Kindling

So, I'm hitting that awkward point in plotting. You know the one I mean. Where all of the fluffy ideas are becoming real and certain problems present themselves. Occassionally, we are so hung up on one part of an idea that is SO important, we forget to be practical and fill in the rest of the missing parts. In my case, I realized that I. Have. No. Villain. ::facepalm:: I am totally on the side of those people who posit that a villain can make or break a story. The villain introduces the largest conflict and needs to be legitimate enough to warrant the reader's concern for the hero. Voldemort was a good foil for Hitler, a man that took advantage of the prejudice of others in order to seize power for his own use. Robin Hood has Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, men who grab power in a moment of their nation's weakness. In the MCU we are moving toward the fight with Thanos, a villain who wants power of a cosmic level with the Infinity Gauntlet. Are we sensing a them...

In the past, I have always used MS Word for writing. It was a lover of convenience. I needed it, it was there waiting for me. It was simple and that was fine. But, my eyes have been opened anew by finding a program that is made for writers. Nay, I daresay, for ME! Forgive me for waxing poetic, but Scrivener is freaking awesome. Not only is it set up to easily separate the chapters for easy navigation. You can include a synopsis of each chapter, notes, pictures, links and more. There are sections for research and I can even keyword sections with 'bitch alert' for easy access to find the catfight scenes again for later reference. I mean, how great is that? Oh, but there is more. I plan on publishing on Createspace once I get through editing. In order to format the novel, page breaks are required at the end of each chapter. Not a problem, I can do that on Word. But with Scrivener, I just have to check a book and it automatically formats it for me. So, this is love. Right? ...

So, I've reached that point in my preparation. I have developed the fluff clouds of wispy ideas into solid constructs of plot and characters and this novel has turned from a feathery idea into something more real. Now is when it gets hard. Broad strokes are easy. As they say, the devil is in the details. I'm actually not 100% sure that I'm using that expression correctly, but you get my point. It is easy to say that I have an idea for a grand adventure with a ragtag cast of characters. But sitting down to hammer out the details of those people, places and events can get sticky. It is rather like falling in love. Infatuation is largely you falling in love with your idea of who this other person is. Rarely are they exactly as you imagine. It is easy to fall in love. What takes work is getting to know this other person that is inherently different than you and still loving them. What am I working on that is giving me fits? Well, it's so nice of you to ask! I have ind...

Those of you that have been following my journey thus far, know that I'm currently deep in preparation for my next novel that I'll be writing over the course of Camp Nanowrimo, the 'write a novel in a month' marathon of the summer during the month of July. I've gone from wanting to write but having NO ideas to being struck with inspiration and running headlong into my prep with open arms. So pumped for Saturday. THIS Saturday. Which is when I had in my mind that Camp was starting. You know, July...........THAT IS NEXT WEEKEND!!! What is wrong with me?!?! Somehow, in my tiny, convuluted little brain, I thought that July 1st was this Saturday and I was on track and giving myself cute little goals for prep and everything. Nope, nope, nope. ::frustrated sigh:: ... ... ... But, I will NOT let this dampen my sunny outlook or sense of positivity. In fact, I will treat this as a gift. I have been GIVEN(bymyownstupidity) one extra week of prep-time. What will I fill ...

Oooo things are happening. I've heard writers talk about 'the magic' before and it is 100% truth. Sometimes, you sit down to write and, lo and behold, ideas are there, the words are flowing, plots are coming together. It feels charmed/meant to be/freaking amazing. I have had that in buckets and I'm so thankful. It is tough going without it. Think riding a bike up a mountainside versus coasting blissfully down a smooth gentle slope. Effortlessness makes it all feel so much better. Not that I haven't been working, mind you. In my previous post I had listed four items of prep work to get done so that I would be ready for my pre-writing routine. I am happy to report that, yes, I did walk right out the door after I pushed 'Send' on my last blog post to get that book on writing out of my car trunk. Not only that, I read a few pages out of it. Trust me, that is awesome for me. I am a voracious reader...of fiction. Non-fiction has always been more of a struggl...

So. in my previous post I talked about how I'm embarking on a quest. This Saturday will be the first day of Camp Nanowrimo and mark the beginning of my new novel. Now, like everything else with the Camp, there are no hard and fast rules. But it is designed that you are not to begin until midnight Friday. Not everyone listens. But if you do, it does prompt you to be busy during these few days leading up to it. The prep going into a novel can go one of two ways. Hopefully it gives you the structure and support to make your plot clear, your characters cohesive and get you across the awkward middle hump between introducing your characters and their 'final battle'. OR, it can bog you down in uncertainty and minutiae from which you will never escape. I have experienced both. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the first. So, while the first chapter might be the first steps we take come Saturday, this period is very much like a meta-first chapter. We are going to lay down s...

Whether you are a creative person that is constantly a fountain of ideas and inspiration (I hate you, btw) or someone that tries to be creative and chases ideas and hopes for a drop of inspiration here and there, you know what it is like when a fun idea hits you. All of a sudden, you are bathed in golden light, ethereal voices sing and BAM! you are given the gift. That was me this morning. I am one of those stupid people that wants to be a writer except that I never write. Once upon a time, I wrote every day and had a steady feed of inspiration and creativity. But, like an untrod path grows over, the less I wrote, the more trouble I had being inspired to write. So, when quite by chance, I was messaged on Facebook by someone wondering if I was going to participate in Camp Nanowrimo this year, I felt a calling. For those of you that don't know, Nanowrimo stands for NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth, which is November of every year. There is a central website that it is ru...