Friday, December 21, 2007

Holiday Hiatus

This have been getting busy...so I haven't written anything since Tuesday.

I've been busy with shopping, boyfriend, etc. So much to do before the holiday is over.
Hopefully I'll be able to write some more before Xmas...we'll see.

But the lack of writing has given me time to figure out some upcoming character things, namely Kole.

I've decided Kole is a scientist type thinker. He has a great desire to explore and understand magic. He believes that what he is doing will benefit others. His actions are meant to help others, although some sacrifices must be made. To many the sacrifices might be seen as horrible...but he rationalizes it.

Yeah...still haven't figured out what he wants with the stone yet.
I'll think on it some more.

So where are the characters as of Tuesday
They've escaped and they're on the boat to Dunoth. Othena is hatching another plan and Eovin is wishing the kids luck as he heads back to his normal life in Pembrin. Or will it ever be normal again?

Monday, December 17, 2007

Busy busy busy...

Today caught me off guard. I just had a lot of things to do and it ate up all of my time.

1. Gym
2. Cleaning my room
3. Combing out my hair
4. Washing my hair
5. Making muffins
6. Twisting my hair
7. Print the Harley Davidson ads
8. Creating a self-identity piece
9. Knitting

Yeah...so time sort of slipped away. However, I do plan to make up for it tomorrow since I will officially be on break from school.

Thank goodness for breaks.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Not trying to finish by Monday any more...

So despite all my attempts I've come to my senses. I highly doubt I will finish my story before I head home for break. So I'm just gonna keep working on it through break and hope to finish before January 1st.

Good luck to me.

Today was not that great. Only write 1,000 words, which is bare minimum. I was distracted by knitting and also got pretty tired.

What's the cure for the doldrums? Morning writing...so hopefully I'll do more Sunday - Tuesday since I don't have any more homework.

Woot!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

sooo sleepy...want to keep writing...but must stop

So I managed about 2,000 words today bringing me to: 81,756

I took a bit too much time with one of the scenes because there were a lot of things I didn't understand. Things like guns, bullets and bullet wounds.

So I decided to not kill Cael but he had to be taken out of the picture. So I shot him in the shoulder since that's near the chest and could get everyone worried for a bit.

Then I found this article: It basically rants about incorrect gun info in movies. For instance removing the bullet and getting shot in the shoulder. But after reading this I have figured out how to make this work for me.

1. Cael needs his bullet removed because it's made of silver, which negates magic. The person trying to heal him is using magic, so it's logical. I even have another character ask why so I can make the action make sense for the reader.

2. Cael is shot in his shoulder--not to be cliche but because it's an easy target that's near the heart. Also, unlike the movies he will not be suddenly running about and saving lives with what should be a heavily damaged arm. Nope. Cael will be in a hospital trying to recover and eventually work to regain use of that arm. [There is a small possibility that he might lose use of the arm for good, but I haven't decided yet.]

So I've covered my bases. If I change my mind I can always go back and make him get shot in the arm as the article suggests. ::shrug::

So where are we now?
Devii and the kids got back to the church safely, but she noticed someone lurking outside. Inside, Cael is fighting the pain as Cora removes a tricky bullet. Also, Silas' secret is out when Cora and Eovin realize exactly what he is. But wait...Cora is an innate! Hooray for healers!

Where are we going?
Cael's bullet is out but he needs to go to the hospital. Devii, Silas and the kids are going to take the next ferry to Dunoth but they need to trick Othena so they can escape. I wonder how they'll do it?
Then we finally get to see Dunoth and meet the illusive Kole. Will they get the stone to him in time? We'll see.

So much to write...so little time, but I've written 20K this month so far!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Nearly to 16K

So for the second week of NaNoFiMo I'm trying to complete the challenge of writing 16K in one week. So far it's going pretty well I'm at 10K. I'm sort of trying to go beyond and write 20-30K for the week.

We'll see. I love to force myself, but I gotta be realistic.

So where are we in the story?
Devii and the twins were captured. Silas and Cael came to rescue them. Cael gave the blood stone in exchange, but it turned out to be a fake.
So now the group is on the run, Cael's been shot and Devii's hiding in the bushes with the kids. My they do get themselves into trouble!

What's next, you ask?
Well Cael is taken back to Sont Kantrell to be healed, but he's not out of the woods yet. Devii and the kids show up and she asks Silas to remove the "mark" Othena put on her by cutting it out.
Then the priests help Silas, Devii and the kids [they leave poor hurt Cael behind] go to Dunoth like they planned to hand over the stone.

So much to write...so little time. But I'm doing it.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

I need to up my output

If this week is less hectic than last week...then why am I having such a hard time writing!

I wrote about 2k yesterday and about 1k+ today. Very disappointing. I need to stop being distracted and write as much as possible.

My week's goal is 16K and so far I'm at about 7k. Only 9k to go, which in total will put me at 83K.

