IT HAS BEGUN!

National Novel Writing Month has arrived!

And I’ve started the race with a dozen teen writers itching to prove themselves. We’ve got a lot of enthusiasm, an excess of talent and tons of CANDY! Personally, I think Chris Baty’s strategy for holding the NaNoWriMo in November is dastardly clever.  Thousands of writers all over the world are participating in Nano.  Here in the United States we’ve got all that Halloween fuel available.  Kinda gives us an advantage, don’t you think?

So how’s it really going? The kids are true competitors.  By Monday, most of them had logged in over two thousand words and counting.  Great group. I love young writers because so much of the world is still fresh in their minds. They’re using their time with me to discuss whatever is on their minds.  The librarian who has been kind enough to set everything up for us has also provided a 24 hour hot line for the kids. They can check in and post questions at anytime up to the last day of November.

I’ve been hearing a lot of back and forth over whether NaNoWriMo is a worthy endeavor. Obviously, I think so.  Besides pushing writers to step out of their comfort zones and do something crazy, NaNoWriMo also brings writers together.  Let’s face it, much of the time we are all in competition for the prize, be it a contest win or publication. Sometimes, I think there is too much stress on combat strategy and not enough stress on working together.

It’s a well-known fact that luck plays a part in success, but all the luck in the world won’t carry a writer if he/she stinks.  The trick is to be prepared for the moment of success. Or as my dad likes to say, “Get all your dogs in a row.” Yeah, I know, but he thinks it’s funny.  I think lining up those “dogs” includes learning and practicing the principle of give and take.  How many times have I heard, “Those who can’t, teach.”

That’s a rotten point of view.  Most of us wouldn’t be here without our teachers. And, after taking classes with teachers like Jordan Rosenfeld and Shelley Lieber, I’m going to add that most of us STILL need teachers along the way.

I think we ought to be more grateful for our mentors. I think that those who teach know that everything given comes back two-fold.

And I think whoever came up with that selfish statement is probably sitting on a rock in the middle of a forgotten desert, wondering why nobody gives a darn that they’re missing from the rest of the human race.

Raven

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH

It’s almost here.  I can feel the tension mounting. The NaNoWriMo event is just about a week away.  All over the world, writers are buring the midnight oil as they prepare for National Novel Writing Month.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about check out this event at:

www.nanowrimo.org

This year, I’m writing with a team of teen writers at our local library. In fact, tomorrow we will be meeting to go over the guidelines for this event.  It’s the first time our library has participated in the NaNo write off and everyone is hyped for Nov. 1, 2009.

I’m also going to be writing with the ever-enthusiastic, albeit insane,  Scribblers group.  Some of the writers in this group are participating in their 3rd or 4th year.  Which brings me to a question that keeps showing up in my mailbox. “Isn’t this a waste of time? What do I get out of NaNo?”

Answer: A novel.

Okay, it’s actually a draft of a novel, but so what? Do you have any idea of the wonderful stuff you’re going to write during this challenge? That draft will be packed with moments of brilliance. You’ll find them when you go back over the novel in the December revision. If you don’t do the December revision, you’ll find them whenever you decide to open up that NaNo file and reread what you’ve done.

This isn’t about writing the perfect novel, it’s about starting and finishing a creative work.  There’s anticipation, frustration, irritation and constipation ahead.  All things you experience at one time or another, but this time you’ll get more than an ulcer, a headache, and a bottle of the pink stuff. This time you get a certificate that says you’re a winner and  a 50,000 draft that’s waiting to be turned into your first published novel.

Remember, NaNoWriMo is an experience. It’s about  pounding out a story for the sheer joy of it.  Friends from all over the world are converging in the NaNo sandbox and they’re bringing  a bucketful  of dreams with them. The excitement is contagious.

Is it a waste of time?

If you join us, you’ll have a novel in thirty days.

If you don’t, you’ll be 50,000 words short of a dream.

Raven

WHERE AM I GOING AND WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Where Have I Been?

