Think Like an 8yr old.

I just wanted to share another possible plot twist that was generously offered by Matilda (miss 8yr old).

Matilda suggested I kill off the Detective when he is going to reveal the killer, and then all the suspects would have to try and solve it amongst themselves.

For the record, Matilda's NaNoWriMo plot is:
A magical dog and horse travel to our world from a mystical realm and they can talk. Two small toys are the key to the portal and they got seperated from them travelling here. They have a magic map which shows them where the toys are at all times and they journey to find them. It is a mystery who supplied them with the magic map. They must get home before the evil wizard takes over their land.
They find the toys and return to their land to fight the evil wizard and his dragon. The wizard is mad because he needs the toys for his plan and the dragon tells him they are still in the Earth world. He travels to our world, but it was a trick, the toys are safely in the magical world. The wizard can not get back without them. People find him and think he is weird and put him in a circus. It turns out the dragon was helping the animals all along and is the one who made the magical map.

All this, and all I have is a title???

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The Practice Novel

My title is expanding.

The Book Publisher's Wife

I've been contemplating various plots to turn this title into a mystery story (or any story) and at first I thought her husband could be killed off quite early, after all, it's not called 'The Book Publisher'. I just haven't got a motive or twist yet. Then it hit me. The title, the one that keeps haunting me, that's the twist. He's not dead.

After all, then it would be called 'The Book Publisher's Widow' and it isn't.

This might be a good 'practice' mystery novel for me because I have another mystery novel that I want to write (but I want to write well, so won't be racing through it for NaNoWriMo). I've never written a mystery - but like all things I try in life, I ask 'how hard can it be?' (then I find out).

I haven't decided to commit to this story for the NaNoWriMo challenge (look here to find out, sign up and buddy me). I may still go with the retelling of a classic or myth. I'm sure I will make the final decision when I arise on the 1st of November to begin.

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It's Coming!

The NaNoWriMo contest badges for 2009 are up!

You can be my writing buddy by going to my NaNoWriMo page here.

My tactics:  (from someone who has never entered before)

• Don't tackle anything that needs constant research, and if it does, skip that and fix it later (you can edit in December, you won't have time in November)

• Plan your plot - If I try to write constantly for 50,000 I'm likely to start with a family story and end up with space porn, but only after going through a period of postmodern zombie/military action. I need structure.

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  Don't start something you've been planning. Start something new that you are not yet attached to. Come December you can get crazy about your plot and characters, but you won't have time to dwell in November - there's writin' to do!
  

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  Tell everyone you're doing it. Put it on your blog (like so). It will make it a lot harder for you to drop out after 539 words.
  

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  Drag your friends and family into it or join a region group (you can do that on the site). If you have writing buddies you will urge each other on and help with plot barriers. I'm enticing my two daughters to do the young writers challenge - they pick their own word count.
  
  
  

What I love most about this challenge is that it is international and although there are would-be authors struggling over manuscripts every day, now I will actually feel part of that group knowing we are all busily typing at once. Join me... join me.. join me....

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New Look, Last Look

It took a lot of tweakin' but the blog has been updated, decorated, renovated, well totally re-vamped.

Hope you like the new look, I intend to keep it for a long, long time.

NaNoWriMo update:
Still deliberating over which ancient myth I want to retell, but another option is a title I've had for some time. That is, I've had a title and no story to go with it.
The title is:  The Book Publisher's Wife
Emily (Miss 11) thinks it sounds like a Mystery/Romance. She might be right. As long as the book publisher's wife is not in highschool and a vampire, I'll be happy.

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NaNoWriMo - Bring it on!

The fever has hit me!

Signed up for the NaNoWriMo 2009 contest. NaNoWriMo is held over the month of November each year and the idea is that you start and finish a 50,000 word novel (minimum) in that month. It seems fast paced and the emphasis is definately on quantity rather than quality, but oh the whimsical fun!

