S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 109

NaNoWriMo Begins

Today is the first day of National Novel Writing Month, the annual madness during which fellow scribes around the globe spend thirty days writing a novel. The goal is to complete 50,000 words (that's 1,667 words per day) by the end of the month in order to cross the finish line and win.

At the NaNoWriMo site you can read pep talks from the pros, join in discussions with other participants in the forums, and take advantage of special offers from event sponsors.

To do my part, I've posted Way of the Cheetah, my how-to book on writing, online for anyone to read, download and/or share with pals for free during the month of November. To get a copy, click here. I'll also have a couple of posts each week during November with resources, freebies and whatever else I can find that I think may be helpful to you November novelists out there.

So who is doing NaNo this year, and how is it going so far? Let us know in comments.

Wishing You

West Coast Attitude

According to this (brief) geographical attitude test, which evidently matches your personality with the U.S. state best suited to it, I should be residing on the other side of the country:



Since I have a sister who lives there that will have to do. So where should you be living? Take the test and let us know in comments.

(Test link swiped from Gerard over at The Presurfer.)

SF Story Contest

The 2014 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest is now open: "Since its early days, science fiction has played a unique role in human civilization. It removes the limits of what "is" and shows us a boundless vista of what "might be." Its fearless heroes, spectacular technologies and wondrous futures have inspired many people to make science, technology and space flight a real part of their lives and in doing so, have often transformed these fictions into reality. The National Space Society and Baen Books applaud the role that science fiction plays in advancing real science and have teamed up to sponsor this short fiction contest in memory of Jim Baen." Length and theme: "Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration." Prizes: "The GRAND PRIZE winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at the normal paying rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive an engraved award, free entry into the 2014 International Space Development Conference, a year's membership in the National Space Society and a prize package containing various Baen Books and National Space Society merchandise. SECOND and THIRD place winners will receive a year's membership in the National Space Society and a prize package containing various Baen Books and National Space Society merchandise." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see contest page for more details. Deadline: February 1, 2014

Halloween Helps Ten

Ten Things to Help with Your Halloween Celebrations

Cooking Light magazine serves up 5 healthier Halloween snack recommendations.

For excellent tips on how to keep everyone's Halloween safe as well as fun, check out the CDC's Halloween Health and Safety Tips page.

Food Network's Halloween page has recipes, decorating ideas, how-tos and lots of other things to fill your All Hallow's Eve with delicious delights.

Download free Halloween songs and sounds here.

MarthaStewart.com has some neat Halloween crafts you can do with your kids here (and I'm in love the pasta skeletons.)

If you need some games to play at your Halloween party, check out this list at Halloween Games 101.

Homemade Halloween decorations are thrifty and fun, and Better Homes & Gardens tells you how to make up your own for inside and outside the house.

PumpkinCarving.com has all the info you'll need to create a nifty jack-o-lantern.

Need some spooky recipes for your Halloween dinner or party? AllRecipes.com has a bunch here.

Real Simple has Simple Halloween Costume Ideas you can make for the whole family.

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments (and I'll probably be very late today.)

Win with Wattpad

I was checking out the NaNoWriMo sponsor offer page for this year and noticed this intriguing addition:

"Wattpad is a free writing and reading app that unlocks a global audience of more than 18 million readers. It is mobile and web-based, meaning that your writing is always with you, wherever and whenever you find inspiration and time to write. In honor of NaNoWriMo, Wattpad will be offering a $2,000 prize to one lucky NaNoWriMo winner who is also a Wattpad user. Check back on November 1st for contest details."

Shoe In

Just a follow-up note on the video contest over at You Gotta Read -- voting is now open until 10/27, and if you'd like to cast a ballot for Her Ladyship's Curse (or any of the competition), click here.

If you've ever wondered how much work is involved with hand-making shoes, this fascinating video gives you a crash course in a few minutes (with background music and sound effects, for those of you at work):

Geology of Shoes from Petr Krejčí on Vimeo.

Interesting Sub Op

Eggplant Literary Productions has an open call for Spindles, their upcoming fairytale-themed adult antho: "Stories should follow the standard fairy tale structure, but can be placed in any time period. We’ll only be publishing one version of each story (so one Cinderella, on Snow White, etc.) so authors are encouraged to submit as many different stories as they want. We are looking for fairy tales from all over the world; not just Grimm and Anderson." They're also looking for "fairy tales retold to feature POC, LGBT and disabled characters, as well as non-Western European and non-North American settings." No erotica for this one, however. Length: up to 5K; Payment: 5¢/word according to Ralan. No reprints, electronic submissions only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: April 30th, 2014

NanoLinks

I've shuffled through the PBW archives to find old posts I think may be useful to those of you who are planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month. Here's the list along with some brief explanations:

ABCharacter -- a quick and easy way to outline a character.

Endweek NaNoPost -- making cover art for your NaNonovel along with some resource links.

Hiveword -- my review of Mike Fleming's terrific online novel organizer.

NaNo Now What? -- my suggestions on how to edit your NaNonovel once you're finished.

Midweek NaNoPost -- if you're a late starter, stuck in a rut, or you like to beat yourself up over anything writing-related, join the No Expectations Club via this pep talk.

NaNoFun -- Scroll down past the old 2010 badges to find some links to fun, free NaNoWriMo-friendly widgets.

NaNoNotebook -- how making up a notebook for your NaNonovel can help, with links to helpful freeware.

NaNoStuff Ten -- a list of freeware for NaNoWriMo'ers.

NaNoTen -- ten things to try when writing your NaNoWriMo book.

NaNoWriMo Wednesday -- some thoughts on planning your November novel, along with some links on outlining resources.

NaNoWriMojo Ten -- ten things to try when you're feeling blocked, it's no more fun, the magic has gone caput, etc.

Old Rides, New Roads -- my suggestions on how to evaluate an old story idea and its potential to serve as inspiration for your November novel.

Prep Talks -- The Mountain, Stand Out Characters, Food and Fire and Glass Wisdom.

Ready, Set, NaNoWriMo -- ideas and resources for November 1st.

Red Notebook -- my review on this interesting, helpful virtual calendar/notebook freeware.

You Are My Fire -- my storyteller's take on why we write, and for whom.

Writing Your Dragons -- how to handle writing something you hate to write.

Got any helpful links to share with our NaNoWriMo'ers? Please post them in comments.