Tag: fiction

Things I Learned from NaNo (just not this year)

I may not be participating in NaNo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the beauty of some of the things I learned over the years I did participate (I feel pretty ancient after that statement).  Sure, it’s a crazy frenzy of pouring thousands of words straight from your heart to the page (or the screen), but that doesn’t mean it’s all impulse.  Here are a few of the things I learned from NaNo.

1)  Have a plan.  This doesn’t mean you have to have a detailed line-per-scene outline complete with character names, descriptions, and complete family history going back ten generations, but it should probably be more than “Write about apples.”  (Why apples?  I don’t know.  That’s what popped into my head.  Thanks, Muse.  Such a smart-Alec.)  My personal favorite is a brief 2-3 sentence synopsis of the major scenes, plus a mention of anything that pertains to that scene that the Muse might give me (Like, “It would be really funny if the story opened with her tripping and almost falling into the casket in the middle of the funeral.  Flashing the audience would be great, too.”  Again, thanks, Muse.  True story.).

2)  Have goals.  Goals are pretty important in writing, I’ve found.  How else are you going to write 50,000 in 30 days if you don’t know that you need to hit 1,667 words per day?  Word count goals no longer work for me (at least not currently).  Now I go with pages.  My goal may be a paltry 2 pages per week right now, but it’s a goal.  (Don’t judge me.  I have a lot going on, and my days only have 24 hours in them.).

3)  Have friends.  By “friends” I mean “fellow writers you can talk to.”  Trust me, non-writers do not get it.  Just because I’m a writer does not make me a poet.  Or a biographer.  (The two most common “You should write–” suggestions I get.  Why would I want to write about your life?  Yes, you’ve done some stupid things, but it’s really better if we don’t publicize them…).  If you hit the wall while writing, writing friends are a helpful support group, always available for hand-holding, pep talks, and/or moving the bottle out of your reach.

So, there you go.  A few helpful tips   Now, back to your keyboards!  Those 1,667 words aren’t going to write themselves (probably).  I’m off to work on my plan (since the Muse hasn’t seen fit to grace me with one for The Fall yet…).

Writing Inspiration: Bits and Pieces

Sometimes, inspiration is easy to find.  It falls out of the sky like a bolt of lightning.

(I do not own this picture. Image by Bo Insogna.)
(I do not own this picture. Image by Bo Insogna.)

Other times, it is much more elusive, like chasing a will-o-‘the-wisp

(I do not own this picture. Photo by Buie.)
(I do not own this picture. Photo by Buie.)

I’ve found inspiration both ways.  (Or, really, it has found me.)  Usually, though, it’s a bit more…mundane.  A random thought, picture, name, or word will settle in my brain and I’ll hear an almost-audible click, and I know the Muse has snatched up whatever tiny piece just arrived and ran off into the darkness with it, giggling.  (My Muse is a bit terrifying at times.)  That little bit will be fitted together with other random bits to form a somewhat-complete idea.  When the Muse is finished with an idea, she’ll give it to me.  Or I’ll have to pry it from her greedy little fingers.  One of the two.

But reading inspires me.  Fiction.  Creative non-fiction.  Classics.  Blog posts.

That being said, here are a few interesting, inspiring links I’ve come across lately:

Letting go vs holding on, by Cristian Mihai.

A year-old post on Writing Inspiration, by Rucy Ban.

Another post on Writing Inspiration, on H. Squires Novels.

Writing Inspiration, on the ramblings of a literature nerd  (Isn’t that the greatest name?  Fellow literature nerds unite!)

On Writing, on Hello Alle.

Go.  Be inspired.  Write.

NaNo Wishes

It’s November.  Not a news flash, I know.  But if you’re a writer, you might know this month better as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNo.  If you don’t know, NaNo is all about writing a complete, 50,000-word novel in 30 days.

The first novel I ever completed was my first year doing NaNo.  I’ll never forget the rush, the thrill of knowing I was writing alongside thousands of other writers all over the world.  That alone was inspiration enough, but if my motivation ever flagged or I had questions, the forums were a fantastic place to go find it again or find answers.  I didn’t finish that novel in November, but I finished it just a few weeks later.  Since then, I’ve honestly forgotten how many times I’ve done–and “won”–NaNo, but I think it’s at least four (For the record, at least twice I wrote 100,000 words during NaNo.  Yes, I’m a masochist.  And clearly insane.  I have papers.)  I was even wearing my NaNo shirt when I met Laurell K. Hamilton, and she asked me about it because she’d never heard of it.

