Composing a draft while under pressure to write a lilttle more than 1,750 words a day is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm used to writing a few lines each evening. NaNoWriMo is already taking its toll on me and I only started yesterday!
I am rewriting the whole novel by scratch because halfway through the middle I realized that I was going nowhere with the plot. It was just not working.
Last night I started writing anew and made it to 1,540 words. A bit under goal.
Tonight I was actually dragging and feeling "writer's block." That's when I decided that I can do this if I write the story with an outline state of mind. I'm writing it in an immediate sense - speaking in the third person and in the present tense.
Now the words are flying even though the prose doesn't read like a novel. Isn't that the way a "rough draft" goes? It is for me.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
National Novel Writing Month and Me
Will you participate in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) hysteria this year? I have never completed a novel in one month. I have never tried.
This year might change all that for me.
I haven't finished my novel, Heaven is High, though I began it more than two years ago. What has caused this terrible lag in writing creativity?
I don't know. I'd like to say it's because I'm a busy homeschooling mother. I'd like toblame others say that my responsibilities cause me to find little time left for writing. The truth is, however, that I have allowed other activities to take first place - things like surfing the net, daydreaming (not about my characters or plot), etc.
On the flip side, time spent with my loved ones can never be considered a waste of time - those days when I should be typing out huge bits of my manuscript but instead am playing at the park. It's an investment that will be fully realized in eternity.
So, we'll see how this NaNoWriMo goes. I've bookmarked the official website. I'll try to remember to blog aobut it when it's all said and done.
This year might change all that for me.
I haven't finished my novel, Heaven is High, though I began it more than two years ago. What has caused this terrible lag in writing creativity?
I don't know. I'd like to say it's because I'm a busy homeschooling mother. I'd like to
On the flip side, time spent with my loved ones can never be considered a waste of time - those days when I should be typing out huge bits of my manuscript but instead am playing at the park. It's an investment that will be fully realized in eternity.
So, we'll see how this NaNoWriMo goes. I've bookmarked the official website. I'll try to remember to blog aobut it when it's all said and done.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Devotionals
Have you considered writing for devotionals? For the longest time I felt I couldn't do such a thing because the content was way over my head. I don't think that way any longer.
I've been writing devotions on my other blog for years and until now, I didn't realize it. Devotions are short pieces and usually fit on one page - sometimes a half page. They pack a powerful punch into a limited amount of words - every word is full of meaning.
The devotional user wants to read something that is relevant to his or her life. If you think this type of writing is for you, carefully consider which ones would be a good fit for your own belief system. Then pitch your piece to the markets that agree with those beliefs. Check their statements of faith before checking anything else.
Some devotional markets are:
Upper Room Ministries
Living Faith - Daily Catholic Devotionals
Keys for Kids
A couple of anthologies that are closely related to devotionals are:
A Cup of Comfort
Chicken Soup for the Soul
I've been writing devotions on my other blog for years and until now, I didn't realize it. Devotions are short pieces and usually fit on one page - sometimes a half page. They pack a powerful punch into a limited amount of words - every word is full of meaning.
The devotional user wants to read something that is relevant to his or her life. If you think this type of writing is for you, carefully consider which ones would be a good fit for your own belief system. Then pitch your piece to the markets that agree with those beliefs. Check their statements of faith before checking anything else.
Some devotional markets are:
Upper Room Ministries
Living Faith - Daily Catholic Devotionals
Keys for Kids
A couple of anthologies that are closely related to devotionals are:
A Cup of Comfort
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tidbits about Salem
I just realized tonight that I've neglected this blog over the course of the month. The summer is flying by and I have no idea where it's going. In fact, the temperatures have been so cool that I have to wonder if summer never really came at all.
I've been working a bit on my novel - set in 17th century New England at the time of the witch trials - and would like to share with you a few things I learned about the Puritans and the era in which they lived.
During the time of the Salem Witch Trials (1692-93), the people of the day were extremely superstitious. They did things like hang horseshoes upside down above their doorways and carried lucky charms. Their hope was to ward off Satan. The Puritans, especially, were very suspicious of other people and it was quite easy for them to believe that their neighbors were engaged in witchcraft and casting spells upon them.
