Long time, no see

Yup, I'm back. No vengeance though, unless you're one of the characters in my books.  Nano time again and I'm gearing up.  How about you?

To NaNo or Not to NaNo?

Hello fellow people interested in words,

Part of me wondered, do I dare participate in NaNoWriMo again?

For those who are unaware, NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month that occurs in November, see http://www.nanowrimo.org.  They encourage everyone to write - goal is 50,000 words from Nov 1st to Nov 30th. See the http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about for more info. Best part, it costs nothing and everyone can win.

Last year I was healing from carpel tunnel surgery in October for both hands, and this year I'm finally recovering from a 4 month disc rupture in my back - was putting pressure on my left leg making it very weak and impossible to use going up/down stairs. Now that I'm healed enough to function with daily activities, I've had to ask myself if I shall NaNo or not.

Today I decided; I shall NaNo.  Even if I don't feel good enough, the plotting I'm doing now will help me for when I am able to get the writing done. Plus you don't know you can do it unless you try. Feel free to add me as a friend or check out my NaNo profile at laurathejane78. You can find the synopsis of the next book here.

Best tip I ever read about NaNo was to Never Edit.  That's right.....it's time to write it and get it all out of your system.  Editing is for December.

Happy Writing,

Laura the Jane

Reworking the Rework of the Rework of the Original

Let’s face it, we have great ideas as writers. I find my issue is that my mind doesn’t stop thinking. I have written one book several times already (two complete times and one more time halfway ~50k into), and now I’m thinking ‘What if…’ and thus is born the 4^th attempt at this story. While each attempt is great, I’m finding I grow as a writer with each version. Do I view this as a waste in my earlier times for the discarded files? Nope, not one bit.

I’m attempting this time to step out of the 1^st person POV. I know, most people don’t write in 1^st but 3^rd, though I’ve just naturally gravitated to the 1. Now that I have my realistic playlist of 41 songs, I’m ready for the challenge and, most importantly, I’m excited! I know my characters, I know their quirks, and it’s time to step it up! To my alpha readers my heartfelt apology but a writer has to do what she feels – plus your gonna love it!

A Playlist Makes the Experience

I’m sitting here, four months post dual carpel tunnel surgery, and I think I bounced back nicely completing my nanowrimo.org goal of 50k in the month of November. Since then, I’ve kind of dropped off the face of the writing world.   Where am I, what have I been doing?  Well, um, not much. I’ve piddled around with some stories I have, thinking of new ideas for new books, though I quickly create a .doc file with the basic thoughts before saving it and moving back to my main story.  Yet, the word count is not growing. I think I came up with what my issue was. My playlist isn’t what it was. 

I’ve got a few playlists and the song counts are 83, 154, 200, 356, and 412.  The 412 is the newest playlist I’ve complied that I’ll listen to when my Netflix and Hulu are turned off. In the past, I would watch my TV shows online, and then force myself to hit the red X and listen to my playlist. It got me to writing 1000+ words a night, and the bonus of anytime I heard the song in the car or at my work desk, I would think about the book. But now, I’m still getting nothing done. A paragraph has been an accomplishment.

Last night I realized what I was doing. Previous book playlists consisted of 10-30 songs. It would be a mixture of some old favorites with new songs, all of which I knew the words to and could sing in my sleep. How can I, while listening to 412 songs and taking the time to skip songs that I’m not in the mood to hear, be able to write?

Tonight’s mission is to go home, and create a 20 or less playlist to get me in the story writing mood. I’ll still keep the 412 playlist for the car rides to work, but time to get back to writing and blogging. Anyone else use music as a gateway to writing?

What am I doing tomorrow?

My friend asked me as one writer to another, what am I doing tomorrow?  Writing J

Yeah, I say it with a smile.  Even with the rejections, the long nights and longer weekends at my home computer, I am a writer.  I catch myself at times saying I’m ‘aspiring’, and then I get mad.  Aspiring my arse, I’ve spent serious time plotting, killing off characters, making sweet love, and connecting the dots to bring forth a document of joy.  While I realize some early stuff was a bit on the crappy side, I look at what I’m writing now and feel proud.  I know I am a writer.  I know each day I put words down, I’m improving my craft. 

This week marked the return to my job, and even though each night I was too tired to write more than 100 words, I attempted.  Some of it was a little out there, but at least I worked on it without pushing myself too hard.  29,199 words is the current count on my paranormal romance WIP that I’m working on NaNoWriMo with.  Even though I enjoy the chart feature, the plateau from 13^th until today is a little embarrassing. 

You know though, I’m keeping my head up and a smile on my face while thinking of all the havoc I will throw at my characters.  I perhaps won’t finish the 50,000 goal in time, but rest assured I will keep working on this book.  My blog plans for the near future will attempt another Six Sentence Sunday in just a few weeks.  I have more writing links to add in the left hand side ‘Writing Links of Interest’, as well as selecting a snippet for ‘The What She Wrote’ section.  Another 13 days of writing, then I’ll be able to dedicate a day to the blog goodness. 

Break is over, now to head back to my document and allow some words to make magic on the page.  

Oh yeah, it is good to be back, and why all writers should play The Sims

 Well it has been a month since my dual carpal tunnel surgery.  Yeah, dual, aka both hands.  Why?  One reason is one round of anesthesia.  Two, because I’m a tough gal.  The funny part, everyone’s initial reaction is, “how did you…manage?”  Yeah, it hurt, but I took care of myself in the bathroom department. 

