Aargh. I give up.

Yes, I came back. I think it took me less than two weeks to really start missing you all. I miss sharing things here, just getting stuff out of my brain. So, here I am.

Not that you'll see too much of me, because NaNoWriMo starts...tomorrow. AAAAAAHHHH!

That was a shriek of pure joy. Pure joy, y'all. I am so excited for November, because it's the month that I can actually live like a crazy person and get pep-talks for it (plus a novel in the bargain).

The only problem I'm anticipating is...*sigh*...life. I have a ton of things to do with school work alone (mainly public speaking), but I've heard that the busier you are the funner NaNoWriMo is.

So November is the month of frost and orange-yellow-red-brown trees and Thanksgiving and crazy writers. It is the best month of the year.

By the way, you all should have totally seen the frost this morning. It was this gorgeous white, and then the trees were all orange and red, and the sky was this light frozen blue, and some of the houses had smoke coming out of the chimneys.

I love November.

Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo?

Izori

Excerpt from my NaNo 2010 Book! And NatureFreak's Answer

...You shouldn’t have taught me the sneaking bits of the art of assassination, Daelier, Kate told her master silently as she searched for a reasonable toehold in the stone walls of the palace. The lessons on being silent, blending in with the motions and rhythm of the surrounds, and staying to places where people don’t look echoed in Kate’s head as she wormed down the wall. She was about ten feet off the ground when she let go and dropped, silently landing in a crouching position...

___ ___ ___
I know I haven't been posting writing stuff on this blog very much anymore, but that's because I have another writing blog! Click here -->Traveling Tales<--to get to my writing blog, which I share with iGirl!

(You want to give me a Christmas present? Visit the blog and follow! Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too)

=)

Izori

P.S. NatureFreak, I am so sorry I couldn't get back to you before. I got the snowflakes from the blog of the lady who designed my blog! At the bottom of my sidebar, there is a button for 'My Designer Girl'. Click on that, and then you have reached Awel Prince's designing blog. Then go to her 'Tutorials' page. It's the very last tutorial, I believe. It's a simple HTML code.

And I won for the second year in a row...

...yes! I've finished NaNoWriMo! I'm really tired and under the weather so this won't be a long post.

For all of you who haven't finished yet, keep on! You still have some time!

It's so hard to say goodbye to my characters. So I made room for another sequel at the end of my book. =)

Already making plans for next NaNoWriMo,

Nope, didn't kill of a character again...

...but you'll never guess what I DID do!

Okay, so me and a friend (a friend and I...) were talking on the phone on Sunday about my book. Apparently, she thinks its really...upsetting, hilarious, unusual?...that I killed of Elizabeth (twice). So she said that I'd probably kill off another one.

Well, ha! I didn't.

Heh heh. I did sink an island though.

So yes, my NaNoWriMo book is going well, to say the least.

How is everyone else doing?

I've done it again.

Don't get me wrong. I really love my characters.

But there's something about Elizabeth that...I don't know. Deep down inside, she really likes drama and being the center of the attention. I guess that's why she likes getting killed so much.

Yes! I admit it! It's a spoiler [don't read ahead if you'd rather wait for the book to be published, yadiyadiya] !

*gasp* I killed Elizabeth. Again.

Don't shoot me! I really am not mean to my characters! She's the one who chose it!

Don't worry. I'll resurrect her. Again.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Wordcount

I have begun the "Desperation Stage" of NaNoWriMo. That's where I wring out every single word I have in my brain onto the paper and hope it's enough to make the daily word count! Here are some sneaky tips! Shhh...

1. Similes! Instead of:

'The sunset was shining over the water'

write:

'Like a ball of fire, the red glimmered over the dark waves, which were ripples of silk in the salt breeze.'

See? That's three times as much words! 21 compared to 7 may not seem significant on its own, but it really adds up in the long run.

2. Avoiding contractions. Now, I will warn you that it will make your writing seem much stiffer, but it's pretty good for if you're desperate. After NaNo, you can go back and fix it.

3. Dreams. They can be weird and far fetched, and they can be really long and descriptive!

4. Add a character that uses a lot of 'ums' and 'uhs' and 'stuff like thats'.

5. Describe something in great detail!

Now excuse me while I go and put those tips to use!

I would appreciate...

