NaNoWriMo 2012 ~ The Beginning

Tags

blazing-crusade, dancing-with-limitation, nanowrimo, novel, plans, potential

National Novel Writing Month begins in 6 hours.

Having participated and won since November 2009, I don’t feel like I am allowed to fail. And this year, I’m writing a sequel. That means I have a basic plan, a good foundation and lots of prior plot threads to draw upon.

But, I also don’t need to spend hours world-building and can spend less time dealing with my main character descriptions… Two aspects which are very helpful in the 50,000 word challenge when your word-count is a little low.

What else am I doing in November? Oh yes, moving out of my parents house, into a one-bed flat and starting a new job. My first job. In a completely new setting/field.

And writing 50,000 words of novel.

For some reason, I’m beginning to feel unsure.

 

But I’ve planned something. It will be my first year of planning a storyline, and I feel confident that if I fail, I’ll have good reasons and the words I will have written will be decent. I have mind-maps at the ready, a list of scenes and suggested orders for those scenes and the odd bit “what if X character is actually a Y?” in case I get stuck and need to twist things up.

Last week I shared the best books and programs for my writing processes. Today, I’m writing to work through the anxiety of another month of stress. But I know I can make it. I know I can miss three days of writing and still get up to speed. I know that I can write crap until the decent stuff starts to pour out. And I know that having an on-the-go project will, overall, help me cope with the other stuff.

So let the challenge commence, and may the first few scenes flow easily.

In Light,
Rose

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Connecting: Best Friends

Tags

13/4, breaking habits&labels, connect, Insights, processing, reflection

Hope you don’t mind me posting this, Rach.

Today, my parents and I helped a friend of the family move house. Her daughter, Rachel, was there to help.

I think my mum met her at a mother & baby group, but wherever it was, her daughter and I became best friends in nursery school, and stayed like that until I went to secondary school when I was 11.

We did everything together; from learning to ride bikes (two of us on one bike was a common sight) and roller skates to sleepovers and daily fights. Rach even broke her foot the same week I broke my toe (in completely unrelated incidents I must add) and we spent two weeks at play-time sitting together on a wall outside our classrooms.

When we went to separate secondary schools, she made friends (and had friends from our old school) while I went to a private, all-girls place with only one girl from my school; who I barely knew. I made two friends in my five years there, and then went to college and made two more friends (one is now my partner, so he doesn’t really count). Of those four people, only one contacts me when I try to connect.

So in 2005, I discovered online friends and am very grateful to the three wonderfully stable best friends I still have: Kami and Josh in America, and Amma who lives in the nearest big town to where I grew up. Through Skype and smartphones, I’ve been able to see a live woodchuck on the campus of an American University and hear the laughter of these friends, despite the miles between us. I meet up with Amma an average of once every 2 years, and I speak to Kami or Josh once every 3-4 weeks on Skype.

 

Re-connecting

This morning, I met that girl again; that best friend from my childhood, Rachel. That sweet and pretty little girl who rode on my bike and whose hair caught fire due to sparklers (I think I just laughed, but we were only 3 and 4)… is now a beautiful woman living in a flat with her partner and a full-time job and car. And she studies at her job to boot! I’m in awe of how much she has achieved, as I still remember her, aged 3, crying with her hair on fire.

It felt awkward to say hi to her again, as I’ve spoken barely 20 words to her in the last ten years. This grown up lady who I’d vaguely heard updates about from her mother, and had seen the odd picture of on facebook, sounded so different to those memories I had.

But after carrying heavy furniture together down some stairs, into a van, onto a trolley and up to a storage place; I was hugging her and we were taking photographs together. I expected so much to have changed in that decade, but after 3 hours together, it was like I had my best friend back. It still felt odd to hug her, but it’s something I used to value more than anything; the feel our arms behind each other’s back; because that’s how best friends used to stand together. United against anything; inseparable.

Connections

I made a goal at New Year to make sure I connect with people more. I’ve made a consistent effort to make it to the pagan meet-ups, to celebrate the seasons and to honour the tradition of seeing my friend from college.

