Writing, Dreams & Drops of Ink

The Transformational Character Arc workshop with Jodi Henley

2012-01-12T21:45:00.000+08:00

An amazing workshop
I learned so much from Jodi in one week, I wouldn't have believed it. She explained things so well that it put all the bits of knowledge that I understood in vague terms and tied them all together clearly.

For instance, the opening of a novel doesn't just provide conflict and/or a hook, or start where the action happens; it's also the place where the reader gets to know the character so that they CARE about what happens to the character when the inciting incident takes place. Knowing what the opening scene has to achieve means a writer can plan that scene so that it meets all the criteria necessary to keep a reader reading.
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My 2012 Writing Goals

2011-12-31T22:45:00.000+08:00

Image courtesy of Nasirkhan at morguefile.com

Now that my first year of motherhood is behind me, I am beginning to think about how I can create a daily writing habit. My little guy and I seem to have nap times and bedtime flowing a lot easier, so finding at least 10 minutes to write each day should be within the realms of possibility. (But one of the things I've learned this past year is that baby and I can sometimes have Challenging Days. And when those Challenging Days crop up, it's best to ditch Plan A and flow gracefully into a Plan B. )

Researching plot and structure

Despite my earlier post on letting things go, I just cannot let go of my story idea or my three beloved characters.
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My Top Reads of 2011

2011-12-30T10:36:00.000+08:00

I read 54 fiction books in 2011 (and probably half as much again non-fiction, but I don't often add those to Goodreads so I don't have an exact number) and my top reads from the ones I gave 5 stars to are below.

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent trilogy and the final book is just as good as the other two.

The stakes are raised even higher and the Mayor and Mistress Coyle become even more unpredictable and dangerous.

Unputdownable. A fabulous, fabulous read!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing, amazing, amazing!

An intensely satisfying read, and the adjective "unputdownable" is entirely accurate.

Each of the character's voices is unique and their stories are riveting. What's refreshing is that even the characters who are "villains" also have wonderfully endearing qualities.

This book is a keeper.

Hush Money by Susan Bischoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it, loved it, LOVED it!
I was gripped by the story right from the start, completely immersed in the story world, deeply interested in the characters, and the romance element is just perfect.
I can barely wait for the the second book in the series, and I've just seen there's a 0.5 in the series, Impulse Control, so I much check that out!

Impulse Control by Susan Bischoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am really enjoying this series by Susan Bischoff. The ebooks are well written, the pacing is excellent, the characters are fabulous, and the plots are tense and edgy with high stakes involved.

I am so looking forward to Book 2 in the series!

Heroes 'Til Curfew by Susan Bischoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Talk about a roller coaster of a read!! I was turning e-pages long after I should have been in bed; I was breathless with anxiety; I was biting my nails in anticipation; and I was open-mouthed with horror at one particular scene that I nearly couldn't even read, THAT was how gut-wrenching and evocative and REAL the writing was.

I have no other way to describe the feelings I had while reading this. Book 1 was phenomenal; Book 2 reaches even higher on the scale of my recommended reads.

The stakes are even higher now for our protagonists so Book 3 is going to be even more tense, I imagine.

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT.
I am in awe of how Pratchett takes every single story detail and weaves them into the story.
It's a GREAT story. Lots of laughs, some tears, and mostly awe (from me, anyway, at the amazing storytelling!!!!)
I highly recommend it and this is a KEEPER on my bookshelves, as are the rest of the Tiffany Aching stories.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.
This book was so good I would actually re-read it straight away (if I didn't have another book already waiting for me)!
The characters are just wonderful - I loved turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next - the conflict between Sydney and Adrian is huge and it will be very interesting to see how they deal with it in the next books in the series.
All in all a VERY satisfying read.
And I'm keeping it close by so I can dive back into it again when I run out of something new to read. :)

Airhead: Runaway by Meg Cabot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent finish to the Airhead series. I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the strings got tied up nicely and there was a happily ever after too. :)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nine Keys to Creative flow - a link

2011-12-18T14:09:00.003+08:00

This is a quick post today - I'm up to my eyes in Christmas to-dos.

I read a great post by Robert Moss on keys to creative flow and wanted to share it.

No. 3, in particular, had great resonance for me. All about structure.

Here's the link: http://blog.beliefnet.com/dreamgates/2011/12/nine-keys-to-creative-flow.html

Enjoy!

Letting Go

2011-11-24T23:35:00.001+08:00

I recently read an e-newsletter that mentioned Barbara Sher and how scanners (with a double N not M) operate. I've not read any of her books (yet!) but what I read in the e-newsletter gave me something to think about.

Scanners basically work at something until they've derived what they needed from it and then they move onto the next thing. This can result in a lot of unfinished projects.
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Bowing Out...

2011-10-27T13:07:00.003+08:00

(Copy of post on GothNoWriMo boards...)

Due to unforeseen events - obedience training for hyperactive wolves, major structural damage to organise repairs for and several meetings with anxious villagers to reassure them that there won't be a repeat performance - I must bow out of this year's GothNo.

Sadly, now that I've seen Canardly's winner's certificate, I'm so far off target there's no hope of catching up and laying claim to it...

I am taking out of my efforts so far an interesting story idea, some plot points I really like, and the kind and helpful suggestions from fellow writers who offered their help in the I'm stuck! *shriek* thread.

I'll still frequent the boards however, so you'll see me around.All the best with your own writing - I hope it's going well - and see you at the finish line.

And now, I must get back to my wolves -

*raises arms and vanishes in a flash of lightning*

GothNo 2011 is off to a good start!

2011-10-02T23:22:00.004+08:00

Two days in and I'm on track for my 20K wordcount.

I finished the first scene tonight. I've no idea what to write tomorrow night.

Which is why I'm going to spend some time tomorrow before I write going through Susan Bischoff's Blueprint and her blog posts that relate to it (the link will take you to a list of all the relevant posts and clicking on older posts at the bottom of the screen will take you to the second page. The posts are in reverse chronological order). Her blueprint is based on Larry Brooks's story structure and also incorporates some other tools and techniques that are part of the writing craft.

1479 words. 7.4% of my wordcount goal achieved. Momentum Writer is the software I'm using this year and it's great. No formatting and no erasing AT ALL if you set the user preferences that way. Last night there were typos, tonight I allowed myself to use the backspace key by setting it up that way in the preferences. It'll make for a cleaner copy at the end of the month, but it's minimal erasing I do anyway.

It's 11.13pm, I'm WRECKED (too many nights of interrupted sleep to my name) and it's high time I took myself off to bed before I waffle on any more! :)

GothNoWriMo planning time

2011-08-28T19:12:00.002+08:00

I'll be over at Shamrock's WriMos from now on as I plan my GothNo project for 2011 but I'll copy any posts here too.

