Finished Draft Woes and Longhand Binges

So I finished Dark Falcon with I think it was 73K. Have read through it a couple times since November. There are a few issues. It needs expansion in some places, and a lot of (rather difficult) research in others. Somewhat overwhelming amount of supporting characters. Can't think of any major revisions to the story though, and it's been bugging me whether or not that's a good thing. I spent so much time planning the story out in September and October, that I may have actually gotten it right in November.

Of course, I hope this isn't the wrong intuition.

While I work out this small conundrum, I have been writing another story (August 16th) longhand. It's made great progress, but I'm still sorting through any multitude of options for the story. (I always hated Choose Your Own Adventure stories. There would be pages I just could never find. Not that this story is one. Just feels that way.) Spent all of the last three days working on it.

Have to say, because I'm writing in time-coded sections, writing longhand has been easier for August 16th. I did once have this crazy idea about making it anchronological, a whim since abandoned.

Hope everyone is having a great 2011, and does anyone else find some stories just flow better in longhand?

:D

Researching for Nanowrimo

How tall would a wall have to be to break Humpty-Dumpty?

It's not easy. You've got to sit down an think about all the vague exploits and hijinks that will happen, character details that you often forget to pay attention to, and all the while, you're sure that there's something that you haven't remembered.

Wikipedia's always a good place to start, but it's not a story-solver. After that, there's the Reference Desk on the Nano forums. People are more than willing to share their wisdom. Only problem is pretty much every other person on Nanowrimo is asking questions too. At that point, you might try wading through the different forum posts, which very often does turn up useful information.

Of course, if you've some VERY specific inquiries to make, you have to take on the Google beast or the labyrinth of your library. This is not for the faint of heart. In 2008, I was writing about a woman who had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. I wanted to know what her chances of recovery were from different specific scenarios. It wasn't easy. A lot of the information I needed was locked away on websites that required $800+ dollars a year for access to their articles. So I spent the first half of October piecing together the information for myself using diagrams of brains and TBI patient resource sites.

You can make an inquiry with a specialist, or perhaps someone on Nano, but usually you're in a hurry. Come November, you realize what it was you really needed to research back in October. You're falling behind on word count, and no one's answering your Reference Desk post. None of scientific/medical lingo really makes any sense to your literary mind anyway.

In the end, you might even find you wind up leaving this information out all together. Your story might no longer make sense, but that's what revision's for, right?

Of course, when you do get the information you need, it can put your story together or break it to pieces. But even then, it's hard to be completely sure your story is believable.

It must have been a writer deluged in this sort of exhaustive research who first said: "Write what you know."

Not that, I think, anyone ever takes this advice for more than five minutes together.

Nano!

So Nanowrimo's around the corner again. I've been doing quite a bit of planning. I now have my own (albeit Jurassic) computer to work on. Yay! There's a tiny snare this year. That's that we're moving. I'm keeping myself convinced that it's no big deal (Denial is a powerful thing). My sister's even signed up to do it with me this year. That's kind of cool. She's writing a mystery-suspense, think.

I'm writing urban fantasy-- but it's superheroes! I've decided to call it Dark Falcon.

I've a synopsis posted here http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/209666

And here's a better view of my book cover

(kind of an awesome winged ninja) :D

So for the next few weeks I'll be haunting my Twitter and Nano forums.

How's everyone else doing this pre-Nano season?

In other news...

I'm rather stuffy in my eras and nose right now. It makes me a little cranky. So while everyone else is playing the Wii sports that my grandparents bought us for Christmas, I am writing this to complain about how awful I feel. I did get a fancy fountain pen with several different ink cartridges in it. As well as a fluffy robe that I love. It's a bright blue color, the same shade as its accompanying throw blanket and the leather journal my aunt and uncle bought for me.

Weather keeps doing snow flurries, like it's teasing us. I wish that it would finally get cold enough for it to snow and stick, instead a all this almost-but-not-quite-enough. To switch subjects, I love spiced tea and could drink it all day long (come to think of it, I do). And I like watching The Pretender on Hulu a lot, even though the reality of his situation can get really depressing if I let myself think about it.