I probably won't finish by Saturday but hopefully I can be down to the last few chapters. Or maybe I'll write enough that I can write more than 16K this week.

Here's hoping.

I'll write more of an update tomorrow.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Update: start of week 2

Current word count: 70,023

I have finally caught up. Hooray!
I still have a bunch of writing to do if I want to finish before December 17th.

But so far they've gotten to Pembrin, which is right outside of Dunoth.

So what's on the plate next?

A) Folks get kidnapped.
B) People find out they got kidnapped.
C) Kidnappees face their captors.
D) The hostage/kidnapper face off [some people get hurt]
E) They return to the church and get their wounded taken care of. Turns out one of the priests is a magic user. They show the bloodstone to the priests.
F) The priest helps them get to the ferry and blocks the pursuer's paths/they make it safely onto the ferry.

If I'm lucky I'll write all that tomorrow, but that might be a bit ambitious.

Well...that's all for now.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Catching up...

School kept me busy for two days. So I worked my ass off Saturday to catch up.
Alas, I am too tired to finish.

So I'm at 67,730.

I should be at 68,975...so I'm like off my about 1,245.

I can do that.

I just need to get back on track and then write more than necessary each day.


But now I sleep.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Gaining ground...

I have been sooo busy with homework. I mean I am in finals week, but hopefully I'll still manage to keep up with my writing.

So I'm currently at 65,435.

I'm making slow progress but I have to catch up on top of making daily quota. I should have more time tomorrow to catch up and reach goal.

Come on girly! Let's reach the end of this story!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Sickness and homework slow me down...

I'm tired and getting sick.

I had homework to do Sunday, which means I didn't write anything on Sunday [that and I got distracted by WOW].

As for today, I woke up sick and had more homework.
I managed to get my word count to 62,440--a measly 400+ words. So shameful.

But I'm tired and sick. So I figure I need to get some rest. So I'm heading to bed and hope to get an early start in the morning.


I just gotta keep writing!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Sooo tired...must keep writing...

So today was the first day of Nanofimo.

I'm still surviving, but gave myself a lil break from writing today to game. Yay WOW!
Despite that I still managed to write 1,000+.

I'm going to start posting my word counts here since Nanofimo.org doesn't really allow you to post that kind of stuff, etc.

Overall, I'm moving slowly. Maybe I'll be able to write more tomorrow.

G'night.



Word Count: 62023

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Nano is offically over.

So today was the last day of Nanowrimo.

As of midnight I have 60,960 words. Hooray!

I still have a lot to write, but that's what NaNoFiMo is for. Although its for a month, I plan to try and finish before the 17th of December...so I can spend the break editing.

We'll see.

As for my wrimobuddies, 6 out of twelve finished. Huzzah! I called Jean the moment I saw that she reached 50,000. I knew she could do it. We both have a lot of editing to do. Hopefully we can both beta test our stories on each other--I can't wait to read her novel!

So right now I'm going to take some well earned rest for the evening. Plus I have some homework to sketch.

Good job everyone!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Guh this week has me beat...

Writing sucked today.

I had a busy schedule...morning meetings, class projects, a long class, etc

So I have one day left to Nano before I move onto NaNoFiMo in December.

The story is still going well--it's just that we're getting down to finals so I have less time. Also I've been waking myself up early in hopes of writing then, but it makes me too tired to write at night.

Sigh...

So I only wrote a mere 691 today. But Friday is my day--no other obligations.
I plan to write my heart out.

G'night

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

I'm exhausted...

I was going to write tonight, but I think I may just hit the sack early and write in the morning.

Why? Because I didn't really get to eat dinner at a reasonable time, so I am feeling semi ill. Plus I'm already past 50,000 words so I can relax a bit. Grr...

So I read this website of a person who is completely against Nanowrimo because it means a plethora of crappy novels by wannabe authors. I see what they sort of mean, but for some of the participants Nanowrimo is a catalyst. As it was for me.

I have always wanted to be a writer and wrote a lot of short stories when I was young. I even used to check out the Writer's Marketplace book and study all the publishers listed. When I got older, I had less time to write, but I was never short of ideas for novels. But I never wrote anything that was a full length novel--ever. I sort of thought it wasn't possible for me as I tend to not always finish things.

But Nanowrimo has rekindled my love of creating characters. Although I first thought of this story as just fluff for this challenge, I've become engrossed in it--to the point that I want to write more--a sequel even!

My one goal for the rest of this year and the next is to finish my novel. Edit and beta test it [friends you'll be doing some reading for me] and maybe...just maybe try to get it published. I may also start writing short stories again to submit to magazines.

Lordy lordy...I have a new hobby [sort of]. So that makes what...5? Writing, photography, costume design, comics and cooking.

Well at least I'll be busy. Maybe I can write 6,000 words tomorrow. We'll see.

