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.

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?

http://campnanowrimo.org

http://nanowrimo.org

@NaNoWriMo

Blog Post, The First

Posted on 2013/03/27 by Tonette dela Luna

Hello, World.

In five days, I will embark on a grand journey of writerly proportions. I made a declaration on Twitter, so it’s for realsies, folks. TWO STORIES, ONE MONTH, and ME. And I will blog about the experience. Why, you ask? Last year I completed drafts for a screenplay, two novels, and a short story. I could have said that this year would be the year of revisions, but why stop there? I always have a story brewing. I want to push the creative envelope and it just so happens that April is packed with creative envelope pushing opportunities.

Last night, however, I added something new to the mix. I’d seen tweets and posts about the Blogging A to Z challenge. In order to do that, I needed an actual blog, so here we are.

In the next three days, I’ll share with you more information about:

1) Camp NaNoWriMo (http://campnanowrimo.org/)
2) Savvy Authors April Boot Camp (http://www.savvyauthors.com/)
3) Blogging A to Z Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/)

And on the eve of this epic feat, I’ll tell you more about the stories I’ll be working on for these challenges.

April. Thirty Days of Words. It’s going to be intense.

Thanks for coming with me,

Tonette