Camp NaNoWriMo

 

Photo copyright National Novel Writing Month, Camp NaNoWriMo

 

In a couple days I am embarking on a new writing journey. 

A couple months ago I was introduced to the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) website.  Here I learned that every November thousand of writers take on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in one month in an attempt to write a full novel.  The object is not to write quality but quantity to help those who have issues with starting their novel but not finish it, like me, actually finish a first draft.  Freeing themselves from the back and forth of editing, writing, editing, writing.

Camp NaNoWriMo

To take it one step further, NaNoWriMo has put together a summer program dubbed Camp NaNoWriMo to give those who can't wait for November a chance to do it again.  31 days, 50,000 words or more.

So in a few days, on July 1st, I will take my first step at finally starting and finishing the first draft of my first novel that I have been wanting to write for several years now.

Each "camper" is assigned to a "cabin" that has about 6-7 other campers in it.  Here you will find a community of other writers that will be there to help support and encourage you as they too attempt to meet their own goals that month.  It is nice to know that I will have that support from other people who are attempting to do what I am doing.

You can also get into the spirit of the camp by purchasing a t-shirt, survival package (rustic stick pen, pad of paper, badges, postcards) and even an old fashion looking campers coffee mug.  Each item a great imagination sparker.


How I'm Preparing

To prepare for this journey, I have spent weeks working on an outline for the first book in a trilogy that will guide me through my novel.  It is the first time that I have had a completed, very in depth outline to follow and I am excited about my storyline being put together so I don't feel so lost and I can stay focused.  I love to plan and get things prepared, though I have no problem doing the unexpected, and I am hoping that this will help me succeed in this adventure.

This should be an epic journey and one that will be wrought with complications and distractions but I hope I can still push myself to get through this.  There is no real reward for doing this other than a self pat on the back.  You do get recognized as a winner, one who met their goal, and that in itself is a great accomplishment, especially for those who have never gotten to the words "The End."

What will I do after this?

After I have completed this journey I plan to prepare my outline for book 2 of this series, prepping for November, and work on editing and putting together a final draft of my first book.  My hope is to be able to publish my first book within the next 6 months to a year on Nook and Amazon but we never know what the future will hold now do we? 

Wish me luck :-)  I will update throughout the process.

Who here has been involved in NaNoWriMo and how was your experience?  Leave a comment below.

You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins, Writer Review

I recently came into possession of the book You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins and I have to say.  I loved it!

I guess I never saw my self as a writer before, though that is what I do on my spare time.  I always saw myself as a writer in training or a future author.  But not a writer.  Not at the present time.

So then what am I doing?  What have I been doing for the past 5 years?  Have I just been typing like some crazed maniac without any purpose?  I have been saying that I want to be an author in the future like some of my idols, Wendelin VanDraanen, Margaret Petterson Haddix, Suzanne Collins, Tess Gerittsen, but what have I been doing all this time? 

I have been writing. 

I have authored articles, though self published on a website, but that has got to count for something.  Right?  I know I am not currently published with a book but at what point do I call myself a writer?  After my first million copies sold? 

Jeff Goins tells you in his book that in order to be a writer you need to start thinking of yourself as a writer right now.  What you are doing is writing.  Just because you are not published doesn't mean you are not a writer.  So start acting like one and start writing.  I actually wrote that on a piece of paper and taped it to my refrigerator.  "You are a writer.  You just need to write," as a way of encouragement to continue with my dream.  I have been trying my hardest to put my hands to the keyboard and produce something each day or pick up a pen and write a few words that will get me a little further in my book.  Anything to keep me writing on a daily basis until it becomes like breathing.

Jeff Goins doesn't just encourage you to write but he teaches you to build a platform to showcase your writing, like a blog, and to practice your skill by doing it everyday.  Through practice you find your voice, you learn how to connect to the people you are targeting.  Practice brings you one step closer to your dreams.  You can't expect to pick up an new instrument and instantly know how to play it, it is the same with writing.  You need to practice.  Everyday.

Eventually I will be able to say I did it, I made it, but until then I will continue seeking advice, seeking practice and exercises to help me get better and make the most of this gift, this dream.  Jeff Goins' book will be a well used addition to my library and I thank him for giving me the push and encouragement I needed to go forward.

If you are a writer, this book is a must have.  You can also sign up for Jeff's newsletter to receive new posts and encouragement.  It is worth the time.

When Tradgedy Is Really A Blessing

Let's Be Honest.

