This Is Going Better Than I Had Hoped

Yes. I have neglected my blog. I'm sorry. NaNoWriMo and Work have stolen my soul.

But that's a good thing.

I've written over 5 thousand words today thanks to Word Wars and Sprints on Twitter.

And I'm still going.

Work... is not so fun. They started Christmas music a week ago, and it's the same twelve songs over and over and over and OVER. I've taken to doing some constructive thinking while working.

Anyway! Writerly things.

I don't have any tips really, except to write what you love.

My first novel wasn't going well, and though I loved the idea and the characters, I think it was the setting that killed it. I don't know how to write modern day times, I excel and love fantasy settings.

So I may start over with that one sometime in a different setting and see how it goes. Anyway, an excerpt.

When the students, former students Aoduain reminded himself, were lined up parallel to the table, Aoduain caught sight of where Kadain was sitting and took heart in the smile when he caught the older man’s eye. When the Queen began speaking again, Aoduain forced himself to pay attention.

“This year, as in every year past, I give you, graduates, a choice. You may go about your lives with the knowledge and skills you have acquired here as a Protector, a Guardian, a Gatherer, or merely a Mother or a Father. You may choose to remain at the school as a Teacher, to dispense what knowledge you may to future students. All positions are, it need not be said but I shall say it anyway, just as important as any other. None may claim to be more important, for how would the Guardian or Protector be vigilant, without the food that the Gatherer brings?

“However, if none of those suit your fancy, or you are looking to challenge yourself, or broaden yourself to the horizons of the world, there is another choice. Our first queen, Rala, possessed a crown that was said to have been blessed by our Goddess Seleni. This was an amazing gift, and one that was to be protected above all others. However, many life times ago, the humans of a place called Horitan stole the crown, and it has been lost ever since. If you wish it, you may try and recover this crown. The individual who does so will have his, or her, name written in the history books and will be forever hailed a hero.

“Many have attempted this, and most have returned unsuccessful. However, those that return will not be looked down upon, nor treated any different for their failure. If there are any who wish to seek out the Crown of Rala, speak up now.”

The silence after the statement was stifling. No shuffling could be heard, and even the forest seemed to quiet for the answer. Aoduain had expected most of his class to react with assurance that they would be able to find the crown. However, none stepped forward. Perhaps the years of failure before now had something to do with it? However, Aoduain saw not the failure in front of him, but something else.

He stepped forward and he could hear a collective gasp not only from the crowd of parents and teachers, but also from his fellow students. The half elf thought he could succeed where full blooded and full bodied elves had failed. He could see the thought written on most faces. Not daring to look at Kadain, he instead looked straight at the Queen Delimbrya as he spoke.

“I will find the Crown.” He was proud that his voice was strong and did not waver as he spoke.

I really like the way the Queen spoke. Her speech was really good for my word count. And none of it was fake word padding, that's just the way she spoke. Really wordy.

Anyway. I promise I will try to be back to a regular posting schedule after NaNoWriMo

Keep Writing!

~Cheyenne

Inspiration

Ah, Inspiration. Sometimes called the Muse.

Inspiration is where we authors get our ideas from. It's a weekly e-zine that's sent straight to our inboxes and it contains all the idea's we will ever need.

Seriously, though.

Inspiration is Over-rated

If we sat and waited for inspiration to strike us, very few people would ever write a word. 

Yes, sometimes we have sudden bursts of genius, but that doesn't happen enough to rely on it for everyday writing.

So we can't just sit around and wait for inspiration or our muse or the cosmos to hit us over the head with a great story. So, if you can't get on the Inspiration's e-mail list, you have to chase it down and beat it with a stick. How do you do this?

Observe

Watch the world around you. There are billions of people out there doing any number of things, and they are endless fodder for your novels. 

Watch the news. Watch the weather. Eavesdrop on stranger's conversations. Go people-watching at the nearest mall or walmart. 

Ask Questions

Don't just observe. Ask questions. Why did that woman do what she did? What would be the outcome? How could it possibly get worse? Question everything. Ask why? How? Who will it effect? Ask the obvious. Ask difficult questions. The answers may surprise you.

Keep a Journal

Or a notebook. Or anything. Just write down the observations you think are interesting. Write down the questions/answers that you think are good. Write them all down. Cut out clips from newspapers you think are interesting. Press leaves, color, scribble, draw, free write. This is the bucket for catching ideas. Keep it with you wherever you go. 

Well, that's what I have. 

Happy writing. (Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I slept late.)

NaNo Tips and Tricks 3

Upping Your Word Count

For NaNoWriMo, you want as many words as possible, in as quick a time as possible. There are ways you can do that without technically cheating. 

You can cheat, there's no way the word counter can catch it, but what's the point, then? This is a personal challenge, it's not like you're getting a money reward. Seriously. 

Over Explain

You remember Mojo Jojo from The Powerpuff Girls?

Well, even if you don't, a lot of his speech was quite redundant. He said the same thing about three times in three different ways. Try it. If you don't like the way a sentence sounds, don't delete it, just rewrite it and keep going. Better yet, have a character with a penchant for over explaining, or tell the same story again and again. 