In writing news, with the exception of a blip of a mermaid short story idea, I can't think of anything to write. It's the quasi-cold, I think. Maybe I need to watch Narnia or something to get ideas flowing. Also, my wrist is feeling much better after resting. I've been working on a picture to celebrate that.

S.D.

Super Powers

Did I mention I've been writing longhand lately? It's not too much fun (read hand cramps). I was noticing that I seem to revise much better if I've got the first version right next to me and I'm rewriting on a different paper/document.

Haven't been on the pc too much lately (for the same reason I'm writing longhand).

My story is set a few decades into the future (somewhere between 2040 and 2060) and is a spin-off of some superheroes stories I've worked on before (set in present day).
Anyway, the idea is that the superhero organization mentioned in the other stories has collapsed and given rise to new ones. The new ones are corrupt, bureaucratic, and competitive with each other. They also focus more on treaties with equally corrupt governments and political parties than vanquishing villains (that's become a side job). The public's unaware of all this since the media is their pawn.
The protagonist is a teenager whom the dominant organization has labeled a serious threat to themselves; she hides with a small group of supers who've been blackballed as "antiheroes" because of their noncompliance w/ the hero organizations.

That's the set up but I'm not sure beyond that.

Get a Grip

Currently Listening: Crystal Clear by Jaci Velasquez

Since ScriptFrenzy is over and was a success at 101 pages. I'm wanting my Nano but know I have to get The Restored done. At 18,000 words currently and summer ahead, I think I'll be able to do it.
Today I was informed via tweet if I wanted to generate more blog traffic, I must post more. It was one of those Duh! moments, but I really don't have much of interest to talk about.

The one topic I can thinking of (that's not smart quotes vs plain quotes) is character development. I made a lot of progress in that way yesterday. Might as well share some of my revelations.

I was really trying to get a handle on my character Lindsai. Lindsai, I'm thinking, is relying far too much on herself. She thinks she has to be a support for everyone else to the point of neglecting her own feelings and emotions.


My character Brenneth is a cynic. This was quite a shock to me. I hadn't a clue. In fact, he was on the the brink of insubordinance yesterday. Also, not expected. I love it when my characters surprise me though because now he's a much stronger character.


Oh, and I got to introduce my character Emerelda too. Goodness, that girl reminds me of my sister, except her threats aren't empty--they got a pitchfork behind 'em. I was half-afraid she was going to shishkebab Will before the the story was a third way through. I know, however, that it's just a front. Em is half-human, half-woyd. That means the humans are actively seeking to kill her and the Macians shun her. She's not going to be friendly to anyone she suspects might turn her in. Once she trusts Will, she'll improve.


That's about it for me. I must get to the actual writing now,
S.D.

Out of My Mind

I have been getting this strange feeling lately: I am (completely out of the blue) compelled to finish, edit, and polish The Restored. I get this feeling that I need to finish it. The Restored is supposed to be the first book in a series about a fantasy world.
But this is a strange feeling for me. I think I'm going to go mad if I don't get it finished. I've only felt this way during Nano, and still, that was only getting to "The End."

I'm going to have to throw myself into this to save my mind.

Signing off, S.D.

POV Troubles

I don't really like first person anymore. At least when I'm struggling with the character. See, my character Meredith and I are having problems. I'm ready to blame it all on her, but I'll be bigger and admit it's partially my fault her character is not coming across on paper well.

It could have something to do with the fact I'm writing longhand. It's all kind of messy on binder paper, so I feel disorganized. Anyway, I just can't find a voice for her. It's very annoying. I think I'll give it a go on the computer if I can ever get the time. It's tempting to stop writing S.T. and work on Meredith instead (on the computer), but I can't let myself do that.

Off to face the sludge, S.D.

