Also! Before I forget again, to celebrate the coming of the holiday season, I have a special coupon for my followers! Just head over to the page for "The Light Rises" and enter in this coupon code: UQ59B, good until Christmas, and get 50% off!
It's a big thank-you to all my friends and followers who have helped support me while I work! It can also be used as a gift for someone else if you think they'd like it!
Monday, November 14, 2011
11/14/2011 Magnificent Monday - NanoWriMo Edition!
Welcome back, and I apologize for today's delay. I took the day off from work and in my cold-caused confusion I actually didn't remember about anything I was supposed to do today until I was half-way up my apartment stairs after returning from getting food. Hopefully I'll be able to make it up to you all in some way or another.
Nano goes well, as I hope it does for those of you participating. Currently my word count total is 28,544, I should be at 30,000 by tonight. I'm excited because it means only 20,000 more words to go and I'm only on day 14. I know there were some people that were going at it like the wind, which I would love to do, so yay for all of us probably-finishing-early people! I haven't had nearly the issues with writer's block as I thought I would, which has helped, though I also generally have bouts of doing my actual job to help me think between writing sprints.
The only issue I'm having right now isn't so much writing related, it's more that guy I live with gave me his cold, so concentration is a strange thing. I'm not usually sick, so when I do end up catching something, it ends to kick my ass a lot, so I am loading up on medicine right away. The last actual cold I had turned into a sinus infection (I think...I didn't have insurance at the time, so...it's really just an assumption) that didn't clear up for months, so I'm super afraid it'll happen again.
At least being at home today gives me plenty of time to write, though hopefully not too much time, remember I'm trying really hard to avoid destroying my wrist like I did last year (word of advice, just because it's a snow day, does not mean that someone with tendonitis should write 13 pages non-stop during that day. It's super not worth it!) For now though, I'm going to write a little, watch some Futurama with commentary on, then see if I can write a little more. I'll see everyone on Wednesday, thanks for stopping by!
Nano goes well, as I hope it does for those of you participating. Currently my word count total is 28,544, I should be at 30,000 by tonight. I'm excited because it means only 20,000 more words to go and I'm only on day 14. I know there were some people that were going at it like the wind, which I would love to do, so yay for all of us probably-finishing-early people! I haven't had nearly the issues with writer's block as I thought I would, which has helped, though I also generally have bouts of doing my actual job to help me think between writing sprints.
The only issue I'm having right now isn't so much writing related, it's more that guy I live with gave me his cold, so concentration is a strange thing. I'm not usually sick, so when I do end up catching something, it ends to kick my ass a lot, so I am loading up on medicine right away. The last actual cold I had turned into a sinus infection (I think...I didn't have insurance at the time, so...it's really just an assumption) that didn't clear up for months, so I'm super afraid it'll happen again.
At least being at home today gives me plenty of time to write, though hopefully not too much time, remember I'm trying really hard to avoid destroying my wrist like I did last year (word of advice, just because it's a snow day, does not mean that someone with tendonitis should write 13 pages non-stop during that day. It's super not worth it!) For now though, I'm going to write a little, watch some Futurama with commentary on, then see if I can write a little more. I'll see everyone on Wednesday, thanks for stopping by!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
11/12/2011 Surprising Saturday - NanoWriMo Edition!
Terribly sorry about the lack of posting yesterday. As I'm sure any of you can guess, I happen to like cats, and my mom called me Thursday and told me the one that we had rescued, and I'd help raise from the tiniest kitten I've ever seen (who then became the biggest cat I've ever seen) has cancer. They said there's nothing they can do for him, as it's wrapped around his throat, and that they told my mom to keep him comfortable and happy for the no more than 6 months he likely has left. This came as very sudden and upsetting news because Odin is 8, and this was the last thing we thought we would have to worry about with him. It's not feline leukemia though, which is at least good, because it means the other cat at her house is safe, but still, that was why I couldn't concentrate to do the post yesterday.
Today though I am getting my car worked out and decided I'd do my best to get this and some of my writing done for the day. Things are going well so far with Nano, I'm decently about the daily quota still, ending yesterday at 24,000 words. I wish I were actually at the halfway point, but I suppose I'll just have to take care of that today! There's also a lot of talk of 'inclement weather' and 'snow' at work, which I'm hoping doesn't happen until I'm finished, because that was my downfall last year, and I can't guarantee it won't be that way again if given a whole day to stay at home, wrapped in blankets and cats with a laptop in front of me.
