Whoa, Nelly!
One week in and I’ve already surprised myself with my characters–twice. That’s a good thing, but it also means I have to rework my outline. I found an interesting way of revealing my killer in the story and it’s definitely not the person I originally intended for the part. Oooh, I love whodunits, especially if I, as the author, am still trying to figure that out myself!
Every day in November, I’m working on a thriller with romantic elements (as part of the Entangled requirements) entitled Greatest Hits. 50K is the goal, but I’m really aiming for around 80K which is more in the avenue of my chosen genre.
This week and for the next five on FRIDAY FORAGE we talk NaNoWriMo. We also get tangled in the Entangled Smackdown over at SavvyAuthors. I’ll be posting weekly updates on my word hoarding–or how I just typed it at this late hour–woarding. I like it.
5 ITEMS ON MY BUCKET LIST
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One of the original purposes of this blog was for me to share my writing goals. Well, nostalgia’s hit me in a big way these past few weeks and I took a step back to think about those really big goals in life I want to accomplish. My bucket list is quite extensive, but here are five very important goals that stand out the most.
1) Have a happy and healthy family. I can hear the ticking of the ole’ biological clock. I still find it hard to grasp that my contemporaries, some whom I thought would never domesticate themselves, are heads of big families now. It really puts a timestamp on things when even the Sisterhood’s friends (and they’re twelve years my junior) are mothers and fathers. I love children, always had an affinity for them. Despite all my hopes and dreams, I believe that having children would be an immense accomplishment.
2) Share my stories with the world. I was chuffed when my short humor pieces were published earlier this year on the interwebs. Still counts and I’m running with it. 🙂 Be it flash fiction, novellas, books, or movies, I’ve got so many stories I want to tell. Since life itself is a WIP, I’m hoping this one comes to fruition.
3) Learn as many languages as possible and travel the world. I’m currently working on this one, as well. Having lived on three continents, I’ve always loved to travel. The Sisterhood has the travel bug, as well. We’re doing a smash up job so far in our travels, but wouldn’t it be amazing to be free to travel everywhere and be one with the people?
4) Oscar. Once upon a time, I held one in my hands. This is a big goal, but if we don’t dream big, aren’t we just limiting ourselves and stifling our creativity? Oh, I’ll also be content with an Emmy, Tony, Golden Globe, Pulitzer… I’m not picky.
5) Learn more about from whence we came. As with everything here, nostalgia comes into play. I’ve always wanted to learn more about my family’s history. When I hear the colorful past of some of my ancestors, it just makes me want to dig further into the past. That, and watching Who Do You Think You Are? and before that Canada’s Ancestors in the Attic, genealogy is definitely on my list.
=8=
What do you have on your bucket list? What are the things you really want to accomplish in this life?
5 BITS OF HARD & SOFTWARE TO HELP UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVITY
We’re a few days shy of a month away from the annual global writing phenom known as NaNoWriMo. Perhaps it’s time to get crackin’, yes?
1) MIND MAPS
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There are loads of software programs and apps out there that can help you create mind maps. A mind map is an outflowing of ideas that can begin with a single word. Using simple word association, new ideas can be formed. This process can be used in fiction writing or in other projects, as well. I haven’t tried any apps yet, though when I do, I’ll be sure to review them.
In the meantime, there are old school ways to create a mind map. The easiest way is pen to paper (or get creative with colored pens!). Other options are whiteboards, blackboards, etc.
What I’ve used for mind mapping and brainstorming are my mirrored closet doors. It was a delayed realization of a convenient resource after I’d already purchased two rolls of now still unused whiteboard adhesive stickers. It’s a great way to get the ideas flowing no matter how you like to map them. 🙂
2) INDEX CARDS
( via Sarah Ockler )
Much like mind maps, these can be tangible or found as software applications. An app I’ve used that syncs between devices is Noti and it’s great in a pinch. There’s also a section within the Scrivener app wherein you can index card your brains out–more on that later.
Of course, as we reminisce fondly on our school days, ahem, if that’s something we do, there are also the beloved 3×5 or 4×6 beauties that come lined, unlined, or in an array of colors for your organizational convenience.
What can you do with them? Throw out ideas, character names, settings, story prompts. Shuffle them and draw one out to get you going.
If you’re already in the prep stages of novel creation, you can use index cards to plan out your scenes. Short sentences and phrases helps you create a path from beginning to end and the ease of portability allows you to reorganize ideas to avoid a sagging middle.
Regardless of the method, index cards (or post-its for the sticky loving writers) do wonders.
( via Fox News )
Remember how I said previously that a picture’s worth a thousand words? Well, I didn’t come up with that notion nor did I come up with this next nifty trick.
I love to dream cast my books. To do that, I tap into the wonderful world of Hollywood and look up faces to go with my names. I base these choices on the actor’s work as well as their appearance. Oh, and it’s not limited to people. It’s a great way to look for settings, as well.
Case in point, most of the images I come up with for posts are from sites like Google Images.
While we’re at it, let’s give shout outs to Tumblr and Pinterest, as well. When it comes to visuals, you get the idea and with these sites, you may actually get ideas.
4) TIMERS
( via Contest Timer )
Online, offline, your watch, your stove. Anything that ticks and anything that dings will do the trick. Timers can help you unleash hidden gems and really tap into your creative core. Use timers to do free writing. You can set the time to whatever you want and it forces yourself to churn out the words before the timer buzzes.
Writing sprints are always great to get those word counts and knowing that you’ve got a deadline ticking away is a great motivator. (For more insane motivation try Write Or Die.)
Another use for a timer is to let yourself and those around you know that for that entire time, YOU ARE WRITING AND MUST NOT BE DISTURBED. Common writing courtesy, yo!