Anyhow, I’ve been working this week on National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo and #nanowrimo for the twitter peeps.  This is my second year participating, friend me if you want, I’m there as laurathejane78 and I’m right on track to complete at this moment.  We’ll see what happens when I start back to my dayjob.  I have confidence though in myself, and so should you.  You never know until you try, and once you try, you will be a writer on nanocrack. 

I was talking to my bff Jynnipher online (start an un-shameless plug to http://jynnipher.com/), and we were discussing our WIP for NaNoWriMo.  I, at one point, made my main character Lexi cry, and then I made her love interest temporarily reject her.  I told Jynnipher how it was my own character’s fault for the current situation.  Now comes the part of our conversation why all writers should play The Sims…

“I’m so damn cruel.  It’s like in Sims when I’d put someone in a room without doors.  Lexi (the MC) is waving to me and making a bed sign.  Instead of crossing her legs with the thinking bubble of a toilet, she is making a jerk off motion with a bed in the thought bubble.”

Yeah, now that I think things over, The Sims is awesome to watch the character’s reaction to things.  No matter how hard you try, your person doesn’t stay happy all the time.  They come up with their own wants and desires, which could range from a hot dog, make a friend, or have whoopee.  In writing style, I describe myself as a planned fly by the seat of my pants ( I say both types, since I believe some ppl actually sit down and truly write with no premeditated thought about the end or the plot).  I know the big plot points I want to hit, and sometimes I come up a certain situation I want to include.  When it comes to actual writing, I keep the ideas in my head, but I just let the typing fly unscripted.  Many times I don’t know how I will inflict the specific conflict I thought about ahead of time, until it comes out of my fingers.   So if you’re like me, with a wide open planned structure for your novel, I’d say think ‘The Sims’ and have your character wave their hands at you with their frustration.  Then, in true writer form, make them suffer a bit more.  

Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to cause some more frustration for Lexi and see how much she stomps her feet and waves her arms to get my mind's attention.  Silly girl has not realized that makes me want to cause more conflict yet.  Current word count:  12,222.

AFK

hello all, sorry about the quietness, but i've been afk after surgery (carpel tunnel on both hands).  hopefully in a few weeks i'll be back up and running to at least a weekly post again.

Six Sentence Sunday 10

Welcome first timer and repeaters!  This fantastic Sunday, the day of the glorious Jynnipher's Birthday (go see her six Sundays if you haven't yet), offering is below, while the previous contributions are easily accessible by clicking here.  My offering today is not about the Zombies .  Today, I am kicking it to an old school story.  This is what started me to write, the first plot out of my brain that I attempted.  Of course I wrote it once, wrote it again, and now I'm embarking on a third rewrite.  Below is the first six sentences of the work.  It is a Paranormal Romance novel.  Please enjoy and check out Jynnipher's page with many birthday wishes.

It never fails that once I sit down to eat, my father comes in.  I braced myself for the expected snide comments about the fried peanut butter sandwich, oozing on my plate.  Was it my fault I haven’t lived for thousands of years and my only culinary knowledge comes my adoptive family in Tennessee?  He made some sort of comment not in English, and I knew without looking that he was on his phone.  I was too intent on listening to the foreign words that I failed to notice the warm peanut butter sliding out of the sandwich until it coated my thumb and made its way down my palm.  Father mentioned the names Christopher and Daniel once, with several Xan’s mixed throughout the conversation.  

Enjoy!

Six Sentence Sunday 9

Welcome first timer and repeaters!  This historic ninth #sixsunday offering is below, while the previous contributions are easily accessible by clicking here.  This is historic cause this wonderful September 25th post below is a bunch of awesomesauce, and that it is my birthday.  I realize I did not give anyone an advanced notice, but feel free for next year, same day, to send gifts.  For this six setup, we previously met the MC, Erica, and the current traveling companions of Cindy and dog named Crystal.  They met the first other living people in three months since the majority of the population dropped dead before rising up.

“How old are you?”  I said nineteen the same time Cindy said eighteen.  I moved the bat to my left hand before reaching in my back pocket.  I handed my ID over to the nicest looking man left on the world.  He looked it over before glancing at his watch, and handing the card back to me.  “Happy birthday, Erica Wilkerson,” he said.

Ironic I know....total coincidence that the birthday clip occurred on my, well, birthday.   

Six Sentence Sunday 8

Welcome first timer and repeaters!  My eight #sixsunday offering is below, while the previous contributions are easily accessible by clicking here.  We previously met the MC, Erica, and the current traveling companions of Cindy and dog named Crystal.  Last week, they met up with the first group of other living people, finding they were just fourteen people in their group.  They are cautious seeing a dog with Erica, though happy to find the pooch would eat real food and not flesh.

He nodded before kneeling down, holding one hand to Crystal with the other on the rifle.  Cindy began to blab about how much of a downer I was to the moral.  I do not know what she thought.  Shit, I am not sure what I was thinking would happen.  Would we find a group and magically find that all-powerful place that is zombie free up north?  I wish this were a movie with a guaranteed happy-ending.

I know there is no dialogue in this one, but I wanted to finish this section of the book.  I've been breaking from writing and keeping my mind off the zombies before going into mad woman editing mode.  My mind has been kicking me for not writing.  It has forced me to rethink my first completed book and how to rewrite it in a new and exciting way.  Soon I shall reach the breaking point of "omg I haven't opened Word in...um...can't remember when" and will bust a move to write again :D.