Hope you've all had a great August! :)

From Shamrock's WriMos: What I'm Starting With

I've been thinking of writing a sequel to Greenwood Manor, my GothNo 2008 novella. Katherine and Dr Sterling are engaged and he wants her to meet his family. This is, of course, quite an important event, because Dr Sterling's family will become her inlaws.

Rose and Jamie will re-appear in this second novella, as will Katherine's mother-in-law (her first husband's mother) and possibly the mother-in-law's friend.

I've got a cast of characters I enjoyed writing about and it would be good to see where a second novella would take them all.

So, that's my initial idea.

I found a very interesting article, Create a Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps, which looks at the eight ingredients a good plot needs.

They are:

Story Goal
Consequences
Requirements
Forewarnings
Costs
Dividends
Prerequisites
Preconditions

My next task is to work my way through these eight ingredients and see what ideas they trigger that I can build a plot outline with.

What's important is that I don't outline too heavily. I'm a pantser at heart!

EDIT: Oh, and I almost forgot. I should be able to get at least 10 minutes (if not half an hour! Whoopee!!) of writing time in during my little guy's afternoon naps. Which take place in the car.

It's not a coffee shop writing (*sigh*) but it IS writing and that's what counts! :)

Two great ebook reads

2011-08-28T11:45:00.001+08:00

Just a bit of promotion for two ebooks. One, Red, I have yet to finish reading but it's riveting. I love the characters' voices. It's YA.

The second ebook is the second in the Talent Chronicles series. Book 1 was fabulous; Book 2, Heroes 'till Curfew, takes up where Book 1 left off.

My e-reader has gone on the blink, unfortunately. I'm in contact with the Customer Services team, so fingers crossed they can help me.

The ebooks are also on my computer, so I'll be reading them there till the e-reader is back up and running. :)

World's Biggest Summit

2011-08-19T23:20:00.001+08:00

It's happening in October - more than 100 of the world's most inspiring people have been interviewed by Leonie Allen of GoddessGuidebook.com.

Show up and receive everything that you need.
Health. Wealth. Spirituality. Creativity. Business.
Illumination.

Storyfix.com - a new peer review page

2011-08-19T11:05:00.001+08:00

In his latest blog post, Larry Brooks announced that he has added a new peer review page to his site.

Read more »

Merit Badger

2011-08-17T22:05:00.002+08:00

I've just found Merit Badger and I'm enchanted and curled up laughing at the same time!

There are lots of badges for Writers and Readers and one I can VERY DEFINITELY lay claim to is this one:

Find out why here!

So, what badges can YOU lay claim to? :)

A couple of (non-writing) feel good exercises

2011-08-06T23:58:00.003+08:00

Everyone gets stressed and tired now and again so I thought this might be of interest to anyone who needs a bit of a pick me up.
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I wrote a Guest post!

2011-08-04T21:55:00.000+08:00

I'm very excited! I wrote a Guest post on "The Power of our Mistakes" for soulspackle.com and it appears on her blog today. YAY!
You can find it here: http://www.soulspackle.com/1/post/2011/08/summer-of-self-love-the-power-of-our-mistakes.html
Squee!!!!!

Writing Goals

2011-07-30T21:22:00.001+08:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my writing lately and instead of having all those thoughts romping around in my mind, chasing each other, playing leapfrog, hide-and-seek, and then splashing about in a fountain, I need to get those thoughts on paper so that I can see what they look like and start doing something about them.

Work on the stalled novel WWC
Edit Greenwood Manor
Re-read the GothNo 2010 novella and see if it would work better as a short story
Finish the folklore-inspired fantasy novella I started - although it might also work better as a short story
Send each piece to beta readers for feedback
Re-write, if necessary, once feedback has been received
Publish on Smashwords
Design a series

Ideally, I would have a deadline for each of these things, but realistically I just can't do this right now. It'll have to be a case of doing what I can with the time I have available when it becomes available. Even ten minute stints a couple of times a day is better than no writing at all!

Sung Hee's Silly ME Party link

2011-06-24T20:25:00.013+08:00

Looking at books (I LOVE books)
Impish. (There's an Inner Imp that I let loose every so often, much to my poor husband's dismay)
Sane (it's a matter of opinion, of course, but how does that fridge magnet go? "I'm in my own world, but it's ok, they know me here...")
Artistic (which is how I found Sung Hee and so many other amazing artists over at 21 Secrets... oh, I can add AMAZING here too!)

Liberal Arts Degree - I'm clutching at straws now... but it's true.... I have one in English and Music
Anthropomorphic.... And that's here because I love the sound of the word!
Writer - Oh YEAH!
L - crumbs, another one? Right, think think....

(Muse offers "loony")

(Me: LOONY? Why you little....!!!!!!!!)

Eccentric - or is it just odd? Maybe Avant Garde...
Rawwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - that's my Chinese Tiger sign.... Rawwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

This is a post to link to Sung Hee (Regina) Hong's Silly Me Party at her website. Now there are two of us! :)

Characters - the real and the created

2011-06-13T23:49:00.001+08:00

The next book on my reading list is Wither by Lauren DeStefano (pron. De STEFF ano). While updating my books on Goodreads, I saw that she was a Goodreads author so I checked out her page and then her website and this post caught my eye.

She writes from the heart, that's what touched me the most, that and the photo of her grandmother.

And I especially love the final paragraph.

Enjoy.

Discovering my Genre

2011-06-12T22:47:00.003+08:00

Well, it's official. I'm completely amazed and taken aback and pretty much flabbergasted by everything I'm finding out about my writing (and even ME!) at 21 Secrets.

Read more »

21 Secrets - closing date extended!

2011-06-04T22:39:00.001+08:00

The most exciting news at the 21 Secrets site is that the closing date has now been extended to January 1st 2012!

Isn't that great?!

I can't recommend this creative space highly enough. If you have any interest in art, journalling, art journalling, having fun, learning new creative techniques, or you're ready for a change of perspective in your life, then this is the place to head to.

It's a warm, supportive community of fabulous teachers and enthusiastic students.

I hope to see you there! :)

A page from my art journal for Lisa Wilson's Workshop, Yoga & Art

"Foundation and Opening"

The latest from my adventures at 21 Secrets

2011-05-26T23:51:00.004+08:00

(This is a copy of my blog post at the 21 Secrets site.)

I've started Lisa Wilson's workshop (Yoga & Art: Journalling into Awareness) and I'm really looking forward to seeing how body movement meditation will influence my artwork.

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It's all about the process

2011-05-03T21:40:00.001+08:00

For some time since becoming a mother I had an inner urging to create. I'm a writer, but this urging was to create without words. I had no idea why, but I am so glad that I listened to and acted upon this urging.

I signed up for an art journal course on the advice of an artist and teacher, Tamara Laporte. The course is called 21 Secrets and consists of 21 workshops run by 21 amazing artists and teachers, each one teaching a different technique art journallers can use in their journals.

But that's not all I've been learning.
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"Write the way you were made to write."