Raise your hand if you are a writer? 
(Hand shoots up in the air) 

Raise your hand if you are struggling to even get through writing out a plot? 
(Hand shoots right back up) 

Raise your hand if you really want help to get through your plot so you can keep your focus?  (Jumping up and down waving my hand "ME! ME! ME! I DO! I DO! I DO!")

Well unfortunately I am not the one to ask for help, I am new at this myself, but fear not...I may have someone who can.

I have been struggling to write a book for several years now.  Not only is being a mom who stays at home and homeschools a big reason to just put writing off just one more day but I have been realizing that it is because it becomes overwhelming and difficult to really see where I want my story to go.  Not to mention my fear of rejection but we will save that for another time.  No, it has a lot to do with my focus on the story I want to tell. 

Where do I want this story to go? 

What is my message in all of this?

What am I really going to fill the story with?

Do I want a sandwich or leftovers for lunch? 

See?  Focus.

All these questions just make my mind draw a blank and wonder onto something else.

I wonder what everyone is doing on facebook today? 

Here I have an awesome idea, at least in my mind, but I can't seem to put it on paper.  I can't seem to figure out a system to help me get a simple plot written down to follow, to keep me on track.

My mom, who is my biggest supporter used to tell me to just sit down and write the book.  "You have no idea how hard that is," was always my reply.  Like most writers out there you know you can't just sit there for hours with your mind blank and expect anything that comes out to be good.  Or coherent.  If you can't even get your ideas down without completely confusing yourself and going "this makes no sense," then how do you expect to write a story and make it good.

A Tragedy Becomes A Blessing

Several weeks ago I did a really, really bad thing.  It is so terrible that it is hard to even type here.  I formatted my flash drive that held every word that I had ever written. 

Gasp! 

I know!  What a tragedy!  All my work was gone.  My story babies practically dead.  How was I ever going to remember everything I had written.  It was hopeless.  I was fighting back tears.  I tried several attempts at recovering my work, downloading a few different recovery software programs, but I had to finally realize that I was not getting anything back. 

After searching my computer and an external hard drive, I realized not all of my work was lost, just both the novels I had been working on.  So in total, about 90% of every word I had ever written was lost.  Yes, a good 90%.  One novel I had been working on for years, though it also hadn't been touched in a few years, but that is not the point.  I did thankfully have it all printed out but what a pain in the butt that is going to be to have to sit there and copy what I wrote.  My second novel, which I had just that morning started working on again, was completely gone.

As you can imagine, I was upset.  But, unbeknownst to me, it was a blessing in disguise.

How Could Losing It All Be A Blessing?   

One problem I always had when I wrote was that nothing was planned out.  I always had such a great idea and I would start to write.  Then through brainstorming what was going to happen in the book, I come up with an even better idea and then an even better idea and it would snowball until I nearly forgot what I was even wanting to write.  Every good idea had to be in my book, had to happen here in this story and not in another some time down the road.  I had to have the father be killed, then he is a ghost haunting his daughter, then he is not really dead but alive but nobody knows.  Or the girl has to be thirteen and find a magical realm, no, sixteen and she has powers, no, eighteen so she can fall in love and it wouldn't be inappropriate if there are some steamy scenes.

This may not all seem to be a big deal, all part of the writing process, but in the end the orginal idea that I was so excited about gets lost, my paths do not cross right and the story hits a brick wall.  That is when I get discouraged and walk away.  I lose my drive, my passion.

When I lost it all, it was like a blank slate.  I didn't have to feel the obligation from having everything that I had written be sitting there for me to try and make work.  I was able to start again from scratch and not feel too guilty if I did the story differently like I would have if I knew hours and hours worth of work was just sitting there.

So, determined to do it right instead of at the seat of my pants and winging it, changing my story with each and ever new whim, I went on a search to find a plot course or article to help me through a new rewrite.  That's when I came upon "Creating a Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps" by Glen C. Strathy. 

Right away I noticed that the way I was being asked to write my plot was different from anything else I had ever tried.  There was no beginning, middle, and end that I was supposed to figure out and then try to fill the rest of the story in with fluff.  It was more in depth and went step by step with each aspect of the story.  I found out that this way of writing a plot was called Dramatica Theory, which I will post about some other time.  In this series of articles (I found out that "Creating a Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps" was step number 3 in the "How To Write A Novel" series also written by Glen C. Strathy), Mr. Strathy walks you through each step into creating your plot.

