Scrivener

Okay, for those of you who were awake between 2 and 3 am CST and follow me on twitter, you may have noticed some #amplotting tweets.

I was in that mood. I think the caffeine may have had something to do with it, but I digress.

I take my netbook to work with me. It's safe in the break room, as no one would dare mess with anything that is somebody else's. Except to move it to another table in the morning for no reason whatsoever, but here I go digressing again.

Before NaNoWriMo '12 I dowloaded the free trial of Scrivener, and I used it all through November. Now, however, I have recently bought the full thing. At half-price, I may add, because I won NaNoWriMo.

It you want to check it out, or see what it is, the website is Literature and Latte.

I cannot recommend it enough.

Now, last night, as I was planning, (and Scrivener makes this SO easy) I was coming up with questions, mostly backstory that I needed to answer. Instead of opening to a new page in my notebook and having thoughts all over the place, not to mention killing my already carpal tunnel pained wrists, I created a new file under the research folder. And I began figuring things out.

Now, this will make no sense to you, but here's an excerpt.

Original beings were the Psychic Vampires (that I REALLY need to rename).
Their existence was not a curse, rather a blessing.
They were the few that stood by (insert deity here) during the war.
What war? Creation? Equivalent of angels? Humans made next best thing?

Psychic Vampires given the Chalice (need to name?) to create the Noble Undead (rename?)
Noble Undead purpose to protect the well-being of the Psychic Vampires through young life and before their reincarnation’s.

How do the Noble Undead know where/in what body they will reincarnate?

If the Helyn are the offspring of the Psychic Vampires, and it is the blood of the Helyn that is used to create the Noble Dead. Who was used for the original Noble Dead?

That is how my mind works, if you'd like to know.

I created three new files, I think, and Scrivener makes it so I will NEVER lose them. EVER! Seriously, Scrivener saves your work if you pause for more than two seconds. It's amazing.

And, best part is, I can use it without an internet connection, so no distractions if I don't want them!

It's great because at work we don't have internet so I can't use google docs (now drive) there.

I suggest Scrivener to anyone whether you think you need/want it or not. I believe... yeah, it's $40 for the full version, but they have a 30 day free trial that you can try before buying, but also, they have a deal with OLL that any winners of NaNoWriMo can get it for HALF OFF. If you won NaNoWriMo this year I recommend going to the goodies page and getting that code. DO IT.

However, if you did not win or did not participate in NaNoWriMo this year, you can buy it full price, or use the trial for NaNoWriMo '13 and buy it AFTER for half price. That's up to you.

I highly recommend this. No matter what you write. Novels. Short Stories. Poems. Screen plays. Anything.

Yes, this is a post with no real substance, because I had nothing else to say today. Have a good one!

Six Sentences Sunday 3

At first, I was freaking out because I didn't have a post planned for today.

Then I checked my email (procrastinating) and saw a notification from another blog with a triple S post, and I was like, OH YEAH!

So here's Six more Sentences from my (still) untitled NaNoWriMo restart.

Hrothsam looked at Aoduain closely. "There's really only one thing we can do." 

"What?" asked Ilyrana. 

Aoduain closed his eyes, as if knowing what was coming.  

"We have to amputate it." 

I am evil to my characters. Yes, they really do amputate his arm. But that's okay, he's not much of a fighter anyway.

Muahahahah!

 

Post NaNo Life

Whether you made it across the finish line with 50,000 words (like I finally did this year!) or not, you're going to need to get back to normal Non-NaNo life.

For some, the transition is quite simple.

For others, such as myself and Murphy (I mean, just look at her recent tweets), it can be quite difficult.

There are piles of dishes to be cleaned, animals to be fed on a regular basis again, food that we actually have to COOK. Some of us even have to get back to a normal sleeping schedule. (Not me, my schedule is whack because I work overnights).

So how does one go about re-entering this Non-NaNo "normal" world?

I would advise you take it slowly. One step at a time.

One thing at a time.

Dishes need doing? Do them, then take a break. Watch some television. Maybe write a little bit (if you're still in that mind set like I am).

But then do some laundry. Then take a break.

Do it like this for a few days, or a week, and slowly you will become accustomed to doing chores on a daily basis again.

But also, for those of you who are first time NaNo'ers, or even first time writers, you can write any time during the year. You don't have to wait for November and NaNoWriMo to come around.

