I'm so excited!!! I'm so going. All events are free and open to the public except the Author Smackdown. (But I'm guessing $5 will be well worth it to watch all 20 authors on stage at once.) Check it out!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
YallFest Charleston Young Adult Book Festival
I just learned that this weekend, Charleston is holding the 1st annual YallFest. It's bringing 20 top YA authors (including my new fav, Beth Revis) for two days of seminars, master classes, and smackdown.
I'm so excited!!! I'm so going. All events are free and open to the public except the Author Smackdown. (But I'm guessing $5 will be well worth it to watch all 20 authors on stage at once.) Check it out!
I'm so excited!!! I'm so going. All events are free and open to the public except the Author Smackdown. (But I'm guessing $5 will be well worth it to watch all 20 authors on stage at once.) Check it out!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
NaNo Day 6 Live-Blog
8:27a: *rolls over and looks at the clock* I'm not sure if it's really 8:27 or 7:27. Thanks Daylight Savings...
7:50a: Yep, it was 7:27. I need coffee.
8:18a: Coffee is brewing and I'm blogging. Two more minutes to check facebook/emails, then time to write.
8:45a: Two minutes turned into twelve. However, dishwasher is now emptied and coffee is in hand. Hubby is making breakfast (hooray) so I need to get a few hundred words written before that's ready...
8:54a: Name! A Name! I need to name this beautiful boy!!
Word Count: 30
9:11a: Still no name. I'm about to just write 'boy'.
Word Count: 217
10:35a: Fed, showered, and moved to a less distracting writing area.
Word Count: Same. But wait till you see the next update....
11:18a: Plodding through a difficult section. I'm starting to get worried.
Word Count: 425, but I have a good 10 hours or more. That's just 408 words an hour. I can do this, I can do this...
11:40a: A Name! I found a name!!!
11:52a: Hubby will be leaving for work soon. I'll be in need of a cheering section, if you're up for it:
Word Count: 582
11:58a: SOMEBODY MAKE TIME SLOW DOWN!!!!!
12:06p: If I make it to 1000, I can get a snack. Yeah, I'm bargaining now.
Word Count: 708
12:30p: So, maybe the threat of food works...or maybe I've gotten past the trickier part. Either way, it's time for lunch
Word Count: 1011!!!
12:59p: Quick snack. Furious typing and a phone call.
Word Count: 1111. Hehehe. That's fun.
1:13p: Hitting a stride, but 4500 seems so far away...
Word Count:1322.
1:43p: Just found an invisible staircase. Huh, didn't know that was there...
Word Count:1611
2:11p: Car alarm made me jump out of my skin. Hahaha! Well, maybe you had to be here.
Word Count: 1865
2:29p: My cat is whining pathetically outside the door. Time for a break.
Word Count: 2012!!!!! (that reminds me, isn't the world supposed to end soon?)
3:47p: Snacked a little - there's nothing really in the house to snack on, so I settled for a couple of pickles. Must put grocery shopping on the list of things to do tomorrow. Rested a little and watched one episode of Ugly Betty. :) Now we're back to it.
Word Count: 2208
3:48p: I'm at a crossroads. Not sure what to write next. Finished one thought and I know what happens next on one side, but not on the other...Need coffee.
3:50p: *watches coffee pot slowly drip*
3:51p: *wonders why she's loosing followers on twitter* (couldn't have anything to do with the nonsense going on here, right? This is riveting stuff!)
3:55p: Finally! Coffee!!
Word Count: Same. But I'm on my way to being caffeinated and am wearing jingle bell rings to keep we alert. Now if the phone would just stop ringing...
5:03p: The good news. I'm half way to my overall goal today. I've worked some more on the outline and I'm starting to think I'll have no problem getting to 50,000 eventually. (It's a surprisingly complicated plot.) The bad news. It's after 5 and I'm only half done! It's been 8 hours already! Mini Goal: 3000 words before dinner.
Word Count: 2268 (yes, that's right. only 60 words written in the last 2 1/2 hours. Yikes.