2011-04-20T21:31:00.002+08:00

There's light on my writing horizon because I read an article by Randy Ingermanson in response to a writer who cannot outline.

Outlining is not for everyone. Some writers are pantsers (seat-of-the-pants-writers) and some are plotters. I've always been a pantser. I started running into trouble when I tried plotting. I've been stuck ever since.

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21 Secrets

2011-04-09T19:26:00.005+08:00

I signed up for another course at the last minute. A day after it began, actually. And it's not even writing-related. Not directly, anyway.

It's 21 Secrets, an Art Journal Playground. :)

The course runs from April 1st to August 1st and costs $59. Once you register, you get access to the 21 Secrets - 21 workshops run by 21 different artists.

Now what on Earth am I doing in an ART workshop, some may ask.
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What I'm up to in April

2011-03-31T12:56:00.005+08:00

I registered for a course on the Savvy Authors website called Plotting: The Right Way, the Wrong Way & What Works for You. I know it will probably seem very strange to some, but I cannot get my head round how story structure fits in with plot and character arcs. I'm someone who dives deep into details like this, it's just the way I am, and I'd really like to get to grips with this once and for all. What adds another level of difficulty is that I don't want to outline so heavily that I feel I've nowhere to discover when it comes time to write.

Here's a link to more info on the workshop.

I am aware that perhaps writing a story from start to finish is the best way to learn structure and plotting and arc and pacing and all the rest. I have been a voracious reader ever since I was a child, reading by the light of the embers in the fire in my bedroom long after I should have been asleep. I know a good story when I read one.

But with house renovations and other things going on, writing just is not happening for me at the moment. Sleep is barely happening at the moment! LOL

So, to keep my hand in, I decided to sign up for the plotting course and see what new perspectives I might learn.

The other interesting thing I'm doing is a 30-Day Organize-athon. One 5-minute task to complete per day over the month of April - 30 tasks in total. I'm looking forward to it! Goodness knows I could do with some organisation right now. :)

So, what's everyone else up to at the moment?

UPDATE: Holly Lisle has a FREE plot outline course which I have taken via email when it originally came out. I have learned more about the craft of writing from Holly Lisle than I have from any other source. Her courses are fun, the online support is first class, and it's impossible not to learn something new or a different way of doing things.

Conscious Dreaming, Conscious Living

2011-03-22T11:42:00.000+08:00

I've participated in three of these online workshops over the past year, and I'm in the one now that ends on April 4th.

It's a lovely community of dreamers who are very supportive and insightful when it comes to helping one another make sense of their dream messages and how to act on them in waking life.

If you're at all interested in dreams and what they might be trying to tell you, then this is a great place to hang out with like-minded people!

The registration page for the new workshop staring on April 11th is here.

Enjoy! :)

Indie Author Self-Marketing How To

2011-03-19T18:42:00.002+08:00

Laurie McLean, Kait Nolan's agent, shares tips on how indie authors can market themselves:

http://kaitnolan.com/2011/03/18/guest-post-by-my-agent-the-magnificent-laurie-mclean/

The last bullet point in no. 4 (effective online and offline marketing tactics) refers to HARO. I wasn't familiar with this acronym so I googled it. HARO stands for Help A Reporter Out and you can place ads on the website that

is the most cost effective way to reach a ridiculously large and targeted audience who actually listens and is looking for what you’re promoting and selling

according to the blurb on the site.

There are lots of other good tips on how to develop your author brand, prepare your ms and come up with a marketing plan.

Read an Ebook Week

2011-03-12T23:16:00.001+08:00

I didn't get to read any of them before the end of Read an Ebook Week (which ran from 6-12 March 2011), but I have purchased three ebooks which I thought looked really, really good -

Forsaken by Shadow and Devil's Eye by Kait Nolan
Hush Money by Susan Bischoff

The links take you to Smashwords where you can read samples.

What convinced me to purchase the ebooks were the samples (they read as well as the type of print books I'd read), the blurb (the story ideas are fascinating!) and the cover art (good quality, intriguing, attractive).

Reading on my computer is hard on the eyes - I much prefer print - but a fellow writer has said she enjoys reading ebooks on her Kindle so I may look into purchasing an ebook reader.

I'll update my Goodreads account when I've read each of the books.

An incredible true story

2011-03-11T15:09:00.001+08:00

A story with a happy ending, but what a tragedy all the same.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/38/20110310/tuk-dead-british-woman-found-alive-after-107bc4a.html

9 THINGS EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT WRITERS

2011-03-11T14:43:00.001+08:00

Oh so true! I have personal experience of Points 1, 2, 6 and 8 and no. 9 goes without saying... :D

9 THINGS EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT WRITERS

Mirkwood - Ebook trouble

2011-03-05T22:06:00.002+08:00

I've just been reading an interesting story about the self-published ebook novel, Mirkwood, by Steve Hillard.

He's run into trouble with JRR Tolkien's estate for using Tolkien as a character in the ebook.

You can read about the lawsuit and counter lawsuit here.

Image by mconnors courtesy of Morguefile.com

Blogs: How to Captivate Readers

2011-02-23T12:26:00.001+08:00

I came across a great article on Copyblogger about your blog's Secret Message.

You can read about it here.

I'm going to have a go at the exercises and see what I come up with and what changes I could do with making. :)

Write a Book with Me dot com

2011-02-18T21:56:00.002+08:00

This is a quick post.

I've signed up to a site where some fellow HTTS and HTRYN students are hanging out, encouraging each other to write: www.wabwm.com

Posting your progress each day and looking at the daily prompts for inspiration is very helpful. Writing can be a lonely pastime, so connecting with other writers like this eases the way. There are daily prompts, too, to get those creative juices flowing!

Write a book with me. It's more fun together.

How to Write a Series...

2011-02-13T20:18:00.001+08:00

Holly Lisle has a new course coming up - How To Write a Series.

Here's a video teaser from Week One:

I'm looking forward to the lessons, but I'm still concentrating on my wrecked novel. As I think about it, I'm getting more and more ideas which I'm jotting down. When the time comes to write my Sentence Lites for each scene, I'll have plenty of material to work from.

Self-Publishing (ebooks)

2011-02-11T19:38:00.003+08:00

There's a great post from Larry Brooks on the subject of ebooks and self-publishing which you will find here. While getting "published" is so much easier these days if you head down the digital route, readers' standards have not lowered.

I find it very therapeutic to sit down somewhere comfortable with a printed book, enjoying the texture of the pages as I turn them, feeling the weight of the book in my palm. In addition to that, if a story has been published traditionally, the chances are that what I'm about to read is going to be very, very good.

I do not have the same guarantee of quality with ebooks, and then I have a lot of wear and tear on my eyes from reading from a flickering computer screen (no e-reading gadgets for me!).

Larry concludes with:

Write like you are still trying to impress someone at Random House.

