N is for NaNoWriMo: Camp Version!

For those of you who somehow missed the new program by the folks who bring us NaNoWriMo, Camp NaNoWriMo is upon us. The first session is taking place in June and the second in August. It might be a little too close for comfort to sign up for the June session, but that's what the August session is for (and you get one extra day!).

I've already signed up for the June session, however, I'm not writing a first draft. I'll be working on writing the 2nd draft of my old 2008 NaNo novel Kaja Colony Crisis. I see camp more as a method of making me sit down and write versus an opportunity to write a new novel. I'll be posting my progress here throughout the month as well as silly sentences from the original draft (maybe). My brief skimming of some of the book has shown these sentences to be in abundance.

For editing, I'll be trying a new method: editing using the free software yWriter. It should help me organize and edit the novel without having to print out the whole document. Hopefully.

Are any of you doing Camp NaNoWriMo? If so, why and what do you hope to gain from it?

Guest post/interview featuring me!

My dear friend who goes by Wren, interviewed me for her fashion blog. Go check it out here! (And read her others posts while you're at it.)

M is for Magic

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke

Isn't this why people worship aliens? The unknown appears magical.

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L is for Links

Yet another occurrence where the A-Z blogging challenge intersects with a normal feature on this blog. This time around: links.

Have you got a blank notebook lying around? Ten Reasons to Carry a Blank Notebook will put it to good use.

You're just starting out in the publishing world and are looking for an agent to represent you. But how does an agent decide which newcomer to represent? Wendy Lawton from Book & Such Literary Agency gives a few tips for how she chooses the perfect unpublished author.

What kind of writer are you? Do you follow routines to get yourself "in the mood" or do you write whenever inspiration strikes? K M Weiland lists the pros and cons in How Routines Save (and Ruin) Your Writing.

For Graduates: Feeling lost? Here are two inspirational speeches to help you find your way.

DEAR SUGAR, The Rumpus Advice Column #72: The Future Has An Ancient Heart

Neil Gaiman's Inspiring Commencement Speech about Succeeding in the Arts

Food Feature: Potstickers!

Don't these look yummy? Well, head over here to read all about how I made them (and you'll find a recipe or two over there as well).

K is for Kite

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Dipping and diving

Bound to Earth by string--once cut

The kite soars freely.

J is for Jerry-Rigging

I originally planned a freewrite on some sci-fi situation where something was or needed to be jerry-rigged. However, I found a unique application of the term and thought I'd pursue that direction instead.

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That direction is applying jerry-rigging to my writing. In particular, the structure of my novels. Since I have never completed a novel past the 2nd draft, I'm not too famliar with structure and how it should be properly applied within a story. Hence why I would say I "jerry-rig" the structure in my novels, making it up as I go along with no intial plan.

What provoked this realization was stumbling upon K. M. Weiland's blog. For the past few months she has been running an excellent series of a part by part examination of structure. I recommend reading it (links are included below). I will most certainly be referring back to it when I embark upon my latest revision project (which, incidentally, will probably be my main focus for Camp NaNoWriMo).

Invariably, when revising, the structure is the first to be examined and reorganized. If one doesn't have the knowledge of what a proper structure looks like or how it functions, how can one write a pleasing novel?

I find it curious, though, as Weiland did for her writing, to realize just how much structure I instinctively wrote into my novels. It means I have a starting point for my revisions. And that is a pleasant thought.

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 1: Why Should Authors Care?

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 2: The Hook

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 3: The First Act

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 4: The First Plot Point

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 5: The Inciting Event and the Key Event

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 6: The First Half of the Second Act

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 7: The Midpoint

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 8: The Second Half of the Second Act

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 9: The Third Act

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 10: The Climax

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 11: The Resolution

The Secrets of Story Structure Pt. 12: Your Questions Answered

I is for Instant

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Instant coffee. Instant messaging. Instant service. Instant bombardes us from every side. We want it all and we want it now, as the song goes. And all the companies rush to "improve" their services to satisfy our craving. We, as a culture, do not have much patience remaining.

But how much more can we lose?

Is it possible for our limited patience to disappear entirely in the future? Does a world of short attention spans and even shorter tempers await us?

Or will we step back and appreciate once again the value of slowing down and waiting? Waiting for the perfect cup of coffee or tea to brew. Waiting to consider the effect of our words and action. Waiting and watching while time slows down as we live in and cherish each moment.

Instant is well and good, but it must be balanced out by waiting. Only then can we enjoy living. Certain things are only fully enjoyed at a slower pace.

Until next time.

H is for Home and Hearth

A lonely ship drifts

Through space and time searching for

A hearth to call home.

G is for Gears

Clicking and changing,

Fitted together snugly,

Men's lives interlock.

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