tomorrow!
You see, I got behind because I was thinking yesterday was the 27th instead of the 28th, that threw me for a loop when I woke up today and was 5k behind, but it's all good :)
I've started on that story I said I would with the villain and stuff, it's good so far, a lot better than I thought of course, and I've got 3k on it already, I'm really excited about it because I haven't ever written anything quite like it and the story starts out with this tension. I mean, my stories usually start out with tension or action but it's sort of a prologue style thing and then after that little snippet we start the real story that usually starts out calm-ish. But this one start out with tension, it's not a prologue, and my mc is fixing to get the life scared out of him, or shocked, or, well, he might just have a heart attack so everything is going really good :D
And it's refreshing, to write about something else. You see, yesterday I nearly wrote 1k about this brand new idea that came up yesterday, code named 'Fork' (don't ask) but I just wasn't feeling it, it wasn't keeping my interest so I stopped, went back to the Chonicles and wrote on. But today, after working on the Chronicles some I decided it was time to crack open that new story and get started, and I am so glad I did!
I hope everyone is on the road to winning and is enjoying their stories! Let's do this thing >:D
You see, I got behind because I was thinking yesterday was the 27th instead of the 28th, that threw me for a loop when I woke up today and was 5k behind, but it's all good :)
I've started on that story I said I would with the villain and stuff, it's good so far, a lot better than I thought of course, and I've got 3k on it already, I'm really excited about it because I haven't ever written anything quite like it and the story starts out with this tension. I mean, my stories usually start out with tension or action but it's sort of a prologue style thing and then after that little snippet we start the real story that usually starts out calm-ish. But this one start out with tension, it's not a prologue, and my mc is fixing to get the life scared out of him, or shocked, or, well, he might just have a heart attack so everything is going really good :D
And it's refreshing, to write about something else. You see, yesterday I nearly wrote 1k about this brand new idea that came up yesterday, code named 'Fork' (don't ask) but I just wasn't feeling it, it wasn't keeping my interest so I stopped, went back to the Chonicles and wrote on. But today, after working on the Chronicles some I decided it was time to crack open that new story and get started, and I am so glad I did!
I hope everyone is on the road to winning and is enjoying their stories! Let's do this thing >:D
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Dark Night Parody Video (Day 17)
Well, things have been slow going with my novel so far. Not because it isn't good, I'm actually getting to some good bits, it's just that there's that other idea. I've got three quarters of my brain concentrated on the Chronicles and the last quarter, you know the important one, is all over the new idea. And slowly it is taking over the rest of my mind. I am very very tempted to put the Chronicles on hold so I can write about this new idea but I can't do that. I'm afraid I won't finish the Chronicles if I go on to write this new idea. So. . . I guess I'll have to wait.
If I have the self discipline, that is.
But I have something awesome to show you this post! The Dark Night parody/music video that is so expertly done it's hard to believe it wasn't done by a movie director, you have to watch it!
I have no words for how awesome that was! I just found it last night and was in complete awe! They have done a couple other parodies and some other videos, they have a website here, so go check it out!
Hope you enjoyed that video :D
If I have the self discipline, that is.
But I have something awesome to show you this post! The Dark Night parody/music video that is so expertly done it's hard to believe it wasn't done by a movie director, you have to watch it!
I have no words for how awesome that was! I just found it last night and was in complete awe! They have done a couple other parodies and some other videos, they have a website here, so go check it out!
Hope you enjoyed that video :D
Monday, November 15, 2010
No Wordcount, New Idea (Day 14/15)
Well, I missed yesterday. Mostly because my laptop wasn't connecting to the internet, but kinda not since I could have done it on the desktop. Just wasn't the same though. . . Anyway, laptops working now so all is well.
Well, except for the writing. If you look a bit to the right of this post you can see that not a word has been written yesterday or today. My laptop getting unconnected with the internet is a contributing factor cause it put me in a bad mood yesterday, but that's no excuse cause I don't need the internet to write. But it sure is nice. So I took it up to apple today to get it looked at, the guy clicked around at some stuff and now it's working again, miraculously! But then, as if to laugh at me, the electricity went out for about and hour or two before turning on and off every few minutes. It seems to be working well now, but you never know. . . It might go off right now.
But, I think I'm gonna get back to writing now, the break was fun while it lasted, I even read a whole entire book last night, The Giver by Lois Lowry which was a very very good book, I totally recommend it! Anyway, break over, now I need to start writing again! I might be able to get in a thousand or so tonight if I get going.
