Camp NaNoWriMo 2014 Week 2

Hey Everyone!

Week two of Camp NaNoWriMo has begun and well, I haven't written a word. I wrote about 44, I think, actually. After I finish writing this post, I will most definitely be writing (I PROMISE). I think it's due to me being so emotionally drained from school being back in full swing. That taste of freedom a few weeks ago was what set me like that. Then, the weather is beginning to warm up again and it makes me want to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

So let's answer these questions....

How are you feeling at the moment?
Not so good. I am about 3,000 words behind so it is a fair reason to be a little uneasy. I have some catching up to do! Why am I so drained? 

Did your story take any unexpected turns?
Yeah, no.

How is your plot coming?
Click here to see my response from last week....haha.

Favorite character to write thus far?
Jameson. Despite not having written about him yet, I just have had these ideas festering in my head about him and I can't wait to insert him into the novel again. He's like my baby.

Anything you wish you could change?
My writing habits.

Current word count?
I am not even going to put this here because I am so ashamed of it....1695

Camp NaNoWriMo Has Arrived!

Hey Everyone!

So as you see, Camp NaNoWriMo is upon us in this beautiful month of April. I am once again participating in hopes of working on my November NaNoWriMo novel.

I am currently working on my second draft and my word count goal is 15,000 words this month which equals 500 words per day.

If you don't know how Camp NaNoWriMo works, it is essentially the same thing as NaNoWriMo except it is on a different website and you can choose how many words you write instead of the standard 50,000. You also get a cabin where you talk to other members of the NaNoWriMo community as you work through the month.

Why did you choose 15,000 words?
The reason I chose the word count I did was for a simple fact. I don't have the time. Semester is beginning to wind down and I don't have the time. I also have harder classes this semester and I wanted to focus more on that than struggling to get almost 2,000 words per day. By writing 500 words a day, it gives me a more achievable goal.

How are you feeling at the moment?
I feel excited. Like I said last time, I am incredibly motivated. I love writing this story and I can't wait to go deeper with these characters which I have grown so close to in the past few months. I also have a stronger grasp on where I am going right now.

Did your story take any unexpected turns?
Not yet, I have a strong idea where I am going this time.

How is your plot coming?
Very well. I am moving it at a steady speed and hopefully it will continue to progress similarly.

Favorite character to write thus far?
Right now, it is Lysandra since she is the only character I have really written to right now. None of the others have been introduced yet, but I'm hoping to get more inside her head because I feel as if it was lacking last time.

Anything you wish you could change?
I keep calling the guards "the younger one" and "the older one." I need to rename them or something!

Current word count?
On track with 1,013

Writing Update: December 2013

Hey Everyone!

So... not much writing happened in the land of my NaNo novel. I tried, but I was so drowned in the holidays and finishing some other projects that I simply didn't have time.

One good thing came out of December. I finished another one of my stories I write. I was proud since it took me over a year to write. It's not going to be published, I know this already.

January is going to be me working on edits and reworking the story. I have a lot to change. I've decided to let it sit for a month, that's what Stephen King does, and it's probably a good thing. I just want to make it the best story I can before I begin querying.

For all of you writers out there, how many edits did you go through before submitting?

NaNoWriMo 2013: I WON!

Hey Everyone!

I officially won NaNoWriMo and it was my first one. I have no idea if I will ever do it again, but one thing is for sure: I finished my first full length novel. Of course, there is a lot of things to be edited, but it's to be expected since it is a NaNoWriMo novel.

I have huge hopes for this and I'm sure all of you are equally as excited for your own pieces of writing. This one was a huge step forward in a direction I've wanted to go for a long time, I just didn't have the inspiration to write a whole novel.

I want to thank everyone on twitter who I followed and followed me back. The people who also spent countless hours doing word sprints with me. I thank you all because without you guys, I wouldn't have finished this book ever.

My outline for the next year looks like this:
December/January: Draft 2
February-April: Draft 3
May/June: Draft 4
July/August: Draft 5
September: Final touches
October: Begin Querying

That is my timeline, I'll update you guys as the months go by, but I hope you all update me as well on your own writing project. Oh, and I made a mock cover for my book (which I have renamed to Strong).

Until Next Time,

NaNoWriMo 2013: Week 3

Hey Everyone!

It's that time of week again where I update you on my NaNoWriMo novel!

This week was a little bit of a downer as I had started to "fall behind" in my eyes. In reality, I had over 8,000 words ahead of schedule, but I became so overwhelmed with school work that it was absolutely impossible for me to write every day.

I also did some word sprints with some people on twitter on Sunday morning which was nice. I am so pleased with how many of you lovely people now follow me on twitter, thank you so much. I've gained almost 100 followers since the first and that just makes me feel very blessed that I get to share a little bit of my life with you.

