NaNoWriMo

I did it.  I signed up for NaNoWriMo!  In case you don't know what that is, its the National Novel Writing Month and basically you have to write 50,000 words of a new novel in the month of November to "win."  Check out the website for all the details and to register... only one day left before we begin!

I have always wanted to participate, but haven't ever done it!  Since I'm nearing the END of my current novel, I'm feeling like I should give it a try!  My plan was to finish the end of my book before the end of the month and then give it out to a selected few for their take on it while I give it a break for a month.  Then during that time, I would begin something else.... haven't decided if I want to jump into the second book or if I want to try something totally different out... still chewing on that one.  

But I just had double knee surgery and so my progress has been slowed.  Or rather stopped.  Here it is one day before the end of the month and I should be in the home stretch!  But I still have three chapters left.  So I'm going to give myself a break and just try to finish as soon as I can, given my circumstances.  And in the meantime... I registered to do NaNoWriMo.  

I have two sisters that are doing it too, so that makes it even more fun!  I'm excited to be inspired and doing something at the same time as so many others!  There are lots of helpful tips from other authors and perks of finishing.  There are also local write-ins and things like that to help.  Plus, if you submit the final book, there are agents looking for that next best seller!  Anyway, after reading this post, it got me all inspired, and so I'm doing it!  

So, check it out!  JOIN ME!!  Let's be NaNoWriMo-ers together!

dizzylittlechatgirl

end of week 2- "a month of obsession"

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End of Week 2 of "a month of obsession."
Yay!  Made it to the end of two weeks.  Here are my numbers:

Jan 18- 640 (This was my one exception, but since I wrote 7K words right before, and I had a major family thing that day, I'm letting it be ok.)
Jan 19- 2,207
Jan 20- 2,034
Jan 21- 2,107
Jan 22-  2,113
Jan 23- Day Off

The best part is the feeling I get when I've hit my word count for the day.  There is nothing like it.  I get this huge grin on my face and I'm so excited!  The other thing that's really fun is to look at my 'project statistics' in Scrivener.  It keeps track of my word count for each section, but also the whole tally.  It tells me how many pages it would be printed out and how many that would translate to in paperback.  It is so exciting to see my progress when I'm writing like this!

I can't believe we are towards the end of January already!  This month has flown by and I'm so excited about what I have to show for it.

Ok gotta keep it going!!

end of week one- a month of obsession

END OF WEEK ONE!!


I am so proud to say that I have kept up with my goal, and even surpassed it!  Here are my numbers since last time:


Jan 13: 2,107
Jan 14: 2,125
Jan 15: 2,052
Jan 16: 7,116 (!!!!!!!!!)
Jan 17: Day Off


I can't even TELL you how much of a difference this is making.  I have had so many breakthroughs, it's intoxicating.  


The first thing I learned about writing 2000 words a day is that its DIFFICULT.  Sometimes, I just ended up sitting there.  Waiting.  Thinking.  Trying to be brilliant.  Or just maybe write a word- yes, let's start there.  


Before this Month Of Obsession, that's where I would have stopped.   But if I wasn't at my wordcount,  I couldn't stop anymore.   So I would just keep thinking, and thinking.  I had decided that I wouldn't let myself do anything else (internet, reading, movies, etc.) until I had hit my wordcount for the day.  Sometimes, that ate up the entire day.


But, you know what?  EVENTUALLY, I thought of something. Every. Time.  I didn't know I could do that!


Another thing I learned is something that I've read a bunch of times, and Stephen King says it in On Writing, but for some reason I didn't just LISTEN to him, I had learn it the hard way, of course.  Here it is: If you are IN your book, your story, your creation- ENOUGH- your brain starts connecting things in ways you have never experienced before.  It always takes me a little bit of time to get back IN it, before it starts flowing.  What I've found when I'm writing so much more is that I'm thinking about it ALL THE TIME.  I wake up thinking about a character.  I see something and suddenly think of a perfect way to tie in two seemingly unrelated story lines.  It became so real, I found myself dreaming about it, and waking up thinking of solutions, or where I will go next.  


