Category Archives: NaNoWriMo

Waiting

Comicon is happening in two weeks. I have a booklet that I’m waiting for the publisher to send to me, which will have a short story (Custer’s First Stand) and the first chapter of War Mage. I hope that comes in before Comicon.

I have 20 more copies of Homecoming on its way for Comicon, and I’ve still got the five copies each of Building Baby Brother and Best Intentions to try and sell.

My cards say I’ll do well, but not blockbuster well; my expectation is to sell five copies. I hope I can do that.

Grimaulkin is still going. I had a mini-climax and expect to do about another 10-20K words after that. I hope to finish it in time for Comicon. Not that I have to, but NaNoWriMo starts on Tuesday, and I don’t want to put Grim aside for that. I don’t think I’ll be able to succeed with NaNo this year, but my own personal NaNo happened to succeed (as of last week, I was 50K words, and as of today it’s 53,000 words.). So I’ll order the NaNo winner t-shirt.

Still upset that I lost my novel notebook. I keep a notebook on the novels I write, with brainstorms and notes on things that I write. As a discovery writer, I need to refer back to things here and there and instead of going in the document, I have a notebook with notes of things I created on the fly. I had it two weeks ago, and when I went looking for it last week, I couldn’t find it. So I created a new one, but I really miss my old one. Oh, well.

Grimaulkin 1 – War Mage 0

Bad news first: War Mage is not going to be out in November. The editor sent the book back to me, half-read, saying that I had no plot. I have a theme, which is not the same as the plot. I thought I had a plot–I even outlined it. I’m going to try for a second opinion, because this book isn’t exactly this editor’s cup of tea.

So, for Rhode Island Comicon, we’re putting together a booklet, with a short story set in the same world as War Mage, and the first chapter of War Mage. It’s a chapbook, which will be available only at Comicon. Hopefully that will come in time for it. At least I’ll have something.

Grimaulkin is coming along, and the last day for me to do it is today if I want to succeed at my own personal NaNoWriMo. I have about 4000 words left to make it to 50K, and I’m aiming for 60K so I can have room to cut as necessary. I’ve found it’s easier to cut than it is to add. I’m pretty happy with how Grimaulkin is turning out (although the actual story doesn’t start until 20K words in). Once War Mage is done, published and in the can, I’ll submit Grimaulkin as a palate cleanser and hopefully have that one ready for November of next year. I don’t know if I’ll do Comicon again next year. Depends on this year’s results.

Sold!

I sold one!

I actually sold a Homecoming book, face to face, to a reader at a meet and greet. I’m so excited.

War Mage is still at the editor’s. I have been reassured that it will be ready for publication for RI ComicCon. Good thing I have a beta reader’s response here. My goal is to do some of that fixing over this week.

Grimaulkin is going along smashingly, with 26K of perfectly beautiful flowing words that just won’t stop. However, I’m having issues with the mystery portion of this story. Grim’s involved with the cops, and I don’t have the nerve to go up to the cops and say, “I’m, um, writing a novel, and, um, I’m just wondering what, um, procedures you do when you find a dead body somewhere? And how do you investigate?” I’d have to put together some questions and interview a detective.

I know how I want the “epic battle” to be, though I have to add a few things to make it more “epic”, and I’m wondering whether I should make that the end, or the wedding the end. The wedding will bookend the story, and possibly hook a book two. If I keep going like this, I’ll have it done by the end of this month definitely. I have to do some serious editing. I first had it take place in Boston, but then I realized that having it take place in Rhode Island might be a neat selling point for the locals.

Meanwhile, Casey and the Blue Lady is still kind of bubbling on the back burner, though I haven’t done very much prep for that book once Grim showed up. I might skip the whole NaNo thing and, if I can get Grim done in a month, I’ll put that in as NaNo. Hey, it’s 30 days, right?

I’m going to order a mic and get a podcast going. Probably next month.