I'm getting so close I can taste it!

So all my nerves aside...I have kept myself writing. I'm at 57,420. It might be crap now but I can always edit!

That's right...nothing is set in stone. Not names. Not places. Not scenes.
So write your heart out to get it done so that it's done. Otherwise it will never be written.

Ne who...

I got past one of my big fight scenes. It was weird--like choreographing dancing. I had to really think it out to describe it, especially since a lot of it is hand to hand and not with weapons or anything. I will probably have to go back and fix it after watching lots of wrestling and films that feature combat and such.

Revealed some new shite--hoorah! Poor Devii's now confused since she found out she's more similar to Silas than she thought. Turns out she's part ellementti--an ancient race of shape shifting elementals. Thanks great-grandma! Not sure how that will go yet plot wise.

So I'm around the end of #10 and about to move onto #11.

Just cruising along baby!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Pathetic...just pathetic

So I only wrote 1,000 words today, but I was super busy.

Inner critic: Yeah right. You reached 50,000 and then you got lazy. You're not going to finish your book by the end of November. But hey...it's not for everyone.

Me: Shut the hell up. I will finish it. And if I don't at least I won Nano finally!

Inner critic: You know the reason you're slacking is that you doubt your book is worth even finishing. You doubt your characters, your plot, etc. Some of my best work if I don't say so myself.

Me: GET OUT OF MY HEAD! If you're not going to help me then I'm kicking you to the curb.

Inner critic: You can't get rid of me. You'll need me in December when you start editing. I wouldn't get on my bad side.

Me: Sigh...you can stay. Just shut up until I finish. Then I'll let you do whatever you want.


So there you have it. I'm doubting myself. I'm busy with school again and I have so much left to write. But I did manage to finish a scene [#9] and hope to do a bit more writing tomorrow.

G'night.

Monday, November 26, 2007

I am a winner...okay now go back to writing.

So this morning I hit the big 50,000. Hooray!

I celebrated briefly and quickly returned to writing. I might have had met the Nanowrimo goal, but I still have a lot of story to write before I'm finished. And I want it done before the Nov. 30th, but I won't be angry if I don't.

I reached 53,000 tonight, so that makes 6,000 total for the day. Go me.

I finally decided to give my characters a break: they got a little swim to clean up after fighting zombies. I mean if I was covered with gore I'd want a bath too.

They also picked up a new friend. She's a little blind girl named Ila. Her twin brother, who they are going to find is name Eli. Hehe...yes I'm a clever one when it came to naming. Ila is nearly Eli backwards...but Ile doesn't sound as nice for a girl.

These two kids have some nifty powers. Eli can produce forcefields and Ila can see through the eyes of others.

Progress check: I just finished with #8 and now I'm working on #9.


Time for bed.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Try and try again.

Today I tried for the big 50,000. I tried my best but only managed to write about 5,000 words. It was a lot of work, but it's going pretty well.

I would have reached 50,000 if I had written 45,000 the day before. Oh well.

So tomorrow I will go for 50,000 again--maybe even 52,000.

Where am I in the story? About #6 if you check one of my previous posts. They're currently being attacked by zombie as two kids try to steal the stone. Othena is watching them from afar, planning to swoop in after the zombies have killed the bounty hunters.

Woot.

I think I would be able to write much faster if I had planned out every scene down to the description. Despite all my efforts, descriptions just keep stumping me. Just need to plan out each scene as I go along and hope for the best. I can always just go back and edit. [But that's the plan for next year.]

I'm nearly a winner, but still so much to write after that.

So tired.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Rock on!!!

So I didn't reach 45,000...I got 42,000.

But it's looking good so far. I fell behind because I had homework for one of my classes and it took up a bunch of my time [URG...so pissed about during the break homework].

Any who...except for a quick trip to Goodwill, I should be able to spend all day writing. So a goal like 50,000 might be within my reach.

Hooray!

Where are my characters now?
Devii has reunited with Cael in the forest and Silas isn't too happy about it because Cael seems to have a grudge against his kind.

Do I smell love triangle? Hrmmm?

Othena and Zavier are resting peacefully a few miles away. They'll soon find out Cael is missing when they wake up. Huzzah!

G'night folks.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Turkey day means write your heart out.

So my goal for today was 40,000 which I didn't make but I came super close at 39,283.

Cooking took away a bit of my time and I got stumped for a while with some descriptions. I need to learn to just keep writing and not get blocked like that, but hey I try. [Maybe next year when I do massive pre-planning and don't change my plot last minute all those little things will come to me easier.]

Woot!

Thanskgiving was nice and delicious--but a lot of cooking I get all tomorrow to myself for writing but I need to turn in a bit of homework first.

So tomorrow's goal is 45,000 or more. We'll see how that goes.

Good night folks.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Thank goodness I'm already ahead.

