Weekend Writing Warriors – Never Found 5

Welcome friends, followers, and Weekend Writing Warriors!

Good morning! I’m sharing eight more sentences from my Nano project “Never Found.” It’s hard to believe that November is almost over, isn’t it? My main character, Tricia, is dealing with a mysterious blonde stranger in her apartment…

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“And I guess I’m curious about what it’s like when other people use magic,” Candice said. “For me, when I use the voice, I have to concentrate when I’m speaking, really emote into it like I’m up on stage, you know? I could hardly do shit until after I took drama class, if you can believe it. And it helps if I’m touching the person, or just touched them a few seconds ago.”

Tricia stormed back into the bachelorette room, fully dressed, and grabbed the flattest pair of shoes she could find. “So is that why I agreed to go with you to see this Vinny guy? You used your own mojo on me, there outside my door?”

“Well, I pushed you a little, yeah.”

Visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors at http://www.wewriwa.com/

Nanowrimo Spotlight: This Blog Has An Imposter

Good morning, friends and followers. I’ve got one more interview left, and there might be another coming in before tomorrow. This one is from EvanescentDreams, who might have been eaten by one of the Nano monsters, because she didn’t respond to my follow-ups or post a word count. But here’s what (she?) had to say:

Hi, readers of this blog. I’m not really an imposter; I’m being interviewed:

NaNoWriMo and I:
This year is my first go at NaNoWriMo, so I am most definitely a NaNoNewbie.

I have wanted to write a novel for many a year; NaNo simply gave me the metaphorical kick in the behind I needed. I decided to participate after discovering the concept on Youtube, (oh, the Internet) while searching “How to write a novel”, or something similar, and said concept appealed to me immediately because, well, it seemed (and still does seem) such an amazing, inspiring, brilliant idea. The community is a very lovely and welcoming one, as well.

What are you writing about this year?
I am writing a novel inspired by the concept of the Grim Reaper; The idea is, every few centuries, the current Death takes on an apprentice, whose job is to assist Death in their usual activities, and to take over when the current Death retires. This system has worked for time immemorial. But the new (and unwilling) apprentice is horrified by the Afterlife, and, deciding he has nothing to lose, rebels against Death’s reign of tyranny.

What is your favorite book – you have to pick just one!
My favourite book… I have so many… This is so difficult… The Amber Spyglass, (by Philip Pullman) I think. It encapsulates everything I want in a novel: Beautiful and vivid prose, engaging characters, edge-of-your-seat pace, wonderful originality, and, re-readability.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Kristin James

Hey everybody! I’m in a bit of a hurry to make it to a write-in tonight, so it’s a good thing I’ve got this really terse spotlight to share with you! It comes from Kristin, who blogs at missoverture and can be found on the Nano site as witchykristy.

How long have you been participating in Nanowrimo?
I’d be considered a NaNo veteran as I’ve been doing it since 2008, and won every year. 🙂 It’s fun to meet new people in the chats every year and at write ins because were all so like minded.

What are you writing about this year?
This year I have been writing about a civil war between two cursed races.

What is your favorite book – you have to pick just one!
In all honesty, my favorite book at the moment is Misery by Stephen King, though I am partial to The Hunger Games.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
For advice, I’ll say dedicate two hours a day to writing to hit your goal–if you’re like and type at 130 WPM, you could even just do an hour!

Sneaky Ninja question! Do you smoke? Have you ever??
I currently smoke, indeedy.

Anything else you want to say?
I have a book coming out next year called Crows among Doves–it’s a supernatural romance novel.

Thanks for dropping by!

What’s up Wednesday? That sweet sense of Validation

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly blogfest to share the answers to a few simple questions… Join us!

What I’m reading:
Still mostly “Academ’s Fury” in library ebook format, from Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series. I’ve been taking it slow and not reading that much because I’m busy with Nano stuff.

What I’m writing:
I validated my 50k for Nano this evening! Both books are going well, though I’m briefly blocked on “Never Found” and flopping back to the sci-fi for tomorrow.

What works for me:
Writing on my own twitter sprints, hosting a virtual write-in for dozens of internet strangers in a coffee shop, apparently. I got 2k done in about an hour and a half, whoohoo!

What else I’ve been up to:
Went out for burgers with my family at “The Works” in Jackson Square, where I had my first brisket on top of a cheeseburger. (It was kinda like a cross between roast beef and bacon, yum!) Also went to visit my Co-ML ThornesQuest, who’s having some health issues and is in the hospital.

What about you? Click here to join the hop or check in with some other great writers.