Oh, and today, I got this awesome idea for a new book! (No I wont be writing about it until the Chronicles of Siron is over, unfortunately) I was thinking about one of the things someone posted in the Adopt a Plot Twist over in the adoption Society at Nano. It said this: Main villain succeeds(or doesn't) at the end and a new even more evil villain enters the room and kills the first villain easily, hopefully surprising the reader. And I was just thinking about and then it hit me! I'm a bit tentative to post the idea here but by the time I actually start writing it it'll probably be something completely different anyway. So I was thinking what if the villain does win but another more powerful villain comes along and tries to take over, and with no one else to turn to all the good people have to go to the old villain for help to get rid of the new one, and the old villain also needs the good guys to help him?
I think that can make a very good story and I already can't wait to start planning it and everything. But after the Chronicles, of course.
And since I haven't posted my twitter account I'll give it here until I make a little sidebar button for it.
My twitter is: http://twitter.com/WritingBookOwl
Well, except for the writing. If you look a bit to the right of this post you can see that not a word has been written yesterday or today. My laptop getting unconnected with the internet is a contributing factor cause it put me in a bad mood yesterday, but that's no excuse cause I don't need the internet to write. But it sure is nice. So I took it up to apple today to get it looked at, the guy clicked around at some stuff and now it's working again, miraculously! But then, as if to laugh at me, the electricity went out for about and hour or two before turning on and off every few minutes. It seems to be working well now, but you never know. . . It might go off right now.
But, I think I'm gonna get back to writing now, the break was fun while it lasted, I even read a whole entire book last night, The Giver by Lois Lowry which was a very very good book, I totally recommend it! Anyway, break over, now I need to start writing again! I might be able to get in a thousand or so tonight if I get going.
Oh, and today, I got this awesome idea for a new book! (No I wont be writing about it until the Chronicles of Siron is over, unfortunately) I was thinking about one of the things someone posted in the Adopt a Plot Twist over in the adoption Society at Nano. It said this: Main villain succeeds(or doesn't) at the end and a new even more evil villain enters the room and kills the first villain easily, hopefully surprising the reader. And I was just thinking about and then it hit me! I'm a bit tentative to post the idea here but by the time I actually start writing it it'll probably be something completely different anyway. So I was thinking what if the villain does win but another more powerful villain comes along and tries to take over, and with no one else to turn to all the good people have to go to the old villain for help to get rid of the new one, and the old villain also needs the good guys to help him?
I think that can make a very good story and I already can't wait to start planning it and everything. But after the Chronicles, of course.
And since I haven't posted my twitter account I'll give it here until I make a little sidebar button for it.
My twitter is: http://twitter.com/WritingBookOwl
Saturday, November 13, 2010
End of Book 1 (Day 13)
Well, I have finally ended book one only at 57,405 words. I was initially wanting it to be around 75k but after realizing that most of the book was all wrong I just couldn't continue much farther with it. I'm going to start on book two which should be very cool, introducing a bunch of new stuff and the poor MC is going to go through so much I almost feel sorry for him (almost ;). But I can't wait to start, I'll probably be starting it in just a minute once I figure out just how to start it.
Otherwise, I've only written 1k words today so far and I'm upping my daily goal to 6k for a few days until I get back on track after being so fail yesterday :( I want to get these words out of the way quickly today so I can just do whatever so I need to hurry up so I can accomplish that goal >:D
I hope everyone is having less trouble with their stories than I am and am sending some good writing vibes your way )))))))))))
Otherwise, I've only written 1k words today so far and I'm upping my daily goal to 6k for a few days until I get back on track after being so fail yesterday :( I want to get these words out of the way quickly today so I can just do whatever so I need to hurry up so I can accomplish that goal >:D
I hope everyone is having less trouble with their stories than I am and am sending some good writing vibes your way )))))))))))
Friday, November 12, 2010
Bad Writing, Inspiring Video (Day 12)
Well, I've been busy all day and have only gotten 500 words written from when I woke to this moment. This sucks. Horribly. And now that I have time to write I don't exactly want to. This is bad.
But at this point I'm not going to push it, I'm just gonna have to make up for whatever I don't write today, but I am still going to write, I at least want 2,000 words in before I go to sleep tonight, so I best get crackin eh?
And also, since last nights epiphany and since I'm nearing the end of the first book I'm pretty much pantsing it now until I make my word count cause the whole entire book 1 needs to be re-planned and outlined, so I'm just going with how I know it must end and then trying to merge it to how the book should have been in the first place, if that makes any sense :p Anyways, so far so good.
Hey, this blog post is doing me good cause talking about my story is making me want to write it! This is good! I hope everyone is having more luck and that you all are writing the living daylights out of yourselves!
Also, watch this video, it's inspiring and full of awesome!