I think I’ve been stuck in high anxiety mode for a month and it hasn’t been pleasant.  I’m going to have to figure out the final word count for the TAP! writers, which is impressive because they all kept writing and reporting in throughout the month of August.

Right now, let’s talk about Where I Am Going.

I’m working on a youth  program with the local library.  We’re going to offer local teens the opportunity to participate in National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo.  I’ve done it for three years.  This year, I’m going to play group leader and meet with a group of young writers at the library.  We’re going to do the big write together.

I’m also two weeks into  Jordan Rosenfeld’s four week Fiction Magic class.  She’s an inspirational  teacher with two fantastic books to her credit Write Free and Make a Scene. I love the assignments she’s sending me.  I don’t think I’ve ever pored so hard over my scenes as I have in this class.  It is well worth the money. Check out her blog at

http://www.jordanrosenfeld.net/

I’m also enrolled in Shelley Lieber’s From Class to Cash in 6 Weeks which starts next Tuesday.  Shelley’s Vip Authors site is fantastic.  She’s got audio downloads (coaching calls and author talks) that are extremely helpful for anyone who wants to learn the business side of writing.  I’ve attend several tele-classes hosted by Shelley and I enjoyed them all.  More importantly, I’ve learned more in one hour than I have in three months scanning magazines on the topic of how market myself and my work.  Take a peek at:

www.vipauthors.com

AND I’m returning to my writing group at Writers’ Village University. I’ve missed my buddies over there and though I don’t feel I actually got the rest I’d hoped for during my hiatus, I’m ready to return to the company of these fabulous writers.   I hear the Sweethearts are about to make a run at an intriguing Australian author, among other things.  Sounds like fun.  Guys, I’ve been lurking and reading the assignments.  I can’t wait to get back into Landon’s Lectures.

So, there you are. Or here I am.  Or maybe there I go.

It’s all relative.  I’m sure from the perspective of a fruit fly, I’m standing still.

Raven

DAY 26 of TAP!

I’ve fallen behind in reporting the progress of our writers. Basically, life seems determined to gnaw away at my ankles, undermining my best efforts to keep organized.  This past weekend, my father fell and broke his hip ball joint. Today, my father is undergoing hip surgery.  It’s got me feeling a little nervous and a lot distracted.  I’m going to focus on healing thoughts this morning.

In the meantime…

Our group of writers IS continuing to write and report to me.  I’ll do my best to get those totals up at the end of today.  Let me leave you with a bit of inspiration.

We’ve visited this blog before, this is a second post  that seems to fit my mood of late.

http://backspacewriters.blogspot.com/2009/08/writers-middle-finger-part-two-on.html

You all be good.

Ravenne

Day 20 of Tap!

The drama continues! My daughter sets off for college next week and I am scrambling to get things squared away before she leaves.  As most people know, it’s a bad year for college students with student grants.  Everyone is cutting back, even the high schools.  Yesterday, I learned the dual enrollment program offered to high school seniors has been suspended. No money.  It’s a real shame because my first daughter was able to take five college classes through it and was able to get into an exceptional college after high school.  Looks like my second daughter won’t be able to get any help from that program.

It’s tough out here.   Do you hear talk that the recession is over?  Perhaps the media ought to take a look down at us folks in the trenches before they start singing that tune.

“Good news!” says the government. “You can all buy new cars to live in after you lose your homes!“

You know what I think? A clearance sale on unsold stock is just a sale on stuff nobody wanted to buy in the first place.  Be careful if you’re buying.  Choose wisely.  I’ve been reading Consumer Reports on cars and I am appalled at how poorly many of these “bargain” cars did in the ratings.

Could the junker you know be better than the junky car the  dealers are pushing off on you? I visited more than a few dealers who didn’t have the stock they advertised for the junker program.  Quite a few dealers decided not to follow the government list as to whether or not our car qualified for the program and in two cases I noted that the sale price of vehicle we were considering had been increased by two thousand dollars from last year. So, be careful.