...if you all would just take a second to pray for my pet, Tintin (he's a water turtle).

For the past couple days, he hasn't been eating much of anything at all. I'll drop the food right in front of his nose, and he'll kind of look at it and then swim off. I'm hoping that it's just because he's feeling cold and sluggish, but even though he won't eat he looks so hungry. =(

I'm not quite sure what's wrong, but it's making me a bit nervous (our last six aquatic pets have died before we had them for six months).

On a lighter note, I'm finding keeping up with my word count easier than I thought it would be. Thankfully, my headaches have been pretty nonexistent and my wrists are much better! *does a happy dance*. But I'm kind of behind on speech, history, biology, and vocabulary...which isn't good.

I'm trying to think happy thoughts. =)

Help! My Characters Are Rebelling!

Aaargh! I so didn't mean for...oh, wait. I might as well warn you that the next things I'm going to say are **SPOILERS!!** and you shouldn't read them if you would rather be surprised when my books get published. When, not if. =)

Okay. So, the two characters that are bugging me are Arimathea and Abriel.

Arimathea

age: 14
height:5'5"
build: On the slimmer side, although not quite wispy.
Personality qualities in brief: Forgiving, optimistic, content, unshaken, trustful.
Personality faults in brief : Forgetful, tends to overlook other's faults so much that she would trust a traitor.
Brief Bio: Raised as an orphan in Draelaet, she comes along on the quest to close the portal and proves to be an invaluable member of the group. A follower of Light.

Abriel

age: around 16
height: 5'11"
build: fairly average, okay for athleticism but not excelling athletically.
personality qualities in brief: Sensitive, protective of loved ones, strong leadership and organizational skills.
personality faults in brief: Able to detach himself emotionally, selfish.
Brief Bio: No one knows very much about him, but he claimed falsely to be a prophet and tried to lead his traveling companions into traps to accomplish tasks given to him by Dark.

And this is my problem.

You see, Abriel was supposed to marry Skye (one of my other characters) and Thea was either going to remain single or marry Erri (another character). But...

...Abriel and Thea are falling in love! I wrote a scene of dialogue between them and they matched perfectly. Just awesome. But...aargh.

I suppose this is a good sign, that my characters are real to me and that I can't force them what to do. If I could, that would mean my characters are weak. But still.

Why. Must. They. Be. Like. That?

Sigh.

Almost 2 Days Left...

Oooooooohh. I am so not ready for NaNoWriMo. And you'll never guess. It starts on a Monday.

Yeah. Didn't we know that?

From 9:15 AM to 9:00 PM on Monday I am absolutely jammed. History, literature, speech, writing, logic, and archery/shooting. And I still need to do math, biology, and a couple other things.

How am I going to find the time?

I don't know.

Oh well. I have some posts scheduled for November, but you really won't be seeing much of me. I'll probably be icing my wrists in my spare time, but please feel free to comment! Actually, I would really appreciate comments. They cheer me up. =)

This is kind of a random post. Sorry I don't have any gems of ideas to share with you. My parents are celebrating their 20th anniversary (!) so my grandparents are over. We've been to Chuck E. Cheese 2 times...in 3 days. I'm getting really good at their games. =)

And that doesn't leave much time for studying. My 4th biology test...uh...I was supposed to take that today...yeah...not happening...

...zzzz...zzzz...zzz

I'm asleep. Goodnight!

How To Find Your Writing Style {And Other Things}

Seven more days 'til NaNoWriMo! Aaaah! I spent this morning skimming over my first book, just giving me a refresher of the characters.

Some of these tips are meant to help determine your writing style in a particular book, not as a whole. I find it really annoying when the author switches styles in the middle of the book. Styles set the mood and emphasize the emotions of a story, and they're very important. Styles can hook a reader, or they can lose one. It's important to figure out what style you like or are using with a book, and then to stick with it.

I use these questions to analyze my writing if I've taken a long break from a particular work. If my styles suddenly switched, the book would feel broken.

However, I love it when people experiment with different styles, so I'm not saying to keep your old style in every single book. The problem comes, I think, when you switch styles in a respective book.

Like I've said, I use these to get myself back on track. I'll use them when I go back and edit my first NaNo book. Unlike what I probably should do, I'll let the sequel set the style. My writing has changed a lot, and I want it to line up.

