NaNoWriMo Day 7: The End of Week One

One week down, just over four more to go. It's an hour until the end of Week One of NaNoWriMo, and I am resting comfortably at nearly 12000 words. A quarter of my novel is done, or just about. 

Between school, our fall musical, and NaNo I have been working nonstop. Most of my classes are so mind numbingly easy that I just sit and write through most of them. So, most nights I hit my word goal before 10 PM. 

Week One has been the beginning of a whirlwind adventure. I found a novel idea and went with it, letting it take me where ever it pleases. Sure, my characters need a little more oomph, and the plot is slowly (but surely) unfolding, but, hey, I'm writing my butt off. I know where I want to go and I'm getting there. My main character, Rowan, the name sake of the book, still isn't sure exactly what she wants, and some of her opinions aren't clear, but the sass is strong with her. 

And from that we segue directly into the main topic of this post: Books on Fiction Writing. 

I avoid "How To" books about writing like they are ebola and I am America. Sorry, too soon? Most books about writing are so bad that they are not even worth cutting down the trees used to make them. I would rather eat razor blades than read some of the books about writing that are out there. 

Some people say, "Those who can't, teach."

Writing Magic
 By Gail Carson Levine

I say, "Those who can't, write books about how to." 

The first book about writing that I ever purchased was by Gail Carson Levine, the lovely author of Ella Enchanted. Her book on writing was titled Writing Magic, and I bought it because I thought it was an actual novel. To this day, it is one of the most well used books that I own. What I loved about it most was the way she talked about how she wrote and the fact that she didn't try to shove her way down your throat. To middle school me, it was a godsend. 

No Plot? No Problem!
By Chris Baty

A few years later, after two or three years of doing NaNoWriMo, I asked for No Plot? No Problem! A Low Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo. Even though I wasn't in the middle of NaNo, I read it anyway. The book is specific to NaNo, but offers tons of helpful tips and trick for any kind of writing. 

On Writing
By Stephen King

Probably the best book about writing that I have ever read is On Writing by Stephen King. On Writing is half-memoir, half-writing advise and completely and utterly fascinating. I've never been a huge reader of Stephen King, but I heard that On Writing was a must read. When I found it randomly at a Barnes and Nobel, I knew I had to take it home. I consumed the book in a matter of days. King tells his story beginning to middle (because he's not dead), describing how he became a writer and the events in his life that influenced his choice. In the second part, King tells how he writes, some rules of thumb for drafts and editing, and advise on writing and showing your work. On Writing is a little more strict about how writing should be done, but at the same time King understands that not every story will follow every rule and not every writer is the same. King is intelligent, witty, and downright hilarious at times. Read it. Read it now. 

So, moral of the story is: There are some good books on writing out there, they are just hard to find. Watch out for imposing bastards who try to shove their "correct ways of writing" down your throat. 

I hope you guys take a look at some of these. And, if you read them, comment below about what you think about them! I'd love to hear more. 

~snowie

Biting the Bullet: NaNoWriMo Begins in 3… 2… 1...

People often ask me why there's a picture of a bird as the header for my blog about writing. Actually, no, they don't. I ask myself that, and then I tell myself it looks badass. But really, I'm too lazy to change it.

It's been a while since I have posted anything, and for that there is no excuse. However, as November 1st draws near, and I get more excited and nervous, all I want to do is blog about it.

For those of you who don't know, this is my sixth year of National Novel Writing Month. By the end of the month, hopefully it will be my sixth year of winning. Unlike the last two years, this year I had no clue what to write about. This scared me a little. Last year, I wrote City of Stone, a dystopian tale that I am pretty proud of. The year before that I rewrote my baby, The Night Stalker. This year, I feel that I have some high expectations which is intimidating. This NaNoWriMo will be my last NaNo in high school. Next year in college, everything will be different.