Anyway, I’ll be updating the totals later today.  Right now,  I better start writing.

I’m going to need to buy dog food this week.

Ravenne

DAY 17 of TAP!

Things got a bit hairy around my house last week.  Big family party.  Run in with a deer.  Doctor appointments for everybody starting school in a few weeks.  Massive anxiety over whether the clunker I know is better than a new car with horrible reliability ratings and an expiration date stamped on the tail plate.  Seems to me that a sale on clearance is a sale on stuff nobody wanted to buy in the first place.

Between visits to the doctor and many, many dealerships in our area, I did work on my project.  I managed to dedicate two hours a day to my project, even on Sunday.  As for everyone else? Aven tells me he had his hands full getting ready for a family event, so his word count is down.   Paige had a couple days of vacation away from home.  She’ll be back tomorrow night. Shriek checked in on Friday.

Here are the totals for Wednesday  Aug 12th to Sunday August 16th:

Aven reports  13,500 words

Paige reports  11,500

Raven reports 2 hours per day to the rewrite. Additional chapters dropped.  Restructure chapter order…AGAIN!

Shriek reports 21,900 words as of August 16th.

Greta assures me she is working steadily on her novel.

Remember,  each writer’s progress is measured differently.  I think we are all doing great!  It isn’t easy to keep to a schedule.  All things considered, this group is doing very well.  Aven, I hope your party was a big success, but I’m on your tail as of right now.  Put the trash out on the curb and get back to writing.    Paige, you’ve come quite a way in determining the direction of your story.  Stick with the character sketches. They are looking good.  Greta, I know you’re there, working in the background. More power to you! And Shriek, you’ve probably hit 20,000 by now.  Judging by the work you’ve posted in World Building over at WUV,  you must be rocking

Keep up the good work, everyone!  I’m back from my temporary detour.  Will see if anyone checks in today to update their totals.

In the meantime, here’s a cool link  that will help you see the other side of the submission process.  It seems writers aren’t the only people who need to gripe.  Scroll down to “Important Lessons of the Week; Or, Thank God That’s  Almost Over” for a taste of blog personality.

http://www.therejectionist.com/

LOL. I believe I got this one from the Writers’ Village University Assembly Board.

MONDAY TOTALS:  DAY  17 Totals

Aven reports he’s playing hooky for another day.

Paige didn’t check in today.

Greta is working steadily.

Shriek is dealing with a fried monitor and will report her word count later.

Raven has spent two hours working on Chapter 7.

That’s it for today.  I’m going to bed early.

Good night and pleasant dreams.

Raven

DAY 11 OF TAP!

Tuesday Evening Totals:
Aven 500 words =10,000 words so far!

Paige: 1100 words= 10,000 words so far!

Greta: still moving along. Getting through a tough area.

Raven :  1000 words. (remember, I’m revising. I cut out a long scene)

spent 1 1/2 hours at the write and 1/2 hours reading about scenes.

Shriek :  informs me that she, too, is revising and that means word count will not reflect her work effort. For her, this is about the time she is putting into her draft.

“Therefore I DEMAND from myself the right amount of TIME in my weekday schedule: 1 hour early before work and 2 hours after I’ve caught my second wind following work.” (Shriek)

And that demonstrates what Greta is doing too!  The writing process is an individual thing.  Being flexible enough to accept that there are many ways to determine a successful writing session is very important!

AND because I gave into temptation and watched a movie last night, I’m going to offer up a special link.  I found this link at www.awritersgroup.blogspot.com Try visiting Joan sometime. She has tremendous resources available on various writing  topics.  A buddy of mine from SweetHearts at Writers’ Village University, she’s a talent in her own right.  As for the link, that goes out to Paperback which belongs to Lynn Viehl, a truly inspirational writer who has over 45 paperbacks to her credit. She’s a lovely person who generously shares her knowledge with anyone who is in need of wise advice. Check her out at:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2009/06/seven-deadly-writing-sins.html

If you live in my neck of the woods, I hope you made it through the storms   It’s a mystical night over here. The fog has crept into my backyard on cloven hooves.  I believe I see–yes, I do! A half dozen silvery eyes peering up at me.  I’m going down to take a closer look. Um, if I’m not back tomorrow, keep writing. I’ll be doing research on the other side of that white curtain.

