NaNoWriMo WITH ME?

Are you ready for the 30 day challenge?

 

If you're up for it, let me know. We'll go through this together, motivating each other to the finish. I didn't "win" last year. I tried, but I came in at 46k at the end of the thirty days. If you're interested, here is the link to my 2011 NaNo experience. 

 

I finished QUEST in January, and I'm super excited about how this story came into being. I took risks I wouldn't normally take because it was a NaNo project. I'm so glad I did.

 

 

 This year I'll either be working on the sequel to QUEST or the sequel to Juju's Child. FIXED starts where JC ended, but I think the rollicking fun of Quest II will get me through 30 days. One of the idea's I'm toying with is writing QII through the last book's side characters. I think it's time for Raphael and Dominique to have a voice.

 

As you can see, I'm pretty excited. I have outlines for both stories, so I need to decide which will be my NaNo project.

 

 After spending the last two months editing, I'm ready for the creative spark to shoot lightning out of my fingertips as they fly across the keyboard.  

 

If you're participating this year, please leave me a comment with your NaNo user name, and I'll be Writing Buddy. Also, for those who have read Quest and Juju's Child, maybe help me out. Which story do you think I should write?

Good luck and happy writing.

UPDATE: after brainstorming with my daughter and critique partners, I've decided to go with FIXED:)

 

QUESTIONS FOR #GUTGAA MEET AND GREET

Hello my fellow Gutgaans. I'm so excited to participate in Deana Barnhart's Gearing Up To Get An Agent as a first round judge. I love meeting new people so please leave a comment saying hello. Click here to continue with the blog hop.

Time for the meet and greet.

-Where do you write?

My writing desk is in the corner in my bedroom.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

I have a window to my left and another to the front. I stare outside when I’m daydreaming or having difficulty with a scene. There is a large oak tree which houses squirrels and pigeons perch on the window ledge. It’s is very relaxing.

-Favorite time to write?

I enjoy writing late at night when the kids are asleep. There is something velvety about the night. Sometimes, I’ll sit on the balcony stare up at the sky. I love when the moon is full overhead. It’s very inspiring and sparks my creativity.

-Drink of choice while writing?

I like a cup of coffee with sugar and hazelnut creamer.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

I listen to music. I love Pandora. I have several stations set. There is my new Bollywood station (I love Indian music), Pop/RB station, my Within Temptation/Avenge Sevenfold station, and Opera Station.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

My latest manuscript was inspired by a short story I wrote in college. After my daughter was born it evolved into a bedtime story, QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN APPLE. I decided that it needed more attention during NaNoWriMo and QUEST evolved into a full MG. I lovingly call it my Goonies in the Hood fantasy adventure, and the characters are absolutely adorable. I gush about them here and here.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

I put off writing when I had my children. I thought I didn’t have enough time to devote to learning my craft and raising little ones at the same time. I didn’t realize that by writing a few hours a day, I would be so much further along in reaching my dreams. So, I say to find the time, heck, make the time to write—even if it’s only fifteen minutes a day. Don’t look back at your life in 10 years and regret the time you’ve lost.

QUEST & THE PERK OF DUAL POV'S

I received my awesome edits for QUEST from Kate Evangelista. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get started. In a previous post I introduced my protagonist Malik, and his friends, Books and Raphael, but boys aren't the only ones who can go on an adventure. It’s actually my girls, Nevan and Dominique, who rescue the boys whenever they jump into something feet first without waiting to see if it’s quicksand.

When I started the story, I knew going in that at times the group would split up. I wanted a way to show the entire story, not just what Malik sees. My goal was to have Nevan have a unique voice that is so different from Malik that you know you're in her narrative point of view without having to look at the chapter title. I also wanted a character who would round out Malik, who got pretty obsessive in his desire to save his mother. There were times when he put this goal above his friends wellbeing.

Nevan models by example. She’s not flashy like Dominique. Or bold like Raphael. She’s not as intelligent as Books, but not many people are. But, she has common sense. She's also fierce and passionate underneath her shyness. She would die for her friends, but she’s smart enough to figure out a way to survive against crazy odds.