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Recipe for NaNo, A Pinch of Oregano, a Dash of Chutzpah

Greetings! Today I have another spotlight interview from a fellow Storywonk, so welcome Melina Kantor! You can find Melina on Nanowrimo as MelissaDK

When did you get started with Nanowrimo, Melina?
Way back when podcasts first came out, one of my favorite authors, Lani Diane Rich, and her friend Samantha Graves (C.J. Barry) started a show called “Will Write for Wine.” At the time, I was an avid reader, but not a writer.

On October 6th, 2007 (yes, I remember the date), I was in Central Park with my dog, earbuds in place. We took a break by the duck pond, and after listening to the episode about NaNo, I rushed home and signed up. By the end of November, I had the draft of my first book. I was shocked.

This is my eighth Nano, and my third time participating in NaNo in Jerusalem.

I love bundling up in my NaNo hoodie, drinking hot apple cider at a cafe, and pounding out the words.

And a personal tradition – towards the end of NaNo, when I’m exhausted and suffering from writer’s block, I write while listening to this episode of Will Write for Wine. Of course, I’m also addicted to StoryWonk NaNo (also thanks to Lani Diane Rich).

What are you writing about this year?

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Metamorphose Magazine

Okay, we’re into the last week of National Novel Writing Month now, and I still have a few spotlight interviews to share with you. Today’s comes from Star Davies, who’s come on my blog to promote Metamorphose.

When did you start with Nanowrimo?
I joined Nanowrimo back in late 2007 after some fellow writers created a buzz about the race to 50k. I was addicted. from 2007 – 2009 I entered the race and completed at least 50k words. In some cases far more. In 2010 and 2013 circumstances forced me to sit out on the excitement, but I was quickly back into it. While I have enjoyed the writing and the thrill of the race, my fondest memories of Nano are from the community of friends I have made over the years. Most of them have very strong characters and interesting stories I would love to see in print. They have been incredibly important to helping me grow stronger as a writer. I participate regularly on the Role Playing forum to blow off steam and de-stress from rough days. I love this community and am proud to support it.

What are you writing about this year?
For the first time since I seriously started writing, I am working on a screenplay. It’s incredibly stressful because the margins won’t work, the rules on formatting direction and dialogue are so strict, and my computer hates me. It’s a fantasy, because really, what else would I write? Last Man to Die is about an unlikely hero named Tov as he relates the horrors that humans sustained as they were exterminated by an animal-like race called the Kraits. Spoiler alert, he sustained injuries so great that he is the last human to die.

What is your favorite book – you have to pick just one!
Ha! Anyone who is a fan of fantasy knows how impossible that is. Most books come in a series. There are a lot that have influenced me, but I think I would have to go with … Robert Jordan’s A Memory of Light. I have never cried so much throughout a book before in my life, and I doubt I ever will again.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?

Weekend Writing Warriors – Never Found 4

Welcome friends, followers, and Weekend Writing Warriors!

Good morning! I’m sharing eight more sentences from my Nano project “Never Found”, which I started last week. My main character, Tricia, has just woken up to find a stranger at her door…

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“So how does your mojo work?” Candice asked as Tricia changed. “The thing where people forget you?”

“If you’re talking about the principles behind it, bugger if I know,” Tricia grumbled.

“No, I mean, what’s it like for you?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“Well, I’m mostly making conversation because Vinny told me to if you were out of sight for a little while, like if I had to let you go to the bathroom. It’s a constant reminder, right? That doesn’t let me forget you and what I’m doing here, even though I can’t see you.”

Visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors at http://www.wewriwa.com/

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Fan Fiction, It’s not just for nerds

Greetings! I’ve got another really cool Spotlight for you tonight, from fellow Storywonker Betz!

Have you ever done Nanowrimo before?
This is my first NaNoWriMo and had vaguely heard of it before, but didn’t know anything about until I took Alastairs Steven’s Sufficiently Advanced Magic class through Story Wonk. (Note from Chris, this is kinda where I met Betz.) I love the idea of cranking out a story in a blaze of frantic typing in the course of a month, as it’s a kick in the pants to sit down and bang it out. The story that I developed taking Alastair’s S.A.M class, something original, not fanfic, I’ll be researching for the next eleven months and try and create and finish it in one month for NaNo 2015, but in the meantime, I can hash out my plot, develop my characters and do my worldbuilding.