I truly believe there are no shortcuts if you hope the story you have written will resonate with readers. You have to write, revise, re-write, edit, find beta-readers to give feedback, re-work the story with the feedback in mind, and then, possibly, the story is fit to be read by others. I'm sure there are some self-published writers who do this, but, sadly, they appear to be in the minority.

Writing Miscellany Feb 2011

2011-02-08T21:27:00.005+08:00

I've come across some interesting bits and pieces - all writing related! - so I thought I'd put them all in a blog post for anyone else who might find them of interest.

First off, Julia McCutcheon offers advice for new writers who are looking for endorsements before approaching prospective publishers: How to Secure Supportive Endorsements for Your Book

Dan Goodwin, writing coach, suggests we embrace The White Space and let our creativity breathe.

This week at Storyfix.com, Joanna Penn is a guest blog poster and she writes about why writers should consider indie publishing.

K.M. Weiland is a speculative and historical fiction writer and also coaches other writers. Wordplay is her blog.

I learned something very exciting today: Jean M. Auel's next book in the Earth's Children series, The Land of Painted Caves, is in stores on 29th March! Yay!!!! I'm going to go overboard and the links with this one...

A blog post at Booktopia.com about The Land of Painted Caves

Jean M. Auel discusses The Land of Painted Caves in this video

And this is a link to Jean M. Auel's website where you can read the first three chapters. This is definitely a book I'll be pre-ordering.

The other book I would like to pre-order is Afterlife by Claudia Gray, the fourth book in the Evernight series. Heading to Claudia Gray's Livejournal, I discovered an older post where she writes that she is leading An Artist's Way at her church. She gives a rundown on the basic tools for Week One of the twelve steps. Tool #2 is a very interesting one, and I am considering trying to find a way to incorporate that into my week. (Not easy when you're a first time mother to a ten-week old! Oddly enough, though, I haven't taken the hiatus I thought I'd need. I just cannot keep away from writing about writing...)

So, I hope there's something of interest for you. Enjoy!

Surrender to the Creative Muse

2011-02-01T13:01:00.002+08:00

This is an article by Julia McCutchen. Worth trying, especially if you're where I am and a bit stuck with a novel.

Surrender to the Creative Muse

To end on a positive note as regards the wrecked novel, I'm definitely finding Martha Alderson's YouTube series a godsend!

The Plot Whisperer's YouTube series

2011-01-25T21:59:00.000+08:00

Another quick writing update.

I'm really enjoying Martha Alderson's Plot series on YouTube - I'm at Step 16 - because each step explains an important part of the Universal Story layout and is helping me to think logically about my plot and where it needs to head.

Having said that, the fact that I have been working on my novel for such a long time and that I know my characters and the world the story is set in so well is a big help. I think I would find it more difficult to plot a completely new story using these steps, although the steps would make me think about how my story needs to unfold and help me shape the story.

So, this YouTube series has been a great help in finally getting to grips with this story that has been stalking me for so long. I'm enjoying the planning process, although finding the time to actually write is not possible just yet.

Except that, er, if I stopped blogging, I could use the time to write... right? In my defence, I happen to be online anyway to watch the YouTube series and the excitement of it all spurs me to share my thoughts on my blog. There. That sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?

The Problem with Starting at the Beginning...

2011-01-21T21:56:00.001+08:00

This is a quick post to share what I've learned from watching Step 11 of Martha Alderson's Plotting series on YouTube - why focusing on the beginning of your novel can cause problems.

I'll post the video here as she explains it very well. After so many failed attempts at my Wrecked Novel, I can finally understand why I've had such a hard time finishing. I've concentrated so much on the beginning of my novel (and each version has had a different one) that I've not thought about where I'm going or how the story will end.

I enjoy writing to discover the ending, going on a journey etc., but in the case of this wrecked novel I need to do something different...

Hiatus

2011-01-07T20:51:00.001+08:00

Due to a major life change, I need to put this blog on hold until things settle down once again.

In the meantime, you can read the posts of the blogs I follow, and peruse the sites in my Favourites section (just scroll down the sidebar on the right hand side).

And until I return, I wish everyone a wonderful 2011!

Protagonists and Antagonists

2010-11-27T16:41:00.001+08:00

I'm still working my way through the Storyweaver software, and I'm at the stage of fleshing out the characters' roles.

Part of this stage was to identify which of the characters is the protagonist and which is the antagonist. As I read through the descriptions of each role, I learned that my working definitions were flawed. The Protagonist of the story is the character who drives the action forward; the antagonist is the character who wants to keep the status quo.
Read more »

Storyweaver for Plotting - an update

2010-11-23T16:45:00.004+08:00

This is just a short post because I'm still working through the software.

It's plotting like I've never done it before. There is a lot of emphasis on rewriting the novel's synopsis as you work through each of the sections. I'm finding this quite hard going as this is not how I usually work on a novel. I like to have a map, but I like to be surprised as well. Writing, for me, is about discovery.

However, when it comes to this stalled novel, my usual m.o. isn't working, so I'm going to stick with the Storyweaver process to the end. If I always do what I've always done, I'll always get what I've always got, which, in this case, is a stalled novel.
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The Rule of Three for better blog writing

2010-11-21T12:23:00.001+08:00

I came across a very interesting article on how to improve blog-, article- and webcopy writing. You can find it here (7 Ways to Improve Your Writing... Right Now) at copyblogger.com

The point I liked the best was The Rule of Three. Use three bullet points in a blog post, or have one main point and illustrate it in three different ways.

I'm going to look at incorporating this idea into my blog posts. :)

As regards the update on where I am with my stalled novel, I've reached Step 7 of Martha Alderson's YouTube Plot series (working out the ending of the novel).

In terms of StoryWeaver, I'm coming towards the end of the first section and have to revise the synopsis of the novel so that it includes all the details I've worked on in the subsections. It's advisable to take a break of a couple of days so that I re-read the content accurately (and see where there are any holes) rather than reading what I intended to put there but didn't.

Main Characters and Protagonists

2010-11-16T14:34:00.005+08:00

I'm working my way through the StoryWeaver software and today I learned something startling: the protagonist of a novel is not necessarily the main character!
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Plot Whisperer blog - 5 reasons writers get stuck...

2010-11-14T11:48:00.002+08:00

This is a quick post - it's Sunday and I have loads to do!

Martha Alderson has an interesting post on the 5 main reasons writers get stuck. You can read it at http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/2010/11/5-reasons-writers-get-stuck-with-tips.html

Enjoy. :)

Plotting Series - Step 2

2010-11-11T10:40:00.002+08:00

Step 2 of Martha Alderson's YouTube Plotting Series is about Character Flaw.
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Plotting Series - Step 1

2010-11-10T17:30:00.003+08:00

Step 1 of Martha Alderson's YouTube Plot Series is on Character and Goal. I watched it yesterday and sat down this morning to work out what my heroine's goal is in WWC.
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International Plot Writing Month

2010-11-09T14:07:00.002+08:00

I'm working on plot structure at the moment for my stalled WIP, When Worlds Collide. So far I've gathered material on story structure and beat sheets from Storyfix.com, on the 8-Point Arc as featured in Writing A Novel and Getting Published by Nigel Watts, and on Plot and Character Movement by Constance Flynn. Lots of material, lots of things to consider.

