It. is. over!
November is done and gone! Let the Christmas lights, trees and other mayhem begin! Also, let's begin that editing!
Last month I took you through a week by week walk through my NaNoWriMo journey. I am proud to say on day 16 I reached 50,000 words and on day 29 I finished the novel! Camelot Reborn is currently under the microscope of my editor and my VIP beta reader. I'm not expecting this part of the process to be over in one month like the first step was, but I am hoping it won't take too long.
The editing process is not only going to be long, but it will be painful as well. There is a reason most writers/authors don't edit their own works and that would be because we tend to ignore our mistakes. Our novels/short stories/poems are our pride and joy. Taking the backspace/delete button/eraser to them hurts far too much so we think our works of art are perfect while there's a little inner editor in the back of our minds going "Uh, no. This needs work."
So that's why we pay people to take the scissors and hack at our babies because we just can't bare to do it ourselves.
Well....in my case I hand it over to my aunt and she takes care of it for free. Oh the perks of having family members with editing skills!
My novel has over 77k words and 32 chapters plus a prologue right now. When it's all said and done, things will be cut, added and tweaked to make it the best story possible!
Question: Anyone else in the editing process? Are you writing anything new? Comment below!!
Note to those who follow Ronie Writer over on Character's Spot - She is coming out of hibernation! Expect a post from her tonight or tomorrow and thanks for your patients!
Until Next Time!
~Kelsey~
Monday, December 2, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
When the Characters Change Their Minds
Greetings! Salutations! Hey there! Oi!
Now that we have that out of the way, glad to have y'all back and reading! It's been a week and a lot has happened writing wise. Week 3 of NaNo has come and is closing out, which means we're in the home stretch! *insert happy dancing, crying and characters leaping for joy here*
The home stretch has several emotions, which I'll go over in another post later. But for now I'm gonna touch on another subject. Characters and when they decided to chuck your idea out the window.
A lot of you "normal" people are gonna give me weird looks after this post. Please understand I am well aware I am strange, weird, mental, insane, etc. But that is the price of being a writer. Ask fiction or fantasy authors, they'll tell you a little bit of crazy happens when they write.
Onto the strange and weird topic!
I've come to a conclusion on a few things about writing. One of these things is writing is just as good as an escape as reading is. Another is characters actually have more say in the story than the author that created them. No, seriously. They can chuck outlines out the window and cause walls of writers block depending on their mood. Don't believe me? Here's just a couple examples from personal experience.
This past week, most if not half of my original plan for Camelot Reborn (current work in progress) was tossed out the window by actions my characters took. I can't give you too many details but let's just say I originally had planned a minor character to stay minor, just a victim in the scheme of things, but they ended up busting out of the minor role and into a major role. They aren't seen much but they are still very, very vital to my story. Like, they can't die vital (all authors understand this is a VIC when you can't kill them off).
As for writer's block: In past stories, whenever I had upset my characters in any way, harmed them in any way, a wall of writers block shows up. I will sit there, stare at the page and have nothing. Now granted, most of my writer's block may not come from my characters, but it is a cause and I have yet to find a cure. I have found peace offerings, but no definite cures. If anyone knows how to handle angry characters without causing writer's block...let me in on your little secret!
Now not all characters act this way. Some are very docile creatures and like to go with your plan. If you get these types of characters, consider yourself one of the luckiest writers on the planet. If you are like me and have the difficult characters that like the take your plan, tear it into tiny pieces and use it for confetti before showing you their plan....welcome to the club. We're getting buttons next month.
NaNoWriMo 2013 Update
Like I said above, half of my original plan for the story has gone out the window. This has come with pitfalls and mountain climbs, which have taken a large toll on my mental state. I have had to use my resources to get answers to a large and daunting question and ended up with a crazy twisted answer that I didn't see coming. But enough of the stuff that'll leave you asking "what the heck is going on" and onto the important stats!
Word Count So Far: 65,153
27 Chapters
131 Pages
Not bad for a week of a roller coaster ride! Now to get through one more week including Christmas production rehearsal, Thanksgiving and more surprises ahead!
How's NaNo going for you? Have you had or do you have unruly characters? Comment below! Share the blog!
Until Next Time!