5:09p: I mentioned dinner. Now all I can think about is dinner. Mmmm yummy dinner.
5:35p: Got my groove back:
Word Count: 2598! Let's do this. Can I get a Hell Yeah?! *raises hand to ear*
(cricket, cricket)
6:12p: Word Count: 3020! Time to eat!
7:39p: Took more time than I probably should have. But I watched the Packers win! Now I'm looking for a third wind. Could so use a pep talk, but I've already read NaNo's twice.
7:56p: Plodding along. Words, words, words...The stories moving, but I'm not so worried about the sentence quality right now.
Word Count: 3245
8:13p: So tired, so very tired. Want to stop, really want to stop.
8:17p: Beth has joined the game! Hooray! We CAN do this! You're right, Beth! Go, Go, Go!!!!! (Note the use of exclamation points!!!)
Word Count: 3447
8:35p: Overall word count just crossed 9,000!!!!! Holy cow, I just might actually do this. Less than a thousand to go...ha!
Word Count: 3560
8:57p: I wasted a few minutes writing an email. Beth, you're totally going to beat me! :)
9:20p: Word Count 4021! I'm so going to do this! I'm so sick of sitting!!! So many things to exclaim! (so little time.)
Word Count: 3704. Under 800 to go...
9:35p: Word Count: 4159. Motivation slowing....Congrats Beth! So happy for you!!!
10:04p: In general, my whole body is getting shaky. I have a new found understanding of Stephanie's/Beth's Blog Bet.
Word Count: 4436. Break out the drum roll.... :)
10:14p: Bed Time (I'm singing it) Bed Time!!! So happy to sleep!!!
Word Count: 4575.
And I'm out. Wooo!!!! Thanks for taking the journey with me. I appreciate the support!
7:50a: Yep, it was 7:27. I need coffee.
8:18a: Coffee is brewing and I'm blogging. Two more minutes to check facebook/emails, then time to write.
8:45a: Two minutes turned into twelve. However, dishwasher is now emptied and coffee is in hand. Hubby is making breakfast (hooray) so I need to get a few hundred words written before that's ready...
8:54a: Name! A Name! I need to name this beautiful boy!!
Word Count: 30
9:11a: Still no name. I'm about to just write 'boy'.
Word Count: 217
10:35a: Fed, showered, and moved to a less distracting writing area.
Word Count: Same. But wait till you see the next update....
11:18a: Plodding through a difficult section. I'm starting to get worried.
Word Count: 425, but I have a good 10 hours or more. That's just 408 words an hour. I can do this, I can do this...
11:40a: A Name! I found a name!!!
11:52a: Hubby will be leaving for work soon. I'll be in need of a cheering section, if you're up for it:
Word Count: 582
11:58a: SOMEBODY MAKE TIME SLOW DOWN!!!!!
12:06p: If I make it to 1000, I can get a snack. Yeah, I'm bargaining now.
Word Count: 708
12:30p: So, maybe the threat of food works...or maybe I've gotten past the trickier part. Either way, it's time for lunch
Word Count: 1011!!!
12:59p: Quick snack. Furious typing and a phone call.
Word Count: 1111. Hehehe. That's fun.
1:13p: Hitting a stride, but 4500 seems so far away...
Word Count:1322.
1:43p: Just found an invisible staircase. Huh, didn't know that was there...
Word Count:1611
2:11p: Car alarm made me jump out of my skin. Hahaha! Well, maybe you had to be here.
Word Count: 1865
2:29p: My cat is whining pathetically outside the door. Time for a break.
Word Count: 2012!!!!! (that reminds me, isn't the world supposed to end soon?)
3:47p: Snacked a little - there's nothing really in the house to snack on, so I settled for a couple of pickles. Must put grocery shopping on the list of things to do tomorrow. Rested a little and watched one episode of Ugly Betty. :) Now we're back to it.
Word Count: 2208
3:48p: I'm at a crossroads. Not sure what to write next. Finished one thought and I know what happens next on one side, but not on the other...Need coffee.
