About CrissyMoss

I've been writing as long as I can remember.

Prepping for NaNoWriMo

Posted on September 26, 2012 by CrissyMoss

If you haven’t heard of NaNoWriMo… well where have you been?!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) is a fast pace group effort to churn out as many words as you can. The “Goal” is to write a novel, which is loosely classified as “50,000” words. There are forums, tags, badges, and more at the website where you can get encouragement to get those words out. It’s a wonderful experience!

They now have several school projects that teachers can use in their classrooms, with teaching aids to get kids writing.

I’ve participated in four different years. “Won” twice.

From mid September to late October many NaNo participants are getting ready. Deciding what to write, Nailing down a synopsis, updating info and adding counters to our websites.

I love that Huge Howey, self published author of best selling book series “Wool”, keeps word counters up on his website year round so that his readers can see his progress on his books. I love that idea. I might be stealing that idea.

So, things will be a little slow around here as I prepare for NaNoWriMo, and get a few things in order. Hopefully that means I’ll actually be writing more, and publishing something just before November, and another something after Novemeber.

Writers Block

Posted on September 18, 2012 by CrissyMoss

Like many writers, I’ve suffered that dreaded curse: Writers Block.

I’ve read so many books, articles, essays and websites about how to cure it. How to get inspired. How to confront the blank page…. I could probably recite them all to you.

Recently I’ve read come across a few that say there is no such thing as writers block. One went so far as to say a true writer will write, no matter what.

After contemplating, and examining my own case of it… I have to agree.

My writers block has never come because I have nothing to say. I have tons to say. Worlds and stories, lives of people just swimming around in my head wanting to be told. There has never been a day in which I did not have something I could write.

True, often the ideas are bad, or not well written, but that doesn’t mean a lot. Not everything I write will be gold.

No, what really stops me, what really keeps me from writing sometimes isn’t lack of ideas. It’s the burning question: Who Cares?

Who cares if I write this? Who will read it? Can I sell it? Is it worth all this effort if no one ever does?

I’ve considered putting one of my two published books up as free just to get a reader base. But I am mindful of the fact that if there is nothing else for them to read it won’t make any difference. So I wait, and get a little frustrated. And look at that paper and again say “who cares?”

And the answer is… I care!

Those words and stories, characters and dream that shift and turn and grow inside my head… they deserve to be told. Even if I never make a dime. Even if my children end up giving them away for free when I am dead and gone. Even if only my close friends ever read them.

They are worth telling. Worth writing. And thats worth breaking the “writers block” and getting back to work.

In the Middle

Posted on September 13, 2012 by CrissyMoss

I’m kind of in an awkward moment. Not that i’m unused to awkward moments. I’m a mom, I’ve had lots of them. Raising children is like a series of awkward moments strung together with happy, and sad ones. (Though it’s more fun to make my kids awkward, than to be awkward.)

“Flight of the Griffins” will be out this weekend. I’m thrilled. It’s taken a lot to get this behemoth of a story publishing ready, and I love the cover design.

Now what? This is my dilemma.

I am working on two novels at the moment. “Osiren’s Tears” is the first of a series set in a fantasy world. “Message in a Bottle” is my first paranormal romance that I may be publishing under a pen name.

Neither of these books are even close to being ready for an edit, let alone publication. I’m hoping to have one novel ready in March to be edited, and publish in April (a daunting task). But I don’t want to simply do nothing for the next seven months.

NaNoWriMo is also coming up.

So, for the next seven months here is the tentative schedule:
Sep 16 “Flight of the Griffins” will release.
Oct 21st, “Small Bites” tentative release. (A book of flash fiction ‘scary’ tales, perfect for Halloween.)
November – NaNoWriMo
December – enjoying the holidays.
January 20th – “Magic and Mischief” (tentative title) released.
Feb – “Osiren’s Tears” goes to the editor.
March 17th … if all goes right…. “Osiren’s Tears“is released.

