NaNoWrImo Log—Day -3 and -2

(I'll be randomly posting from my NaNoWriMo Log from now until the end of NaNoWriMo—I hope it's not too crazy for you! ;) )

DAY -3
(Oct. 29)


WORD COUNT: 0
WORD GOAL: 0

Thought of the day: Take a lot of walks and long showers. They help with inspiration.

[7:30 PM]

It's Saturday, the 29th of October, and time to brainstorm. Rounding it, there's two days until NaNoWriMo. I'm writing my synopsis right now, to give me something to go off of. This novel isn't nearly as well-planned as my last NaNoNovel, but I'm hoping for a good result. Time will tell, eh?

I've got my writing soundtracks in a playlist:

1) The Battle (Narnia)
2) The Lighting of the Beacons (Lord of the Rings)
3) The Battle of Pelennor Fields (Lord of the Rings)
4) Forth Eorlingas (Lord of the Rings)
5) The Sun's Gone Wibbly (Doctor Who)
6) I Am the Doctor (Doctor Who)

I'm hoping to add "Doctor Who Theme 2005" to that list, but I have yet to download it from my sister's computer.

All right, time to stop procrastinating and go write that synopsis!

[8:00 PM]

The synopsis is written. Not that bad of a synopsis, actually, although I need to work on it some more.

Arowdae is defeated, but the worst is yet to come. Darkness begins to cover the skies. Plants die, trees wither, and hope begins to fail.

The worst nightmare imaginable has been released, and the country is in ruins. The Refuge that held the last of Arowdae's free has been overrun. All that stands between Arowdae and complete destruction is those that rally under Edon Silversword.

And from the ashes of war, the son of Tanoath is rising, a leader who is determined to live—and fight.

In the meantime, the man who was once King is in chains. He's found light in his prison, but can it free him completely? Can he stand what is to come?

Those that follow the High Lord must hold on to hope. The last prophecy of Shaldu points the way to the Prophecy of Einarr, which holds the key to destroying the darkness. But what does the image of the blue half-moon mean, and who else is searching for the Prophecy?

In a ravaged land, light and darkness will collide once more.

And yes, it did take me a half-hour to write that. Don't judge me. I was perfecting it. Although I sure hope that I don't write that fast during NaNo...I might have to sacrifice quality for quantity.

[8:20 PM]

Mmmmm...sugar. I stole some caramels from the kitchen. :D This shall fuel my brain, ja? The Sprite is not agreeing with my stomach, though.

I really like the concept of a blue half-moon...it has to do with a secret organization. Mwahahahaha!

[8:30 PM]

[while chomping on caramels]

I really like the idea of a NaNoWriMo log. I'm going to post this on my blog whenever I can. Hopefully I can do this every day... *adds a word-count thingy at the top* That would be awesome. Then, I'd update it on my blog once I get internet.

It might get long. O_o I tend to gab. The reason I never journal is because I'm not writing it to someone, and it just fizzles out. Since I'm writing to my blog readers, this works out.

*finishes caramels and goes down to steal more*

[9:00 PM]

*glances at the books beside his computer on the desk* Well, I need to read these. I have two review copies I need to read and review before we go to Africa. This shall be tricky...juggling book reviews and school and NaNoWriMo. ^_^

The books, if you're curious, are "Invasion" by Jon S. Lewis and "The Scroll" by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky.

*eats a caramel*

You know, some people talk just to talk...I'm not one of those people, of course. ;) *ahem*

Over the last few weeks, I've been working myself up for NaNoWriMo. It's gotten to the point where I really NEED to write something, but I can't because it's not November yet. And I think that's a good thing. That "need" will probably last a day, though, and then Procrastination will kick in and I'll kick him back.

Maybe I'll write a poem... *disappears*

[9:15 PM]

Two roads diverged in a Kansas wheat field
And I—I took the one trampled the least
And, stopping by the golden heads, I kneeled
And I—I wondered if the gold would go good with yeast.

I'm a very original writer. ^_^ Get it? Wheat, yeast? Bread? BWAH—uh, you didn't get it, did you?....blast.

[9:20 PM]

Maybe this will suit your tastes.

I look up to the starry sky
And see a sickle there
A silver curve about to die
And be reborn anew.

I look up to the starry sky
And see a sickle there
And then, bemused, I wonder why
I look up and think of Dreamworks.

Okay, I admit it. I'm talking for the sake of talking. And now my caramels have run out...

[9:30 PM]

It's really sad when your NaNoWriMo Log is longer than your novel. But I have an excuse—NaNoWriMo doesn't start for another 50 hours!

At any rate, I need to get reading those review copies. And I have church tomorrow. Good night!



DAY -2
(Oct. 30)


WORD COUNT: 0
WORD GOAL: 0

[6:00 PM]

It's been a busy day. Church, lunch with friends, and then we came to our grandparents' for internet. I haven't done any brainstorming, although since I wrote my synopsis, things have been pulling together. I think I have my entire prologue planned out.

I don't have the energy to write much more. <_< I'm 3/4ths of the way through Invasion, though. Not a bad book, though the concept is cheesy.

--

How have you all been doing?  NaNoers, ready for NaNoWriMo?

Kansas - Again!

The farm might not have internet, but it sure fuels inspiration.  I'm going to need it if I'm going to do NaNoWriMo!

A battered stop sign near the farm. :)

The north pasture.  And the cows.  ;)

Both of these pictures were taken by my sister Manny.  We're living at the farm now and loving it!

And good luck to those of you who are doing NaNoWriMo!  Only two days left until it starts!

