A to Z Challenge 2013 – A is for…

Posted on 2013/04/01 by Tonette dela Luna

The beginning of the alphabet. The first letter in April, a blogtastic month. What shall we discuss today, pray tell?

https://www.facebook.com/KidPresident

Originally, I wanted to post my favorite video courtesy of Kid President, but that can wait until we get to the letter “K”. 🙂

~ AWESOME ~

On this day, I will be more awesome.

From this day forward, I strive to be more awesome.

This month is a big writing month for me. As I posted previously, I started this blog to chronicle my journey towards two novel drafts in April. I’ll be tweeting word count updates daily, if possible, and of course, blogging about it all. Yes, the irony is not lost on me that all of this commences on the Day of Fools. I laugh at this day and reclaim it as the Day of Awesome!

This past week has been wonderfully awesome for me. I’m getting the hang of the blogging life. I’m excited of the stories waiting to come out this month. And I’m already building a following of people who appreciate me as much as I appreciate sharing my thoughts with them.

Much love to all of you for that.

Special shout out goes to Arlee Bird for founding such an awesome event. I look forward to many more blogging challenges to come.

So, fellow bloggers, how’s your first day of awesome going? Let me know your awesome goals for the month of April. 🙂

=8=

Today’s theme is brought to you by the letter

T-Minus… We’re on the Precipice, the Calm Before the Storm

Posted on 2013/03/31 by Tonette dela Luna

TWO STORIES, ONE MONTH, A BLOG, and ME.

STORY ONE: A Love Less Ordinary

The first is a contemporary piece about the Murphy’s Law of relationships. Protagonist’s best friend and roommate kicks her out of her own apartment because she and her deadbeat fiancée (the freeloader who never paid rent) are ready to take the next step. This on the same day she’s laid off from work. Dodging questions from her mother about her career and love life, she just wants out of her current situation. Unemployed, newly homeless, and desperate for work, she doesn’t realize how lost she is until she ends up working as a live-in nanny for a family that’s just moved to town. At least there’s the cute guy she sees at the deli every Tuesday. Their sandwich banter is something she looks forward to. On this Tuesday, however, after all that happens, she misses her deli run and ends up at some family’s dinner table, hired on the spot, after saving the young son when he ran into the street. Things start to look up until her new employer’s husband walks in, holding a big bag of sandwiches from the deli.

STORY TWO: Hamelin

This one’s a beast to get into. The gist is that it’s a YA Speculative Fiction piece, a riff on fairy tales, hopefully unlike what’s already out there. First off, I’m focusing on a fairy tale that isn’t saturated in the media, at the moment, the Pied Piper. In my story, the Piper is female. In this fairy tale universe, heroes are villains, and vice versa. Aside from characters you may know by name, circumstances are quite different as the story unfolds. Other notable fairy tale characters from classic and contemporary authors alike might make an appearance but in this land, nothing is what it seems.

=8=

That’s what I’m writing about in April. Well, the major writing projects for April, that is. Since the Blogging Challenge is thematic, I’ll try to keep it writing related, as much as possible, and hopefully slip in some word count updates. Otherwise, I’ll be keeping everyone apprised of my story progress each Sunday (the day we have off from the blogging challenge).

So, today was a lovely sunny day. Since I live in the vicinity of Raincouver, I don’t trust it. I bet there’s a rain cloud waiting to leap out from behind a tree.

Tomorrow it begins. To borrow from a phrase of an awesometastic program premiering its third season tonight,

“WORDS ARE COMING.”

And plenty of them, if I can help it.

I suppose this is where I make the choice. Do I stay the course or head back to shore? Heck, I didn’t even know I was on a boat, but here we are. [cue JAWS score]

Was this how Neo felt when given the choice of the red pill or the blue pill?

“You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
— Morpheus, The Matrix

As writers, do we not tread the fine line between reality and the real world on a daily basis? Neo was The One. That meant squat in the end… oops. SPOILERS. I will speak of this no more.

What’s my choice?

I swallowed that red pill, bitter taste and all, back when I decided to do this trifecta of writing awesomeness: Camp NaNoWriMo, Savvy Authors April Boot Camp, and the Blogging A to Z Challenge. That pill swirled around my gut and my hand did the T-1000 morph the moment I Tweeted my declaration of the write-a-palooza.

