NaNoWriMo Feature: Dianna Muircast

NaNoWriMo is coming to a close. For some, it's time to validate those 50k (or more!). For others...it's frantic scribble scrabble time to reach that humongous goal!

This week's NaNoWriMo feature is author Dianna Muircast, who you can see in the photo accompanied by an adorable ball of floof. :-)

You can follow Dianna on Twitter @DiannaMuircast and check our her NaNoWriMo profile.

You take it from here, Dianna!

Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo? What's your project?

I attempted this last year, because I had an image of a baby unicorn standing at a pool of water after a storm, but it all went flat, and I gave up after a few paragraphs. This year, I wanted to try again. I still had the picture of the unicorn, but it walked away as I wrote, getting replaced with a vision of a kind of scary world I hadn't foreseen, a world that supposedly has no religion, and is very controlled.

Basically many people in the world are blind, or they are very good at faking it. No one uses their eyes obviously, except, possibly for what I call the weather-people, but even that is not known for certain. Weather-people can predict the weather, and they claim to speak to Nature or to other gods. Their predictions, however, are not as accurate as people could wish, and so they are often mocked. My character has gotten exiled--her term--to go care for them. (Except I haven't gotten her there yet! She is on a moving train, an hour away from there. Wherever there is. I still haven't worked that out, either!)

How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

I just decided to write, write, write. I didn't think I would need an outline, so I didn't bother making one.

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

Next time, I am going to write out some ideas, at least, or notes that I can refer to if I need to. It might help. As for advice, the process of crafting is fun, but don't let the word count or lack of words in a given day depress you. As I often say to people on twitter, if you wrote some words that day, even if you did not meet your goal, you're that many number of words ahead. So don't beat yourself up over it! The trick is remembering my own advice! :) Also, remember that whatever we write this month is likely not going to be perfect. I am not entirely pleased with what I wrote, because I added more descriptions in some places and short-shrifted descriptions in others. Also, I have some run-ons. And all for word count. But the good thing is, that if it's a good enough story you'll want to look at it again in December, take a few deep breaths, and revise. And if you decide you don't want to do that, it's OK! :)

Finally, here's an excerpt from Dianna's current NaNo project. Go, Dianna!

It started with a storm. Not a dark and stormy night, but a sunlight-filled thunder-and-lightning day storm. Of course, there wasn't much warning, unless you paid attention to the weather-people.

Weather-people are ... special. They come in all ages and sizes, and they claim they can predict when storms will happen. The trouble is that not many of us believe them. Some people say they aren't entirely sane, you see, and can't be trusted to care for themselves, let alone predict the weather. But their carers believe in them and take good care to keep them alive and comfortable. Weather-people can use their eyes, too. Fully. The rest of us can't. Or don't. I'm not sure which it is. Well I know I don't use my eyes, but they say the weather-people do.

Myself, I'm not sure what to believe. Yes, I have to admit they've been accurate. They've even predicted stuff that the meteoroligists totally discounted. what I don't understand or trust is how they do what they do.

If you talk to one of them--and I have managed it with great difficulty!--they speak of hearing from Nature herself. Some even say they have seen her. Which is not supposed to happen. Ever. Gods, if there ever were any, were banned from this world a loooong time ago. You can't even talk about them now without risking ... Well, we don't know what we are risking, but gods? Religion of any sort? Dead. Non-existen. That’s the law.

But no one believes what weather-people say, or no one takes them seriously, except for their carers, and the few who do pay attention and listen. Reporters will ask a Carer for a statement on what a certain weather-person has said about upcoming weather, and if it sounds good, they'll put it under a large headline. You know what I mean. ON a clear day: WEATHER-PERSON SAMANTHA PREDICTS LARGE TIDAL WAVE THIS AFTERNOON AT 3:00.

It happens, but not in our area, somewhere else, and no one hears of any disasterous consequences, so she's laughed at. Mocked. Ridiculed. Used to prove that once again such people, while they should be allowed to live in the hopes of producing more sane offspring, should not be taken seriously. Which I find to be problematic. It's not like Samantha, or any of them, can help being the way they ar.

The paper was on my screen as soon as I woke up the morning of the storm. It always is on my screen when I wake up, because I always glance there first thing to get the time, weather, and a look at the headlines. I understand "glance" used to mean you used your eyes to "see" stuff. These days I reach out with my fingers and the screen is there, with Braille on it and I read it. Or I have it spoken aloud and listen at a fast speed. That morning, I was feeling especially irritable and didn't want to work with Braille, so I ordered the thing to speak to me, and quickly.

"Good morning, Tina," the voice said. "Today's weather is sunny with a high of ninety degrees, but it will be snowing by nightfall ..."

I only half-listened. Such radical temperature change was no news to me anymore. I was used to the extremes by then and didn't really care, because I knew there would be enough fuel to keep me going for the rest of the week. And beyond. I was over my ration, but who was to know or care in this bleak city?

Yes, I said bleak. Sure, the sun was shining, but it was very hot outdoors, and the air felt heavy. No one wanted to talk as I made my way to my office. And for all that the place was bleak, I felt oddly cheerful. I *wanted* to talk to people, but no one else was talking beyond the bare "Morning" and "Where to?" so I kept my thoughts to myself. It's dangerous to say too much, or to not conform to what's going on around you. It's been like that for as long as I can remember.