I’ve tried to see the possibilities and the potential in everything, and to trust that some people are good examples of the human race. I grew up with the lesson “people are mean and you need to be meaner to succeed” and it’s taken a lot of time and experiences to redefine that: to recognise that some people will give, just ‘because’.

 I haven’t had a close friend I can regularly see and hug and laugh with for ten years. And in re-connecting with my old best friend, I’m realising that’s something I’ve really needed. Especially as my partner’s three counties away and I’ll soon be moving to a new town.

I’m sure Rachel has changed, just as I have. But she stills laughs at my jokes and we still say the same things. We were almost finishing each other’s sentences again.

And now I feel sad, because I’m leaving and I’ve lost ten years of that. I hadn’t fully realised how much of a hole not having a best friend leaves.

So I’m hoping to change that by seeing her again before I move into my flat; and maybe when I return for weekends or Christmas. If nothing else, it’s a lesson about connection I’d rather learn now, than in thirty years time when we may have lost touch forever.

In light,

Rose

My Writing Tools: NaNoWriMo is Approaching

Tags

dancing-with-limitation, LiteratureLessons, nanowrimo, novel, soar

Technically, I’m working on the sixth novel story-line.

However, in terms of what I intend to actually use in some form as novels, it’s the forth proper novel. And it’s my first proper sequel; as a re-write turned into the Main Character’s daughter’s story; but didn’t actually resemble the first world or set-up.

I’ve had a few questions about my writing process (it differs for every writer) and so I thought I’d make a quick resources list:

 

My In-Progress Novels: (ignoring the rubbish ones)

Seven Sisters (Summer 2010 but  used as NaNo 10 as did 50k in 30 days) – Finished at 90k and might eventually make into something ~ proper epic though with millions of characters and storylines.

Resilience (in progress and enjoying)

Wings of Skell – just finished, though finding new backstory that needs to be written

WoS Sequel – planning for NaNo 12

 

Helpful Books

*** represents the ones I use a lot or used a lot when I first began ***

Write Great Fiction series

** ~ Plot and Structure – James Scott Bell

~ Revision and Self-Editing – James Scott Bell

~ Characters, Emotion and Viewpoint – Nancy Kress

 

Elements of Fiction Writing series

** ~ Beginnings, Middles and Ends – Nancy Kress

 

** Hooked ~ Les Edgerton

** On Writing ~ Stephen King

** Write a Novel and Get it Published ~ Nigel Watts

No plot? No problem! ~ Chris Baty

How Not to Write a Novel ~ Sandra Newman and Howard Mittelmark

Writers on Writing ~ James Roberts, Barry Mitchell and Roger Zubrinich

** Wannabe a Writer? ~ Jane Wenham-Jones

The Creative Writing Coursebook ~ Julia Bell and Paul Magrs

** Creative Novel Writing ~ Roselle Angwin

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers ~ Renni Browne and Dave King

 

And of course novels and non-fiction books too =)

 

Programs

Over the last three years, I’ve tried a lot of different software. This is a brief list of my “must-haves”:

XMind ~  a mapping software which I’m beginning to use just to keep character notes clear. There are X clan and Y clan – members of X, complete with eye colour, hair, power, dress sense and relationships. All colour-coded and printable.

** Scrivener ~ best thing I’ve ever bought for novelling. I don’t even use it to write the novel in. But to plan out the plot on the corkboard and to order things, to have character notes and having everything I’ve ever deleted in a nice “trash” folder in case I want it again.. ❤

Microsoft Word 2003 ~ In 2010, I had to write a lot on my mum’s PC as my laptop broke. She had Word 2007, which despite the plus of a wordcount at the bottom of the screen, made it all more complicated. Plus, my wordcount for just finished novel bits required highlighting and clicking anyway, so I don’t mind clicking tools, wordcount. I grew up with Windows 3.1 and the closest I can be to 1998, the happier I am.

Evernote ~ this is a relatively new finding for me. In terms of a to-do list and notes from webpages in one place, it’s fab.