So far, I know my novel will follow a girl named Rowan. I had something planned out, but now that I look at it, I'm not sure if what I had is Rowan's story. Yes, a buddhist futuristic Robin Hood-type character sounds awesome, but since the day I first thought of that idea something always felt off.

There are two types of writers: the ones who have to plan every single detail out and the ones who don't. I fall into the later category. I have always believed that there is no write or wrong when it comes to writing. Writing is the one place where the rules of language can be twisted until they are unrecognizable, as long as it is done well. What works for one writer may not work well for another. This is no different.

Both types of writers have their pros and cons, just like everything else. Detail oriented authors have less writer's block because they know exactly what happens next and how to get there. However, this type of writing can be very restrictive.

I prefer to not plan out what I write. When I write, I feel like I am reporter watching the action and writing it down in vivid detail. I have an idea where the story will lead, but I'm not quite sure. Characters, scenes, and plot develop and often have surprising and amazing outcomes. I like to use the analogy of an archeologist. I'm digging up bits and pieces, uncovering them, and I sort of know what will be there, but there's always a surprise or two. I found that the more I plan out a story, the faster I get bored with a story. I don't want to write a story where I already know what's going to happen. That's why I can't read the same book twice.

But, like I said, just because I do it doesn't mean you have to. Every writer is different. Every mind works in a different way. It's taken me years to figure out how I write, and even now I'm still not sure. It's all about experimentation. Don't let "experts" tell you what to do. Find your own way.

There is no write way to write. You just have to write.

Happy Halloween and Happy NaNoWriMo!
Let me know how your novel is going in the comments…

~snowie

Why Write It?

The final installment in The Night Stalker Q&A series is brought to you by Banana (TM). Bananas are good!

Perhaps the most important thing to know about any story is why the author wrote it. Why did they put the time and the effort in to writing, editing, and publishing this particular story? What's so important about it?

As I was growing up, I always felt like there were more books for boys with manly, handsome action heroes and ditzy girls. The girls were princesses who wait in towers to be rescued and can hardly pick up a pillow. I was never that girl. Ever. I was the strongest girl in my grade and could beat all of the boys at arm wrestling. Perhaps that is why my imaginary friend and my first ever not stollen from another story character was a B.A. elf named Arya Poisonhold.

I'm still probably one of the strongest girls in my grade, but all of the boys can beat me at arm wrestling. Karma.

For much of my childhood, I longed for the strong, heroic female characters that I was missing. I felt out of place because to be pretty, you had to be Barbie. And Barbie wasn't strong or B.A.

When I started writing The Night Stalker, I think I was trying to fill the void of a strong, female role model. If you look at everything I've written up two about a year ago, you'll find that all of my main characters are strong, heroic females. The first book I wrote where the protagonist wasn't a strong female was Loving Amelia Perfect, which I wrote last summer. The two main characters are Amy, a shy girl who is secretly agnostic; and Ben, a social outcast with major family and relationship troubles. Ben was the first time one of my narrators was a guy.

Now, books are changing. More and more protagonists are heroic females like Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games and Tris from Divergent. Writers are saying that girls don't have to be skinny to be pretty. Any shape or size is beautiful. People don't have to be perfect, they just have to do the right thing and be strong. Don't let people push you around. Make your own decisions.

This is exactly what I'm trying to get through in The Night Stalker. I want to tell girls that they can be independent and make their own decisions, go after dreams, and kick fear in the butt. Gail isn't a perfect person. She's stubborn and very independent. Gail doesn't take orders well and will decide to go off and do her own thing in the blink of an eye. But, at the same time, she knows when to be smart, when to stay, and when to help people. She doesn't try to act stupid around guys, and she repeatedly doesn't do what they want her to do. Though there is romance in The Night Stalker, the romance isn't a huge part of the storyline. Gail is focussed on other things like finding her mother, defeating the Alliance, and deciding, as the Night Stalker, if what she is doing is right. I wanted to show that there is more to life than romance, and that you don't need someone to love you in order to be a good and amazing person.