I’m not doing this because I’m a masochist–writers are inherently so. I’m doing this because I know I can. Hundreds of thousands of creative folks know they can, too, or at least they’ll give it a try. We’ll support each other. I’m doing it for the global frenzied encouragement as much as I’m doing it for my own writerly goals. It’s just a matter of how far I’m willing to push my creative self down the rabbit hole.

Care to join me?

(via yassimanga)

CAN YOU BLOG YOUR ABCs?

Posted on 2013/03/30 by Tonette dela Luna

BLOG YOUR WAY THROUGH THE ALPHABET IN APRIL WITH THE BLOGGING FROM A TO Z CHALLENGE

With my two whopper writing projects this April, Camp NaNoWriMo and Savvy Author’s April Boot Camp, I knew I had to blog about it. But I had no blog to speak of. So, the last few days had me rushing to put together a blog for the purposes of recording the ups, downs, and sideways events of this writing extravaganza. You can read my thoughts on Camp NaNo here and Boot Camp here. Of course, when I saw something people were buzzing about, I decided to have a look. A challenge, you say? A third one to add to my glorious tower of looming word counts?

The BLOGGING FROM A TO Z CHALLENGE. I fell in love with the idea as soon as I found the website. Starting April 1st, everyone begins with A and works through the alphabet. With Sundays off, that ends with Z on April 30. Sounds simple enough, but what do you do with said letters? Each letter is a theme for that day’s blog post. You might pick the letter itself or it might be the beginning of a word, as long as you stick to the theme in some shape or form. Again, sounds simple, right? Well, this is where the challenge comes in. And it doesn’t hurt to get creative. Some bloggers are working with a theme, others are going freestyle. The point is to blog, visit other blogs, and have a good time with the online community. At the time of this post, there are already 1,600 participants. That should make for some interesting reading next month.

Since I’m new to the whole blogopshere–that’s a thing, right?–I realized that I needed to do this. What a great way to meet people from around the world. You’ve got something to say, they’ve got something to say. If you blog, regardless of topic, here are just a few benefits when you JOIN THE BLOGGING FROM A TO Z CHALLENGE.

1) DAILY WRITING PRACTICE. Be kind about this. People are going to the trouble of blogging their hearts out. It’s a reciprocity that’s necessary to make this event a success. Also, writing everyday is good for you, especially if you’re a writer. So do it for yourself as much as anyone else. If you blog it, they will come.

2) DAILY SPARK OF CREATIVITY. Whether it’s something pre-planned or something inspired from a fellow blogger’s post, when you create something, put words on the screen, you challenge yourself each day. Share home remedy tips, inspirational quotes, obscure dance moves. If you have 26 thematic posts to share or even 26 completely random posts to share, your creativity will shine through the daily act of writing.

3) BUILD YOUR READERSHIP. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have people I never expected to stop by my three-day old blog. The likes, retweets, comments, they’re all encouraging. It lets me know there are people out there who like what I have to say. That’s motivation to keep me going as a writer. One day when my WIPs are published, I already have people who support me and they might enjoy reading my novels, too. Such a huge facet of being a writer nowadays is one’s platform. I’m still a newbie in this regard, and the A to Z Challenge comes at a perfect time to serve as a launchpad for a writer’s platform. You like to write. People like what you write. Hello, world. Social media is such a powerful tool. It makes perfect sense to take part in something mutually beneficial.

4) NETWORKING. This is obvious, but more than that. When you take the time to visit other blogs, read what other people have to say in their part of the world, you join the international community. I’ve only partaken in social media via Twitter for the last two months. I’ve already ‘met’ and interacted with people in my industry and it’s made me a better writer. I’m constantly inspired by everything I read each day. As introverted as the writer’s life may seem, eventually we need to come out of our shells. The books don’t always sell themselves, you know. Networking is a great way for writers or anyone who wishes to talk about their expertise to communicate their message to a global audience. How lucky are we to do this now? I keep going back to how excited that I’m a writer in this technological age.

5) WINNING. Ha. I giggled when I typed that, but it’s true. (I hope you got the reference.) You get through a month-long challenge, what does that make you? Of course, for whatever reason, there might be a day that you miss, but it’s a commitment that 1,600 people made along with you. That should push you enough. If not for them, do it for the spirit of such an innovative simultaneous blogging experience. We haven’t even started yet and I already feel like we’re winners.