Sunday was supposed to be my day off.  I don't know if since in my mind I was thinking I didn't HAVE to write, that it just all flowed, or what, but it was AMAZING.  I seriously couldn't stop.  Honestly I didn't get out of my pajamas until about 3 in the afternoon.  I just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote.  It was like I couldn't stop!  I was in the ZONE.  I mean... 7,116??  For me, that's a personal best.  :)


It's interesting, because I have been working on this series for years, and I have soooo much written.  But  a few months ago, I finally got the storyline SOLID.  I finally got it to work.  I figured out an ending and solidified how I was going to write it.   


Now its just getting it OUT.  On the paper.  


It really helped me to tell my friends and family about my commitment.  They ask me about it every day and keep me motivated and accountable.  


I havn't finished today, so I've got to go for now.  But it feels good to check in here, and say that I'm still going strong on A Month of Obsession!!

word count ~ 2000

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Feeling good, feeling good.  I have hit my goal every day so far:

Jan 10: 2006 words

Jan 11: 2093 words

Jan 12: 2570 words

The first day I hit it pretty easily.  The second day was rough.  But a day like that is exactly why I need a word count because when I pushed myself I FINALLY got it.  Granted, it was 10:30 at night.  But I got it. Yesterday I had my 2000 by 11am.  So it just kind of depends. I decided to tell family and friends about my commitment and that has really helped.  I didn't do that before because I think I was afraid that I would have to REALLY do it, no matter what.  So, once I got out of my own way... things are going nicely.

I am trying to read a lot lately, which I really believe helps with my writing.  I read a large variety of genres and authors, and that helps a lot too.  I'm in a book club and this month's book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which surprisingly I haven't read and I'm excited about.  I have also started next month's book, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare because I am moderating next month, so want to be ready.  For my psychological thriller, I'm reading Thr3e by Ted Decker.  

I also try to watch good movies, and I find that I pick up on different things from doing that.  On Sunday my husband and I watched The Godfather.  I hadn't seen it, which is unacceptable.  Fantastic movie, of course.   I'm excited to see the next two.  Yesterday for my lunch break, I watched "The Machinist," with Christian Bale.  I can't believe how much weight he lost for the part!   Holy hell, he was skin and bones- literally.  Crazy movie!  

I swear its good for me to be exposed to a lot of books and movies while I'm writing.  Yes, for my job, I get to read lots of great books and watch movies, all in the name of research. :)      

A MONTH OF OBSESSION... continues.....

a lesson from my learning curve...

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Happy New year!  Sorry its been a little while, but the holidays just grabbed a hold of me! :)  That's ok, I spent a lot of time with family and friends.  And my manuscript.  So that was good!  I also read a bunch of books: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, How to Write Killer Fiction, The Girl that Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The Firm and The Uglies (my reviews are on my goodreads).  


So.  It's a new year.  2011.  I have very high hopes for this year.  Things are going to be better, Im going to be better, more dedicated etc.  My biggest new years resolution is obvious: FINISH BOOK 1.  And not by the end of the year.... SOON!  Im gonna become OBSESSED.  That's my goal- obsession. 


I feel like Im on such a good track with it right now.  I have a solid outline and Im no longer struggling with the ending (of the trilogy).  I have a SOLID plan.  Seems like I should have had that before now right?  Well, originally the story started with what is now book 2, and so in developing my antagonist in book one, I fell in love with the character, and was struggling with having the character do what he/she does.  But I think that's what will make this character great.  A complex character, with decisions that aren't black and white at all.   Characters that are faced with impossible situations, where no matter what they choose, it will change them and stretch them.  


Another thing I decided, or rather learned the hard way, was that I am going to write the book from multiple viewpoints in 3rd person limited.  There are a series of things that I have learned a long the way that I WISH I would have known at the beginning.  This is one of them, so I'm going to give you the cliff notes of my research.