Raven

DAY 10 OF TAP!

Well, I had a hectic schedule this weekend that flowed into Monday, but I’m getting it back together this morning to update the totals of our participating writers.

Aven 7,800+800 (sat)+ 900(mon) = 9,500

Paige 7,400+ 1000(sat)+ 500(Mon)= 8,900

Greta: Still going strong!

Shriek 10,100+1,700(Sat)+600(Sun)+1200(M0n)= 13600

Raven  11,476  Revision (-300 Sat)

Writing time:  2 hours (Sun) + 2 hours (Mon)

*I’m shifting to hours spent writing as I work on my revision.  A lot of cutting going on! Removed a couple of scenes that no longer fit.  Also spent some time reading Jordan Rosenfeld’s “Make a Scene.”

So how about  a little inspiration this morning? This comes from Brandilyn Collins’ site Forensics & Faith.  She never fails to inspire.

http://forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/2009/07/ten-things-ive-learned-as-novelist.html

She’s a tremendous source of  information about the continuous process of writing.  I’m discovering a gold mine of information on the internet. It’s amazing how much is available for aspiring writers! This is an advantage writers didn’t have twenty years ago.  It boggles the mind that anyone could have done this without the use of computers.

Kinda like when I was in college and all I had to work with was a typewriter, a carton of paper and boxes of typewriter ribbon.  What I wouldn’t have given for a laptop and WORD.

You all have a nice day.  I’ll be back later for today’s totals.

Raven

DAY 8 of Tap! Play Day?

It’s important to remember that all writers need to include recess in their schedule.  It’ll refresh your mind and help stimulate the senses that you’ve put on hold while writing feverishly to word count.  sometimes we forget that our creativity comes from the heart and the spirit.  Nurturing these things is a good thing.

I’d like to declare Sunday a play day.  Take a day to visit friends or relatives, see a movie, read a fun book. Or, if your idea of fun is writing, then go at it.  I’m inviting our younger writers to go swimming or hiking or whatever it is you like to do for fun.  Your project will be there when you get back. I promise.

I’m going to hike.  After that, I’m going to sit on a beach, dig my toes into the sand and read a paperback.  If I’m lucky, no one will find me until evening.

By then, I’ll be ready to get back to business.

Be good. Have fun.

Raven

DAY 8 OF TAP!

We’ve reached the one week milestone.  How is everyone doing? Taking a look at the reports, I’m going to say everyone is doing what they promised to do, work on a project every day.  It’s beginning to make a difference. One week ago, I didn’t have my first four chapters clearly marked, nor did I have four scenes which turn out to be vital to the novel.  My preparation added a ton of knowledge that I can now use to flesh out the setting. I’ve nearly finished two Writers’ University Classes and I’ve revised my plot to a tighter, more manageable format.  I’ve actually pared down my word count this morning by about 300 words.

Anyone feeling guilty if they miss a day? Hmm…well give it another week and see.  This morning I revised a scene, using “Getting The Words Right” by Theodore Cheney.  Good book.  We’re using it in an editing class at Writers’ Village University. It provides excellent examples to demonstrate the process of editing.

So, need some inspiration? How about:

http://www.murderati.com/blog/2009/4/19/how-do-you-know-when-to-quit.html

I had this one up about a month ago, but it’s so encouraging I thought I’d post it again.

Never hurts to hear something positive, right?

Nobody has checked in yet. I’m going to play at the lake again.  It’s too beautiful a day to miss.  I’ll be bringing notes from my classes and Alice LaPlante’s book “The Making of a Story.” Over in Sweethearts, the writers are working on imagery exercises.  I want to do a little extra reading on the beach.

See you later,

Raven