So, come, gentle viewer… *singing*

Since we know our ABCs,

won’t you come and blog with me.

In April.

2013.

Join.

You have a day left.

You can do it. 🙂

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Be there, or be… not there.

It’s way better if you’re there.

Join.

Blog.

Celebrate.

THE PERKS OF BEING A SAVVY AUTHOR

Posted on 2013/03/29 by Tonette dela Luna

I dove into the world of Savvy Authors last November, where their NaNo Boot Camp gave me double the reason to hammer out my YA Thriller. A great added dose of accountability, twice the intensity, and the benefits of global cheerleading. Yesterday, I declared my love for all things NaNoWriMo. In case you missed it, you can read about it here. My love is also strong for Savvy Authors. Here are just a few reasons why YOU NEED TO JOIN THIS AMAZING WRITING COMMUNITY.

1) IT’S AN AMAZING WRITING COMMUNITY. Yes. It bears repeating. I haven’t met any of them in person yet, but we all support each other like we’ve been friends for years. Constant feedback and encouragement fill the warm atmosphere. Come on, it’s in their tagline: writers helping writers. That’s what we do everyday. Regardless of genre, we all come together to show our love for storytelling.

2) IMPRESSIVE EDUCATION. I’ve learned a lot more as a writer in the past six months than I have all my life. I appreciate traditional education. I love and have several books on writing craft. But there’s something to be said about the innovation of an online course. You have the flexibility to cater to your own busy schedule and still be accountable for your deadlines. Everything is there to help your writing go further. How many times have you bookmarked an article or purchased reference material but never actually got around to reading it? *GASP* I’ll admit, shamefully, I am guilty of this. The interactive community keeps my interest and I’m networking at the same time. Bonus. And if I fall behind in my schedule, the instructor and class are there to support me. What’s great is that these instructors know their stuff because they, too, are writers. We all appreciate the struggle. We all appreciate the art form.

3) VALUE. The basic membership is free and already you have a treasure trove of craft resources, networking opportunities. Wednesday night chats offer a revolving door of guest speakers from the industry. Real-time education, Q&A, and overall great conversation. I file that under INFOTAINMENT. Premium memberships are worth it, too, because the already amazingly low price on workshops gets even cheaper. It truly pays off because you receive hands-on instruction, peer and instructor feedback, and guidance towards meeting your writing goals. Because I dare to push myself, I tend to enrol in more workshops than a normal human should take at one time. Doesn’t stop me. I’ve learned so much and my writing’s come a long way because of Savvy Authors. Took my first class in November and I’ve been going strong ever since.

4) BOOT CAMP. My second Boot Camp since NaNo last November. Had such a great experience, I had to say yes. You have teams, you encourage each other to reach daily goals. There are even prizes and other great incentives to keep the momentum going. I must be clear, Boot Camp is not for the lightweights. We’ve been told there’s no whining in Boot Camp. But from last year’s amazing results, there’s definitely a lot of writing in Boot Camp. SAVVY AUTHORS APRIL BOOT CAMP is sure to keep my writing goals in check next month.

5) PITCH PERFECT. Now, one downfall of having several completed drafts but none of them fully revised yet? Missing out on April’s other awesometastic event at Savvy Authors. If you go and check out at least one thing on their site, do yourself a favor and get in on this FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY. Take your novel to new heights and join! I know I’ll have pitches ready the next time this rolls around. Agents and Editors from various publications ready to hear your pitches all month. APRIL’S PITCH PERFECT. It’s the Disneyland of pitch opportunities.

So many good things to say. So excited to be a member of this writing community. This is just a taste of what they’ve got. If you’re serious about your writing and want to publish your work, check out Savvy Authors. You’ll be glad you did.

http://www.savvyauthors.com/

5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN CAMP NANOWRIMO

Posted on 2013/03/28 by Tonette dela Luna

This is my second year in the NaNo World of Awesomeness. The challenge is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. With everyone’s already busy lives, it’s a testament of creative perseverance when NaNoWriMo’s been going strong for over eleven years now. Short for National Novel Writing Month, the annual collective writing phenomenon held in November has gone global–for now. I think we should get those peeps up at the Space Station to do some writing. You know, if they’re not busy doing other astronaut-type things this April, but I digress.

