Ok, my brain hurts and I'm stalling instead of writing. So I thought I would post another excerpt from this year's Nano project. Here is a section that I actually like even if it is still a first draft with room for improvement.
As Qatja envisioned her hands around the man’s neck, Qualz jumped up from his seat and leapt across the space separating him from the council member who had just spoken. She let her body relax and she channeled the feel of the skin beneath Qualz’s hands as he choked the life out of the man. Other members of the council began to scream, some tried to pry Qualz off of their peer but found themselves the next victim of his anger.
One of the guards began firing his weapon at the three Draguman. It was a primitive projectile style weapon that was strong enough to knock Qualz off of his feet bruising the muscles under the tough scales, but not strong enough to penetrate and leave lasting damage. Quyl quickly killed the guard and tossed his weapon to the ground. He too had missed the feel of battle. There were ten more Nibiru in the room and he decided to enjoy himself.
Qatja went for the woman first. Her smugness had irritated her and she relished the fear in her eyes as she grabbed a hold of her. Qatja was crueler than Qualz or Quyl. She did not kill the woman quickly with a quick twist of the neck, instead she ran her taloned fingers down the length of her arms until the skin spit open and the blood flowed freely. She inhaled deeply and let the blood flow over her hands. The warm wetness had a sweet smell beneath the tanginess of iron. Qatja brought her fingers to her lips and tasted the blood. It was surprisingly good, and although she would not really eat another sentient being, she found great pleasure in allowing the woman to think that she would. The counsel woman screamed as Qatja ripped her arm out of its socket. She began to cry as it hung limply by her side, held on only by the skin.
“Does it hurt? Oh, I’m so sorry about that. I promise to make it stop soon.” Qatja wanted to relish the feel of the warm blood pumping under the thin skin of the woman’s neck. She had wrapped her hands around the slender neck and she could feel the pulse beating quickly against her thumbs. She began to squeeze slowly and steadily so that she could feel each beat as it struggled to keep moving beneath her until she could feel the windpipe as well. She paused long enough to see the terror building in her victims eyes.
“Qatja don’t play with it that is cruel.” Quyl stood beside her waiting for her to finish.
“Oh, all right.” Closing her eyes she applied enough pressure to close off the air flow and she held it until the pulse stopped.
To view my monthly progress report Click Here.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Writing through the month
This month has really had its ups and downs with my new story. It started so well and then I hit a point where I really did not like my story very much. Now, you may ask, "If you don't like your story, why keep writing?" My answer? I didn't like last year's story at one point either because Nano gives me the opportunity to get the bones on the paper. This means a lot of telling, a lot of listing of events, and a lot of fast dialogue. When I glance at what I've written I cringe because it lacks good character development, good descriptions and depth of emotion to pulls me into the story. I have to keep telling myself that the story line is still good, the plot ideas are good. I simply need to get everything down so that I can come back and fill in the gaps.
Tonight I went to another write in. There were five of us sitting around a table and typing furiously for two hours. Nothing compares to the sound of imaginations clicking away and that creative energy swells and envelops you. The last few days of drudging through scenes faded away and I found myself once again moving through the plot. In two hours I invaded a planet, fought some major battles, committed genocide through blind rage and the desire for revenge and then discovered that I was on the wrong planet! Oh the guilt at all those deaths! My main character fell into a deep depression leaving himself open to the influence of the manipulative woman that had been trying to pull his strings all along. Does it make me an awful person to say that I am enjoying the story more now that they have started on a destructive rampage through space?
Another plus to write ins is that I managed almost 3000 words! That is really amazing for me and it makes me wonder what else I could accomplish in two hours with no kids crawling all over me and asking for things. So, today's word count reached 37,004. I am back on track, and just a little bit ahead of where I need to be. The best part is that I am now engaged in the story again so I am looking forward to writing tomorrow.
Tonight I went to another write in. There were five of us sitting around a table and typing furiously for two hours. Nothing compares to the sound of imaginations clicking away and that creative energy swells and envelops you. The last few days of drudging through scenes faded away and I found myself once again moving through the plot. In two hours I invaded a planet, fought some major battles, committed genocide through blind rage and the desire for revenge and then discovered that I was on the wrong planet! Oh the guilt at all those deaths! My main character fell into a deep depression leaving himself open to the influence of the manipulative woman that had been trying to pull his strings all along. Does it make me an awful person to say that I am enjoying the story more now that they have started on a destructive rampage through space?