~Kelsey~
Now that we have that out of the way, glad to have y'all back and reading! It's been a week and a lot has happened writing wise. Week 3 of NaNo has come and is closing out, which means we're in the home stretch! *insert happy dancing, crying and characters leaping for joy here*
The home stretch has several emotions, which I'll go over in another post later. But for now I'm gonna touch on another subject. Characters and when they decided to chuck your idea out the window.
A lot of you "normal" people are gonna give me weird looks after this post. Please understand I am well aware I am strange, weird, mental, insane, etc. But that is the price of being a writer. Ask fiction or fantasy authors, they'll tell you a little bit of crazy happens when they write.
Onto the strange and weird topic!
I've come to a conclusion on a few things about writing. One of these things is writing is just as good as an escape as reading is. Another is characters actually have more say in the story than the author that created them. No, seriously. They can chuck outlines out the window and cause walls of writers block depending on their mood. Don't believe me? Here's just a couple examples from personal experience.
This past week, most if not half of my original plan for Camelot Reborn (current work in progress) was tossed out the window by actions my characters took. I can't give you too many details but let's just say I originally had planned a minor character to stay minor, just a victim in the scheme of things, but they ended up busting out of the minor role and into a major role. They aren't seen much but they are still very, very vital to my story. Like, they can't die vital (all authors understand this is a VIC when you can't kill them off).
As for writer's block: In past stories, whenever I had upset my characters in any way, harmed them in any way, a wall of writers block shows up. I will sit there, stare at the page and have nothing. Now granted, most of my writer's block may not come from my characters, but it is a cause and I have yet to find a cure. I have found peace offerings, but no definite cures. If anyone knows how to handle angry characters without causing writer's block...let me in on your little secret!
Now not all characters act this way. Some are very docile creatures and like to go with your plan. If you get these types of characters, consider yourself one of the luckiest writers on the planet. If you are like me and have the difficult characters that like the take your plan, tear it into tiny pieces and use it for confetti before showing you their plan....welcome to the club. We're getting buttons next month.
NaNoWriMo 2013 Update
Like I said above, half of my original plan for the story has gone out the window. This has come with pitfalls and mountain climbs, which have taken a large toll on my mental state. I have had to use my resources to get answers to a large and daunting question and ended up with a crazy twisted answer that I didn't see coming. But enough of the stuff that'll leave you asking "what the heck is going on" and onto the important stats!
Word Count So Far: 65,153
27 Chapters
131 Pages
Not bad for a week of a roller coaster ride! Now to get through one more week including Christmas production rehearsal, Thanksgiving and more surprises ahead!
How's NaNo going for you? Have you had or do you have unruly characters? Comment below! Share the blog!
Until Next Time!
~Kelsey~
Friday, November 15, 2013
Dreaded Week, Rabbit Holes, and Writer Friends
Hey everyone!
I am a day late on this, but now I can give you in full how I did during Week 2 of NaNoWriMo!
I had someone ask me last night what NaNoWriMo was so I'll explain it again along with my goal: NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writer's Month - a month of insanity where writers around the world commit to writing a novel from scratch to reach a goal of 50,000 words.
I've taken this goal on before and this year I'm taking it a bit farther. I'm planning on trying for 100,000 if time and plot permits. If not, wherever I land is obviously much higher than the 50,000 and it pretty darn awesome.
Want a recap of my plot? Check it out here.
Alright, so here's a quick thing about this past week. NaNo week 2 is known as the dread week of the month. This is because writers are suddenly hitting walls that weren't there the week before when their plot excited them, their characters were awesome, and their word count was high. Week 2 is where word count suffers and we moan and groan because we have no idea what to do next or don't want to write any more. Week 2 is where the rubber meets the road, folks. If you survive week 2, you'll more than likely make it to the end of the month.
I'm happy to say, I survived week 2. Not without my problems, but I made it. In the first few days of week 2, my word count suffered with either no gumption to write or unsure of what to write, or because I got distracted. Around Monday is when I found a way to get back into my story. I discovered a rabbit hole. No I don't mean the literal rabbit hole in the ground, but one I made for myself. I decided that if Alice found a rabbit hole full of adventures, I would use one too.
My rabbit hole is my room with the door closed, facebook turned off, phone on vibrate, email closed, and headphones in with Celtic music on (it helps with my current plot). It's basically my escape from the real world and it had sent my word count higher and higher every time! Even if I only have a few hours to write, I take those few hours into my rabbit hole and I still get a lot done.