So with all the Thanksgiving hooplah and what not I wrote a total of 500 words.

Yep. That's a far cry from the 5,000 I was aiming to write. I will start writing tomorrow morning when I'm less tired.

So I seriously need to make headway Thursday, Friday and Saturday--no more bare minimum. I want to write as much as I can.

The plot as I see it will continue like this:

1. Devii learns more about Silas and why he was being held captive.
2. Cael leave the group to find Devii
3. Devii encounters a strange being and is nearly killed by it. Silas saves her. Cael
arrives.
4. Othena and others discover Cael is missing.
5. Cael, Devii and Silas are captured when they get close to their destination.
6. They meet their captors who were sent by Kole to retrieve this stone. They proceed
to try and take the stone, but it triggers a fail safe which attacks them. Devii
et al escape and try to get the stone, but it was taken by someone. Othena shows
up and they hide.
7. Othena stops the fail safe and talks about Kole as they watch--they run off.
8. Devii asks Silas to explain what is going on. He explains the stone and that they
must get it to Kole. Cael is skeptical.
9. A child and man had taken the stone, but they are cornered by others like Silas
who sensed the stone. They capture them.
10.The group shows up to rescue the child with the stone and exit forest to deliver.
11.Somehow they get split up and someone is taken.
12.Hostage situation. Othena offers someone in exchange for stone-will kill them if
deal not taken. Group manages to save hostage and keep stone, but one of them is
killed anyway.
13.They take care of their dead or wounded and make their way to Kole.
14.Devii and Silas deliver stone to Kole. Othena arrives after it is given. She
reveals the truth. Silas betrayal/Kole's intent.
15.Silas explains to captured Devii. They form a plan.
16.They enact plan.
17.Conclusion

It's a lot to write but it seems like I'm about at the halfway point of my story.

I can do this!!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Just keep writing...just keep writing...

Missed a day of posting because I was tired--but I made quota yesterday.

I've been working hard. Writing the story scene by scene. I took a few hours this morning to plot out a large portion of the rest of the book...so I have an idea where it's going now.

I reached 35,000 words. And I realize that with T-day around the bend [which I'm spending along cooking for myself] that I can write at maximum abundance without the distractions of school.

So with that said...I'm going to not only attempt to reach 50,000 words by the 23rd, but to reach 80,000 by November 30th.

I'm doing this because I know my story will not be finished by 50,000 words. I figure an extra 30,000 will be enough to complete it.

So we'll see.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Alcohol, Benadryl and writing don't mix

So I discovered last night that it is very hard to write when intoxicated even a little--it makes you sleepy.

But now I'm having the same problem with Benadryl. Something bit me and made my left ear itchy and puffy. But whenever I take the allergy medicine it makes me sleepy, which has kept me from meeting quota.

I know what I need to write but I keep falling asleep. There isn't much I can do.

I'm just going to concede tonight and try to write as much as possible tomorrow.

G'night.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

So much for the write-a-thon

I've hit a semi-block. I need to figure out some issues before it'll be fixed, but I have at least 1,000 words before I need to write that part anyway.

As for my write-a-thon it died for some noble reasons:
1. Class
2. Drinkin
3. Social drinkin [I went to a party instead of being a loner--woot!]

So I figure I'll just write my butt off tomorrow, tuesday and onward.

Hazah!

But I did reach quota at like 9pm. So I did good today.

P.S.
My antagonist Othena has finally been given powers--telekinesis. She can move objects with her mind and people too [sort of like involuntary levitation].

G'night.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Into the woods...

So now at 27,569 words and 62 pages. My MC has finally entered the forest.

And now I have a lot more planning to do. There are a lot of things I have not figured out yet...like:

-Othena's past: her involvement with the war, the magic council, the business she keeps going off to handle, and why she's been banished to Benim.
-what Othena is keeping in the forest and why Silas wants it [the lie he tells]
-how Othena gets Zavier to join her to search for Devi
-how they plan to enter the forest and find her [use dogs maybe?]
-what Devii and Silas encounter in the forest, while trying to get the object

& and the rest of the story.

Yep...a bunch of work to do. So tomorrow I plan to do a mini write-a-thon since I can't go to the real thing.

30,000 words here I come!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Damn you brain!

My brain and I are having an argument:

Me: I just wanna go to sleep. No writing tonight...please?

Brain: Hell no. You'll just fall behind.

Me: But I promise I'll write tomorrow morning--tons!

Brain: Right...I remember you saying that before. I don't believe you.

Me: ::grovelling:: Oh please great brain I'll do anything.

Brain: ::rubbing temples:: C'mon you have like 800 words to go for quota.

Me: I know...that's why I should get tonight off.

Brain: No deal. Jean is whomping our butt and I wanna get ahead.

Me: Fine. Just give me some good music and I'll do my best. But don't expect it to be good.

Brain: I never did.