Book review:

Run, don’t walk, and pick up Syd Field’s Screenplay. It’s amazing, simple, and has everything you need to write a screenplay. But not just that, it goes into how to write a story! I’m in the middle of it now, and I am just amazed at what films he chooses for illustrations (I haven’t seen some of the classics, but I will!). It will hopefully be a help with me and Grimaulkin (two stories at the same time and trying to balance both).

Branding/Platform

Finished NaNo last week. I think the story is solid to actually do something with. Maybe I’ll fix it up and send it out, but I’m not in a hurry to do so.

So what I’ve been doing since then is working again on Brothers of the Zodiac. I finally put together a timeline for each of the Brothers and their lives, I also found a Hymn to Ishtar and I’m using that instead of the Descent of Inanna to the Underworld ad the introductory pieces. I’m still using astrological terms for their story titles.

I have to work on a platform, getting together a mailing list for when Homecoming comes out, and also when the next book comes out. I’m writing under a pseudonym, Jake Logan, because guys have a better chance of actually getting books sold than girls. Maybe if I write a boy/girl romance or some such, I’ll use my real name, but for the sci-fi/fantasy stories it’s better if I pretend to be a guy. However, if it takes off, I’m screwed.

Not to complain about that!

My audience is male, mostly gay male. I plan on using Jake Logan as an m/m erotica/romance writer too. I know that some women read m/m romance, but I shouldn’t put my name on it because then I’m not “authentic”. Heck, I’m not authentic with a pseudonym, either, now that I think about it.

But the object here is to sell books, and I’m trying to think of the best way to market them. If it means I need to be a man, then so be it. (Should I be a transgendered male?)

I’m going to be setting up a website for Jake and a mailing list and blog for him. Hopefully the book comes out and I get tons of readers! I doubt it, but it’s good to dream.

Nanowrimo prep

usually I walk into national novel writing month facing a blank page. This time I had a plan.

I had an idea for a novel three weeks before NaNoWriMo was set to start. It is based on some brainstorming for two words that I got through Storymatic, a game that consists of cards with the character and action. In this case it was

  • fashion designer
  • an historical reenactment gone awry

after brainstorming, I came up with the character of an ex-Army Ranger, older, retired, who likes rocking the cradle by going out with younger men. This Army guy had a want to be a fashion designer ex-boyfriend. During a World War II reenactment, a murder occurs in the ex-boyfriend was arrested. Army ranger guy feels bad and decides to help the guy out.

However I didn’t think that that would be enough to carry a novel. I outlined the main plot. Then I came up with two subplots: a runaway niece, and a matchmaker.  I got some index cards and wrote out the outline for the main story, then wrote out the subplot stories and interspersed them with the main plot.

That took all of a day.

I still had a little over 2 weeks to figure this out.  So I sat down and did character freewrites whenever I had a chance for the main characters: Protagonist, antagonist, the niece, the matchmaker, the ex-boyfriend.  I also answered detailed questions for the protagonist and the antagonist.

When I started NaNoWriMo, I did 10K words on the first day.  Mind you, I dictated it, but I walked in with a generally clear idea of what to say and how to say it.  Of course, I’m a pantser at heart, so I’ve gone off the outline a couple of times.

Right now, I’m at almost 41K words.  I’m at the climax, and I’m not sure if I can milk it for another 10K words, so I can see myself going back and doing text walls of description.

Write what you know

I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately, mostly having to do with magic. When I was younger I was a pagan, one of the ones that was deeply into the environment, natural healing, all that kind of stuff.

Then I grew up.

I realized that there was better living through chemistry. I was chronically depressed. I was on the assorted medications for depression. I still wrote but a lot of my articles and stories were about other people. They were about how I’d dealt with other people and what they meant to me.

So the tattoo that I got, the second tattoo that I got, the one with the star and the crow, which was my name, Starcrowe, I outgrew it and put it aside.  I had a story that went along with my “initiation”, that I was initiated in the faerie tradition.if you’re familiar with Wicca you would know that 1) they wouldn’t let a girl be initiated in the faerie tradition, and 2) in the early 1990s there wasn’t any. Being a Sagittarius, I lied.