All in all, I appreciate your patience with my lack of book posting and also the delay. Nano is taking up a lot of mine time and I just haven't had time between work and this to do much book searching. I hope everyone is having as much success with it as I am and I look forward to posting on Monday. I hope you all have a good weekend!
Today though I am getting my car worked out and decided I'd do my best to get this and some of my writing done for the day. Things are going well so far with Nano, I'm decently about the daily quota still, ending yesterday at 24,000 words. I wish I were actually at the halfway point, but I suppose I'll just have to take care of that today! There's also a lot of talk of 'inclement weather' and 'snow' at work, which I'm hoping doesn't happen until I'm finished, because that was my downfall last year, and I can't guarantee it won't be that way again if given a whole day to stay at home, wrapped in blankets and cats with a laptop in front of me.
All in all, I appreciate your patience with my lack of book posting and also the delay. Nano is taking up a lot of mine time and I just haven't had time between work and this to do much book searching. I hope everyone is having as much success with it as I am and I look forward to posting on Monday. I hope you all have a good weekend!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
11/09/2011 Writing Wednesday - NaNoWriMo Edition!
Hi all and welcome back. Nano's been going on for a full week now and let me tell it has been productive! I think I've finally figured out this pacing thing, and roughly 2000 words a day seems to be the comfort-zone. Currently my word totally is 17,773, which is ahead of where I should be, so I'm still good to be done before Thanksgiving. I hope everyone else is having just as much fun and productivity!
Today I wanted to elaborate more on what I mentioned on Monday regarding outlines. As I said before, these are extremely helpful, especially if you're working on something from the ground up. They can assist with world/universe creation and can also help to make sure you are leaving out some kind of glaring plot hole. There are many ways to make one, the type I find most helpful is one that is similar to a timeline, that way I know the order of events, and also possible days/months/years to go along with it to make sure certain things get referenced at the right time.
For the most part, my outlines are in my head, which I'm guessing is commonplace, though there are many people that work a bit more visually and need to have it in front of them. There is an image of Tolkien's wall that is just covered with notes, images, and the like for his outline to make sure nothing got mixed up and everything was consistent. That's the other reason I like them, outlines keep everything consistent and help make sure you keep the continuity strong, which when it comes to writing, are probably two of my favorite things! If there are gaps in your plot, it is going to throw the reader off, and either make them confusion, angry, or both.
So my suggestion would be to try it out, especially if you're new to the game, it will save you a lot of heartache, especially if you get stuck. If you use an outline to remind you of what's supposed to happen next, it will make those bouts of writer's block few and far between (hopefully) so that you can get your project completed.
I appreciate everyone stopping by again, I will try my best to get something up for Friday, but I have been finding I have a distinct lack of time due to Nano. I hope to see you all then, and as always, any questions, discussion, and so forth, feel free to post below, I'd love to hear from you!
Today I wanted to elaborate more on what I mentioned on Monday regarding outlines. As I said before, these are extremely helpful, especially if you're working on something from the ground up. They can assist with world/universe creation and can also help to make sure you are leaving out some kind of glaring plot hole. There are many ways to make one, the type I find most helpful is one that is similar to a timeline, that way I know the order of events, and also possible days/months/years to go along with it to make sure certain things get referenced at the right time.
For the most part, my outlines are in my head, which I'm guessing is commonplace, though there are many people that work a bit more visually and need to have it in front of them. There is an image of Tolkien's wall that is just covered with notes, images, and the like for his outline to make sure nothing got mixed up and everything was consistent. That's the other reason I like them, outlines keep everything consistent and help make sure you keep the continuity strong, which when it comes to writing, are probably two of my favorite things! If there are gaps in your plot, it is going to throw the reader off, and either make them confusion, angry, or both.
So my suggestion would be to try it out, especially if you're new to the game, it will save you a lot of heartache, especially if you get stuck. If you use an outline to remind you of what's supposed to happen next, it will make those bouts of writer's block few and far between (hopefully) so that you can get your project completed.
I appreciate everyone stopping by again, I will try my best to get something up for Friday, but I have been finding I have a distinct lack of time due to Nano. I hope to see you all then, and as always, any questions, discussion, and so forth, feel free to post below, I'd love to hear from you!
