Back on the Horse

Well, it's been a while, eh?

Here are some things you should know:

1. I won NaNoWriMo!
2. No, I'm not ready to post it yet. The novel isn't done even though I hit 50K.
3. I am getting surgery soon so I will probably be grumpy.
4. I finished The Witch's Daughter! Congratulations to me.
5. I'm submitting The Second Sister to L-book.com

Wait, backtrack. WHAT?

Yes, it is time for me to get back on the horse. I decided to give it another go and submit my baby, the first full-length novel I ever completed, to a publishing house that I very much respect. I have purchased stories from L-book in the past and was very pleased with the content. Although I was originally leaning towards print media, since most of my fans are online anyway, I think this might be an even better option! I am sure they would give my story a good home and hope that they like what they see.

I would like to thank all of you for your continuing support and all the lovely feedback and e-mails I get. I save them all and read them when I feel depressed, and it just really brightens my life. You guys all rock so hard!

It's back into the big, bad, scary world of publishing for me.

By the way, in the event that L-book doesn't think The Second Sister is right for them (I really hope they do!), I might need some other good ideas for publishing houses. I am NOT giving up until I get this baby in print one way or the other. It's a damn good story and it's worth putting out there for people to read! It took me a while to overcome my shyness, but Rae is back, baby, and she really wants to make a go of this whole novelist thing.

By the way, here's the Bio I sent them, just in case you were curious:

********* **********, writing under the pen name Rae D. Magdon, is a music student at the *** ***** ****** ** ***** in ********, **, working towards her undergraduate degree in Flute Performance. During the past two years, she has chosen to share her writing on such websites as The Academy of Bards and The Athenaeum, where she has received recognition and several awards for her first novel, The Second Sister. Its two sequels, Wolf’s Eyes and The Witch’s Daughter, were also well received upon completion, and the last book in the series, Mirror, Mirror, is outlined and half-completed. She has also written several non-fantasy novels, including Chopin at 3:00 in the Morning, a modern-day romance; Death Wears Yellow Garters, a light, “tea-cozy” lesbian murder mystery; and My Name Is Brianna, a young-adult novel about the struggles of a MTF transsexual and her lesbian sister. In her spare time, she enjoys dabbling in Alex Cabot/Olivia Benson Law and Order fanfiction, spending quality time with her girlfriend of six years, and hiding from her best friend’s purebred Flatcoats so that they do not eat her.

Character Letters

Today, as an inspirational exercise (and also to vent my frustrations), I am going to write Dear Character letters. These can be fun to write from either point of view, Author or Characters. Hehe



Dear Tess,

You really need to trust Robin more. I know you just met, but she's an FBI agent and she'll help you find your blackmailer, I promise! Oh, and she's handy with a crop, if you're interested by the end of the book... *coughcough*

Love,

Rae


Dear Robin,

I promise Tess isn't really a jerk. Cross my heart. She doesn't mean to keep leading you on and then dumping you, she's just scared. Ignore everything she tells you! IGNOOORE.

Love,

Rae



Dear Samantha,

You are a fun character, but you are supposed to be a supportive friend, not a romantic lead. Please try to be in less scenes. And I know you are a former prostitute, but please stop sleeping with my FMC so she can hook up with the love of her life. Do it or I will come up with something horrible to happen to you!

Love,

Rae



Tomorrow, I am going to post some of the novel "framework" planning I have done for my NaNo so you can see how I did it using the Snowflake Method, a method I have never tried until this month. It is working great so far and I feel really prepared.

Word Wars, Websites, Software, and an Exercise

First of all, I would like to apologize for the long break. I have been getting ready for NaNoWriMo! So far, I made my first day's quota and I'm about to get started on day 2. If you are not doing NaNoWriMo, shame on you. Everyone should try. Worst thing that can happen is you don't make 50K, but you still have some writing done that you can save for later. There is no downside as long as you don't put too much pressure on yourself.


Word Wars:

NaNo is all about the word count. It is a great motivator - it gets you past that annoying rough patch where you want every word to sparkle and shine, so you never get past the first page of your project. It encourages you to spit out whatever is in your brain regardless of whether you actually use it later. Word Wars are a wonderful way to spark your creativity.

Find a friend (or several) who are doing NaNo. This is easy to do, because the NaNoWriMo boards are full of them. Pick a generic time (:30 after the hour, :45, ect) and get going. Post your results and share snippets. This can be done on a forum, over AIM, or even on Facebook. If you'd like to do some Word Warring with me, feel free to IM me at RaeDMagdon and challenge me. Of course, it doesn't matter who wins, no one really remembers or cares anyway. It's all about boosting your wordcount and sharing the results!