With Dramatica Theory, which was created by Melanie Anne Philips and Chris Huntley in 1993, everything was laid out more.  Given to me in steps or stages.  Give me specific questions to answer about my plot and the story might come together right.  Just say to me "where do you want your story to go?" and I freeze up.  Say "what is your protagonist afraid will happen if his/her goal is not achieved?" and more than likely you will get something out of me.  That is actually a question that Mr. Strathy asks in his article.  It's definitely a thought provoker.  So looking at this approach to plotting I found it less stressful and less daunting.  Mr. Strathy does a great job at giving you examples of each step and explaining things so that even I can understand it.  I firmly believe that I can't speak or understand the complex language of "Adult," though I am one, and the way he explains it all is clear enough for me.

If you are a writer like me that has a hard time really pulling together an idea and sticking with it, without going off onto every single bunny trail that comes along, then you should check out his website.  I have made sure to bookmark it on my computers and save the articles on a flash drive (a new one of course) to make sure I have it at my finger tips at all times.  This website and series of articles will be well used from now until I get the hang of this writing thing and I hope that it will help all of you too.

So even though I lost so much when I formatted my hard drive, I really gained a whole lot too.  I gained a whole new approach to writing that I hope will one day result in a fully written and published book.  And I gained new confidence and a new drive to push forward without all my past writings holding me back.  Now on to my book.

Who here has tried out Dramatica Theory before and how do you like it?  Leave a comment below.

Converting To Dvorak

Photo courtesy of Miss Karen

Okay, call me crazy but I have decided to take the plunge and convert to Dvorak.  Well, my computer is, really.  For those of you who don't know what Dvorak is, it's a change you make on your computer that changes the location of your keys on your keyboard.

I read a blog posting by an author that I have been taking lessons from and she was saying that because she is always typing, it has caused major pain in her wrists over time.  It is because the normal QWERTY key system was not made to prevent stress on her fingers and wrists and in turn she has been in pain for years.  Dvorak is not a new thing (though I had never heard of it) and I am not sure how widly it is used, but apparently the key placements are in a better position and there is not as much stress put on your hands.  Since the main thing I do is type, I thought it wouldn't hurt to try it out and possibly prevent future damage that could be done to my wrists and fingers.

I am typing this out right now using the Dvorak keys and it is taking me a long time due to all the keys being in the wrong order.  Converting to the Dvorak keyboard is difficult in that you have to relearn how to type.  I took typing in high school but I was never good at it.  It wasn't until I started writing that I really got the hange of typing so now I am starting all over and taking lessons online and it is all disorienting.  But I know I will get the hang of it and I hope it will be benificial in the long run.

If you do not use the computer often then it probably wouldn't be benefitcial for you to make the change over to Dvorak so don't think it is some craze sweeping the nation.  No, like I said before, I'm not sure how much it is used but for me it was like "Why not?"  Why not try it and if it doesn't work out I can always switch back.  (With maybe a little difficulty to remember QWERTY again.)

I will give an update on how it is going in a couple weeks.

Happy Typing :-)

Slim in 6 Workout Program with Debbie Siebers

AAAHHH!!!  Exciting News!  My latest article "Slim in 6 - Debbie Siebers' 6 Week Workout Program - Review", has become a Featured Article, my first EVER, on Suite101.  I am soooo excited.  It has also been nominated for consideration for Editor's Choice.  AAAAHHHH!!!!

This really gets me thinking about what I could possibly do to have this happen more.  There is nothing like being told that you did a great job in something that you wrote, that is by someone other than your mother (yes, there you are again, Mom!), to get you motivated to write more.  Then again...it puts the pressure on to produce the same kind of quality in everything that you write, which may not be such a bad thing.

Anyway, this article is a "must read" for those of you who are looking to drop a few pounds.  Just a quick overview of the article, I committed myself (not to a psych ward) to doing Slim in 6  which is a six week workout (I should have opted for the psych ward, honestly).  It kicked  my butt, but in the process made my butt look better :-)  I hated every minute of it, but results don't lie on how good it was for me and so it has given me a new respect for Debbie Siebers and her "I laugh when I'm in pain."  (I usually cry!)  So, check it out and no, it is not meant for you to go out and order this product, it is motivation to just get yourself to try anything. 

I hate to exercise but I made myself do it and I am very happy that I did.  I haven't been this weight in...who knows how long and I feel so good with myself for sticking with it.  The lost weight (almost 30 lbs. and 3 inches from my waist) are just the added bonus for completing this program.  Now, to lose the rest! 