I think some veterans may even need to read those words.

Ta Ta for now, lovelies! I'll see you on a daily basis again, now that NaNo is over.

Six Sentences Sunday

Okay

So I'm not exactly sure where the Six Sentences Sunday thing began. 

All I know is I've seen it on multiple blogs, and since I don't have any sort of schedule for posts, this would work for a Sunday post, won't it?

Basically I'll post Six Sentences recently written of my current Work In Progress. 

Right now that happens to be my NaNoWriMo novel which is still untitled. 

Here they are. Six Sentences. 

Aoduain awoke in a cold sweat from a dream he could no longer remember upon waking. Whatever it was, it hadn’t been good. Somewhere between deep sleep and waking, he had braced himself for another fire, but what greeted him was far different. The air nearly hummed with energy, as an angry wind whipped around him and dark clouds formed overhead. His breath came in quick, panicky spurts and he nearly jumped out of his skin when the first strike of lightning hit the ground just feet away from him. The after image still burned into his retina’s, he blinked furiously and finally saw Arlienna, bunched up in a tight ball against the wind, Talliel and Emrys bracing themselves against her.

I write some long sentences. That is, by my count, six sentences.

I may be wrong.

But there you go.

xD

Plotting (And a sorta Book Review)

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success

Alright, So I'm not a plotter. At all. I tried to plan my NaNoWriMo novel this year, and got sick and tired of it 8,000-some odd words in. Now, I don't know that I can blame that all on the plotting aspect because I was writing in a setting I usually don't. (Modern-ish Times)

I've been trolling Amazon recently, mostly downloading free books of about anything that catches my fancy. I bought this one awhile ago (it was not one of those free books, but cheap enough I didn't feel guilty buying it.) 

Two days ago, I got stuck on my novel. I knew what had just happened (obviously) and I knew what I wanted to happen about a month down the timeline, but I didn't know what happened in between. 

Instead of just going off on random tangents that would have meant nothing, I followed the advice in Outlining. 

As I said, I'm not a Plotter. 

But I pulled out a brand new notebook and a pencil, sat down and plotted as K.M Weiland advises you do. Guess what? IT WORKED! I didn't go into any detail, I just talked to myself through my pencil and figured it all out. I won't say anymore about the process except to tell you to go buy the book. It's 3.99 on Amazon here. Seriously, click the link. Buy the book. 

It's even an ebook, so you don't have to wait two weeks to get it, you can get it instantly on your Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle (as I don't), there is a free Kindle Desktop App. It's what I use. Or you can just read it in your browser through Amazon's Cloud Reader. 

Really, it's less than $4. What excuse do you have not to?

Even if you're a skeptic as I was, or a tried and true pantser, you WILL become stuck, and if nothing works, follow what Weiland suggests. What can it hurt? It worked for me.

Ah, the book. ***** stars, definitely. (That's 5 stars, people, not profanity.)

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

Four Days Later

Uhm.

Yeah, it's been four days since I've posted and I apologize.

I've been so busy trying to catch up, and I'm slowly managing to do so.

You can look at the side bar to the right to see where I am... 17,533 words right now. And I should be at 21,671 at the end of the day. I may or may not be able to catch up today, but I am surely going to try my best.

According to the NaNo website, right now I need to write 1,804 words per day to finish on time.

I think I can manage that, what about you? (I've written 2,291 in roughly 3 hours.)

On the second novel I started this month, I have almost a plot. At least, I have many scenes in mind, and that leads to the in between steps from one to the other. I can't wait to write some of them!

I don't really have much of substance to say today, so I will give you an excerpt of my new novel. (still untitled)

Cold metal shackles dug into his wrists and his ankles. He was forced to lay spread eagled on an ice cold, hard stone slab in the middle of a room. The walls were covered with mirrors, as was the ceiling, and the walls reflected every scream he screamed back at him. And he did scream. There was no way he couldn’t scream. They wanted him to scream, he thought, it was why they didn’t gag him.

For now they were gone. A short respite before the torture began again. He didn’t know what they wanted. They didn’t ask questions, they didn’t even speak. They had bought him from a slaver for cheap. After all, who would want a starved, weak, half elven child? He was no good for physical labor. He was too small and too thin. He wasn’t smart, he could not even add simple numbers. But he had been bought. The only thing they’d done to him since they’d gotten him was to hurt him, though. Why?