Another plus to write ins is that I managed almost 3000 words! That is really amazing for me and it makes me wonder what else I could accomplish in two hours with no kids crawling all over me and asking for things. So, today's word count reached 37,004. I am back on track, and just a little bit ahead of where I need to be. The best part is that I am now engaged in the story again so I am looking forward to writing tomorrow.
Monday, November 16, 2009
What I did today...
I have this crawl space that I have intentionally pretended did not exist. It is one side of the bonus room (which is now the boys bedroom) and it is the black hole of our house. Whenever someone cleans and they come across something that they don't know where it goes, they open the door and toss it in. Yes, toss it in. They don't put it in there in an organized manner, they TOSS stuff in and hope that no one will ever need to look for it. Perhaps every house needs a black hole, but this hole happened to contain all of my fabric and sewing equipment. I haven't sewn anything in a long time and this is why.
Would you go in there to find your sewing machine or the fabric you wanted for a project? Me either. Well, I decided that I needed to grow up and face my fears. It was time to brave the black hole and whatever might be living in there and find my hobbies again.
Look how roomy it is empty! I swept it out really good because everything was covered in dirt and debris from the roofers banging all over everything earlier this year. I was glad that I only found 1 spider in all that mess, and no mouse droppings.
I moved everything out into the boys room (which was already a horrible mess) and started sorting. I got rid of a lot of stuff. I figured if no one needed it over the last three years we didn't need to keep it. I also found 3 boxes of old school work left by the previous owner of our house. Three large boxes of papers. I dumped all the paper in the recycle bin, which unfortunately had already been emptied for the day, and kept the binders which were in nice shape. I also reused the plastic totes they were in for my stuff. 
Doesn't that look nice? Now when Adam gets home from school I just have to stand and tell them how to clean their room. If I don't it all gets shoved under a bed or thrown into the black hole...wait, we no longer have a black hole. What will they do now? Perhaps they can finally learn where their dirty clothes and trash really belong. Here's to hoping.
Would you go in there to find your sewing machine or the fabric you wanted for a project? Me either. Well, I decided that I needed to grow up and face my fears. It was time to brave the black hole and whatever might be living in there and find my hobbies again.
Look how roomy it is empty! I swept it out really good because everything was covered in dirt and debris from the roofers banging all over everything earlier this year. I was glad that I only found 1 spider in all that mess, and no mouse droppings.
I moved everything out into the boys room (which was already a horrible mess) and started sorting. I got rid of a lot of stuff. I figured if no one needed it over the last three years we didn't need to keep it. I also found 3 boxes of old school work left by the previous owner of our house. Three large boxes of papers. I dumped all the paper in the recycle bin, which unfortunately had already been emptied for the day, and kept the binders which were in nice shape. I also reused the plastic totes they were in for my stuff. 
Doesn't that look nice? Now when Adam gets home from school I just have to stand and tell them how to clean their room. If I don't it all gets shoved under a bed or thrown into the black hole...wait, we no longer have a black hole. What will they do now? Perhaps they can finally learn where their dirty clothes and trash really belong. Here's to hoping.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Crossing THE MIDDLE (duh duh duuuhh!)
I finally got around to reading my week two pep talk from Maureen Johnson and I found that her advice for writing can apply to many other areas of my life. She begins by talking about Australia and how it is about the same size of the United States, but everyone lives along the coast. This means that there is about 2000 miles of nothing in "the Middle" and that is where all the things that can kill you live.
"Here’s the thing, though...if you're doing NaNoWriMo, you are a reader, because all writers are readers. Which means that you must admire many authors. Your shelves are lined with the works of your heroes and sheroes. Every single one of them has crossed the wild country where you are now. Every single one of them has been a resident of The Middle. The ground you're treading is full of the remains of their old campsites. And somewhere around you, just out of sight, current authors you admire are making their own way across The Middle. What's nice about NaNoWriMo is that you are traveling with a posse of thousands, all of you making your way over the mountains, through the valleys, across the creeks. You are fighting off the beasties.
And once you've crossed The Middle once or twice and you're lounging on the other side, you'll find you miss it. You'll realize you long to be out there again, under the sky and the stars. The weather changes a lot in the middle. Some days, the skies are dark and it's hard to find your way forward. Those days are long and little progress is made. Some days, it's strangely bright and clear, and suddenly you can see the horizon ahead, and dozens of possible paths present themselves to you. But every day is different, and every day there is a new way to go and a new thing to see."