Another thing that helped during week 2 was having supportive writer friends and others. My best friend (although I never got them due to iPad being the thing that sent them) has sent texts checking in on my word count and making sure I'm still alive and somewhat sane. Two writer friends of mine have been keeping me updated with their progress while I keep them updated with mine. Another writer friend of mine and I had a conversation the other day that caused a flow of inspiration that picked up a piece of my plot I hadn't seen before. And finally, a wonderful, wonderful friend has sent me chocolate. Not just any chocolate either, Reese's and M&M's. This is now labeled as Author's stash and no one is allowed to touch it unless it's not November and they have asked. To say I love my friends that have been supporting me this past week is a bit of an understatement.
So you all probably want to know where I am at in progress with my novel. Well here are the standings as of yesterday:
Word count: 43,026
18 chapters
86 pages
As for my plot, it's going well. I had several moments of "aha!" and "I didn't know that!" while I wrote. It's moving in the direction I want, even if it went a bit out of order than I had originally planned.
My main character, Jessi, is currently on the fence about all that's happening, but I think she'll tip over pretty soon. Well, as long as she doesn't drag me in the process. That tends to happen around week 3.
Alright, so there's my update! I don't have an excerpt for you guys this week, but if you want to ask questions about anything plot wise, trust me when I say I will tell you what I can without spoiling too much.
Comment blow with encouragement, dares, and word counts! Good luck in Week 3!
Until next time!
~Kelsey~
I am a day late on this, but now I can give you in full how I did during Week 2 of NaNoWriMo!
I had someone ask me last night what NaNoWriMo was so I'll explain it again along with my goal: NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writer's Month - a month of insanity where writers around the world commit to writing a novel from scratch to reach a goal of 50,000 words.
I've taken this goal on before and this year I'm taking it a bit farther. I'm planning on trying for 100,000 if time and plot permits. If not, wherever I land is obviously much higher than the 50,000 and it pretty darn awesome.
Want a recap of my plot? Check it out here.
Alright, so here's a quick thing about this past week. NaNo week 2 is known as the dread week of the month. This is because writers are suddenly hitting walls that weren't there the week before when their plot excited them, their characters were awesome, and their word count was high. Week 2 is where word count suffers and we moan and groan because we have no idea what to do next or don't want to write any more. Week 2 is where the rubber meets the road, folks. If you survive week 2, you'll more than likely make it to the end of the month.
I'm happy to say, I survived week 2. Not without my problems, but I made it. In the first few days of week 2, my word count suffered with either no gumption to write or unsure of what to write, or because I got distracted. Around Monday is when I found a way to get back into my story. I discovered a rabbit hole. No I don't mean the literal rabbit hole in the ground, but one I made for myself. I decided that if Alice found a rabbit hole full of adventures, I would use one too.
My rabbit hole is my room with the door closed, facebook turned off, phone on vibrate, email closed, and headphones in with Celtic music on (it helps with my current plot). It's basically my escape from the real world and it had sent my word count higher and higher every time! Even if I only have a few hours to write, I take those few hours into my rabbit hole and I still get a lot done.
Another thing that helped during week 2 was having supportive writer friends and others. My best friend (although I never got them due to iPad being the thing that sent them) has sent texts checking in on my word count and making sure I'm still alive and somewhat sane. Two writer friends of mine have been keeping me updated with their progress while I keep them updated with mine. Another writer friend of mine and I had a conversation the other day that caused a flow of inspiration that picked up a piece of my plot I hadn't seen before. And finally, a wonderful, wonderful friend has sent me chocolate. Not just any chocolate either, Reese's and M&M's. This is now labeled as Author's stash and no one is allowed to touch it unless it's not November and they have asked. To say I love my friends that have been supporting me this past week is a bit of an understatement.
So you all probably want to know where I am at in progress with my novel. Well here are the standings as of yesterday:
Word count: 43,026
18 chapters
86 pages
As for my plot, it's going well. I had several moments of "aha!" and "I didn't know that!" while I wrote. It's moving in the direction I want, even if it went a bit out of order than I had originally planned.
My main character, Jessi, is currently on the fence about all that's happening, but I think she'll tip over pretty soon. Well, as long as she doesn't drag me in the process. That tends to happen around week 3.
Alright, so there's my update! I don't have an excerpt for you guys this week, but if you want to ask questions about anything plot wise, trust me when I say I will tell you what I can without spoiling too much.
Comment blow with encouragement, dares, and word counts! Good luck in Week 3!