I got to my office. The building was air-conditioned today. I was surprised. Normally, the computers have their own air-conditioning units, but we humans aren't so lucky.

My, my! I would certainly keep working on these ominous "weather-people" because they sound very interesting! Don't worry about working out the details because you have all the time in the world to get that straight. ;-)

Thank you so very much for participating in the NaNoWriMo features, Dianna! It was great having you here and good luck in these (hectic) final days!

NaNoWriMo Feature: Beth Overmeyer

Today I'm happy to have as a guest Critique Circle's own Bethywoo! She is the author of In a Pickle, the one and only Beth Overmeyer. It's great to have you here!

You can find out more about Beth on her blog: http://bethovermyer.blogspot.com

She's also on Twitter: @Bethyo

You can take it from here, girl!

Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo?

This is my fifth (or is it my sixth?) attempt at NaNo. What made me decide to participate this year? It's a good time with great support...and I get to write without the worries of perfection/editing as I go--huzzah! As for tackling yet another year, the excitement never really wears off--for me, at least. I am stoked...probably because it's still week one. Week two = Writing blues.

What's your project?

This year, my main project is called Things Heard in a Graveyard. It's a mainstream novel about a man who inherits several family journals, which he tries to transcribe into readable/saleable prose, whilst his evil great aunt sues for said tomes. The old witch has never shown an interest in her family's grave-digging history. Why now?

My second project is for in case I get stuck. It's called Murder in the Afternoon: A Sweets and Sours Mystery (working title. Very, very WORKING title.) It's a paranormal cozy set in a bar. That's all I'm saying for now.

How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

For the first project, I have a scene-to-scene outline. For the second project, I'm mostly pantsing it. So I'm a plantser!

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

My advice to all you new WriMos out there: Do NOT edit as you go. In fact, don't read back any farther than one paragraph, and only then if you've lost where you are in the story. And even then, you should probably improvise.

Finally, here's an excerpt from Beth's NaNo project. Enjoy!

Here's a very rough (unedited, unpolished) piece of tripe--I mean prose, all extracted from the mainstream novel:

Chapter One

We take in the breath of mourners,

Shelter it in our chests,

Then release it with a heavy sough.

Their air is alien to us,

So we don’t hold it in long.

Once upon a time, some people died…But before that, they lived, and here is a few of their stories.

My dad grew up in a household of gravediggers. He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Some suggest and jest that he was born with a bronze shovel in his hands. But, as the proverbial collective of random strangers say: “You can’t take it with you.”

Pop grew out of the business before he grew out of bowl cuts and really bad bellbottoms. He traded in his shovel and calluses for a suit and a family, of which I am a byproduct. As he lay on his deathbed, I wondered if Pops felt he made the right decision. Of course he made the correct one: The boneyard wouldn’t feed three mouths like it once had, if ever it did.

Speaking of tools…

I’m a writer, and I have my own tools of the trade. Like a gravedigger—a nobody suit that my pop always preached agaisnt—I work primarilty with my hands. And like a digger, my hands can get callused. And, we have nothing else in common except maybe a few stories. I never thought I had a thing in common with this other world, to which my dad once belonged, and to which most of my extended family tree still clung to. And I was okay with that.

But death is a funny thing.

When Pops lay on his deathbed, rasping some curses as I took one of his vein-riddled hands in my own, he stared at me with not too-unfriendly eyes and murmured something that I didn’t catch.

It sounded like, “Rasputin.” And I looked around the room, wondering if Pops was seeing his escort to the other world. It would be appropriately poetic if it were Rasputin. I was certain at that moment that the pair would get on well.

“Who—” Argyle Augustus Bohn cleared his throat and licked his papery lips. “Who are you?”

I’d been warned of this. The last stages of any old timer’s illness can result in a form of dementia, I am told. At this moment, I thought the old man was just looking to spite his only son.

“Who are you?” he repeated, patient as a puppy for a belly rub.

It would’ve been easy to say “Arys. I’m your son. Arys. You know, the kid you raised with Mom? You remember Betty Bohn? She was okay when I wanted to change my name. She didn’t threaten to disinherit me. That angel left me with the devil.”

Excellent, Beth! I can't wait to read more! When are you posting on CC?

Thank you so very much for being a guest on my blog. Stay tuned next week for our final NaNoWriMo guest!

NaNoWriMo Feature: Richard Davnall

Well, it's the second week of NaNoWriMo and I bet everyone is feeling it in their fingers. How's that writing going?

Today's feature is author R.J. Davnall, who you can see in the photo on the right. What? You don't recognize him? He's the author of The Second Realm, an ongoing fantasy serial which you can actually download for FREE at Smashwords! Head on over to his blog and check it out!

You can contact Richard at:

@eatthepen

Blog: itsthefuturestupid.blogspot.com

Richard is also doing something I never saw before: he's live-streaming his NaNoWriMo writing on his own online channel twitch.tv/rjdavnall! That's a NaNo first for me! Now, let's move on to the questions.

Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo?

This is my fifth NaNo. I was actually planning to sit this one out and just edit, because I'm in very much the same situation you reported (lots of editing to do, plus more teaching responsibilities than in previous years), but then I ended up with the first week of November off from both my jobs, and a new idea emerged on Thursday morning to make sure I really had no excuse to slack off.

What's your project?

