And the Last WriYe'er Standing Was.....

Not me!

But I made it farther than I EVER have before!

Last year I didn't do it.

In 2012, I made it through 2 rounds.

In 2011, I made i through 3 rounds.

Here are this years results that I actually placed in the top 3:

Week 2

Week 4

Week 5

Week 7

And the finals, Week 8

This year, I took 3rd!!!!! As in, I made it through all 7 rounds and into the finals!!!!! I cannot believe this! Yes, there were weeks I hovered around the bottom. There were weeks I really thought I was going home. But there were even a couple weeks where I won! It was kind of amazing! And I'm even looking at expanding one of my short stories into a novel. It will probably be for November, but I need to plan it out more. I'm very surprised I made it as far as I did. There were a couple of pieces that I wrote that I REALLY liked. A few that I wrote in the middle of the night the night before they were due and some pieces I really didn't care for. So I feel pretty good about this year. I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I got as far as I did. Now I just have to get back into the habit of writing EVERY week and not just every other! Honestly, I looked forward to the prompts because they gave me a focus. Right now I feel like I'm floundering around looking for something to write!

You Use What?

Image stolen from The Farthest Star by Jono.

Okay, so I totally forgot to do May's blog entry. I really loved it and I just didn't have time to do it. So here goes!

What do you use to write? 

I used to used Word a whole lot. Like that was the ONLY thing I used. Then this year I switched to Google Drive. Why? Well, I found that I have to write on my tablet a whole lot more than my computer sometimes. (Joys of having kids. They kind of zap your creativity and you have to squeeze in times to write, like lying in bed.) Since I have an Android based tablet, I had Drive on it. Not to mention Drive is cloud-based so I don't have to worry about memory sticks or where I was in something. I can just open it and go!

What do you use to supplement your writing? Music? TV in the background? YouTube channels? 

Typically my noise is either the kids or silence. I find that silence is sometimes the best option because after listening to the kids all day, I need a little quiet time.

Do you shift between different software for different parts of writing: planning, writing, editing, etc.?

Sometimes I have planning docs in Drive that I shift between. I used to use OneNote. I guess I should see if they have it for my tablet. I really liked it for planning.

Bonus: Give us a screenshot of you mid-writing.

I know this is difficult to see but on the left hand side is my AOOA at the top and beneath that is the story. On the right hand side is two different chats. The top one is the WriYe Skype room and the bottom one is a sprint room I follow.

Of Genres and Things

I totally forgot to blog in April. I don't know why. I think I was just dealing with stuff. So here's April blog about genre.

What is your main genre? How has it evolved for you in the past few years and how do you think it will evolve further - both in your own writing style and in the publishing field overall? Is there any genre you think blends easily with your niche? Or maybe you write in one that hasn't really emerged yet.

The genre I find myself writing is in fanfiction. Actually, I haven't written that much fanfiction this year. I've got two main fanfictions in the works: a Fringe one and a Backstreet Boys one. Otherwise, I've been focusing mainly on Last WriYe'er Standing. (I'll save that for another post.) So as for fanfiction, it has evolved in the fact that what I'm writing has changed based on my life. I haven't written a lot of NEW BSB fanfiction mainly because there has been so much change in that fandom as in the way they present themselves. They're all married now. So gone are the days of writing that the main character would get involved with them. They've also started doing things like cruises and "reunion" tours. They've never really broken up, but they are getting together with other acts, like NKOTB and touring again. So as for me writing BSB fanfiction, it's kind of gone to finishing up stories that I thought were long dead. (That's the one I'm working on now.)

And writing in the Fringe universe, well, that's a new one. Sometimes I like to dabble in new fandoms. This is definitely a new fandom to dabble in. It was primarmily because of an idea I found on the NaNoWriMo boards and that's how I wound up writing in that fandom.

As for other genres I write, I primarily write realistic fiction. I've found I've gone more literary or even that New Adult genre when I write it. But I think that's just because I've found it easy. I really need to challenge myself more and write some sci-fi or something.

As for publishing, well, my fanfiction I definitely don't see being published. I'm okay with that. As for genre's that blend with my niche, well, I would say that for my BSB fanfiction, if I were to fictionalize them and not write about real people they would fall into the New Adult genre. The Fringe fanfic would fall into sci-fi. I've got a couple of other sci-fi stories in the works, but they haven't gone anywhere yet.

