...I think I'm going to fail NaNoWriMo.
I mean, I won't if I lower my word count goal to 30,000. Most likely I'll win. It won't feel like an accomplishment though, since I wrote 80,000 words for The Night Phoenix last year.
But I guess things are busier. Or it might just be my loss of energy. It's kind of both--my family and I are very busy, and I don't have much energy this month. I blame it on emotional instability.
Ah, well. I guess I just have to give up writing a novel in a month and take a few months instead. All I've finished on my Calendar is editing my friend's novel. I've only written about 20,000 words so far on Operation Valiant--that's really bad, even for me.
I feel very ashamed of myself. But I keep telling myself I shouldn't, because it takes professional writers themselves a whole year to write a novel. It might take me a few extra months; hardly something to cry about.
And so... yeah, I don't know. I'll probably focus on writing Calm Tom Dawson so I can get self-publishing that out of the way, then editing The Night Phoenix. Then I'll most likely spend Camp NaNoWriMo of next year working on Operation Valiant some more.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Another New Writing Schedule
Okay, here's an updated
version of my writing schedule for the next few months--circumstances have
changed, thus so does the calendar.
~
November -- Write the first draft of Operation Valiant; finish editing a novel for a friend; begin a novella called Calm Tom Dawson.
December -- Finish editing The Night Phoenix; try to finish Calm Tom Dawson;
January -- Work on a query letter for The Night Phoenix; if I haven't yet, I have to finish Calm Tom Dawson; give The Night Phoenix a few last check-overs.
February -- Send the query letter for The Night Phoenix to Mr. Rothe at Black Rose Writing; edit Calm Tom Dawson.
March -- Begin work on self-publishing Calm Tom Dawson (cover art, final edits, formatting)
April -- Self-publish Calm Tom Dawson; return to Operation Valiant and edit the first draft.
May -- Take a break before I fall down dead.
~
November -- Write the first draft of Operation Valiant; finish editing a novel for a friend; begin a novella called Calm Tom Dawson.
December -- Finish editing The Night Phoenix; try to finish Calm Tom Dawson;
January -- Work on a query letter for The Night Phoenix; if I haven't yet, I have to finish Calm Tom Dawson; give The Night Phoenix a few last check-overs.
February -- Send the query letter for The Night Phoenix to Mr. Rothe at Black Rose Writing; edit Calm Tom Dawson.
March -- Begin work on self-publishing Calm Tom Dawson (cover art, final edits, formatting)
April -- Self-publish Calm Tom Dawson; return to Operation Valiant and edit the first draft.
May -- Take a break before I fall down dead.
Friday, November 2, 2012
NaNoWriMo has arrived.
And I'm panicking my pants off because of two primary reasons:
1. I'm not entirely happy with my plot and I was too lazy to outline.
2. My characters won't get off my back! Gosh!
"Why are you watching George and the Dragon instead of writing?" (Because I'm lazy.)
"Why are you watching Balto II: Wolf Quest instead of writing?" (Because I'm lazy.)
"Why are you eating instead of writing?" (Because I have to eat to survive, Tommy, you dolt.)
"When are you going to be finished?" (It's only November 2nd, for crying out loud! I'll be finished when I'm finished!)
So yep. That's pretty much what's been happening. Here's a synopsis thing for my novel, since I don't want to leave you empty-handed.
We lost World War II. Hitler won. He destroyed all who opposed him, and got rid of any city that refused to obey him. It has the left the world in 2999 broken and desolate. Only a few major cities remain, beaten into submission. All other militia, besides the German army, have been crushed. At least, the leader of Germany believes that to be true. The British SAS has created a secret underground base, where they plot and plan, waiting for the right moment to strike.
One day, seven British soldiers are sent out on a mission to assassinate the German leader. It is a last ditch attempt; the world will end if they don't succeed, and if they die, then it will not change anything.
And so the fate of what little world is left rests on the shoulders of seven men, led only by their hope and by God.
And that, my friends, is the synopsis of Operation Valiant. Yes, I know, it needs a lot of work. Here, have a cover made by a friend from the NaNoWriMo YWP site.
1. I'm not entirely happy with my plot and I was too lazy to outline.
2. My characters won't get off my back! Gosh!
"Why are you watching George and the Dragon instead of writing?" (Because I'm lazy.)
"Why are you watching Balto II: Wolf Quest instead of writing?" (Because I'm lazy.)