1. Pay attention to what person you feel most comfortable in. Generally, there are three persons: 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person (I'm just telling you this to clarify, even though most of you guys probably know what I'm talking about). 1st person is the main character completely narrating the story. 2nd is from an observer point, with the author adding his input sometimes (an example is C.S. Lewis, I think). 3rd person is completely observing.

2. Notice what kind of verbs you use. Vivid? Hardly noticeable? Ordinary? Rare?

3. Also notice what kind of adjectives and adverbs you use.

4. Does your writing tend to go toward a more gothic, dark, serious mood; or a light, 'sugar and spice' mood that's more of a 'for fun' read than a 'serious read' ? I like to call the two styles 'Chocolate' and 'Cotton Candy'. =) I think I'm definitely more towards the Chocolate side, but I also enjoy Cotton Candy works. I think of Gail Carson Levine's books as Cotton Candy.

5. What writing style are you more attracted to in books? The garnished, frivolously strong descriptions of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald? The simpler, yet richer, Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis? Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, that's pretty much an awesome combination of the two? Can you tell that the first is my least favorite? ;)

6. Do you rely more on narrative descriptive prose or a character talking to set the mood or plot for your story?

7. Do your characters tend to talk casually or seriously? If your book is in a medieval setting among high-end class characters, I would suggest a less colloquial talking style. In a more modern setting, I would definitely use more casual speech.

_____________

Now for the other things.

1. I'm so thankful for Saturdays! A chance to clean my room, write, fool around in the woods, and take pictures! My room has been an absolute wreck all week, but it's finally getting cleaned and decorated for...

2. Autumn. I'm sorry I don't have any pretty pictures to show because my camera is almost out of batteries and we need to buy more and it runs out of batteries every time I download pictures 'cause it takes so long! Whew. That was the queen of run-on sentence. But let me try to describe it to you...

The trees are turning blazing orangey-red in our neighborhood, and crisp morning walks always leave with fistfuls of the adorable-est acorns. Our roses are taking a final stance, but they're turning brown with the chilly nights. Soon our little world will be sprinkled in silver faerie dust--oops, I mean frost--and we can finally say goodbye to summer.

Gettin' Ready!

Yay! NaNoWriMo is just around the corner! I can't wait, but I still have some stuff to do before it begins. Here's my little list:

1. Catch up, and possibly get ahead in, my schoolwork.
2. Get in the habit of wearing my carpal tunnel syndrome braces every night.
3. Get a head start on Christmas present making because I can't do it in November.
4. Check out a whole bunch of inspiring books from the library (including procrastination books, like Garfield or Tintin comics =)
5. Read over the NaNo pep talks from last year (you get get to them by clicking on the 'Fun Stuff' tab on the website)
6. Completely get my activities under control.
7. Outline my characters and get back in touch with them.
8. Decide which computer I'll be writing on (probably my laptop)
9. Think up a title for my last NaNo book. Yeah, takes me a month to write a book and a year to think up a name for it.
10. Finish my Latin. Pesky Latin. I've been working on the same book for three years now. =(

Incentives For Writing

There comes a point in November, usually around the middle of the month, where you start to question your sanity at the time you signed up for NaNoWriMo.

You may have reached a point where you're so far behind, 50,000 words isn't just past the horizon, it's off the edge of the world.

Maybe you have to get up at 5:30 AM to do your writing, like I do, and you're beginning to feel really worn out.

Maybe you can't just see yourself continuing this.

Maybe your characters are completely rebelling.

Who knows?

Either way, it feels like this is pointless. All you get afterward is carpal tunnel syndrome, right? Oh yeah, and a sloppy, rushed, sorry excuse of a novel. (Just kidding about that last part. ;)

Or maybe you're not like me, and all throughout NaNo you're filled with ecstatic joy and love for your book, your plot, your computer, and your characters. But I'm assuming that you're like me.

Here are some tips on how to keep yourself writing:

1. Don't start speculating what will happen if you don't finish. Start thinking about what you'll do when you do finish.

2. Read a book that is just completely awful and realize that if this book could be published, yours could.

3. Fall in love with your characters. Interview them. Have tea parties with them. Etc.

4. Write something totally exciting and easy. I love dream sequences, because they can be so weird and unconnected. (Although they do get cliche sometimes)

5. Have a brainstorm session, and ask yourself how to spice your writing up some.

6. Set up a reward system--like, every time you reach your daily word count goal, you get a piece of candy. I like this system. ;)

Curing (and Preventing) Writer's Block (and Prayer Request)

I think that somewhere there is a parasite called Writerpholia blockaea. It feeds on deadlines and ideas in a writer's brain, turning them to mush. It specifically makes its presence felt in November.