Until next time!
~Kelsey~
Thursday, November 7, 2013
As Promised
And I'm back for a moment!
With a little help from my VIP of a BF (very important person of a best friend) I have a snip it to share with you all! :) Comments are welcome, grammar nazi's on the other hand are not. I have not edited this piece at all so please, be kind!
Without further ado....
Jessi sat straight up and looked around while the girl stood by, nervously waiting for an answer to her question. “Uh, miss?” the girl asked. Jessi looked at the girl again with wide eyes. “She asked me something. Who is she? Why does she look like she just came from a medieval play?” Jessi thought. The young girl was wearing little roughed up ballet flats, a long light brown dress with a couple patches near the bottom of the dress, and a dark green cloak clasped at the neck. “Are you alright?” the girl repeated. Jessi blinked and remembered she had yet to answer, “Uh, I’m not sure. I-I think so. W-Where am I?” she replied. The girl cocked her head in confusion, “King’s Roots, at the wizard’s tree. You’re not from here are you?” she said. Jessi shook her head as her thoughts swam. “King’s Roots? Where is that? I’ve never heard of that? Where’s Azur?” she thought. The girl offered her hand, “I think you might have hit your head a little hard. Our medicine official should take a look at that bump before you do any more traveling. I’m Rae, who are you?” she said. Jessi hesitated a moment before taking Rae’s hand, “I’m Jessi.”
Short and sweet! Hope you guys enjoyed it :) *might* be persuaded to post another snip it next week (if all goes well with this one).
Until next time!
~Kelsey~
With a little help from my VIP of a BF (very important person of a best friend) I have a snip it to share with you all! :) Comments are welcome, grammar nazi's on the other hand are not. I have not edited this piece at all so please, be kind!
Without further ado....
Jessi sat straight up and looked around while the girl stood by, nervously waiting for an answer to her question. “Uh, miss?” the girl asked. Jessi looked at the girl again with wide eyes. “She asked me something. Who is she? Why does she look like she just came from a medieval play?” Jessi thought. The young girl was wearing little roughed up ballet flats, a long light brown dress with a couple patches near the bottom of the dress, and a dark green cloak clasped at the neck. “Are you alright?” the girl repeated. Jessi blinked and remembered she had yet to answer, “Uh, I’m not sure. I-I think so. W-Where am I?” she replied. The girl cocked her head in confusion, “King’s Roots, at the wizard’s tree. You’re not from here are you?” she said. Jessi shook her head as her thoughts swam. “King’s Roots? Where is that? I’ve never heard of that? Where’s Azur?” she thought. The girl offered her hand, “I think you might have hit your head a little hard. Our medicine official should take a look at that bump before you do any more traveling. I’m Rae, who are you?” she said. Jessi hesitated a moment before taking Rae’s hand, “I’m Jessi.”
Short and sweet! Hope you guys enjoyed it :) *might* be persuaded to post another snip it next week (if all goes well with this one).
Until next time!
~Kelsey~
NaNoWriMo Journey: Week 1
Hey yall!
Taking a quick break from novel writing to update everyone on what's happened in week 1 of NaNoWriMo!
Reminder: NaNoWriMo is all of November, goal is to write 50,000 words for a novel from scratch...unless you're a rebel like a couple of my friends and are continuing a novel and/or have a chapter goal. (hint, hint, nudge, nudge)
I'm a bit of a rebel myself. I am going for the 50,000, but if time permits I'm doubling the goal. Yep, that's right. 100,000 words in one. month. Yes, you may call me crazy, but that claim better come with chocolate and encouragement....or at least the chocolate. Seriously, my stash is gone and I have to share the cookies with my family.
On my personal facebook I have been keeping everyone entertained with posts about my progress, so I'll share a few with you to see what I've been up to this past week! (No, I'm not giving out my personal facebook.)
"Day 1 Completed - I am quite happy with my work today although I have continually had to push my inner editor back into the closet, it was a good day.
Work on Novel Completed today: Prologue, Chapter 1, Started on Chapter 2 and my current word count is 3,022 words!"
"NaNoWriMo Day 2 - Made some real progress considering I didn't get started till the afternoon I have officially turned off all little red/green squiggly lines to keep my inner editor at bay and I refuse to rewrite something, even if I *know* it's the wrong information. That must wait until editing time, which is AFTER November! *throws away key* inner editor is gonna have to wait
Work Accomplished (so far)
Word Count: 6,114
Chapters: 2 complete chapters and started my 3rd
Pages: a measly 13, but each chapter has 5 or more pages
Plot: moving slowly, but this is necessary. must. write. words."