I haven’t done NaNo for the last…um, four years, I think.  Because of school mainly.  I can only juggle so much, and what amounts to two full-time jobs keeps me pretty busy.  I haven’t even found time to write a single page in weeks, much less around 1,700 words a day.  (There isn’t enough caffeine in the world to keep me awake for all that.)  But in early October, when I remembered it was almost time for NaNo, I was tempted.  Oh, so very tempted.  Fortunately, common sense prevailed.  I have a little.  And, in the face of working 3 11-16-hour days a week, plus 2 8-or-so-hour days doing homework, and crazy busy weekends filled with half-marathon training…Yeah, common sense sucks, but it was right.

But I’d like to wish everyone doing NaNo lots of luck (and caffeine).  If you are so fortunate, I’d really like to hear about how well it’s going.

Community

Holly Lisle is looking for readers and writers to build a community that fosters the growth of new writers.  The readers will have the opportunity to help writers they support to grow and learn, the writers will gain support and assistance where they need it.  Holly does wonderful things for other writers, and this is a fantastic new idea of hers that is still in beta development.  If you’re interested, check it out here.

Writing Inspiration

Sometimes, I just need a little inspiration to get my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keys (Actually, judging from my complete lack of writing lately, I apparently also need to be chained to the chair, but that’s another story.). Reading other writers’ posts that are inspiring, usually snaps me out of whatever funk I’m in. With that in mind, here are three great posts from writers that have me eager to get back to work.

Here’s one from Raymond on Writing in a Dead World:  Deleting the Best Part of You.

One from Shannon A. Thompson:  Writing is Misery.

And one from Christian Milan:  Are Writers Crazy?

Check them out, even if you don’t need writing inspiration.

Kirin Rise: Cast of Shadows, by Ed Cruz

Kirin Rise: Cast of Shadows, by Ed Cruz
Kirin Rise: Cast of Shadows, by Ed Cruz

Ed Cruz is a martial artist who was born in the Philippines and raised the U.S. He has a large online following, and had devoted himself to mastering the art of Wing Chin Gung Fu, the only art ever created by a woman. His first novel, the first in a series, is Kirin Rise: The Cast of Shadows.

Kirin Rise doesn’t look like much: she’s tiny, unassuming, and most of all, female. So when she appears in front of the cameras at Chum Night—the weekly blood bath publicized by the mighty United Federation of Mixed Fighting—the world is sure of her defeat, and her probable death. But with one hit, Kirin shatters all assumptions and catapults herself into a world she never imagined.

America in 2032 is a different place. Gone are family values and helping out your neighbors. In their places are selfishness and corporate greed—led by the Federation and its lust for total control. With the Federation usurping the place of every single competitive sport and dominating the government and the public eye, all eyes are on Kirin Rise, as she opposes the most feared fighters in the world.

But her opponents in the ring aren’t the only ones Kirin has to worry about. The Federation is more powerful than she imagined, and soon everyone she loves is in danger—her family, her friends, her Sifu, and Hunter, the guy she’s known for years. Can Kirin Rise win against the Federation fighters, or will she find defeat as she battles corporate corruption.

Kirin Rise: Cast of Shadows is set in a world very similar to our own, with a familiar culture and way of life. But this world is overshadowed by the Federation, which has spread its tentacles throughout every facet of existence, leading to a dark stain of corruption. The characters, particularly Kirin and Sifu, are larger than life, and not stereotypical martial artist figures of student and master. The characters have distinct personalities, wants, and goals, and they fully inhabit their world, a terrifying rendering of what our world could be like if things stay on the course they are on.

Kirin Rise Blog Tour
Kirin Rise Blog Tour

Decisions, Decisions

In my Creative Writing class, the reading assignment for next week is about Revision. Revision is not my favorite part of the writing process. It is, quite possibly, my least favorite. (Okay, perhaps tied with writing the first sentence, but that’s a whole other phobia…) Revising is hard work. Sometimes I can see what needs re-worked right away. Sometimes I might as well be trying to read it in Braille or Swahili, for all the sense it makes to me (I speak /read neither, by the way). I know revising is necessary, that it is essentially where the magic happens, but I don’t really enjoy it or anticipate it.