Well, I am definitely entering the MIDDLE of my book and progress has slowed dramatically...duh duh duuuhhn, but hopefully it will not ground to a complete stop. This is the part of the book where everything happens and you would think that would be easier to write, but for some reason it isn't. I keep finding myself asking more questions (which is good) and turning back on the path I've chosen to try a different one. There are so many choices to make that it can be paralyzing.
I think we all cross the Middle several times in our lives, even if you are not trying to write a novel. I am now 35, definitely in the MIDDLE of this so called life. My kids are not grown, but they are not babies--the MIDDLE. We finally make enough money to pay the bills, but not enough to save very much each paycheck--please say this is the MIDDLE! And so on...but I love knowing that I have good friends all around me who are crossing the MIDDLE at the same time. Even on days when I hide at home and cannot see the progress, I know they are out their trudging through the sand dunes (or mud here in Charlotte), cutting past the vines of the jungles (poison ivy anyone?) and doing their best just like I am trying to do my best. Isn't it good to know that each day is filled with such wonderful opportunities?
For my fellow wrimos, see you when we make it to the beach!
"Here’s the thing, though...if you're doing NaNoWriMo, you are a reader, because all writers are readers. Which means that you must admire many authors. Your shelves are lined with the works of your heroes and sheroes. Every single one of them has crossed the wild country where you are now. Every single one of them has been a resident of The Middle. The ground you're treading is full of the remains of their old campsites. And somewhere around you, just out of sight, current authors you admire are making their own way across The Middle. What's nice about NaNoWriMo is that you are traveling with a posse of thousands, all of you making your way over the mountains, through the valleys, across the creeks. You are fighting off the beasties.
And once you've crossed The Middle once or twice and you're lounging on the other side, you'll find you miss it. You'll realize you long to be out there again, under the sky and the stars. The weather changes a lot in the middle. Some days, the skies are dark and it's hard to find your way forward. Those days are long and little progress is made. Some days, it's strangely bright and clear, and suddenly you can see the horizon ahead, and dozens of possible paths present themselves to you. But every day is different, and every day there is a new way to go and a new thing to see."
Well, I am definitely entering the MIDDLE of my book and progress has slowed dramatically...duh duh duuuhhn, but hopefully it will not ground to a complete stop. This is the part of the book where everything happens and you would think that would be easier to write, but for some reason it isn't. I keep finding myself asking more questions (which is good) and turning back on the path I've chosen to try a different one. There are so many choices to make that it can be paralyzing.
I think we all cross the Middle several times in our lives, even if you are not trying to write a novel. I am now 35, definitely in the MIDDLE of this so called life. My kids are not grown, but they are not babies--the MIDDLE. We finally make enough money to pay the bills, but not enough to save very much each paycheck--please say this is the MIDDLE! And so on...but I love knowing that I have good friends all around me who are crossing the MIDDLE at the same time. Even on days when I hide at home and cannot see the progress, I know they are out their trudging through the sand dunes (or mud here in Charlotte), cutting past the vines of the jungles (poison ivy anyone?) and doing their best just like I am trying to do my best. Isn't it good to know that each day is filled with such wonderful opportunities?
For my fellow wrimos, see you when we make it to the beach!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Week 2 Pep Talk
First, yesterday was an awful writing day for me. I was super busy and did not get a chance to sit down at the computer until 9:30pm and of course then I spent 1/2 an hour catching up on emails. Blah! I really wanted to write something but I was so frazzled from my long day that I really could not focus my mind. I gave up, shut my computer off, and headed to bed. When I entered my room, my plans were thwarted once again. My hubby was taking a shower and so I could not change or brush my teeth and therefore I could not go to sleep.
I sat at my husband’s desk and just stared at the wall. Finally, I grabbed my trusty yellow notebook and my favorite pen. I did not want to type on the computer, but I realized that I did want to write. I love how the words flow from my pen. I would probably be a much better writer if I always wrote with pen instead of the computer, but who wants to sit and decipher the artistic script when it is all said and done? I write small, cramped and often half-formed cursive that requires the intelligence of a detective to read. I decided a few pages of written word would be worth sludging through if it moved my word count up for the day.