The witch "scare" was not unique to the colonies. England especially had her own bout with witches some 30 years before Salem. There, if a person was suspected of witchcraft, a "posse" would gather the accused. Then, a group would tie up the suspect and throw her (almost always a female) into water. If she floated, she was indeed a witch. If, on the other hand, she sank, she was innocent. But then, it was hard to get the poor woman back up to the surface quickly before she drowned.
In Salem, the accused were brought before a trial. They were given a chance to quote the Lord's Prayer backwards. If they could say it, they were innocent. Most were too nervous and couldn't get through it. So they were hanged. Giles Corey was pressed to death rather than hanged and his case was unique in that he was one of the rare men to be accused. The pressing was placing weights upon his body until his insides just collapsed.
I just find this stuff fascinating somehow.
I've been working a bit on my novel - set in 17th century New England at the time of the witch trials - and would like to share with you a few things I learned about the Puritans and the era in which they lived.
During the time of the Salem Witch Trials (1692-93), the people of the day were extremely superstitious. They did things like hang horseshoes upside down above their doorways and carried lucky charms. Their hope was to ward off Satan. The Puritans, especially, were very suspicious of other people and it was quite easy for them to believe that their neighbors were engaged in witchcraft and casting spells upon them.
The witch "scare" was not unique to the colonies. England especially had her own bout with witches some 30 years before Salem. There, if a person was suspected of witchcraft, a "posse" would gather the accused. Then, a group would tie up the suspect and throw her (almost always a female) into water. If she floated, she was indeed a witch. If, on the other hand, she sank, she was innocent. But then, it was hard to get the poor woman back up to the surface quickly before she drowned.
In Salem, the accused were brought before a trial. They were given a chance to quote the Lord's Prayer backwards. If they could say it, they were innocent. Most were too nervous and couldn't get through it. So they were hanged. Giles Corey was pressed to death rather than hanged and his case was unique in that he was one of the rare men to be accused. The pressing was placing weights upon his body until his insides just collapsed.
I just find this stuff fascinating somehow.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Illustration for my Story
I just saw the picture artists put up on Stories that Lift to go with my story, Come Apple Blossom Time. It's so cute!
I'm in the mood to write again. Sigh.
I'm in the mood to write again. Sigh.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Scouting for Submission Guidelines
I scouted for writing markets tonight and didn't get too far. Is it just me or can it be that publications are ceasing print by the droves? The ones that haven't folded have put off accepting submissions for a while.
Drat.
The recession is getting to everyone.
It is my hope that print magazines and books never go out of style or publication.
I did find a few markets, though some of them didn't have clear enough guidelines to know if they actually pay for submissions or not.
Love, Pearls and Swine Magazine is a Christian publication for women.
Free Spirit Publishing is a book publisher specializing in books for those who work with children and young people.
YesMag is Canadian magazine for youth about science.
A classic mag that I've no doubt everyone has heard of is The Saturday Evening Post. Yes, they're still around and they still accept freelance submissions.
Drat.
The recession is getting to everyone.
It is my hope that print magazines and books never go out of style or publication.
I did find a few markets, though some of them didn't have clear enough guidelines to know if they actually pay for submissions or not.
Love, Pearls and Swine Magazine is a Christian publication for women.
Free Spirit Publishing is a book publisher specializing in books for those who work with children and young people.
YesMag is Canadian magazine for youth about science.
A classic mag that I've no doubt everyone has heard of is The Saturday Evening Post. Yes, they're still around and they still accept freelance submissions.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Kindles and Book Signings
I read an article from the New York Times this afternoon concerning the latest and greatest in book signings - authors signing their readers' Kindles rather than actual hard copies of books!
I am a fan of books. I would SO much rather read them, though, curled up in bed or before a roaring fire (in the winter, of course) than to cuddle up with a computer or Kindle.
What are your thoughts?
I am a fan of books. I would SO much rather read them, though, curled up in bed or before a roaring fire (in the winter, of course) than to cuddle up with a computer or Kindle.
What are your thoughts?
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