Current Word Count: 10,347"
Today's Total Word Count: 13,250 (cookies for Kelsey!)
4 chapters and started on chapter 5
27 pages"
Total Word Count of Today: 19,279
7 chapters and started chapter 8
40 pages"
Taking a quick break from novel writing to update everyone on what's happened in week 1 of NaNoWriMo!
Reminder: NaNoWriMo is all of November, goal is to write 50,000 words for a novel from scratch...unless you're a rebel like a couple of my friends and are continuing a novel and/or have a chapter goal. (hint, hint, nudge, nudge)
I'm a bit of a rebel myself. I am going for the 50,000, but if time permits I'm doubling the goal. Yep, that's right. 100,000 words in one. month. Yes, you may call me crazy, but that claim better come with chocolate and encouragement....or at least the chocolate. Seriously, my stash is gone and I have to share the cookies with my family.
On my personal facebook I have been keeping everyone entertained with posts about my progress, so I'll share a few with you to see what I've been up to this past week! (No, I'm not giving out my personal facebook.)
"Day 1 Completed - I am quite happy with my work today although I have continually had to push my inner editor back into the closet, it was a good day.
Work on Novel Completed today: Prologue, Chapter 1, Started on Chapter 2 and my current word count is 3,022 words!"
"NaNoWriMo Day 2 - Made some real progress considering I didn't get started till the afternoon I have officially turned off all little red/green squiggly lines to keep my inner editor at bay and I refuse to rewrite something, even if I *know* it's the wrong information. That must wait until editing time, which is AFTER November! *throws away key* inner editor is gonna have to wait
Work Accomplished (so far)
Word Count: 6,114
Chapters: 2 complete chapters and started my 3rd
Pages: a measly 13, but each chapter has 5 or more pages
Plot: moving slowly, but this is necessary. must. write. words."
Middle of Day 4 - "Listening to Celtic music on Pandora, lovely instrumental song was playing then suddenly......Star Wars Theme o_o Not that I don't mind this, but I wasn't exactly expecting this to be on the Celtic music station....
Current Word Count: 10,347"
"NaNoWriMo Day 4 - Had a full day to write so I added a "cookie" goal. Basically I just added a double bonus goal and gave it a fun name xD I'm proud to say I met and went above all of my goals today! I also have introduced another important character and uncovered an interesting back story to a minor character (minor only in presence, he's pretty key later in my plot...kinda thrilled with his story though!). My portal has opened again and has led me to another world again so I can't wait to explore it tomorrow with my new character and MC (main character)! I did have a moment of panic as my document decided to add 9,000 pages to it and, I thought, had deleted my story. Moment is over and all is well...although I'm probably throwing this thing on a back up drive asap!
Today's Total Word Count: 13,250 (cookies for Kelsey!)
4 chapters and started on chapter 5
27 pages"
"NaNo Day 6 - Does writing a personal statement for a college application count? I think it should count...that's what ate up my time for real writing today anyways. I did what I could in the little bit of time I had today, but tomorrow is a different story. Lots and lots of time to write
Total Word Count of Today: 19,279
7 chapters and started chapter 8
40 pages"
And that's all the "journal entries" for now! Yes, I know I skipped day 5, but there really wasn't much posted on that day, so if you want to know I'll post it later.
Today is day 7 and I place on writing up to 21,000 words and moving forward with the main plot. (yay, finally!) But first, I better post this and get the dishes done. (yes, even authors need to do the dishes.)
Hope yall are doing well! If you're doing NaNo this year, tell me what your goal is and how you're doing so far. If you're not, any dares/questions/chocolate are also welcome! I'm going to try and look back through my work and find a piece to post for all to read later today.
Until next time!
~Kelsey~
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Hours to Go and the Big Reveal
There's only a few hours left! (insert squeals of writer joy and excitement)
November is but hours away and I cannot wait to get started on my novel!
....okay, maybe I can.
Last night, as I was thinking through last minute details that needed tweaking, I stumbled into a very very large plot hole. It was one of those little details that I had allowed to grow out of proportion and even worse, it is only mentioned in the first couple pages. That's it. You never hear of it again. But it is so vitally important to my plot that it became a huge hole in my plot!
