It's not often that I post about contests (actually, if you want to get technical, I've never written a post about any contest) but this one is different. I've been following Shannon's blog for ages now and she just announced recently that she has a book deal. (YAY SHANNON!) And to celebrate that fact, she has put together the contest to shame all other contests.
http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/2011/10/wishes-come-true-in-biggest-blog.html
Check it out! There are some seriously kick ass prizes! Tell her Angie sent you (not that she'll have any idea who the hell that is... I just thought it sounded cool. )
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Nanowrimo Prep
Well, it's almost that time of year again. Nanowrimo. 50,000 words in 30 days. Sounds like something only a crazy person would attempt, right? Right. That's why I've begun preparation for it now.
A few months ago I posted about a new world that I was creating and how it had all been inspired by a beer commercial (of all things). That's the world I am going to work on for this year's Nano. And right now I am working on the plot for it. I already have what I refer to as the bible for Hallow City (the working title). In the bible, I have detailed, but poorly drawn maps, character sketches, creatures, notes on the different groups of people and a few vague notes about the plot.
But the plot is the part that is being most difficult for me. I can see the world, I can almost hear the characters and I can envision the creatures, but I need a plot to propel the story forward. So the last few days I worked on figuring out the details.
I grabbed my bible of Hallow City and a pen and I sat down to figure things out. I had good intentions. Yet somehow, instead of working on the plot for Sophie, Em and Bea... I wrote out a fantastic plot for Ellie (Em's grandmother). That's right. I wrote 3 pages of backstory plot but nothing for the plot of this story. I still have a lot of work to do but you know what? I kinda love it. :)
A few months ago I posted about a new world that I was creating and how it had all been inspired by a beer commercial (of all things). That's the world I am going to work on for this year's Nano. And right now I am working on the plot for it. I already have what I refer to as the bible for Hallow City (the working title). In the bible, I have detailed, but poorly drawn maps, character sketches, creatures, notes on the different groups of people and a few vague notes about the plot.
But the plot is the part that is being most difficult for me. I can see the world, I can almost hear the characters and I can envision the creatures, but I need a plot to propel the story forward. So the last few days I worked on figuring out the details.
I grabbed my bible of Hallow City and a pen and I sat down to figure things out. I had good intentions. Yet somehow, instead of working on the plot for Sophie, Em and Bea... I wrote out a fantastic plot for Ellie (Em's grandmother). That's right. I wrote 3 pages of backstory plot but nothing for the plot of this story. I still have a lot of work to do but you know what? I kinda love it. :)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I really have fantastic friends.
These pictures were drawn by David Webb. They are so incredibly accurate with my vision of Will and Victoria, I had to share them with you.
Thank you again to David! You are my favourite person!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Beyond annoyed.
So as I was on Twitter earlier I found a link through Nathan Bransford. It was an article about how the Harry Potter movies were better than the books.
The-article-that-should-not-be-named.
I rarely comment on such garbage, but this article annoyed me to no end. Below is my response.
This was obviously a great attempt at trying to generate traffic by inciting Harry Potter fans only days before the final movie is released. Congratulations! You succeeded. And as much as I wanted to just ignore this article and not comment, it has annoyed me since I first read it, so I am back to add in my two cents.
I am a fan of the movies because I love the books. I overlook the giant plot holes in the movies because as a fan of the series, I know the things that are being missed. The movies are visually stunning and lots of fun to watch, but they can't even begin to compare to the heart that drives the books forward.
This comment "Harry himself remained stuck in the whiny, adolescent act two of his story, storming away from the Order of the Phoenix because he can’t come to terms with being important." made me laugh out loud. Do you remember being a teenager?
At the time of Order of the Phoenix, Harry is 15 years old and he'd just lost his godfather. The man who was best friends with his father. The man who could have helped him escape the horrors of his Aunt's house. With the loss of Sirius, Harry lost yet another connection to his parents who he never had a chance to know. And you thought a normal 15 year old grieving boy would just accept the fact that he is important? That he'd accept the fact that if Sirius weren't protecting him, he never would have been killed? Really? His reaction may not have been right but it was one of the many things that made me adore these stories. She made us feel his pain with that temper tantrum of his, she made us care that much more about him. She made him seem even more real.
And despite what you suggested, he does grow through the stories. By the end, he gives his life willingly in order to defeat Voldemort. It was a selfless and mature reaction, one that he likely wouldn't have done if he'd not gone through the loss of Sirius and the loss of Dumbledore. He gave his life in order to save so many others. Not exactly the reaction of a whiny adolescent, is it?
The movies were wonderful, but they were wonderful because they had a brilliant series as their basis. The books were the heart. They were what captured the hearts and imaginations of millions and the movies cashed in on that.
Edit: My friend, Jessi has a fantastic rebuttal to this article on her blog
The-article-that-should-not-be-named.
I rarely comment on such garbage, but this article annoyed me to no end. Below is my response.
This was obviously a great attempt at trying to generate traffic by inciting Harry Potter fans only days before the final movie is released. Congratulations! You succeeded. And as much as I wanted to just ignore this article and not comment, it has annoyed me since I first read it, so I am back to add in my two cents.
