Writing Update: Making Plans

Well, I'm back in the swing of things. I just printed out all of Hourglass because I discovered that I can't revise on my computer. I'm not sure why. I just have a really hard time focusing on revisions. So, I printed my manuscript...which took a lot of paper but it was worth it. I kind of like not having to stare at a screen all day and my foot really appreciates me not sitting at a desk all day.

The revisions are going along smoothly. I want to try to finish everything by the end of the month but considering that it's already the 11th of May...It might not happen. I'll keep working on it though. I've been doing some research into some cover artists and I think I found one I really like and could possibly be a good fit for my series. While I'll still be making the cover art for my Wattpad stories, I kind of want my published novels to be professionally done until I get used to the new program I got or until I get better in general...Improvement is always nice.

I've been looking into making my own publishing company and it looks relatively easy. I'm going to look into it more though. I still have to come up with a name for it and do some more digging to figure out if it's what I really want (it probably is). There is just a lot to do for that.

Once I'm about halfway through my revision process, I'll be looking for Critique Partners. I want to make sure that I have something that I can actually give my partner(s) so I want a good portion of Hourglass finished by then.

Since I'm off school for the summer, I'm really hoping that I can continue to work on my novel and start working on my stories for Wattpad (which I've been procrastinating on). I think I'm going to take down my story Spliced until I'm done with my edits for District Pluto: Morality Sentence. Which I want to publish on the site next. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and it's something that I've been really interested in working on.

Another thing I started up again was reading. As much as I would love to go through and re-read the Tamora Pierce novels, I don't have them available for me right now. They are in my dad's basement waiting to be transferred to my apartment. I just need to clean it first. So, instead, I'm reading Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I will get through this story...I will. This book has been sitting on my shelf for a year now and I still haven't read it.

I'll probably write a review and post it...just to prove I actually read it. 

2017 Goals

Writing Goals

• Finish Editing Novel with HTRYN
• Publish Novel
• Publish Dowsers on Wattpad
• Edit Hourglass
• Be more active in writing communities.

These are some really big goals that I need to hit, and this is just for my writing, not anything else. Yikes. I'd better get my life organized and break it down a bit.

I want to publish this year. That is my biggest goals. It's scary and exciting to think that I'm pushing myself to get to this stage, but that is just the general goal. It's a pretty big process that I have broken down into parts that I'll be doing as I edit. There are some things that I won't be able to do until after I finish editing but for the most part, I have everything broken down. I have tasks that I need to do.

First and foremost, I need to edit.I have a novel that needs to be published in June. I need to edit everything. I'm almost done with the editing process so, it's all about finishing, come January.  I want to edit my novel Hourglass because it's going to be my next novel I publish. This also coincides with my finished editing with HTRYN

Publishing Dowsers...yeah. It might be a little later but I have another story I can start posting in January called Spliced. It's a Sci-fi retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This will be available on Wattpad.

I have several writing communities that I'm a part of. I would like to be more active in them this coming year. Actually participate in assignments/challenges.

That is basically my goals for next year in a broad term.

Why I Do National Novel Writing Month

Since it's the first day of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I thought I'd write a post on why I participate in it. There are a lot of people who don't really like NaNoWriMo because they don't do well with word count goals, or don't do well with deadlines, or they don't think they can write well enough, etc. The list goes on.

I love NaNoWriMo. I love the pace, I love the community, and I've learned to make the most of it. 2016 marks my 13th year participating in NaNoWriMo and I found that over the years, it has become too easy to reach the 50k mark before the end of November, in some cases, before the end of the first week. I've come up with ways to change the challenge to have it suit me more than anything.

Over the years, I've discovered that I could use NaNoWriMo to my advantage.

• Complete a Lot of Novels. It's one way to get things done. I managed to finish a trilogy, a stand alone and a 5 novella series all in November because I had time to do so. 

• Issue Bigger Challenges. 50k have become too easy. So I've decided to issue bigger challenges to myself. It can be just to finish a novel or to finish a series of novels or even extend my word count goal. In 2014, I managed to reach over 300k because that was my goal.

• Meeting New Writers. It's fun meeting other writers and NaNoWriMo has a wonderful community of writers. It's fun to talk to them and make a new writing buddy.

• Finding New Resources. With NaNoWriMo I can find new resources for my writing. Map making sites, graphics sites, etcs. There are a ton of them that other people share on the forums

Writing a good novel in a short amount of time definitely had to be because of NaNoWriMo. It took time but I'm finally able to write a full novel in 3 days. I might need a lot of work but it was still done. No rewrites needed, just some revision. Since I've been issuing my own challenges, I now have a stack of novels that I need to edit and possibly publish - even completed series.