Write Out Numbers

And full names. Have someone introduce themselves using first and last name and any and all titles. Have them require that they be called by their full name. 

As for the numbers. 22 becomes twenty two. One word, into two. A little bit adds up quickly, believe me. 

Dreams and Flashbacks

So very, very, useful in boosting word counts. Have a scene you've ALWAYS wanted to write, but it doesn't really fit in with the plot? DREAM SEQUENCE! Something someone said made you or a character think of something in his/her past? FLASHBACK! Most people can get an easy one thousand words out of one. 

Contractions Be Gone!

Do not use contractions in your narrative. Have a character that speaks with no contractions. It does not matter if you cannot explain it at the moment. Just do it. If you do not have a reason for it, change it all in editing. Again, a little bit goes a long ways. 

Questions!

How do you boost your word count?

NaNo Tips and Tricks 2

Late blog post cuz, you know, sleep.

Reward System

Alright, this is actually quite simple and will be a really short blog post. 

Reward yourself. 

I've never really done this during NaNoWriMo, but I will this year, and I think it will be quite effective. Other people say as much. Like Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem!

Seriously, reward yourself for writing. When you write a certain amount of words, you get to do something/eat something/watch something fun. I'll give you an example, my Reward System this year. 

500 Words- Piece of Candy. (I will be continuously snacking on fruits and/or veggies, so candy is my reward)

2,000 Words- Watch episode of InvaderZIM or Fruits Basket (I love both of them, and want to rewatch them)

5,000 Words- Watch Episode of Doctor Who. (Because Doctor Who.)

The list is not set in stone. I will probably add more steps. Like one for every 10,000 words... But I can't think of anything better than Doctor Who. And... the boyfriend just helped on that. I'm not saying any more.

So give yourself something you really want to do, and tell yourself you can't do it until you reach a certain word count. It'll keep you motivated for sure. 

And that's really all I have for today. Good luck!

Food For Thought

What kind of things will you use for rewards?

Have you used a reward system in the past? How did it work?

Creating an Antagonist

Hello, guys.

Late post again, but that's because I'm trying to catch up on my sleep. I'm so far behind that by the time I get off work, I'm dead on my feet. So I didn't set an alarm today and slept for as long as my body let me. I'm hoping a few days of that and I'll be caught up on my sleep.

Anyway, today's post is On Creating an Antagonist.

What is an Antagonist?

Simply put, the antagonist is the character that opposes your "Hero(es)." 

Dictionary.com says "a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competeswith another; opponent; adversary."

Pretty much what I said. 

Do I Have to Have an Antagonist?

Not necessarily. It depends on the book you are writing. 

Most romance novels, I've heard, don't have antagonists. Normally it's the situation/misunderstandings/etc that provide the force against which your characters are fighting. 

Heck, even in my NaNoWriMo novel, Tainted, I don't have what would be thought of as an antagonist. Well, maybe. I'm not sure. I have... four(?) different storylines happening all at once. But they are all interconnected. The character I view as the antagonist is chasing two others, he is in turn being chased, and the two chasing him are also being chased. So who is the antagonist? Well, it depends on whose point of view you prefer. 

Anyway, short answer, no, you don't have to have an antagonist. 

Should I have an Antagonist?

Probably. 

Again, it depends on the story. 

I would suggest it. In most stories, the antagonist is what the heroes are fighting against. If there's no one working against them, the protagonists are not in a hurry. If there's no antagonist, there's no suspense. Books without suspense, are like... an action movie with no action. 

You Said You Were Going to Tell Us How To Create An Antagonist.

Chill, chill, I'm getting there. 

So first, your antagonist needs a reason for what he does. 

He has to have something he's working towards just like the protagonists do. And IT HAS TO MAKE SENSE. 

No one does something simply to be evil. (Unless you are Doofenshmirtz.) 

Some of them are looking for redemption. Some are looking for love. Some forgiveness. Some want power, or money, or fame. 

In Mortality, my antagonists are looking for Invulnerability. The opposite of my Protagonists. (There's a twist in that, but I don't do spoilers.)

So now that you have a reason. Childhood. Why does he do the things he does? What does he want redemption for? What does he want to be forgiven for? Why does he want power, money, or fame? 

Take Flynn Rider, from Tangled. He was an orphan, who wanted to become rich, like a character in a story. So he became a thief. (Okay, technically he wasn't an antagonist, but that reason works.)

Or we can look at the actual antagonist in Tangled. Mother Gothel. She wanted to be young forever. So she kidnapped Rapunzel and hid her away. (By the way, if you haven't watched that movie yet, you need to. It's awesome.)

Now, how does he rationalize what he does? Does he kick puppies? Why does he not think that the things he does are evil/bad?

In Mortality, Damien thinks he deserves to rule. That's how he rationalizes everything he does. He deserves it. 

It could be as simple as that. 

From the Author

Alright! 