I read through an article from the Plot Whisperer (Martha Alderson) blog , and scrolling down the page, I noticed that she has a banner for International Plot Writing Month in December! Cool!, I thought.
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Storytelling in Chunks

2010-11-03T13:46:00.001+08:00

I've just read the first section of Larry Brooks's latest NaNoWriMo Tips post on Storytelling in Chunks. Just the heading alone has got me thinking about writing in a very different way than I used to think about it.
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Reward for GothNo success :)

2010-11-01T12:03:00.004+08:00

Well, the madness and mayhem has come to an end. I reached the 20K goal, finished my story, and now have another novella to revise and edit and polish. I'm really pleased about that.

I pondered the question as to what I could treat myself to that wouldn't break the bank, that was writing-related, and was appropriate for someone who had written 20K in one month.
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GothNo Days 29 & 30 Progress

2010-10-30T17:39:00.001+08:00

Didn't get to blog yesterday, but progress was as follows:

18,772 / 20,000 (93.86%)

I'm pretty sure I'll finish GothNo this evening so I'll update this post again when I do!

UPDATE 8:08pm

I finished! 20,797 words - 104%. Yay! I got to the end, included a snippet of the song I wanted to include in the story and finished with an appropriate HEA.

Hurray! I "won" GothNo. Woo hoo!

20,797 / 20,000 (103.98%)

And I'm actually too tired to do more than give that tiny cheer. Will blog about the achievement next time. :)

GothNo Day 28 Progress

2010-10-28T14:56:00.001+08:00

The ghost is going back over the past, remembering the incident that led to her death...

Writing creates the mood, not the other way around.

I have to keep reminding myself of this. Because the nearer I get to the end of GothNo, the harder it is to sit down and write. Especially when I have been lax on 11 days during the month and now need to do almost twice the daily wordcount to make up for lost time!

17,588 / 20,000 (87.94%)

GothNo Day 27 Progress

2010-10-27T18:13:00.000+08:00

I wrote over 1,300 words today. Phew!

The ghost has been given a lot to think about after Deirdre and Brian's attempts to help, but facing fears is never easy...

I still have a couple of scenes in mind to bring the story to a close, so I should be able to reach the 20K wordcount mark. Yay!

16,206 / 20,000 (81.03%)

GothNo Day 26 Progress

2010-10-26T15:43:00.000+08:00

If I want to "win" GothNo, I now have to type over 1,000 words per day.

Today, I did just that!

Deirdre and Brian know a little bit more about the ghost but as to how they can go about helping her, they have little idea...

I'm fast running out of story here (in terms of wordcount), but the exercise I did on the ghost's limits has given me one or two ideas for new scenes so that's what I'm going to be working on tomorrow and over the next few days.

I also have that love scene to write, too. So that will take up some wordcount.

It's important to state that I'm not looking to create scenes just for the sake of wordcount. The scenes I'm coming up with are relevant - they move the story forward, tell us more about the characters, or reveal information to the reader. I suppose if I didn't have the wordcount to make up, I could be tempted to just finish the story and sit back in my seat with a sigh. But with a wordcount in mind, I have to push myself a bit harder.

14,862 / 20,000 (74.31%)

GothNo Day 21 Progress

2010-10-21T10:35:00.000+08:00

Deirdre is now in contact with the ghost, trying to understand her situation, but the ghost insists that she's fine and doesn't need any help.

I'm in the middle of that scene, and that's where I left it. I hadn't pre-planned that scene at all. I knew at some point both Brian and Deirdre were going to help the ghost that had helped them, but I hadn't realised it was going to play out the way it is.

I have a few other ideas about how it could unfold from when I did the limits exercise - i.e. what limits the ghost has - and I can see how that might make an appropriate ending. Still hazy and vague, but it's in sight at the same time.

13,753 / 20,000 (68.77%)

More thoughts on my stalled WIP

2010-10-19T16:26:00.001+08:00

I came across a reference to Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer by Peter Turchi and went to have a look at it on Amazon. I had a look inside and two quotations gave me pause for thought. The first was this one:

A novel examines not reality, but existence. And existence is not what has occurred, existence is the realm of human possibilities, everything that man can become, everything he's capable of. Novelists draw up the map of existence by discovering this or that human possibility.
Milan Kundera, The Art of the Novel

GothNo Day 19 Progress

2010-10-19T12:25:00.001+08:00

Passed the daily wordcount goal again today. There really is something to that idea that writing creates the mood, not the other way round! It doesn't matter what sort of mood I'm in when I sit down to write, as long as I open the laptop and think about the where I've left the story and what I want to write, the words show up. That is really cool!

Deirdre and Brian have returned from town with a few items that Deirdre believes will help her to get in contact with the ghost... The ghost, meanwhile, is not sure how to respond to this development...

12,688 / 20,000 (63.44%)

GothNo Day 18 Progress

2010-10-18T12:23:00.001+08:00

It was hard to get going after the weekend away, but I took the advice I'd included in the second GothNo Pep Talk email which was: Writing creates the mood; the mood does not create the writing!

After breakfast, I wasn't particularly in the mood for writing, but I opened up the laptop and typed more than was needed to catch up with where I should have been, had I been writing consistently.

The scene is what was going on for Brian and Deirdre after the night they spent together, and Deirdre's telling Brian that there's a ghost in the house that they need to do something about.

Quite what they're planning to do, I don't know. This was not part of my pre-planning in any extensive way. I'm going to have to wing it tomorrow, I think. :)

So, all good. I've caught up with the wordcount and I've got another interesting scene to write. I'm happy!

11,673 / 20,000 (58.37%)

Writing Update

2010-10-15T12:12:00.002+08:00

We're heading away for the weekend and I'm supposed to be packing my bag and making a lunch we can eat in the car on the way. I also had the Week 2 Pep Talk Email for GothNoWriMo to finish and send out and the packing and sandwich-making has taken a back seat. As has my daily wordcount for today. (Tiny scream)

However, the pep talk email has been written and sent out on time (I'm aiming to send them out midday my time on a Friday), so that's one item I can check off the list.

Now I need to make some food to keep me going till we actually get to eat the lunch I need to make. And I need to put clothes and toiletries into my bag. We're leaving in less than two hours. (Another small scream and some hyperventilating.)

I can do this! I can!! I just need to remain focused. And stop blogging!!!!!

And so I bid you good day! :)

GothNo Day 14 Progress

2010-10-14T13:11:00.000+08:00

I passed the half-way mark today in terms of wordcount. Story-wise, I'm practically at the finish, so I need to think about transition scenes or some new scenes in order to make sure I reach my 20K goal!

