...It is Done!...

After months of prepping and writing, I am proud to finally announce that I have finished my first official rough draft of my NaNoWriMo project. Here's the final, official breakdown...

Title: "Reilly", now officially Whatever It Takes
Current Word Count: 78,582

What's Next?
First of all, I'm going to take a break. Ideally, I'd like to step away from the story for an entire month or so, but I'm hoping to use my holiday time off at the end of December to do another read-through and make intense revisions. Scenes will be added and removed. Settings developed. Research done. The list goes on.

The good news is that I already have my first draft written and my main characters fleshed out, and those are the biggest, most stressful and time consuming steps in the process. So, I'll be stepping away from Whatever It Takes for a few weeks while my mind re-saturates with creativity and I don't feel so drained of inspiration. 

Then, after my revisions and final solo read-through, I'll send the manuscript out to my betas for feedback, then its onto the editor while I rework my cover, then it's publication time... All while working on the final Ending Series book. So, I'm crossing my fingers that I can juggle everything and execute Before The Dawn and Whatever It Takes with quality and enthusiasm. 

Wish me luck!

...Authorship-ism-ology exploration continued: Characters...

****PLEASE NOTE: This is an old post. I no longer post on this blog. For more information, to visit my new blog, or to contact me, visit HERE****

 

OK all, we're two weeks into November, and so far...I'm doing alright with my NaNoWriMo challenge to write 50K in 30 days. There are many aspects of pre-planning your story (including outlining and brainstorming, which I discussed in one of my last posts) that have helped me get this far. But this post is about my character development. 

While plot and setting are important, characters are what drive the story--they are the voice(s) behind the telling. So, naturally I want to understand them as best I can before I dive into writing the world from their perspectives. 

• If I can think like them, that means readers should be able to as well. 
• The last thing I want is for Reilly and Sam to be muddled in any way, so that's why I've dug a bit deeper into what they look like, what their hobbies and favorite places are, asked myself what their fears and passions might be, and what it is that drives their actions.

Finding the right Characters.
One aspect of story building that I usually enjoy is finding a physical representation to reference for my character inspiration. This is both fun and frustrating because it's not often easy to find that perfect muse or reference. But, when I do find it, it truly helps everything else fall into place.

People have asked me why, if I'm a good writer, do I need a picture for inspiration, especially if the character is so clear in my mind? 
Great question, and for me, it's like this... 

1. I'm not a great writer. I'm a novice, and I can only achieve so much with my imagination and writing ability so early in my writing career. I'll take all the help I can get creating characters that don't really exists. Would a poet be able to write poetry without having lived through what they write, at least in some small way? My characters are IN MY MIND, so it's easy to overlook certain traits and behaviors about them that my mind glazes over. A physical reminder helps me keep the descriptions and actions dynamic.
2. I'm no expert. I don't know what it feels like to lose my father, and I wouldn't be able to write about my character's reaction without doing the research or talking to those who have lived through something so traumatic. Physical research and appreciation isn't any different. All aspects of a character deserve due diligence if they're going to be authentic.
3. No such thing as a brand new character. No characters--looks or character traits--are completely made up. There's generally a living person who brings their image to life, a television character or college roommate, a teacher or the girl next door that contributes to the person in your head. Writers use what they know, and I'm a visual person.

Organization.
Generally, I'm an indecisive, easily distracted, and unorganized person. So, there are steps I'm learning to take and tools I'm exploring to help me stay focused, visualize the scenes, and get to know my characters with a bit more ease.

Pinterest
While most people use Pinterest to pin recipes and craft ideas, I use it to organize and visualize my story ideas through pictures I can reference while writing.

Some of my Pinterst Boards - Story ideas and inspiration

I can also collage the photos I've collected on my Pinterest boards to compile visual tools like these...

Story Boards and Introductions:

Sam's Story Board

Meet Samantha Jenner, a simple girl living in a overly complicated world. Once sweet and endearing to the few people she holds dear, everything changes after a horrible accident. Her innocence turns jaded, her timidness solidified to distrust and the need for control. Sam's a care giver and has nearly perfected the art of lying--to others and to herself. Though naivety has shredded her heart, loss has shown her that vulnerability is the most dangerous emotion. 

On any given day, Sam enjoys the outdoors and camping with her friends. When she's not mucking out stalls, riding her old gray mare, Shasta, or taking care of the only family she has left, Sam does all she can to keep busy...she'll do whatever it takes, as long as she's not alone with her thoughts for too long. Loneliness welcomes thoughts, and thoughts conjure guilt and sadness, two emotions that have helped mold her into the dark shadow of herself she's become.