That's all I have today. Take it away, Banana (TM)!

Banana (TM) because bananas are good! Free fez with a purchase of thirty bananas. 
Bananas are great for everyone. Warning: Bananas may cause extreme energy boosts and acute healthiness. Eat regularly. For free fez, send in the form with proof of purchase. 


Best of Writing!

~Snowie

Interlochen School of Creative Arts

Back a while, in the first week of December, right after the madness that was NaNoWriMo, I was still typing like a mad man. For the first couple of days, I was fervently trying to finish the Night Stalker. But, a week before December the 15th, I was killing myself. During NaNoWriMo, I had decided to enter the Virginia B. Ball Contest. The winner would get a 30,000 dollar scholarship to Interlochen.

I just barely managed to enter myself on time.

And I waited and waited and waited some more for that email or that phone call.

The email came yesterday. And I..... Wasn't a finalist.

Oh well. There are plenty more contests and a whole lot of writing to do.

If you would like to read it, click here. I let my English teacher read it, and she left a lot of notes, but I haven't gotten around to actually editing the thing yet. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!

In other news, the Night Stalker is nearly finished. I am currently working on Chapter Seventeen out of Nineteen. I'm getting to the really good part after bawling over a really sad part. I cry every time.

I am working feverishly on Loving Amelia Perfect. Last night, I did a complete read through and now have a list of things to fix on the over all plot. Tonight, I will be working on the outline and hopefully character dynamics. Fun stuff!

For a while, I have been thinking about writing a book called something a long the lines of Diary of an Atheist Christian. It will follow the life of a Atheist who is raised in a Christian family and the hardships he/she went through. It might also follow two or three other people. I was hoping to do this for Camp NaNoWriMo, but I feel like starting it earlier... Hmm...

That's all for now!

Best of Writings,
~Snowie

The Where is Just as Important as The Who

The who,
The what,
The where,
The when,
And the why.

All very important things when it come to any type of writing- fiction, nonfiction, and reporting alike.

Setting refers to both the time and place- the when and the where.

So, snowie, when and where does The Night Stalker take place? And why? I know you are just dying to tell us.

Why yes I am, anonymous, nonexistent follower.

TNS takes place in the north eastern United States. The majority of the story occurs in the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania. Gail spends much of her time traveling through the mountains, and trying to make her way to Maine where her mother reportedly is hiding.

Originally, the story was to start out in the Rocky Mountains and Gail was supposed to hike across the entire United States. That became a bit lengthy.

I chose to set the Night Stalker in the woods because the woods can be a very harsh environment. Also, there are plenty of nooks and crannies for fugitive and Rebels to hide out. The beginning of the war was characterized by nuclear bomb threats and complete annihilation of large cities. The safest place to live was in a secluded area, underground. For Gail, this means a bomb shelter protected by hundreds of tons of rock in the middle of one of the harshest mountain ranges in the world.

I placed the main Rebel base along the Coast of North East Maine. To me, the state seemed like to most logical starting point for the Rebel's counter attack. It is easily defendable and not very important to the Alliance. Also, the have access to the sea, making it easier to move people and troops from place to place, continent to continent.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this post and are getting really excited to start reading this. What do you say to being my beta reader? Just two more chapters to write!

Also, I lied when I said that his would be my last Night Stalker Q&A. I nearly forgot to tell you why I'm writing the book in the first place. Stay tuned!

What do you thing of the book so far?

The best of writing,
~Snowie

The Thames Family

They're smart and they're witty, 

Bloodthirsty and broken, 
They're all together crazy, 
The Thames Family. 


(Fail.)

Abigal and Thomas Thames

Abigal Thames is the sort of person who gives an order and people follow it, no questions asked. She is about 5'8" with orange, curly hair and brown eyes. In 2018, she was 53.

Thomas is quieter than his wife and very smart. He is a weapons inventor for the military and his wife's partner. Thomas is a year older than Abigal with brown hair and the Thames's green eyes. 