I hope you enjoy the article. ;-)

Chemistry for Kids

If any of you have ever watched PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) you have probably noticed a show for kids named Sid the Science Kid.  With Sid the Science kid, your children see fun and easy science projects and concepts that are easy to do at home with your younger children.

So this got me thinking about this years preschool curriculum that I was going to be doing with my 4 year old. I decided to add science once a week, along with math, and have her do simple science projects and keep a journal where she can draw pictures of what she has done.  Just like Sid.

This is one of the projects I found.  It's called Chemistry Fun With Pennies: Learn About Metals by Anne Marie Helmenstine, PhD.  You just simply take salt and vinegar, mix it in a cup until dissolved and add in some dirty pennies.  There is instant gratification with what the solution does to the pennies and then it is almost "magical" (to kids at least) what happens to the pennies after a long period of time.

I originally found this project in my resource book "I Teach K!" 6th Annual National Kindergarten Teacher Conference, 2005 Sponsored by Scholastic, but it had different ingredients for the solutions (hence the added glasses and solutions which are in the resource book project).  The results were not as quick as the above article project but the added glasses were nice because you can compare the different solutions and their effects on the pennies.

Then, Chemistry Fun With Pennies takes it a step further and adds another short project to it by having you make "copper nails" with the left over solution.  (So do not dump out the solution until after you make the copper nails.)

The initial project takes about 10-15 minutes total and the drying of the pennies and the copper nails take about an hour, but that is where the "magic" happens.

Below I have pictures and the extended version of Chemistry Fun with Pennies from when I did it with my daughter.

Chemistry Fun with Pennies (Extended Version)

• 4 clear 8oz glasses
• 3 cups water
• Dish soap
• 3/4 cup Vinegar
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 36 pennies (4 for each glass, 1 for each glass for dipping halfway, 16 to add to glass #4 in the end.)
• 2 steel nails
• Paper towels

1. Fill glass #1 with 1 cup of water

2. Fill glass #2 with 1 cup water and a little dish soap (no measurement needed for soap)

3. Fill glass #3 with 1 cup water and 1/2 cup vinegar

4. Fill glass #4 with 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 tsp. salt (stir till fully dissolved)

5. Place four pennies in each cup

6. Take one penny, not already in the solutions, and hold them halfway in the solution for about 20-30 seconds. (Watch what happens.)

• What happened to the pennies in each cup?
• Did the pennies change at all or did they stay the same?
• What glass changed the pennies the most? Least?

7.  Add the rest of the pennies to the salt and vinegar solution.

8. Allow pennies in the salt and vinegar sloution to soak for about 5 mins then take out half the pennies and lay them on a paper towel labeled "Not Rinsed."  Now take out the rest of the pennies, being sure to NOT dump out solution.  (Keep it because it is needed in the next step.)  Rinse the second half of the pennies with water to get off all of the salt and vinegar.  Lay them out on a paper towel labeled "Rinsed."


9. Wait about 1 hour for the pennis to dry and see what changes happened to the pennies. (For full explanation of Verdigris which is the green effect on the penny, please see the linked article above.)






Meanwhile:  Take the steel nails and place one laying completely submerged in the salt and vinegar solution and stand the second one up so it is half in and half out of the solution so you can see the change.

• What happened to the nails?

Have your child record what happened to the pennies in their science journal by drawing pictures of the experiment. (My daughter loves this part.) 

I do not go into full explanation of what happens to the pennies chemically but I do try to "kid" it down a bit saying we are cleaning the pennies and that the air is what makes it turn so dark over time and that the "dark" part of the penny, which comes off in the salt and vinegar, then attaches to the nails.  Also that the salt and vinegar cause the pennies to turn green because we didn't rinse them off and it kept making the penny change like magic.

If it looks like I missed something in the instructions please let me know;-)


Happy Investigation!

Preteen and Teen Mystery Series That Are Great For Even Adults

Since I embarked on my author track a couple years ago, I have read a plethora of preteen and teen books to get a good feel for how a book in that age range would sound.  So with my many visits to the library to see what was popular or what looked interesting just from its cover (yes, I am one of those people who judge books by their covers, horrible, I know, but only books, not people :-), I have stumbled upon some great authors.  Two of these authors, which I will mention in a moment, are two of my biggest writing role models.  Interesting enough, Stephenie Meyers is not one of them, though I did love Twilight.  I'm a big fan.  I'm just not obsessed.