He heard a door echo in the distance and he struggled weakly against his bonds. It was no use. It never was. That never kept him from trying every time they came back. He thought that may have been what they wanted as well. They wanted him to fight. When they came into the room, though, he stopped struggling. If that was what they wanted, he wouldn’t give it to them. One of the man, with a sharply hooked nose and beady unfriendly eyes, came close to his face with a long, wicked knife in hand.

As usual, nothing was said. The man placed the steel blade against the skin of Aoduain’s cheek and cut a ragged tear from the bottom of the boy’s earlobe to the corner of his mouth. A scream of pain tore from his mouth yet again as the blade seemed to not only cut, but to burn him as well. With the pain, though, came anger. A fury so great rose up in him that it tinted everything red. Looking up at his reflection in the mirror there, he seemed to grow. He grew taller and thinner, but his muscles also became more well defined.

The bonds keeping him tied down snapped and a fierce pleasure rose up in his stomach at the identical looks of fear on the two men’s faces. Aoduain stood and had to duck his head in order to keep from hitting the ceiling. As he took a step forward, hand outstretched, the man with the beak like nose burst into flames and the second, portlier, man ran. Aoduain reached out to him and a whip of fire extended from his palm, wrapping itself around the man’s fat neck. Pleasure once more warmed his stomach as he watched the life fade from the man’s eyes.

The man’s mouth opened wide. “Aoduain!”

He jerked awake at Talliel’s voice, blinking away the confusion as he sat up. It was bright, had he slept past day break? But no, it was warm. Too warm, he was sweating. Blinking once more his gaze came to rest on the tree, or what was left of it. It was on fire, a blazing beacon in the night. He flinched away from it in fear and the fires grew higher. All around him, as he looked, were scorched patches of ground. Directly underneath him the grass had browned and withered, not burned, but as they die in the winter.

Yup.

Dream sequence/flash back.

It was quite fun to write.

Enjoy!

And happy NaNo'ing.

Free-Writing

Okay, last night at work during a couple of my breaks, I was trying to figure out what I want to write about...

To do this, I did a couple different free-writing exercises. And I'll type up one here for you guys to read. Because 1) most people don't know what free-writing really is, I didn't either, really. 2) I have nothing better to post.

Fiery red hair whipping through the wind. Flowing skirts clanging jingling bells flashes splashes spots of color loud laughs silent screams mothers fears fathers scars dark destroys light rebuilds tortured tongues loosen spiked collars bloodied water runs cold poisoned veins smothered lives under a microscope torn pages broken spines missing books loud falls turning doorways watching stars staring unblinking eyes decorated walls outshine the day dragons fall spirits scream shrouded hills singing Death colored leaves square windows towering pillars monstrous altars bloody sacrifice Nodding guards slipping sliding shadows dead king exiled son bastard daughter spies hired killers ninja of the knight Shadows hide and steal blue eyes, piercing clouds makeup hides scars ball abound music loud false smiles petty laughs meaningless words poisoned tongues hair black as night long or short as will

Don't try to find meaning in it. I didn't. It doesn't really make sense. It was good to write something again. I haven't written anything for NaNoWriMo for a couple days now. And I need to.

Anyway!

Happy Writing!

Starting Over

Alright folks. I hate my NaNoWriMo novel, Tainted.

Yup. It's true.

So I'm starting over.

On what?

I don't know yet.

What genre?

Probably fantasy.

What Characters?

No clue yet.

I have to go through my notebooks and read over my old ideas and see if any of them spark anything for me right now. If not, I'll have to start totally from scratch.

Good luck to me, right?

Also, I haven't written anything in the past two days. Today will be my third day with no words written... We'll see if I make 50k this year.

Keep writing!

Uhm... NaNo?

So...

I don't have a post for today. Or yesterday.

So here's an excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel?

As her attention strayed to the fire, she was caught off guard. The man landed a blow on her shoulder and Sarah Juliet slammed into the wall behind her with a sickening crunch. It was a sound similar to the sound wet wood makes when it snaps. But with more pain. Pain blossomed behind her eyes and blotted out the world. Red lines crossed her vision and threatened to fade to black.