As it happens, I need to work two "golden oldie" songs into the narrative, and a few scenes showing the ghost's backstory, instead of having it told to us, would also be interesting to read. And more dramatic.

Time to haul out a notebook and get some ideas down on paper!

10,335 / 20,000 (51.68%)

GothNo Day 13 Progress

2010-10-13T13:15:00.000+08:00

I wasn't able to finish the second half of the love scene between Deirdre and Brian so I will have to come back to that another time. I moved on, instead, to the next scene. The ghost is being bothered by something...

Surpassed the daily wordcount goal. Typed in 1,199 words to bring the total wordcount so far to 9,457.

9,457 / 20,000 (47.28%)

I've also drafted up the second GothNo Pep Talk email. I need to add in a few things and revise it to tighten things up and then send it to Lily Munster for the OK before sending it out on Friday.

GothNo Day 11 Progress

2010-10-11T13:12:00.003+08:00

I wrote the beginning of a love scene between Brian and Deirdre. Both their points of view were inserted with a break to indicate when the point of view character changed. I'm going to have to think about this scene in some depth when it comes time to revise and rewrite. Both their points of view are important in terms of motivation, but so far I've only been writing from the ghost's point of view so I need to even up the viewpoints a bit more so that the story settles down more easily for a reader.

Surpassed the daily wordcount goal, too. Hurray. :)

8,258 / 20,000 (41.29%)

GothNo Day 8 Progress

2010-10-08T13:54:00.005+08:00

Deirdre and Brian have settled down on the couch in front of the fire with a bottle of wine, and she explains to him why she needs the "object of concern". (I'm being deliberately vague for the sake of any Beta Readers who may be reading this!)

I did WAY more than the daily 645 wordcount goal. More than twice that. I really got into that scene in a big way.

Tomorrow's scene is going to be a lot of fun, too....

7,269 / 20,000 (36.34%)

Oh yeah, and I sent out the first of the Pep Talk Emails to everyone signed up to GothNoWriMo. What I didn't realise is that bullet points and m-dashes don't format properly in the email text, so I'll have to make sure I replace any of those with something else in next week's email.

GothNo Day 7 Progress

2010-10-07T11:31:00.002+08:00

The two young people have had an argument and the ghost, in an effort to make sure the young man doesn't leave, has tampered with his car.

I haven't managed to work in the two songs (two oldies) to parallel the ghost's own story. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, either. So far, it's the ghost's efforts to help the guy and girl that have my focus. Either the songs will come in later, or else I'll have to work them in during the re-write.

Surpassed my wordcount again. 999 words. :)

6,119 / 20,000 (30.59%)

GothNo Day 6 Progress

2010-10-06T17:45:00.003+08:00

The ghost has taken matters into her own hands and has revealed the presence of the object of concern to the young man. Unfortunately, this has sparked a terrible argument between the two young people, and the ghost has to once more step in and smooth things over in her own way...

I really surpassed the wordcount today - over 1,000 words. Not bad considering I sat down to write far later in the day than I usually do and that I'm feeling a bit worn out.

5,120 / 20,000 (25.60%)

GothNo Day 5 Progress

2010-10-05T11:36:00.001+08:00

The scene unfolded quite easily and once again I surpassed the daily wordcount of 645 words. I know, I know, it's such a tiny wordcount there really isn't any problem getting past it, but it's the psychological effect that it has that matters!

One problem I encountered was viewpoint. I'll have to take a good look at this when I go back and revise. I knew a lot of my scenes were going to be told from the ghost's point of view, but this particular scene between the two young people might benefit from being told from a different point of view. Close third, possibly, from one of the two.

Anyway, no need to think too much about the technicalities just yet. GothNo is about wordcount, developing a writing habit, having fun, letting go, and all that jazz. The re-write - which I also enjoy - is a different kettle of fish and requires a different mindset.

4,118 / 20,000 (20.59%)

POD good news

2010-10-04T13:49:00.001+08:00

Just came across a post on Storyfix.com about Print on Demand, hence a second post for today!

You can check it out here.

GothNo Day 4 Progress

2010-10-04T13:32:00.001+08:00

The ghost has figured out how to ring the first person in Deirdre's Contacts list. She has rung said person. She has remarked on Deirdre's screensaver. The deed is done.
Read more »

GothNo Day 3 Progress

2010-10-03T12:09:00.004+08:00

I started on the second scene today. The ghost is looking at the mobile phone and wondering how she's going to get it to work. I added in some reminiscences and also some world-building, namely the ghost's limits - what she can and can't do.

I know how the rest of the scene is going to go, so there won't be any problem getting started tomorrow.

I've also made a list of the Muse Bombs I've come across so far and saved them in OneNote, and included a note to self about the ghost's motivation in wanting to help Deirdre. She does have a reason for doing it, but I want to make it even stronger.

So, Day 3 wordcount achieved and surpassed!

2365 / 20000 (11.82%)

GothNo Day 2 Progress

2010-10-02T15:54:00.003+08:00

Finished the scene today with 1583 words which is less than my estimation of 2,000 words per scene. But no matter, I've finished the scene!

The ghost has seen that something troubles the young woman who has come to stay at the house and she'd like to help in any way she can. Being a nosy individual, however, she goes through Deirdre's zipped bag and finds something disturbing...

1583 / 20000 (7.92%)

GothNo Day 1 Progress

2010-10-01T11:41:00.004+08:00

It took a while to get going. I fiddled about with loading the playlist onto the laptop, then playing a couple of songs to "set the mood", then added my 2010 GothNo wordcount calendar to the laptop so I could update it on a daily basis. Then I set up the orange-font-on-black-background template which I understand is easier on the eyes than a black font on a white background.

Then I sat looking at the blinking cursor for a few moments and thought "OK, I just have to start."

So I started typing. First person pov - an intro to the character and the setting through the character's own eyes. A bit of backstory, but not too much, and the hopefully tantalising revelation that the character is a ghost.

I may type more later on, but I'd prefer not to cause any shocks to my system that might undo all my good intentions. Sometimes it's better to leave your writing when you know where you're heading with it next.

The nice thing is that I've already passed my daily wordcount goal of 645 words. Yay! :)

759 / 20000 (3.79%)

GothNo preplanning - final things to do

2010-09-23T14:26:00.001+08:00

All I really have left to do as regards the pre-planning is writing the Sentence Lites onto notecards (I use Mindola SuperNoteCard). And ... that's it!

I've offered to write up some pep talk emails to help keep me and my fellow GothNo-ers motivated and on track to reach our wordcounts. I have a few ideas in mind, so I'll have some fun putting them together over the next few days.

Only 8 days left till GothNo starts. How exciting!

GothNoWriMo Pre-Planning Progress 5

2010-09-21T13:52:00.003+08:00

Today I looked at limits.