5) SCRIVENER
( via Literature & Latte )
Last but certainly not least, Scrivener. It’s your one-stop writing shop. You can go from conceptualization to fruition with this program. In the drafting stage they have sections for research, brainstorms, index cards, and even pictures. There are different templates to use and subsections to organize all your work. There’s even an export feature that can help you instantly convert your novel into an ebook format.
There’s so much to talk about with Scrivener that it needs it’s own post. Suffice it to say, considering I have a handful of the top writing programs already at my fingertips, Scrivener is the one I keep coming back to for my writing.
=8=
So, hope this FRIDAY FORAGE has whet your writing appetite, if you haven’t already begun. I’m using these posts to psych myself up. Otherwise, my procrastinating self will end up scrambling the night before while handing out candy to strangers.
Happy writing… and planning… and brainstorming… and dreaming. NaNoWriMo is coming.
5 WAYS TO HELP YOU CREATE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING
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What do we want?
A story!
What do we need?
A writing prompt!
Well, it might not always be the case, but if ever you need that extra spark to get the creative juices flowing, here are five ways to get you started (with some bonuses thrown in).
1) http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
The website of the same name boasts 346 writing prompts to suit your fancy. For those keeping count, that gives you 19 days in the entire year to come up with your own ideas!
Here’s a sample with #105:
Brenda Ueland said, “Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force.” Today, stop what you’re doing and listen for 2 minutes. Then write the new thoughts you had as a result of this simple activity.
2) http://www.writing.com/main/writing_prompts
Maybe 346 isn’t enough. How about 753? That’s over two years in idea churning!
On a previous visit, I got this: An inscription in an old book. That is a great jumping off point.
More recently, I got this: A movie rental isn’t the movie on the cover, it’s a local politician in a very delicate position. Yowza!
3) http://www.webook.com/911writersblock
This is an interesting site because of it’s unique interface. With payphone buttons to choose from, you can receive prompts from different categories. For example:
Dial 1 for Settings: A quiet suburban cul-de-sac. A child’s bicycle lies on its side, one wheel slowly turning.
Dial 3 for Dramatic Entrances: An art opening at a lavish downtown gallery. A car crashes through the plate glass window. The driver’s door opens, and an eight-year-old girl steps out.
Dial 7 for Calisthenics: What’s the connection? Bring these elements together to make a story.
And under each ‘number’ dialled you have more ideas to choose from. It’s pretty nifty.
4) http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
They’re not kidding when they say a picture is worth a thousand words. And with a site like tumblr, you have no excuse. The following pics are all from that awesome feed:
5) http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts
Writer’s Digest has a regular cache of writing prompts which include such gems as:
Don’t Delete Chain Mail
You delete a chain email that says if you don’t forward it to ten people, you will have bad luck for ten years. On your way out of the office, a black cat passes you. Then you find a parking ticket on your car. And, to top it off, your car won’t start. Was it actually the email? Write your response to the bad luck, as well as other ensuing events that make you wonder about hitting the delete button.
You’re Only Crazy if You Say You’re Not
One morning you awake to find yourself in a straight jacket, being taken off to an asylum. How do you prove your sanity? What do the guards and psychiatrists say you did?
Walled In
You’ve been finishing a brick wall for a room in your friend’s basement for a couple of hours. When you step back, you realize that you and your friend forgot to put in a door. He tells you not to worry about it, he planned it that way. How do you react?
Tell me you can’t come up with some interesting stories just from the examples I’ve curated for you here. I must extend my apologies for the late post. Under the weather on top of all the issues I’ve been dealing with lately, I’m glad I got something out to you all. And as an apology, I have some bonus ideas:
6) People Watch
I once observed (didn’t have a choice as they were taking centre stage at the mall) a teenaged couple fighting. From what little snippets I recognized (speech patterns, not the translation) I believe they were speaking Korean. I didn’t need a translator to figure out what the fight was about. The body language was clear. And it was all his fault. Seriously.
7) Eavesdrop
Honest, I wasn’t, but if you’re on a crowded bus, a busy cafe, or even those brief moments in an elevator, you’d be surprised what you can overhear–completely by accident, of course.
“Like, are you coming over later?” The girl clicked her chewing gum and examined her manicure.
He slouched in his seat, legs spread wide enough to brush against the old lady next to him. “Nah, I got stuff to do.”
“Tsk. Like what?”
“I gotta hit the gym.”
“Whatever, you know she doesn’t like you right?” She pressed her overdone lips together so hard it looked like someone threw a tomato at her mouth.
He scoffed. “You’re just jealous.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Like I’d get with you–again.”
8) Look out your window.
Sometimes you don’t need to hear the world around you. It goes back to pictures telling the story. Let it unfold outside your window and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see what you come up with.
9) Online or Offline Newspaper Headlines
Hey, if ‘ripped from the headlines’ works for a certain long-running television series empire, they must be doing something right. << CHUNG! CHUNG!>> And sometimes, the more you dig, the more outlandish some of these headlines become. You’ve heard the phrase, ‘truth is stranger than fiction’, haven’t you? There are some intriguing stories, baffling news items, and really dumb criminals. It’s a cornucopia of story ideas.
10) Sound Bites
This is a multimedia trick. You can do this with the television, radio, internet, or even a music player. Just let it run, then switch channels, stations, or tracks. Sometimes you get the oddest sentences but it really challenges you to play the ‘what if?’ game.
=8=
So, how’d you like them apples? I’m enjoying the FRIDAY FORAGE series, so far, and hope you’re getting some use out of my finds, as well. I even doubled my offering today. Hope they spark some interesting stories for you.
Which reminds me:
( via __marion__ )
Textploits of the Writerly Persuasion 