In Which I Am Not Sure What to Say

Greetings and hallucinations, readers!  I'm back!

(In an all new adventure...)

Don't you just love it that I blog only when I've exhausted all the other things I need/want to do on the internet?

The thing is, I'm not sure what to blog about.  I keep "updating", and I really hate doing the same thing over and over.  It gets old.  And it probably gets old for you.

So what to do?  Let's mix it up.  To the side is a picture that I am very fond of - the Doctor, tipping his Stetson.

And now for updates: as of right now, I'm still planning on doing NaNoWriMo.  We haven't left for Africa yet, but it's looking likely that we'll be off before the month is up.  But we'll see what God has planned, aye?

The novel in question is the Prophecy of Einarr (the title of The Prophecies, Book #2).  So far, I've got a hazy direction for it, and possibly a prologue idea, which is likewise hazy.  Ah, the life of a SOP writer...

I plan to do a lot of brainstorming at the farm this week, however.  It'll be a quiet week, away from civilization (and internet :P), with only school and yardwork to contend with.  Hopefully I can spray some cleaner on this novel and make it shiny instead of hazy.

In the meantime, I'm hoping for snow before we leave for Africa.  It was actually below 30 two nights ago - I can always hope!  A lot of weatherly change can happen in a week.

This turned into an update, didn't it?  Sticklebacks...

So, those of you who are doing NaNoWriMo, what're you doing?  How's the brainstorming/outlining going?  Are you prepared for a month of literary abandon?

If the answer to the latter is no, then you're ready.  It's called "abandon" for a reason.

And, to get this post meaningful in some way or form, here's a little writing tip:

ACTION BEATS


Action beats are extremely useful in dialogue.  In fact, if you use them often enough, it becomes habit and saves you the trouble of editing your dialogue to make it interesting.

Here's a few lines without beats:

"How're you doing?" Joe asked.
"All right," Tom replied.  "You?"
"Well, I'm surviving," he said.

(As a side note, I'd recommend using basic words like "said" in dialogue.  Words like "expostulated" and "screeched" (etc.) distract the reader.  There are purposes for such words, however, if used sparingly in your novel; i.e. "'Forward!' he thundered")

Action beats are basically actions that are used to indicate who is talking in a conversation.  After all, that's why we use phrases like "he said", right?  And it provides a visual of what's happening during the conversation, making the dialogue much more interesting to read.

Here's what action beats are like, used in prose.

Joe plopped himself down beside Tom.  "How're you doing?
"All right." Tom shrugged.  "You?"
"Well..." Joe grimaced. "I'm surviving."

Not the best of writing quality, but it'll do.

So, have you written anything good lately?

With that, I have books to read and more to brainstorm.  Au revior, readers!

::POOF::

Another Little Blog Post

Hey folks!  I'm back again.  It's a little strange for me to blog twice in one day, but I figured I'd get a post in while I can.

Here's what I've been reading/am reading/have to read.

The Book of Names: great book!  I'd recommend a read.  Fantasy lovers should greatly enjoy it. 

Corus the Champion: just finished it today.  It's even better than the sequel. :D  Great story.  Read it, folks!

Can't wait to read this one: the sequel to the previous two, it comes out later this month.

This oddly reminds me of the old Doctor Who credits. xD  Despite the slightly old-school look, it's shaping to be a good book (though I haven't read it yet).  It's sitting on my Kindle and waiting for me.  The last of a trilogy—I'm really excited to read it.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but it's an MLP (Marcher Lord Press, a speculative fiction publisher) book and, from what I read of the Kindle sample, is a going to be a great book.

Recently republished by Marcher Lord Press, Kathy Tyers' Firebird Trilogy is supposed to be one of the great sci-fi classics of Christian fiction.  Besides, it's 1100 pages—I wish all books were that size!

Have any of you read any of these books?  If so, what did you think?

Have YOU read anything awesome lately?

Over and out,

NaNoWriMo

I'm planning on doing it.  The Prophecies, Book Two.  I've got death and twists and pain and...maybe a couple happy scenes.  Maybe just one.  Or...never mind.

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN...

And that's about it. ;)  I don't get much time to write these blog posts, y'know.  How's it going with you all?

Quick Update, Folks

Hey, readers, it's me!

I'm trying to type up a quick update on how things are going but my hands and my fingers—GAH—itch!  Mosquitoes love me...and all they can eat are my hands.  All the rest of me is secure.

Anyhow!

First, writing-related news.  The short story I'm working on, the Letter, is getting close to the climax.  However, I've hit some plot problems and I'm trying to work them out.

I started a rewrite on the Book of Shaldu not too long ago. Due to the fact that the heavily narrative and telling style of the novel was strewn throughout the entire book, it's just about easier to rewrite the whole thing with properly corrected prose and also fix the numerous plot holes.

I'm also thinking about doing NaNoWriMo.  In Africa. (No, we haven't left yet, but it's likely that we will before November rolls around.)  It would be crazy.

Crazy awesome.

Other-news-wise, yesterday was my day-of-birth.  It was an absolutely fantastic day.  And, (we didn't even plan it that way) my friend Millard came and stayed at our house while he was in KC.  He's a great guy. :D

My sister Manny also cooked up some awesomeness.  Literally and figuratively.  She and Mom made pie and cheesecake that night, and Manny came home with clothing as a birthday gift.

But it wasn't your normal clothing gift.

No, sirr'ee.

She bought me a—

GENUINE—

BUTTON-UP—

TAN-COLORED—

TRENCHCOAT.

I've been wearing it since.  I'm wearing it now, actually.  It's EPIC.

Well, I have to fly.  See ya, folks!