I hope this helped you figure out your Antagonist. 

At some point I hope to create a thread about creating a Protagonist at some point. 

Have a good day!

NaNo Tips and Tricks 1

Okay, obviously I still have NaNoWriMo on the brain.

I couldn't think of anything to do for this blog post, and so fell back on NaNoWriMo. Fortunately, I have much to say on the subject.

Much, I hope, that may be helpful to others. Like you.

It's Not Your Life

Writing is fun. As writers, most of us know this. But it's not always fun. But mostly it is.

NaNoWriMo, week one, is extremely fun! But don't think that means you can completely and totally change your life.

Chris Baty says as much in No Plot? No Problem! and I'm going to reiterate it here.

Don't make writing your life. I know for those such as myself it is a big part. And that's okay. But don't seclude yourself from all of life thinking that all you need is time alone and you'll crank out novel after novel.

That just won't happen.

Without other stimulation, you will have no access to new ideas. Without new ideas you stagnate and write the same thing over and over again. You become old fashioned.

So don't. Do NaNoWriMo, and then go back to the way your life was before. If you find you want writing to be a bigger part of your life afterwards, great! But slowly introduce it more and more, that way your loved ones and those that care about you will have time to adjust.

From the Author

Late post is late. T.T

I apologize, I wanted to wait until I got my new computer, but it didn't get here until 7:30 PM CST. So... late post. 

This will probably be a series of shorter posts as I am trying to plan and what not for NaNoWriMo. 

Not So Ninja Edit

Almost forgot! I was hosted on The Kelworth Files blog here.

Check it out!

Are You a Pantser or a Planner?

The upside and downside of both.

So this was supposed to be yesterday's post, but there was no post yesterday because I am a horrible person and @nobody_knows on Twitter got me reading a manga (again), and you should totally follow her because she is awesome and a writer and a NaNoWriMo'er and because I said so and you trust me right? Anyway, I would normally link you the manga (it's called Skip Beat if you're a glutton for punishment) but I won't because then you will be sucked into the same black hole I am in.

Anyway! To the post.
This one is unplanned as I am a horrible horrible planner and a pantser in all things.  

Planning

First, I think, we have to define what, exactly, a Planner is. So what is a planner?

Simply, it is someone who plans. A Planner may draw up all kinds of outlines and even model their characters off of pictures found on the internet or in magazines. Planner's will have their novel planned out to almost the minutest detail. 

The Pro's

The pro's of being a planner are, I think, quite obvious.

With a plan, one has less of a chance of hitting writer's block. (When you know where you're going, you can't come to a spot and go "what next?")

Well... that's really the only one I can think of at the moment, but it's a big one.

The Con's

Perfectionism. This may not sound like such a bad thing, but if you are a perfectionist, you will second guess yourself every step of the way. 

The lack of surprise. When you know everything from A to Z, there is no chance for your characters to surprise you, as you are far more liable to Railroad them. 

Writer's Block. It's the opposite of the Pro, but this is the reason I don't plan. If I plan, and I know what's going to happen next, it is impossible, sometimes, for me to continue because I feel I won't do it justice. 

Hum... Well, I never said I was an expert on Planning. 

Pantsing

Pantsing is a term used for writers like myself who "write by the seat of their pants." Often we go at the task with little idea of the outcome. I, myself, usually start with a beginning and an ending in mind, and some vague ideas of the middle. 

Pro's

Anything can happen. With limits. I love world building. (In that way I am a planner.) Normally I have clearly drawn lines of what can and cannot happen. However, within those limitations, anything can, and probably will, happen. 

The story, and characters, take on a life of their own. No, really. I've experienced this before. Without a plan, it is up to the characters to truly decide what they are going to do. As a writer, I often am bemused, befuzzled, or straight up confused at why my characters do certain things. But you know what? Their motivations always come clear in the end. 

Little Railroading. If you don't know how you're going to get to the end, how can you tell your characters what to do? It's that simple. 

Con's

Anything can happen. Yes, this goes in both categories. When anything can happen, some people can freeze, and so nothing happens. 

Writer's Block. Oh lordy, writer's block. My pantsing is probably the reason for 95% of my Writer's Block in the past, and that much in the future, too. Without a plan, it's quite easy to come to a spot and go... "What now?" 

Editing. I haven't gotten to this stage yet, but because I have had not plan, and my angle has change multiple times throughout writing, I know Mortality will need a MAJOR overhaul before I even THINK of getting beta-readers. 

The In-Between

Now, normally, no writer is entirely one or the other. 

Myself? I am most definitely solidly in the Panster group. However, I do LOVE world-building. And that falls entirely into the Planner category. Also, When I reach a point where I say "What now?" I will ask myself, what has to happen before the end. And a mental map is created. Sometimes I even right it down on paper. 

So. Happy Trails! Tomorrow will probably be another Character's on Couches session, because even though the blog spot was that one time... well, I've got more issues that need worked out! Thanks Murphy!

Cheyenne

Food for Thought

Are you a planner or a pantser? 

What works best for you?