Sarah Juliet fought it, though. She fought it with all her might. She would not pass out. She would not pass out. It worked. Her eyes opened and she flinched. The man stood close. Too close. His eyes were red, and blood shot. His hair, black, hung in lank strands down to his shoulders. His skin was as pale as alabaster, but looked as fragile as paper. As if a strong wind would blow him over, or shatter him like glass.

If the force that had thrown her into the wall was a show of strength, he was anything but weak. And he had her against the wall. His hand kept her shoulder against the wall, and her feet off the floor by at least a good twelve inches. His eyes narrowed as his nostrils flared.

“Who are you?”

She flinched at his voice. Gravelly and full of earthy tones, it reminded her of the sound of tires on gravel when alone at night after watching a horror movie. With a paved drive way, and no one is supposed to be home anyway. It made her fear to her very core. His breath didn’t help matters, either. It smelt like what she imagined a bloating, rotted corpse would smell.

“Who. Are. You?”

He obviously disliked her lack of an answer. Swallowing a sarcastic retort, she blinked to try and clear her eyes of the smoke.

“My name is Sarah Juliet.”

He smirked, and she saw his teeth were black as coal, and filed to points. “Juliet? Like the star crossed lovers from that old tale?”

“Something like that.”

I have no clue who the scary looking guy is. I don't think he's technically a bad guy though.

Have a good day!

NaNoWriMo Ate My Soul

So as you guys know, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo.

My word count isn't as bad as it has been in the past, it's actually above the requirement for today. (7,097 of 6,668 in case you were wondering.)

However, my characters and novel are beginning to annoy me. Except for the Twins and a character I hadn't even planned on.

I'm floundering. Do I continue with the plot as planned (admittedly, I only have a little bit more planned) or follow this new guy and see what he does? I don't even know how I would get him wrapped up with the Twins as I think he wants to stay unknown, but has only met Sarah-Juliet.

Gah! I don't know. And I feel that others may have the same quandary.

My advice to you is as follows.

Don't sweat the small stuff. 

And during NaNoWriMo, this is small stuff. Focus on your word count goals and the rest will follow. If a character you hadn't planned for makes an appearance, don't edit them out, let them have their say. 

A side character stealing the show? Power to 'em! Follow their story, tell it until it is over. Perhaps there's more to the story than you had suspected, or you weren't telling the right story. 

The plot not heading in the way you planned? Let it. Again, the story you were telling may not be the way it actually happened. Let the characters tell their story. Just get out of the way. 

In Which We Meet A Gypsy

Okay, this is another one of those random ideas, this one I had at work.

But FIRST! Obligatory nod of the head, happy dance, spastic hyperventilation, ecstatic wave to November the First. Do you know what that means? If you've been reading my blog you probably should. It means NaNoWriMo!

And if you still don't know what means (where have you been? Under a rock?), it means 50,000 words written in a month. It means the permission to write a terrible rough draft. It means no editing while you work. And it means writing at least 1667 words a day. Or more. Normally more. It means a month of complete and totally literary abandon. At least, that's what they say.

And I've already made my word count for the day!

I'm sitting at 1,683 words and planning on getting at least a few more before I work tonight.

Anyway! The NaNoWriMo discussion is over, (I may have a post dedicated fully to it tomorrow) so onto the gypsy!

Gypsy

Author is sitting in her chair, chewing on a pencil and staring at a blank sheet of paper again. As she is sitting a woman steps out of the shadows, admittedly scaring the bejeezus out of Author. Really, people should be more considerate and warn her before they walk out of her subconscious. 

Author turns, "Who are you?" She is not unfriendly, just curious and lacking in people skills. 

The woman has tanned, almost leathery in it's age and sun-beaten-ness. Long, thick hair hangs past her shoulders and is bright red, except where gray has begun taking over. Around the woman's mouth are faint lines, and make it appear she is about to smile any moment. 

Her clothing is brightly colored, being a skirt that hangs to her knee on the right side, but drags on the ground at the left, and a shirt that appears no more than a long strip of cloth wound about her torso. Both the skirt and the top have bells sewn into them, so every movement or shift of body she makes is heard clearly. There would be no way to move silently in such an outfit. 

"I am Morhaktihna Kryllmynl."

"Uh huh... 'More-hock-teen-uh Krill-men-ull.'" 

"That is correct." 

"You are Zhahilen?" 

"No."

"Then you are Zhacorahl."

"Yes."

"Why-?"

"I was to be Saralmai. I did not wish it. So I left."