Letting Go

I was working on a story named "S.T." for now. And I've been working on it for awhile now. This would be my third or fourth draft actually. It's one of the few stories I believe I mostly finished before I moved onto the rewrite or something else. Anyway, I wrote about 11 pages on the computer and this incredible thing happened-- I wanted my mom to read it. And then I ave it to my dad. Drew the line at my brother (he the caricature of the dorky obnoxious teenage boy) though. So it's obvious my story had entered the stage where I was able to share it with the outside world. And my parents really liked it. My dad even said that he knew I had the dedication to be a writer but now he knew I had the talent (*internal teary-eyes*).
Anyway I was glad I let them read it. I had let go of the story, having put what I had into it.
The one downer is now they want me to finish it!

P.S. Also I was not a nervous wreck about it, as i have been before. Could it be I'm more confident? 0_o

:)

I watched that TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert on recommendation. It was great. Philosophically, I didn't agree with some of the particulars, but totally Understood. It was really nice to be reminded that the story was a collaborative effort. As far as creative genius in itself, I think it's something God created. I don't pretend to understand it. But I do know it's not simple like people try to make it out to be. It's some ineffable thing. It Exists in a way that makes writers and other artists look insane to the plebeians.

I was trying to explain it to my dad with this new material, but he wasn't understanding. Call it a force, a genii, a whatever, I know there's a complexity here. Unfortunately, he wasn't understanding, just inserting the "Moral of the Story."

I know God gave me Creativity. But could it be possible that Creativity is something in itself? Absolutely. Am I ever going to get anyone to understand that? Probably not.

Dare I say its centered in myself without going mad? I think I'll abstain.

Planning and Goals

I really need to do something, I've realized: I need to put my writing out there. Submit it to a few online magazines. Send a poem I wrote to some different places as well.
Write a few short stories (which is really hard for me... but I know I can do it), maybe that sort of thing. If I start collecting rejections now, then I'll be in good shape for later on.
It suddenly seems important. I'm not sure how, but it does.

So I'll get to writing and I hope ya'll have a great week!

P.S. I opened a deviantART account under the name QueenAravis

The Exiled (Prologue included)

The story of a banished princess.
Kind of interesting, but it's been there, done that. Right?
What the heck, I'll give it a shot.

Now maybe three years later, I have made huge discoveries in that story. Never really thought it would go this far.
And I've decided it's unique in it's mish-mashing. I've taken several cliches and set them on puree in the story blender.

For instance, the princess is tortured. And she was affected by it psychologically. Don't see that in too many fairy tales (I mean, when you do, they're usually out of their minds, and she's not).
Then of course is the plot twist that shocked me for a month. But just in case this thing ever makes it to the library shelves, I won't go into that. Seriously, it's a big one though...

I really like my characters, Aby and Trina. Trina is rather aloof, and I think she sometimes comes across as cold and unreachable, but that's what she wants. I gave her some exposed moments, but right now the story's in its skeletal frame stage. I'll flesh it out later and put that in there.

But this is problem the third, no, fourth revision. It's on the right track and everything. Of course, that's only the beginning of the story that's on it's fourth revision. But I daresay the Prologue for the story is the Best thing I've ever written.



Prologue
The chains around her wrists and ankles must have been heavy, but she stood tall. And her long, dark hair had matted over the last months, yet it was still somehow glorious. She wore a simple dress, barely deserving of the word, so old, torn, and filthy it was, though she wore it with full regality.
So that now as she faced her cousin, she looked every bit the princess she was. A fact that drove him to the end of himself.
Her pale lavender eyes gazed steadfastly into his own dark, evil ones, which refused to meet hers. But he hid it extremely well.
“Face it,” he almost oozed, “I have triumphed. Surrender now while you still can!”
She made no answer; her calm, steady nerve never faltering. Rogan was irritated by this, and his frustrations were rapidly increasing. He would have to act before he did something regrettable.
“No? Well then, I’m going to have to eliminate you.”
“Do you honestly think you can kill me? At least without the grave consequences of which the poets sing?”
“Why, my dear cousin, do you not know that there are many ways to eradicate an obstacle without technically destroying it?” When she did not answer, he sparked into the circle of stones between them.
It was a Magic fire, for it burn without fuel, hovering a few inches away from the stones. It was also unmistakably Evil. For its flames were a blue and red, and they filled the room with a decidedly sinister air, though they produced no traditional smoke.
Rogan, practiced in his Dark crafts, began to chant. The flames heightened and shot in different shapes. Rogan, with well-placed sweeps of the hand, formed them into a circle which swirled towards the center.
He spoke again and she felt her chains drop off, and Rogan was suddenly behind her, pushing her through the circle.
She landed oddly with a thud on damp grass as the vortex closed up above her. She dazedly realized what had happened. She had been sent to her grandfather’s world. To a place called Earth.