But is there no hope? *gasp*

MY FAVORITE WRITER'S BLOCK CURES:

1. Outlining your book ahead of time so that if you get stumped on a particular section you can just quickly end it and get on to another, perhaps more exciting or cool or easy to write, part.

2. Listen to music. I prefer classical, because it sets an emotion that I'm probably missing in my writing. Plus, classical is calming. As much as I like contemporary, it gives me headaches (and I already have a major headache problem)

3. Get off the computer. Seriously, the #1 cause of death of inspiration is staring at a glowing screen for hours without a break. Write a section in your notebook, play an instrument, have a tea party with your sister (or a hot-chocolate party with your brother), just don't turn on the TV. No more glowing screens!

4. Get outside for some fresh air. Aerobic exercising, like a short sprint or dancing, really works for me.

(the following I got from my friend)

5. Write down 12 ideas that might come next in your book. Don't stop, even if the third one sounds really awesome. 12 seemed an awful lot for me, so I shortened it to seven. It still worked. And don't not write down an idea, even if it sounds crazy. I wasn't going to write down one of the ideas, because it sounded very cliche, but it ended up that idea was the one I used (combined with another one).

6. Ask yourself 'What would happen if...'. Again, let your mind wander, and don't discard the crazy ideas.

7. At least look at the part that you left off writing. A lot of times, I think I have writer's block because I haven't had any new brainstorms. Actually, if I can just look over the chapter that I got stuck on, I get inspired a lot of times.

8. Pray. It works better then anything! And also read your Bible. If you're working on a book that has a revolution against an evil king, read about Gideon or maybe David. If you're writing about a good king that's fighting down an evil revolution, read about David and his rebellious son. If you're writing an allegory, obviously read all over the Bible!

These next two are on prevention.

9. Don't skip writing; get yourself to at least read over the chapter you're working on once a day. I suppose sometimes it can't be helped, but when you skip when you could have written (even just a paragraph) you start finding more excuses. Stuff like, 'Well, I didn't write yesterday, so it wouldn't hurt to skip today, too," or "This hasn't been the longest period of time I didn't write, and it won't be until a week! I'm doing fine," can be easier to listen to if you haven't gotten yourself on a writing roll.

10. Keep it sloppy, especially if you're on your first draft. First drafts are supposed to be messy. If they aren't there's something wrong! If you're stuck on a short few sentences that are so boring you don't know what to write, just go ahead and mess them up. You can go back later and fix them.

Finally, a post that I wrote about this kind of thing a while ago.

It's so often that you hear someone tell you to keep on going if you find yourself in a writing rut. If a sentence, paragraph, whole chapter, etc. seems awkward, just don't worry about it and move on. This has been repeated so often that you (or I, at least) assume that this advice goes for all times.

But does it?

I have found more than once that deleting whole pages of awkward writing has taken care of the 'bothered perfectionist writer's block'. But does that mean that once I write a single awkward word, I can feel free to go heavy on the backspace button?

Not necessarily. In fact, not at all!

My theory is that the backspace method works if your plot is getting awkward. If your prose is getting awkward, then I would agree with popular advice (if you're on the 1st draft)--work past it, and then sweat about it.

Awkward prose, at the most, will just keep on nagging your mind that you have to go back and fix it. But that's okay. You can fix it later, and in the meantime make sure it doesn't get in the way of your writing. However, awkward plot not only nags you, but it will most likely begin to lead the rest of your book into the mire of awkwardness.

What are your thoughts?

And lastly, my prayer request. Remember those headaches I had in the spring? Well, they're back. I really thought they had gone away for good. But now I've been taking ibuprofen for about two weeks now...and they're not going away. I really hope nothing is wrong. I'm wondering if it's stress.