Abigal and her future husband, Thomas, met in high school. At age 18, she and Thomas joined the army. Abigal worked as a nurse, but soon made her way into the ranks with her remarkable knowledge of military strategy. Abigal's father was a general in the army. After seven years of fighting alongside Thomas, Abigal married him. Abigal and Thomas had three children: Matthew and Phillip, born when Abi was 25; and Gail, born when Abi was 32, just after Matt and Phillip were kidnapped. In 2000, Abby was selected as the Strategist for Operation Light. She and two others (Noah’s Dad and a general) prepared a plan to protect the United States from the impending Alliance Attack. Operation Light was finished just months before the attack. Abigal was captured and taken. She was assumed to be dead.

Abigal and Thomas were scientists in the first versions of The Night Stalker when The Night Stalker revolved around DNA and super soldiers. Although the story is told from Gail's point of view, the plot revolves mostly around Abigal and her part in the war, but that's a huge post for another time. I chose Abigal mostly to connect Gail to the rest of the war and put Gail in the center of everything- almost accidentally. Also, Abigal has a really amazing backstory, and is a kick-butt 50 year old woman.

Matthew

Matthew is tall with brown hair and green eyes, like his father. He has a very strong survival instinct and is a natural leader, like Abigal, his mother.

Matthew was kidnapped at age 7, and thought to have been killed because he was weak. A nice soldier let him go, and Matt spent time in Europe traveling from family to family and trying to get back to the United States. He couldn’t go to an Embassy because Alliance had spies everywhere. Matt met up with the European Rebellion after war started. He also met Abigal, but didn’t realize it was his mom. However, Abigal knew it was him. Matthew rose through the Rebellion ranks and was kidnapped by Hamilton to be taken to the United States.

Philip

Philip is the son of Abigal and Thomas Thames. He is the older identical twin brother of Matthew. He has been mentally and physically abused for most of his life, so Philip is filled with rage and hate towards everyone in his life. 

Philip lived in Brownings City, PA until he was kidnapped at age 7 with Matthew. He was raised in Russia under the guidance of Alliance leader Alyxandr Romov. Philip hates his parents and Gail which was the main reason he attacked the United States. This hate was caused by Romov's psychological torture on Philip. Philip married an older woman named Eleanor at age 15. They had Hamilton same year. Eleanor was 18. Philip was forced to marry Eleanor because Romov wanted two heirs to the Alliance throne. Philip later killed Romov and took over the Alliance.

Hope you enjoyed another round of Things You Didn't Know But Know Not About The Night Stalker! Happy Holidays!

~Snowie

Now That You Know

So, how did you like the plot? (Psssst Leave a Comment. I'd love to hear your opinion of it.)

Now that you know the story, it's time to meet the two sides of it. 

The Alliance

Meet the Alliance. They are a Russian-based Mafia that was headed by Alyxandr Romov. Romov has held a grudge against the United States since they illegally captured his parents. When Romov died in 2010, he still had found them. In order to get back at the United States and a handful of other countries who interfered with his criminal web, Romov sent agents to a little house in Brownings, Pennsylvania. The agents kidnapped the twin sons of well-known Military Strategist Abigal Thames and her husband Thomas, a military weapons inventor. The seven year old boys were smuggled out of the country. 

On the way to Russia, one was deemed too weak for Romov and was killed. The boy, however, escaped. For 13 years, the twin that was still with the Alliance, named Philip, was heavily abused and trained by Romov. Plans to invade all six continents and kill Romov's enemies were put into place. Philip had plans of revenge of his own, but went along with Romov. Romov's death in 2010 is still suspicious. 

Philip took over after Romov's death and put the invasion steps into place instantly. The Alliance army was already in place in every country. Countries fell before any one knew what was happening. In less than 24 hours, bombs were falling. World War Three had begun. 