My project is 'The Air Itself'. It started life as a horror story, but it's also a sort of cyberpunk/speculative fiction superhero story. My pitch so far is this:

Jane thought they'd escaped. She didn't know what had happened in that derelict neighbourhood, but it had stopped. They'd survived.

But Amanda lost her phone in the process, and now someone's found it. The messages he sends Jane are strange, as if he thinks he knows her but has the wrong person. And they're getting more insistent, too...

How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

My approach to NaNo can best be summarised by the friend who once shouted at me 'You need to go and look up the definition of 'month'!' I love the pile-it-all-on-right-now headlong rush of NaNo, and it gives me an excuse, once a year, to devote my every waking moment to a story. The result is that I tend to hit 50k pretty quickly (my record is six days and fourteen hours), then slow down to regular NaNo pace after about a week to wrap the project up. This year I've gone even more mad; I'd love to hit 50k in five days. I think that's about the fastest I can ever hope to work.

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

What I've learned so far is that I think next year I'll take it a bit easier (he said, for the third year in a row). If I can make my 5-day target, I think I can finally take the chip off my shoulder.

As for advice to other WriMos, I'd say that 'week 2' (roughly 12-25k) is the hard part. It's the part where it can really pay dividends to pause, if time allows, and jot a few ideas down, whether it's for characters or events. This is the stage where you're developing from and expanding on your introduction, and planting good seeds at this point will mean never getting stuck for material in the later stages.

The other big piece of advice is that you're only in competition with yourself. Set goals based on what you know of your own ability, not what anyone else is doing.

Finally, here's an excerpt from Richard's current project. Enjoy!

Amanda finished her latest round of photos, looked up, and let out a pleased 'Ooh!' Jane followed her gaze to another narrow side street, barely visible from this angle. She set off, trying to match Amanda's stride and catch up to her at the corner, but the other woman, longer-legged, got there first by a good ten seconds.

She'd found the street she wanted. Arbour Lane, it was called, at least if Jane was making the right head or tail of the battered sign. Its paint was completely gone, leaving only sculpted, mottled rust. Not a long street, but longer than some of the linking alleys they'd walked down this afternoon. The terraces huddled close enough to the road that perspective pinched them together at the far end anyway.

And every one was boarded. Most had the gridded tin, but more than one had bits of corrugated sheet metal instead. There were loose and cracked gutters, trees growing out of chimneys, crumbling paint, crumbling brickwork. Someone had fly-tipped a pile of bin bags on one doorstep.

Halfway along, the steel door-board of one house stood ajar, its mangled catch gaping like a manta ray's mouth.

Thank you for appearing, Richard! Drop me a line and tell me if you completed your five day goal!

If you are also participating in NaNoWriMo 2014 and would like to be featured, follow the instructions on this post.

NaNoWriMo Feature: Kathleen Sawisky

Happy first NaNoWriMo Monday, fellow bloggers and readers! Today I'm happy to present to you Kathleen "Swat" Sawisky, Esq. She's an incredible writer and beloved member of Critique Circle (go progress reporters!).

Website: http://www.Kathleensawisky.com

Twitter: @KathleenSawisky

Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo?

This will be my 8th year (oh good lord) of doing NaNo. Normally I'd be raring to go and have everything worked out, but this is my last year of university and I'm swamped under school work. This is going to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants sort of NaNo.

What's your project?

This year, as with every year since 2008, I'm doing a new draft for my series, The Code. This last year has seen the first book go through some serious changes, including my own style and abilities, so I'm excited to apply all I've learned to Book 2. My biggest joy is the multifaceted layers that grew in the first book - a lot of them come back in the second. Who was Angelo? Why did he disappear? What has he got to do with our heroine's father? It's all very thriller-suspense, with a dash of 'ermagerd deeerth' thrown in. I like killing characters. Maybe a bit too much. But above all else, I'm thrilled that I'm approaching this draft with a solid understanding of how Natalia (my protagonist) develops throughout the story. The first book ended with her in a very dark place. She's suffering from some serious PTSD that needs to be addressed, and over the course of Book 2 I get to play around with how she deals with it, as well as how the people she interacts with deal with it. Also there is a ghost and he is spooky. WooOoOooooo.

How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

Urgh, approaching NaNo? I have a pretty solid outline written, but there is a section early on that needs to be changed and I have no idea how to go about it yet, so there will be a little bit of pantsing probably around day five. That will be when I apply my own Swat's School of Writing and utilize an explosion or two. You laugh, but it's worked for a few people now. Swat's School of Writing. It'll be a thing, trust me.

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

My biggest advice definitely stems from my own general philosophy about writing. I think as writer's we get too caught up in our way of doing things. We think that it has worked before, so why shouldn't it continue to work? It's a fair point, but there is a lot to be said about challenging yourself and going outside of your comfort zone. Some studies on creativity suggest that when the creator (the writer, in this case) makes themselves uncomfortable, they are often able to push their creativity to new heights. We love being made to feel uncomfortable in art, so if you get stuck in your writing do something shocking and unexpected. For example, book 3 I kill a dog. With a machete. Yeah, it's awful. Like, brutal, awful. I shared that with some writing buddies and they were horrified, but guess what? We still talk about it. Shock and awe has staying power, so make yourselves uncomfortable! Either that or make something explode.

