Little-Known Holiday

Have a Happy National Cornchip day!!
I will be celebrating with chips and salsa:)

New Post Coming Soon

I will be doing a llama post within the next week. I really adore these animals i plan on getting one this Julyish.  Also, as i am moving back onto a farm this summer, expect a lot of posts on animals!

Character Names

I know 'Go Teen Writers' just did a post like this, but i have been wanting to do one for a while so here goes...

    The names of characters are important.   Writers need to realize that certain names do evoke certain traits in readers minds.  Most, (but not all) readers think of a sweet little girl when they hear names like Lilly, Charity, and Bethany.   Most, (but again not all) readers think of a very strong guy when they hear names like Bruce and Bruno.   They think the opposite when they hear the names Archibold, Ernie, and Fred.   Most of the time it is recommended to use names that fit your character.  Not the overused and cliche Bruce or Bruno, but still something that just sounds like your character. 
     As with every rule, there are exceptions.  Before reading the Percy Jackson books, the name 'Percy' made me think of the quiet and timid train on the cartoon 'Thomas the Train'.   Obviously this did not stop Rick Riordan from using the name in his book series.   Riordan's Percy is so believable it changed my perception of the name 'Percy.'  I no longer think of a timid little train with a squeaky voice, now i think of a tall, lanky, dark haired, green eyed, son of Poseidon.
     Another thing to watch out for is two characters that have names that are similar.  Having one character named 'Silvia' and another named 'Silver' is a no-no.   Character names should all start will different letters and vary in length.  In my most recent novel, 'Outcasts' i have an 'Alora' a 'Violet' and a 'Sage'.   All three of those names have different numbers of syllables and start with a different letter. 
     Unique spellings are all right, so long as they are used in moderation.  Don't make every character have a funkyly spelled name.  (the exception is in sci-fi books where all the characters have names that are odd)   Having a Tiphanii and Erin and a Mary is all right, but having a Tiphanii, Arynn, and Merri isn't.  All of those names are cool spelled all funky, but doing it to more than one or two characters can bother a reader.  {it also messes with your spell check (:} 

   Well that is about all i have to say for now.   But there will probably be another post similar to this a while down the road.  Naming characters is one of my favorite things to do, i literally spend hours pouring over different names for each character i have!

So. True.

Another repost from the blog 'Office of Light and Letters'

Please note that to read the entire post, hit the 'read more' button at the 'end' of the post:)

Ari Asercion: Brainstorming Harmonious Living with Your Inner Editor

Ari Asercion, a longtime Wrimo and a fantastic intern at HQ for the past two NaNoWriMo sessions, checks in with a pep talk about how to deal when your inner editor stops being polite, and starts getting real. Need more pep as you edit? Rachael Herron’s talk is here, and you can see who’s in the pipeline on the Introducing the “Now What?” Months page.
Dear Writers,
A pep talk on revision! After doing three rounds of NaNoWriMo where I would continually fall off between 15,000 and 30,000 words, I was able to validate my first complete NaNo-novel this past November. Writing a novel from scratch (or from the Post-It notes stuck to your desk) is something I only recently learned how to do. But revision, yes, that is something I can speak to.
Remember that inner editor you stifled sometime around late October? Well, she’s back. And when you let out your inner editor, it can feel like setting the dogs on your own writing. You look at what you’ve written, the work you were so proud of, the characters you’ve coddled, the plot points that got you excited about writing in the first place, and suddenly… everything seems awful.

Basic Photography Tip #1

 

Below is the not-really-true-proportion picture of the rule of thirds.  It has the picture marked off into thirds.  The rule of thirds is that, for a good vocal point, put the main focus of you picture where the lines intersect.  This makes for a more interesting, balanced picture than one with a centered focal point.  (the vertical lines are wwwayyy off!  Sorry!)

Which of the two picture below is 'nicer'?  Take a minute and look at them both.  Why did you pick the one you did?  Don't blow past this. Think about why you like one better than the other.   

Both are focused, have flowers with dew drops, and are color edited.  I know opinions vary, but even though i like the color better in the first one, the second is my favorite.  Why?  it seems more balanced.  It follows the rule of thirds.  The one on the top has the flower centered, the bottom picture has the flower on the side.  See what a difference it makes?

 

Well, i hope you found this helpful!  I will post more on the 'rule of thirds' at a later date. 

 

P.S.  This blog is still under construction.  Sorry if colored don't match well for a while.:)

 

Coming Soon...

I will post a Photography 101 in a few days.  I'm no expert, but i will share what little i do know.  This will be a fairly long post, so it will probably be separated into several posts.   If there is anything specific you want to see in the post please comment below:)

FYI

This blog is under construction.  The fonts, colors and backgrounds will probably change frequently and drastically in the next couple of days.:)

New Hobby

I have discovered a new hobby. (I was not exaggerating when i said i was a jack of all trades!) I have basically stopped embroidery altogether. (my hobbies rarely last long)   My new hobby is jewelry making. So far i have made two necklaces, a bracelet, and three rings. Beneath is a picture of the first necklace. 