"Why are you eating instead of writing?" (Because I have to eat to survive, Tommy, you dolt.)
"When are you going to be finished?" (It's only November 2nd, for crying out loud! I'll be finished when I'm finished!)
So yep. That's pretty much what's been happening. Here's a synopsis thing for my novel, since I don't want to leave you empty-handed.
We lost World War II. Hitler won. He destroyed all who opposed him, and got rid of any city that refused to obey him. It has the left the world in 2999 broken and desolate. Only a few major cities remain, beaten into submission. All other militia, besides the German army, have been crushed. At least, the leader of Germany believes that to be true. The British SAS has created a secret underground base, where they plot and plan, waiting for the right moment to strike.
One day, seven British soldiers are sent out on a mission to assassinate the German leader. It is a last ditch attempt; the world will end if they don't succeed, and if they die, then it will not change anything.
And so the fate of what little world is left rests on the shoulders of seven men, led only by their hope and by God.
And that, my friends, is the synopsis of Operation Valiant. Yes, I know, it needs a lot of work. Here, have a cover made by a friend from the NaNoWriMo YWP site.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Makeshift Calendar
Here is my vague calendar for the next few months, relating to writing.
~
November (LESS THAN A DAY AWAY! *dies): Write Operation Valiant; edit my friend Mary's novel; work on The Elven Werewolf Project with August Sinister and Nevik; don't die.
December: Edit The Night Phoenix; put Operation Valiant away for a month to give myself time to dwell on it; don't die.
January: Work on a query letter for The Night Phoenix; start editing Operation Valiant; don't die.
February: Finish editing Operation Valiant; don't die.
March: Fall down dead.
~
Okay, I think I'm good.
~
November (LESS THAN A DAY AWAY! *dies): Write Operation Valiant; edit my friend Mary's novel; work on The Elven Werewolf Project with August Sinister and Nevik; don't die.
December: Edit The Night Phoenix; put Operation Valiant away for a month to give myself time to dwell on it; don't die.
January: Work on a query letter for The Night Phoenix; start editing Operation Valiant; don't die.
February: Finish editing Operation Valiant; don't die.
March: Fall down dead.
~
Okay, I think I'm good.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Update on The Night Phoenix
So, I might have mentioned a while ago (or maybe I didn't... ah well) that I was editing The Night Phoenix. Well, I finished that a few weeks ago.
Then I turned the manuscript over to a person I met on www.holyworlds.org ; his username there is Aratrea, and that's what I'll call him to avoid confusion. I had posted a notice on the fantasy section of that website, asking if anyone would be able to do a third edit of The Night Phoenix (I had already read through it twice). Aratrea offered to do the job.
I got the revised copy back just a few hours ago. I haven't gotten the chance to read it, but it seems like he made quite a few suggestions--and all of them are very helpful.
So I'm going to go through again and make changes again. Then, depending on how I feel about it, I might ask another of my friends to edit it again. If I like how it turned out, I might just leave it and start working on a query letter to send out to some publishers.
Wish me luck!
Then I turned the manuscript over to a person I met on www.holyworlds.org ; his username there is Aratrea, and that's what I'll call him to avoid confusion. I had posted a notice on the fantasy section of that website, asking if anyone would be able to do a third edit of The Night Phoenix (I had already read through it twice). Aratrea offered to do the job.
I got the revised copy back just a few hours ago. I haven't gotten the chance to read it, but it seems like he made quite a few suggestions--and all of them are very helpful.
So I'm going to go through again and make changes again. Then, depending on how I feel about it, I might ask another of my friends to edit it again. If I like how it turned out, I might just leave it and start working on a query letter to send out to some publishers.
Wish me luck!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
NaNoWriMo 2012
I've been working on coming up with an idea for my
NaNoWriMo novel. I knew I wanted to do something about the British SAS.
Unfortunately, historical research is a problem for me, since I have a ton of
school I need to focus on (I'm in major danger of flunking high school at the
moment) and don't have time.
So, my little historical novel has transformed into a science fiction novel, which I believe will be easier for me.
