Hello, WriMos and friends!
Christmas is over and the week ahead looks clear for writing. I'm ready to begin the editing process of "A Place for Pamela". It's been good to take a break from the story. I haven't looked at my manuscript since the contest ended on November 30th. In fact, I haven't read any of it since the very beginning of the contest. I can't even remember what I wrote - the contest was such a blur!
It's been almost a month since I thought about Pamela and her journey, so now it's time to get back into her life and start the polishing process. I'd like to finish the book before school releases for the summer.
That being said, my tentative goal, from editing to print, is three months. March 2010. Hopefully, sooner. Let's see if I meet that deadline with a new semester upon us.
Wrimos, are you ready to edit? If so, let's take this second half of the NaNoWriMo journey together!
TTFN
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
And In The Meantime...
Hello, Everyone!
This will be my last blog until Christmas break when I begin the editing process on "A Place for Pamela". I need to focus on the end of the semester as well as the holidays. Plus I need a perspective from my book so I can look at it again with clear eyes.
I hope all of you who participated in NaNoWriMo will think about next year's event. We will meet weekly beginning August to prepare ourselves for November 2010. And those who didn't - join us!
For those of you who completed NaNoWriMo, congratulations. Did you get your code from CreateSpace yet? You can also design your book cover with CreateSpace. I'll blog about them later.
I'm already looking forward to writing another book. I miss being creative and it's been less than a week since the contest ended. I read somewhere there is another novel writing contest during the summer.
Anyway, check back after December 25th when I'll resume this blog.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year!
TTFN
This will be my last blog until Christmas break when I begin the editing process on "A Place for Pamela". I need to focus on the end of the semester as well as the holidays. Plus I need a perspective from my book so I can look at it again with clear eyes.
I hope all of you who participated in NaNoWriMo will think about next year's event. We will meet weekly beginning August to prepare ourselves for November 2010. And those who didn't - join us!
For those of you who completed NaNoWriMo, congratulations. Did you get your code from CreateSpace yet? You can also design your book cover with CreateSpace. I'll blog about them later.
I'm already looking forward to writing another book. I miss being creative and it's been less than a week since the contest ended. I read somewhere there is another novel writing contest during the summer.
Anyway, check back after December 25th when I'll resume this blog.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year!
TTFN
Monday, November 30, 2009
And More Congratulations...
A great big YIPPEE goes to Amanda (50,031 words) and Katia (50,000+) words! If there are any more winners out there, please let me know so I can post your name on this blog and also on ABS announcements Wednesday morning.
If you didn't win, don't worry. Keep writing and finish your book. You can still print your book with CreateSpace. You just won't receive a free one.
And don't forget - I'm sponsoring a novel writing club next year beginning September to prepare us for NaNoWriMo 2010.
In the meantime, we need to think about editing. But not yet. Focus on your finals. I'll start posting advice and ideas about this topic during Christmas Break. Check back at that time.
BTW - Tell me which cover you like for "A Place for Pamela".
If you didn't win, don't worry. Keep writing and finish your book. You can still print your book with CreateSpace. You just won't receive a free one.
And don't forget - I'm sponsoring a novel writing club next year beginning September to prepare us for NaNoWriMo 2010.
In the meantime, we need to think about editing. But not yet. Focus on your finals. I'll start posting advice and ideas about this topic during Christmas Break. Check back at that time.
BTW - Tell me which cover you like for "A Place for Pamela".
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Congratulations...
...to Kaitlin - 50,039 words and a day to spare!
I cannot mention her last name since this blog is live on the Internet, but she's in my 4th hour animation class, if ya know what I mean!
If you see her in the hallway tomorrow, give her a NaNoWriMo hug!
(-:
I cannot mention her last name since this blog is live on the Internet, but she's in my 4th hour animation class, if ya know what I mean!
If you see her in the hallway tomorrow, give her a NaNoWriMo hug!
(-:
Week 5, Day 29
It's Sunday afternoon and I don't need to remind you that tomorrow is the end of NaNoWriMo!
I hope all of you are continuing to write to the finish line. It's a cold, overcast, rainy day (as far as cold, overcast, rainy days go for Arizona), so it's a perfect day to snuggle up to your laptop and let your imagination take you for a ride.
Have you followed your storyline? What's the exposition? Catalyst? Rising Action? Climax? Denouement?
Who is the protagonist? What were the antagonist(s)? Did your protagonist defeat the antagonist(s)?
Have you run out of things to say? Make sure you answer who, what, when, where, why and how. Work on setting and detail. Will your reader be able to imagine where your story takes place - in a castle, on the side of a mountain, in the depths of the sea? How's your diaglogue? Did your characters say everything they need to say? Did you create conflict? Did you resolve the conflict?Remember that you can keep writing after NaNoWriMo has concluded. The 50,000 word requirement can be surpassed. I've read that some people have written over 100,000 words and still counting.