Now, NaNoWriMo isn't for everyone but if you are finding that you hare having a hard time getting that first draft written, it's a good challenge. Also, don't be afraid to fail. It happens. You'll be surprised at how much you can actually accomplish in a month after you've set a goal. Just give it a try.

If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo or just want to check it out: Click Here.

If you want to find my account: Click Here.

WriYe Blogging Circle: Planning Or Pantsing

If you are a planner, what part of planning is your favorite? If you’re a pantser, what is your favorite part of pantsing?

Bonus: Show us your NaNo planning - handwritten or computer screen!

I love planning out my novels. A lot of people don't enjoy this part of the process but I do. Getting deep into my novels is probably one of my favorite parts, aside from writing the actual novels. I love building my own worlds - which I do a lot.

My favorite part about planning is probably the outlining portion. I like knowing where my novel needs to go. It also helps me consider things I need to discover about the world I'm planning for. It's good to know where I want my story to go, too. The world slowly builds itself as I outline or even as I write.

NaNoWriMo 2016: Mirror Magic Series

What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
I was going through my Talecraft cards last year when I came up with this idea. It was just a small idea then but when I finally sat down to plan it, it became a huge idea that turned into a douology. I plan on writing both of them for NaNoWriMo. They are called Mirror Magic and Mirror Mage.

Describe what your novel is about! 
The whole series is about a girl who has to figure out her magic, why it's different from the other magics, and she has to find out how to use it.

What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like! (First Novel)
Whenever I think of this book, other than mirrors, I think of a forest in the winter. The dead trees everywhere, snow coating the ground and it just over all makes it hard for people to hide. It's kind of bleak and bare.

Introduce us to each of your characters! (First Novel)
Luca Moran - Named after her father because they thought they were having a boy. The MC who has to figure out her magic, deal with discrimination due to the mark on her forehead, and stay hidden from the army that has been trying to capture her.

I'll keep it at my main character. Anyone else will really spoil the plot.

How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
I love outlining, researching, and world building. Those are my favorite things to do when I'm planning out my novels. I used to just write without guidelines but I found myself writing a lot of filler. So my outlines are scene-by-scene but they are loose enough to allow me creative freedom.

What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
I'm looking forward to actually writing it. It's not what I usually write because it's very character driven rather than plot driven. I don't write many character driven novels or stories.
List 3 things about your novel’s setting.(First Novel)

• Cold, winter
• Lots of Forests
• Tense air due to the Kingdom's main problem. 

What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way? (First Novel)
Her main goal is to learn how to use her magic and how she can use it to protect herself and others that she cares about. There are many things that stand in her way, the army, the Kingdom's rebellion, and herself.

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel? (First Novel)
She will have better understanding about herself and her magic.

What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over? (First novel)
Don't be afraid of doing things alone. That basically covers the first novel. 



If you'd like to fill this out, click the image below and be sure to check out the other blogs as well.

Introduction to Planning a Novel

It's October. Just a little under a month away from National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I figured it would be the best time to do this kind of post. It's a planning post, kind of. It's more like an overview of what I'm planning on posting this month. Since it is close to NaNoWriMo, I've decided to do a planning series where it goes through basic points of planning.

What is planning in a novel? It's where you figure out what your novel is going to be about, your characters, and your setting. It's simple. There are various ways to go about planning, but these are some of the key things that are consistent for me when I plan.

Things I plan on covering:

• World Building. World building is essential to a lot of writing even in contemporary settings. You've got to know key/important places and why they are important. 

• Character Building. This is also important since characters are kind of needed to tell a story, whether it be human or non-human. You've got to have some kind of information down about them.

• Plotting and Outlining. I'm a huge supporter of outlining. It's a good way to track what you are doing in your story. My reasons are in a different post that I will link HERE.

Unfortunately, there are only enough weeks in the month for three more posts but these are the bare essentials for planning a novel. Especially if you writing for NaNoWriMo. It's easy to lose motivation during the month it's best to know where you are going with your novel. 

But the one thing you need is an idea. You've got to start somewhere. If you don't have an idea then you need to get one. How you go about getting ideas for novels/stories is up to you. I can't tell you how to generate your ideas as they vary from person to person. Do some exploration, you'll find something to write about.

The Importance of Outlining

Some people believe that outlining a novel or story isn't always important. The people who we call "Pantsers" as they are the ones who write by the seat of their pants. I used to be one of them until I discovered the wonderful thing called an outline.
An outline is basically a guideline for your book. You write down your scenes in order of how you want them in your book. Or you outline by chapter, it really depends on you as a writer. It's important for you to have one at some point in your writing process.