"You left? And made it past the Spine and to the wetlander's world, I suppose?"

"It was not easy, but yes, I did."

"Uh huh. Well, if you would go through that door there behind you and choose a room, I will call you when you are needed. All comforts will be provided for you." 

As Morhaktihna dipped her head and did as she was bade, Author put her head in her hands. What was it with these Zhahilen characters and not following the customs of their people? Most Zhahilen weren't like this. But then again, they wouldn't make good characters if they did as they were expected all the time. 

----

Well, that was something. 

Happy NaNo'ing all!

Creating a Protagonist

What is a Protagonist?

A protagonist is, simply, the person whose actions and problems move the plot.

For that reason, the protagonist is vital to a plot. Without a protagonist, you don't have a plot.

Now, the protagonist does not necessarily have to be a "good" guy. Sometimes lines are blurry. Also, there can be more than one. Some people simply call the Protagonist(s) the Main Character(s). I count the antagonist as a Main Character (after all, without him/her/them you don't have a story), but to each his own.

Do I have to have a Protagonist?

Uhm. Yes. Without a protagonist, or main character, you don't have a story. At all. 

At least not one that's worth reading. 

How to Go About Creating A Protagonist

I'm not so sure what I can say here. My protagonists normally end up coming with the story. However, that's normally just an idea. This year, her name came first. I don't know why, her name is Sarah-Juliet. She hates her name. Thinks it's too girly. She goes by Jewel. (Yeah, because that sooo less girly.) 

But after the initial idea, that's the first thing that came to mind. Her name. Her personality was part and parcel with the idea. But I'm going to try and talk you through my process. 

Back Story

You have to know their back story. Back story is one of the main forces in the story. What happens in the past inevitably has an impact on the present.

I'm a pantser, as I've said before, so I normally don't have it written out entirely, but I normally know the main points in their background. What made them the person they are?

Family

 Most of my Main Characters, for one reason or another, have no family. Either all dead, they're estranged, or they just hate them and refuse to even think about them. But this year, for NaNoWriMo, I had help creating my characters, and most of them have families.

Keep in mind, if a character disappears, or does something dangerous, how will their family react? That's an entire subplot there.

In my NaNoWriMo, my main character, though he's 21 years of age, is kidnapped. He has two older siblings, and a father. His sister doesn't notice, as she has her own family and is taking care of their father. The brother, however, single and quite close to his baby brother, is worried beyond belief and goes to the police. I'm not sure yet how I'll work that in...

Strengths and Weaknesses

And those that know them. 

This is why I make the antagonists (normally) someone from the Main Character's past. They would have a real reason to know the strengths and weaknesses of the characters. It forces the main characters to over come or find ways around their weaknesses and play up their strengths. 

Love Interests

Ooh, love interests are fun. Most of my characters have love interests, whether that love is requited or not makes it fun. Ah, well that's just me. I don't know that I can write a novel without love playing a role. Romance is a big thing for me, but I don't write romance, it's just a facet of my writing. 

Unrequited love is my favorite. Also, it doesn't have to be lovey-dovey love. Familial is great. Also, best friend love is awesome. Especially when that (non essential) best friend dies. And spurs the Main Character on to finish the Goal. (Yes, I have used this before.)

Ah, anyway, that's my process. Sort of. 

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?

I have dreams like you, no really.

"Just much less, touchy-feely".

Yeah, I just watched Tangled again. But this is perfect for today's blog post.

Dreams are SO important! You have no idea.

My NaNoWriMo novel this year, Tainted, came from a dream. Really. The dream was a girl (me?) watching the guy she claims as a brother, get burned to death. She (me) is a werewolf. She's so angry, she's beginning to shift. Her human friend tells her she has to run. To get away. That he's not her brother. She (I) took off running. That's when I woke up. That dream was nearly two months ago. It stuck with me. It inspired this novel.

And today, when I got in my six hours of sleep, I remember waking up once from a dream. It had to do with my plot. It was a really good plot idea. I thought "I'll write it down when I wake up for real." Guess what happened? I forgot.

Keep A Journal

Dream journal. I don't have one. I will from now on. This is not the first time I've had a dream where I go "That's a GREAT idea!" go back to sleep, and then forget. Seriously, keep a notebook and pen/pencil by your bed. 