Distancing Myself & the Evolution of a Story.

So I've finished the first draft of my novel. I now have to emotionally detach myself so I can make painful edits need be.
So I'm writing something else. Or rather, transcribing it mostly. At least on the computer. It's called The Restored. And I'd like to talk about it right now.
The Restored was originally a tale of two half-sisters/cousins cast into the world of their mothers. They are connected to our world via a chat window on a laptop. It was then changed into cousins, then second cousins. It also went through phases of character details.

Em/Emerelda/Will:

• was orginally a nerdy, half-human, reclusive girl
• then she became a future Queen
• I made her father a horrible man
  
• and I gave her a stutter and made her more run-of-the-mill
• then I made her a nineteen year old pregnant widow
• then I nixed the pregnancy. I used that in another story.
• I got rid of the father. She was now completely woyd.
  
• After a couple rewrites, Em became a boy named Will.
• And I replaced the gold necklace with golden hair as the birthright somewhere in there
  
• There is now another character named Emerelda, a half-human girl who lives in Macia.
• Worth noting, I kept the stutter, though it's not as bad.

Lindsai/Lindsaiana/Lindsaille:

• Was orginally a loose teen who was destroying herself.
• I made her a more grounded teen
• At the same time, I made her blind
• I then wondered why she was blind
  
• I worked on that for a couple versions, but eventually I discovered she was the Justice of Tayrrhea and all Macia
• And I changed her name from Lindsaiana to Lindsaille
• Made her actaully born in Macia
  

Aly/Alylina/Cher/Cherapha

• Has alway been a centuar
• I changed her name to Cherapha bc I had another character named Alyssa caleld Aly.

There is other stuff I changed to, but these are the most interesting evolutions to me. I am now dealing with a twenty-one year old blind woman and an eighteen year old boy. They are second cousins. And this feels Right. I have finally understood what was going on.

I Finished My Novel... Now What?

I painfully typed those last words. It all came so suddenly. Much more so than I ever anticipated. But my novel is now weighing in as a completed manuscript. Huge gaps in the shoddily constructed plot, but it's over.
*Looking Around* Now What?
The only answer in my mind is "Write a sequel."
Not "Go back and Edit"
No, "Write a Sequel"
Granted this sequel has been nagging ever since Ria became a main character, but still- So Soon?
"You know you want to write it."
And I do.
Okay!
So I guess I better put together a mock title like "Title Page Two."

P.S. I have decided to put my ending here.

Annelie breezed down the road south. She’d stopped at the hotel, got her stuff, checked out, and got on the road she was now. The dawn was coming, illuminating the wide road that was ahead of her, and the city was quickly falling behind her.
She would see where it took her. That was all anyone could do. The title page of her life turned, and the story began.

Week Two

This is the crucial hour of NaNoWriMo;. Not for the faint of heart. And here I am procrastinating. Don't worry, I'll get my word count in today. But I have decided that my SC is pregnant with twins, which her mother (who is VERY controlling) has offered to adopt. My MC no longer had to die. We've worked that out. Still looking to see where this thing will take me.
Anyway, if I don't come out alive, I hope they burn my stuff and permanently delete my writing. Don't want to be like Emily Dickinson, Especially since most of my stuff isn't finished

The Grand Hijack

So my characters have done it again: Insisted on their own way. Ria wasn't suppose to be an important character, then next thing I know she's a playing character, and HINTING AT A SEQUEL ABOUT HER! Not only that, but there is strong evidence suggesting that my beloved MC, Annelie, will not come out of this story alive. She's been insisting on this, but I have dismissed this depression previously. Not to mention that yesterday Ellen revealed herself as an antagonist. Perhaps not the Main one, but still it is a brutal betrayal. I don't know what to do. I have a reputation in my family for my dead characters, butI have defended myself by never killing my protagonist. Now it looks like I may have to. The Voices are demanding it.