Yeah...so I nearly gave up tonight, but my brain won't let me.

I need to write tomorrow morning so I get over quota and get a well deserved break. I needs that soooo much!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Nearly halfway there...

Huzzah!

I have not only reached 20,000 words, but I've reached nearly 25,000. I so owe myself a movie this weekend.

Despite my nightly complaints I've been meeting quota and have no intention of falling behind this year. The story is going well, but I'm not in the forest quite yet.

Two more scenes and the major adventure begins. I've been saying that for a while.
I am starting to think that 50,000 words might be too short for what I've got on my mind. So if I get ahead I can make sure I finish the story and Nano at the same time.

We'll see.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

I gotta beat Jean

Jean is just over 24,000. I am lagging behind at 22,333.

Now I am currently on quota, but I just want to reach 25,000 before I have to. I figure if I can get ahead I will have the extra time to finish my novel. Since I figure it will probably be more than 50,000.

Well tomorrow's another day.


G'night.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

So tired...don't wanna write...

Today was a light load. I wrote a bunch the day before so I only had about 900 to write to meet quota.

But I am tired. And it's the awkward calm before the storm scene. A tiny little moment that leads up to the big thing that starts the wild and crazy adventure--aka gets her into the forest.

But I just want to go to sleep.

We'll see how I do tonight. But if I give up tonight--I'll just force myself to write a bunch tomorrow.

Update: I reached 20,000. Hooray! This is a huge accomplishment for me. And I've reached the moment right before the big scene. After that the story is mostly unplotted.

Excitement!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

The case with day writing...

After Friday's attempt I was more determined to meet quota before midnight. I just get sleepy and defeated when I start writing too late.

Saturday nearly failed as I had class that morning and fell asleep once I got home. Around 5pm I began writing--but didn't meet quota until after 1pm. But I did manage to make quota and then some.

Today I made sure I started writing at 2pm and even took a little trip to Borders to write without distractions. I made quota at 5pm.

Hooray!

Now if I can keep up with my daytime writing--that would be great.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

So much for that plan...

I treated myself to Ihop today and spent a good hour or so in B&N and wrote about 700 or so words. I was totally on a role, but had to stop to meet up with a classmate for homework.

Begin the procrastination:
-Preparing and cooking dinner
-Preparing and cooking muffins
-WOW gaming [hey I pay for it]
-talking on the phone with BF

I literally am 109 words short of today's goal. Le suck.

I'll try day writing again tomorrow.
But I'm tired and class is at 10am in the morning.

So to bed with me.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Trucking along...

So tonight I wrote one of the scene I've been leading up to. Well one of the many.
Either way...it went well.

Hoorah!

Now it's just a matter of keeping the ideas going once I plunge into the unknown--i.e. the rest of the book once she's ends up in the forest.

Tomorrow I try something I haven't done before: writing during the day!
I've set aside a bunch of time Friday and Saturday to write to my heart's content, which is good because night writing is wearing me out. Plus Jean's kicking my ass and I want to do more than just reach quota each day.

:: yawn ::

Time for bed.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

I gotta start writing in the morning...

...but I gots homework to do.

For the past two nights, I've been up til 5am writing my quota. It's finally caught up to me and I'm exhausted. Luckily I reached quota tonight at 2am.

Woot!

Things are now getting pretty darn exciting, which is the way I like it. The more excited I am about the more I'm able to write. Now I just need to keep this up.

As a little treat I plan to spend either Friday or Sunday morning at a bookstore writing. I figure getting out of the house and writing during the morning will mean more words written--since I won't be fighting sleep.

Well that's all for now.

G'night.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Woot! I made it!

10,131 words baby!

Last Nano I failed at 6k, mostly due to an overly controlling inner critic, lack of organization and a very vague but overly complicated plot.

I can't believe I made it. Yes it's 5am, but I did what I sought to do--catch back up and get the plot working for me again.

There was a tiny roadblock in there for a while. My muse suggested some crazy plot where my MC and her best friend were doing a magic show to earn money so she could runaway. And another idea where she is forced to use her magic to impersonate people or torture them by making bugs crawl on them or some other creepy illusion.

None of this had to do with my main goal for the first part of the book:
GET MC TO FIND MAN BEING HELD HOSTAGE BY HER TRUSTED TEACHER.

Of course the BF [my official novel reality checker] helped to set me straight. I dumped the plots and made the "secret thing they were doing last night" something that related directly to the overall plot. It took some minor rewording in earlier parts of the text, but I'm much happier with the way the story is going now.

Huzzah!

Now bed.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Into the wee hours

I figured out a lot of things last night. Just need to write them down.

I just finished writing 7,952 words around 400 short of my daily goal. Boo! But it's 5am in the morning and I want to get some sleep. So I will make those few words up tomorrow morning.