Websites
Also, I would like to give all of you NaNo-ers some references that I think will help you on your quest to write the Next Great Novel.

1. Language is a Virus www.languageisavirus.com

A great prompt site with lots of fun word games to get you typing away.


2. www.hollylisle.com

Check out this awesome author's website and read her treatises on style, plotting, and worldbuilding.


3. www.nanowrimo.org

This one is obvious. I cannot recommend the forums here highly enough.


4. www.oneword.com

Self-explanatory once you go there.


Software:
Now for the software. Against my better judgment, I purchased some writing/novel plotting software today that, despite my reservations, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE. I am sure that many of you have heard of the Snowflake Method, a system developed by Randy Ingermanson. It is based on the idea that you expand your novel's plot out like a snowflake until you have it down to the minute details. I was not a fan of the Snowflake Method, preferring to ride by the seat of my pants, but I have changed my tune since buying this software. I am enjoying it immensely so far and have come up with a bunch of different plot points that I had not thought of before! Check it out at www.advancedfictionwriting.com

The software is fairly expensive at $100 (I got it for $50 because I already owned the book Fiction Writing for Dummies). For ME it has been worth it, but only you can decide which writing software is the best for you to use, if any. I am still a huge fan of good ol' pen and paper/Microsoft Word.


Exercise:

I have discussed this before, but I'd like to re-share one of my favorite inspirational writing games. Take a poem (I like Christina Rossetti). Choose a vivid word from each line of the poem. If you really want to, you can skip a line, but not doing so makes the game more fun. Then, write a few paragraphs and include all the words you chose. It's that easy! It will stretch your imagination, and you get to use some very fun words. Great for getting started on a scene for your NaNo.

Down and Dirty Tricks for Word Count Padding

Since NaNoWriMo is coming up (hence why I have been so busy preparing instead of posting on this blog), I decided to post a few tricks I have used to pad my word count.

1. If you are stuck on a scene and feel like working on something else instead (like homework, eugh, who does HOMEWORK anyway?), skip ahead to a completely unrelated scene and write that first.

2. Find a random word generator or use lines in a famous poem as word prompts. You have to include one of the words you pick every few sentences. I like Christina Rossetti. =D Virginia Woolf or Emily Dickenson are also good choices. Or Poe, if you're feeling dreary.

3. Write sex scenes. Lots of sex scenes. This is absolutely the biggest word count padder I know of. It adds a good 1000 -5000 words depending on the level of detail, and it's the same basic actions and metaphors in a fresh, sexy new setting over and over again! You don't have to come up with something completely original... Insert Tab A into Slot B, you know? Of course, you want to make it sound original and fresh, but you can do that after November 30th when you edit.

4. Write dialogue. Lots of dialogue. Before characters do anything, have them whine about it. This will give you pages and pages of word count. Just a warning, it might make your readers want to bang their head against the wall, but you can tweak/cut/polish it later.

5. Steal ideas. Steal as many ideas as you can get your greedy hands on. Just don't let anyone know where you got them. If they still stick out a little after November 30th, you can always go back, remember? That's what December is for, after all.

6. Go to the NaNo boards and start WORD WARS with people. If any of you want to start a Word War with me, my AIM SN is RaeDMagdon and you can message me whenever I'm on or add me to your buddy list. I'd be more than happy to go nano -a -nano with you and pound out some 5, 10, or 15 minute sprints one on one or in a group chat. I absolutely love word wars.

7. Write out some planned scenes beforehand. It seems like common sense, but just writing out a one sentence descriptor for a few "chocolate bar" scenes - exciting scenes you reward yourself with after you have written a lot of 'filler' material - can be very inspiring and give you a place to start if you are stuck.


Note: Some of this advice might not produce GOOD writing, but it will definitely produce writing of some kind. The more you write, the more likely that when you start culling the horrible parts, you'll still have something good left over. Write even if it's bad. Write even if it's absolutely terrible. If you just keep typing words on the screen (or penning thoughtful verses in your handy dandy spiral notebook), at least some of it is bound to be good, right? Let's hope so...

NaNoWriMo Approaches!

NaNoWriMo is coming faster than you think!

*Snerk* Ha, that's what she said. But anyway, here are some ways to come up with great ideas (besides trolling the NaNo forums, which ALL OF YOU SHOULD BE DOING).


1. Write about what scares you.

I'm serious. Write about what scares you, haunts you, or fascinates you. At the risk of sounding like a vampire Harlequin, find the dark desires inside of you and bring them out, even if you think you can't do it. Too embarrassed to write about sex or romance? Write erotica for NaNo. Think you could never tackle fantasy? Write a fantasy novel. Drool over stories with a love triangle, betrayal, or character death? Get angsty. Do what you think you can't and you will probably find that you can.