What outlines can do for you as a writer:

• They keep you from taking your characters down an unplanned road.  I don't know about you but some writers lose track of what they are writing. An outline is a way that you can keep your characters down the right road.

• You have a clear cut visual of your story. Sure there are still things that might surprise you here and there but not everything should be a surprise to you as the writer. What might come as a surprise is more of an epiphany moment. You finally figured out how to connect point B and C or something along those lines.

• Outlines can keep you from writing unnecessary scenes. This kind of goes with the first point. Outlines can keep you from writing filler scenes or anything that is unnecessary to the plot of your novel. If you follow your outline, you're sure to not write filler scenes. As long as you don't plot filler scenes (a post I'll get into later).

• It keeps you organized. Writing can be absolute chaos sometimes. You've got to research and figure out your characters and all sorts of things. Sometimes you have to create some kind of chart to figure out how your character(s) get from point A to point B or how object C connects with the suspect of your character. Having all of this in various places can be really hard to find. It's best to find a way to keep it all in one place. An outline is a nice way to keep it all right there, even if it's just a little note or however you add it to your outline.

•  It won't add unnecessary characters. This kind of goes along with the unnecessary scenes. Basically, anything that you don't need, it will help you keep them out of your story. It helps when you're editing so you don't have to trim them out later.

• It helps you explore new ideas for your story. This is one of my favorite things about outlining. It opens up new ideas and subplots for your novels. You will be able to see where a story will go if you changed a scene even in the slightest. You might even find a way to make your story stronger. 

• It's fun. Okay, this isn't why it's important but I feel like I should add it anyway. I love outlining my novels. There are so many ways to do it too. I do a lot of different things but I generally end up going back to the index cards. 

There are benefits to outlining. If you've never outlined a novel before, then you should consider trying one. Going about it is easy but you should try different methods to figure out which one suits you.

Short Stories

What do you like about writing short stories? What don’t you like about writing short stories? How do you think short stories differ from novels?

Bonus: What is your favorite short story anthology?

Short stories are nice when I need a break from writing a novel or editing. Sometimes novels tend to be a lot to commit to but writing a short story is exactly what I need. It's also good practice for working on concluding things. I like the simplicity of writing a short story.

But, short stories are limited. Coming up with a smaller plot tends to be harder than writing a full on novel, sometimes. Not for everyone. It's important to stay focused on the task. Since they generally have one plot and maybe one subplot - maybe - it tends to be a lot harder to conclude everything within the small word count. That's where I struggle, as I'm not a good short story writer but I try.

There are obvious differences to short stories and novels. Word count being one of them. The structure is a little different since everything has to be wrapped up at the end of the short story. The amount of characters you introduce in a short story is very limited. I could go on, but I guess it's pretty obvious. There are more limitations to writing a short story compared to writing a novel.

I don't have a favorite short story anthology.

The Editing Process: Knowing What Went Wrong

Dowsers is one of the longest novels I've written and decided to edit. There are a lot of mistakes that I need to fix before this reaches other people. Aside from the normal grammar and spelling mistakes I have, I found several things wrong with my main and sub plots.

Going through it once was enough to force me to understand where I went wrong. Thankfully, there is no insta-love. Or love triangles (I hate them). The relationship between my characters is important for their development because my characters have problems. Don't all characters, though?

I do need to redo the ending. I'm terrible at writing endings and beginnings. This is something I'm going to have to work on because it's the most important part of the book. I can't having it being lame. That just won't do.

There is also a matter of my antagonist being slightly bipolar. He really shouldn't be that way. I mean, he's good at acting because that how he gets what he wants, but he isn't bipolar. So, that is on my list of things I need to fix.

Now, the plot. I've been playing with some other options that my plot has to offer to see if they work better. It might. I might have to figure out what works best - which offers the strongest plot. It's going to be a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end.

Pretty soon, I'll have to do some trimming...and adding. Adding is the hardest parts editing but it has to be done.

Abandoned Novels

Trunked Novels
Have you ever set a novel aside? Was it finished or unfinished? Why did you abandon that novel? What would it take for you to go back to it?

I've abandoned a lot of novels. I've actually been spending a lot of time recently going through them just to see what I have and some of them were really good but then a twist happened and then it fell apart. To go back to that novel, I would need to do some serious rewriting and plotting to see where my novel should have been going.


