Around the Web

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I’m sure something else has happened to, but that’s what I have for you this week.

End of NaNoWriMo

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In a few short hours NaNoWriMo will be complete. Many people have already sent in their verification and “won”, including me. Some are going to be drinking coffee and scrambling for those last few words at midnight. Others had life get in the way, or lost interest along the way.

If you completed your challenge, congratulations! You deserve it!

At the conclusion of NaNo I now have two completed stories. One is 20k words, and the other is 30k. I also have the beginnings for a new sci-fi romance that just popped into my head today, and I got another 1500 words on that, and a complete outline.

But more importantly, I have a good habit of writing. Something I lost a while ago, and have been working on getting back for the last year. I hope that this has started something great.

I’ve decided I need to write or edit three pages a day, at least, if I really want this to be my “day job”. It doesn’t sound that difficult at the moment. Then I have those days where I have to cook dinner, or take children to doctors appointments, or days where I’m just sick, or tired, or fed up with life.

I’m rather happy with this NaNo. I’ve seen people who didn’t understand it, didn’t support their spouse, or thought it was ridiculousness. I am so grateful that my boyfriend pushed me to keep going. I can’t wait to start editing this, and hopefully have it up on amazon within a few months.

Falling Behind

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Ever since I decided that I was going to make a real effort at this “writing thing” I constantly have the feeling I am falling behind. Never so much tonight as I look at my NaNo word count and realize how behind a really am.

50,000 words in a month, and I am behind by 4,000.

Well then… nothing like a deadline to get a person motivated, right?

Around the Web

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I’ve been meaning to add a post a week about what is going on around the web in writing. I keep up on a few blogs, vlogs, and forums so it makes sence to share the best here.

So… This week around the web:

And a really important date: April 23, 2013. Just a few months from now. On that night thousands of people will be giving away free books for World Book Night. Read here for more information on how you could be one of these people.

Missing Days

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One thing that NaNoWriMo does for me…. It gives me a really good idea about what helps me to keep writing. What distracts me. And what I need to do to motivate myself to keep writing.

I’ve missed a couple days. Either because of children, work, stress, or just being sick. I know I’m going to get nearly zero words during Thanksgiving too.

But another thing I am learning…. I am really starting to hate interruptions to my writing. Which is a good thing. If  I want to make this what I do then I need to get to the point where this is what is important, and interruptions are just flipping annoying. Which they really are.

So… back to writing.

Progress so far: 17,200 words.

Wool by Huge Howey

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I just finished reading “Wool: Omnibus” by Hugh Howey.

This was an amazing read. A post apocalyptic look at a world trapped inside of a silo.

And while I admit that half the reason to continue reading the story is trying to piece together how the world got into this state (nuclear war? Meteor? Disease?) the true story is the examination of how people would react to being stuck in such a small space together, underground, for generations.

Imagine having only a few thousand people stuck inside the empire state building. Not just for a few years, but for generations. Then put the whole thing underground with no sunlight, no fields  no room to grow or expand. What would you have to do to keep them from overpopulating? From killing one another? From over eating or escaping?

And the how of it all… how did the silo start? Now that answer was quite revealing after all…

“Wool” began as one self published short story that took off. Since then Hugh has written several installments and is on “Wool 9” at the moment. He continues to self publish each of his books, though he now goes through a traditional publisher for his over seas sales.

It was a shocker not long ago when Ridley Scott nabbed wool for a movie option. But as Hugh says, just because someone has the option doesn’t mean the movie will be made.

Osiren’s Tears (Cover)

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This is just the preliminary picture for the cover of “Osiren’s Tears”, which I’m writing for NaNoWriMo.

It is a photo minip, and some airbrushing. Meant to show the first troll cresting the mountains. Here they will descend into the valley where the menaids are setting up their own defenses  and the battle between the first races will begin.

Worldly Reflections

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As I am writing my NaNoWriMo stories I am actually realizing just how much of my viewpoint on the world around me is entering my writing.

This isn’t unusual. Piers Anthony (who I grew up reading, and is one of the authors that inspired me to become a writer) often had story lines that touched on his thoughts about religion, ecology, environment, and relationships. Not that all of his characters shared or reflected his own view points on the issues, just that the themes are there.

A good writer can let these themes enter their writing without sounding preachy or over the top. A great writer can make you start to question your beliefs, not to change them necessarily, but to be sure that that is what you truly believe, and that is what you stand for.

Mark Twain is a great example. He wrote about the adventures of a young white boy, appealing to a great many young children. But he also wove in some ideas about race, slavery, segregation, and even religion without being preachy. I am sure his books even helped a few people consider their stand on these very ideas.

In my current novel I am noticing things about genetic manipulation, women as property, and even some ideas about government. No, I’m not being preachy. That would ruin the book. But it could be noticeable to anyone who was paying attention.

Progress on NaNoWriMo: 5124

Giving yourself permission to SUCK!

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Sometimes the biggest thing standing in the way of writing is our internal editor that is constantly in our head telling us that isn’t good enough, rewrite it.

But that isn’t the purpose of a first draft, or a sketch, or anything else you’re beginning. The beginning is suppose to be bad. It’s suppose to suck.

I loved this analogy by ircnetsplit
“It’s like a house. The first stage is just a bunch of boards with nothing in between them. Who the hell would want to live in a house like that? It’s a crappy house.”
“But, that’s how you build a house. You get the framework up, then you fill it out with walls, and insulation, and a roof, etc. Then you have an awesome house.”

So let go. If that last sentence sucks just ignore it and go to the next sentence. You’re going to have to edit later anyway. Right now just WRITE FAST and ignore everything else.

(My progress on NaNoWriMo: 2,000/50,000)