Finally, here's an excerpt from Kathleen's current project. Enjoy!

It had taken time for her to discern the difference between the dead that couldn’t find their way off of this plane of existence, and the man who whispered to her. Ghosts, Natalia had learned from her previous guardian, sometimes had a habit of sticking around where they weren’t always wanted. That was what she was facing now. An unwanted, unwashed. Sometimes his voice caught in the wind, and his shadow would reach out to her, urging her to come with him, to run away. She had wondered for some time if it was some remnant her guardian, pissed off that she had taken his jacket, but no. No, the Steven Delarno she knew would have been happy to lend it to her. This astral presence, corporeal and vindictive, was not the shadow of her old guardian, but someone else. Someone who wanted her to follow him to the edge of the black world he occupied.

She turned away from the Whispering Man, down the road and began the long walk towards town.

Thank you so, so much for appearing on my blog, Kathleen! I hope you keep having tons of fun with NaNoWriMo!

If you are also participating in NaNoWriMo 2014 and would like to be featured, follow the instructions on this post.

Call for NaNoWriMo 2014 Participants!

The leaves are changing colors... It seems no matter where you go, you'll encounter pumpkins and haystacks and dismembered limbs. Ah, yes. Halloween is upon us! However... Something else is lurking just around the corner. Yup. You guessed it. It's that time of the year again...

Yay!

Isn't it lovely? This year's poster is so beautiful! It really makes me want to participate--but I don't have anything new to write about! *sniffle* Now, you're probably wagging your finger at me and tsk-tsking. Since when has not knowing what to write been a reason to not do NaNoWriMo? The thing is, I just have too many open projects right now (Making Time, Out of Time, The Soul Distillery, Seven Sins...), plus tons of work at the university (50+ students) so I've decided to watch this one from the sidelines.

That puts YOU in the spotlight! I'd love to have you as a guest on my blog to talk about your NaNoWriMo project and progress!

If you'd like to be featured as a NaNoWriMo author, please send an email to this address with the following information:

nadinucca (at) hotmail (dot) com

1) Name or nickname + your photo (optional)

2) Blog and/or Twitter handle

3) Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what made you take the plunge? If you're a vet, how do you feel about tackling it yet again this year?

4) What's your project? Include name (if any), genre, brief synopsis... whatever you'd like to share!

5) How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

6) Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

7) Send a short excerpt from your project! I'd love to share what you're working on!

And the dog jumped over the moon... Wait. Dog?

NaNoWriMo Feature - Nicole Smith

Today's NaNoWriMo participant is Nicole Smith. She's the author of several books, and is taking on NaNo for the first time this year (you can check out her collection of novels on her website below).

You can contact Nicole on Twitter or her blog;

Twitter: @nicolesmith5102

Blog: http://nicolesmithbooks.com


Welcome, Nicole! Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what made you take the plunge? If you're a vet, how do you feel about tackling it yet again this year?

Even though I've written a number of books (the Sully Point series), this is my first time to really do Nanowrimo.


What's your project? Include name (if any), genre, brief synopsis... whatever you'd like to share!

Love Answers is the title of my novel. It is a romance, a love story, and will be book 8 of the Sully Point series. I hope to publish it in January if the editing goes well.

How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

I don't do outlines. Although, I wish I did! I had a basic idea for the book and then just sat down and started writing. I think that means I'm a 'pantser' - flying by the seat of my pants writer. Some days it flows and some days the words seem to be hiding in dark corners from me.

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

Probably the most important thing I've learned is that you must write every day, even when you don't feel like it. If you miss a day, it is that much easier to brush it off the next day, and then the next. Catching up is no fun at all. I'm at 43,732 words as of today, 11/23/13. I should finish in a couple of days, but I'll keep writing until the end of the month since the book will be longer than 50,000 words.

Send a short excerpt from your project! I'd love to share what you're working on!

She was struck by how full his lips were and wondering if they were soft, until he said hesitantly, “Caitlin?”

“You can really cook,” Caitlin said. “I’ve been wanting to learn more about cooking.”

“For you, lessons could be arranged.”

They were both quiet for a minute after that statement, and then they both tried to speak at once.

“I really can’t--”

“There’s someone--”

“I mean, I like you--”

“Yes, me too, but--”

They stopped talking over each other and stared into each other’s eyes. After an intense moment, they both looked away.

“So, we’ll be friends, right?” Aidan said.

“Yes, I’d like that,” Caitlin said and smiled at him.

That smile was going to do him in, he thought.

Thanks for participating, Nicole! I'm sure you're far past the 50k mark by now!

NaNoWriMo Feature - Kristen S. Walker

Hi everyone!

I haven't been able to update the blog recently due to my total immersion in NaNoWriMo! On top of that, I had (as usual) tons of work to do, and... my wisdom tooth started giving me serious (painful) troubles. So I apologize for my tardiness.

Without further ado, I would like to present Kristen S. Walker, also known as sarasvati.river on the NaNo website.

Welcome, Kristen! Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what made you take the plunge? If you're a vet, how do you feel about tackling it yet again this year?


This is my seventh time doing NaNo, and I'm excited to be participating again. Even if I don't make my word goal for the month, I always enjoy the community support, and I'm happy to have more words than when I started!


What's your project? Include name (if any), genre, brief synopsis... whatever you'd like to share!