How are you feeling at the moment?
I am feeling wonderful, but a little tired. I seemed to have forgotten my caffeine fix at my house forty-five minutes away. I also am excited because I am getting to the climax of the story and it's just exciting because I never thought I would finish a novel like this ever in my life. I am often known for not finishing.

Did your story take any unexpected turns?
Not really, last week was more of a battle for me in that department.

How is your plot progressing?
Really well! I know it needs to slow down a lot, but that is what a second draft is for!

Favorite character to write thus far?
It's still Jameson. I am still in love with his character and his past. His personality is so interesting, but there is a lot of him I need to change in the beginning because I felt I changed him too much from when he was introduced.

He's this sort of sensitive character who is so vulnerable and that is what makes him more human than Marcus. There is so much depth between Jameson and Harry Styles helped me bring him to life. His eyes hold so much and that is kind of how I want to convey Jameson.

Anything you wish you could change?

Probably the pacing like I have said. Plus, add more descriptions, chapters, and longer chapters.

Current word count?

31,425 words :D

Until Next Time,

NaNoWriMo 2013: Week 2

Hey Everyone!

Week two has come and gone and I would like to fill you in on my week! I hope you guys are all enjoying this!

On Saturday the 9th of November, I participated in my first write-in at my local public library. I got 2,351 words written in the span of two hours. We went in and just wrote and it was fantastic. My sister came along with me, but she doesn't write so she read a book which she checked out prior to the writing session starting. Courtney ended up finishing the whole book before the two hours finished. I was shocked!

It was nice doing the write in because I never participated in NaNoWriMo before and to sit in a room of about ten people who were aiming for the same 50,000 word goal was great. It was a variety of ages and we all had our own methods of writing.

After the write in I was talking to one of my good friends, and someone I trust with my story, about something my writing club at school said (refer to the last sentence of the next paragraph). She helped me think about some things and help me figure out what to do with my story in regards to this issue.

On Wednesday the 6th, I shared the first chapter (though it wasn't the greatest) just to get to know how they liked the idea. Mind you, none of the students in the room are freshman and some are graduating. They all seemed to enjoy the story a lot and can't wait to read more. This makes me really excited about finishing it because I impressed an English major who, I believe, is graduating this year. I am just glad that they liked it, the only thing is that I have to think of a social issue to write about in regards to my dystopian world.

This week, I also got a lovely email from a woman in the UK who was interested in being a critique partner. We exchanged the first chapters of each others stories and she too gave me info on helping with developing my story. She told me what to research to help move along my story and I made a trip to the local library and checked out a few books on the topics.

How are you feeling at the moment?
I am feeling absolutely fantastic at the moment! I have been thinking about my characters nonstop and I don't think I can ever stop because they are beginning to consume me. I wouldn't have it any other way, though. My story that I am writing is something I am so passionate about that I just can't let it go.

Did your story take any interesting turns you weren't expecting?
Yes! I have an unplanned love triangle (damn you Marcus and Jameson) and I kept going back and forth between who was eventually going to get her heart. I figured it out and it was the most magical moment when it happened. It got me all flustered when it happened! My heart was racing and everything!

How is your plot progressing?
It is going good, I am going to try and get the plot progressing and diving into some of the deeper chapters. I do feel as if I'm rushing it a little bit (romance wise), but that will eventually change when I begin the editing process in December or January.

Favorite character to write thus far?
I think at the moment it is Marcus's best friend, Jameson. There is so much to be explored through him and I feel as if I haven't fully explored who he is. Plus, he is portrayed by a beautiful boyband member. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't like writing to this face:

Yes... I really did put a photo of Harry Styles

Jameson just has this depth and secrets that even I haven't figured out yet. I chose to have Harry portray him because I feel as if they share a strong similarity in the sense that there is more than meets the eye. I used that kind of terminology when writing him in because he was this quiet character, still is, but there was a sense of mystery to him. Yeah, he's my other fictional lover at the moment. Alongside Jace Wayland that is :D

Anything you wish you could change?
Hmmm... I just think my pacing because it is going a little fast. I also think the mixed feelings of the love triangle. I need to make it less confusing for the reader.

Current word count?
25,000 and counting :D
That is half way done if you are keeping track :D

Until Next Time,

Critique Partners and Writing

Deviantart User: Mercury-Lyn

Hey Everyone!

Today I wanted to talk to you all about Critique Partners. I'm sure some of you are like, "WHAT IS THAT?" and others are like, "Oh, yeah... those things."

Critique Partners are people who read through people's manuscripts and offer writing advice and help improve the writer's manuscript. I think this is a valuable thing to have since some of those people can help you in ways you didn't think were possible.