The story is coming along...some of it's drivel or boring. My main goal is simply developing the characters and moving the plot along. If I really like the story I will go back and edit it during December.

But to sum up the plot:

A young girl who is gifted with the ability to create sensory illusions [they affect people so that what they see, hear, smell, taste and feel seems real] is forced to live in a corrupt city that her magic teacher was exiled to. She longs for escape when her already strange life is uprooted when she finds a strange man being held captive by her teacher. Believing him innocent she frees him, only to find out he's more dangerous than he seemed. Afraid of the punishment she will receive from her teacher, she flees the city the only way she can, into a dark and treacherous rainforest. Lost and confused she finds herself at the mercy of the very man she released and must help him find something hidden within if she has any desire to leave the forest alive.

Yeah...there is a LOT going on.

Right now I'm still on the everyday life part.
Soon the captive stranger will show his face.
And then...the forest.


Yes. :: tents fingers evilly ::

Monday, November 5, 2007

Damn tricky homework!!!

So this Sunday [yesterday] I fell behind again. As in I wrote absolutely NOTHING!!!

I thought I was going to have the free time to do it, but I had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. I had a meeting with a partner about a project plus I wanted to finish some tricky homework before I did any writing.

I finished at 2am.

Then add the fact that I made dinner and it left be little to no free time.

But I looked over what I had written and realized some additions that need to be made.

So hopefully I'll be able to make up 3,069 words today.

Woo!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Back on Track

So on November 2nd I wrote up a contract for myself, which outlined daily quotas along with prizes and punishments, which included:

1 piece of candy for every 1,000 words written.
1 chapter of any book for every daily goal met.
2 hours of WOW for exceeding my daily goal by 1,500 words.
Missing daily goals means no TV, gaming or book reading and time must be spend book planning or doing homework.

As I figured I was able to use today to make up for lost time.
Current word count [drum roll]: 5,261.

I have given my inner critic the boot except for his occasional advice on name and word choices. I only go back to embellish or add, but not to erase. I think I finally understand my characters and what they want. Hooray.

One minor change though. I created this character Cael who was to become Devii's new friend in Port Ryetto where she lives now. He was originally a kitchen boy--as in young. But somehow he blossomed into a 21 year old hottie who's the apprentice to what we would call a magician.

And on top of all this, he's becoming a possible love interest. That was not my intention for him, but he's made up his mind. He's even threatening to come on her adventure--we'll see. He could be handy.

Here's a little excerpt about him:

She glanced over at Cael who had not budged from his position. In fact he had been watching her. When their eyes met, he quickly looked away and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark brown pants.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said, but still didn’t meet her eyes. Instead he picked up a watermelon and studied its markings. She walked over and stood in front of him. He looked down at her. Cael was at least five inches taller than her. A smile budded across his boyish face and he removed the hat from his head. Nervously he clutched the brown patterned cap against his matching vest.
“I wanted to talk to you.” He finally said, his voice wavering uneasily. Devii looked at him nervously. She knew what he wanted to talk about.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

I'm making progress...slowly

So today I sort of "restarted" and what little 281 words I had written has been replaced with a decent 1731. I would write more but I was thwarted again today by life.

a)Homework
b)Meeting with partners about homework
c)Being so damn tired from all the meetings/homework
d)Phone call from friend that lasted too long

So my plan to start writing at 6pm turned into a writing at 10pm. And I still have homework to do. I wrote a contract and based on it I should be punishing myself, but I did well on daily standards. I just need time to make up the 1,666 I didn't write on Thursday.

Saturday I just have one class until 1pm. So after that it's a major writing session.

Sigh.

So my story opening lines:

“What’s that?” a voice asked.
Devii Fahrit looked down, in the direction of the voice, to where a dark haired girl stood on the ground. From her perch in the sturdy branches of an owari tree she could see that she had her slender arm pointed towards something on the horizon. Devii shifted uncomfortably against the tree’s rough green branches to get a better look. Something black and shiny glided quickly and effortlessly across the sand, leaving clouds of dust in its wake.

It's coming along.

Friday, November 2, 2007

It began...and I fell behind.

My original plan was to have all my characters, places, world building stuff done before October 28th. That did not happen.

My other plan was to start writing at the stroke of midnight on October 31st/November 1st. That also didn't happen--I was tired, a little tipsy and developing characters.

So it's day two. I've only written 281 words I'm going to delete and replace with a better opening. But it's all good. The plan for today [as I have no class or extensive homework] is 3,400.

But before this I plan to do some more character work [on any character mentioned in those first 3,000 or so words]. I'll have all Friday night to write. I'm buying me a pizza and holing up in here until I get some writing done.

But now I need to write up a Nanowrimo contract offering myself certain things if I achieve my required goals.

Whatever I gotta do to finish.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

It begins soon

So in only 40 minutes or so Nanowrimo 2007 will begin.