I'm writing WITCH HUNT, the sequel to the YA Urban Fantasy novel, Small Town Witch, that I wrote for NaNo 2011 (and subsequently self-published). In the first book, the teen witch Rosa found out her mother was using magic to control her whole family, and when she broke the spell, Mom ran away and kidnapped her younger sister. So now Rosa is hunting for her mom to finally confront her about the spell and to save her sister. It's complicated by Mom being hidden by Unseelie Faeries, and Rosa will have to gain their trust to find out where Mom is.


How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?


I had a head start on planning because I am doing a sequel, and I also spent the month of October planning my outline, so I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going. However, I often end up changing course partway through NaNo, so I'm sure I'll surprise myself before November is through. That said, I am also trying something scary and new by sharing my story with others while I'm writing it!


Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?


I've learned that I have to look at each day as a fresh chance to write. If I get too caught up in the numbers, especially if I start to fall behind, then I tend to guilt-trip myself and I've ended up quitting before because I was frustrated by my lack of progress. Instead of falling into that downward spiral, I am trying to stay excited about my story and be positive. The only thing that's standing between me and a completed first draft is my own self-doubt, so I just have to turn off that part of my brain for the month.


Send a short excerpt from your project! I'd love to share what you're working on!


The following excerpt is from a scene where the main character, Rosa, has an uncomfortable conversation with her boyfriend's mother:

Yumi ran water over the bowls in the sink, then turned and gestured to the small table on one side. “Please, sit down, and do not be frightened. What I have to say is for your benefit. I only want you to understand my son’s . . . idiosyncrasies.”

I sat down, but I stiffened defensively. “You know that Kai and I have been in the same class since we were twelve. I know him pretty well by now.”

She sat down across from me and folded her hands neatly in her lap. “Yes, I am aware that you’ve been acquainted for several years, and at your age this must seem like a long time to you. But I don’t think you can appreciate what that means in the scale of a kitsune’s lifetime.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her lecturing tone. She came from a completely different time and culture, and she still managed to sound just like my mom. “I know he’s going to outlive me, but that doesn’t matter right now. I’m not expecting him to swear to love only me until the end of time. And we’re the same age, so I think four years is still a long time in his mind, too.” I bit back a remark about how a woman in her third century might not remember what it was like to be sixteen.

“That is actually the problem,” Yumi said with a little shake of her head. “Kitsune do not mature at the same rate as humans. It used to be tradition that we would raise our young as foxes, and they were not permitted to transform and enter human society until they were fifty or even a hundred years old. Because I found a human partner, I chose to raise Kai this way, but now I wonder if I made the right choice.”

Her tails swished along the floor behind her in agitation. “You see, Kai may seem like a teen your age to you, but his mind is more like a child. And he will have the immaturity of a child for many decades to come.” Her ears folded back, then swiveled forward to point straight at me. “You will probably get tired of his antics before long.”


Thank you, Kristen! I hope your NaNoWriMo went well!


You can connect with Kristen here:


Website: http://www.kristenwalker.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristenSWalker
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristenSWalker
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kristenswalker/boards/

New Call for NaNoWriMo Participants!

Bring out the coffee! Uncap the eye drops! It's that time of the year again!

Are you new to NaNoWriMo? Are you a veteran? This is the place for you to share your experience! I'd like to create a series of guest blog posts showcasing NaNoWriMo participants and their experiences with this year's challenge.

If you'd like to be featured as a NaNoWriMo author, please send an email to this address with the following information:

nadinucca (at) hotmail (dot) com

1) Name or nickname + your photo (optional)

2) Blog and/or Twitter handle

3) Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what made you take the plunge? If you're a vet, how do you feel about tackling it yet again this year?

4) What's your project? Include name (if any), genre, brief synopsis... whatever you'd like to share!

5) How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

6) Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

7) Send a short excerpt from your project! I'd love to share what you're working on!

NaNoWriMo Feature: Robert D. Marion

NaNoWriMo feaatures are drawing to a close. Today's feature is yet another NaNoWriMo veteran, Robert D. Marion!
On to you, Robert!

Name or nickname
Robert D Marion. The name is a pen-name. It's an amalgam of my grandparents' names.

Blog and/or Twitter handle

I'm online at www.robertdmarion.com, and you can find me on Twitter @RobertDMarion

How do you feel about tackling NaNoWriMo yet again this year?

Nanowrimo means different things to different writers.

The first nanowrimo, authors will struggle to just make writing a habit. That is where nanowrimo is invaluable for new writers. There's simply no way to complete the 50k a month without establishing writing as a habit. It forces new writers to write every day and to write without letting their inner editor take command.

For established writers, it's a challenge. Pure creative abandon. It's a month of the year that I can usually rely on to complete something new. Typically it's a month that I try to challenge myself. Write outside my genre. Last year, I wrote a love story. The year before, a globe-trotting historical thriller. It's a way to push and expand myself as a writer and not have to worry about making it "marketable".

What is your project about?

The elevator pitch for this year is as follows: "Scientists discover a massive door at the bottom of the pacific, and are horrified to discover what waits inside when it opens". The story, at its heart, is an action-thriller with some elements of horror and religious iconography mixed in. It's loosely based off the true story of the Deepsea Challenger and it's pilot, film director James Cameron.

Only it asks the question - "What if?"

How are you approaching Nano?