3:50p: *watches coffee pot slowly drip*
3:51p: *wonders why she's loosing followers on twitter* (couldn't have anything to do with the nonsense going on here, right? This is riveting stuff!)
3:55p: Finally! Coffee!!
Word Count: Same. But I'm on my way to being caffeinated and am wearing jingle bell rings to keep we alert. Now if the phone would just stop ringing...
5:03p: The good news. I'm half way to my overall goal today. I've worked some more on the outline and I'm starting to think I'll have no problem getting to 50,000 eventually. (It's a surprisingly complicated plot.) The bad news. It's after 5 and I'm only half done! It's been 8 hours already! Mini Goal: 3000 words before dinner.
Word Count: 2268 (yes, that's right. only 60 words written in the last 2 1/2 hours. Yikes.
5:09p: I mentioned dinner. Now all I can think about is dinner. Mmmm yummy dinner.
5:35p: Got my groove back:
Word Count: 2598! Let's do this. Can I get a Hell Yeah?! *raises hand to ear*
(cricket, cricket)
6:12p: Word Count: 3020! Time to eat!
7:39p: Took more time than I probably should have. But I watched the Packers win! Now I'm looking for a third wind. Could so use a pep talk, but I've already read NaNo's twice.
7:56p: Plodding along. Words, words, words...The stories moving, but I'm not so worried about the sentence quality right now.
Word Count: 3245
8:13p: So tired, so very tired. Want to stop, really want to stop.
8:17p: Beth has joined the game! Hooray! We CAN do this! You're right, Beth! Go, Go, Go!!!!! (Note the use of exclamation points!!!)
Word Count: 3447
8:35p: Overall word count just crossed 9,000!!!!! Holy cow, I just might actually do this. Less than a thousand to go...ha!
Word Count: 3560
8:57p: I wasted a few minutes writing an email. Beth, you're totally going to beat me! :)
9:20p: Word Count 4021! I'm so going to do this! I'm so sick of sitting!!! So many things to exclaim! (so little time.)
Word Count: 3704. Under 800 to go...
9:35p: Word Count: 4159. Motivation slowing....Congrats Beth! So happy for you!!!
10:04p: In general, my whole body is getting shaky. I have a new found understanding of Stephanie's/Beth's Blog Bet.
Word Count: 4436. Break out the drum roll.... :)
10:14p: Bed Time (I'm singing it) Bed Time!!! So happy to sleep!!!
Word Count: 4575.
And I'm out. Wooo!!!! Thanks for taking the journey with me. I appreciate the support!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
NaNo Sprint
I've been terrible the last couple of days with word counts. I wrote 201 words today. Eek. Tomorrow I rectify my bad behavior and to that end I'm setting a crazy, catch-up kind of goal.
4500 words tomorrow. That's my goal. I'll do my own little live-blog and keep you updated as to where I am and what I'm procrastinating with. (with what I'm procrastinating?)
That is not to say that I haven't made progress in the last two days. There has been much outlining and brainstorming...also much Starbucksing and window shopping...
I'm off to sleep now, because as you can see, my writing is going down hill.
We'll talk more in the morning.
4500 words tomorrow. That's my goal. I'll do my own little live-blog and keep you updated as to where I am and what I'm procrastinating with. (with what I'm procrastinating?)
That is not to say that I haven't made progress in the last two days. There has been much outlining and brainstorming...also much Starbucksing and window shopping...
I'm off to sleep now, because as you can see, my writing is going down hill.
We'll talk more in the morning.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Discouragement
You know the scene in Anne of Green gables where Gilbert is telling Anne to stop writing her sensational stories and to just write about what she knows and loves. Ahh, Gilbert...*dreams for a moment*
Anyway, I'm starting to worry that my little adventure is going to fall on the melodramatic side and no one will like it. I know, I know, it's day 4 of a long journey: 30 days of spitting out plot, dialogue, landscape will hopefully result in a pile of papers that I can then spend the next few months making readable.
It's too soon to be despairing, but it's never to early to be discouraged.
And then I got a text from a new friend:
"So are you going to be famous soon?"
To which I laughingly replied:
"Only if you know something I don't"
And he said:
"Well, I have faith in you."