The next step after NaNoWriMo is to edit your creation. I suggest that those of you who intend to print your book should meet after school as a group to proofread and help each other with this process. If you are interested, please let me know.
Keep writing...
I hope all of you are continuing to write to the finish line. It's a cold, overcast, rainy day (as far as cold, overcast, rainy days go for Arizona), so it's a perfect day to snuggle up to your laptop and let your imagination take you for a ride.
Have you followed your storyline? What's the exposition? Catalyst? Rising Action? Climax? Denouement?
Who is the protagonist? What were the antagonist(s)? Did your protagonist defeat the antagonist(s)?
Have you run out of things to say? Make sure you answer who, what, when, where, why and how. Work on setting and detail. Will your reader be able to imagine where your story takes place - in a castle, on the side of a mountain, in the depths of the sea? How's your diaglogue? Did your characters say everything they need to say? Did you create conflict? Did you resolve the conflict?Remember that you can keep writing after NaNoWriMo has concluded. The 50,000 word requirement can be surpassed. I've read that some people have written over 100,000 words and still counting.
The next step after NaNoWriMo is to edit your creation. I suggest that those of you who intend to print your book should meet after school as a group to proofread and help each other with this process. If you are interested, please let me know.
Keep writing...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Week 4, Day 28
I just saw New Moon and I have to say I'm disappointed. I'm just not digging the whole Volturi thing (although the fight scene was blocked and filmed well). I've also grown tired of Bella being the depressed, suicidal damsel in distress. I liked Twilight because of the budding romance between the the protagonist and antagonist. But now that I've seen New Moon, I think Bella just needs a psychiatrist.
Anyway, back to NaNoWriMo...
I'm happy to say that I met my 50,000-word goal and am an official 'winner'. It feels good to be done but the actual work is now just beginning. I will begin to edit "A Place for Pamela" sometime during Christmas break. I plan to put copies of the book in the Media Center sometime this Spring. Maybe I'll sell them as a fundraiser and give the proceeds to the Academy. IDK yet.
Anyway, I know there are many of you still plugging away toward the finish line, so I thought I'd write this blog today to give you encouragement. You've heard me say "you can do it" but I'd like to give you a bit of advice on how.
This is how I finished my last 6,000 words. I typed the following sentence about each of my characters:
What do I know so far about __________________? (fill in the blank)
I then typed and answered my question until something happened - usually dialogue emerged or an incident that helped to flesh out a character's motivation or enhance a scene. Here's an example...
What do I know so far about Nancy?
She is a supporting character. Thirteen years old. Parents divorced. Older brother. Antagonist. Shoplifter. Pamela's only acquaintance. What does she want? To cooerce Pamela into stealing with her to experience the thrill. Why does Pamela hang with her? She is not accepted by another group at school.
Here's what I wrote from that short paragraph above. Here's the setup: Nancy has just stolen clothing from a store and Pamela was the lookout.
Nancy smiled politely at the sales clerk and headed toward the door at the front of the store. Just a few more steps and she'd be out into the main corridor of the mall. Pamela hesitated to follow. What if Nancy got caught? What if the sales clerk had suspected Nancy all along and had already contacted security? What if they were waiting right outside the doorway, ready to slap handcuffs on Nancy's wrists? And did they have a pair for Pamela?
If Nancy was afraid, she certainly didn’t show it. She walked confidently toward the front of the store. Stealing a shirt was a cinch for a pro like Nancy. Pamela had never seen her so calm. Pamela followed Nancy a few steps behind. Suddenly, as Nancy approached the front of the door, a bell began to ring.
The sales clerk looked up. “Girls. Please wait,” she called.
Nancy looked at Pamela, her eyes wide, her mouth grinning. “Run!” she said excitedly.
“Run?!” Pamela panicked.
"It's showtime!" Nancy laughed. She suddenly darted through the doorway and into the crowd of holiday shoppers, baby strollers and motorized wheelchairs. The sales clerk looked at Pamela, her eyes wide with surprise.
“You!" she shouted to Pamela. "Stay right there.”
Pamela froze. She looked after Nancy's retreating figure as it disappeared into the throng.
I didn’t do anything wrong, Pamela thought. I didn’t steal anything.
But would they believe her?
Pamela thought of the security guard she had seen earlier. Of walking through the mall with her wrists in handcuffs. Of her classmates eating lunch at the food court, pointing and laughing as she was led to the security office.
Pamela looked at the approaching sales clerk then at Nancy’s fleeing figure in the distance.
Pamela ran.
She lost sight of Nancy. Pamela darted between the clusters of holiday shoppers, looking for Nancy. She was nowhere to be found.
Pamela slowed her gait to not bring attention to herself. She dared not to turn around, afraid someone would recognize her face and call attention to her.
Where was Nancy? Where did she go?