2. Get out a pen and paper.

Again, I'm serious. I know most of us writers are glued to our computers, but there's just something about the feel of a pen in your hand as it marks up a crisp white sheet of notebook paper that cannot be replicated by the tapping of keys. You can always type up your thoughts later.


3. Grab a friend.

Discuss plot with a friend. Role play with a friend. Goof off with a friend after drinking way too many Red Bulls (or maybe something stronger if you are old enough). Save the conversations if they take place online. If they take place in real life, carry a notebook with you and do your best to remember what was said. For online writers to talk to, go to the NaNo forums! There are tons of people there.


4. Write some stream of consciousness warm-ups

You can write anything you want ahead of NaNo except the actual novel, so do a few pages of stream-of-consciousness type writing for your favorite characters. It's a great way to find out what motivates them, how they speak, how they act, and who they are. Besides, you might come up with an excellent plot that way.


5. Break out the spreadsheet

Use Excel, Word, or a plain old piece of paper to graph, chart, or just plain list the scenes in your novel in any way you like. I still prefer pen and paper or just a plain old Word document, but some people have tons of cool word processing software that can organize it all pretty-like.


6. Play around on BabyNameGenerator. Or any other generator.

There are so many writing generators and prompts on the internet that it's not even funny. For some help getting started, visit www.languageisavirus.com It has all kinds of cool writing games to play.

Sorry if this post is slightly crazy, it's really early in the morning and I'm hyper for no reason.



And just for me, here's my To-Do List:


Original Fiction:

The Witch's Daughter (2000 more words to go!!!)

All The Pretty Things (NaNoWriMo)

Mirror, Mirror (seq. to TSS, WE, and TWD)

Lilith's Redemption

Sonata Form (seq. to Chopin)



Fanfiction:

What Happens In Provincetown (L&O/R&I)

It Happened One Night (L&O)

Sequel to Magnetic Resistance (L&O)

By Courier (L&O/DWP)

Twi-hate: The Descent Into Madness (L&O/Legally Blonde/Twilight)

Desperation (R&I, seq. to Denial)



Random Pairings I want to write at some point...

Something Kim/Shego (Kim Possible anyone?)
Something Mirandy (Devil Wears Prada)
Something Harley/Ivy (Batman)


.... yes, I am a pervert and a dork. I don't care. I'm also sure I've forgotten some projects on the lists...

NaNoWriMo or How To Plan Your Novel

Everyone that reads this blog should GET EXCITED. It's the month of October now, and you all know what that means: it's only 1 more month until NaNoWriMo!

For those of you that don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, a 30 day race to write 50,000 words during the month of November. It starts at 12:00 AM on November 1st and ends at 11:59 PM on November 30th. Check out the website at www.nanowrimo.org and get pumped! They have all sorts of cool forums, word counting devices, ways to procrastinate and build your world, and tons of different groups to join. During the month there are Word Wars to boost your word count, forum doctors that will help revitalize your sick and/or dying plot, adoptable characters and plots, and experts in just about any field imaginable. The forums are so much fun that they can distract you from actually getting any writing done!

Last year, I won NaNo (everyone wins as long as you complete 50,000 words in the space of 30 days) with my murder mystery: Death Wears Yellow Garters. All of you can go read it if you are so inclined. It has lesbian sex, crazy relatives, evil dogs, and, of course, a murder that has to be solved.

You can do as much planning as you want before November, but no actual writing. I am actually cheating, and I am going to finish my Senator's Daughter storyline that I started and stopped at 5,000 words (I'm still writing 50,000 words at least, so I'm not skimping on the word count, but I did start early. Shhhh, don't tell!)

Assuming you aren't like me and don't want to "bend the rules", per se, go ahead and start planning instead of beginning your actual novel. That can be a lot of work in and of itself. Write out some character names. Summarize your novel in ten words, three sentences, one paragraph, one page. Use an excel sheet to write a short summary for each chapter. Draw a fun graph with colors. Break out the crayons and put together a map if you are using a fantasy or sci-fi world. Draw your characters. Just draw rainbows if it inspires you. Write poems. Write short excerpts from the point of view of your characters. Just get planning. Hook up with other writers and discuss your ideas. Lurk on the NaNo boards. Visit the Adoptables threads to get some ideas.

Get pumped, because it's going to be a huge sprint to the finish.

What are you doing for NaNo? Tell me in comments, which I always read even if I occasionally get distracted and forget to respond.