Point of View- this is a HUGE deal.  I didn't think it was, or I thought I understood it, but I didn't.  POV  will dramatically change how your book is written and how you shed light on things as the author.  


First Person (Thoughts and feelings of one main character who is telling the story) First person will always have "I" in it.  This is a good choice for a first time writer because it's not confusing at all and you can help the readers feel like they are inside the head of the character, allowing them to identify with the author fully.


examples: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox, The Woods by Harlan Coban


Second Person (Turns the reader into the character) Second person will have "you" in it.  This is not used very often and is not a good choice for a first time writer.


example: The Orchids by Thomas Cook


Third Person Omniscient (All knowing, can include thoughts and feelings of any character and can head-hop within scenes).  This is a good choice for a huge body of work, something like Lord of the Rings, because you can move your story forward and let the reader in on many viewpoints along the way.  The downside of this point of view is that there will always be a barrier between the reader and the characters.  They will never feel as if they are IN the situation, which you can achieve with either first person or third person limited.  This used to be the preferred way of writing but has fallen out of favor in recent years.


This is the viewpoint I had unknowingly started writing it, and then I did all this research and basically its a huge NO NO to write your first novel in this viewpoint.  Everyone says STAY AWAY, to the point that publishers may not even look at it.  So, that caused a lot of rewriting for me, BUT I think that its better now, because exactly what they say would happen did.  You feel MUCH closer to the character.  The thing that was crappy for me learning this later in the game, was that there were scenes I'd written that now I have to take out completely, or rework them into another perspective.  


examples: A Time to Kill by John Grisham, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Lord of the Rings by J.R. R. Tolkien, Anna Karenina by Leo Toldtoy, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


Third Person Limited (Thoughts and feelings of the main character, similar to 1st person, but instead of "I," the character's name is used.  Phrases like "he said, she said") This perspective is often used and is recommended along with 1st person for beginning writers.  


The challenge for me with this is that there is no way this story can be told from only one person's perspective because it is very complex and in my opinion would not do it justice.  So that brings me to another option of Multiple POV.


examples: Harry Potter by J.K Rowling, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway


Multiple ViewPoints (Includes thoughts and feelings from more than one main character, but ONLY one at a time.  It will be broken up with *** or through a new chapter)  This is not a recommended style for first time writers... but its what I'm using.  I just feel like it would be impossible to tell the story from one persons perspective.  But I do like using the 3rd person limited instead of omniscient because I think you will really feel connected with the characters and that's really important to me.


The caution with this viewpoint is to use as few perspectives as you can and still effectively tell the story.  Readers start to identify with whoever is telling the story, so if you switch it too often, you will have frustrated readers.


examples: My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult, The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edawards, The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares


Within these categories, the book can either be written with objective or subjective viewpoints:
Objective: Basically a camera's perspective- no thoughts or feelings, just the what someone says or facial reactions.
Subjective: Allows for internal thoughts and feelings.


So, that's my sum-up of POV.  I have learned what a big difference this can make in a book.  From me just switching from omniscient to 3rd person limited from multiple perspectives, it was challenging to think of new scenes that get the same thing across, from one of my POV characters.  


I'm plugging away, and loving ever second.  I'm still in love with Scrivener.  It's a fantastic program.  


Well I should be back to regular postings again.  :)  Hopefully this POV explanation was helpful- it helped me solidify it all in my mind by writing it!


Ok, I'm off to hit my word count for the day! 2000! 

SCRIVENER!!!!!!

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Scrivener 2.0 has arrived, in all of its glory!  This software is THE BEST writing software EVER.  Bar none.  LOVE it LOVE it LOVE it!!  The reason I haven't written on here lately is because I'm spending every second in THIS SOFTWARE writing!  


I cannot even begin to tell you how intuitive it is.  It has features I didn't know I needed but then suddenly I can't live without it.  If you are writing ANYTHING, any kind of long document, this is a MUST.  I CANNOT believe I didn't have this before!!  