What are you writing about this year?
Back in 2004, I began a Severus Snape/Hermione Granger challenge fanfic called “And They Didn’t Live Happily Ever After.” The challenge was the “I’m Just A Gigolo”, inspired by Irving Caesar’s 1929 adaptation of the song, on the WIKTT board, (When I Kissed the Teacher), a Yahoo Group for readers and writers of Snape/Granger fanfic. Of course the challenge was to get Severus Snape and Hermione Granger in the sack together somehow, the requisite is that Snape is a gigolo and Hermione must visit him for some reason.

As easy as it was to create something quick and full of lemony smut, I wanted to challenge the whole premise of what we knew was going to wind up in canon of Hermione marrying Ron, and Harry marrying Ginny, and how it wasn’t going to be all happiness, roses and perfection. Even before J.K. Rowling came out YEARS later to admit that Hermione and Ron were not a good match for each other in marriage, I was depicting their battle on the page. One reviewer said reading my dialogue between Hermione and Ron fighting was like eavesdropping in on a private conversation, and it was almost embarrassing, because the dialogue seemed that real. What a compliment!!!

Nanowrimo spotlight: Written Things

Good afternoon, friends and followers. My next spotlight interviewee seems like a ‘Just the Facts’ kinda lady, so let’s get right to finding out the facts about her! She’s Fan T C on Nanowrimo and has a blog at Written Things.

Have you participated in Nanowrimo before?
This is my second year participating in NaNo. I won my first year and still look back wondering how I did it. This year has been more of a struggle. I first found out from an English teacher who participated. I was too intimidated to try it at first, but then, one year, I felt gutsy and ready for a challenge. Some of my favorite memories involved writing buddy emails and people on the forums. We had a lot of laughs together.

What are you writing about this year?
This year, I am writing a fantasy mystery novel, a murder mystery, to be exact. I’m not exactly sure how it’s going. It always baffled me how Sherlock Holmes could do it, so I have no idea how I’m going to unearth these clues.

What is your favorite book – you have to pick just one!
Inkheart is by far my favorite book. It involves a girl whose father can read books to life. This poses complications as he reads the villain out and his wife into the story. But the writing is so beautiful, the characters are so real, and sometimes I whisper the words out loud just in case I have a touch of Silvertongue.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
There comes a point when you feel like giving up. It starts in your brain and ends in your fingers. I’d recommend you not let that happen, because once it’s in your brain, it’s hard to get out. Winning isn’t everything, but you always have to try.

Sneaky Ninja question! Where do you get ideas for characters and how do you develop them?
I’ll admit, some characters are the product of real dreams. I used to dream a lot as a kid. I dreamed of girls who lived with wolves and boys racing through spaceships. A lot of my characters come from imagination. I let them drift through my thoughts until they’re comfortable, then I pry and poke until they spill their life stories.

I’m not a big blogger. I only started one so I could blog through NaNo and then as I was going through the process of publishing my novel, “Clockwork Dreams”. But I find blogging gives me a way to express my thoughts and throw them out into the universe. A blogger once told me it’s not about the views or the comments or the followers that make a blog, it’s whether or not you enjoy it. I enjoy it very much and I don’t pressure myself to post at any given time.

Nanowrimo Spotlight: By J.E. Hunter

Good morning, and welcome to another Nanowrimo spotlight interview. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Eve, who can be found online at By J.E. Hunter.

How much history do you have with Nanowrimo?
I began NaNoWriMo in 2006, once I got a job that had a bit of work-life balance and allowed me to go back to writing – something I hadn’t spent time doing since high school, which at that point had been about six years. For some reason, I often find myself traveling in November. I think it’s just a great time of year to see other parts of the world. So I’ve done NaNo in Peru, New Zealand, Greece, and England, along with many times at home in Canada. One of my favourite NaNo memories is from New Zealand. I spent a lot of time there trekking, and after one particularly long day, I remember getting to the cabin (in the middle of nowhere), setting up my bunk for the night, and just curling up with my notebook to get my word count in the for the day. It was pouring rain and muscles were cramping up from hiking over twenty kilometres that day, but I was determined to write those words.

What are you writing about this year?
This year I’m writing and adventure novel. Inspired by my travels, particularly to Peru. I’m trying to make it scary/mysterious, and hoping it doesn’t come out too hokey-pokey.

What is your favorite book – you have to pick just one!
My favourite book at the moment is the Historian. Probably because at this moment I’m trying to emulate the same atmosphere in the story I’m writing.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
Just open up your word processor or notebook everyday. Even if you intend to do absolutely no writing. I find that just seeing the document, the work in progress, is enough to get my fingers moving again, even when I’m utterly exhausted.

Sneaky Ninja question! What is your favorite genre to write in?