I'm a little more meticulous than my earlier suggestion of "creative abandon" might imply. November is for writing, but October is for outlining. I typically outline the entire plot as completely as I can, foregoing characters. Those I develop on the fly. But usually, I have the events for nearly every chapter mapped out.

And, typically, by 20 thousand words, my outline is useless. It's pretty rare that my characters do what I expect them to do.

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NanoWrimoers?

My first piece of advice, especially for new writers, is don't be obsessed over the finished product. If you're only focused on the end novel, then you're robbing yourself of what Nanowrimo is really good for - making habits. Learn how to write every day. Learn how to master the craft. Don't worry about making your first great novel. The first novel is never great. It's a learning experience, and the second one will be better.

Here is an excerpt from Robert's "Deepwater Atlantis" (Working title).
Chapter 2

THE PACIFIC OCEAN – ONE WEEK PRIOR

The two dull-green United States Navy Seahawk helicopters arched their flight path to cross above the deck of the Oceanic Jewel. The lead chopper cut its forward momentum with a flare of its main rotor. The second roared past, entering into a low orbit around the sea-bound vessel, its weapons aimed out and manned and brimming in nervous preparation.

Ropes fell out from either side of the hovering Seahawk. The long coils snaked out to the deck of the ship. Marines flushed out either side and fast-roped down. Boots clomped on the aft deck of the Jewel. Weapons came up.

The unarmed crew of the utility ship – adorned in nothing but their bright-yellow vests and blue jumpsuits – stood absolutely still with their arms held high.

The Seahawk – its contingent of Marines dispatched – tiled forward with a heavy wash from the rotors. The aircraft roared onward, snipers leaning out to either side. The shipboard Marines ignored it. Sensing no resistance, the lead soldier waved his men forward.

They moved out, eyes leveled with the sights of their weapons, ignoring the four-squared white-blue-and-red flag flying above the ship.

Crew members backed away as the soldiers approached. They said nothing. They stormed across the crane deck and up the white metal stairs leading to the midship forecastle deck. One man stepped in front of them. Started cursing and raging in Spanish. He pointed a finger at the face of the lead Marine, ignoring the weapon in the soldier's grip.

A boot lashed out. Connected with the deck-hand's knee. He wailed in pain and collapsed to his good knee. The lead soldier reversed his rifle. Smashed the butt of the hilt into the man's forehead. He flailed back and sprawled out across the deck and stopped moving.

Nonlethal. Yet harsh.

The guns came up again. Nobody moved. Still, the Marines said nothing. A silent order went out, little more than a wave of the lead Marine's hand. The soldiers started moving again.

But this time, no one dared to impede their siege of the Oceanic Jewel's bridge.

*

Marines surged into the screen-filled bridge of the Oceanic Jewel with a wash of noise and a spit of profanity from the radio operator. Captain James Stuart waved the man down. He saw the look of frustration on his face. The young officer had tried for almost an hour to raise someone. Anyone.

But aside from the acoustic deep-sea communications coming from Logan seven miles underwater inside the Deepwater Atlantis, nothing. Dead silence over the wire. Even the satellite uplink had died.

Which meant one thing. The Americans were jamming the Oceanic Jewel's communications.

“Captain Stuart,” one of the Marines snapped. His gaze settled directly on James, even in the cramped, crowded space of the bridge. “I've been authorized to inform you that your vessel is now under the command of the United States Navy.”

James felt the back of his jaw grind together. He noticed his chief officer, a forty-something small-town Brit that recently determined he had spent more of his life at sea than on land, had balled his fists. A pointless gesture, really. There was nothing they could do against a contingent of American Marines. Though he did appreciate the sentiment.

The captain of the Jewel stepped forward and forced himself to breathe before his frustrations consumed him.

“This ship sails under the flag of Panama, soldier,” the Scotsman said, his words evenly and slowly spoken despite his thick accent. “Mind telling me what the hell you think you're doing on my ship?”

The truth was that he already knew. Why else would the Americans risk violating international maritime law? Why else would they dare to put armed soldiers on the bridge of a ship sailing under the flag of another nation? There could only be one answer to that question. They had monitored the communications coming from below. The acoustic communications system could be easily gleaned. Easily listened in on.

The Navy heard what was transmitted from below.

They knew the secret that laid at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, seven miles beneath the surface.

Thank you for participating, Robert! Have a great NaNo!

NaNoWriMo feature: Abdullah Kurashi

Hello everybody! Today's feature NaNoWriMoer is a first-time participant! Let's give this brave soul a round of applause!

Abdullah is all the way from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia! Together with several of his friends, he recorded a podcast about NaNoWriMo, which you can access here.

Let's see what he has to say about this year's challenge.

Name: Abdullah "Squeek" Kurashi

Twitter: @squeeko639


What made you take the plunge?

This is my first time participating. My friend actually found out about NNWM on the 2nd of November, told me about it and after a few hours of checking the website I told her "we're only a day late. Let's do this and never look back!" and now we have no social life :-/


What's your project about?

I'm actually not entirely sure what my story is about yet. It started off with me describing where I was in the first paragraph, then my imagination took over. I'm trying to keep it very organic, and hope to have an exciting story before this is over. What I can say is that it is leaning towards mystery/horror and has a noir feel to it.