As a government, the Alliance is a Dictatorship, ruled by King Phillip. The next in line is Philip's son, Prince Hamilton. A majority of the major army positions and government positions are filled by old Russian, North Korean, and Chinese leaders. 

The Rebellion

The Rebellion was started as a part of Operation Light. OL was created by the President as a back up plan to the Alliance threat. 3 people (Abigal Thames, Alaric Cook, and General Crosley) worked together to create an army that would come together and fight the Alliance if the world powers were to fall. 

When the Alliance invaded and took over America, the operation was implemented and leaders gathered troops. 8 years into the war Newfoundland, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut have been won in the USA alone. The European army is gorging their way through the middle of Europe in an effort to cut off West Europe from the Alliance.

All over the world, there are ten Rebellion armies: one in Europe, four in Asia, two in Africa, one in Australia, one in South America, and one in North America. Some are lead by a single person, others, like the one in North America, are headed by a General and a counsil.

I hope you enjoyed this little break down of the Night Stalker's armies!

~Snowie

The Who, The What, The Where, The When, and The Why. Everything You Need To Know About The Night Stalker

What is The Night Stalker?
Why is it called that?
Who is in it? Why?
Where is it? Why?
Why? Why? Why?
Why?

Many of you may be wondering what in the world The Night Stalker even is. And, if you are a close friend, you probably can't ever remember. How supportive.

So, to clear up the confusion and put it down on paper, I now give you a short less than three hundred word summary of The Night Stalker's wonderful plot.

Two years after World War III began, Gail Thames's mother was captured by the Alliance, a Russian based mafia. Six years later, there still has been no word of Abigal's status. The Alliance now controls the world and the people in it. There is only one hope for freedom- the Rebellion. As Rebel and Alliance forces clash world wide, Gail is handed a paper proving her mother is still alive and well in the Freeland. Traveling with a Rebel battalion, Gail heads to Maine to search for her mother. But, a soldier's journey is never straight, and dark secrets never stay hidden long.

There you have it. The Night Stalker summary in less than 300 worlds.

~Snowie

National Novel Youtube Reading & Writing Month

Yes, I did just make up NaNoYoReWriMo (National Novel Youtube Reading and Writing Month). I was actually just mashing the two things I wanted to talk about today- NaNoWriMo and my Youtube Project.

First things first- NaNoWriMo is coming up in just a few short days. (Yay!) I haven't touched The Night Stalker for weeks, but I have been working on Love By Text, or, as I now like to call it, Loving Amelia Perfect. It took me a while to find a name that fits. But, I had an epiphany and I realized that Loving Amelia Perfect is the best title I've found so far. I'm hoping that both novels will go far with in the next two to three years. I made a promise to myself that I would be published before I left high school. I intend to keep that promise.

Second and Last of all, I had an idea for a Youtube Project, which I believe is one of my goals on 43things.com. If it isn't, it is now. Anyway, my idea is this. I need to world on my speaking, reading aloud, and individual speech skills. In order to work on these things, I thought I would read from a book (That is in the Public Domain), record myself, and put it on Youtube. To make this exciting, I would preform each section that I read as if I were preforming a Prose piece in Speech. For those of you that have no idea what speech or prose even is, basically, I'm reading a story and acting out little pieces of it along with changing my voice to match the characters' voices. I wanted to know what you guys thought of this idea and what Public Domain books I should read. Feel free to post a comment, or vote in the voting box to the right.

I hope this project will not only help me, but also spread awareness about free literature and books in the Public Domain. If all goes well, more people will be inspired to read more.

Better Writings,

Snowie

July 20th WSEIJM

Blood Thirsty

That morning, I was woken up by a single dog bark. And then, one by one all of the dogs in my neighbor hood joined in. The howl rose above the roofs of the houses like a mourning cry. And, when the howl had ended, a single savage bark came from the  room below me. And then I heard my little brother Michael scream. 