That is going to be a goal that I have later. Finishing my unfinished novels. Some of them are probably a lost cause or they are novels that are going to have to be used in some other way. Maybe they just need a little more planning...who knows. I guess, going back to them really depends on if they really catch my attention when I go back to them.


Bonus: Post an excerpt of your trunked novel. - Unfortunately, I don't have an excerpt to share right now.

Finishing Part One

As far as editing goes, I'm doing pretty well. I'm not finished with the mark ups that I need to do. This novel is a lot longer than some of the other things I've been editing so I'm still plugging away but I have less than 100 pages to go before I'm finished with that process.

When I get to the actually editing process - re-plotting and whatnot that needs to happen in some parts- I should be good because I already have my changes written in a time line. Keeping track of the time in my novel has been a pain in the ass so I tracked it before I started editing so I have a sense of where everything needs to be. Let me tell you, my novel is so far off from the mark in some places that it's painful.

I can't wait until I get to the actual re-writing of the scenes part of my novel. As much as I hate that part of it, I know that it's going to be worth it in the end.

A Month of Correcting Things

Now that February is coming to a close, it's time to get back into editing. I hate to admit that I hardly touched my manuscript in a few weeks - shame on me. So, it's going to be my main focus for the month. I've been working on my retelling of a fairy tale story and it's not even close to being done so I'll continue working on that in March. It shouldn't take me too long...I hope. It's getting pretty lengthy.

So, for the next month, all my posts will be about editing and the process I'm going through. I'm actually going to start that process today after I'm doing writing my chapter. I've been using Holly Lisle's How To Revise Your Novel class because, while it is a long process, I noticed that my manuscript turns out far better than I anticipated it to be. So, I'm going to stick to it.

Thankfully, this week is my Spring Break from school. I'll have plenty of time to catch up since I only have six lessons to start with. I just need to find the best solution to doing the worksheets since printing them isn't an option right now.

Now with that said, off to finish up some writing and start working on my editing. There is a lot that I need to finish by the time March ends.

January Goals

The beginning of the year is going to be harder to start off than my normal years. With my classes starting mid-January, I need to try to get ahead of the game before then but if I don't manage to finish, I still have the rest of the year. Because 2016, I'm taking it a bit slower than I usually do.

Here are my writing/editing/reading/etc goals for January:

• Write book #1 (no real title yet)
• Edit 10 hours in District Pluto
• Read 1 book
• Blog once a week

It's simple enough right. That's just my goals for writing. I have personal, work, and school goals that are not added to the list. For now, I'm keeping my blog strictly writing related until later in the year. Smaller lists help me stay focused. I won't feel so overwhelmed with all the things I need to do.

We'll see if it helps at all.

Progress Update: First Edit

It has happened. I finally finished editing the first draft of the Sacrificial Son. I'm not sure if it's going to be called that but that's the title I have now. It will be what I'll call it until I figure out another name for it. Anyway, it's finished. I'm letting it settle for a moment before I go through it again.

I already know there are scenes that need work. Mostly the ending scenes. They are important to the story since it introduces a much bigger plot that encompasses the series. This editing process was a journey. I'm still trying to figure out what works for me but there are some things that I find really help. I'll be sharing them in another post later down the road.

For now, I'm going to continue planning my new novel The Escapist. That is also a temporary title. I only picked that because it was the only thing that fit for now. I don't have all of the details worked out yet so the title is more than likely going to change. As far as planning goes for this novel, I think I figured out a fair bit but not enough to get started yet.

End of the Month Overview: February

February Results

Hours Edited: 18

Word Count Total: 28,393

Hand-written pages: 12

Challenges Completed: 2

February wasn't my best month, but it's only the second month of the year so I can't bring myself to really complain. I think because I'm coming to a close on my novel, I'm really dragging with my editing.

Now onto my goals for March.

• Edit my District Pluto Series
• Continue with my Handwritten Novel 

This should be a good enough list of goals to keep me busy during the month of March. I might add more as I continue through the month. The series I'm editing is supposed to be my first published works. Since I'm actually happy with the way they are written...it might go out sooner than I had anticipated (depending on if I can get a beta and someone to edit for me). Well, I guess I'll see how it turns out.

Motivation Behind the Character

Not the final version of my Firewall cover art.

Character Motivation: What is the main motivation behind your characters? Where do you come up with that motivation? Do you tend to use the same sort of motivation in every novel, or do you tend to mix it up more? What is your favorite example of character motivation?

Bonus: Share with us an excerpt from your current or completed novel(s) that demonstrates your favorite example of character motivation.

