Loni Townsend's Blog, page 22
December 2, 2015
An Insecure Winner #IWSG
NaNoWriMo is over. I validated and achieved my winner’s status. I didn’t get 50K of keepable content, as I had wanted to, but I did make a dent in Isto’s overall word count. Yesterday, I compiled what I had before NaNo with my keepable content, and I’m up over 73K for this POV.
Let’s see, 73K for one POV that’s not yet finished and there’re four POVs in the book.
I think this is going to be another big book.
Therein lies the same insecurity that never seems to let me go.
If it’s over 120K, it’s too long.
People don’t have the attention span for long books anymore.
Wow, at that word length, it must need serious editing.
These are all things people have told me. They probably meant them with best intentions. Still, they judged my writing based on a 170K word count (Thanmir War) without reading a single word of it.
Then there are those comments where they playfully tell me my book is a door stop. Yes, because it makes me feel good that people want to throw my book on the ground and kick it out of their way when they are done using it.
*sigh*
I don’t know if Isto will come out at a higher word count than Thanmir War. And for me, it’s okay if it does. That still doesn’t abate my terror that people will judge my writing on word count alone.
For now, I’ll shove those thoughts aside and keep plugging away at my story. My characters entertain me. I enjoy reading 300K books. I have at least one fan out there who isn’t related to me. That right there gives me reason to believe in myself.
Just so you know, both Thanmir War and This World Bites are part of the Read & Review Challenge. If you want a free review copy to try to win some swag, let me know via email: loni at lonitownsend dot com. You can also click the mailto link under the Get Social! sidebar widget.
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
The post An Insecure Winner #IWSG appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
November 25, 2015
Hooray for 50K #NaNoWriMo
I made it to 50K! Then why am I not a winner yet?
As I mentioned last week, I’m keeping two counts. I was actually on point with my keepable word count. I had 39.5K yesterday. But then I was listening to music and heard a song I mentally tied to one of my scenes. Please note, if you play the song, there are swearwords in it.
The Offspring – Slim Pickens Does The Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell
This song has been tied to my character for a while. My character is a man who has dedicated himself to a military career. He has spent his entire life serving the throne and protecting the people.
At the beginning of the book, his brother stripped him of all that.
The book progresses, and my character works to redefine his life. He discovers there is more to himself than he knew. He keeps his integrity, and when he sees people in trouble, he runs to help. That’s when he sees his brother again.
I paired this song with that meeting and the subsequent monster attack. Except, what I wrote didn’t live up to the feeling I get with that song.
So I started rewriting it. As I did, I moved events, had different characters deliver information, and… well, crap, now I’m going to have to redo 7K because the events don’t flow together correctly. *sigh*
Yes, I’m over 50K, but my keepable word count has dropped to 32K. That is well behind the target. Therefore, I haven’t validated yet. I’m going to push myself over Thanksgiving and three days after to jump back up, since I’d really like to win NaNoWriMo with novel worthy words.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I hope all of you in the US have a great one tomorrow. I know I’ll be chilling at home with my family, for which I am very thankful.
Have you ever visualized a scene and had to redo it because it turned out lackluster? Do you pair songs with scenes from your stories? Do you have playlists? What do you use to organize your playlists?
If you’re wondering about the picture in the header, it has nothing to do with word counts. Last week, I read Chrys Fey’s blog post and figured I’d take a picture of my #6 — rosemary, “sun-dried” (dehydrated) tomatoes, roasted garlic, and red pepper. With the exception of the red peppers and actual oil, all the rest of the ingredients came from our or my mother-in-law’s garden.
The post Hooray for 50K #NaNoWriMo appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
November 18, 2015
Colds, Caffeine, and Counts
I took a week off! Did you miss me?
After a week of holing up in my garage with my computer, several cans of Red Bull, and space heater to avoid the children, I’ve managed to get a decent amount of words dedicated to Isto:
Though my word count looks good, I’m actually behind. That image shows the added word count of two documents: Stuff I’m going to keep, and stuff I wrote but will probably throw out.
The stuff I’m going to keep is sitting at 28034. That means I need to get 2K in today to be on point.
Unfortunately, I caught a cold this past weekend and that’s tanked my productivity in the creative areas. Oh sure, work is happy I’m back, and I’ve been pounding out code like a beast. But this battle with the shadow monster is taking a bit of effort to think about. If I stick to the “plan” I made, then I have about six scenes left to write in this POV I’m working in. That should be enough to make my 50K.
If you haven’t read Thanmir War or This World Bites, please consider picking up a copy while they are on sale for 99 cents. Thanmir War is an epic fantasy, and This World Bites is a humor fantasy novella (making it a quick read). Thanmir War is book 1 in the Niniers series, and Isto is book 2.
Here are the sale links:
Then you can check out the other titles on sale for Milo Fowler’s #99centnovember event!