But having it on my mobile phone and just needing to open it with the wifi on to transfer hundreds of words or notes or pictures and voice clips to my pc… ❤

I’ve also been playing with the android app “writer”, but evernote fills the same purpose for me.

 

NaNoWriMo

My history with nano is a positive one. I completed my first go in 2009. In summer 2010 I did my own 50k in 30 days; keeping track of each day’s wordcount. In NaNo 10, I copied and pasted the numbers from my summer run. I use the forums all year round, particualrly for editing between december and october. For NaNo 11, I panicked near the end and used all the “allowable” cheats.

This year, I’ll be writing the sequel to Wings of Skell; which I finished the first set of drafts for exactly 8 days ago. I’m planning a lot, and making as much progress as possible before it starts; using as few hand-written notes as possible. This is partly because I will most-likely be moving house during November and starting a new job. If I can keep it all on USB sticks, my laptop and my phone; it’s just going to be simpler.

 

It’s my first sequel, and I’m under the pressure of three “wins” not to lose this year.

 

Wish me Luck.

 

In light,

Rose

Sharing my #InsurancePoll Story

Tags

connect, fitness, Insights

Ellie Di posted a story the other day about her insurance policy. It seems to have started with Amanda Palmer’s insurance poll which began on Twitter.

I wasn’t going to write about it, because my health is covered by the NHS… something which the government are phasing out and hasn’t cost me anything yet because I’ve been a student.

However.

On Friday, I went to the dentist. I spoke briefly about my first visit to this dentist over at my other blog, but today, I have a lot of rants I want to voice.

There will be swearing in this, and it’s all my own opinion. I’m also still pissed about it, so in two weeks, these views may dissipate a little.

As I’m responding to a poll; these are the questions:

1)       COUNTRY?! 2) profession? 3) insured? 4) if not, why not, if so, at what cost per month (or covered by job)?

My answers are: UK, soon-to-be-family-support-worker, NHS. This current piece of dental treatment will probably cost £500 overall.

The National Health Service

When the coalition decided to do away with our NHS, I fought. I’m still fighting in little ways – I attended a march, I applied for NHS jobs, I still sign petitions, and I try to only go to a health centre if I really need something.

Of course the waiting lists are out the door and the treatment can be shocking. I would probably say the chance of having the wrong leg amputated is a good 1 in a 500 if not more… in all seriousness.

Access to Files

My main issue today, is that they don’t have access to any records. We find it iffy to buy a used car without the service history, but the fact that the dentist numbed my mouth so I couldn’t speak, and then asked me questions about my medical history… then prescribed me tablets when I can’t swallow tablets and I had to really emphasise “I must not see the needle”.

Especially asking me questions he can see answers to – he’s taken an X-ray of my mouth, I told him I moved dentists because the other didn’t fucking tell me he was taking a fucking tooth out and I get asked if I’ve had this tooth out because it’s not showing on the X-ray and also doesn’t appear to be in my mouth.

READ THE FUCKING NOTES.

This is not news; when I had Glandular Fever/Tonsillitis and had to go from A&E to out of hours doctors to staying three days in hospital over Christmas, then to two different doctors in GP surgeries… and they all KNEW what I can and can’t take and which drugs I was (by this point) now immune to.

Despite staying in the same dentist’s surgery, the new dentist they employed didn’t know my file and now I’ve moved and filled out the health form again they STILL don’t know.

I would be furious about it, but I’m shaking and crying instead.

The Story

I have insurance; the bog standard same-as-everyone-else insurance. I only paid £7 for a prescription of drugs I’m struggling to take. I should have checked – I should have asked the dentist if it’s soluble and then checked the pharmacist gave me soluble. But with a numb mouth and tears still drying on my cheeks I didn’t think to divulge my entire history to every person I met.

And it annoys me that the default is I have to do that. And I will remember it in future.  Clearly, I must tell my medical history to every single medical professional I meet. Makes me wonder what the hell they write all those notes for.

But when I couldn’t breathe, swallow water or sleep because I began to drown in my own saliva – I could go to the hospital, despite it being boxing day, and it didn’t cost my parents anything to have those 7 different drugs. I was even given special circumstances for the exams two weeks after I got out of hospital.