I started out with two vague ideas--World War II and time travel--that I would have liked to work with. Using the 'What-If' process that my good friend Varon showed me, I created a list of questions for myself to answer. Here are those, along with the answers I came up with:
~*~
What if a specific, major event in our history had gone differently?: Let's say Hitler had won the World War. There would be very little Jews left, and very little men willing to oppose him. Hitler would probably have soldiers posted in most of the major cities (the ones that hadn't been destroyed during the war), making sure everybody stays in line--and consequently terrifying everyone into submission. Obviously, Hitler would be dead by now, from old age (unless Indiana Jones failed and Hitler came in control of the Holy Grail [or perhaps the Fountain of Youth]). New leaders at least as cruel as Hitler would have been appointed through the years.
How would that have changed the world in the future?: In my mind, pollution and general negligence of protecting the environment would make it a very cold, very dull, and very disease-ridden place. Also, most of the cities of the world would have been destroyed, taken over, or turned into factories or concentration camps, more than likely. Germany would be the most busy place; where the largest amount of people are safe, healthy, and alive--not in danger, sickly, and dead.
What if the end of the world was brought on by that event, and the mission was a last desperate attempt--similar to a 'we're all going to die anyway, so if we die on this mission it's just happening sooner' affect?: Well, I can understand how that might happen--in the end, all of humanity might die out, except for the people in Germany and safe strongholds/underground hiding places. Also, the climate or air in general could be majorly compromised, thus making the world a diseased place, plagued and uninhabitable. The world wouldn't be destroyed, per se; there would simply be no chance of people living there. If the SAS mission was for them to assassinate the new leader of Germany, it would be a last chance effort: win, or lose.
What would the world be like in the future?: Very desolate, gray, and dangerous. Threats from soldiers and feral animals that have no food. Mutated animals who have had to evolve into hideous creatures in order to survive. Sunlight almost always blocked by clouds of smog and smoke. Lots of concrete near the places where people live and had lived before; mostly brown grassland where no one lives, since the grass isn't getting enough sunlight and most of the forests and jungles have been cut down.
Would any of the militia have newer, more advanced weaponry?: Well, most likely Germany would. But the other militias of the world have either been wiped out or have surrendered. Even though they had surrendered, they would not be supplied weaponry.
What about newer, more advanced technology in general?: Most likely not. Except for Germany of course.
What sorts of new inventions could there be?: Probably nothing past what we have now, and certainly most advanced in Germany. Germans (the only ones allowed to invent things, besides very well-contained prisoners) would only be able to go so far with inventing stuff.
Is time-travel possible, or could it become possible (maybe that's the reason for all the fighting)?: Hmm... maybe time travel is something Germany's new leader is on the verge of discovering (if this is the case, I might have to invent some more new technology instead of just modern stuff). Perhaps my team of SAS soldiers would be trying to stop him, because if he did, he would go back in time, mess everything up, and possible capture innocent people to use as his slaves.
Would it be too much to bring aliens into the mix?: Probably, yes. Honestly, I would really want to deal with aliens anyway. Mutated animals and maybe people, yes. Aliens, no. I'd have my hands full trying to figure out what to do with time travel and the historical differences.
Or to have humans that have evolved to receive some odd attribute, like breathing underwater?: Definitely too much. That makes it more into a fantasy story (which, I admit, I would love; other people might not). Time travel is even stretching it.
What climate/geography changes could have occurred to bring this on?: None, since I don't believe any of my humans will evolve and receive some weird ability.
~*~
Okay, I have no idea where or why I came up with the underwater-breathing human question. Just my mind rambling.
But those questions gave me a vague idea of a plot. Vague, mind you; no need to poke fun or criticize the questions, since it was simply a brainstorming exercise. Though I think I could fit the time travel in without making it too much.
Ideas? Suggestions? Advice? Please leave a comment!
So, my little historical novel has transformed into a science fiction novel, which I believe will be easier for me.
I started out with two vague ideas--World War II and time travel--that I would have liked to work with. Using the 'What-If' process that my good friend Varon showed me, I created a list of questions for myself to answer. Here are those, along with the answers I came up with:
~*~
What if a specific, major event in our history had gone differently?: Let's say Hitler had won the World War. There would be very little Jews left, and very little men willing to oppose him. Hitler would probably have soldiers posted in most of the major cities (the ones that hadn't been destroyed during the war), making sure everybody stays in line--and consequently terrifying everyone into submission. Obviously, Hitler would be dead by now, from old age (unless Indiana Jones failed and Hitler came in control of the Holy Grail [or perhaps the Fountain of Youth]). New leaders at least as cruel as Hitler would have been appointed through the years.