Here’s a sample of my NaNoWriMo keep file (name removed for spoiler sake):
He stood on the edge of a cliff, looking over at the dizzying drop below. He swallowed hard and scooted away. “You want me to transform?”
“Yes.” Ocher scratched the back of her head, making her short spiky hair stand up more. “We have covered using Nature’s energy externally by soothing beasts—”
“When you trapped Terrance in a cave with a rabid bear.”
“—connecting to the land to find what you seek—”
“When you abducted Mika and buried her underground where she nearly suffocated.”
“—and changing another being physically by healing.”
“After you sliced Satch’s thigh open.” He glanced again at the cliff, and his stomach twisted tighter. This idea looked worse by the moment.
Have you been productive in your writing lately? Where do you hide to get writing done? Have you found mice in your garage like I have?
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November 4, 2015
You Are Not Prepared #IWSG
I traveled out of town this past weekend to attend a memorial for the mother of family friends. I knew Grace, but as the memorial progressed, I didn’t realize how little. She was an amazing woman that impacted many lives for the better. She made a difference in her community, in her family, and in her students. She will be missed.
Afterwards, I had to wonder how people will remember me.
My biggest fear/insecurity is disappointing others. For instance, I joined up with Milo Fowler for #99centnovember. I had grand schemes in my head to make pictures and schedule a bunch of social media posts. But with something changing my work schedule every week, it’s been hard to focus and get it done. I feel like Illidan Stormrage is shouting at me:
YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!
(If you don’t get the reference, it’s from World of Warcraft)
Grace’s husband said she lived with a theme of “do”. And so, I’m going to try to copy her.
My goal is to have my images done and social posts scheduled before the end of the week, while keeping up with my NaNoWriMo word count:
Tackle the little things, keep working, and never give up. I think those are some of what made Grace so amazing. I hope you’re living your life today, because you never know when it’ll be cut short.
Do you ever feel unprepared? What makes you insecure? Do you ever wonder what people will say about you once you’re gone?
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
The post You Are Not Prepared #IWSG appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
November 1, 2015
#99centNovember is here!
November kicks off with a bang. Yes, NaNoWriMo has begun, but more importantly…
For the month of November, Milo Fowler is hosting a slew of e-books all available for 99 cents. Thanmir War and This World Bites are both on the list. Check out the full selection here. I know I’m looking forward to picking up some of these books myself.
If you wanted to help spread the word, here are a few tweets you can circulate.
#99centnovember all month: #eBooks on #sale by @ausema @mfowler76 @danceauthor @AnneEJohnson @SimonKewin Details: http://goo.gl/efPC5s
#99centnovember all month: @MichelleAnnKing @50YearProject @TyreanMartinson @RhondaParrish @LoniTownsend Details: http://goo.gl/efPC5s
Feel free to attach our banner too!
Tell your friends! I hope you’re able to pick up something fun to read this month.
Are there any of the books you’ve been waiting to read?
The post #99centNovember is here! appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
October 28, 2015
Passing the Test
If you don’t know, I’m a programmer for the State Police. Granted, I’m not out on the highways protecting and serving, but I do well behind a computer screen making other people’s jobs easier. You want a more efficient way to process and maintain that data? I can handle that.
Troopers (those guys out on the highways) must pass a Physical Fitness Test (PFT) to qualify for their job. This year, the fitness coordinators opened up assessments to non-commissioned personnel like me.
Here is the scoring:
When the buzz about it opening first started, I decided I wanted in.
Now, I’m not the poster squirrel for physical fitness, but I enjoy a physical challenge.
My goal was to hit 14 points across the board. Ninjas blend in. Appearing average is part of the game.
Due to poor breathing technique, I fell short of my goal with push-ups. Whoops. But I squeaked by with enough to pass. Here were my numbers.
Vertical Jump: 17″
Sit-Ups: 38
Push-Ups: 22
300M Run: 65
1.5 Mile Run: 14:40
I couldn’t have done the run without the Couch-to-5K training I’ve been doing with my sis-in-law. She was in my head the whole way, and because of her, I kept running when I wanted to walk. (We squirrels aren’t long distance creatures.)
I’ll be able to test again in the spring. Maybe I’ll shoot for 16 points across the board next time.
Do you have any physical goals? Do you enjoy challenges? What do you do to stay active?
The post Passing the Test appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
October 21, 2015
Questioning Myself
Photo credit: Camelyn Gast.
I know who I am.
At least, I thought I did.
My goal in life is to be the best darn Loni I can possibly be. I’ll never be the best writer, actress, seamstress, programmer, artist, dancer, organizer, or whatever other action I pursue. But I will do my best in what I do. This is what I’ve decided with my life, and this is what I pursue.
I was confident in my identity, until…
It was Saturday morning.