Reilly's Story Board

Meet Josh Reilly, a heart breaker to some, best friend to others, and an arrogant bastard to the one woman he wishes would just give him a damn chance. This military man is no stranger to hard word, taking chances, and living life to the fullest whenever possible. Despite what some may argue, Reilly prides himself on his loyalty--even when it gets him into trouble and nearly ruins his life. But life decisions, good and bad, have taught him that he has to work for what he wants, no matter how daunting the task, if he ever wants to find true happiness.

For fun, Reilly likes to play baseball with the guys, live a little dangerously, and work with his hands (wink). A perfect date would be drinking a beer by the bonfire down at the lake, listening to old rock'n roll, and sharing embarrassing childhood stories.

~Coming soon: Outlining a Series~
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...National Novel Writing Month has begun!!!!....

Okay, all! It's that time of year when all moments are filled with thoughtful distractions--wishes for writing and the impending 50K word count writing challenge! Participating in NaNoWriMo while having a job, friends, and family (especially during the busy holiday season) can be difficult. 

This is only my second year participating, but last year wasn't all fun and games. It's a lot to take on. Here's my project for this year, and how I try to stay focused...

My NaNoWriMo breakdown:

My project:

Working Title - Reilly, book one of my currently titled series, "Whatever It Takes"
Genre - New Adult - Contemporary Romance
Goal - Completed first (very rough) draft by Nov 30
Current WC - 40K with an approximate 50K more to go
Challenges - Writing even when I'm not feeling inspired to do so

The staples:

Libation for long, brain-fart stinted nights

Cozy Leg Warmers for cold days

Lady Gray Tea and my Balsam-scented candle

I generally only eat once around 11:00 or so...I make it a good one

What I use and how I do:

I couldn't stay organized without Scrivener

Or my story notebook, which contains sketches, notes, outlines, ideas, etc....

Playlist:

A few artists and the songs that help me stay in my story "zone" this year...

• Milky Chances 
• Sam Smith
• Black Eyed Peas
• Metric
• Sia

What keeps my creative juices flowing:

1. HOT showers
2. Wine...bubbles and more wine
3. Observing - being out in public
4. SLEEP

Oh yeah, it's official...

....Authorship-ism-ology: Brainstorming and Outlining...

****PLEASE NOTE: This is an old post. I no longer post on this blog. For more information, to visit my new blog, or to contact me, visit HERE****

Brainstorming
I start with getting in the right mindset. It's hard when you've got another story and characters so prominent in your mind (The Ending Series). So, wading around in my ideas, sketching and observing while watching a show or movie sometimes helps inspire me to get into the "New Story" frame of mind. Thus, the birth of my new story notebook. While "Reilly" is only my working title, it's the only title I have right now, so...

"Reilly" Story Notebook

The Basics
Reilly was the original title for the story I wrote when I was in high school. At the time, I deemed it a masterpiece and marked it "completed". Now that I'm older and have written a book or two, I've learned a thing or two that was glaringly wrong in my old Reilly manuscript:

• A story with only 20,000 words isn't a novel, but a short story or novella.
• Although I want my stories to be riddled with emotion, they've got to have a happy ending - otherwise I'm depressed writing the damn thing. So the originally Reilly story is getting a major face lift and rework, hopefully leaving plenty of grit and emotion in the mix while providing an ending that is satisfying to me and readers.
• I've got to develop my characters more, hence the extensive outlining process below.

Key issues I've had while working on "Reilly":

• Getting out of my own head. Just because I wrote a certain story line fifteen years ago, doesn't mean it's good or that I have to stick with it. As much as I know that, it's hard to work through something that's so solidified and concrete in my mind. no matter how horrible parts of it is.
• Writing is a courtship, not a marriage. Things change, ideas come up, and characters take the story where they want to. Wait until you're finished or 100% certain of something before you decide to commit, it will make everything so much easier.
• Keep exploring cover ideas and title ideas and series ideas, write them down, run with them, do whatever is needed in order to stay inspired and keep the creative juices flowing.

Ideas, characters strengths and weaknesses, etc.

When the Muse is a no show
In my world, libation equals creation. There's no better way to free your mind than a glass (or two) of wine. It may sound silly, but there's something to be said for getting out of your own head and letting your mind wander, most often stumbling across something magical that would've otherwise remained uncovered.