I made up an initiation based on the Gardnerian tradition, an initiation that I did attend as a spectator. It was all hogwash. Now I confess that I never had in initiation. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m not a witch. In fact I hate that term. It still has so many negative connotations, that I don’t like to call myself a witch. I don’t like to call myself Wiccan either. And I don’t like to call myself a pagan.

I prefer to call myself a mage or magician. Unfortunately wizards are for males, and unless I want to be transgender I can’t take that.  I’ve heard the term “chaos magician”, it sounds pretty close to what I am. I’m eclectic, but I’d like to think that I’m gray not necessarily white or black.

?nyway, what does this have to do with writing? Most of what it has to do with writing is the fact that my most recent novel is using magic, but mostly magic from the Key of Solomon and old Hermetic traditions.  Personally I hate Hermetic traditions, because they’re so secretive. They think that what they know shouldn’t be given out to the masses. I don’t trust them, I don’t like them. However, I’m a Unitarian, and if you believe in it and you like it, all the more power to you.

So anyway, I’ve gone back to my old roots with Wicca and with chaos magicians. However I don’t consider myself a Wiccan. There are some things that I will use modern society for, such as my depression, and my other health problems; but there are other things that I feel I can work with.

what I’m working on right now, or at least for Nanowrimo, is going to be a murder mystery. No paranormal involved. Just a straight up murder mystery that has to do with some gay guys. I’ve done an outline, and I’ve done some cards planning out what each scene is going to be. If I do any more details than that, then I’m not going to want to write the story.

I’m chomping at the bit in order to get the story started. But I have to wait until next week. I plan on dictating it just like I’m dictating this. Amazing isn’t it? I’ll do some writing at work probably, dictated into my normal routine. I’m not going to watch TV anymore, and I’m going to try and do 8 min. of writing in the morning. This is based on the 8 min. habit by Monica Leonnel, that I just finished reading last night.  If I can do 20 min. of writing based on a card reading, then I suppose I can do 8 min. of writing based on a prompt somewhere.

I’m debating whether or not to post my story here or somewhere else. I don’t know whether to post it on 800 words, or to establish a new blog just for this. Maybe I’ll do it on 800 words, because I have fans there.

I can breathe!

After a huge jump on 11/11 (which I had off), I was able to catch up and I have now surpassed the par.  I’m at 44K words.

If I really wanted to, I suppose I could finish off the book now.  Part of me wants to do it.  Part of me wants to do what I usually do when my characters are 39 and some change in the game: just play alerts to get to 40, because then that’s the end.

But part of me wants to savor this like fine chocolate, wants to write this stuff right, even if it’s a first draft.  I right now am going to have about 2K words in a bar, 2K words for the climax, and 2K words for the aftermath.  That’s what I’m thinking and planning.

But as you all know, nothing goes as planned.  I still have a whole weekend to write.  But I have a feeling I’ll be finished with this before that weekend arrives.  And then I will have earned my t-shirt!

 

NaNoWriMo

One week to write.

I’m chomping at the bit.  I have an idea.  It sounds great, I have a few scenes in mind, but as for the characters, the details – it’s so hard not to start writing.  I know myself, that if I try and “plot”, that’s considered writing it out, and I won’t be as excited.

I will have one hour at work, which will give me 500/750 words.  Then the rest at home.  Hours.

Works in Progress

I’ve been patterning my brand on an anti-social, starving writer.  He doesn’t like to do social things, but gets pissed off when he’s not invited to them.

Okay, so he’s like Dan in Dan Vs. (This show, for the first fifteen minutes, is hilarious.  After that, it gets cartoony stupid, but guys would like it.)  My kid turned me onto this show.

I think I’m going to have to change his attitude, especially if he’s going to sell any books.