I myself have about four that I know I can give them my writing and they will give me their honest feedback. They are all amazing and have helped my grow as a writer and I will continue to share the stories with them for their feedback!

If you want one yourself, I would suggest googling "Critique Partner" on google and seeing what comes up. That is how I found one of mine!

Best of Luck!
Until Next Time,

NaNoWriMo 2013: Week 1

Hey Everyone!

So this is my week 1 wrap-up for NaNoWriMo 2013! I am excited to do this weekly little thing because I have been absolutely loving the NaNoWriMo feels this year (even if it is my first time participating).

I feel like this week has been going extremely well. I am ahead of schedule and am loving the story. The story I am writing is different from anything I've ever read. I am incorporating a lot of different types of things into it. I honestly have high hopes for this story!

This story is something I've never felt a connection with before. With my previous stories if that makes more sense for you. I just feel like this one has something special about it that it wants me to keep exploring the whole world. I am just going to do a little questionnaire below to update you on my status of NaNoWriMo:

How are you feeling at the moment?
Incredibly motivated. I think that this has never happened and I've never been this far ahead this quickly. I'm already pretty far into the story and have high hopes for finishing my 50,000 words early. If I stick with my 3,000-4,000 word goal per day, I could finish in about ten days (NaNoWriMo word wise). I am hoping to finish the rest of the story by the end of the month so I can print it out and work on editing it.

Did your story take any interesting turns you weren't expecting?
Yes, romance wise. I had always planned for my character named Jameson to go for my main girl, but then I started writing this one scene and I decided that one of my other characters liked her too. Apparently Marcus just wants a girlfriend. I am not sure how I'm going to resolve the growing love triangle, but I will get there eventually.

How is your plot coming?
It's going really well considering I didn't outline or anything. I am one of those people who doesn't plan for things and just does things out on a whim. I find that if I write without a plan, I am more motivated to work on those things and go through with them than if I did plan them out. For example, my July session of Camp NaNoWriMo went uncompleted as I lost interested three days into the session.

Favorite character to write about?
I think my character Marcus is probably my favorite one to write about. He's just so interesting and I envision him having such a dark past. I also imagine him as this guy:

His name is Jamie Campbell Bower, by the way. This is a photo from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

He's just got so much depth to him and you can see in my story that he is harboring these kind of secret feelings because he takes a step back from his best friend who becomes a prominent role in the story. I know I am going to have to slow down the whole romantic things and extend the introduction chapters a little bit. 

Anything you wish you could change thus far?
No, I don't think I would change anything. Everything seems so beautiful, but I wish I could add some more descriptions to my scenery just to get more of a feel for the house these kids are living in. I guess it's also because I'm still figuring that out myself, so it will get done.

Are you planning on working these past few chapters when you finish with NaNoWriMo?

Yes, definitely. NaNoWriMo is just a tool for writers to get words on paper and I think it's incredibly helpful. I love writing and I wouldn't be participating if I didn't love it as much as I do. Everything needs editing, I don't think anyone could ever fully finish editing. Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments probably have things their authors want to change as well.

What is your current word count?

17,225 and counting :D

Until Next Time,

NaNoWriMo 2013: What I'm Writing

Hey Everyone!

I thought I would talk about something which I have never participated in before and that is NaNoWriMo. If you have visited my blog before, you see on the right hand side of the screen there is a word count thing.

I have always wanted to be a writer and when I found out about NaNoWriMo last year, I jumped camp on the ship for the summer and spring sessions. Though I wasn't able to do the summer session whole heartedly, I did complete the spring one with 50,000+ words, but it has been left unfinished.

I thought I would utilize this blog as a place to talk about my own writing tales as well since I am going to be writing a novel which I have high hopes for. I think this may be "the one" as I like to call it. My big idea, my child, etc. This book is one I am super excited about.

Summary:
The world has been taken over by a man named Watt Howard, he is the President of a government referred to as the New Age Government. He has a new plan to reform education systems by pulling children ages five through eighteen and placing them in fourteen different houses across the globe. The phrase "Big Brother is Watching You" takes on a more literal meaning than the TV show. 

Lysandra Marks is one of these children being ripped out of her family home. She is sent to this house where she is surrounded by an endless amount of other sixteen year olds. She meets a tattooed boy named James who makes her wonder about the way she is truly living her life. It makes her wonder if her family was right, was she the one who could really save the world, or were they just wishful thinking?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I know, I know. The summary is kind of vague and all over the place, but I am still working out the key details to the story. Who knows, maybe some of the story lines will change as I write it. I know there will be a love story, that is for sure. I also know that it is Young Adult because that is the best genre in my mind.

If you are participating in this year's NaNoWriMo, let me know down below and tell me what you're writing about! I would love to see what other people are writing!

Until next time,