Generally, the fact that I don’t need to worry about paying for an ambulance has never occurred to me ~ because if you need an ambulance, something is serious – and a human life is priceless. But discussing my granddad’s Alzheimer’s and the side effects of his medication; in view of their visit to see his daughter in Germany – I was told about the cost of ambulances there too.

With the USA bringing in an NHS and the UK Prime Minister slowly destroying our NHS, a lot of health policies are changing.

Dentists are the only service I have had to pay for*. And only since half-way through my BSc.

*Although in the last 6 months the privatisation has led to charging for things that have never, ever before been charged for under the NHS scheme.

Opening the Story Pages

As Amanda Palmer said, no one knows the state of other’s health stories until they are told.

When I joined the revolution of “we are the 99%” I read hundreds of pages of pictures; telling people’s stories of choosing between rent and cancer drugs. I spoke to my two best friends in America; about their health plans and how they balance the minimum wages of three jobs and schooling just to keep themselves alive.

So that’s my story, and that’s the UK system as a newly-out-of-education person sees it.

I’m worried about the future, because the NHS is getting worse in every way – waiting lists are longer, training is poorer, standards are dropping, and for all this worse service they’re beginning to charge.

But right now, I don’t have to choose between having this tooth out and buying my iron tablets.

What’s your health insurance story? Share it in the comment, write your own blogs and/or tell it on Twitter using the hashtag #insurancepoll:

1) country? 2) profession? 3) insured? 4) if not, why not, if so, at what cost per month (or covered by job)?

In Light,
Rose

On Being a Writer

Tags

Autumn, connect, Insights, LiteratureLessons, novel, plans, potential, processing

This afternoon I found out that the e-portal was closed to new submissions, and wrote a post here.

Since then, Harper Voyager apologised for the technical glitch and I have now officially submitted my novel to them.

A month ago, only my mum had read my work. And only half a novel’s worth. Today, I submitted a novel to a publisher.

However, the points I made below are still true, so I’ll leave the original post here.

* * * * * * * * * 

Last night, the submission portal at Harper Voyager Publishing closed to un-agented manuscripts.

I didn’t make it.

* * *

The website said 1st – 14th October, opening at 00:01 on Monday the 1st.
Like so many, I assumed that would mean it would close at 23:59 Sunday – not 23:59 Saturday.

They were asking for polished pieces, which mine isn’t. (Well, the first half is relatively polished.) But I knew it wouldn’t hurt to send it off – in case a miracle happened.

I didn’t get that chance.

* * *

But I have a finished novel.

And a query letter. And an idea of how to write a synopsis.

I joined a new writing community; which although I find faults with the limits for a free membership (and can’t afford such a high price for paid), gave me access to about 10 people’s views on my work.
I had access to other people’s query letter formats. And examples of my ‘competition’ specific to my genre.

I got to share my work with my mum; something I was too afraid to do before.

I got to share the journey with my friend and fellow author.

And I wrote 18,500 words in five days. Despite having no idea how this re-write would end.

I turned a 31,000 re-write draft into an 80,000 word completed piece in less than a month. And I have a foundation for a sequel – possibly my nanowrimo piece for this year.

My last “completed novel” is 92,000 words; but full of plot holes. Some chapters still have “add scene about X here” in them. And I hate how the plot is going.

* * *

For this novel, I found a way to push through the hatred for my own characters, after forcing myself to write through periods of desolation. I was home alone for a week with my writing, and I still ate vegetables alongside the extra junk food. I didn’t drink alcohol, despite wanting to most of the time (all the best writers did). I learned that making a mental appointment with my muse actually seems to WORK.

Through sharing my chapters, I found that I can write, and that people like my work.
Through sharing my chapters, I found that I read other people’s work and began to hate my writing. It wasn’t as good as theirs.
Through sharing my chapters, I was able to change the bits I hated and found I almost liked it again.

Now I’m looking at NaNoWriMo ideas for the sequel.

It seems that for this week at least, I found a way to be a writer.