But at this point I'm not going to push it, I'm just gonna have to make up for whatever I don't write today, but I am still going to write, I at least want 2,000 words in before I go to sleep tonight, so I best get crackin eh?
And also, since last nights epiphany and since I'm nearing the end of the first book I'm pretty much pantsing it now until I make my word count cause the whole entire book 1 needs to be re-planned and outlined, so I'm just going with how I know it must end and then trying to merge it to how the book should have been in the first place, if that makes any sense :p Anyways, so far so good.
Hey, this blog post is doing me good cause talking about my story is making me want to write it! This is good! I hope everyone is having more luck and that you all are writing the living daylights out of yourselves!
Also, watch this video, it's inspiring and full of awesome!
Oh, Thanks, But I Would Have Liked To Know LAST MONTH!
I have just had a very important epiphany today regarding my story. Very important.
Almost everything I've been writing about should be in book two.
I feel sucker punched.
How the heck was I supposed to know!? Remnants - title and all - is book two! Only a small part of it is still book one, this is a absolute disaster! I'm supposed to be starting book two in a few days! Oh my gosh, this is just. . . I don't even know what to say.
Okay, let's see. The whole careful placing of plot points that I've written and carefully situated was all for naught because that should be in book two and I should have been concentrating on a whole other aspect in this book, and I can't believe I didn't see this earlier because now I've written 55,000 words of things that must go through superhorrificmajor changes! And then I have to recycle a lot of it into book two and make the mc all surprised/scared/etc. about the same thing all over again!
Well, I guess this is how it goes when writing a series. While I'm finishing up book one I guess I'll have to do my best to concentrate on what the book should have been leading up to and everything. And then book two shall be the way it's supposed to.
*sighing*
Well, I guess it's better to find out now than when I thought I was done with book two :] ;_;
Almost everything I've been writing about should be in book two.
I feel sucker punched.
How the heck was I supposed to know!? Remnants - title and all - is book two! Only a small part of it is still book one, this is a absolute disaster! I'm supposed to be starting book two in a few days! Oh my gosh, this is just. . . I don't even know what to say.
Okay, let's see. The whole careful placing of plot points that I've written and carefully situated was all for naught because that should be in book two and I should have been concentrating on a whole other aspect in this book, and I can't believe I didn't see this earlier because now I've written 55,000 words of things that must go through superhorrificmajor changes! And then I have to recycle a lot of it into book two and make the mc all surprised/scared/etc. about the same thing all over again!
Well, I guess this is how it goes when writing a series. While I'm finishing up book one I guess I'll have to do my best to concentrate on what the book should have been leading up to and everything. And then book two shall be the way it's supposed to.
*sighing*
Well, I guess it's better to find out now than when I thought I was done with book two :] ;_;
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Fabulous Day Today, Isn't It? (Day 11)
Well, it appears to not be as hard as I thought it would be to get myself to keep writing. Though I've only got about 2k words written they've been relatively easy. I guess wanting to get to the next book and all the other people who are surpassing the 50k mark, plus that really clean wordcount checklist, is really motivating me to keep writing. This is what I like about NaNo, it's so motivating!
Otherwise I've been in a very good mood today, the good mood started last night and I actually wanted to clean my room. I know, it was weird, I cleaned the whole entire room for 2-3 hours! My room is now cleaner than it has been for at least a year, everything is reorganized and it looks all nice and designed with my Japanese accents all over the place, I am so glad I did it!
But I still think it's weird.
I've got to get to finishing my 5k, I'll probably post another except very soon, I've just got to go figure out what part to post. . .
Oh, and also, I'm on page 15 of the 'who's got the highest wordcout' which is awesome because it wasn't too long ago that I was on, like, page 60 or something, let's see which page I can get to today!
Hope everything is going well for you guys! I'm just in such a good mood :D Have good nano luck!
Otherwise I've been in a very good mood today, the good mood started last night and I actually wanted to clean my room. I know, it was weird, I cleaned the whole entire room for 2-3 hours! My room is now cleaner than it has been for at least a year, everything is reorganized and it looks all nice and designed with my Japanese accents all over the place, I am so glad I did it!
But I still think it's weird.
I've got to get to finishing my 5k, I'll probably post another except very soon, I've just got to go figure out what part to post. . .
Oh, and also, I'm on page 15 of the 'who's got the highest wordcout' which is awesome because it wasn't too long ago that I was on, like, page 60 or something, let's see which page I can get to today!