Holly Lisle has covered this topic in her How to Think Sideways course. Randy Ingermanson also covered it in Volume 6, #3 of his Advanced Fiction Writing Ezine on 2nd March 2010. (It's in the second section entitled Creating: Some Things are Impossible where he examines Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series and why it works.)

Despite having a number of things to do today, I sat myself down in a coffee shop with paper and pen and worked on the ghost's limits.

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GothNoWriMo Pre-Planning Progress 4

2010-09-20T20:39:00.001+08:00

Today I sat down and dissected my plot cards with the Sentence Lites to find out where there were weaknesses which would lead to bland scenes. Of the seven cards, I found two with weak Sentence Lites.

Scene One:
Delighted to have company in the house, the ghost becomes afraid when she sees something in Deirdre's belongings.

Scene Two:
Unsure how to proceed, the ghost is relieved when Brian shows up at the house.
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Thoughts on my wrecked novel WWC

2010-09-19T13:36:00.004+08:00

Image courtesy of Morguefile.com

Just before dawn is an interesting time of the day, is it not?

This morning, at just that hour, while in a state between waking and sleeping, thoughts of my wrecked novel came into my head. As I reviewed the opening setup, I felt a certainty that it was actually a good and interesting scenario, and that there was no reason not to continue with the story. It was an appropriate starting point for the story I had wanted to tell.

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GothNoWriMo Pre-Planning Progress 3

2010-09-17T11:16:00.003+08:00

This morning I worked on the conflict and scenes worksheets and now have seven scenes pretty much ready to be written once October 1st comes round.

I'm estimating about 2,000 words per scene, although I'm not sure how that will pan out once I start writing. But using those numbers, seven scenes at 2,000 words each will take me more than half way to the finish line of my 20,000 GothNo wordcount goal.

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GothNoWriMo Pre-Planning Progress 2

2010-09-16T13:02:00.002+08:00

So, I've finished all three character worksheets from the How to Think Sideways course, one each for the ghost and the two young people she's hoping to entice together.

I've made a start on the Planned Conflict worksheets, filling in The Sentence as it has been developed to this point. The next few elements of conflict to look at are the organic conflict, the effect on the characters, the effect on the story and the effect on readers. I might start in on this later today, or I might start afresh tomorrow morning. We'll see.

GothNoWriMo Pre-Planning Progress 1

2010-09-14T12:32:00.004+08:00

Today I used tools and techniques from Holly Lisle's How to Think Sideways course to work on the pre-planning.

I used her Dot and Line technique to get some idea about characters and setting. I have some firm ideas now about who my ghost is and her backstory and also the two young people whom the ghost is hoping to successfully matchmake for. :)
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GothNo project-planning tools

2010-09-12T13:27:00.004+08:00

On the GothNo forum I posted links to five tools that I considered useful for planning writing projects. They are as follows:

The first is an article by Phebe Durand (Lolaness) about using notecards to visually create a plot:
http://tinyurl.com/2daff8f

The second link is to an article by Stella Cameron about the six steps to a perfect plot:

http://tinyurl.com/yhnol9u

The third link is to an article by Larry Brooks called "The Single Most Powerful Writing Tool You’ll Ever See That Fits On One Page":

http://tinyurl.com/nx3cmy

The last link is to an exercise called The Snowflake Method. I tried this the first year I did NaNoWriMo (and reached 50K) and it worked because I knew each day what scenes I was going to write. (What didn't work so well is that I discovered I'm a writer who does not like to work from a heavily-planned outline - it leaves me feeling claustrophobic! For anyone who does enjoy having an outline to work from The Snowflake Method is a great tool.)

http://tinyurl.com/yw43r6

What I might end up doing is using a combination of all these tools to produce a plan that allows me the freedom to write in an inspired way while also knowing in advance what needs to be written each day.

Here's a link to a spreadsheet I also used my first year NaNoing. It was put together by Cameron Mattews at Truckpoetry(dot)net. It's based on The Snowflake Method and for anyone who likes using their laptop or computer to outline, this could be useful:

http://www.truckpoetry.net/2007/09/author-resource-outline-helper.html

And because I have done Holly Lisle's How to Think Sideways course, I will also be using her character and other worksheets as well as her Sentence and Sentence Lite techniques.

GothNo 2010 is nigh upon us!

2010-09-08T20:39:00.002+08:00

I got an email a couple of days ago from the GothNo boards, reminding me that there's not long to go before GothNoWriMo starts.

Despite the fact that there's so much going on right now, I am seriously considering entering this year. I was not able to get started on my planned project for last year, but I have my notes (somewhere in one of the many boxes lined up in the spare rooms) so I could give it a go this year. It would be fun!

Time to dust off my Belladonna persona!

Myths & Legends contest on YouTube

2010-09-04T22:12:00.001+08:00

MissChievous is running a "Myths & Legends" makeup contest over on YouTube. You can watch the video here.

What on earth, I hear the question asked, has a makeup contest got to do with this blog about writing?

Well, personally, I'm going to be avidly watching the video responses to see what sort of creative ideas people are going to come up with. Why? Because who knows what story or character ideas these video responses will spark? Maybe someone will come up with a myth or legend that I've never heard of before, for instance. Pictures can be and have been used as writing prompts, so I've no doubt the video responses will trigger an emotional response in me.

Anyway, I thought it sounded like a fun contest and I'll be keeping an eye on the entries.

(The prizes are absolutely scrummy, too!)

Writers Block: a couple of resources

2010-08-30T14:37:00.001+08:00

I bought two books to help me get through my stalled novel (of which there are currently nine different unfinished versions). The first one is On Writer's Block by Victoria Nelson and the second is Writing Open the Mind: Tapping the Subconscious to Free the Writing and the Writer by Andy Couturier.

Nelson's book is more of an essay on the various types of Writer's Blocks one can have. It's interesting reading and I think I may have identified one aspect of my block. On pg 75, in the chapter on "Excessive Ambition", she writes:

Keats's block represented the deeper knowledge of his unconscious that his abilities and experience were not yet on a par which his high intentions for the poem.

(The poem in question was Hyperion.)

While Nelson's book is an interesting read, there are few suggestions or exercises given to get a writer past their particular block. The book is more concerned with a rethinking of the writing process.

I first heard about Writing Open the Mind from a fellow writer on the boards at How to Think Sideways. I've just ordered it, and so far I've managed to read the Introduction (I have several books on the go at the moment!) which was very entertaining, I have to say! Because my writing time is pretty much non-existent at the moment, I've not been able to do any work on my stalled novel and I'm therefore reluctant to read any further into Couturier's book because I want to attempt the exercises while they're fresh in my mind.

But just having considered the WHY of my block has been an enormous help and I've written down my thoughts about it which has helped me see things a little clearer.