How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

My approach, as previously mentioned, IMHO is very organic and I've only just thought of a couple of ways to make the story more interesting. I want to be ridiculous but not too unbelievable with the story. I'm also trying my best to write about "boring" things in the most interesting way possible. I'm trying to practice having an open mind and paying attention to details.


Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

I've learned so much and I'm sure there's a lot more to learn. I don't know if I should give advice since I'm a newbie, but there's one thing I said to myself when I started, and it's so hard to stick to my own advice but I do believe in it, and that is:

"No more skipping over the fillers and descriptions. Every part of the story should have an equal amount of attention. Describing a dull support character can be just as interesting as a paragraph that describes a fight to the death with the main character if you use the right words."


Here is an excerpt from Abdullah's current NaNoWriMo project, with a special message from him.

I'd love to have any feedback you have to offer and it's cool if you want to be brutally honest! I never realized how much fun it is to write until I locked up the monster within me (aka the editor) and let the monkeys on type writers take over. Take care and keep on writing!

    i

Smoke is thick in the air as I listen to a tune that sounds like the piano had a bit too much to drink. I feel like I'm choking in this smoggy atmosphere, yet I light another cigarette. Probably not the best way to take advantage of the weekend, here in a dank cafe, depressing music and strangers who all have the same "I've had a long day" facial expression. I got no where else to go though. I can probably sit at home and read a nice book or download a low budget series by a talented director who never knew how to market himself in Hollywood, but I like to surround myself with strangers, friends, acquaintances. Four walls and intoxication gets old after a while. 

"Move over" this is usually the kind of greeting I get from Nyla, an associate of mine who has a tendency to be casually crude. I scoot to the other side of the couch as she drops her purse on the table and sits next to me. "how's work" I ask without looking away from the dusty tv across the room. She probably gives me a look that I imagine a mob boss would share with a goon who just asked for a raise. She earns money by telling insecure small business owners how to not scare away their customers or clients. I think she works a whopping 4 and a half days a month. I make money by taking the gigs she doesn't feel like getting involved in. I do most of the research and leg work to keep the operation going. She basically knows I despise her very existence because she makes about ten times more money than I do and reprimands me every now and then because we haven't made it to the Forbes 500 yet. 

"What are we doing tonight?" she asks while fishing in her bag for something. 

"I got a date" this takes her back for about two seconds before she figures I'm lying and drops a file on my lap. 

"This is the bakery I was telling you about, the one that's probably cooking meth in the basement. You're going to meet the owner in an hour. Buy him dinner and wear something pretty if you want to get lucky tonight. I need to make an investment before the end of the quarter."

She gives me her best poker face - which would cost her a fortune in any game - while I contemplate whether the investment involves buying a new bear rug or any number of ridiculous items she really doesn't need. I wouldn't mind a new bed that doesn't constantly look forward to sending me to a chiropractor, but hey, it's either this, or farming. Actually, farming doesn't sound too..

"I hope you're thinking of the many ways to seduce Garner into paying you handsomely for our services"

"Who?"

"The file. Read it."

I could be home stuffing my face with left over pizza and watching Old foreign films, but no. I had to sit down at the exact place Nyla knows I keep coming back to everyday for the past 3 years. it's not like there isn't anywhere better to go, but.. This place is a black hole. The service is crap and I suspect they wash and reuse the coffee filters to give that special soapy taste, but like an old pair of comfy sneakers, there are places that you just can't find a replacement for.

I open the file and see a mug shot of the guy I'm supposed to meet, details of the venue; when it was established, address, capital, etc. I suppress a yawn before I realize who this is. "this guy was on the news a few days ago" she had to smile at my sudden realization.

"Meet Ray Garner, our friendly neighborhood baker and murderer of at least 13 hookers in the past 6 years (allegedly).

                                                    ii

The baker murder victims - or "The bakers dozen" as some of the smartass kids and so-called "journalists" call them - are 13 college girls who supposedly work for their educational fund in.. Places that conservatives usually frown upon but probably visit from time to time. Garner has been a victim of public scrutiny since a recent list of suspects was leaked from the local police department. Out of more than a handful of suspects - Garner being at the bottom of the "people of interest" list - he got most of the flak, with his bald head, scruffy beard and demonic tattoos running down both his arms. I've actually been to his shop before, he's got a thick voice and he looks like a biker more than a baker and the fact that "Wake and bake" was written on his apron helped the pie purchase I made more memorable. The "Bakers dozen" memes circulating online isn't really helping his case at the moment.

"Getting a bit desperate aren't we Nyla?"

"A business owner is about to hit rock bottom and what is it that we do again? We help hopeless cases like him get back in the game. He threatened to deep fry a kids face the other day because the moron asked for an autograph"

"The guy needs to own a bar not a bakery. He's not exactly a misunderstood or lovable guy who's been framed. He's a suspect in a HUGE case and he's got a short temper. You realize we can easily jeopardize our own business if we so much as breathe a word of trying to help him?"

"Have you no ambition? That's a rhetorical question, shut up. An oppurtunity like this doesn't come up everyday. You save this guy from shutting down his business and we'll have people begging us for a consultation and we'll be unstoppable"

"Or people recognize us as the deadbeats who can only take on clients who literally have nothing left to lose" that comment typically earns me an inappropriate hand gesture "AND we already have two clients who are knee deep in trouble, plus 3 others that need at least 6 hours a week of our attention, each. This guy will take up too much of our time if not all of it"

"He will have your full undivided attention because I cancelled on the 2 knee-deep-in-shit clients and I'm taking the burner project off your hands"

"That's not funny.."