Oh, good timing! Oh, wonderful encouragement!
Let's get back to work!
Word count so far today:
I spent most of this morning outlining. I needed to brainstorm a little. Do those words count?
P.S. Check out Maureen Johnson's blog for some good advise.
Anyway, I'm starting to worry that my little adventure is going to fall on the melodramatic side and no one will like it. I know, I know, it's day 4 of a long journey: 30 days of spitting out plot, dialogue, landscape will hopefully result in a pile of papers that I can then spend the next few months making readable.
It's too soon to be despairing, but it's never to early to be discouraged.
And then I got a text from a new friend:
"So are you going to be famous soon?"
To which I laughingly replied:
"Only if you know something I don't"
And he said:
"Well, I have faith in you."
Oh, good timing! Oh, wonderful encouragement!
Let's get back to work!
Word count so far today:
I spent most of this morning outlining. I needed to brainstorm a little. Do those words count?
P.S. Check out Maureen Johnson's blog for some good advise.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
NaNo Ideas
So, I got a little distracted today. It's still early, so we'll see what I can pull out of my literary hat yet. Basically, I had to run an errand at the mall and suddenly found myself with peppermint mocha in hand, fingering pretty sequined dresses and fair isle sweaters. It just felt good to be walking and interacting with other human beings - I hadn't left the house in...what day is it?...yikes, 6 days. Okay, so maybe getting distracted was necessary today. Still, I have only 450 words so far and I've discovered that I need to write a song. One with old, meaningful lyrics that are somehow important to the story. Well, while I work on that, here are a few sites that are going around on twitter that might help us:
Emotion chart: if you realize you're using the same one over and over, check this out.
If you need a pep talk this is fun.
Tips from Anthony Francis, Jr: 6 time NaNo winner. Chris Baty tweeted this himself.
Words of Inspiration:
From the fabulous Pat Blogahan (Lead Vocalist of Train):
Autumn is probably my favorite time of year. The colors mean everything to me. I’ve always felt like autumn inside. Leaves, which are green and unnoticed for much of their life spans, become vibrant and filled with personality and reason to pay attention.
Its a reminder that you can’t ever expect anyone to know your potential. Only you know your potential. Only you know what your capable of and what your boundaries and limitations are.
Happy Writing!
Emotion chart: if you realize you're using the same one over and over, check this out.
If you need a pep talk this is fun.
Tips from Anthony Francis, Jr: 6 time NaNo winner. Chris Baty tweeted this himself.
Words of Inspiration:
From the fabulous Pat Blogahan (Lead Vocalist of Train):
Autumn is probably my favorite time of year. The colors mean everything to me. I’ve always felt like autumn inside. Leaves, which are green and unnoticed for much of their life spans, become vibrant and filled with personality and reason to pay attention.
Its a reminder that you can’t ever expect anyone to know your potential. Only you know your potential. Only you know what your capable of and what your boundaries and limitations are.
Happy Writing!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Day 2: My brain's getting fuzzy.
Word count-wise I'm feeling pretty good about NaNo progress. However, I feel that today's quality of work has gone down a little. Oh well, words are words. I'll deal with quality after November - I just don't want to feel like I have delete it all and start over. It's probably because I did a lot of description today and not much plot. I'll have to remedy that. Tomorrow will be better, I can feel it. :) How are you doing?
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
1st NaNo Update
Today I met a shape-shifter who has forgotten how to shift shapes.
Who have you met today? What did you learn about them?
I feel that this is a promising start! I've complete day one's goal of 1700 words. I'm going to try and go back to it after updating everything and get to 2000.
P.S. Check out Beth Revis' new contest here. Blog about your favorite book and you could win 19 Young Adult books - most signed by the authors!
Who have you met today? What did you learn about them?
I feel that this is a promising start! I've complete day one's goal of 1700 words. I'm going to try and go back to it after updating everything and get to 2000.
P.S. Check out Beth Revis' new contest here. Blog about your favorite book and you could win 19 Young Adult books - most signed by the authors!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)