That being said, while I was reading about revising, all I could think about—all the Muse could think about—was the werewolf story. I love the characters in that story, the world, the conflict, everything about it. The writing is done. It’s even been revised (once). But it could use some more work, some fresh eyes. I’m wondering if the Muse is trying to tell me something. Perhaps I should put in a little bit of revision time on this story, as well as drafting The Fall? (And it would only be a little bit of time, because that’s all I have to give.)

I could do it. Maybe only an hour a week, but I could. Then I could start writing the next one…ah. Delusions of grandeur are on the agenda today, I see. Considering my weekly writing goal for The Fall is two measly pages, and I’m doing good to hit that, now I’m mentally gearing up to write something else. I really have to stop trying to do too much.

What do you think? Add a small bit of revision into the mix, or stick with just writing for now?

Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic, by Meghan Ciana Doidge

Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge
Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge

 

Meghan Ciana Doidge is a writer from Vancouver, Canada. She writes about magic and the supernatural, fantasy with a tint of romance. The newest book in her Dowser series, Cupcakes, Trinkets, and other Deadly Magic, is out now, and mixes werewolves, vampires, and cupcakes for a sweet twist on the urban fantasy genre.

Jade’s life was normal: bake cupcakes for her boutique bakery every morning, get in the occasional bit of trouble with her sister, Sienna, create art out of the magical items that seemed to find their way to her. Well, maybe not normal, but when you’re a dowser, half-witch and half…something else, “normal” is relative. Right up until the moment the vampire showed up on her doorstep.

Someone has been murdering werewolves in Vancouver. Someone with a lot of power at their disposal. Someone whose magic smells a whole lot like Jade’s.

She manages to convince the vampire investigator of her innocence, but is swept up into the search for the black magic murderer. Jade discovers that everything she has always thought she’s known is not the truth. Her family has been hiding things from her, things that will affect her life, her abilities, and her future…if she manages to stay alive at all when her barely-tested powers battle black magic for high stakes. And chocolate.

Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic is a light-hearted urban fantasy with darker shadings. The characters are unique and well-realized, and the setting does not have the traditional feel of most urban fantasies. Instead, the author offers up appealing glimpses into the quirky setting of Vancouver that will have the reader eager for more. The tasty cupcake descriptions aren’t bad, either.

 

How Do I Fill in My Setting?

Here’s the problem with picking up writing a new story after a long (like, a year) break and having a different vision for the story when you come back to it: it’s scary. And I’m afraid I’m going to miss putting in some crucial background details that will make the whole world come alive. I only have about 25 pages written, so it’s not earth-shattering right now, but I need to fill in some of the details to make the setting sing.

On one hand, I’m terrified that my setting is going to fall flat. On the other, I don’t want to get bogged down in the minutiae and not write. Catch-22. Danged if I don’t, danged if I do. So, what do I do?

I do need some advice. Should I stop the actual writing to go back and fill in all the holes I can sense in my setting? Or should I keep writing the draft, and keep a separate file for all the setting details/problems/ideas that come to me, so I can put them in later? Has anyone else ever had this problem? What was your solution? Or how do you avoid holes in your setting to start with?

Time Flies

So, I just wrote four pages—my page goals for the past two weeks—in one sitting! Not that four pages is astonishing or anything, but it’s writing, and my characters and their world are starting to come to life for me. Which is a good thing, obviously, since what’s the point of writing about dead characters? (Unless they’re zombies or vampires. Then, maybe.)

The story is starting to burn in the back of my mind now, and I love it. I wish I had more time to spend writing, but…I don’t. it’s not that I waste a lot of time on TV or anything like that, I just don’t have time to get everything done I need and want to do. There are several non-negotiables in my life:

1) God. I give my time to Him in various forms, and that won’t stop.
2) School. Do I even need to say that this is a huge priority?
3) Work. Obviously, not working isn’t an option for me.
4) Training. Have I mentioned that I’m doing a half-marathon in December, and hiking the Grand Canyon next May? This will require some time.
5) Writing. Beyond school stuff, and the fiction, I have three blogs. (Well, four, but the fourth has lapsed for now.)

So you see my problem here? If my days had like 28 hours in them, I would be golden. Sadly, I don’t have Hermione’s Time-Turner, so that option is out for me. I’m sure I could better use my time, but I’m at a loss as to how. If anyone has any suggestions, tips, tricks, apps, ideas…I would love to hear them. I need help with this! My Muse wants to write, and I want her to be able to.