I found it on accident, while searching for a better way to track my daily writing goals (thanks Stephen King) and someone mentioned this software.  So I went to the website and learned that the creator, Keith from England, was a writer, struggling with the fact that there wasn't the right kind of software to support him.  So, he developed Scrivener... out of necessity, comes brilliance.  


I downloaded the free trial and within minutes was convinced THIS WAS IT.  I also loved that it is totally inexpensive- its about $50.  I seriously would have paid more.  I should be on a commercial for them.  I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE this software. 


Here is their website:


SCRIVENER SOFTWARE- Literature and Latte


And here is the link that has easy to follow tutorials that show all of the capabilities. 


TUTORIALS


It was funny because the 2.0 version wasn't out yet when I found it, and I was already soooo excited about it.  I wrote and wrote and wrote and told everyone around me all about it.  Then about three weeks later I came to do a post here, and went to get the icon for the picture at the top... and the 2.0 version had been released!  So then I abandoned my post, and spent a bunch of time on the new tutorials finding new gems that I didn't even know I needed but now can't live without!  AMAZING.  


Dear Keith,
Scrivener has changed my life.  Thank you so very much for all of your efforts in creating such intuitive software.  I will continue to spread the word about how much I FREAKING ADORE SCRIVENER.  If you ever need anyone to promote your software, you have your satisfied customer.  Seriously.  Also, I love how you say 'whilst' in all of your tutorials.  It makes me want to visit England as soon as possible.  
Thank you thank you thank you.  Brilliant software.  You have my eternal appreciation.  And from what I've read around, this is the general consensus.  
Sincerely,
Writing and Happy


As a sidenote... I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but the software was developed for Macs, but I have heard that a Windows version has either just been released, or will be soon.  So, keep your chin up, PCers.  Or, just get a Mac.  Because really.  Im a MAC.  And you will NEVER go back once you have dabbled in Macworld.


Anyway, I am such a happy writer thanks to Scrivener.  I know this is a silly post, but in all seriousness, it really has helped me organize my writing and navigate it much more effectively.  I just had to share how much it has helped me... because how did I not know about this??????


Man, this learning on your own thing is a little crazy.  But, it does allow for moments of sheer happiness, when you discover something groundbreaking.  Like Scrivener.  Seriously.  Stop reading and purchase.


Happy writing!!!

thank you mr. king

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I just finished "On Writing- A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King.  Love, love, loved this book.  I read it in two days and marked it up a shameful amount.  I was really excited when I found out that he had written this book with all his golden nuggets of advice.  


The first half is a memoir of his life- an overview of the things that happened to him that influenced him as he became a writer.  The second half is specifics on writing itself- the mechanic and the evolution of his stories.  And lets be honest... he IS Stephen King!  He knows what he's talking about.  For years now I've gone to author's websites and read everything I can to find things like this.  I am always hopeful that there will be a section 'for writers.'  This was like those sections... on crack.  Everything you need to know, stripped of all of the fluff, brutally honest and crammed with insight.    


I enjoyed this book so much that I want to share the things that were important to me in my writing.  Here are some of the nuggets of advice from Mr. King that had a large impact on me:

• "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others:  read a lot and write a lot."  This is by far the piece of advice that all authors/writers agree on and vehemently advocate.  Mr. King talks about how there is a learning process going on every time you read, and thats why its so important.  You pick up on grammatical lessons, plot structure and good vs. bad dialogue.  You will be a much better writer if you READ.  At the end of his book he give a list of books he's read in the last few years (well, at the time he wrote it) and it is quite extensive.  He says each book influences you and your writing style so it is important to read a lot of different authors and styles.  "Constant reading will put you into a place (a mind-set if you like) where you can write eagerly and without self consciousness.

• You've got to pound the pavement.  You have to actually WRITE.   He talks about how you have to be involved in writing without first waiting for your "muse."  If you spent enough time writing... the muse will come.  "If you don't have time to read, you don't have time (or the tools) to write.  Simple as that."  Stephen King wrote "The Running Man" in one week.  WOW.