I know, some of you could care less seeing as you haven't even heard my plot yet. ...Okay most of you haven't heard my plot yet, but it's still a problem!
Lucky for me I finished up some last minute details in my "normal life" to where my November is officially free. I have nothing planned for daily activity. Just occasional plans outside of my home (which is why I'm glad writing is a portable career). So this leaves the rest of my time to fix the plot hole and write!
Okay, I promised you guys a plot summary a couple days ago. I got approval from my bestie (no, she's not biased. She is a reader and therefore has good input) and can now reveal it to you all! So without further ado (insert drum roll here) my NaNoWriMo Plot Summary!
Camelot Reborn
"Camelot is fading. King Arthur has passed and Merlin has long since gone. While reading through his master's notes, the last apprentice of Merlin comes across a prophecy that had not been spoken of. A prophecy that foretold of Camelot's glorious rebirth along with the rebirth of King Arthur and Merlin. Thousands of years past and Camelot became nothing but legends and stories. At least, that's what we were all made to believe.
17 year old Jessi Storm was preparing for a horse competition in England when she stumbles into a portal that takes her to two new worlds that have ties with the ancient kingdom of Camelot and most importantly, the prophecy that would bring it back. Jessi is in awe of the worlds and those that live in them, but when the prophecy of Camelot's rebirth is brought back into light, she quickly finds that they are more dangerous than she thought.
An ancient evil power has returned and is focused on one thing: destroy the chances of Camelot's return.
Jessi is now head deep in the middle of the conflict and whether she likes it or not, she could be the key to saving or destroying the prophecy."
17 year old Jessi Storm was preparing for a horse competition in England when she stumbles into a portal that takes her to two new worlds that have ties with the ancient kingdom of Camelot and most importantly, the prophecy that would bring it back. Jessi is in awe of the worlds and those that live in them, but when the prophecy of Camelot's rebirth is brought back into light, she quickly finds that they are more dangerous than she thought.
An ancient evil power has returned and is focused on one thing: destroy the chances of Camelot's return.
Jessi is now head deep in the middle of the conflict and whether she likes it or not, she could be the key to saving or destroying the prophecy."
Comments? Questions? Any other writers currently biting at their nails or chomping at the bit to get at November? Leave them below!
Next time you hear from me I'll be deep into my novel! And if you do hear from me...that usually means I've hit a wall. Anyways, until then...see ya!
~Kelsey~
Monday, October 28, 2013
Week Zero
Hello all! I'm back and have exciting news to share with you.
It's Week Zero!!!!
Okay, so maybe I should explain why that's so exciting.
Week Zero is the week of NaNoWriMo. We are down to a matter of days before the chaos of writing begins. This means I get to start writing my novel very, very soon, which excites me very, very much.
On the flip side of the excitement, there is panic. For every NaNo participant there is that slight panic as we reach the days before Day 1 and that is this - The Planning Panic.
The planning panic starts in the beginning October where we begin to wonder things like: "Is my plot ready? Do I even have a plot? What about my characters? Do they have a back story? Do they need a back story?!" and so on. We tend to over think during the planning panic, as we don't want to hit Week 3 and suddenly we hit the wall of nothingness.
("wall of nothingness" - a wall in which writers hit during Week 3 of NaNoWriMo where they do not know where to go with their story, nor do they know if they should continue writing. This is where the Inner Editor tends to prey on helpless writers.)
But, the good news for all of those who have friends that are taking part in NaNoWriMo is this insanity does not last forever. The bad news, though, is it will last until the writer is comfortable with their novel plot, characters and whatnot or until November is here. Usually it's the latter.
Whatever the case, Week Zero is a nerve bending week. This year, I'm excited about getting to Day 1! I will hopefully have time in the middle of preparing for November to post my plot summary here so you all can see it (of course there are a few people that need to see it first....so you'll see it around the Wednesday/Thursday mark).
Currently in my writing journey, I am in the post outlining phase. I have finished plotting out important chapter moments and my characters are mostly squared away. I have to write out a bit more on them, find important Scriptures that will help pull them together and finally, make sure I'm freed up for November.
So what about you guys? What are you doing this Zero Week? Are you prepping for NaNoWriMo? Working on something else? School projects? Let me know down in the comments!
See you all next time!!
~Kelsey~
It's Week Zero!!!!
