As I type this, there might be someone in the country reading my novel.
O.M.G.
The other day, I mentioned that a few of the women on my book club board were going to critique the first 25 pages of my novel for me. I emailed it out to five people last night, so now I'm just waiting to hear back! I think it's better that these are people that I've never met, and that my only friendships/interactions with them are on the cyber level. That way, if they hate it, they don't have to look me in the eye knowing that they've destroyed my hopes and dreams. I'm hoping they'll be brutally honest and tear it to shreds, tell me it's awful, then help me pick up the tattered pieces and put it back together in a form that will be suitable enough to get me into the workshop.
Yesterday at my NaNo write-in, I also learned that one of the other women participating in NaNo has applied to the same workshop! It would be pretty cool if we both got in, since I would already know someone. She actually has published a book that will be coming out in a few weeks, so she falls into the more experienced authors category. I still definitely fall into the "amateur in desperate need of help and attention and a good ass-kicking."
And now, on to the writing! Today's prompt comes again from the fabulous One-Minute Writer. The word of the day over at oneword.com was headband, which I thought was pretty lame, plus I'm not sure they even have headbands in my book. So what I wrote was terrible. But my one-minute writer piece was pretty awesome. The prompt was skywriter: Imagine you hired a skywriter. What message will the plane write in the sky, and where will it fly? Here's what I came up with, in one minute.
_____
I would hire the plane to fly high over Satera, preferably right over the Council's headquarters. I would have them spell out all the treacheries that Brax has told me about, all the lies the Council has been force-feeding us our entire lives. And I would tell the people the truth about the mortality patrol. Then I would tell my mom I love her, because the regulators would surely be after me before the last whiff of smoke came out of the tailpipe.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Exciting things are happening!
Writing my NaNoWriMo novel has really made me excited about writing again. I forgot how much I loved to just write fiction, since my fiction work has definitely taken a back-burner to my job and freelance writing. But my novel - no matter how bad it is in it's first-draft form - has gotten me excited about writing again, and I can't even explain how great that feels.
So great, in fact, that I've started looking up contests, workshops, and places where I can submit stories to. There are two that I'm really looking forward to: one is the Writers in Paradise workshop with DENNIS LEHANE (insert freak-out if I get in here), and the other is the YA Novel Discovery Contest. The second only required the first 250 words of your novel. I feel pretty good about the beginning of my novel, so I cleaned it up a bit and went ahead and entered. The winners aren't announced until February, but the prizes are insanely awesome - the top six entrants get a pitch phone call with a literary agent! Did I enter too hastily? Maybe. Maybe I should have taken more time. But I have been thinking about the beginning of my novel for awhile, and I just feel good about it. Plus, if you don't enter, you can't win.
The Writers in Paradise workshop is trickier. They want the first 25 pages of a manuscript by December 25. Of course, by now I have much more than 25 pages (since they want it to be double-spaced), but the problem is that my stuff is totally unedited, untouched, and unfit for any eyes - including my own. But if I get into the workshop, I would get amazing feedback from some incredibly talented best-selling authors, plus a bunch of other amateur writers like me. I've read the WIP alumni blog, and the people that go to the workshop go on to do incredible things. I might not get in. I might be kidding myself. The people who read my entry might gouge their eyes out with forks and run screaming in the other direction. But, if I don't try to get in, I'll never know. I have some wonderful women from my book club (who are also doing NaNo with me - they have been a HUGE support system to me, and have really kept me going) who've volunteered to read my pages and give me great, honest feedback. Since I've never met these women, and if I ever do it won't be for several months, at least, I feel like the risk of utter, life-shattering humiliation is seriously lower than it would be if I let people that I had to see every day read it. So I'm going to spend some time editing tomorrow, send the copies out for feedback over the weekend, and hopefully have my application out by the end of next week!
And, here is the part of the blog where I admit failure. My original goal during NaNo was to write something, anything, even if it was only one sentence, every single day. But yesterday I didn't manage that. I got home at 6, fell asleep, drove to Katey's for The Office, came home, and went to bed. But don't worry; this isn't going to turn into Run Like a Girl. I'm already way ahead of schedule (11,436 words). I just needed one night off to rest my metacarpals, let my brain think about plots, and get some sleep. Today, I am more excited than ever to get writing again! Plus, I'm going to a write-in on Sunday, which means I'll be going somewhere with a bunch of other NaNo participants, writing, bragging about our word counts, and drinking coffee in front of our laptops like we're too cool for life. Nerdy or totally awesome? I'll let myself be the judge of that, and I pick...
Totally awesome.
So great, in fact, that I've started looking up contests, workshops, and places where I can submit stories to. There are two that I'm really looking forward to: one is the Writers in Paradise workshop with DENNIS LEHANE (insert freak-out if I get in here), and the other is the YA Novel Discovery Contest. The second only required the first 250 words of your novel. I feel pretty good about the beginning of my novel, so I cleaned it up a bit and went ahead and entered. The winners aren't announced until February, but the prizes are insanely awesome - the top six entrants get a pitch phone call with a literary agent! Did I enter too hastily? Maybe. Maybe I should have taken more time. But I have been thinking about the beginning of my novel for awhile, and I just feel good about it. Plus, if you don't enter, you can't win.