I WILL write this novel, but some things just cannot be forced, and inspiration is one of them. The more I force myself, the less fun I have, and the further inspiration disappears onto a far distant horizon. So deep breath, relax, and just go with the flow...

Wolfbreed by S. A. Swann - Trade Paperback - Random House

2010-08-20T19:17:00.001+08:00

I've just been reading about a unique spin on werewolves and I'm going to be on the lookout for this book!

Wolfbreed by S. A. Swann - Trade Paperback - Random House

A Storyfix.com post

2010-07-29T12:09:00.001+08:00

I'm flying here, there and everywhere just now (and did manage to get the shelf liners finished - hurray!) but I came across this interesting post from Larry Brooks on The Most Important Question(s) in Storytelling and the Ensuing Two Questions that Allow You to Answer. Enjoy. :)

Writer's Block - Caring too much

2010-07-23T12:03:00.004+08:00

In between sorting out the new house (and who would have imagined the small bitty little details that need looking after? Like shelf liners? I'm in the process of making up paper shelf liners that dispel dust and creepy-crawlies.), I've been thinking about the stalled project, When Worlds Collide.
Read more »

Character Keeper Software

2010-06-18T19:38:00.002+08:00

On the topic of characters, I've come across a piece of software (costs nothing!) called Character Keeper. It's being developed by the Magical Worlds website which aims to help writers write in the fantasy genre.

"Character Keeper is a simple note keeping writing tool that offers you a method of keeping bits of information arranged in one convenient place rather than having multiple word documents stored here and there."

I haven't tried it (yet?) because I'm more of a longhand writer myself, but it appears to be quite easy to use and could prove to be very useful if you're one of those writers who likes to keep everything on a hard drive.

It works with the Windows OS (XP and Vista) and some of the uses suggested include notes on world building, family lineages, new (made up) words, novel plots, marketing ideas, and story ideas.

Obsessed with my heroine

2010-06-16T18:50:00.001+08:00

I'm obsessed with her. I truly am. She is an enigmatic character who keeps disappearing into the shadows before I can get a proper look at her. She flees from scrutiny. I really want to get to know her, because I just know that her story is a good one.

So, how do I get to know her?

Read more »

Introvert Writers

2010-05-20T11:07:00.001+08:00

Revising Greenwood Manor is on hold till we've moved into our new house, but I came across an interesting article "Your Creative Life as an Innie" (Innie being an Introvert) by Mary McCauley-Stiff.

Greenwood Manor - revision

2010-05-03T15:51:00.001+08:00

Image courtesy of Morguefile.com, http://mrg.bz/O34p7h

I have a lot of work to do for WWC, but in the meantime there's nothing to stop me from revising my other novel, Greenwood Manor.

I'll work on that while I'm getting to know my WWC heroine better.

Getting into character

2010-04-22T11:47:00.002+08:00

One of the problems I had was that I had two main characters. Originally there was one, and then as I revised I began to see where this one character wasn't doing the job she needed to do in the story and that if I looked closer at the character who was supposed to be the love interest, HE was in a position to fulfil the story goals.
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A Story Close to my Heart

2010-04-18T22:36:00.002+08:00

... that's what my current WIP is.

I've had to leave it alone for a while, however, because I couldn't see the story while I was weighed down with the enormity of the wreck I had before me.

I had to let it incubate.
Read more »

Getting back on track

2010-03-26T10:53:00.000+08:00

OK, so I'm struggling at the moment with The Wreck.

It is my every intention to follow Holly's How to Revise Your Novel course as she has laid it out, following the lessons in the order they are presented, and following her instructions to the letter.

But I've been seriously stuck now that I have had to put away my first draft. It no longer bears any resemblance to the novel I wanted to write, what with the sorting out the themes in my head, finding parallels between the characters, and my old story stalking me and catching hold of me with its teeth.
Read more »

A Wrecked Novel and Full Circle

2010-03-12T11:35:00.013+08:00

I've done it again... a second time.

The first novel I ever wrote has eight unfinished versions of it sitting in three box files hidden away in a dark and shadowy corner of my writing room.

And now I find I've managed to write a second wreck.

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Speculative Fiction Competition

2010-02-22T15:06:00.000+08:00

It's time once again for the KSP Writers' Centre Speculative Fiction competition.

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From first draft to completely new novel!

2010-02-18T17:52:00.004+08:00

If anyone had read the original draft of When Worlds Collide (and thank god no one did because it's truly, truly terrible), they would not be able to see how the revision is in any way related to it.

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Something different

2010-02-16T11:45:00.003+08:00

I love all things spooky and weird and wonderful so this article caught my eye.

The setting: Gwrych Castle, Wales.

The characters: a "company boss" and a girl in a window.

The story...

Haven't disappeared off face of planet...

2010-02-06T21:44:00.001+08:00

... just been really, really busy. Unfortunately, not writing-busy. Non-writing life busy. *sigh*

Tomorrow I have promised myself that I will spend the morning working on Lesson 10 of Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel course and I will have the first part of that lesson completed before my husband whisks me away in the car to spend the rest of the day with him.

I'll be setting the alarm clock for 5.30am. There's nothing like being up with the birds for feeling you've got a clear run at the day, is there?

Image courtesy of Publicdomainpictures.net

Early Society Resources

2010-01-25T11:17:00.006+08:00

I've not given up on Ecosystems, but I felt it was prudent to go right back to the beginning of the development of societies and see what factors led to it and what resulted from it. That way I have an insight into how the magic element of my world played its part.

Here are a few resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society
http://www.learner.org/resources/series197.html
http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/unit_main_6.html
http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/glossary/EarlyUrban.N.html
http://www.learner.org/resources/series45.html
http://www.learner.org/resources/series58.html - particularly the first few units.

EDIT: I've just gone through some of the units on the Bridging World History lesson on the Annenberg Media Learner.org website. It's a fabulous resource. The website is geared towards teachers and education for kindergarten children right up to college/adult students.

New Template!

2010-01-23T11:09:00.000+08:00

It's not the one I'd originally planned to use, but I really like "Spiral Pad" by Deluxe Templates and the great thing is that I didn't have to mess about too much with the css and html codes.

Now I'm off to hunt for another template for my What I'm Reading blog. :)

Ecosystems

2010-01-22T12:43:00.001+08:00

I've been thinking about the magical element of my world in When Worlds Collide and exactly what effect it has on the world and how the world is different from ours because of it.

That led me to think about ecosystems and I'm going to read up on this topic and see how I can apply it to magic and magic-users is my world's society.

I'll update this blog with my findings.

For reference, these are the sites I'm starting with:

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9d.html
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/studyguide_ch9.html
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/readings_ch9.html
http://www.physicalgeography.net/weblinks_ch9.html

Blogger Templates

2010-01-18T14:48:00.000+08:00

I came across a useful tutorial which I'm going to try out to see if I can alter the blogger template I want to use for my blog.

Here's the link in case you're interested:

Create Your Own Blogger Template