I cover this topic of preteen and teen mystery novels at length in my article "Great Mystery Series for Preteens and Teens" on Suite101 where I give a quick over view of mainly the first book in each series.  One of the most fun series, especially for preteen girls, is Sammy Keyes by Wendelin Van Draanen.  Van Draanen is probably my biggest role model when it comes to writing.  Every book that I have read of hers has been fantastic.  Because I was writing about mystery series, I didn't get to mention several of her great stand-alone books that are just as much fun to read.

How I Survived Being A Girl - this book is about a sixth grade girl who finds that life it
                     unfair as a girl.  She gets ditched by her brothers, pounded on by them, and
                     annoyed when boys don't want to play with her just because she is a girl.  She
                     kept her hair short, wore boys clothes, and loved to spy on the neighbors but she
                     still didn't get treated the same.  But then things start to change when she meets
                     Charlie and she realizes being a girl isn't so bad.

Flipped - this book was turned into a movie in 2010 starring Madeline Carroll and Callan
                    McAuliffe.
                   
                    Bryce, a young second grader, moves to a new town and is ambushed by a girl his
                    age who lives across the street.  From that first meeting all the way up into
                    seventh grade, Bryce has tried everything he could to avoid her.
                    
                    Juli, a second grade girl, finally has a kid her age in the neighborhood, and he
                    lives across the street.  What luck!  But when she first lays eyes on him, she 
                    totally flips.  From that day on she was in love.
                   
                    But then in eighth grade, things changed.

Runaway - An orphaned girl, Holly, runs away from her foster family in hopes of finding a
                    better life for herself that is not full of abuse and neglect.  She keeps track of her
                    thoughts in a journal that was given to her by her teacher Ms. Leon and finds that
                    even though she hated the journal idea in the beginning, it slowly turns into her
                    one companion as she travels across the country to find home. 

Wendelin Van Draanen has written several more books, both stand-alone and series, that I have yet to read but I am anxious to get to them soon.

Another author that needs specific mentioning is Margaret Peterson Haddix.  She also has really inspired me as a writer with how creative she is.  Her Missing Series is so inventive and it is a great way to get teens to learn about history without it being boring.  Just think, 36 crying babies on a plane that just appears out of nowhere.  Where did they come from?  Who is missing them?  Now jump thirteen years into the future.  What do you think might happen?

Another one of Margaret Peterson Haddix's series that was not mentioned in the article is The Shadow Children Series.  Once again, very creative.  Imagine a world where having more than two children would result in the government taking that child and killing it like it was a rabid animal.  How would you keep your child or children safe and away from being detected by the police?  This is the way of all the shadow children.  No school, no playing outside, no going to the store, or even eating at the kitchen table with the rest of the family.  They didn't exist.  Not outside those walls of the home, and sometimes not even inside the walls of the home.  Life was a thing to fear.  Death was inevitable.  But how can they stand up against the government and make it so they didn't have to hide anymore?

The Shadow Children Series

• Among the Hidden (1998)
• Among the Impostors (2001)
• Among the Betrayed (2002)
• Among the Barons (2003)
• Among the Brave (2004)
• Among the Enemy (2005)
• Among the Free (2006)

One series that I did not mention in the article, because I had written a previous article about it, was The 39 Clues written by various authors, one of which was Margaret Peterson Haddix which is how I had learned about the series in the first place.  Another author, Rick Riordan who wrote the Percy Jackson & The Olympians Series, also wrote the first book in The 39 Clues.  If you have not heard of The 39 Clues then you are in for a real treat, especially if you have children who love both mysteries and online gaming.  This series not only gets your children involved in the mysteries in the books but it also gets them involved in the mystery first hand online.  To read more about The 39 Clues and how they are not only fun to read but very educational, then click here.  This article gives you an overview of the first book which will, hopefully, draw you and your kids into the fun, exciting, and dangerous world of the Cahills.

I love reading and it is an important part of being a writer and so when I find something great, I love to share it.  I hope you will all take a look at the article to see the several series that I did not mention on this blog but are also great books for teens and preteens.  You can say that everything has been read and approved by a mother and it is all wholesome, though I must give a warning for one series I did mention in the article, A Forensic Series by Alane Ferguson.  This series is great but it is graphic and not for younger teens.  If you have a teenager who is wanting to go into the forensic field, then this will be great for them.  If they have weak stomachs then I do not recommend this series for them.

Just a reminder, these books are great for kids but they are just as fun for the parents.  I enjoyed these book immensely and I don't plan to stop reading books like these just because I am no longer a teenager.  It is great because it takes you back to when you were a teen and you sit back and ask yourself if you were like that when you were that age.  You may be surprised by your answer :-)

Happy reading to all!