I’d like to introduce you to my second narrator, Nevan Callahan. The excerpt begins in Nevan's chapter after the kids come up with a plan to find the golden apple.

by Kiwi Sandro

Plans swirl around me like hair in a drain. It’s kind of cool to be included. And it felt nice to have them listen to me earlier since that doesn’t happen a lot. Most kids ignore me. The curse of being so gosh darn shy means I’m invisible. Grandma calls me a dandelion hidden in a patch of daisies. I think she only says it to make me feel special so I’ll stop crying over getting teased at school. She loves me. She couldn’t know that with my hair, being compared to a fluffy dandelion kind of hurts.


My head dips and white-gold bangs hide my eyes. I pretend to study the ants marching two by two across the floor, but really, I’m spying on my friends. Dominique’s doing that creepy, mind talk thingy with Books, and Malik’s watching her like she’s a bouquet of roses—beautiful, sweet smelling—the total opposite of a dandelion. The glow on his face makes my tummy burn. It’s so not fair. Why do I have to be a snot-making weed, waiting to be yanked out by the roots and thrown in the compost pile? Why can’t he see me as a flower?


Raphael stretches upright and bounces up and down on his toes. His cat-like green eyes flash. He’s up to something, and I don’t want any part of it. He’ll get us busted, because his plans always flop. He never thinks them all the way through. Like when he tried to rescue the stray dogs in the neighborhood. He totally should’ve realized the Brute would try to bite his face off.  I mean, duh!


He gives us a grin so full of wickedness that if he’s not careful, horns will sprout out of his forehead. “Eduardo saw me come in here. He’ll be waiting for us to bounce.”


“Seeing you this happy about Eduardo makes my spidey sense tingle. Have you given into the dark side of the force?” Malik asks, eyes narrowing as he rubs his hand across his forehead, smearing a streak of dirt across his cheek.


I dig into my pocket, pull out a bacterial hand wipe, and pass it to him. He stares at the little square for a minute like it’ll bite him then awkwardly takes it.


“Thanks, Nevan,” he says with a slight smile.


I ball my fingers into a fist, trying to hold onto the warmth of his fingers brushing against mine, and smile back.

KIWI'S NEW POST

This week has been super busy with editing and getting ready for our trip to the beach , so I apologize for my lack of motivation in posting. Luckily, Kiwi is full of summer time energy. She has some new pictures on her blog, KIWI'S COMIC CORNER.

She also drew a picture of one of my QUEST characters, Nevan. I'll post it for you at a later date (the picture's too big to upload, so complains Blogger). Seeing one of my creations come alive in the imagination of my child is a wonderful feeling.

CRAWLING OUT OF MY CAVE

I blink up at the sun, wondering why it’s so gosh darn hot inside my cave? It is 86 degrees with the air conditioner struggling to bring it down a measly six degree. Hell fire, it’s cooler outside than it is inside.

It’s too hot to keep hibernating. I have no excuse not to finish the last hundred pages of edits for QUEST. And frankly, I’m ready to move on to a new summer project. Not that I’ve decided what that will be yet, but I think I’d like to work on the sequel to QUEST since the characters are so much fun. I’m not quite ready to abandon them.

Here is a short blurb: Twelve-year-old Malik Ross is having a horrible week. His mother is in the hospital dying from cancer, he's on the run from Children's Services who want to put him in a group home, and the stupid rat in the dumpster he's trying to find his dinner in just stole the last foil wrapped chicken.

The only bit of hope he has left are his friends who agree help him in his quest to find the golden apple-which is rumored to be able to heal any illness. But to find a mythical apple means he has to believe in magic, and it’s pretty hard for Malik to believe in anything these days.

Poor Malik, he’s desperate to save his mom. Lucky for him, his friends are willing to brave anything to help him out.

Excerpt:

 Books sticks a finger in the crease of the page he’s been reading from and lays the book carefully on his lap. “I was just about to mention that to the guys. We’ll need alibis for tonight if what’s in the diary is true.” He frowns slightly. His eyes lock with his sister’s before he shakes his head. “No, don’t worry about that, Domi. It’s not important.”

