Ceanmohrlass's Blog, page 9

Thanksgiving…

I am so very thankful for all that I have. I woke up this morning, I have food to eat, a place to lay my head and the opportunity to follow my passion of writing. Life has been hectic, funny, frustrating, and at times very harsh, but I can’t imagine changing a single thing past or present.

I wish each of you safe travels, good companionship, and wonderful memories.

Tools of the trade…

One topic of discussion that occurs frequently with new writers (such as myself), is ‘What do you use when you write?’

For me, I use an old Word program. I find it is easy to use and modify, and simple to edit.

I have heard from many that Scrivner is the way to go, but I am still holding strong to my old ways.

There has been discussion about Grammerly (which I will try) and a few other editing and proofreading programs I am not familiar with.

For my covers, I use Gimp. Yes, it is a free program, but it does everythng I need at this point in time.

I have my thesaurus (yes paperback, old habits die hard) as well as the internet for issues that arise.

I am slowly moving into the electronic age (after all, I am publishing e-books instead of paperbacks right now :) ), and I am trying to ‘get with the times’ with the tools of the trade.

I appreciate the diversity of tools that writers choose, and the support I receive for all of my questions along the way.

Reboot

Now that NaNoWriMo is completed, and the cool weather has finally come to us in Texas, it’s time to set up my cold weather reading list! I have quite a few books that I want to read. I will post less during my readathons but will be back in full swing shortly, writing on the two waiting ideas… Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Genre choices

I’m having trouble with an issue. One of my goals is to write outside my comfort zone. I am hoping to create a novel in each available genre before I am done. I have gotten a few encouraging notes on this, but most comments have been ‘it isn’t possible’ or ‘no one can possibly write a good book outside their favorite genre.’ I don’t think that’s true. I enjoy a wide variety of books (other than horror and I admit that one will be tough because I’m squeamish) and genres, so I don’t see why it would be impossible to write them. I’m in the process of researching outside my usual reads to ensure I’m fully representing what each genre contains. Maybe I’m wrong here, but I think it is possible. I’m going to give it my best shot at it! Has anyone attempted this?

Research for novels…

Current topic for our group: Research.  We are pretty much tied on whether we do research before the first draft is started, or during its creation.

I for one, research as soon as the idea for a plot appears, and continue throughout its creation. Many times I do a ‘one last time’ fact finding mission for the idea, just in case any new information comes to light.

I have several folders for bookmarks in my browser, listed by topic. I have several more for things like free images for covers, grammar tips, character creators, etc. When I’m in the middle of a scene and I need a quick fact or idea, it’s so much faster to pop open that folder and find the site I’m looking for. I know, I’m a little OCD and I tend to over organize things even though I’m a ‘pantser’ type writer.

Research is an integral part of my writing, and I spend about 40 percent of my writing time online, researching as I go along. Then during the 2nd or 3rd edit phase, research is at least 50 percent as I shore things up and hit the grammar phase. I don’t mind admitting I rely on the web for help!

Empty adverbs and the to be effect…

Oh empty adverbs… They daunt me to this day. On the NaNoWriMo challenge, you just sit down and write, and write, and write til you wear the letters off your keyboard. Done… Challenge accepted and completed after several all nighter marathons, egged on by online cheerleaders… Now then, you’ve won the challenge… Go read what you wrote.                 Ick. Where did all the empty adverbs come from? And why are the dreaded ‘to be’ words listed here, did I really add those? I know better! Yikes!  The challenge was only the beginning… Edit time! I’m mortified at all the ‘red check marks’ I slapped all over my work! Looks like more coffee and less sleep is on my agenda!

The bug…

One of the discussions in a group I’m in, is how to break through writer’s block and get the ideas flowing again. They ask about writer’s block a lot. I’ve had times where I just can’t get the idea in my brain to be organized enough to make sense on paper. That isn’t the problem lately for me though.

My issue is just the opposite. The idea bug has hit me. There are too many ideas churning around, making it impossible to focus like I need to lately. I jump from one idea to another, and they all fight for their time with my pen. I try to focus primarily on the NsNoWriMo book for the most part, but it’s getting tougher each day.

I have to break away and set aside a while for the other ideas in order to get back in gear with the main one lately. Is anyone else struggling with the juggling?

Excitement!

NaNoWriMo is in full swing. The current projects are hanging out in idea land while I work on the challenge. 2/3 of the way there thanks to a marathon 11 hour write fest yesterday! What are you creating for NaNoWriMo?

Happy endings ruin possibilities

Happy endings ruin possibilities…

Or do they? You have a character that takes on a life of its own. That’s what characters are supposed to do. They draw you along with the ride and at the end of the story, you feel like you ‘know’ them. You’ve done your job. The story is over and you’re still thinking about the ending. The happy ever after was sweet, but not really realistic you think. Did you just ruin your chance to revisit this character later and provide another adventure for the him/her? Hot topic. Debate was pretty equal on both sides actually. I feel that a happy ending (which I myself, enjoy) can provide the starting point for a complete life change down the road for the character. There is still opportunity to provide a part two/part three etc. because life can change in a moment. Life is never constant so why should the character’s story be so?

What’s in a name…

Character names. What’s in a name? I was recently asked how I decide on the names of my characters. That’s something that usually happens right after I chose the theme of the work. Sometimes I hear a name in passing, or I recall someone I once knew, but usually it just is a name that comes to me when the idea first hits. I then build a character ‘look/feel’ around the story and the name, then choose a cover that fits both of these elements. It has taken me as long as 6 months to name a main character (I just insert bright pink stars in place of the name as I write and go back later and change the stars to the name). Does the name need to ‘fit’? I think it does. It goes along with the overall feel of the story I believe. We have all known someone in the past that we love/hate/admire etc, and that ‘name’ conjures memories good/bad etc. I try to avoid using names of someone I knew, but that proves impossible sometimes, and isn’t meant to signify any meaning. All my characters are purely fiction and have no association whatsoever to anyone in particular. What’s in a name? A story of course!