•  The writing program he suggests is 4-6 hours a day behind a closed door.  1000- 2000 (increasing as you go from beginner...) words a day, six days a week. 

• NEW COMMITMENT- I am going to try this out.  I promise to write at least 1000 words, 6 days a week, starting TODAY.

• The writing room- He suggests you have a room that you can close the door, leaving all of the distractions outside.  It also programs your brain and your subconscious to know that you are going to write.  You can't leave the writing room until you have hit your goal.

• Tell the truth and be true to your characters.  Your stories should be CHARACTER driven, not PLOT driven.  "Plot is, I think, the good writer's last resort and the dullard's first choice."  This was a very interesting piece of advice to me because I HATE HATE HATE the story-boarding part of writing.  But I hate REWRITING even more than story-boarding, which is why I get stuck sometimes trying to figure out what to do next.  He suggests that if you just let your characters take over, they will lead you in the most true direction the book could go.   I loved this part:  "...If you do your job, your characters will come to life and start doing things on their own.  I know that sounds a little creepy if you haven't actually experienced it, but its terrific fun when it happens.  And it will solve a lot of your problems, believe me."  I have had that happen, and he's write- that's the BEST part of writing.  Because then your characters are REAL.  I have gone back and forth between writing like that and trying to figure out endings.  He says that most of the time he doesn't know how things are going to end up.  He has 'hoped' something will turn out one way, but it may or may be the way it ends... and its up to the characters, not him.

• NEW COMMITMENT -  Character driven.  Ok, Im going to go with it and see what happens.  I need to let the characters just BE themselves and see where it takes me.  

• First draft should be completed behind a closed door and without any help from anyone else.  He says when you are wanting to share it with someone, to resist that impulse and to keep the pressure on.  The hope of success and the fear of failure will drive you forward.  

Basically, if you are writing anything... go get a copy of this book.  The suggestions in ON Writing are fantastic.  I really couldn't put it down.  I love that someone as accomplished and famous as Stephen King took the time to write a book about how he does what he does.  To people like me, eager to learn and just starting out, the advice was invaluable.   It's a pretty amazing thing that something he wrote back in 1999 can have such a heavy influence on me, in 2010.  And there we have the magic of writing... thank you Mr. King.

tips tips tips... write write write...

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"Writing is easy:  All you do is sit staring at a black sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."  Gene Fowler

Here are some interesting tips I found today for writers:


http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/bestseller.html


http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/2009/05/24/54-tips-for-writers-from-writers/


http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/nytimes_bestseller.htm


http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/dent.html


http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingroadblocks/tp/block.htm


I really enjoyed these in particular- they are the top 10 tips from authors....


http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one


http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/10-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-two

mock-up book jacket summaries

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Today I wrote mock-up summaries for the book jackets for books one and two. I think there will ultimately be three. I have the beginning of book one, beginning and middle of book two started. There will be a lot of reworking since the plot has kind of evolved, but at least I have a direction.

It was really helpful for me to do the book jacket summaries because it helped me get my head around the big picture story. The storyline and premises are pretty complex, so its always been kind of hard for me to "sum it up." So this was a really good exercise for me.

I read it to one of my sisters and she was really excited, which made me even more excited. She said she knew I was a good writer, but that THIS was REALLY good. She couldn't wait to hear more. I know she's totally biased and of course she would like it, but it was nice to have some positive feedback. I haven't shared very much this time around, which has made me more comfortable, because I don't have to have any sort of judgements before its "perfected" but it also has taken some of the fun out of it. I loved hearing that someone liked my story. It made it that much more fun to pick up where I left off and push through when I didn't know where to take it.

Things are coming together more, the more I work on it. I have some exciting and very moving scenes coming up which Im really excited to work on. First I have to finish the "re-work" of the chapters I already have, but Im not too far off of that. Im hoping by next Wednesday to be done with that part and moving on.