I don't know how much this post makes sense as my allergies are killing me today, even with medication!

Strike, Color, Correct, Repeat

March is commonly known as NaNoEdMo, or National Novel Editing Month, at least in my circles. It's that time of the year that after NaNoFiMo (National Novel Finishing Month in December) that enough time has elapsed that you can go back and look at the crap novel that you wrote in November for NaNoWriMo and edit it into something that people might actually read. So does it surprise me that this month we are talking about editing? No!

What is your favorite method of editing? Do you print it all out and paint it red? Do you use a computer program like Scrivener or Liquid Story Binder to arrange things? Or maybe you just trash the first draft and try it all over again?

I would print it out, but I would have NO paper and NO ink left over and that would be bad! I don't use computer programs. But I do tend to, on occasion, trash the whole thing and start over. But that doesn't happen that often. Instead, I tend to strike stuff that is being deleted. Why? Because unless it is the beginning of the year, I can't afford to lose those words for WriYe! Then, I start using colors. Ever verification period for WriYe is a different color. This way, if I'm in a document I've worked on before, the new stuff for each verification I write will be a different color. So it may end up looking like this:

Then at the beginning of the next year, I go in and actually delete the stricken words and change all the colors to black if I need to keep working on it. Sometimes even the colored words get struck. It just depends on how often I edit, or feel the need to edit.

What do you find the most in your editing? Are you a repeated-word-abuser? A comma-phile? Or maybe your grammar just ain't no good?

I tend to use the same word over and over and over and over and over again. And typically my dialogue sucks! But mostly I feel like this:

So that's the way I edit.

Last WriYe'er Standing

This challenge is like Survivor for WriYe! Every other week, there is a prompt posted. They can be pictures, words, or just about anything really. You have a week to write a short story (< 3,000 words) and submit it. Then the fun starts! Voting! Anyone can vote. So the more votes the stiffer the competition, I imagine. There's a week for voting. By the end of the week, those who have voted have picked their top 3 and last place story. Feedback is a MUST! Then, points are given for how many top 3 stories you got picked. Story with the most votes wins the week. Story with the least number of votes gets axed.

Well, this week, I couldn't get on to view the prompt until Monday as I was out of town and tablet + hotel Wi-Fi does not equal good Internet. Then life ate me until about, oh, Friday. I'd had a little time here and there to get started. Well, on the due date, I realized that there was NO WAY IN THE WORLD I was going to finish the story I had started. Not to mention, the story I had started was trying to be a novel in my mind and wasn't going to be under 3k. I never really reached 1k on it, but what I had set up was going to be L O N G! So I set it aside and wrote something else. This was kind of like an 11th hour story. It by far wasn't my best work, but I'm hoping I don't get kicked out the first week. I haven't read any of the other stories, as the thread was just posted a few hours ago, so I couldn't really say one way or the other. And no, I'm NOT telling you which one was mine! For me, I'm just glad I got it in. I was thinking I sent it to the wrong email or I got the email address slightly wrong. I kept checking my inbox for a "bounce" message that never came. And when I checked the thread my story was there!

So now I have to remember how in the world I did voting the last time I did this. I know I had a rating system and a way to do it that made it easier on me. I don't know. I'll have to see what I come up with when I sit down to vote. Anyway, I'm off to go take the kiddo to her dad, so maybe this afternoon I'll get some time to either write or vote. Writing would be good, as I still need about 1500 words for the 5k Weekend.

Relationships are...complicated.

How hard is it for you to create character relationships? 

It's so hard for me. I don't usually start out knowing who's going to end up together, if anyone. I'm not much of a romance writer, so romantic relationships are really hard for me. Now other relationships aren't as hard for me, but they do require work on my part.

Do you pre-plan them or do you end up letting them develop as the novel goes on? 

Sometimes I pre-plan them, but usually not. I just let the relationships develop as the story goes on. Sometimes I end up with surprise romances out of what I thought was a friendship. Sometimes I find relationships that are very different than what I had thought. When it comes to romance, the relationships I tend to pre-plan are those of the one-night-stand variety. I guess that's what my brain needs sometimes!

Have your characters betrayed you and paired up with someone you didn't expect? 

They haven't paired up with someone else, yet. But I wouldn't put it past them. Usually, like I said before, I get relationships I don't expect between characters I put together.

Give us the story of how your favorite written characters got together and what makes their relationships strongest.