"it's not supposed to be. Your meeting is in 20 minutes, chop chop, love you, bye!"

And just like that, she's out the door and all I can think is, ’I wonder how much I can get for selling one of my kidneys...’


So you know what to do! What did you think about this piece? I hope to see your comments!

Thank you for participating, Abdullah! And good luck with NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo Guest Post: Carmen Amato

Today's feature NaNoWriMoer is Carmen Amato.

You can visit her site here Author Carmen Amato.

Twitter handle: @CarmenConnects

Is this your first time participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what made you take the plunge? If you're a vet, how do you feel about tackling it yet again this year?

This is my third NaNoWriMo. Each time I've written a draft of a mystery novel featuring Emilia Cruz, the first and only female detective on the Acapulco police force. The first Emilia cruz story, MADE IN ACAPULCO, is available now on Amazon (Amazon author page here) and the first full-length Emilia Cruz novel, CLIFF DIVER, will be out in early 2013. You can check out the Emilia Cruz page on my website: www.carmenamato.net.

I always start with an outline, usually written on sticky notes and stuck on the wall above my desk. This year I got more sophisticated and typed up the outline! I'll stick to the outline until I'm about halfway through, at which point I'll have had better ideas. It takes me 30 days to do a marginal 50k word draft and about a year to edit the manuscript into a real book because I always have more than one writing project going at a time.

 

What's your project about? 

This year's NaNoWriMo draft is the 3rd Emilia Cruz book, entitled SUN GOD.  A teen-aged assassin leads Emilia and her reluctant partner to a cult devoted to Santa Muerte, regarded in Mexico as the patron saint of death. The cult is the focus of a widening drug war in Acapulco between rival Mexican drug cartels and Emilia goes undercover to try and stop the violence. She doesn't believe in curses, but when the investigation grows more dangerous and her personal life starts to unravel, Emilia will find herself at Santa Muerte's mercy.

How are you approaching NaNo? Are you in the midst of a writing frenzy, or do you have a carefully thought-out plan?

Slow and steady gets the job done for me. I try to write 1500-2000 words a day. On Thursdays I have a morning write-in at a coffee shop with a friend who is also a NaNoWriMo participant and we over-caffeinate and cheer each other on!

Have you learned anything from this experience so far? Is there any advice you would like to share with other NaNoWriMoers?

Write an outline! Don't stop to edit! 

Here is an excerpt from Carmen's current NaNoWriMo project.

Silvio jerked his chin at Emilia in the direction of the door. She got out of her chair and followed him out of the squadroom. He didn’t speak as he led her down the hall past the holding cells. It was late and most of the uniforms were gone. The handful that remained were just starting the night shift and there was the usual joking and coffee drinking going on.

Silvio pushed open the door to the impound parking lot. Emilia folded her arms when he stopped by the side of the building. “We gotta have the same story when they start asking questions,” he said.

Emilia shrugged. “He was wasted. Prade’s probably going to find enough drugs in his body to kill an elephant.”

“He didn’t have a scratch on him,” Silvio said. “Never bled. Nothing.”

“So what do you want me to say?”

“Maybe I’m just checking to make sure you aren’t going to throw me under the bus.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“People do that around here,” Silvio said.

Emilia drew herself up. “That’s the kind of shit you’d pull on me, isn’t it?” she demanded. “You’d love it if the situation was reversed and you could get me in some sort of trouble. We might have to be partners for a while--.” Silvio opened his mouth to say something but Emilia barreled on. “But you still can’t stomach the idea of a woman detective. The squadroom’s just for the boys.”

“Are you with me on this today or not, Cruz?”

“So today you need me,” Emilia was almost so mad she couldn’t speak. “Treat me like dirt every other day but now I’m useful. Well, too bad. You should have thought about that before you decided to be a pendejo.”

She swung around to leave and Silvio caught her by the arm.

“Let go,” Emilia said. “Or I’ll take you on just like I did with Castro and Gomez.” She’d had violent run-ins with both of the two most raucous detectives and had come out bloody but victorious both times. Silvio was bigger and smarter than either Castro or Gomez, however.

“Don’t put me in the same category with either of those two.” Silvio dropped her arm.

“Don’t give me a reason to,” Emilia flashed back.

They glared at each other, both breathing heavily.

“I didn’t kill that kid” Silvio said finally.

“I never said you did.” Emilia folded her arms again and shivered. The sun was just starting to go down on the other side of the wall surrounding the impound yard, sending streaks of faint pink light over the rows of parked cars. The nicer vehicles almost certainly had been linked to the drug trade and were unlikely to ever be claimed by their owners. Emilia drove a white Suburban that had been seized that way. The owners had been a couple of money launderers named Hudson from Arizona. She probably wasn’t ever going to have to worry about giving the car back.

“So what are you going to say when they ask you?”

“The kid was on a drug high and fighting hard,” Emilia said. “Hit his head while resisting arrest. Never denied he killed the junkie either, but was walking around with a pack full of evidence linking him to the murder.”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t an outright lie, Emilia reflected as she went back inside. It just wasn’t a detailed explanation.

Thanks for participating, Carmen!