Okay, so maybe I should explain why that's so exciting.
Week Zero is the week of NaNoWriMo. We are down to a matter of days before the chaos of writing begins. This means I get to start writing my novel very, very soon, which excites me very, very much.
On the flip side of the excitement, there is panic. For every NaNo participant there is that slight panic as we reach the days before Day 1 and that is this - The Planning Panic.
The planning panic starts in the beginning October where we begin to wonder things like: "Is my plot ready? Do I even have a plot? What about my characters? Do they have a back story? Do they need a back story?!" and so on. We tend to over think during the planning panic, as we don't want to hit Week 3 and suddenly we hit the wall of nothingness.
("wall of nothingness" - a wall in which writers hit during Week 3 of NaNoWriMo where they do not know where to go with their story, nor do they know if they should continue writing. This is where the Inner Editor tends to prey on helpless writers.)
But, the good news for all of those who have friends that are taking part in NaNoWriMo is this insanity does not last forever. The bad news, though, is it will last until the writer is comfortable with their novel plot, characters and whatnot or until November is here. Usually it's the latter.
Whatever the case, Week Zero is a nerve bending week. This year, I'm excited about getting to Day 1! I will hopefully have time in the middle of preparing for November to post my plot summary here so you all can see it (of course there are a few people that need to see it first....so you'll see it around the Wednesday/Thursday mark).
Currently in my writing journey, I am in the post outlining phase. I have finished plotting out important chapter moments and my characters are mostly squared away. I have to write out a bit more on them, find important Scriptures that will help pull them together and finally, make sure I'm freed up for November.
So what about you guys? What are you doing this Zero Week? Are you prepping for NaNoWriMo? Working on something else? School projects? Let me know down in the comments!
See you all next time!!
~Kelsey~
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Reviving the Blog
Soooo, it's been a little too long since this blog has been used. I apologize, but I have been busy lately....ya know graduating high school and stuff.
Anyways, with this blog being open for business again I'm going to focus my posting more from updating on my crazy life to my writing adventures. For example, something you'll be seeing in the near future is posts on my journey through my fifth year of NaNoWriMo! (which I'll explain a little bit more of later)
I'm excited about what I'll be posting and I may actually find like minded people out there! (which would be awesome)
Alright, so to explain some upcoming posts: NaNoWriMo Journey. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writer's Month and it takes place every year in November. This is an event heard around the world as writers and non-writers alike come together with one goal in mind: Write a novel of 50,000 words in one month. Sounds crazy right? What if I told you I did this crazy thing 4 years in a row (losing only once and lowering my goal only once)? Yep, I have 4 novels currently sitting on my hard drive and no, they are not leaving this hard drive. This year, on the other hand, may be a bit different. I'm excited about this year's idea and if it all goes well, it may turn into something of worth! I'll post my idea/plot on here later when I get it just right. Until then, if you want to check out NaNoWriMo yourself, go here or if you're under 18 go here. You'll be glad you did!
If you want to hear anything specific from me, post in the comments!
If you want to hear from a character (not related to any novel I'm currently working on), check out my other blog here!
Thanks for reading! I'll post again soon! :)
~Kelsey~
Anyways, with this blog being open for business again I'm going to focus my posting more from updating on my crazy life to my writing adventures. For example, something you'll be seeing in the near future is posts on my journey through my fifth year of NaNoWriMo! (which I'll explain a little bit more of later)
I'm excited about what I'll be posting and I may actually find like minded people out there! (which would be awesome)
Alright, so to explain some upcoming posts: NaNoWriMo Journey. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writer's Month and it takes place every year in November. This is an event heard around the world as writers and non-writers alike come together with one goal in mind: Write a novel of 50,000 words in one month. Sounds crazy right? What if I told you I did this crazy thing 4 years in a row (losing only once and lowering my goal only once)? Yep, I have 4 novels currently sitting on my hard drive and no, they are not leaving this hard drive. This year, on the other hand, may be a bit different. I'm excited about this year's idea and if it all goes well, it may turn into something of worth! I'll post my idea/plot on here later when I get it just right. Until then, if you want to check out NaNoWriMo yourself, go here or if you're under 18 go here. You'll be glad you did!
If you want to hear anything specific from me, post in the comments!
If you want to hear from a character (not related to any novel I'm currently working on), check out my other blog here!
Thanks for reading! I'll post again soon! :)
~Kelsey~
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