Combating Procrastination

Posted on September 8, 2012 by CrissyMoss

This was a conversation on Reddit (where I, admittedly spend my time procrastinating) on how to learn to not procrastinate. http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantToLearn/comments/zj6c9/i_want_to_learn_how_to_stop_procrastinating/c654p6g One point I realized was true… twitter, facebook, tv, etc… it’s all junk food for your brain. We use it in moderation, or we use it to stuff our heads full of useless stuff an avoid what we really should/need to think about. Read the link for techniques to battle this constant influx of information.

PAX 2012

Posted on September 5, 2012 by CrissyMoss

This is Wil Wheaton… from the back of the theater. Now, if you’re at the back of the theater you can’t actually see the person talking. Not unless all the peoples heads in front of you line up just right and you manage to catch a glimpse in between heads.

The conference rooms aren’t really set up for this as far as I can see. And the audio is a bit low. But worth it? Heck ya!

Now, I am bias. I’ve been a Wheaton fan since I was 10 years old, watching Star Trek TNG and harboring my secret crush on the ultra intelligent Wesley Crusher. But Wheaton, himself, is incredibly funny and knows how to tell a good story. And his stories matter to the crowds that show up to see him because most of us were/are nerdy gamers who played a lot of the games he did, and had similar experience (minus the awesome Enterprise crew, though we envy that.)

Sadly, the Fawkes Guild comic that I had, wrapped in cardboard and safely stuck in my hard hard cover D&D book to avoid crushing, went unsigned. Being a brand new PAX goer, I was lost, and given bad directions. The line was closed before I got there. Maybe next year?

So many games, and so little time. I demoed about 20 of them, watched people playing several others. Watched people be the aliens hunting down space marines, and killed a zombie in Walking Dead after learning she was probably a little girls baby sitter. Got t-shirts, pins, and coloring books….

All in all PAX was amazing, and I’ll be going next year.

Copywrite

Posted on September 1, 2012 by CrissyMoss

Most writers will eventually run up against copywrite at one point or another. This is both good, and bad. While copywrite does protect your intellectual property and allow you, and only you, to legally make money off of your work (be it art, video, music, games or the written word) it also has some unintended consequences.

Watch the short video below for a little explanation on how it started, and how it has been changed over the years.

Pax Swag

Posted on August 31, 2012 by CrissyMoss

My first PAX swag. Pays to be dating an enforcer. He brought this home for me last night. I absolutely LOVE Bastion, so it was really appropriate. The narrator really makes that game something that stands apart. (Think I’ll go play it tonight.) I’ll be visiting PAX on Sunday. My first con, ever! So excited! Wish I had time to make a costume, but still worth it.

I was mentioned in a You Tube Video

Posted on August 30, 2012 by CrissyMoss

At 57:30, I’m Christy, the one that sent in the question. For the record my voice is pretty high pitched, even for a girl. I’ve been asked a few times if my mommy was home. Not as often now, as I am in my 30’s, but still enough that I will be having someone else do my audio books. I also found this to be a really good discussion about “buying reviews” which has been hitting the news lately. In a nutshell… it’s a bad way to do business, makes other self publishers look bad, and for actual physical goods (like toasters) it can be even worse. On the other hand, it is really beneficial for actual readers to leave comments and reviews on books. I’ve sold mine 4 times and have yet to get a review (though someone raved about it on FB which was really nice). Good reviews, honest reviews, are sometimes hard to come buy. It’s really no wonder some people turn to buying them. Its still not the highest ethical standard.

Objects Smaller Then They Appear

Posted on August 22, 2012 by CrissyMoss

A simple writing exercise.

Look around the room you’re in. Choose an object. Now write about it.

Does it have fantastic powers? Did someone find it in an unusual place? Maybe someone just tripped on it sending them into an unusual situation.

Try another object. Maybe they interact in some way.

The interesting thing about this exercise is that the object can be as simple as a coffee cup, or as unusual as a figurine of a glass dancing bear, shimmering in the morning sunlight.

Author Crissy Moss

The art of telling a good story.

Author Archives: CrissyMoss