Hope everything is going well for you guys! I'm just in such a good mood :D Have good nano luck!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
50,000 Ant Hills (Day 10 (and 9))
Well, I didn't post yesterday because I hardly had enough time to write yesterday, there was a meeting I had to go to which pretty much messed everything up >.< But I manages to get my 5k in and get it on the nano website at exactly 11:59 PM, so I was waaaay lucky.
But enough about yesterday, what about today?
I TOTALLY GOT TO 50,000 WORDS!!!!!!!
*ahem* Anyway, I got my 5k in way earlier than usual, and so got 50k about an hour or so ago. I am so happy because it took me all 22 days last year (22 days because I discovered it late) to get to 50k and here I did it in a measly ten. And I'm going for more :D
My next immediate goal is 100k which I hope to get to by the 20th and I'm sad to say that, because I made the 50k I'm thinking things like "Why put myself through the torture anymore if I've won?" and "Let's just take it easy; no more 5k a day!" but I can't let myself do that! I have to keep going to get to this personal goal I've set!
Also here's my old wordcount checklist and new one:
But enough about yesterday, what about today?
I TOTALLY GOT TO 50,000 WORDS!!!!!!!
*ahem* Anyway, I got my 5k in way earlier than usual, and so got 50k about an hour or so ago. I am so happy because it took me all 22 days last year (22 days because I discovered it late) to get to 50k and here I did it in a measly ten. And I'm going for more :D
My next immediate goal is 100k which I hope to get to by the 20th and I'm sad to say that, because I made the 50k I'm thinking things like "Why put myself through the torture anymore if I've won?" and "Let's just take it easy; no more 5k a day!" but I can't let myself do that! I have to keep going to get to this personal goal I've set!
Also here's my old wordcount checklist and new one:
(old)
(new)
Can't wait to start crossing some of those off! Starting tomorrow >:D
Also, I hope my story picks up some. It was getting pretty boring yesterday. Did you guys get the pep talk from Aimee Bender? You know how she was talking about that grocery store and ant hill thing? Well, today I noticed that I was concentrating way too hard on the grocery store and ignoring those ant hills I wanted to write, but I took her advice and wrote them because I wanted to and, yeah, I could take them out later. And guess what? It really picked things up for me and added to the plot in big ways, I think! So I say you should take her advice! If you suddenly want to write about a really cool ant hill that just popped into your head, even though your supposed to be writing about that grocery store, go for the ant hill anyway! Remember, you can still write about the grocery store and the ant hill and if later the ant hill doesn't fit, chuck it (only after nano :P) but that ant hill might bring up some really important things you hadn't thought about!
So, that's my wisdom of the day ;p Now go write about them ant hills!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
10k! And Somene Dissing NaNo (Day 2)
Today was very productive! I went out today and didn't get back until about two and didn't start writing until about two thirty/three o'clock yet I still finished my five thousand words two hours before last night in which I had the entire day with nothing but writing to do. I also have resisted the temptation to read the new book I got from half-price books today about linguistics (I'm finding I may be very interested in the subject) And I'll probably finally get to crack it open after this post :D
Already having ten thousand words written I can say that this year is going waaay better than last year so far! I think I mentioned last post that my aim is 5k a day and if I can keep up with it I will write 150k words this month, which means I would get to start on book two which I'm anxious to get to.
As for how my stories going, it's going great, I'm just getting to the starting of the plot stuff, I'm trying to figure out what to do with MC's friend, how to make it believable that he leaves with Siron and stuff. So it's going good, the world is still slowly taking shape and coming to life with things I didn't really think of before. There's already many things that I'll have to edit come December, I've forgotten to write many things, like how my MC even looks like. There's not even a mention of what he might look like and I find this a major problem. As well as forgetting to write the first major plot point in the prologue *headdesk*
Anyway, twitter continues to help me get my writing done with word sprints which I find I enjoy immensely. There has also been an anti-nanowrimo article done here. Read it if you dare. You will be filled simultaneously with rage and sadness for the person, rage because who is she to write such things about something she's never done before!? And sorrow cause she has no sense of fun or craziness or, apparently, a joy of writing just for the heck of it. In her own words she thinks we should do the "selfless art of reading" instead of the "narcissistic commerce of writing."
Anyway, one of these days I'll try to go for a 10k day so I can slack off a day or two if I feel I need it. Also, I'd like to see if I can actually write that much in a day :D It'll be hard but I think I'll go for it anyway.
I hope everyone is having a good nano so far cause I am ;) Good luck everyone!
Already having ten thousand words written I can say that this year is going waaay better than last year so far! I think I mentioned last post that my aim is 5k a day and if I can keep up with it I will write 150k words this month, which means I would get to start on book two which I'm anxious to get to.