Fancy Pants, I show that story who's boss...

Outlining
This is a long process with lots of twists and turns, revisions and road blocks. I've spent a solid two months developing my characters, exploring the story, bouncing ideas off friends, all so I could get a solid outline. Let's be honest, outlining is a great intention to have, but things always change as I mentioned above. So, use it as a guide, but don't resist the desire to explore or take another, unexpected road.

Extended Outline - Chapters, setting, characters and notes

So, obviously there is much to learn when writing a novel by yourself. It's strange how different it is than writing a book with someone else. There are many elements that are very much the same, like brainstorming with friends, deciding what actions and situations are best suited for your characters, while others aspects are completely different, i.e. coming up with your own story line, deciding where you want to take the story, with the help of your characters, of course. Either way, it's the life of a writer, and I'm only beginning to scratch the surface.

I'll be posting my character story boards and character explorations next. Stay tuned!

***** 

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...Another phase of Authorship-ism-ology: Solo projects...

Authoriship-ism-ology
As I've mentioned before, every day I'm discovering, navigating, and learning the world of authorship-ism-ology. So far, the phases seem to break down like this:

1. Deciding to take writing seriously - taking a chance
2. Starting a business with my writing friend now partner
3. Co-writing my first book and actually publishing it for people to read, love it or hate it
4. Learning how to market myself

And now... 5. I'm Embarking on my first solo project

Before I delve into the fourth and final book in The Ending Series, Before The Dawn, which we start outlining in January, I've decided to flesh out and better develop a manuscript I wrote in high school--a story currently called Reilly. Given the fact that my writing experience 15 years ago was somewhat limited, Reilly is merely a rough outline to work off of. BUT National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is in November--just around the corner--and my goal is to have the first draft of Reilly completely written by November 30th. That means I've started developing the plot, outlining, character building, content writing, and so much more NOW so that I'm ready come November 1.  This new project is both awesome/fun/exciting and daunting/difficult/time consuming.

If you've ever participated in NaNoWriMo, you know you're either one of two types of writers: a "planner" who has an outline and plan for the story before you sit down and delve in. This could be chapter by chapter notes or an overall, more general plan. OR you're a "pantser", someone who writes without much of a plan at all...you let the story and characters lead you when you're "in the zone". I'm clearly a planner, I have a badge for it and everything:

The bare-bones...until my characters decide differently:

• Samantha's had a life filled with abandonment and heartache, and most recently she has Reilly to blame for her life being turned completely upside down, or so she thinks.
• When Reilly decides to enlist in the military, she couldn't be more happy or relieved.
• But the loss of her father isn't where it ends. Soon her boyfriend ditches her, leaving her alone with a shattered heart and overwhelming emptiness she yearns to fill. Luckily she has her friends and family to rely on, but coping is one thing Sam's never been all that good at.
• A couple years later, when Reilly comes back to town on leave, Sam's forced to look at two things - what really happened that night that continues to haunt her, that night all those years ago that Reilly took her father from her, and what the hell is she going to do about it?
• While Reilly wants her to let him in, to know the truth, she's not ready to listen or forgive him. Opening herself up to yet one more person is counterproductive in her plan to "stay in control" of her life. 
• But in the end, Sam has to ask herself what's more important, grasping on to the past or taking a chance on an unknown future, one that is sure to leave her vulnerable, but is the only way she'll ever be able to move on.

I have some great characters in mind for this story, and the series in general. There's comic relief (my personal favorite), the characters I hope will make you cry, and as always, those who will make readers swoon. Although still in the early stages, hopefully this is going to be a story that pulls at people's heartstrings as much as it makes them laugh out loud.

Stay Tuned.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing with you some of my thinking and writing processes with you. I'll delve deeper into:

• how I discover more about my characters
• building a setting and choosing certain elements of a story
• brainstorming and outlining
• building a new series from scratch - a first look at book two and three
• title, cover rework, and official blurb process 

Why am I doing this? Because I'm learning as I go, and why not share my journey with others who might also be interested in writing? Also, I'm a visual person. In truth, organizing myself here helps me stay on track with my deadlines, forces me revisit my settings and plot and characters, all of which are helpful for me when trying to keep the Ending Series characters at bay while jumping into a completely new projects that hasn't been on my mind for the last 3 years, especially when you're going full speed ahead.

It's all about FOCUS, which is difficult to attain when you have way too many ideas floating around in your head, like me.