How do I know it’s October?
amber October 1st, 2008
Because nanowrimo.org is down.
We officially have a month before everything goes into writing.
Finally, A Decision
amber September 23rd, 2008
I’ve been working on character sketches (before working on the full-blown character profile worksheets) for the last few days, having finally come to a decision on a plot. Which plot did I choose, you ask? Well, actually, neither of the previous post’s choices, because I’m irritating like that.
No.34 wrote Oct 2 2007:
A person is found dead; amongst his/her belongings a letter is found which says that if they are ever killed, suspect Main Character, who also happens to be this person’s worst enemy. The main character, however, definitely did not kill this person, despite numerous pieces of evidence to the contrary. See, the person committed suicide as a final act of revenge against the main character, and now it’s up to him, under constant scrutiny by the authorities, to exonerate himself.
Now, I’m not truly following this letter-for-letter, but I’ve got it in my head that I need to do a pretty much straight-up Mystery/Thriller this year… for the life of me, though, I can’t figure out why I feel this need. Mysteries need full-blown plotting and outlining done to really make them work, which I’ve got a bad track record with. I tend to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer, especially when it comes to Nano, but I want to try this, and want to make it worthwhile.
So, I’m working on these character sketches. I’ve got my four main characters (Hero, Heroine, Main Antagonist, and Antagonist/Catalyst - i.e., Dead Gal) with a paragraph for each so far, and I’ve got my basic setting. Once I get the character worksheets completed, I’ll start playing around with Holly Lisle’s Notecarding: Plotting Under Pressure to get my brain wrapped around what I want to happen, then I’ll try working out a pseudo-snowflake method to finish it up. I’m probably over-complicating this process, but I figure more Pre-Nano work the better if I want this to be anything remotely readable at the end of this.
Trying to figure out a plot
amber September 14th, 2008
Consider this my inaugural Nano 2008 post. I probably should use this blog for all of my writing forays, but I tend to forget about it completely until around this time of year.
So, I’m having some serious issues figuring out a decent plot to use for Nano this year. I think I’ve gotten it down to two possible plots, thanks to the Adopt-A-Plot section of the Nanowrimo Forums, but I’m having a hard time choosing between them. Want to help me out?
Plot #1 - thanks to Mad_Hatter:
Wings. Takes place in modern day wherever. I was thinking a European city somewhere. A child is born with a pair of fabulous white wings. No explanation. Both parents are human. The catch? He can’t fly. They’re just… there. Fully movable and everything just… he can’t fly. As he grows, he’s never had to fend for himself, because really, who would turn away an angel? At least that’s what people perceive him to be. Ironically, I’d make him an atheist, probably pretty pessimistic, too. He just kind of wanders around. What kind of stories would he have? Maybe the book would end on a cliffhanger, literally, as he takes a leap of… faith? off a cliff. Does he finally fly?
and
Plot #2 - thanks to Meepster:
As a psychological study, a young psychologist puts an add in the paper saying he wants to form a “Superhero Team” (or something like that) for people who have special powers. His plan was to do tests on them- he figures anyone who responds will be crazy. So he is not prepared when a bunch of lonely people with some very special powers indeed show up at his door, wanting to be part of a team.
Can you see my conundrum? I really like both of the plots, and they’re really on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to writing. Which one do you think I should use?
5072 - And stressed
amber November 4th, 2007
I was up until 3 a.m. last night, trying to catch-up on my word count, and I’m wiped today. I’ve got a friend coming over for a Doctor Who/Torchwood marathon, and I have yet to do my grocery shopping for the week.
Here’s to hoping that I can keep up at least my 1667 words a day.
To Organize Late or Not?
amber November 3rd, 2007
I’ve gotten off to to a slow start, more because of everything else that is going on in my life at the moment than not wanting to write.
But, I have written 2850 words so far, so at least I have a number. 
I really do want to kick myself, though, because I kept thinking that I had more time to prepare for this year. I only got one character sheet done before November 11, and it’s not even complete. Mind you, I have peices and parts of most everything written down in my notebook, or in Google Docs or in yWriter, but there’s nothing cohesive, and now I’m a little afraid of taking the time to organize everything more in ahead of the actual word count at this point. I think I will write for a little long, then actually decide if I need that organization or not. I did well last year with more organization than I had any year prior, so there might have to be an emergency organization session for me to feel better.
On the plus side, though, the Alphasmart Dana I picked up is working out REALLY well in helping my word count. I’m still getting used to the smaller keyboard area (it’s more the entire device is smaller than the keys themselves…) and my only complaint is that I feel this horrible need to read and re-read everything twelve times, which is harder to do with that tiny little screen compared to working off my laptop.
Today is Errand Day at the homestead, but hopefully I can get some time this evening to write a lot. A lot is what is needed now.
Ebay is my Friend and Randomness
amber October 9th, 2007
I broke down and got an Alphasmart Dana from Ebay this weekend. It was purchased on the Good Intention (because I’m filled with Good Intentions) and I get distracted far too easily what with IM, blogs and frickin’ solitaire being available to me at the click of a mouse on my computer. I didn’t get the one with the wireless option just so I didn’t have any of those capabilities.
Also, since Nanowrimo.org has been having server issues as of late, someone in Metro Atlanta started up a Yahoo group to help keep us organized during all these server issues. I’ve added a few things there in the files section already, and maybe if I get a little more free time I’ll do some more.
And who knows, I might also be co-writing my Nano this year with Patty, my might-as-well-be-blood-related aunt. I still haven’t decided, but I really like the idea of the story.
NaNoWriMo.org down?
Getting Close
amber November 29th, 2006
I kicked ass yesterday with my wordcount, more due to the fact that I spent most of my work day waiting for translations to come in versus actually getting to work, so I sat and wrote almost all day.
How well did I kick ass? Well, I brought my wordcount from 36,342 to 45,510 in a day, between what I did at work and then what I did in the evening before bed. So, that means I have to do 4490 words between today and tomorrow to get through Nano. Barring any unforeseen complications, that is completely doable. Woot!
I do know that this story isn’t going to be complete when I finish Nano, but I will be finishing it. I still really like the story, so I’ve got to see it through to the end. After that, I’m sitting on it until February or March, and we’ll see how well I like it again and start editing if so.
Note To Self -
amber November 22nd, 2006
Blogging while drunk is one thing…
Writing my Nano-novel while drunk is a completely different thing.