The Writers in Paradise workshop is trickier. They want the first 25 pages of a manuscript by December 25. Of course, by now I have much more than 25 pages (since they want it to be double-spaced), but the problem is that my stuff is totally unedited, untouched, and unfit for any eyes - including my own. But if I get into the workshop, I would get amazing feedback from some incredibly talented best-selling authors, plus a bunch of other amateur writers like me. I've read the WIP alumni blog, and the people that go to the workshop go on to do incredible things. I might not get in. I might be kidding myself. The people who read my entry might gouge their eyes out with forks and run screaming in the other direction. But, if I don't try to get in, I'll never know. I have some wonderful women from my book club (who are also doing NaNo with me - they have been a HUGE support system to me, and have really kept me going) who've volunteered to read my pages and give me great, honest feedback. Since I've never met these women, and if I ever do it won't be for several months, at least, I feel like the risk of utter, life-shattering humiliation is seriously lower than it would be if I let people that I had to see every day read it. So I'm going to spend some time editing tomorrow, send the copies out for feedback over the weekend, and hopefully have my application out by the end of next week!
And, here is the part of the blog where I admit failure. My original goal during NaNo was to write something, anything, even if it was only one sentence, every single day. But yesterday I didn't manage that. I got home at 6, fell asleep, drove to Katey's for The Office, came home, and went to bed. But don't worry; this isn't going to turn into Run Like a Girl. I'm already way ahead of schedule (11,436 words). I just needed one night off to rest my metacarpals, let my brain think about plots, and get some sleep. Today, I am more excited than ever to get writing again! Plus, I'm going to a write-in on Sunday, which means I'll be going somewhere with a bunch of other NaNo participants, writing, bragging about our word counts, and drinking coffee in front of our laptops like we're too cool for life. Nerdy or totally awesome? I'll let myself be the judge of that, and I pick...
Totally awesome.
One word: frog
Not NaNo style because, well, I saw the word and immediately decided there aren't any frogs in the future I created, at least not that my main character has ever seen. Sad. Anyway, once I made that split-second decision, I just started writing, and this is what came out.
On his lily pad, the frog sat contentedly all day, grabbing flies with his sticky tongue. He watched as the people passed, hand-in-hand, strolling around the small lake. He didn't understand that kind of love. He croaked his song, and wondered why no one stopped to listen.
On his lily pad, the frog sat contentedly all day, grabbing flies with his sticky tongue. He watched as the people passed, hand-in-hand, strolling around the small lake. He didn't understand that kind of love. He croaked his song, and wondered why no one stopped to listen.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I'm learning a lot about my characters!
Well, I'm past the 10,000 word mark! That's right, tonight I hit 10,290 words with my novel. Hooray! So far, some really surprising things have happened. I wrote a paragraph that I actually feel good about sharing (possibly tomorrow), and the best part is, it's happy! It happens after the main character's main problem is revealed, so I think the shock gets to her and everything is just a bit happy for awhile.
I also accidentally created a hilarious character who wasn't even in my original outline! She is pretty hilarious, and now that I'm done writing her scene I'm hoping that I can find a way to sneak her in later. She is just so clueless and dim-witted that she seems to be a nice respite from the rest of the characters in my dystopian, depressing universe.
Today's character studies are taken from a prompt from the one-minute writer blog. This is a great blog, similar to oneword.com in concept. But her prompts tend to be much more in-depth. For this prompt, I chose three characters: my main character, the character I mentioned above, and a character that I just introduced, who is going to become the most important secondary character and possibly a love interest (I haven't decided if I should stoop that low yet...but I probably will, because who doesn't enjoy a good love story?)
The prompt: What nervous habits do you have? I wrote one from each character's POV! Enjoy!
_________________
I also accidentally created a hilarious character who wasn't even in my original outline! She is pretty hilarious, and now that I'm done writing her scene I'm hoping that I can find a way to sneak her in later. She is just so clueless and dim-witted that she seems to be a nice respite from the rest of the characters in my dystopian, depressing universe.
Today's character studies are taken from a prompt from the one-minute writer blog. This is a great blog, similar to oneword.com in concept. But her prompts tend to be much more in-depth. For this prompt, I chose three characters: my main character, the character I mentioned above, and a character that I just introduced, who is going to become the most important secondary character and possibly a love interest (I haven't decided if I should stoop that low yet...but I probably will, because who doesn't enjoy a good love story?)
The prompt: What nervous habits do you have? I wrote one from each character's POV! Enjoy!
_________________
I run my hands through my hair, and play with my zipper. I try not to show the world my emotions, but they always get the best of me. When I am feeling especially anxious, I’ll rub my fingers against the tag embedded into my arm.
Nervous! Hm, let’s see…when I get nervous I…well, gosh, I don’t know! I suppose I tug at my hair, yes, and pace quite a bit! Ha! I must look like a loon when I get nervous! Sometimes I do get a bit jittery, but I don’t really think it’s nerves!