On top of that, my wrists are...*sigh*...really reminding me that it's a fallen world we live in. My left hand especially is really hurting on top close to my thumb. My carpal tunnel syndrome is getting worse and worse as I continue to do schoolwork, and I can't be taking little orange ibuprofen pills forever! I haven't been able to practice piano much because my left hand hurts if I stretch the thumb out. I can still type though. =) What I'm really worried about is my CTS and NaNoWriMo.

Please pray for those two things for me. I would SO appreciate it.

Thanks, and God bless!

Outlining a Book

Let's take it from the top! NaNo doesn't start until November 1, which means that we have a couple weeks to prepare. Shall we take advantage of that?

In NaNoWriMo, you must start your book on the 1st day. That means that you can't continue a book that you've been writing before November 1. However, you are greatly encouraged to use outlines!

I highly, highly, highly suggest outlines! Of course, there are some writers who don't need them, but I think that only people who have tried the outline thing and it didn't work should claim they don't need one. I thought I didn't need one. But last NaNo, I knew that I wouldn't be able to remember all of my awesome plot, so I wrote it down in an outline.

Before, I had problems with continuing books. After the first chapter (or page, or paragraph) I would lose track of the path. It seemed like I could never get through. But when I had an outline, that changed.

With an outline, I actually have a sense of direction. It lets me know that I can't spend forever on this one scene because something else needs to get done after it. If your greatest problem (or one of them) in writing is stalling, like me, then you might want to try an outline.

But where do you start?

I suggest starting with the simple, bare bones. I'll just make up a simple, kind of silly story that I can show you as an example.

Okay: point A. The introduction. This will contain stuff like the character's name, the current situation, just basic stuff you and your reader will need to know.

Point B: The rising situation. This is the point where the problem is realized and things begin to look like trouble.

Point C: The climax. Everything comes to a boiling point.

Point D: The wind-down. The problem is solved (unless your story is a tragedy, that is), we see whether or not the character makes it through, and we see what happens afterward.

Now here's the example:

A: Introduction
1. Maximilian James III lives in France.
2. A collector who rescues animals.
3. Has dogs, cats, parrots, monkeys, and the occasional elephant.
4. Max is very rich.

B: Rising Situation
1. Maximilian finds a kitten in Paris.
2. Kitten has a small message around its collar.
3. Max finds out he's intercepted a secret code.
4. The code is a communication between two infamous spies.
5. Josephina and Katharina D'Eli, twin spies, are angry at him.
6. They need to get the code back.

C: Climax
1. Josephina and Katharina begin spying on Max.
2. They find out where he lives.
3. When Max is away, they break into his house.
4. They find the kitten, which still has the code on its collar.
5. One of the monkey quietly sets loose a parrot to tell Max.
5. Josephina and Katharina begin to sneak away.

D: Wind-Down
1. The parrot finds Max, who is walking back to the house.
2. It tells him about the spies.
3. Just as Josephina and Katharina leave, the police and Max show up.
4. Max arrests them and reclaims the kitten.
5. The police use the code to intercept many secret messages from the spy ring Josephina and Katharina were involved in.
6. The police break up the spy ring, Max has the kitten, and they all live happily ever after.

(this story is mine. I claim the right of property laid out in law and in the Bible. Do not copy)

As you can see, it's pretty general, but it works for me.

Also, this is just the outline I use. There are many other kinds, but I like this one. It's enough to keep me writing. =)

After I've outlined the skeleton of the story, I like to go back and flesh out some in the outline. However, don't get in to too much detail, unless you have a brilliant idea for detail that you think you won't be able to remember until November. Outlines can get from just a quarter of a page to nearly a novel in itself.

Even if you think you're a non-outline writer (also known as seat-of-the-pants writer), I suggest just giving it a try if you never have. If it doesn't work, then you can just ditch the outline. If it does, then you might have never known if you hadn't tried it.

NaNoWriMo Plans

So...what am I doing for NaNoWriMo?

At first, I thought that I would write October's Knight, but then I got that out of the way in one week.

My other idea was the sequel to the NaNoWriMo book (which for further reference will be called NaNo Book I), but as I was thinking about NaNo Book I, I realized that I need to rewrite. Maybe change some things around. I'm still not sure if I'll follow through on this, but I do know that some things in there are definitely poorly written. What I'm thinking of doing on that is slowly rewriting it in October and December. I'll definitely have my editor continue to edit because I know that she will give me valuable tips on what exactly I should cut. =)

However, I don't want to waste an annual competition on a revision. So I decided to go ahead with the sequel idea. That book shall be called, until further notice, NaNo Book II.