Now, this does not negate my intention to contract myself to finish my two novels, The Pirate Girl and Dog Show Detective between November and February, so I will have to NanoWriMo after hours.

I mentioned that this is a contest, but with a difference:
Who are you competing against? Yourself. If you beat the hurdles and excuses that prevent 50,000 words, then you win.
What do you win? Other than being listed as a NaNoWriMo 2009 Winner, you win 50,000 words of a first draft for your novel.
Considering I've never finished a whole first draft of a novel, this sounds like a good prize to me.

Where to start? I've signed up, if you'd like to join me, click on the link. Next step, I've got to plan my plot outline.

What should my story be? I've no intention of making it hard on myself, so will avoid historical fiction or anything that requires a great deal of research. I'm thinking of taking an old myth and recreating it in a different context.

What's your favourite myth or legend?

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Would You Pay You to Write?

The plan.

I said I would catch up on my wordcount when my teaching placement was over. It's over, but there are many uni assignments due. Once that is done I will have time to write.

Although, next week I'll be back at uni, so, when the Christmas holidays begin I will have lots of time to write.

However, there is the house renovations, the outdoor bar I want to build, a million quilts I should finish, a camping trip away with the kids, and, and, and...

Enough. If I put my writing down on my 'to do list' with equal weight to hobbies, socialising and housework, we all know it will never get done. I need to be employed as a writer and have a boss to keep an eye on me. And I will. My new job as a writer, completing two children's novels, begins Monday 2nd November.

I have plenty of time to prepare, get my research finished, have my plot outlines for each chapter ready. I'll need that. My new boss is strict and expects a good wordcount each day - otherwise I won't get paid. My new boss is not interested in my hobbies or my social life, my new boss figures I can do all that after hours.

It won't be too bad, I will have tea breaks and lunch - but only at the alloted times, my new boss will not have me wandering off for a cuppa as a way of avoiding work.

If you want to work for yourself, you have to be tough on your employee. Otherwise, negotiations, excuses and whinging replaces words on page. I'm going to employ myself to finish my novels over the break.

Do you employ yourself? Or do you write when you can find time? Already have a full time job? Maybe you can  employ yourself part-time, say three nights a week, or all day Saturday. Write like your job is on the line. Treat well meaning friends and family as you would if you were at work and they popped in to ask you to come shop with them, have a cuppa or wash their shirt.

I'm going to get as much background work done as I can before November, I will even get as many words down as possible. I want to suck up to my boss - I want to be her favorite employee.

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Turn it off

I could crawl inside and live in the Internet. There are free downloads, websites, programs and devices that you can use to enhance your writing abilities. If you want to write about an unfamiliar subject, you no longer have to spend months going from library to library, you can google all you need in a few hours.

I'm often heard gushing over podcast. I love it. It is like a gift from the techno gods. Radio programs annoy me, if I do find a channel that plays music I enjoy, it's usually interrupted by call-ins trying to guess the source of an obscure noise, or a lonely/bored soul that wants to talk about...everything. Podcast allows me to download exactly what I want to hear, and lately that's writing episodes.

The other day I drove to work and was out of podcasts on my iPod. Darn. I tried the radio but it just started to irritate - now people try to guess famous laughs - why? So I turned the radio off and faced an hour and a half drive with no noise. I talked to myself (I do and I'm happy to admit it), I thought about the stories I'm having trouble finding the time to write. I thought about my last chapter written. Then... I thought through the next chapter. I got it all sorted, details, visuals, motives. It was my most productive drive ever.

Tomorrow I head out to a farm to meet up with my Drama class who are on a camp. I will stay overnight and there are no phones, computers or iPods allowed. It is the longest I will ever go without technology. I was worried about how much work I have to do. But now I'm excited.

Lots of time with just me, a pen and a notebook - doin' it old school!

So embrace the devices that make your life easier, but remember that your fiction comes from your imagination; you don't need to plug that into anything. Turn everything else off - and you'll hear it.

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