I have a plot and plot twists. I have characters in my mind, but they don't really have names and aren't fully developed yet.

I plan to start writing tomorrow morning and focus on characters and plot building tonight.

Wish me luck.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

It's been a while...but I bring plot!

So I have finally accepted that my inner critic has been undermining my creativity. My boyfriend called me on it last night and I took his advice to heart. So I stuck with what I had:

A girl is bound to the service of a person, she wants her freedom.

Her main destination: a forest [preferably a rainforest] full of strange and wonderful creatures.

A man who is not human, with a dark past, that she must trust.

So I spent some time pondering about it. Answering the very plot issues that were convincing me to abandon it. And I had a eureka moment while walking to school.

This is what I dreamed up:

The MC is sold or taken from her home to serve a wealthy older woman who is a magic user. In exchange for serving her mistress's whim, she is being taught how to control her magic. However, the MC doesn't really enjoy her life--mostly because she is given the task of luring people to the house--people she never sees leave.

One day she figures out what is going on and finds a man, a blood drinker, chained up in the basement. Dazed in dreams, etc she stupidly sets him free [perhaps she befriends him for a while--or he haunts her dreams to gain her trust]. Either way he runs off leaving her to take the blame.

When the mistress finds out she decides to punish the girl. There are a couple of ways this can go. A) The mistress sends her off with one of her "guards" to kill the girl and get rid of her. B) She abandons the girl in a forest convinced she will die [feeding her to something?]. C) Sends her to find the man she unleashed. D) Send her into the forest to find something or someone.

Either way she ends up in a forest that she does not know. She makes a few mistakes and then is found by the very man she released. He offers his assistance as long as she will help him do something first. She accepts [it's possible she might plan to turn him in, but does not mention this].

Not sure what he wants though, but it's somewhere in the forest. Perhaps something the woman took from him. Or another creature that lives within the forest has it.

Along the way they will come across:
a) a girl who lost her brother [did he steal something?]--who might be a blind seer
b) zombies
c) the being that controls them
d) others like the man she released

Now either the mistress realizes that the girl was not killed and worries about her surviving and revealing her secret. So she sends others after her. Or she assumes she is dead, because her henchman tells her so.

Somehow she will escape the woods and either heads home first and decides to take revenge. Or desires revenge against her mistress--but when she appears to her mistress it is in disguise and kills her.

So I have a plot! And some characters to develop. Hooray!

Big questions to answer:
1) Why was that woman using the man?
2) Why were the kids in the forest? What did they steal?
3) What is the man seeking in the forest?
4) What is the mistress' ultimate goal?


Oh I'm so excited. This is like horror/dark fairytale/mythology/fantasy etc all wrapped up in a fun little adventure.

:: squeals with joy ::

Monday, October 22, 2007

I know...I know...

I said in my last post that I had a plot coming...and it is, but I don't want to jinx it by posting it until I have a clear view of goals for my protagonists and antagonists.

So far it's shaping up pretty well and not a moment too soon. Cuz I still have a lot of world building to do before November 1st. Ack!


I have spent quite a few frustrating nights wondering why the hell I still didn't have a plot despite planning ahead and trying to figure out a story way in advance. For next Nano I'm doing my plotting and research before the year is even out.

Eesh.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

So I lied...

A few days ago I said my plot was nearly figured out. Well...I thought it was, but found a ton of plot holes.

Then I realized I did not know what I wanted and was nearly sabotaging myself with conflicting desires. So I scrapped everything and took on a new method of plot building.

Think and commit.
Let the ideas come to me gradually or as I look for inspirations with the one restriction is that the story comes from this one idea:

A girl, who thinks her estranged mother is "crazy", inherits something after her mother's death that convinces her that her mother wasn't so crazy after all.

From there I let the ideas flow gradually. I removed the need to figure it all out immediately, which was killing some of my original ideas. I overthunk [i love that term!] them and my brain desperately needed the rest.

So far it's going pretty darn well. Most of this has been seriously helped by myNotes: a rich text editor that is tabbed for easier organization. It's shareware [wish it was freeware] but it'll do the job.


TTFN

Monday, October 15, 2007

Creating a good plot is complicated stuff

So that plot I posted a few days ago...it's gone the way of the dinosaurs.

It just wasn't working. I can't say what's entirely wrong with it, but it didn't seem to flow or move forward. It sort of came to a dead end halfway through the story. So I spent some time working on my characters, their needs, fears...who they are. And then revamping the plot. The story has changed a bit, but it still uses similar characters and ideas. So far I'm pretty happy with what I have at the moment [we'll see if that's still true after I sleep on it].

I'll post a more finalized plot with characters tomorrow[later today]--for now I rest!

:: drops down on her knees to before her muse ::

Please please please let this be the last plot change....I have a lot of world building to do!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Plot (first rough version)

Be kind...my first synopsis trying to work out some kinks. There's a lot of backstory I left out to keep it short...but the essentials are here.