What's it about? Well, without giving away much, it contains the sea-faring journeys of Elizabeth, Angela, and Skye (along with their best buds from Caeleryn). At the same time, invaders from the west are threatening Durain, Mom, and Mariah back on the mainland.

You probably don't know who many of those characters are yet. Don't worry; if you read the books when they're published you'll hear all about 'em! =) During November I may post some character outlines of them.

Anyway, the NaNo books are fantasy/allegory. Lately, I've been wondering if my books really show what I believe, so that will be a main focus. I'm also focusing on my writing style (more in a future post) and character development, as well as trying to make the overall story line less cliche. As I was reading over NaNoWriMo book I, I noticed that it almost alluded to Lord of the Rings. I'll definitely fix that when I rewrite Book I, as well as steer the books away from that direction in Book II.

So, what are my fellow NaNoWriMo-ers' plans? What genre are y'all writing? I'm curious! =)

The Time Has Come!

It's October, which means...sign up for NaNoWriMo has begun! Click HERE to get to their site! Signing up is incredibly easy, and I also suggest looking at the FAQs and the About NaNoWriMo if you're a first time participant.

And I've decided that I am doing NaNoWriMo. I may have to get up at 5:30 AM, but I will do it, and I will finish. I hope.

So, as you can imagine, this is going to effect my posts. Here are some of the things you'll see through October:

1. How to outline your novel idea
2. How to cure writer's block
3. Incentives for writing
4. How to find your writing style (and stick with it)
5. How to inspire yourself
6. When (and when not) you should stress
7. My NaNoWriMo plans for this year

And those are just seven of them!

One more thing: Guinevere, you asked if you could use an idea for your blog. Go right ahead! =)

Also, if you want to read some more reasons for pseudonyms, then just look under the comments in my posts of pseudonyms. Illunse had some great things to say!

See you all pretty soon!

My Wrists Are Fried, Sauteed, and Boiled

Title: October's Knight
Word Count:5,534
Page Count:20
Author's status after writing: zonked.

Every time I click I can feel it all the way up my arm.

I know I've written hard when I'm in agony.

I'm actually not in agony.

It just kind of hurts.

Ouch.

But it was worth it!

Yes, if I was in NaNoWriMo the limit for a week would be over this word count, but hey. Then I didn't have carpal tunnel syndrome. =)

I'm so glad I finished it! And just in time! We're seeing my friend tomorrow.

Better get off now before my wrists are really in agony.

My NaNoWriMo Novel

I have yet to name my most recent novel. It started with an idea that was floating around in my head almost exactly a year ago. It was about three girls, two of which had been best buddies until their friendship came crashing down around their ears. It also involved a portal. However, I just thought that it was another one of those temporary ideas--just coming and going.

That October, I signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and made the commitment to write 50,000+ words in thirty days. The only problem was that I was stumped on the storyline. Until I remembered my idea from a month back!

I finished NaNo in 26 days, with my newest novel. It was the easiest to write so far, and at the time it was my best yet. Now if only I could find a name. I put a poll up on this blog a while ago asking for your input on titles I had thought up, and Crossing Caeleryn won. I'm not going to call it that yet though, because I prefer the name Elizabeth and Earlìngad (and of course I need the input of my lovely friend who is editing it at the moment).

I think, of all my writing projects, this book has the most parallels to my life. I hadn't realized it until a couple months ago, but I can name three girls who are like the three in my book--my former friend, my former friend's friend, and myself. Elizabeth, my main character, is a lot like me from looks onward.

So far, this book is the closest to being published. This coming November, it'll be one year old. I'm planning to continue the series then. =)

I can still think of a ton of things I need to fix in this book. Some names, for example, and I'll probably have to do a bit of rewriting. But I'm happy with it. My NaNoWriMo novel was my least painful book to write. The characters were the most cooperative. The writing process taught me so much about my writing style and technique, and it's made me feel more secure in the world of books.

I really do love that book. =)

My book is my own. Please do not copy it without my express consent.