Monday, November 7, 2011
11/7/2011 Magnificent Monday - NaNoWriMo Edition!
Hello all! I hope you all had a good weekend! Mine was full of write-y goodness and gaming, I managed to get both Friday and Saturday's word counts posted before midnight, and Sunday's went relatively fine, so as of right now the running total is 13,099 words. I realize I could have written one more word to make it an even 13,100, but generally when I go in trying to add 'one more word' it turns into adding 'lots and lots of other words', and while I'm trying to be ahead of the game, I also am working on my pacing, so yeah, 13,099.
My boyfriend/roommate is trying to write for the month as well, and though it's not working out for him as swimmingly as it is for me, it's partially because his methods are drastically different from my own. I find it interesting, mostly since it's something I can watch while I work on my story. He is very structured, so even if he has the story in his head, in order to make sure things work out the way he intends them, he is going to work out an out-line.
Now I love the idea of outlines, and I think all writers use them, it's just different how everyone executes them. Mine are, for the most part, in my head, the only time I really put them on digital paper is if I'm working with a particular time frame in the story itself. For example something big and plot related will be happening in 3 days, I need to keep track of what day they're on and things that need to happen before that day 3 point. This works for me because I'm not great with numbers, but the overall plot is already in my head so I don't generally need an outline/timeline of all of the events. Jason on the other hand does need an outline for his plot, so he can make sure all of the events line up the way they're supposed to. So, the way I see it, if you think you need one, try it out, they are incredibly helpful either way, and can also help clear up some cases of writer's block.
For now though, it is time for me to get cracking at today's daily quota. I'm hoping to break 15,000 today. According to my dashboard info on the Nano site, if I keep up my at least 2100 words a day, I'll be done by the 22nd. That exceeds my goal of finishing before Thanksgiving, so let's up I manage to keep it up! Again, for anyone who is working on Nano and wishes to post their word quota, methods, questions, etc please feel free to post below! For the meantime, have a good day!
My boyfriend/roommate is trying to write for the month as well, and though it's not working out for him as swimmingly as it is for me, it's partially because his methods are drastically different from my own. I find it interesting, mostly since it's something I can watch while I work on my story. He is very structured, so even if he has the story in his head, in order to make sure things work out the way he intends them, he is going to work out an out-line.
Now I love the idea of outlines, and I think all writers use them, it's just different how everyone executes them. Mine are, for the most part, in my head, the only time I really put them on digital paper is if I'm working with a particular time frame in the story itself. For example something big and plot related will be happening in 3 days, I need to keep track of what day they're on and things that need to happen before that day 3 point. This works for me because I'm not great with numbers, but the overall plot is already in my head so I don't generally need an outline/timeline of all of the events. Jason on the other hand does need an outline for his plot, so he can make sure all of the events line up the way they're supposed to. So, the way I see it, if you think you need one, try it out, they are incredibly helpful either way, and can also help clear up some cases of writer's block.
For now though, it is time for me to get cracking at today's daily quota. I'm hoping to break 15,000 today. According to my dashboard info on the Nano site, if I keep up my at least 2100 words a day, I'll be done by the 22nd. That exceeds my goal of finishing before Thanksgiving, so let's up I manage to keep it up! Again, for anyone who is working on Nano and wishes to post their word quota, methods, questions, etc please feel free to post below! For the meantime, have a good day!
Friday, November 4, 2011
11/04/2011 Fantastic Friday - NanoWriMo Edition
Today is one of those days when I am happy my internal clock is amazing. Woke up late to discover I hadn't set my alarm, so even if I wanted to do a book review today there wouldn't be time at all to a) find one, b) read it, and then c) post about it. I'm terribly sorry about this, and with Nano still going strong, finding time is difficult.
I'm at 6,444 words as of last night, which has put my happily above the word quota I should be at. I will be doing today's writing later on during my lunch and after work. I should be at 10,000 after tomorrow. This time of year is always so busy, but it feels so satisfying once I'm done. Then the editing happens, oh the mountain of editing!
Someone purchased "The Light Rises" the other day, and if you didn't see my shout out on twitter, I'm going to repeat it here just to be safe: Thank you mysterious person who bought my book! You made my day! Hugs to you! I seriously nearly cheered like a little girl over in the department I was working in when I got the e-mail notification. Luckily I was able to stop myself because everyone already thinks I'm strange, but I did it when I got back to my normal work area. That was nice.