Last year, Script Frenzy (RIP) a much loved sibling to the elder NaNo gave me the opportunity to write an Alternate History Thriller Screenplay. Considering I’d never tried the format before, it was interesting. We went to Hawaii, at the time, and I remember using Celtx on my iPhone during in-flight turbulence, just so I could get the pages done.

I missed last June’s Camp NaNoWriMo. I’d like to think of Camp as NaNo’s awesome cousin. Imagine my delight when I joined Camp for the first time last August. We got an extra day for good behavior–and also, because that’s just how August rolls–and I hammered out an MG Urban Fantasy, the first in a series.

The actual NaNo was a beast, but in a good way. Brewing holiday cheer and writing insanity are like rebels on the dance floor. Out of that, I have a YA Thriller, also the first in a series.

Like I said yesterday, revisions, sure. They’ll happen. But if you get an opportunity to have thousands of people cheering you on to write as they simultaneously unleash their creativity into the world? Do it. And when it happens three times in one year? DO IT THRICE.

Here are five reasons–of many reasons–why YOU NEED TO GO TO CAMP THIS APRIL:

1) GET IN THE ZONE. Some say Camp NaNoWriMo is NaNo Lite. Not true. Think of it as easing yourself into November. Incremental genius, at your own pace. The fact that this year they’ve gone rogue with the NaNoRebels, you get to write anything: poetry, stage plays, screenplays *sigh*, comics, graphic novels, short stories, non-fiction, you name it. With adjustable word counts, Camp is tailored to maximize your creative output. The only person stopping you from doing this is you. The only thing you have to lose is time, and we’re all using that stuff up anyway. Join. Write.

2) LIKE-MINDEDNESS. Cabin Mates. Writing Buddies. Global Support. Hey, if there’s anyone who’s going to understand the craziness you’re about to endure it’s all the other people about to endure the same craziness. Together, you can celebrate, commiserate, and conflagrate (metaphorically speaking). Appreciate the artist within you. Within all of us. Same boat. Better together. Need convincing? Go on Twitter and join the #CampNaNoWriMo conversation. You’re not alone. The world is buzzing about Camp. Join. Write.

3) NETWORKING. Those people who share your thirst for creativity and penchant for masochistic writing schedules? They know people. You know people. People get to talking. Connections are made. You never know that a person you’re brainstorming with could have the next bestseller. Better yet, they could be interested in your next bestseller. NaNoWriMo isn’t a casual event. There’s nothing casual about churning out the words until your hands are numb, your vision blurs, and your head’s about to burst from exhaustion. Moral support, feedback, crit partners, beta readers, mentors. Anyone who understands NaNoWriMo understands the passion behind it. Anyone you network with will help you become a better writer. That’s a fact from personal experience and a promise. Join. Write.

4) COMMITMENT TO YOUR CRAFT. You can tell people you’re a writer, but it means more if you show them. Accountability is a big deal, not just to save face, but to keep you motivated. Reach those word count goals, Exceed them. The act of committing to a massive project such as writing a book in a month, it shows you mean business. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not meant to be, but you can refer back to numbers 1 to 3 and you’ll be okay. That’s what the community is for. Am I saying that every single entrant reaches their goal? No. And believe it or not, that’s okay. The fact that you tried is what matters. You need 2,000 words today, but only reached 700? Don’t feel bad. Life happens. Just remember you have 700 more words than you did yesterday, 700 words closer to your finished draft. NaNoWriMo ignites that desire to reach the goal. As long as you keep moving forward, you’re already a winner. Join. Write.

5) SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. This really is a no brainer. I remembered typing my last word as Camp NaNo came to an end. My fingers tingled. I had such an adrenalin rush. I just finished a story. Now, I’m not saying that you should drop it on an editor’s desk then and there. The purpose of NaNo is to help get the words out of you and onto the page. After that, the real journey begins. Editing, revision, more critiques and beta reads. Agent or no agent. Traditional publishing or indie publishing. Marketing. Promotion. The road is long, but you’re already traveling once you’ve gotten that first draft written, but what do you need to do first? Join. Write.

I’ll be a happy camper in April. What about you?