NaNoWriMo: Why and Why Not

It may just be September, but November is coming up rapidly! And one of the highlights of that month is...National Novel Writing Month! Just in case you've been living in a cave, NaNoWriMo is a contest where you have to write a 50,000+ word novel in thirty days. It doesn't sound easy (and there are parts where it isn't) but not everything that's hard is bad!

Here are some reasons why you should consider doing NaNoWriMo:

1. It's a great way to get over perfectionism. You have to stay caught up, which means that you'll write over any bumps. They can always be smoothed out in editing, and it's never a good habit to stress over every awkward-sounding word.

2. Your writing style expands. And I mean expands.

3. You actually finish a book!

4. You gain confidence in your writing ability.

Unfortunately, there are some down sides:

1. You find yourself leaving out contractions (like you're and it's) and awkwardly going out of your way to get five extra words!

2. It's an excuse to leave your school work and chores unfinished.

3. You can develop carpal tunnel syndrome...like I did. =)

In my opinion, the benefits greatly outweigh the bad stuff. I will just get up at 5:30 AM so I can get writing in. During NaNoWriMo, I didn't fall behind on school work at all, but I think that's just kind of my personality--to get everything done. For someone else, it might be a lot harder.

Before you do NaNoWriMo, you should also take your schedule into account. If you're like me, making major transitions like high school and jobs and chores at the same time, then you might want to make sure you'll be able to stay caught up with other parts of your life if you do NaNo.

You might find NaNoWriMo hard, and you might find it super easy. But it's almost guaranteed that you'll find it awesome. =) Check it out HERE!

Book Excerpt (and I'm back!)

Well, I was hoping to schedule this in the middle of our trip. But unfortunately I forgot to before we left, and then while we were there my laptop didn't have internet connection.

So, vacation was very fun. We stayed at my grandparents house, which is by the beach. The water was actually on the warm side, which is very unusual. Another unusual thing...no sunburn for me! Wow! This may be because I put sunscreen on, like, every twenty minutes. =)

Did anyone else watch the US--Slovenia soccer game? For everyone who didn't, US won 3-2. However, your local newspaper may say that it was a *tie*, 2-2. This was because the ref kept on making the STUPIDEST calls EVER! Our last goal, which would have won us the game, was cancelled for no evident reason. Grrrrr...but anyway, we won, even if the ref doesn't say so. Now lets move on before I get very mad...

Here is the excerpt from my NaNoWriNo book (still lacking a title). Please, PLEASE comment and tell me what you think!
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It was not quite the middle of the night. Angela, Skye, Elizabeth, and Thea had all taken the bed to sleep in, and Abriel insisted he was comfortable on the floor. Elizabeth, however, couldn’t get to sleep. The mattress was itchy, and someone in another room was snoring thunderously.

Restlessly, she softly slid out of bed, succeeding in not rousing the other girls. They slept peacefully on as Elizabeth tiptoed to the window.

The silver moon shone down from the sky with a glowing, pure light, illuminating the city of Glenchin in a pale aura of light. There was no one down below in the streets, and (other then the man snoring) all was quiet.

Then Elizabeth saw a movement in the dark streets. It was only a small one, but it managed to catch the very corner of her eye. What was that, down below in the street? Whatever it was, it was moving toward the tavern door.

She gasped. At first, it had been hard to recognize in the shadows, but now she knew exactly what the dark thing was—an Eruik Cariol.

And now it was not alone. Another Eruik Cariol joined it, and then another. Soon, five had gathered at the tavern door.

Five is one for each of us, Elizabeth noticed. It was odd that she even noticed that in a moment of terror, but she did. Was this planned?

Then she realized what she must do. Tremblingly, she bent over the prophet, who was stretched out on the floor appearing fast asleep.

“Wake up! Wake up!” she hissed, shaking Abriel. “Hurry, will you?” The Eruik Carol were most likely in the tavern by now.

Abriel’s eyes slowly opened. “What?” he groaned.

“Eruik Cariol are in the tavern!” Elizabeth snapped at him. “Get up and get a move on!”

Standing quickly, she aroused Angela, Thea, and Skye with a silent shake. Then she turned back to Abriel. “How are we supposed to get out of here?”

It was then that Elizabeth heard the soft but audible step on the tavern stairs. Everyone else heard it, too. It was like the warning tick of a clock, telling them that their time was running out all too quickly.
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Enjoy!

Izori