I glance at Raphael who shrugs at me in confusion. Twin connection in progress. Dominique and Books have the bad habit of speaking to each other as if finishing an earlier conversation without actually explaining what is going on to the rest of us. It’s a wicked cool skill, but it still sort of freaks me out when I see them in action ‘cause it’s not normal. Someday, one of their heads is gonna swell up like a balloon and pop telepathic brain goo all over the walls.

Raphael puts his back to the window. “What’s not important, Wonder Twins? And how’s some old dude’s diary gonna help us?”

Books grins, raising the book in the air and waving it like he’s the one who’s captured the flag. “That’s just it. The guy was ancient. Nobody lives to be a hundred and twenty-four nowadays, and certainly not back in ancient times when they had all those nasty plagues and diseases floating around to off you. Old J.J. talked about a golden apple that has the power to stop death and give health. Don’t you get it? The golden apple is what we need.”

“Yeah, but the guy’s fertilizer,” I say. “How are we even supposed to find this golden apple? Wouldn’t it be dust by now like the dead dude?”

“Okay, the plan has flaws, but at least it’s a start, right? I mean, I went online at the library and found a bunch of websites dedicated to the mythology of the Golden Apple and its magical healing powers. I think of mythology as a religion that is extinct… you know, like the dinosaurs. The golden apple is a fossil, and we have to find it. I think J.J. knew where the golden apple could be found …” Books trails off. “You guys don’t look excited.”

I blink hard. “I just thought you’d have more than dinosaur fossils in your backpack. How’s any of this gonna help my mom? You know, the one who’s in the hospital dying of cancer,” I pause to get control of my emotions, “I can’t take much more of this, Books. I know you’re trying to help but…this is crazy.”

Aren't the kiddies CUTE?  

I’ve said many times, and I’ll be redundant and say it again—I love QUEST.

My CP’s (including Kiwi) expressed their excitement about the story, which motivates me to continue for them. Don and I have been brainstorming about what will happen to the kiddies after the resolution at the end of the book, and the new plot is sorting itself out. They have a whole new world to explore with many new adventures to keep them in a whole lot of trouble. ‘Cause they’re tweens, ya know.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL- Minami Shineyo

My amazing critique partners sent back their edit notes for Quest, and I’ve been busy with revisions. I haven’t had as much time to devote to my K-dramas, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given them up completely. Kiwi and I found a new show to watch together. It’s called YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL (aka YOU ARE HANDSOME).

It’s quite funny and we’re enjoying it.

Here is the synopsis:

When the lead vocal of the pop idol group A.N. JELL, Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Suk) injures his voice, the management company insists on adding a new singer to the group. Unfortunately, the new member, Mi Nam’s (Park Shin Hye plays both the male and female roles) botched plastic surgery won’t allow him to close his eyes, and he has to go to the States to repair the damage just before signing the contract.

His agent comes up with the idea of having his twin sister, Mi Nyu, pretend to be him since they’re identical in appearance. Mi Nyu, who was planning to go to Rome to be a nun, has to man-up and convince everyone she is worthy of being in a boy band without getting caught and spoiling her brother’s chance of fame.

Other members of A.N. Jell are Jung Yong Hwa as Kang Shin Woo and Lee Hong Ki as Kang On Yu / Jeremy. 

HIBERNATION COMA, WAKE ME WHEN IT'S WARM

I'm sorry to say I don't have a Sharing Our Voices Post today. I love learning about what inspires my fellow writers. If anyone would like to volunteer and share, please email me.

I've been hibernating. For some reason, March puts me in a foul mood. I always catch some nasty virus. Right now, I'm fighting off a sinus infection. Hopefully, it won't be a repeat of last March when I was down with bronchitis for a week and had crazy fever dreams featuring the cast of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels. Wicked crazy.

I haven't felt inclined to start a new writing project. I still need to finish editing the three wips, DJINNI, HOUND OF ANNWYN, and QUEST lounging about in my computer. I rotate my efforts between them, because I'm always thinking of new ways to improve upon the existing storylines. A story isn't done until the ideas dry up, right? Or until it's published.