I am a fan of the movies because I love the books. I overlook the giant plot holes in the movies because as a fan of the series, I know the things that are being missed. The movies are visually stunning and lots of fun to watch, but they can't even begin to compare to the heart that drives the books forward.
This comment "Harry himself remained stuck in the whiny, adolescent act two of his story, storming away from the Order of the Phoenix because he can’t come to terms with being important." made me laugh out loud. Do you remember being a teenager?
At the time of Order of the Phoenix, Harry is 15 years old and he'd just lost his godfather. The man who was best friends with his father. The man who could have helped him escape the horrors of his Aunt's house. With the loss of Sirius, Harry lost yet another connection to his parents who he never had a chance to know. And you thought a normal 15 year old grieving boy would just accept the fact that he is important? That he'd accept the fact that if Sirius weren't protecting him, he never would have been killed? Really? His reaction may not have been right but it was one of the many things that made me adore these stories. She made us feel his pain with that temper tantrum of his, she made us care that much more about him. She made him seem even more real.
And despite what you suggested, he does grow through the stories. By the end, he gives his life willingly in order to defeat Voldemort. It was a selfless and mature reaction, one that he likely wouldn't have done if he'd not gone through the loss of Sirius and the loss of Dumbledore. He gave his life in order to save so many others. Not exactly the reaction of a whiny adolescent, is it?
The movies were wonderful, but they were wonderful because they had a brilliant series as their basis. The books were the heart. They were what captured the hearts and imaginations of millions and the movies cashed in on that.
Edit: My friend, Jessi has a fantastic rebuttal to this article on her blog
Monday, July 11, 2011
I should be sleeping.
But instead, I am busy creating my new world. I am obsessed at the moment. Maps, descriptions, rules and just general tidbits of information are flowing onto the page. My characters are beginning to take shape in my head and the plot (though still just a basic outline) is starting to take form. Right now, it's the world that I am focusing on.
Originally it was going to be Earth, a few hundred years after a nuclear war had completely decimated the planet, but the more I worked on the world, the more I realized that it had to be a new world all together. And once I made that decision, the floodgates opened and I have so many pages of information. Most I will likely never need, but I have this intense need to write it all down in case I do need it some day. I have never done anything of this scale before so I am kind of going overboard, I'm sure.
One thing that I've done that I'm actually quite proud of is that I am actually creating what I refer to as my 'bible' for this world. I have it all sectioned off into different areas - world, characters, plots, etc. And I have everything (even the post it note map I made when this all came to me) tucked in there. What I am hoping is, that as I write this story - which is tentatively being called Hallow City, I will have any info I need right at my fingertips.
Like I said, this is all new to me, so I figure it's better to be over prepared for this story. The best part of it though, is that the world is feeling more and more real to me as I work on this. I can see the cities, the forests, the creatures, everything is coming together that will, hopefully, make it easy to slip into this world once I start working.
Fingers crossed that that is true.
Originally it was going to be Earth, a few hundred years after a nuclear war had completely decimated the planet, but the more I worked on the world, the more I realized that it had to be a new world all together. And once I made that decision, the floodgates opened and I have so many pages of information. Most I will likely never need, but I have this intense need to write it all down in case I do need it some day. I have never done anything of this scale before so I am kind of going overboard, I'm sure.
One thing that I've done that I'm actually quite proud of is that I am actually creating what I refer to as my 'bible' for this world. I have it all sectioned off into different areas - world, characters, plots, etc. And I have everything (even the post it note map I made when this all came to me) tucked in there. What I am hoping is, that as I write this story - which is tentatively being called Hallow City, I will have any info I need right at my fingertips.
Like I said, this is all new to me, so I figure it's better to be over prepared for this story. The best part of it though, is that the world is feeling more and more real to me as I work on this. I can see the cities, the forests, the creatures, everything is coming together that will, hopefully, make it easy to slip into this world once I start working.
Fingers crossed that that is true.
Monday, July 4, 2011
So this is what madness feels like.
I was watching TV the other night, minding my own business, when a commercial came on and I was suddenly inspired. I suddenly had this entire new world forming in my mind. So, in the middle of the night, by the light of the TV I grabbed the closest paper and pen that I could find (a sharpie marker and post it notes) and began to jot down ideas and a very rough map of this new world.
And now I am completely focussed on this new world. I had no plot, no characters, nothing but a badly drawn map and a thousand ideas for this new civilization.
Last night I set to work redrawing the map, and as I was doing that the main character stepped up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. She basically said here I am and here's your plot. (yes I know exactly how crazy this all sounds)
Suddenly I began to realize who my characters were and the plot began to take shape. More notes, maps and character information started filling up the notebook I was sketching in. I now have a dozen pages of information on this new world that was created because of a ridiculous TV commercial.
Though I have to say, I am ridiculously excited by this plot and these characters. I am planning on starting to write some of it today. I have a thousand other things I should be writing but this one has all of my attention at the moment. So I am going with it.
What's the weirdest place you've gotten inspiration from?
And now I am completely focussed on this new world. I had no plot, no characters, nothing but a badly drawn map and a thousand ideas for this new civilization.