With pen poised, I thought of where my typed manuscript left off. Even though I knew where I was and where I needed to go, that part of the story shyly eluded me, but another part jumped up and down screaming for my attention. At the kick off party someone asked if those of us present wrote in chronological order or skipped around. Until this week, I was a chronological kind of gal. Last night I veered off and wrote the last few paragraphs of my story. I’m very excited about them and now I have a beginning to my story and the end. Now I just have to write all that middle stuff.
I just finished typing last nights work and am proud to report that I managed 15K before midnight on Monday. Isn’t that what Chris Baty and crew were aiming for last night? So, when you get stuck, don’t give up, try something new just to keep you moving!
I sat at my husband’s desk and just stared at the wall. Finally, I grabbed my trusty yellow notebook and my favorite pen. I did not want to type on the computer, but I realized that I did want to write. I love how the words flow from my pen. I would probably be a much better writer if I always wrote with pen instead of the computer, but who wants to sit and decipher the artistic script when it is all said and done? I write small, cramped and often half-formed cursive that requires the intelligence of a detective to read. I decided a few pages of written word would be worth sludging through if it moved my word count up for the day.
With pen poised, I thought of where my typed manuscript left off. Even though I knew where I was and where I needed to go, that part of the story shyly eluded me, but another part jumped up and down screaming for my attention. At the kick off party someone asked if those of us present wrote in chronological order or skipped around. Until this week, I was a chronological kind of gal. Last night I veered off and wrote the last few paragraphs of my story. I’m very excited about them and now I have a beginning to my story and the end. Now I just have to write all that middle stuff.
I just finished typing last nights work and am proud to report that I managed 15K before midnight on Monday. Isn’t that what Chris Baty and crew were aiming for last night? So, when you get stuck, don’t give up, try something new just to keep you moving!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Nano Week 1 Pep Talk
I know I have not been great about blogging lately, but I have been writing tons of stuff. I figure I might as well share some of it with you. Here is last week's pep talk that I wrote for my fellow Charlotte Nanowrimos. I am finding that I really enjoy getting to encourage other people to try their best and keep writing for the sheer enjoyment of it. Do you remember my post on "Our Greatest Fear?" I feel like I have let some of my fear go for the moment and I am finding a new freedom and ease with my writing. There have even been a few shining moments that I can't wait to share!
Anyway, if you ever think about writing any kind of book, I hope this will help you in your journey.
"We are now five days into Nanowrimo, how are you feeling? Have you entered the slump or are the words still flowing freely from your fingertips? No matter where you are at the current moment, we will all experience some ups and downs over the next three weeks. I for one did not sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about my current Nano novel, last year’s novel which is in final revisions, and some strange new ideas that kept screaming for my attention. I finally got out of bed and started writing the non-related ideas down to shut them up for a while.
I was also thinking about how I could help keep you motivated when I am nearing a critical point in my story. Two things kept parading around my mind that I want to share with you. These two things help me keep a steady word count throughout the month, even when I am completely baffled about what should happen next.
1. Always end your writing on a high note. By this, I simply mean stop writing at a point when you have a good idea what is going to happen next. If you end when you are blocked, you will dread starting again because mentally you will prepare yourself to continue being stumped. However, if you end at a point in your story where you know what comes next you will be eager to start writing on the next day.
For example, Tuesday I wrote a scene where Elvin asks his father permission to marry Della, his step-sister (no blood relation) and is refused on the premise that she has been promised to another in order to settle a debt. Elvin does not take no for an answer and when the two are being chased by several men from the village Della is injured. Elvin is so angered that he draws upon his talents as an apprentice Mage and almost kills the men. He is stopped by his best friend who happens to be a dragon. Jenska, the dragon, carries the two humans back to Elvin’s mentor. My last line for the day was as follows:
“When they flew into view of the cottage, they could see Olec standing in the yard waiting for them.”
This was a perfect place to stop because all I had to do was re-read that sentence and my imagination could just go with the ensuing dialogue. So if you are experiencing writer’s block, how do you get out of it so you can stop writing for the day?
2. Use Pacing and Questioning. When I find that I have written myself into a corner and I can not find my way out, I set my main character to pacing. I just write about him/her wandering somewhere confused. Then I start the character monologing asking, “How did I get here? This is not where I planned to be, but now that I’m here, how do I get out of this situation?”