I've been critiquing for my partners, and they're reciprocating by reading my latest wip, QUEST. I still love this story, and I’m learning more about the elements needed to make it middle grade. I'm still trying to convince my daughter to draw character sketches. She started one last week, but got distracted by Naruto (she's totally addicted now). Maybe I should just do it myself. Sigh.

So, how’s everyone doing? Any new projects?

I'm Back!

Did you miss me?

I have to admit, I've missed posting and my responses from my readers. Thank ya’ll very much for supporting me.

I spent the holidays in Virginia and Washington DC. If I ever find my camera, I'll post pictures. I had a wonderful time and the weather was beautiful. After we returned, I spent the rest of my blog hiatus editing.

Yeah, typically I’d say I’d rather be doing anything but editing. I include poop scooping during my dog’s evening walk in this list. However, do you know what I’ve noticed during this last round of editing—I love it.

How the world did this happen?  

I’d like to think it’s because I’m better at self-editing while writing the story. I tend to catch my tense slips, run-on sentences, and lapses into telling not showing. I’ve also learned a ton from my critique partners. They tend to catch the invisible words in the ms. You know, the words my brain tells me are there, but not. See, I forgot—they’re—in that sentence. I’m still sketchy on comma placement, but I’m learning.

I finished editing Djinni. It’s ready for my critique partners, but I’m holding off sending it to them for the simple fact that I’d prefer for them to read Quest for the Golden Apple first. I so totally love this story.

Yes, I’m biased. A bad mommy to play favorites, but this story has wiggled its way into my heart, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Still, I have a wee bit of a problem. I think subconsiously, or rather consciously now I've figured out my issue, I love Quest so much that I can't bear to finish it. I still have one last chapter to write. I've put it off for two months. It's outlined in my head. I know exactly what needs to happen, but I haven't put The End down on paper.

It's purely a matter of not wanting to abandon my characters. How can I say goodbye?

I guess I'll have to come up with a sequel.

NaNoWriMo ALMOST DROVE ME INSANE, Kidding.

Or am I?

Dramatic wiggle of the eyebrows.

Would I even know if I’m cuckoo-ca-choo…huh, huh?

Surely, someone would tell me if I’ve lost it. It’s not like walking around for hours with a price tag on your shirt that everyone sees, but nobody bothers to point out…‘cause you know…hmm, bad analogy. Maybe it’s just my friends who can be so oblivious.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved participating in NaNo. I experimented writing within a new genre, new tense and duel POV’s. I love how Quest for the Golden Apple came out. Actually, I just plain adore everything about this story. I had no problems with writers block, and two weeks in, I was on track to finish early.

So why is it that on November 29^th, I was at
36k. 

A few things.

The most significant and heartbreaking was that my uncle, Charles Baldon, passed away the week before Thanksgiving. He and his family live across the country, so I wasn't able to attend his funeral. I found out he wasn't doing well the day before he passed. I called too late to say goodbye.

Charles Baldon 1930-2011

My motivation waned.
The following week, Thanksgiving. I'll admit being in a turkey coma added to my lethargy. Add a Vampire Diaries marathon into the mix, and I sat on the couch with my sister and daughter for two days eating leftovers and working through season one instead of working on the NaNo project.

I really wanted to reach my goal. So bring on the insanity. I wrote 10k in two days—a fairly decent 10k, because I can’t write without editing for some reason. I threw in the towel and crashed on the 30^th at ten pm. My brain felt mushy. I was afraid if I shook my head to hard, brain matter would pour out my ears and damage my keyboard.

My final NaNo word count was 46,148.

This puts my actual word court (I had to deduct 10k because I started early) at 56,148. I’m four chapters from writing the END-Hallelujah.

It’s been five days since NaNo ended, and I’ve spent my time recuperating. I’ve enjoyed recuperating, which basically means I’ve finished up the second season in Vampire Diaries and have started on the third.

However, playtime is over. It’s time to get back to work. My goal is to finish Quest for the Golden Apple by this weekend, and then I’ll put it aside to simmer. Djinni should be nicely cooked by now, so I’ll start on my edits. I’d like to have ready for my critique partners before Christmas. That way I can start editing Quest in January.

How did ya’ll do with NaNo, if you participated? Are you editing right now or letting the story simmer for a while before diving in?