The motivation for my characters usually vary. In the novel I'm currently editing, Call of the Piper (temp title), my main character Radley starts off by wanting to figure out more about her past, why she ended up in the place she did and the like but later on, it becomes apparent that there is something else motivating her to keep going. That becomes a huge point in her character development. 

That's just my current example. Where they come from is questionable. I'm sure some conflicts come from something I saw in real life or a very indirect connection to something happening in my life.

I try not to use the same motivation but occasionally it will happen. It will come out different than the other story but it's still similar. The common factors are there and are noticeable to me (and possibly to others).

My favorite example of character motivation - that's a hard one. I'm not sure if I have a favorite example but since I've already written about Radley's motivation for doing stuff. I guess I can give you another example of some character motivation that I like and that is from my novel Firewall. My minor character's motivation is to try to gain control of his life (that's the best way to word it without giving away too much). Though he is in the background, a lot of his decisions caused my main characters to be where they are in the novel.

I'm not sure if I explained that right. Well, if it doesn't make sense, I'll try to explain it again in a different way.

Sadly, no bonus again this month.

Results of January

This January wasn't one of my best considering my goals and all but I learned a thing or two along the way about editing. I'm not sure if it's just for this particular novel but that's something I'll figure out as the year goes on.

My totals for the year are:

• Editing: 50 hours
• Writing (typed): 22,515 words
• Writing (hand-written): 1,219

I think that's all I have for this month's goals. I didn't finish editing Call of the Piper but I did figure out where I wanted to go with the story. It's not going to be perfect but after I finish rewriting some of the scenes, I'll be on the right track. I won't have to go through and change everything again.

February is going to have a nice range of goals. Some of them are more personal.

• Finish editing Call of the Piper
• Continue working on handwritten novellas
• Write Hush for the Keeping Warm in February challenge
• Consistency Challenge (750 words a day)
• WriYe Blogging Circle 
• Work on creating a healthy lifestyle
• Apply for Jobs

 That is all I have for now and frankly, that's all I really want to have for the month of February. There are going to be small challenges during the month that I might partake in but I'm not sure I'll have time. I want to keep them simple. I want to start working out again and eating better. Hell, eating more at home would be a good start.

I have my art goals that I want to do as well but I think I'll leave that for my crafting blog.

Progress Update: Software and Planning

I got sucked in to trying a new 3D program because it was free. Yeah, I get sucked into this stuff a lot. I just wanted to give it a try to see where it goes. So far, I suck at it. I need to play around with it a bit to get used to it and maybe watch tutorials.

I want to try to make novel covers or just artwork with it, just to try it out. It's just something to try out to see if I like it. If I don't, it's not a big deal. I can easily remove it from my computer and stick to Photoshop.

Other than software, I did manage to get a bit of editing done. I'm at a total of 39 hours with plenty more to come. Hopefully, next month I'll have Call of the Piper (temp title) finished. Well, at least finished with the first edit and where I want it to be for me to edit again later. I was going to take that month to write but I think I'm going to stick with editing this. I want to finish it and I think I know where I want it to go.

I finally finished my new storyboard and I'm keeping a lot more scenes than I thought I was. And I'm getting over another bump in the editing process. I'm hoping for some smooth sailing soon.

Progress Update: Writing By Hand

Today, I have no idea where I stand when it comes to editing. I haven't plugged in my chart yet but I did most of it by hand. There are times when I get really distracted with things around the house. So, I think I need to clean my room and get focused again.

I did get pretty far with writing by hand but I'm not sure how much was written. So, I'm hoping for a better week.

Progress Update: Discovering New Things

I started editing the first novel of my Radley series since the first of January. Well, technically, it was the first of March. Between then and now, I realized that my novel didn't flow, so I changed it a bit and added the flow. I moved around scenes and let everything come together like it should. Though, now I realize that the process is going to take a bit longer. That, or I'm going to have to work double time on this.

So, even though it's been a few days into the new year, I've discovered a few things that help me with the "dissection" of my first draft. I don't think I need to use these all of the time, for every draft. This is just for me getting back into editing and changing certain scene significantly without rewriting the whole darn novel.

The one thing that really helps me is taking notes on my scenes so I know what needs to be added and where it needs to be added. Also, keeping my workspace distraction free is key to getting things done.

Thanks to my brother, Lee, I'm not obsessed with Pentatonix. I've been avoiding listening to their music for a while but now I have a few of their albums. I have to keep my phone and my headphones off my desk if I want to get any work done.

For now, I don't really have a set method for editing but I'm hoping to discover something that works for me as I continue to edit novels and short stories throughout the year.