So I haven't blogged lately, even if I do have a lot to blog about. I haven't told you guys about YALLfest yet, which I still plan to do. I haven't blogged about what I've read, which is just bad because I think we now know, if I don't blog it, I don't remember it. Lots of things.
And we'll still have to wait another day for those because I have December on the brain today.
See, now that I've all but finished the first draft on my NaNoWriMo book, which is titled HOOD, by the way, I feel like I'm kind of floating in the land of unknown. I always feel lost when I finish a book anyway but after writing one in a little over three weeks, I feel like my center of gravity is off. You know how when you've been swimming for a while and then you get out of the water and suddenly you're all, "Why is walking so hard?!" That's how I feel about stepping back into the world after being hunched over my laptop for a month.
It also just so happens that my life isn't going to be very busy in December. My semester ends this week, NaNoWriMo is over... hell, even Sons of Anarchy's 4th season ends in two weeks. Besides normal life stuff, my schedule is significantly lighter. Which would be an awesome time to write a book, except that I just finished one.
So I plan on making December The Month Of Creativity! First off, I want to do a few rewrites on HOOD before putting it up for a little bit. Then I have revisions to do on MISFITS and some pretty big rewrites on KILLER CUPCAKES. I'm literally going to be up to my eyeballs in my own books! I'm pretty excited about it.
I also plan to brainstorm a lot, listen to a lot of music and write down every single idea that pops into my head for the new year, in which I'm hoping to write three books and jump back into QueryLand. That's right. Bring it, 2012!
So while I am kind of staring wide-eyed at December, I'm also really excited. It will be nice to not have major goals and to just let the creativity flow.
So, to other NaNo-ers and No-NaNo-ers, what are your plans for December?
Brandy
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The End and being thankful.
So I'm having trouble ending my current WIP. Right now, I'm about five thousand or so words from finishing my NaNoWriMo project (3k from 50k!) and I've put it off for the last two days. Tomorrow I'll finish it because I'm planning a major write-a-thon, but still. I'm sad.
Because, you guys, I love my characters. Oh boy, are they messed up. They do things they shouldn't all the time and they have weaknesses that go for days but I love them SO much I almost don't want their story to end. Seriously, my heart squeezes when I think about them.
But it does have to end, and I'm sure that if they were real, they would want it to end because I am a mean, mean writer who does horrible things to her characters and likes it. I even have that whole evil laugh thing down.
But I still love them.
I was thinking earlier about Thanksgiving coming up in a few days and what I have to be thankful for, and obviously my family, friends, and especially my cats, top that list, but writing is so far up there as well.
I joke with my friends all the time when they ask me what I've been up to and I tell them I'm creating worlds, what are THEY up to? But it's true. I create worlds, and maybe those worlds aren't published for everyone to read yet, but I live for the feedback and enjoyment from the people that do get to read them now, and most of all, I get to write them. And love them.
I can't even tell you how thankful I am for that.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends.
Because, you guys, I love my characters. Oh boy, are they messed up. They do things they shouldn't all the time and they have weaknesses that go for days but I love them SO much I almost don't want their story to end. Seriously, my heart squeezes when I think about them.
But it does have to end, and I'm sure that if they were real, they would want it to end because I am a mean, mean writer who does horrible things to her characters and likes it. I even have that whole evil laugh thing down.
But I still love them.
I was thinking earlier about Thanksgiving coming up in a few days and what I have to be thankful for, and obviously my family, friends, and especially my cats, top that list, but writing is so far up there as well.
I joke with my friends all the time when they ask me what I've been up to and I tell them I'm creating worlds, what are THEY up to? But it's true. I create worlds, and maybe those worlds aren't published for everyone to read yet, but I live for the feedback and enjoyment from the people that do get to read them now, and most of all, I get to write them. And love them.
I can't even tell you how thankful I am for that.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Quick Monday post.
So, I would like everyone to take a minute to look over to the right at my word counter widget and see that I'm 40% DONE WITH MY NANO WIP!! Eeeee!
Okay, seriously, I'm under no illusion that a) what I'm writing is fantastic just yet or that b) I can keep this kind of writing up. My eye twitch and nightly headaches are making me crazy but watching other people's word counts go up, paired with being excited about what I'm writing makes me pro-duc-tiiive.
I have tons of work to get done before I leave for South Carolina for YAllFest and a mini family vacation that it will probably be hard to write everyday this week, but I feel good that I've got a little stockpile of words to fall back on. Also, I can't wait to listen to all of those awesome authors give out advice and then be able to post about it!
Back to NaNoWriMo for a sec: Being the person that I am, I'm excited about how much I've written but mostly, I'm suspicious about all of these words. Clearly, none of them can be good if they're flowing that freely, right? Surely at some point I'm going to hit a wall... or something.
I know I should just enjoy it, I do. But it's strange, guys. Very strange.
So, how's everyone else's NaNo going? And the NoNaNo folks? What's it like outside?
Brandy
Okay, seriously, I'm under no illusion that a) what I'm writing is fantastic just yet or that b) I can keep this kind of writing up. My eye twitch and nightly headaches are making me crazy but watching other people's word counts go up, paired with being excited about what I'm writing makes me pro-duc-tiiive.
I have tons of work to get done before I leave for South Carolina for YAllFest and a mini family vacation that it will probably be hard to write everyday this week, but I feel good that I've got a little stockpile of words to fall back on. Also, I can't wait to listen to all of those awesome authors give out advice and then be able to post about it!
Back to NaNoWriMo for a sec: Being the person that I am, I'm excited about how much I've written but mostly, I'm suspicious about all of these words. Clearly, none of them can be good if they're flowing that freely, right? Surely at some point I'm going to hit a wall... or something.