Last night I set to work redrawing the map, and as I was doing that the main character stepped up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. She basically said here I am and here's your plot. (yes I know exactly how crazy this all sounds)
Suddenly I began to realize who my characters were and the plot began to take shape. More notes, maps and character information started filling up the notebook I was sketching in. I now have a dozen pages of information on this new world that was created because of a ridiculous TV commercial.
Though I have to say, I am ridiculously excited by this plot and these characters. I am planning on starting to write some of it today. I have a thousand other things I should be writing but this one has all of my attention at the moment. So I am going with it.
What's the weirdest place you've gotten inspiration from?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Well, I've done it. I've sent out a few query letters to my top three agent choices. I am not quite sure if I should be excited, happy, scared or completely panic stricken so to err on the side of caution, I am a delightful combination of all of the above.
How is it possible that clicking that tiny send button can cause such a rush of fear and excitement?
The three ladies that I sent my query to are brilliant and talented and if any of them chose to represent me I'd definitely consider myself lucky. (No I'm not mentioning names at this time) So maybe that's contributing to my nerves.
My mind is a mess. I know that rejection is a part of the process and I'm absolutely ready for that. In fact, I'm kind of feeling zen bout the whole rejection thing. I've realized that I will get rejected and if I couldn't handle that then this would not be an industry that I'd want to be a part of.
Each rejection is just another step closer to finding that one yes that I need to get Scarlet published. I'm paying my dues and it is an inevitable part of my path.
Yet somehow, sending these three letters off has filled me with such dread and worry. I think it's because of who it is. These are my top choices. After months of pouring everything into this story (my heart, my soul, my sanity) and then the even harder task of editing, I spent weeks searching, researching and (yes I will admit it) cyber stalking the different agents.
It was a daunting task. There were a lot of names that caught my attention - over 30 agents made my first list. Then through a series of research sessions I managed to whittle that list down to the top 8. And from them - these three seemed to feel right for Scarlet.
And the logic behind this selection process was sketchy at best. At first, it was smart decisions. Double checking the agents I'd chosen against Preditors and editors and the Absolutely Write forums. Any agent that didn't make the grade, got the boot.
Then researching the agency websites to make sure that the Agents represented the Y/A historical genre that Scarlet is. A few more agents got knocked off the list.
Then my attention was turned to the social media - Twitter, blogs and facebook. I was suddenly stalking agents anywhere online that I could find them. This is where I made my final selections. Not based on anything more than the personalities that I could see through tweets and blog posts. I could myself sitting down for a cup of coffee with these ladies. I know that tweets and blogs are not a clear indication of who a person is, but its a start. And it's all I had to go with, so I did.
And now here I am. I'm waiting impatiently, even though I've only sent the letters out 8 hours ago. Not expecting rejection, but prepared for it. Not expecting a positive answer but hoping for it.
You know, if this keeps up the next time I send out a few letters, I may need to be fitted for a lovely straight jacket before too long.
How is it possible that clicking that tiny send button can cause such a rush of fear and excitement?
The three ladies that I sent my query to are brilliant and talented and if any of them chose to represent me I'd definitely consider myself lucky. (No I'm not mentioning names at this time) So maybe that's contributing to my nerves.
My mind is a mess. I know that rejection is a part of the process and I'm absolutely ready for that. In fact, I'm kind of feeling zen bout the whole rejection thing. I've realized that I will get rejected and if I couldn't handle that then this would not be an industry that I'd want to be a part of.
Each rejection is just another step closer to finding that one yes that I need to get Scarlet published. I'm paying my dues and it is an inevitable part of my path.
Yet somehow, sending these three letters off has filled me with such dread and worry. I think it's because of who it is. These are my top choices. After months of pouring everything into this story (my heart, my soul, my sanity) and then the even harder task of editing, I spent weeks searching, researching and (yes I will admit it) cyber stalking the different agents.
It was a daunting task. There were a lot of names that caught my attention - over 30 agents made my first list. Then through a series of research sessions I managed to whittle that list down to the top 8. And from them - these three seemed to feel right for Scarlet.
And the logic behind this selection process was sketchy at best. At first, it was smart decisions. Double checking the agents I'd chosen against Preditors and editors and the Absolutely Write forums. Any agent that didn't make the grade, got the boot.
Then researching the agency websites to make sure that the Agents represented the Y/A historical genre that Scarlet is. A few more agents got knocked off the list.
Then my attention was turned to the social media - Twitter, blogs and facebook. I was suddenly stalking agents anywhere online that I could find them. This is where I made my final selections. Not based on anything more than the personalities that I could see through tweets and blog posts. I could myself sitting down for a cup of coffee with these ladies. I know that tweets and blogs are not a clear indication of who a person is, but its a start. And it's all I had to go with, so I did.
And now here I am. I'm waiting impatiently, even though I've only sent the letters out 8 hours ago. Not expecting rejection, but prepared for it. Not expecting a positive answer but hoping for it.
You know, if this keeps up the next time I send out a few letters, I may need to be fitted for a lovely straight jacket before too long.
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