I finished up Scrivnering (is that a verb?  If “Google” is a verb, then yes it is!) up my novel from 1997 about the Taurin (changed to Torin due to World of Warcraft, thank you).  I’ve also Scrivnered up Grim’s rewrite.  I have ten very painful and concise chapters.  I’m trying to put Grim into one novel instead of three, and I’m almost sure I can do it.  Right now in the rewrite I have him going home, and then he gets chased out of there, goes to Salem, meets Barrett – oh, shit, I forgot his name!  We’ll call him Barrett, screw it.  After he meets Barrett, gathers up his zombie army and attacks the Academy to become (spoiler) the First Archmage in over 200 years.

I’ve only so far written that he meets Barrett … damn, what is his name?  Barrett is the guy from West Wing.  I’m going to have to look it up in my old stories.

I no longer have access to my blog at work, so any updates will be after work or on the weekends.  This puts a big cramp on NaNoWriMo.  I will have to escape my desk during lunch hour in order to write, or bring my iPad and try typing on that – but it’s so slow and I lost my Bluetooth keyboard.

I’m looking at my old novel that I wrote a long time ago that I printed out, and I think I’m going to take some time this weekend and scan it to a flash drive.  I’m not sure what novel it is.  I guess I’ll find out when I do it!  I think it’s Hunter’s Realm‘s second draft, which I Scrivnered.

Now, about NaNoWriMo.  It’s going to be about one of my characters that I play online, Sidewinder.  However, I have to pull him out of the context of the game, and figure out something other than his history.  There has to be a purpose to the story, a mystery maybe.  Finding his parents is old and overused.  That could be a subplot.  It’s through Sidewinder’s POV, and takes place in the early 60’s, during a traveling freak show.  Like Ripley’s Believe It Or Not but much, much smaller and with a few fakes.

As always, the plot needs to be about something the main character wants.  Yes, he wants to find his parents.  But there has to be more.  The story can’t turn on just that.

So, Muses, if you could chew on that and come back to me with something, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Oh, yes, they call him The Streak! (Boogitty Boogitty)

I have a streak.  I had eight days of writing 800+ words.

(Oh, by the way, that title came from “The Streak” by Ray Stevens, from the ’70’s when humorous albums and songs were all the rage.  None of that stuff around anymore.)

I blew it on the weekend.  Why, I don’t know.  Didn’t do it Tuesday because of work and trying to help a friend through a trying time with her loser of a boyfriend.

By the way, her loser of a boyfriend will be immortalized as Grim’s father in my novel.

I told my CA-friend that I was writing stories, and I have about 25 characters – actually, more.  He asked me (jokingly) if I was doing an epic.  Hmmm.   HMMMMM.

What if I gather some of these stories, make them slightly interact with each other, and make it an epic superhero story set in the modern day?  What city?  New York would be big enough for them, I’m sure.  I know nothing about the West Coast.  Or Washington DC?  Miami, Florida? Or an entirely new town/city off the eastern seaboard.

I started organizing 800 Words’ website to make it easier to get at the characters that are “live”.  Instead of tags, they are now categories.  Knight no longer is under the Champions banner, because I actually plan on taking him and Mal and Scott out and writing an epic novel.  Probably to Samhain publishing.  Should I include Blake, Mike, and all the other guys Scott is/was involved with?  Nah, then he’d look like a slut, and I don’t want to do that to him.  So not ALL the other guys.

I might do the Knight story for Nanowrimo.

My God, that’s only 3 months away!  I need to kick up my daily average.

Description, description, description.  And exercises.

I have allowed my journal to become an initial place for stories, where I start the stories and hope to finish them online or something.  I’ve noticed I don’t stray much from the first draft.

I’m also noticing I’m manic.  All I want to do is write.  Why am I manic?  I’m taking too much of my happy pills, 10 MG more than I should.  Why, you ask?  Because I’ve gotten samples from my shrink, and they’re 15MG.  I take 20.  Of course they don’t have 5MG samples, and I’m not going to fart around with the pill cutter to cut these itty bitty things into quarters.  Or thirds.  Whatever.  Anyway, I don’t have time for that.  So I put in 2 15MG pills.  I’ve done it for 2 weeks now, and WEEEEEE!

Heh, maybe I should save them for Nano.