I know I should just enjoy it, I do. But it's strange, guys. Very strange.
So, how's everyone else's NaNo going? And the NoNaNo folks? What's it like outside?
Brandy
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A few things...
First off, I didn't do a reading post last week and so when I went to post about what I've read this week, I was completely lost. My life and this blog are way to entangled now. I have no idea what I've read because I didn't post it here. Ridiculous!
Right now, I'm working my way through Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. I feel a weird connection to Ally because when I first started writing seriously years ago, she was one of the first writer blogs I actually followed to see how this whole thing worked. At that point she was just putting out her first Gallagher Girl book and it did pretty well but then her series blew up and now she's a bestseller! It was so fun to see that happen to her and it's no surprise at all because all of her books, whether it's the Gallagher Girls series or the Heist Society books, are so incredibly cute. Really the only reason I haven't read it all yet is because of NaNoWriMo.
I'm sure... no, I know I've read something else in the last two weeks but for the life of me, I can't remember. I've got writer brain, so I'm sure it will come to me at a random time, like while I'm brushing my teeth or something. I'll make sure to update it here when this happens. Probably more for me, than for you but whatever. :)
So... NaNoWriMo! Since my characters were beating on my brain to get out, I decided to do some midnight writing on November first, and I'm happy to announce that I've written over 4000 words since then. I felt a little wishy-washy on my story as I was writing it, but today on my way home (while listening to Band of Horses) I was thinking about the WIP and how everything would unfold, and or at least what I know right now, and I fell in LOVE with my characters. Like that tight chest and butterflies feeling. I'm so excited! Selfishly, the main point of me writing these stories is because I want to love these characters... it's just that I also want to get published so tons of other people can love them to. But first, I have to love them and I do. I totally, totally do.
This WIP is a little bit of a struggle for me though because I'm trying something that I've never done before. I've written about bad people, or people that do things that everyone knows they shouldn't but my main characters aren't normally the ones who do them. My MCs tend to be funny, smart and overall, very good and moral. Sure, they mess up, but in the kinds of books I write, there is a pretty big line between good and bad and they are securely on the good side. This book, not so much.
I've always found stories where the MC is very flawed and on the wrong side of life very interesting because most of the time, we the reader, watcher or whatever, are still pulling for them. So I wanted to play with that line a little bit, to see if I could create someone who isn't necessarily good but still someone the reader can pull for. We shall see! I love her, so I figure that's a good start!
Oh and a quick little update/Brandy is crazy moment: In my last reading post, when I talked about Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, I wrote that the next book, Crescendo doesn't come out for another year. Imagine my surprise when I was in B&N today and see it staring out at me from the book shelf. Not only is it out but it's been out for a looong time. Like, since last year. I have no idea how I messed that up because I know I googled it but whatever. I'm happy I'm wrong. So go read that too. I know I will, but first I have to finish what I'm reading and then I'm finally starting Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern!
One more thing: For those of you NaNo-ing, this is my profile come and be my buddy and yell at me if my word count doesn't move, k? Thanks!
Right now, I'm working my way through Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. I feel a weird connection to Ally because when I first started writing seriously years ago, she was one of the first writer blogs I actually followed to see how this whole thing worked. At that point she was just putting out her first Gallagher Girl book and it did pretty well but then her series blew up and now she's a bestseller! It was so fun to see that happen to her and it's no surprise at all because all of her books, whether it's the Gallagher Girls series or the Heist Society books, are so incredibly cute. Really the only reason I haven't read it all yet is because of NaNoWriMo.
I'm sure... no, I know I've read something else in the last two weeks but for the life of me, I can't remember. I've got writer brain, so I'm sure it will come to me at a random time, like while I'm brushing my teeth or something. I'll make sure to update it here when this happens. Probably more for me, than for you but whatever. :)
So... NaNoWriMo! Since my characters were beating on my brain to get out, I decided to do some midnight writing on November first, and I'm happy to announce that I've written over 4000 words since then. I felt a little wishy-washy on my story as I was writing it, but today on my way home (while listening to Band of Horses) I was thinking about the WIP and how everything would unfold, and or at least what I know right now, and I fell in LOVE with my characters. Like that tight chest and butterflies feeling. I'm so excited! Selfishly, the main point of me writing these stories is because I want to love these characters... it's just that I also want to get published so tons of other people can love them to. But first, I have to love them and I do. I totally, totally do.
This WIP is a little bit of a struggle for me though because I'm trying something that I've never done before. I've written about bad people, or people that do things that everyone knows they shouldn't but my main characters aren't normally the ones who do them. My MCs tend to be funny, smart and overall, very good and moral. Sure, they mess up, but in the kinds of books I write, there is a pretty big line between good and bad and they are securely on the good side. This book, not so much.
I've always found stories where the MC is very flawed and on the wrong side of life very interesting because most of the time, we the reader, watcher or whatever, are still pulling for them. So I wanted to play with that line a little bit, to see if I could create someone who isn't necessarily good but still someone the reader can pull for. We shall see! I love her, so I figure that's a good start!
Oh and a quick little update/Brandy is crazy moment: In my last reading post, when I talked about Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, I wrote that the next book, Crescendo doesn't come out for another year. Imagine my surprise when I was in B&N today and see it staring out at me from the book shelf. Not only is it out but it's been out for a looong time. Like, since last year. I have no idea how I messed that up because I know I googled it but whatever. I'm happy I'm wrong. So go read that too. I know I will, but first I have to finish what I'm reading and then I'm finally starting Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern!
One more thing: For those of you NaNo-ing, this is my profile come and be my buddy and yell at me if my word count doesn't move, k? Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)