Pamela wanted to cry. Her heart pounded in her chest. Every nerve in her body was on acute high alert. Every muscle was ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.
Pamela remembered Nancy's advice. Be cool. Be calm. And remember the plan.
What was the plan? Pamela panicked.
Get out of the mall. Go to a quiet, dark spot. Text me.
Pamela spied an outside entrance door. She quickly headed toward a group of people walking through the door. She entered the group and walked with them outside.
No beeps, no alarms. No police officers waiting outside at the curb. Nothing but dark sky and cold evening air.
Pamela looked to the left and right. Nancy was nowhere to be seen. She quickly ran to the parking lot, between the rows of parked cars and trucks. She found a dark hiding place between two large SUVs. There she stopped and waited, watching for security guards in golf carts or police cars.
Where was Nancy?
Anyway, back to NaNoWriMo...
I'm happy to say that I met my 50,000-word goal and am an official 'winner'. It feels good to be done but the actual work is now just beginning. I will begin to edit "A Place for Pamela" sometime during Christmas break. I plan to put copies of the book in the Media Center sometime this Spring. Maybe I'll sell them as a fundraiser and give the proceeds to the Academy. IDK yet.
Anyway, I know there are many of you still plugging away toward the finish line, so I thought I'd write this blog today to give you encouragement. You've heard me say "you can do it" but I'd like to give you a bit of advice on how.
This is how I finished my last 6,000 words. I typed the following sentence about each of my characters:
What do I know so far about __________________? (fill in the blank)
I then typed and answered my question until something happened - usually dialogue emerged or an incident that helped to flesh out a character's motivation or enhance a scene. Here's an example...
What do I know so far about Nancy?
She is a supporting character. Thirteen years old. Parents divorced. Older brother. Antagonist. Shoplifter. Pamela's only acquaintance. What does she want? To cooerce Pamela into stealing with her to experience the thrill. Why does Pamela hang with her? She is not accepted by another group at school.
Here's what I wrote from that short paragraph above. Here's the setup: Nancy has just stolen clothing from a store and Pamela was the lookout.
Nancy smiled politely at the sales clerk and headed toward the door at the front of the store. Just a few more steps and she'd be out into the main corridor of the mall. Pamela hesitated to follow. What if Nancy got caught? What if the sales clerk had suspected Nancy all along and had already contacted security? What if they were waiting right outside the doorway, ready to slap handcuffs on Nancy's wrists? And did they have a pair for Pamela?
If Nancy was afraid, she certainly didn’t show it. She walked confidently toward the front of the store. Stealing a shirt was a cinch for a pro like Nancy. Pamela had never seen her so calm. Pamela followed Nancy a few steps behind. Suddenly, as Nancy approached the front of the door, a bell began to ring.
The sales clerk looked up. “Girls. Please wait,” she called.
Nancy looked at Pamela, her eyes wide, her mouth grinning. “Run!” she said excitedly.
“Run?!” Pamela panicked.
"It's showtime!" Nancy laughed. She suddenly darted through the doorway and into the crowd of holiday shoppers, baby strollers and motorized wheelchairs. The sales clerk looked at Pamela, her eyes wide with surprise.
“You!" she shouted to Pamela. "Stay right there.”
Pamela froze. She looked after Nancy's retreating figure as it disappeared into the throng.
I didn’t do anything wrong, Pamela thought. I didn’t steal anything.
But would they believe her?
Pamela thought of the security guard she had seen earlier. Of walking through the mall with her wrists in handcuffs. Of her classmates eating lunch at the food court, pointing and laughing as she was led to the security office.
Pamela looked at the approaching sales clerk then at Nancy’s fleeing figure in the distance.
Pamela ran.
She lost sight of Nancy. Pamela darted between the clusters of holiday shoppers, looking for Nancy. She was nowhere to be found.
Pamela slowed her gait to not bring attention to herself. She dared not to turn around, afraid someone would recognize her face and call attention to her.
Where was Nancy? Where did she go?
Pamela wanted to cry. Her heart pounded in her chest. Every nerve in her body was on acute high alert. Every muscle was ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.
Pamela remembered Nancy's advice. Be cool. Be calm. And remember the plan.
What was the plan? Pamela panicked.
Get out of the mall. Go to a quiet, dark spot. Text me.
Pamela spied an outside entrance door. She quickly headed toward a group of people walking through the door. She entered the group and walked with them outside.
No beeps, no alarms. No police officers waiting outside at the curb. Nothing but dark sky and cold evening air.
Pamela looked to the left and right. Nancy was nowhere to be seen. She quickly ran to the parking lot, between the rows of parked cars and trucks. She found a dark hiding place between two large SUVs. There she stopped and waited, watching for security guards in golf carts or police cars.
Where was Nancy?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Book Cover
Here are two possible ideas for my book cover. Which one do you prefer? Ignore the white space around the black background. The image is a temporary placeholder. I am going to use one of my own photos.
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