I am really loving writing and being creative. It is so much fun to work from home and create as I go. I love it when I get in a groove and I feel like I'm just watching a movie, not the one actually making it up.

If you are writing and ever get stuck, try to back and out do a big picture exercise. The mock-up book jacket summaries really helped me get my head around things. There is a huge thrill that comes with thinking about when it will be done, when the story will be all out of my head and down on the paper. Writing the summaries made it seem closer.

Gotta go write some more!!

check-marks

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Today is the day I figured out the ending. Or at least AN ending for my book. This is a HUGE deal for me because I have never been able to clearly come up with an ending that I think would work. The funny thing is that when I started out this morning, I wasn't even working on the plot... and I certainly didn't think I would find my ending.

Today I tried a different exercise -I did entire character descriptions (at the suggestion of Timothy Hallinan, who I talked about yesterday. I wrote everything I knew about each of the main characters I intend to have in my story. What do they look like? Who makes up their family? What is their occupation? What is their character like? What is their 'mission' in the book? What are their flaws? How far are they willing to go to get what they want? What is important to them? What is their moral fiber like? What/who do that care about? I didn't think about it... I just wrote and wrote.

So in the middle of this, I had some crazy things happen... one thing is that someone I THOUGHT was a main character... well he's kind of out. I got to the end of the plot without him in it! Sad! I really kind of liked that character! Who knows, maybe he will find another purpose somewhere in the book that I don't know about yet.

The other thing that happened is that while I was describing their personalities and how they got to be WHO they are... THE PLOT EXPANDED AND THE ENDING APPEARED!

I dont know if it will end up being THE ENDING but at least I got my head around a possibility.

So my check-marks for the day:

• words written today 2,309
• characterizations
• ending

aaaannnnddd we're back in business.

writing goals

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I've come across this website that has some really helpful information as far as becoming a writer.

http://www.timothyhallinan.com/writers.php

(Thanks to Timothy Hallinan who came up with all this good stuff!!)

So after perusing the site, I decided that I am going to implement some of the suggestions. Such as:

Time/Word Count- I either have to spend three hours straight writing OR 1000 words MINIMUM a day.

In the block of time I reserve for writing, I will not do anything other than write, or sit there thinking about it. Or if I need to do some research, I will do that, but nothing else. No phone calls, no internet etc.

I read today that most books are on average somewhere between 80,000- 110,000 words. I have about 20,000 in my new version written. So I'd better keep going.

:) No time like the present....

writing tips

Random tips I learned about writing today from other authors websites & blogs (listed on my sidebar):

• if you're not writing, you're not a writer
• read your dialogue out loud
• don't be cliche in your plot line
• don't give too much background in a dialogue- people don't bring up old stuff in every day conversations very often
• 10,000 hours of doing something will make you pretty good at it. nothing can make up for those hours
• send off a manuscript, not when its perfect- because it never will be- but when you are ready to take some criticism
• you dont need to listen to anyone else about their process- do it your own way and don't tweak it if its working
• write. even when you dont think its good or when its not coming to you
• only one "coincidence" is allowed per book
• writing is rewriting

One thing I've learned from my writing practice is that once I start, I usually get on a roll. Part of my process is sitting there, staring at the blank page and then just forcing myself to write. Sometimes what I write works, and sometimes I end up taking it out, but for me, half of the battle is just STARTING along some line of thought.

I've decided not to be afraid that what I'm going to come up with is the wrong direction. I will just write it and then if I decide its not the way I want it to go, I will just go back and start that part over. I feel like my characters are taking it how they want it to go anyway. So what if I have a couple of alternate ways to go. I think that's how I will find out what works the best, since I think I do my best work when I'm IN it, meaning that I feel like its a story I'm discovering with the audience (assuming of course, that I'll HAVE an audience at some point).

So Im going to take my own advice, and go back to my chapter. Someone is about to come to Ryker's house... and Im not sure who yet....