Research or Not to Research

Researching is one of those things that I personally love. I find it addictive. I can never stare at a Wiki entry long enough.
But it can be annoying.
I know this.
So I use it sparingly.
But just how sparingly?
I dunno. I use intuition in my stories. I'm actually pretty good at writing stuff which I later find to be pretty darn similar to the facts.
This use to scare me, but now I know it is just my characters telling me.
Of course, they don't usually put it in a way that I can write authoritatively.
Just my thoughts. Got to get back to Nanoing!

Annelie the Protagonist

Finding the Protagonist:
I first met Annelie.... Well I can't remember when and where. I may have been washing dishes. But that doesn't really matter because suddenly I was sitting in a apartment. I was her. Sort of. Rather, she had pulled me in. I knew the apartment was in Paris. It was light and airy. The TV was playing, but nothing more than a white noise to her.

I immediately knew I connected with her. She was so sad, broken, alone, and lifeless. Something had happened.

Her daughter had been murdered. She nearly was. And she woke up from coma.

This story was mine to tell. It had to be.

She deserved it.

And her name was Annelie.

Naming the Protagonist:
Annelie. Yeah that's the name of my protagonist. At least what she goes by. Her full name is Nadine Annelie Rivers. The last name is subject to change, but I've yet to come up with.... Hey what about DeMarco? I like it. All right her name is Nadine Annelie DeMarco. And Nadine may now change to Sabine. We'll see. You know what? Sabine works now. Nadine Marcus can be an assumed name. Or maybe Sabine Marcus is her assumed name and Nadine is her real name. Hey wait... myabe DeMarco is the assumed name and Marcus is the real one. Sabine Marcus. Annelie Marcus. Sabine Annelie Marcus- It lacks pizazz. I like it. It's a name that works. One you might find in the telephone. Inflicted by an imaginative mother or grandmother and a mundanely surnamed father. It also has reference to the fact that Annelie was supposed to be first. Mother always loved that name from childhood. father insisted that that be her middle name so she didn't have to carry around something so unusual. But the daughter preferred Annelie to Sabine. Figures.

Oh and how does N.D. Rivers sounds as a pen name? I think it will work for now.

Let's just work with "Annelie" for now. And you pronounce it an-nuh-lee, so yeah.

Giving the Protagonist a Face:
Even with no actual illustrations or overly descriptive passages, Annelie had a face. She had a style (or lack thereof) She was so high and weighed so much. She had habits and speaking patterns. I didn't invent theses things. They were already there. They came with her. It was up to me to get that face down on paper and fill in the rest.

Giving the Protagonist a Life:
This was the hard part. The part she was reluctant to reveal. The part she wanted to forget. As she tells her brother: "My life died without me."
I knew this from the start. And I accepted the challenge.
I know now that Annelie is a best-selling writer and an investigative reporter. She adopted a toddler from Ukraine. A little girl called Niki. Who was dead.
But why?
A shadow of a stranger passed over the window. A loud noise came followed immediately by a shattering sensation in her head...
Obviously a GSW. To the brain.
Yet still, why?
The only clue either of us has is the title page. Only she's not giving me a clear answer on what it says. It's a love-hate relationship. As far as communications go.

Giving the Protagonist a Purpose:
Obviously she has to do something in the novel. What? Well, she's an investigative journalist. The murder case is cold. So what does she do? She investigates.
But that can't be it. She's a TBI patient. Her life and her brain is shattered.
So putting together the pieces and moving on is the Idea. Grounding her again is The Thing.