NaNoWriMo UPDATE

I’m still working on my NaNo project, which is why I haven't had any new posts. I'm totally enjoying this story. The best validation I've received for it is from my whip cracking daughter who doesn’t let me slack off.

She eagerly awaits each chapter, to the point where I have to fend her off so I can edit it before she reads it. It’s a wonderful feeling since I decided to have some fun with it by playing around with a different style, genre, tense, and pov’s.

In case anyone missed the earlier post, this is Middle Grade, and is written in present tense with dual points of views. Not a very popular style and difficult to pull off, I hear. I can't deny it's been a challenge.

I think it’s finally becoming second nature to write in the present tense without constantly slipping into past. The POV's are male and female. They are very different kids. Malik is rough and tumble, but emotionally needy and selfish at the moment. Nevan is sweet and shy, but also has a core of steel underneath her frills. They're view of the adventure they're on is completely different, yet also the same.

Now, for my project goal.

I started the project a week early. On November 1st I had 9781 words written, so I'm deducting those from my total. So while the word count is now at 35,286, I'm only at 25505 for NaNo. I hope to be able to make this up over the holidays, except Black Friday when I'll be shopping, ha ha!

So that's where I am at the halfway point.

Please, wish me luck.

FRAK, STOP PUTTERING AROUND

For the last few weeks, I’ve done a lot of puttering around.

I like the way that sounds, puttering…

It’s not as controversial as the actual word I’m thinking and using it won’t make my kids banish me to the time-out chair for using inappropriate language. Always a plus in my book. Being a good role model means remember to use words like puttering or sugar, hot dog, holy cow, Dude…or my favorite, frak (the kids say they know what the BSG translation for that one means…bad Mommy).

Sorry, I’m rambling. I do that.

Back to my puttering, which included fiddling with my blog? Urgh. I think I've finally worked out the kinks—those hair pulling, hive inducing, screaming into my pillow, most frustrating idea ever issues.

Work has been super busy. It must be the crazy weather: hot, cold, sunny, pouring rain. It confuses the heck out of people, which means an increase in my workload. Once I get home the last thing I want to do is write so I've been avoiding my computer.

The new fall shows have started, and I’m all caught up on Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and Secret Circle. I’m also addicted to a few more (The Walking Dead premiered on Sunday). I won’t waste space by detailing all my TV viewing vices. Thank goodness for DVR. I can watch my shows whenever I want and not take time away from writing.

This brings me back to my work-in-progress and the lack of effort I’ve put into finishing it. That’s actually where I am right now in the story. The last chapter. Or what I thought would be the last chapter when I started puttering around two weeks ago. I had the ending outlined in my head, but I couldn’t force myself write…The End. It didn’t feel right. I wasn’t completely invested in how the story would wrap up. So I procrastinated.

I thought about it. Daydreamed out multiple scenarios.

Luckily, I have a twenty minute commute home with nothing to worry about except whether the herd of buffalo broke through the fence and blocked the freeway again (I missed that major accident by an hour). This is the time of the day when my creativity flows without boundaries or the stressors of daily life. The idea for an alternate ending started to form, and I let it take its own shape and consistency.

Those of you who write know this feeling. The giddy relief when inspiration strikes. )

Whew.

The new ending is different from the one I had two weeks ago. It just goes to show how important it is to follow your instincts. I’d promised I’d finish by November 1st (#WIPFTW) and pushed myself toward that goal. But in trying to finish, I almost lost sight of where the story needed to go.

Live and learn, right.

So, I sat down to write it up and couldn’t do it. I waffled. I liked the idea of the new ending, but I couldn’t decide if I liked it better than the old one. So, I puttered around some more. Finally, I talked to my friend JAllen, and he suggested writing both endings. So, that’s what I’m doing. I’m hopeful that one will be more dynamic than the other and my decision on which one to use will be clear. If not, then I’ll let my critique partners take a vote and decide.

So I'm curious. How does inspiration strike you? Do you know how your book will end before you start writing, and then follow your strategically laid out plan all the way to the conclusion? Or does the story morph as you write? Do you ever dig yourself a plot hole then wonder how you will ever get out? And if you do, how do you find your answer?