Again, I thank you all for your understanding about why there isn't a review today. Hopefully once everything gets in full swing and I can stand not to go crazy about Nano for one day I can get it done. Until then I will see everyone on Monday! Have fun!
I'm at 6,444 words as of last night, which has put my happily above the word quota I should be at. I will be doing today's writing later on during my lunch and after work. I should be at 10,000 after tomorrow. This time of year is always so busy, but it feels so satisfying once I'm done. Then the editing happens, oh the mountain of editing!
Someone purchased "The Light Rises" the other day, and if you didn't see my shout out on twitter, I'm going to repeat it here just to be safe: Thank you mysterious person who bought my book! You made my day! Hugs to you! I seriously nearly cheered like a little girl over in the department I was working in when I got the e-mail notification. Luckily I was able to stop myself because everyone already thinks I'm strange, but I did it when I got back to my normal work area. That was nice.
Again, I thank you all for your understanding about why there isn't a review today. Hopefully once everything gets in full swing and I can stand not to go crazy about Nano for one day I can get it done. Until then I will see everyone on Monday! Have fun!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
11/02/2011 Writing Wednesday - NaNoWriMo Edition!
Hello all! I hope you're all having a great week, and if you are working on Nano like I am, that your progress is going well. I haven't started today's work yet, though I will shortly, but so far I'm at 2,137 words! I always try to be ahead of the quota, in my desperate attempts to be done by Thanksgiving, so yeah, awesome!
One of the things that has been brought up to me in the past is that people think it's hard to write so much, so fast, and keep all the ideas coherent. Normally my answer is 'well, making it make sense is what editing's for.' but it's not just that. Writing a novel is hard work, as I've said before, and having 30 days to motivate someone into actually sitting down and doing it is great! The hardest part is actually finding the time to do it.
Of course there may be other limitations you need to overcome, writer's block is a huge problem when trying to do a certain amount of words every single day. Normally what I do is put a bunch of *** between the two paragraphs, if it's just filler I'm trying to work out, and then I come back to it later. There's also the aforementioned time issue, things are going to be neglected, so hopefully your loved ones know that, just make sure you still eat, breathe, bathe, and feed your pets (if you have them.) You may also have physical limitations, which I personally struggle with, I never know how much I can actually write before the horrible wrist-hurty starts. Don't even get me started on the dreaded computer malfunction. This is a terrible thing and I don't want to think about it (again, some more)
So once you get through all these issues, or figure out how to work around them, you can get started on your work. Write like the wind and hope your hands don't fall off! At least that's my hope. Remember to pace yourself, and that Nano isn't some competition, there's no real prize (though that would be neat...) except the satisfaction of actually finishing a piece of work. It is a wonderful feeling and makes everything worth it.
I'll see you all on Friday, as I said before, I will try to feature a novel, but I make no promises with Nano going on! Happy writing to all, and if you're participating, like I said before, feel free to post your progress and such!
One of the things that has been brought up to me in the past is that people think it's hard to write so much, so fast, and keep all the ideas coherent. Normally my answer is 'well, making it make sense is what editing's for.' but it's not just that. Writing a novel is hard work, as I've said before, and having 30 days to motivate someone into actually sitting down and doing it is great! The hardest part is actually finding the time to do it.
Of course there may be other limitations you need to overcome, writer's block is a huge problem when trying to do a certain amount of words every single day. Normally what I do is put a bunch of *** between the two paragraphs, if it's just filler I'm trying to work out, and then I come back to it later. There's also the aforementioned time issue, things are going to be neglected, so hopefully your loved ones know that, just make sure you still eat, breathe, bathe, and feed your pets (if you have them.) You may also have physical limitations, which I personally struggle with, I never know how much I can actually write before the horrible wrist-hurty starts. Don't even get me started on the dreaded computer malfunction. This is a terrible thing and I don't want to think about it (again, some more)
So once you get through all these issues, or figure out how to work around them, you can get started on your work. Write like the wind and hope your hands don't fall off! At least that's my hope. Remember to pace yourself, and that Nano isn't some competition, there's no real prize (though that would be neat...) except the satisfaction of actually finishing a piece of work. It is a wonderful feeling and makes everything worth it.
I'll see you all on Friday, as I said before, I will try to feature a novel, but I make no promises with Nano going on! Happy writing to all, and if you're participating, like I said before, feel free to post your progress and such!
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