 

 

Novel Excerpt

Here is the opening scene for my new novel, 'Outcasts'.  I have been undisciplined about typing on the novel everyday, but i am at 10,300 words.  This will be a series, though i do not know yet if it will have 2 or 3 books in the series:)  I know this is probably pretty poor writing, but i have not posted in a while and i felt guilty, so i found something to post:P


       Mr. Clause had seemed scared. It was frightening, to see a fearless mountaineer be scared. It was even worse to know that he was worried on my own behalf. I raced down the dirt path, my heart pounding, my bright red curls dancing in the wind, I must warn the others! I thought as I sprinted down the road. My ankle length dress kept getting caught on my feet. I pulled it up and kept running. I wish mother had let me keep wearing my little girl dresses for longer. A knee length dress is easier to run in! My foot caught in a root and I fell, scraping my knee and twisting my ankle. I stood back up and my ankle almost caused me to fall again. I had to keep running.

NaNo Novel Excerpt

My best friend has been brave enough to reveal an excerpt from her NaNo novel.  I have decided to follow her lead:)  When you read this please keep in mind that this is part of a 50,000 word manuscript that was written in 30 days.:)

I am losing this battle.  I realized as the water closed over my battered head again. I am going to die.  Then I saw a tall purple blob racing down the bank.   Between submersions I heard a voice coming from the bank. “Do. . .not. . .give up! I. . help. . .you!”  The swift current pulled me under again.  When i surfaced I tried to swim back to the bank, but in my panicked state I only succeeded in falling under the water again.   Bubbles swirled around me.  Which way is up?  My lungs hurt.  I.  Need. Air.  Black spots were dancing before my eyes when my head finally broke the surface.  My head pounded as I tried to keep it above the water.  The darkness was still clawing for a foothold. It nearly overtook me as the person from the bank dove into the water and started to swim toward me. I felt an arm close around my waist and heard shouts.  I was drug through the water. I felt the ground beneath me was dry and knew I was out of the river. Using what little consciousness I had left I tried to stand. As I stood the darkness finally won me over and I collapsed and knew no more. 

Reveling with Your Inner Editor on the Revision Playground

Please note that this post was not written by me.  I am re-posting it from the writing blog "Letters and Light"  I found this very helpful, so i decided to repost it.  Also, the entire post can be viewed by clicking on the little 'read more' button on the bottom of the post, or by clicking on the title.

Reveling with Your Inner Editor on the Revision Playground

Happy new year! We’re back to NaNo HQ feeling rejuvenated, and incredibly excited for 2013. Why so stoked? We’re launching our first ever “Now What?” months in January and February. We’ll be providing articles and pep talks about the sometimes-intimidating process of editing, of revision, and of publishing, in the company of editors, agents, and authors like Hugh Howey and Marissa Mayer.
Our very own Grant Faulkner kicks off the month by freeing his inner editor from its confines. Are you revising your NaNo-novel this year?
I’m going on the record with a controversial statement: Your inner editor, despite his or her persnickety reputation, can be fun.
Now I know that we in NaNoLand advise writers to banish their inner editors during NaNoWriMo. No one wants to hear some crank screaming “No!” in the background or get dressed down for a plot hole during the rush of writing a first draft. But with a first draft in hand, you’ve now built a playground for your inner editor to frolic in. Yes, frolic.

My Map!

I finally finished my map!!  Here is a picture of it in all of its sloppy glory:) Sorry it is sideways!! My computer will not let me change it:(   When i make a new one (the new one will look better, and you will actually be able to read the writing on it) i will make sure to take a right side up picture!

Key:  Every inch is one mile.  (The page is 12 in wide when it's right side up) 
Green swirls= forest 
Grey swirls= mountain
Blue line= river
All those colored squares= fields
Giant green swirls= hills
Big red box at top with writing in it= Name of area.  It read, "Mastis"  (I am going to change the name to something else!!!)

I notice that the river names are hard to read.  The one on the left is the river Fluden and the river on the right is the river Skyben. 

 

 

 

A Great Resource!

Brandon Sanderson is a professor at Brigham Young University.  He teaches a creative writing class that is absolutely amazing!  One of his students filmed his 2012 lectures and created a website for them.   There are over 2 dozen lectures and they are all about 5 to 15 minutes long.  I have learned soooo much from these lectures!  I really recommend them!!  The link to this amazing writing resource is here.

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month, (though since it is now world wide the 'national' part doesn't really work anymore)  is a program in which participants write a 50,000 words novel in one month.  That is 1,667 words per day!  Who would be crazy enough to do that?!

I am. My best friend, Haley, (whose awesome writerly blog is here.) found the program and encouraged me to do it.  And i did.  It was hard, it took a lot of chocolate and sleep deprivation, but i wrote a novel in a month.  Granted, it is not very good, after all it was a rather rushed project, but hey, how many people write a novel, even a bad one, in one month?

Anyone who is a 'one-day' novelist should do NaNo.  A one-day novelist is someone who always says, "One day i will write a book" yet never gets around to it.  NaNoWriMo gives people a deadline that helps them to accomplish the rather insane goal of writing a novel in a month.

NaNo has shown me that i really do love to write.  I realize that my first book is probably beyond editorial salvation, but my future books might not be.  And there will be future books.  Once you realize that you can write a novel, you are hooked on writing for life.:D