When you wake up, even if you don't recall your dreams, try writing something. Anything. The mind is, for me, much more malleable early in the morning. If you're the opposite and are better at night, do it just before bed. But keep a journal. I have a notebook I carry with me everywhere. I have many ideas crammed in there. And bits of beginnings or middles. I have a list of random sayings from my Junior Year History teacher. He was funny. I have a list of possible chapter titles. 

Some of my ideas are very simple. One simply has a title (Point Taken) and three questions (Martial Arts? Pressure Points? Serial Murderer?) . Another is a title (Nexus) and one question (All magicians in the world connected?) Really, that one's just a magic system. 

Some of these ideas came to me at work. That's why I carry my bag with me everywhere. I also have a pocket sized notebook that I carry in my back pocket at work now, and a pen, obviously. 

I think that's all I have for today. 

Do you keep a journal of any kind?

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?

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!

Sleep is Good

Like, really good.

I work nights, and can't sleep during the day, so if I don't go to bed when I'm exhausted I will be physically incapable of sleeping until the next night.

Now, I know as a writer, especially if you are a WriMo'er sleep is one thing we sacrifice to get our writing done.

I know that.

I've done it.

But please, make some time to sleep. A whole sleep cycle is an hour and a half. Or, sleep in 45 minute increments. Or look up online how long you should sleep.

Because I'm smart and slept the night before I had to work, I could't sleep at all the day before, so when  I finally got home from work, I had been up for over twenty-four hours. I know some people can go 36, or even 48 with no sleep. I am not one of them. Caffeine stops working for me at the twenty-four mark.

Still Not Convinced?

I know the feeling. 

Depending on who you talk to, lack of sleep could be good for creativity. Some people say opposite. But you know what? Sleep deprivation is not good. For anyone. Today was probably the first time I've gotten a full eight-hours in a week. You know how much creative writing I got done during that week? No work on Mortality. Just some character development for Tainted, and most of that was thanks to the NaNoWriMo forums. 

Now imagine if you did that during NaNoWriMo next month. No creative output for a week? Maybe that's been my problem. 

I have never completed a WriMo with 50,000 words. I rarely sleep a full eight hours. Especially now that I work nights. 

So the way I see it, get as much sleep as you need. You'll be more creative. 

Food For Though

What's your view on sleep and creativity?

Surviving NaNoWriMo

Hey guys. So I just realized it's past noon and I don't have a blog post up yet.

Yup.

So I've, for obvious reasons, NaNoWriMo on the brain.

So, how do I survive NaNoWriMo?

Barely.

I have never passed the 50,000 word mark, but that will change this year. (But then again I said the same thing last year and during JulNoWriMo '12... well, this time I mean it.)


ANYWAY!

Everyone always talks about a Survival Kit. The stuff you HAVE to have for NaNoWriMo, or sometimes, writing in general.

Well, I have never typed up a list of what I consider MUST haves.

Really, if I did it'd be a short list.

Like, the only thing I need is my laptop (with wall charger).

BUT! Stuff that I prefer to have... that's another list entirely.

• Laptop 
• Charger
• Notebooks
• Pens/Pencils
• Coffee/Tea/Caffeine
• Chocolate (dependent upon my mood)
• Nuts/Dried fruits (For some healthy snacking)
• Veggie platter (with ranch dip. Mmm)
• NaNo Notebook (different from regular notebooks in that it has all my planning)
• Blanket/Other warm clothing. (Our house is kept quite cool)
• Head phones
• I-pod (if I turn off the internet)

Hmm. I think that's about it for me. Like I said, I've never typed up a list. 

So, that's what I will have to survive NaNoWriMo. 

Happy Writing!

Food For Thought

What are your needs/must haves for writing?

What do you prefer to have?

Music or no music?

I Can Draw

Sort of. 

I've been doing character art for people on the NaNoWriMo forums and it's fun. My DeviantArt account is here if you'd like to check it out.

I've been doing that instead of writing today, so... There's not much I can say except I can't WAIT for NaNoWriMo to be here.

I have been a master procrastinator even more so these past few days, because I'm putting together my NaNo Swap items, drawing characters, fending off ideas with a stick, trying to come up with side plots for Tainted, figuring out characters and MAIN plot for Tainted. And all sorts of other things. So...

Well I don't have much to say.

Sorry. Bad blog post is bad.

Food for Thought

What do you do when you procrastinate?