As for how my stories going, it's going great, I'm just getting to the starting of the plot stuff, I'm trying to figure out what to do with MC's friend, how to make it believable that he leaves with Siron and stuff. So it's going good, the world is still slowly taking shape and coming to life with things I didn't really think of before. There's already many things that I'll have to edit come December, I've forgotten to write many things, like how my MC even looks like. There's not even a mention of what he might look like and I find this a major problem. As well as forgetting to write the first major plot point in the prologue *headdesk*
Anyway, twitter continues to help me get my writing done with word sprints which I find I enjoy immensely. There has also been an anti-nanowrimo article done here. Read it if you dare. You will be filled simultaneously with rage and sadness for the person, rage because who is she to write such things about something she's never done before!? And sorrow cause she has no sense of fun or craziness or, apparently, a joy of writing just for the heck of it. In her own words she thinks we should do the "selfless art of reading" instead of the "narcissistic commerce of writing."
Anyway, one of these days I'll try to go for a 10k day so I can slack off a day or two if I feel I need it. Also, I'd like to see if I can actually write that much in a day :D It'll be hard but I think I'll go for it anyway.
I hope everyone is having a good nano so far cause I am ;) Good luck everyone!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The "NaNo Mood"
Well I'm starting to get in the NaNo mood. I wasn't even aware I had one until today, seeing as this is only my second time around. But I suddenly got the urge to break out my fuzzy knitted scarf and soft faux fur hat that I seemed so fond of last year in November and just wear them around the house. Weird. I have actual writing totems that I didn't know I had. I'm wearing them right now as I type and am getting a tad nastolgic thinking about last year and excited about next month. Let me snap a picture of the items real quick. . .
So there they are in all their glory!
Another tradition I think I'm developing is buying a whole album of soundtrack songs to listen to will writing my novel. Last year I got the twilight score and soundtrack (but don't worry, no vampire made their way into my story), and later into the month the Avatar score. I've been getting the urge to get a soundtrack for a week or so now and today I finally did! I got the soundtrack to Assassin's Creed II. Despite it being a video game soundtrack it is very good and very movie soundtrack-esque sounding, more of a score than anything else. The songs on the album had more of the feel I was leaning towards and many of the songs have a thoughtful emotional edge that I'm loving, I can't wait to write to this soundtrack!
What do you guys listen to while writing? Does anyone else buy songs especially for their books? And does anyone else have certain items they use or have near them during Nanowrimo?
And guess what everyone!? I actually got some outlining done today! I've outlined up to chapter four and, believe it or not, I filled a gaping plot-hole up while outlining the prologue/chapter one! It was amazing! I had been worrying about this for awhile cause whether I could fill this plot-hole or not would decide whether Aurenna, a woman who lives in Siron's (the MC) head, would remain or be thrown out and I am rather fond of her. But now she's staying cause that worry has gone and a lot of other things have come up that could potentially fill up other plot-holes I have, so hurray! And to think I got all this from outling only four chapters! Imagine what I'll get from all the rest :D
Only 3 more days till Nano, I hope everyone is having the good luck I've happened to catch (compare this attitude to yesterday's (yes I just totally linked myself :P))
Have fun!!
So there they are in all their glory!
Another tradition I think I'm developing is buying a whole album of soundtrack songs to listen to will writing my novel. Last year I got the twilight score and soundtrack (but don't worry, no vampire made their way into my story), and later into the month the Avatar score. I've been getting the urge to get a soundtrack for a week or so now and today I finally did! I got the soundtrack to Assassin's Creed II. Despite it being a video game soundtrack it is very good and very movie soundtrack-esque sounding, more of a score than anything else. The songs on the album had more of the feel I was leaning towards and many of the songs have a thoughtful emotional edge that I'm loving, I can't wait to write to this soundtrack!
What do you guys listen to while writing? Does anyone else buy songs especially for their books? And does anyone else have certain items they use or have near them during Nanowrimo?
And guess what everyone!? I actually got some outlining done today! I've outlined up to chapter four and, believe it or not, I filled a gaping plot-hole up while outlining the prologue/chapter one! It was amazing! I had been worrying about this for awhile cause whether I could fill this plot-hole or not would decide whether Aurenna, a woman who lives in Siron's (the MC) head, would remain or be thrown out and I am rather fond of her. But now she's staying cause that worry has gone and a lot of other things have come up that could potentially fill up other plot-holes I have, so hurray! And to think I got all this from outling only four chapters! Imagine what I'll get from all the rest :D
Only 3 more days till Nano, I hope everyone is having the good luck I've happened to catch (compare this attitude to yesterday's (yes I just totally linked myself :P))
Have fun!!
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