Probably my favorite relationship so far is a bit of fanfiction Alternate Universe.

Here's a little back story on the AU: Take 5 Backstreet Boys, plop them in a sci-fi/Kindred-esqe type story. 4 of them are vampires, 1 of them is a werewolf. Now, the story line is this: the leaders of the supernatural world are upset because vampires being killed. This could out the whole supernatural society to humans! Enter 3 women, a vampire, a changeling and a human "Watcher" who is making sure everything stays under wraps from the other humans.

Okay, now with the back story set, here's my favorite relationship:

Werewolf and changeling were in an intimate relationship in college. Then one night, the changeling is kidnapped by the other changeling she was betrothed to. Werewolf kind of goes insane looking for her, but doesn't find her. He continues his search for the next number of years.

Now that the changeling has been assigned to this group, she must go back into the city where the werewolf lives. She changes her appearance so to not surprise him too much. Unfortunately, he knows it's her, he just can't prove it to himself. After a series of mishaps, fights and other strange episodes that almost makes it out like they hate each other, an encounter where the werewolf is injured sends the changeling to his side. They both brush off the bond as a fluke. Well, later, when the changeling is seriously injured, the werewolf is at her side and seriously protective. It's then that everyone else makes the connection that they are meant to be together. They eventually figure it out as well.

Oh, and a note about the guy she was betrothed to: he dropped her as "damaged" and was a real jerk about it!

I have no idea what makes this relationship so strong. Probably the idea that it goes over a long period of time and the fact that I know the two are bonded together but they don't know it.

My NEW Writing Space

A while back there was this post on the WriYe Boards about your writing space. At the time, I was sitting at my parent's kitchen table because my desk in the sun room was too far away and isolated from my kids and too cold on top of that! Well, my mom had an idea this past weekend that she thought might work. So I give you:

My New Writing Space

Essentially it is 2 closet shelves turned upside down with a shelf screwed to the top. It's one of those "Pinterest" ideas that wasn't really a Pinterest idea, but works none the less. I hate that it's white. I wanted wood colored, but really don't feel like painting particle board, so I guess I'll live.

I numbered things in the picture so I'll go through them:

1. Laptop. It's used for writing and Facebook.

2. Tablet. It's usually in my room so I can write in bed. Being I'm exclusively using Google Drive for this year, I have "an app for that!"

3. Cup that usually has ice water in it.

4. Bag of dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses. I usually need some type of chocolate/candy to keep me going.

5. Bill that needs to be paid. Will be gone by today!

6. I wish I could say this is planning stuff, but it's not. It's the pile of Divorce paperwork and things about my daughter's care and therapy. It will probably only be moved when it needs to be.

7. That's a basket of ribbons I did for my daughter. They're for Rare Disease Day on February 28, 2014. I'm hoping to give them out over the next few weeks.

8. In that basket is a Netflix DVD that I need to watch and return.

There are actually 3 shelves on each side. The bottom two shelves have bins with various things in them. The top two shelves have two little baskets each: a larger basket and a pencil basket. I'm hoping this will help keep me organized and not so all over the place! (My mom hopes this too!)

Crawling

I have come to realize that a week of Word Crawls SUCKS! Especially for someone who has kids.

So this week for the "I Have a Dream" Challenge, the mods are posting a bunch of Word Crawls. Essentially a Word Crawl is a bunch of tasks that you do in order. Usually there is a theme to the writing of the Crawl itself. I thought I would be able to do some of these Crawls. Boy was I WRONG! Here it is 3 days into it and I'm just about a THIRD done with the FIRST one!

Here are the tasks:

Complete 3 consecutive 5 minute sprints.
Sprint to 100 words.
Double your current word count.
Sprint to the end of your current song (or a 3 minute sprint if no music).
Sprint to the nearest 1000.
Do the 3-Digit Challenge.
Complete a 15 minute sprint.
Sprint to 1000 words.
Finish your scene.

The next ones get even HARDER! We're talking like 60 minute and even a 90 minute sprint! Yeah, I may not finish these this week. As a result, I changed my Dream Challenge goal to finish ONE CRAWL! Yeah, these may work to increase your word count (I have no doubt on that!), but they certainly aren't something to do if you have a life that is more than just work and you don't have a few hours of free time to kill. I seriously feel like I am CRAWLING through this first one. I'm working on doubling my word count now. It's taking some time. Sprinting to the nearest 1000 is going to be another one that kills me! But the 3-Digit Challenge sounds like fun. I hope to do more of those as time goes on. At least I am up over 1,000 words now! Off to go feed the baby and get everyone dressed. Oh and probably start some laundry as I need clothes!