Note: this is on an original world.

Back Story: About 400 years ago humans lived in harmony with elemental spirits who taught them how to harness the elements for magic. However one devious spirit, sick of coexisting with humankind, convinced a group of magic users to build and open the gate to the Shadowlands [where these spirits originated] by promising that it would give them eternal life. When they opened the gate they unleashed dark spirits (daemons) that brought violence, war and death. The magic users managed to close the gate, but it was too late, thousands of daemons had already escaped. Mankind was nearly wiped out and many went into hiding.
In the aftermath, the magic users were confronted by spirits and cursed to hunt down and banish all the daemons, they had released, back to the Shadowlands. For their protection “guardians”, human/demon hybrids were made to ensure they would survive the fight. For years they hunted down the demons but before they could finish their task, it was discovered that they had opened the gate and the rising religious monarchy ordered their execution. All text and artifacts on magic use were destroyed for fear of the gate being opened again, but their gates could not be destroyed. The cities near them were abandoned and they became forgotten.

The Plot (skip to 400 years later):
My MC is a girl named Devi. She has a decent life--she just finished with school, has friends, a new apartment and a prestigious apprenticeship that might lead to a job. Everything seemed to be falling into place until she receives news of her mother’s death. Devi and her mother have not seen each other for ten years, as her mother sent her away to boarding school when she was twelve. Even during the little time she had spent with her mother, she was second to her mother’s work. Nevertheless she plays the good daughter and appears at the funeral, where she is bequeathed a box of her mother’s possessions. When she opens the box, a spirit [no better name for it now] appears to inform her that her mother’s debt has been passed down to her and that she is obligated to fulfill it. Turns out she descended from one of the magic users that opened the gate some 300 years ago (it passes from first born child to their first born child). She initially refuses but is warned that she either hunts them or she will become hunted (as most daemons want to remain on earth).

So she tries the demon hunting thing for a while and realizes she’s pretty good at it, but balancing it with her current life turns out to be incredible difficult. Then she is nearly killed (her roommate is not so lucky) by a surprise attack during “non-hunting time” by a daemon that claims to have killed her mother. She tries to fight but is mortally wounded. She is saved by a “guardian” [half human/demon originally created to protect the cursed gated openers] before she passes out. The daemon escapes. The “guardian” takes her to the priest, who had given her mother’s funeral, for safety [priest were known for combating daemons, etc]. When she wakes up, the priest explains what happens and offers her a safe haven. He also hints that he knew her mother fairly well.

As Devi recovers, she is visited by the spirit, which is angered by her lack of action. She is still shaken by the death of her best friend and tries to make a deal with the spirit. If she banishes the daemon that killed her mother then she is free from the debt. The spirit takes the deal but only if the daemon is banished and not killed. The reason the spirit accepts this deal is that this particular daemon is very powerful and has been eluding them by possessing bodies and living in them for long periods of time. So she sets out to avenge her mother and end her family’s debt.

Along the story a few of the things that will happen:
--We learn that the daemons once lived outside the Shadowlands and were jealous of the humans, which is why they want to stay. Many try to possess humans because they can experience things they cannot.
--Devi learns that her mother’s distance was for a reason. She was sent away about a few years after her mother became the new debt holder for the family. She learns a lot about her mother and it changes her opinions about her a bit.
--Devi is captured by the daemon as he plans to use her to open the gate again

Yeah…that’s about it for now.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Ugh...worldbuilding

So after much deliberation I decided that my story would be best if written in an original world.
My main reasons:
-Different origin story than the Earth
-Didn't want to use real city names, etc
-Wanted to humans to have a generally different believes toward different racial groups
-Radically different vampire origin story

Plus the story does not rely on it being on Earth.

So far it's been more detailed than I would have thought. I've been using site #1 and site #2. The sites are both similar and site #1 is probably borrowing a lot from site #2. But I prefer the order that site #2 uses--it just seems more logical to me.

My biggest issue is figuring out how to create an original, urbanized world for my character--one that has departed from the old ways, superstition and magic. But before all that I have start drawing my planet and all its continents, since I'm sort of stuck there.

I plan to try some more tonight. If it gets daunting I'll just remind myself that I only need to figure out what is essential to my story--the rest can be worked out later.

To work!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Always be prepared

I started this journal so I could document my progress as I try to write a 50,000 word novel during Nanowrimo. I attempted last year but was badly prepared. I failed at 2k, mostly because I wasn't entirely sure where my novel was going.

This year will be different. I've spent that last 2 months brainstorming plot ideas and during October I'll be compiling a book of character profiles, world building info [it may be an original world] and fleshed out plot points. I figure that if I think about all of this now I'll be immersed enough in the story and characters that I can BS my way out of any writer's block.

Hopefully this year I'll finish.

We'll see.

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