I’d woken before the rest of the house and sat snuggled on the couch with my laptop, doing some writing. My daughter crept out, hair messy, sleep still in her eyes. She curled up next to me, rested her chin on my arm, and studied me. This wasn’t unusual. But then she asked a question that shook my world.
“Mama, are you really a squirrel?”
How was I supposed to deal with that?
My own five-year-old daughter doubted what I was.
Where had I gone wrong?
Of course, I assured my daughter that I was indeed a squirrel. It was just my mad ninja skills that had allowed me to trick her into thinking I was human.
But had I been acting too human?
I set about righting my behavior. I altered my hair so golden orange chunks show through. I darted about, tucking all my odd belongings away in their hiding places. I changed my mind when I was half-way across the road.
Hopefully I’ll stay true to who I am so that my son doesn’t question me in the same way when he reaches age five. Time will only tell.
Do you know who you are? Do you ever question who you are? Has anyone asked you any devastating questions lately?
The post Questioning Myself appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
October 14, 2015
Do you participate in #NaNoWriMo?
This is my fourth year doing NaNoWriMo. Unfortunately, this is also the fourth year of me trying to make some serious progress on book 2 of the niniers series. Oh, I’ve met my 50K goal every year. But the problem is that up until a few months ago, I haven’t had all the details worked out.
Looking at the title and description of my 2012 NaNo novel, I can tell it was before I did a complete rewrite of Thanmir War, in which a character underwent a dramatic change that affected the rest of the series. Pretty much all of that got scrapped.
In 2013, I wrote a huge chunk for a single POV. I’ve since reworked about 6K of that into story that I intend to keep. Actually, a lot of the events will stay the same, but the timing was off. There’s this earthquake that all the POVs experience. My brain says they have to happen on the same day, which meant I had to figure out how to get my character from one province to another by the time the quake hit. After much reworking, I ended up not using much of this NaNo novel in my current draft.
Things are looking hopeful for the 2014 version. I avoided the POV I wrote in 2013, and focused on two others. I’m still going to have to toss a large chunk because I’ve since reworked my plan. But at least I get to keep my pygmy mud wrestling.
Here I am at 2015, looking to put more words to Isto. Thankfully I’m not trying to be a career author, otherwise I’d be failing miserably. I will get this book done. I wonder if it’ll be this year.
If you want to track me down on NaNoWriMo’s site, my username is hippiechos.
Do you NaNo? What’s your username? Have you ever had trouble finishing a project?
The post Do you participate in #NaNoWriMo? appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
October 7, 2015
Always Rearranging #IWSG
Have you ever been writing and been nagged by the quiet thought that things aren’t moving fast enough? The pace is too slow or the timing is off or the character just needs to be somewhere else.
I’ve been there a lot recently.
I end up yanking out large chunks, moving it to a different file, and then plowing on ahead. It works, but there’s information in those chunks that I then need to add in somewhere else. So I plug it in earlier. It seems to be a constant flow of moving details to earlier.
Am I running in circles? Always moving details up, thus pushing other details down? I suppose that’s my source of insecurity.
Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel the need to rearrange the order of information you give to the reader? How do you approach pacing issues?
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
The post Always Rearranging #IWSG appeared first on Squirrel Talk.
September 30, 2015
When the Moon is Full…
On Sunday, something amazing happened. Sure, there was the super moon and lunar eclipse. I made sure to take some pictures, though they didn’t turn out as nice as I’d hope. But that’s not the amazing thing I’m talking about.
Dani released her book.
I’ve mentioned Dani as my cover model for the Cera Chronicles, including This World Bites, and the friend who neatly plans her chapters. I met her a little over two years ago when she joined my critique group, and then she started coming to the early Friday morning write-ins. I admit, I have a bit of a girl crush on her.
Pure of Heart released on Sunday to coincide with the full moon. Can you guess why?
It’s not easy being a werewolf. After claiming her first (and hopefully last) victim, Harper thinks she has it all figured out. Her job keeps her busy. Her family locks her up during the full moon. She’s even friends with the local vet who is always armed with tranquilizers.
But her fragile grip on the situation can’t last. Not when newcomer Emerson moves into Harper’s small town and sets the wolf free. Now Harper must figure out what the wolf wants, and stop it before she ends up with more blood on her teeth.
You can pick it up on Amazon and add it on Goodreads.
About the Author
Danielle Parker is a musician and lives in Boise, Idaho with her dog and her boyfriend. She has been writing and publishing short stories online since 2004. As a child she told her parents that when she grew up she was going to be an author. When she’s not writing she enjoys working on cars and riding motorcycles. Despite the rumors, she is not a werewolf.
I’m happy to say this is a good read. If you like sarcastic werewolves, self-discovery alongside unexpected romance, and girls who don’t trust themselves not to eat people, then I’d recommend this for your book shelf.
Do you like werewolf stories? Did you see the super blood moon? Have you checked out Dani’s book yet?
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