To Plan or Not to Plan

What's your favorite planning method?

Probably outlining, but I do some timelines and just general "word vomits" too. Sometimes there's research involved. Sometimes there's just random notes thrown in the text in RED BOLD CAPS to say LOOK AT ME! YOU MESSED UP HERE! But otherwise, I try to take it chapter by chapter. But sometimes that doesn't happen. Most of my stories don't have chapters to begin with. Well, actually a lot of them now do. Which is weird. I don't remember that happening. But I digress. Anyway, I try to go chapter by chapter. Sometimes I really like dialogue. Other times I hate it. It just depends really on the story.

Do you prefer to plot by hand or use the computer?

I prefer to use the computer, mainly because my brain sometimes moves faster than I can hand write. But on occasion, I do like a good notebook to jot stuff down in. Then it isn't as easy for my mom to come and read over my shoulder!

What part of planning do you hate the absolute most? Or do you hate all of planning and you'd rather pants your novels? Why?

Um....doing it? No, probably actually just thinking about it. I can't really plan my novels ahead of time. Well, I really should. The ONLY time I won NaNoWriMo was when I planned myself into the ground and could practically write the story in my sleep! But yeah, I usually just pants my novels to start and then go back at some point and fix stuff. That's where the "word vomitting" comes in.

Bonus: I'd draw you a picture, but I think you get the idea when I say "Word Vomit." LOL! So no bonus point for me!

Writing Notebooks

Okay, so Keri posted this on the WriYe Tumblr thing. I liked the idea, so I figured I'd answer her question of: 

what’s in your notebook?

Well, my notebook is a series of documents in my Google Drive. I just went through and reorganized it too!

I now have folders for

Stories -- Anything that is actually written out is put here.
AugNo -- Anything from AugNo is put in here. (Mainly because I always label it "AugNo.")
Planning -- Which is actually things like character sheets or other planning like documents. They are NOT filled in.
Notes -- This is where all those things that I have in the planning folder get filled out.

So in my Notes folder I have things like character sheets, plot sheets, and even timelines. I even have single lines that I like to start stories. There's lists and just idea dumping in there as well.

I have also used Microsoft's "One Note." I really like it when I'm starting with an idea because it lets me just put stuff WHEREVER on the note page versus everything being so linear.

But seeing Keri's pretty notebooks, I'd maybe like to do an idea book again. That of course would mean buying yet ANOTHER notebook! (This is one of my favorite things in the whole world!) But alas, I don't usually go anywhere to need to carry a notebook any more. And if I ever get around to calling my wireless carrier, I might actually be able to use my tablet somewhere OTHER than at my house! Then I wouldn't need to buy a notebook.

So that's what's in my writer's notebook!

Okay, I know this wasn't posted on Wednesday, but I'm going to tag it as such, because I was going to write it out last night but life happened.

January 2014 Goals UPDATE!

Overall 2014 Goal: 50,000 Words

0,028 / 5,000 Words

Challenges

1. Complete 7 days of Consistency at 140 Words a Day. (0/7 days)
2. Complete New Moon, New Year Challenge. (28/900 words)
3. Complete Full Moon Madness Challenge. (0/1,000 words)
4. Complete 5k Weekend Challenge. (0/2,500 words)

Other

1. Make January 5k Weekend Icons.

2. Make ALL 5k Weekend Icons.

3. Post January 5k Weekend Challenge.
4. Post January 5k Weekend Winner Goodies.
5. Add at least 14 items to 101 Things in 1001 Days List
6. Finish reading Divergent.

WriYe Reading Challenge 2014

Okay, I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to be able to complete this, but I'll fill in what I can on this list now. 

Horror/Thriller: "Under the Dome" by Stephen King
Mystery:
Mainstream/Literary:
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card
Romance:
Steampunk:
Young Adult (any additional genre accepted): "Teen Idol" by Meg Cabot
Banned Book: "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
LGBT:
Non-Fiction (subject is your choice): 

Okay, this list is WAY incomplete! I'm going to work on it.

And as for the Author Alphabet Soup, I think I'll make that page. I think I'll just update that page as I read books.