Showing your emotions makes you weak. That is the first thing that we learn in Council training. Keep your eyes forward and your head trained back. And keep your gaze on the person you are speaking to. So when I feel anxious, it is all internalized. My stomach turns in knots and I feel a bit queasy, but I show no signs on my face or in my body language.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
One word (NaNo style!): certain
I am so sure that they are going to find me. Even though I've removed my tag, I don't know how much longer I can stay away. I need to get out of this place, out of the limits, to a place where they won't get to me. It is 38 miles to the border, and without my tag, I can't pay for the rail.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sneak Peek!
Yesterday, I wrote 5,611 words in my NaNoWriMo novel. (If you don't know what that is by now, you haven't been paying attention.) It felt really great, even if I'm pretty sure all 5,611 of those words were terrible. I only have 44,389 words to go before I can consider NaNo won. Of course, that won't be the end of the novel. I'll still have to finish it (because I'm sure mine will be longer than 50,000 words), edit it, edit it again, let someone read it with a red pen in hand, edit it some more, hide it in a closet, cry at how terrible I am at writing and how I'll never amount to anything, recover, edit again, then forget all about this novel, write a new one in a more normal time span, edit that one, and send it out into the universe to take the publishing world by storm. Years later, this novel will be the one that is released as the genius first attempt at writing from the best-selling author that is me. (I aim high.)
But in the mean time, I thought it would be nice of me to share at least some of what I wrote, no matter how bad.
So, here it is...a raw, random sampling from my NaNo novel! I went to a random number generation site and had it choose a number between 1 and 120 (the number of paragraphs I have written). This is the paragraph it chose, and I decided to give you two paragraphs, just for fun. Again, this work is completely and totally unedited, so if it sucks, well...it's supposed to. Ernest Hemingway said, "The first draft of everything is crap." So true, Mr. Hemingway. So true.
______________
After the dispatchers have administered the poison, it is my job to leave the letter that will inform the family that their loved one has become deceased. Usually, the cleaners have already arrived to remove the body. For this, I am thankful. Once in awhile, I will get there first. The dispatchers are lazy and arrogant with their work – they almost always leave the body of the deceased exposed, limbs shriveled, eyes open in terror. It is terrible to stare into the eyes of the dead, but it is even worse to look at their families the next day at the market, knowing that you were the one who delivered the fateful register. They say the poison causes no pain, but the bodies I have seen never look peaceful. Often, there is a foul stench of bodily fluids and excrement.
But tonight, I am fortunate. Each bed I have visited so far has been cleaned thoroughly, leaving no indication that a living, breathing human slept soundly in it mere hours ago. I raise my forearm to a small black scanner on the outside of the last house on my list: the home inhabited by Edoqua, Joseth. The flashing red light on the scanner pauses momentarily, then, without a sound, turns green. The door opens, and I slip inside.
But in the mean time, I thought it would be nice of me to share at least some of what I wrote, no matter how bad.
So, here it is...a raw, random sampling from my NaNo novel! I went to a random number generation site and had it choose a number between 1 and 120 (the number of paragraphs I have written). This is the paragraph it chose, and I decided to give you two paragraphs, just for fun. Again, this work is completely and totally unedited, so if it sucks, well...it's supposed to. Ernest Hemingway said, "The first draft of everything is crap." So true, Mr. Hemingway. So true.
______________
After the dispatchers have administered the poison, it is my job to leave the letter that will inform the family that their loved one has become deceased. Usually, the cleaners have already arrived to remove the body. For this, I am thankful. Once in awhile, I will get there first. The dispatchers are lazy and arrogant with their work – they almost always leave the body of the deceased exposed, limbs shriveled, eyes open in terror. It is terrible to stare into the eyes of the dead, but it is even worse to look at their families the next day at the market, knowing that you were the one who delivered the fateful register. They say the poison causes no pain, but the bodies I have seen never look peaceful. Often, there is a foul stench of bodily fluids and excrement.
But tonight, I am fortunate. Each bed I have visited so far has been cleaned thoroughly, leaving no indication that a living, breathing human slept soundly in it mere hours ago. I raise my forearm to a small black scanner on the outside of the last house on my list: the home inhabited by Edoqua, Joseth. The flashing red light on the scanner pauses momentarily, then, without a sound, turns green. The door opens, and I slip inside.
One word (NaNo style): amber
His eyes were close to amber. Joseth's silent eyes, the ones that were forever burned into my brain. As I sat in the allocation room, running name after name against the mortality patrol's database, all I could think about was Joseth. He was the reason I was here, and I knew nothing would ever be the same.
Hm...sounds mysterious, yes? Remember I said all month my one words would probably come from my NaNo main character's point of view! Well tomorrow (which I guess is technically today) I'll be posting a NaNo update, along with an exciting (or possibly very lame) excerpt from my totally unfinished, unedited, and possibly terrible (but just as possibly awesome) novel.
Hm...sounds mysterious, yes? Remember I said all month my one words would probably come from my NaNo main character's point of view! Well tomorrow (which I guess is technically today) I'll be posting a NaNo update, along with an exciting (or possibly very lame) excerpt from my totally unfinished, unedited, and possibly terrible (but just as possibly awesome) novel.
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