How would that have changed the world in the future?: In my mind, pollution and general negligence of protecting the environment would make it a very cold, very dull, and very disease-ridden place. Also, most of the cities of the world would have been destroyed, taken over, or turned into factories or concentration camps, more than likely. Germany would be the most busy place; where the largest amount of people are safe, healthy, and alive--not in danger, sickly, and dead.
What if the end of the world was brought on by that event, and the mission was a last desperate attempt--similar to a 'we're all going to die anyway, so if we die on this mission it's just happening sooner' affect?: Well, I can understand how that might happen--in the end, all of humanity might die out, except for the people in Germany and safe strongholds/underground hiding places. Also, the climate or air in general could be majorly compromised, thus making the world a diseased place, plagued and uninhabitable. The world wouldn't be destroyed, per se; there would simply be no chance of people living there. If the SAS mission was for them to assassinate the new leader of Germany, it would be a last chance effort: win, or lose.
What would the world be like in the future?: Very desolate, gray, and dangerous. Threats from soldiers and feral animals that have no food. Mutated animals who have had to evolve into hideous creatures in order to survive. Sunlight almost always blocked by clouds of smog and smoke. Lots of concrete near the places where people live and had lived before; mostly brown grassland where no one lives, since the grass isn't getting enough sunlight and most of the forests and jungles have been cut down.
Would any of the militia have newer, more advanced weaponry?: Well, most likely Germany would. But the other militias of the world have either been wiped out or have surrendered. Even though they had surrendered, they would not be supplied weaponry.
What about newer, more advanced technology in general?: Most likely not. Except for Germany of course.
What sorts of new inventions could there be?: Probably nothing past what we have now, and certainly most advanced in Germany. Germans (the only ones allowed to invent things, besides very well-contained prisoners) would only be able to go so far with inventing stuff.
Is time-travel possible, or could it become possible (maybe that's the reason for all the fighting)?: Hmm... maybe time travel is something Germany's new leader is on the verge of discovering (if this is the case, I might have to invent some more new technology instead of just modern stuff). Perhaps my team of SAS soldiers would be trying to stop him, because if he did, he would go back in time, mess everything up, and possible capture innocent people to use as his slaves.
Would it be too much to bring aliens into the mix?: Probably, yes. Honestly, I would really want to deal with aliens anyway. Mutated animals and maybe people, yes. Aliens, no. I'd have my hands full trying to figure out what to do with time travel and the historical differences.
Or to have humans that have evolved to receive some odd attribute, like breathing underwater?: Definitely too much. That makes it more into a fantasy story (which, I admit, I would love; other people might not). Time travel is even stretching it.
What climate/geography changes could have occurred to bring this on?: None, since I don't believe any of my humans will evolve and receive some weird ability.
~*~
Okay, I have no idea where or why I came up with the underwater-breathing human question. Just my mind rambling.
But those questions gave me a vague idea of a plot. Vague, mind you; no need to poke fun or criticize the questions, since it was simply a brainstorming exercise. Though I think I could fit the time travel in without making it too much.
Ideas? Suggestions? Advice? Please leave a comment!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Methinks I Might Have An Idea For This Year's NaNoWriMo (finally)
Well, this is just a vague idea. But I've been learning about different wars and warfare lately, and I thought it would be cool to take seven soldiers, maybe ones from the SAS, and send them into a mission.
...
In which my sadistic mind kills off at least three of the characters. Which, it isn't really sadistic since that's what war is, but I don't normally kill any of my characters off.
Anyway, all I really have at the moment is a list of characters and some famous lookalikes. I need a title and a plot...
Seth Sheppard - Sean Bean
Tommy Cade - Dominic Monaghan
Christopher Gunn - Viggo Mortensen
Jamie Grant - Ewan McGregor
Ewan Dillinger - Jude Law
Finn Morann - Random Scottish guy I don't know
Nathan Shaw - Billy Boyd
...
In which my sadistic mind kills off at least three of the characters. Which, it isn't really sadistic since that's what war is, but I don't normally kill any of my characters off.
Anyway, all I really have at the moment is a list of characters and some famous lookalikes. I need a title and a plot...
Seth Sheppard - Sean Bean
Tommy Cade - Dominic Monaghan
Christopher Gunn - Viggo Mortensen
Jamie Grant - Ewan McGregor
Ewan Dillinger - Jude Law
Finn Morann - Random Scottish guy I don't know
Nathan Shaw - Billy Boyd
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