I simply write every idea that my character can think of until I hit upon the right path for him. You will not usually need many words to get yourself moving again. If you feel this is “cheating” you can always delete that section after you “find your way”, but when I started revising last year’s novel I found some of the rambling questions invaluable to making my story better.
I hope this will help you keep writing. Just remember to lock away that inner editor (mine has already reared her ugly head and I had to smack her around a bit to get her back in the cage), and just enjoy creating something that only you can create."
Anyway, if you ever think about writing any kind of book, I hope this will help you in your journey.
"We are now five days into Nanowrimo, how are you feeling? Have you entered the slump or are the words still flowing freely from your fingertips? No matter where you are at the current moment, we will all experience some ups and downs over the next three weeks. I for one did not sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about my current Nano novel, last year’s novel which is in final revisions, and some strange new ideas that kept screaming for my attention. I finally got out of bed and started writing the non-related ideas down to shut them up for a while.
I was also thinking about how I could help keep you motivated when I am nearing a critical point in my story. Two things kept parading around my mind that I want to share with you. These two things help me keep a steady word count throughout the month, even when I am completely baffled about what should happen next.
1. Always end your writing on a high note. By this, I simply mean stop writing at a point when you have a good idea what is going to happen next. If you end when you are blocked, you will dread starting again because mentally you will prepare yourself to continue being stumped. However, if you end at a point in your story where you know what comes next you will be eager to start writing on the next day.
For example, Tuesday I wrote a scene where Elvin asks his father permission to marry Della, his step-sister (no blood relation) and is refused on the premise that she has been promised to another in order to settle a debt. Elvin does not take no for an answer and when the two are being chased by several men from the village Della is injured. Elvin is so angered that he draws upon his talents as an apprentice Mage and almost kills the men. He is stopped by his best friend who happens to be a dragon. Jenska, the dragon, carries the two humans back to Elvin’s mentor. My last line for the day was as follows:
“When they flew into view of the cottage, they could see Olec standing in the yard waiting for them.”
This was a perfect place to stop because all I had to do was re-read that sentence and my imagination could just go with the ensuing dialogue. So if you are experiencing writer’s block, how do you get out of it so you can stop writing for the day?
2. Use Pacing and Questioning. When I find that I have written myself into a corner and I can not find my way out, I set my main character to pacing. I just write about him/her wandering somewhere confused. Then I start the character monologing asking, “How did I get here? This is not where I planned to be, but now that I’m here, how do I get out of this situation?”
I simply write every idea that my character can think of until I hit upon the right path for him. You will not usually need many words to get yourself moving again. If you feel this is “cheating” you can always delete that section after you “find your way”, but when I started revising last year’s novel I found some of the rambling questions invaluable to making my story better.
I hope this will help you keep writing. Just remember to lock away that inner editor (mine has already reared her ugly head and I had to smack her around a bit to get her back in the cage), and just enjoy creating something that only you can create."
Monday, November 9, 2009
Smoked Buddha
So, I decided I need to write some of the funny things my kids say so I don't forget them. The problem is they say them at times when I am no where near the computer or a notebook to write them down and so I forget them anyway. However, yesterday on the way home from church, there was a very funny conversation that went something like this:
Ashlee: Mom, what are we having for dinner?
Me: I don't know, we will just have to see what we have when we get home.
Kiah: Do we have any smoked Buddha?
A pause...
Me: No...why would we have smoked Buddha?
Kiah: Isn't that the cheese you bought for the macaroni and cheese?
laughter...
Me: Do you mean smoked Gouda?
Kiah: Oh, yeah that sounds right. What's smoked Buddha?
Me: Buddha was the leader of a religious movement.
Kiah: Oh yeah the fat baby that you rub the belly?
Me: Something like that.
more laughter...
It doesn't look as funny written down, but it sure made the drive home interesting.
Ashlee: Mom, what are we having for dinner?
Me: I don't know, we will just have to see what we have when we get home.
Kiah: Do we have any smoked Buddha?
A pause...
Me: No...why would we have smoked Buddha?
Kiah: Isn't that the cheese you bought for the macaroni and cheese?
laughter...
Me: Do you mean smoked Gouda?
Kiah: Oh, yeah that sounds right. What's smoked Buddha?
Me: Buddha was the leader of a religious movement.
Kiah: Oh yeah the fat baby that you rub the belly?
Me: Something like that.
more laughter...
It doesn't look as funny written down, but it sure made the drive home interesting.
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