I jumped out of bed and ran out my closed bedroom door. I slowed down when Miky stopped screaming. Mom must have taken care of it. A quiet moment draped over the house, like someone had taken a deep breath and couldn’t let it out. The house was never this quiet. I jumped when the AC turned on, but something was still off. 

My parent’s door to their bed room was opened just a foot, so I peeked inside. The lights were still off, but I could easily see two bodies laying in the bed. The sheets were thrown everywhere. Why hadn’t they gotten out of bed. Mikey’s scream was louder then their alarm clock.

“Mom. Dad. Wake up. I think Mikey had a nightmare.” I waited, and they didn’t so much as moan. Were they even breathing? I stepped in the room, feeling along the cool, bumpy wall for the plastic light switch. Finally, a chance to get back at them for waking me up via light all those times. I flipped on the light and immediately wished I hadn’t.

The whole bed was soaked red, like someone had poured crimson dye over the sheets. Some of the sheets were torn and others were wrapped around the pale limbs of my parents. I backed up, slamming into the wall before running out of the room. I ran downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. I dialed 911 as I grabbed the biggest knife I could find in the kitchen. The phone rang and rang and rang and rang. No one ever answered. Down the hall, Mikey screamed again. I dropped the phone and ran towards his room. What if the killer was hurting them? Oh, god. James. 

The door was already opened. I burst in, slamming the door against the wall. Mikey sat in the corner of his bed, far away from the door. His face was pale white and he was crying. From under the bed was a growl. I flipped on the light. 

Ramen stared at me, teeth bared. Blood dripped down his hairy chin. He was covered in the stuff. I held the knife in front of me. What the hell was going on? I tried to keep my eyes on the dog and not the person he was eating in the bottom bunk. Adrenaline rushed through my blood. I couldn’t breath steady. “Everything’s going to be okay, Mikey.”

Ramen lunged at me off the bed. I closed my eyes and held the knife out. Mikey screamed again. I fell to the floor as Ramen landed on top of me. He whimpered as the knife I held sank into his heart. 

I laid there gasping, waiting for Ramen to stop twitching. Warm blood leaked from Ramen’s body down the knife and onto my hands. I could feel Ramen’s muzzle against my neck and tried to not think about the blood that was on his chin. Ramen let out a final breath. I pushed the dog off of me and sat up. I looked down at the knife that was sunk a few inches into Ramen’s chest. And I finally had the sense to cry.

I thought it was all a dream. And for a while, I kept thinking that I was stuck in some sort of nightmare. But, it was very much real. 

I should be dead right now. But, by a chance of luck, I am still alive, and so is Michael. Now that I look back on everything that has happened, I’m not sure if I should call it luck. Luck would have been dying. It would have been a lot less painful. No, what happened to me and Mikey that day, was not luck. It was a really terrible fate.

My name is Julie Swartz. The date is May 4^th, 2012. This is the day the whole world went to hell.

This is the first "chapter" of The Day The Dogs Went Wild. 

It is pretty rough and in need of lots of work, but I am hoping to turn it in to a novella or something of the sort. 

~Snowie

July 18th WSEIJM

Trigger Point

Anger

Builds up

Inside me

Ready to go off

Like a gun.

Maiming, 

Killing

Everything

In it's path.

Woah there. So, a bunch of intense poems right in a row there, what's up with that? How about we lighten the mood with another book review.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads
Amazon
Veronica Roth
Divergent

Insurgent was a very, very, very good book and I'm glad I picked it up the moment I saw it in the library. Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent, and both are dystopian novels. If you haven't read Divergent, I highly recommend you do before reading Insurgent. Also, if a long time has passed since reading Divergent, you might want to review what happened, otherwise Insurgent is a little confusing. For now I'll pretend you have read Divergent and just dive right in. 

Insurgent picks up where Divergent left off after the Erudite's simulation attack on the Abnegation. Tris and Tobias (Four) are on their way to Amity headquarters to take cover from the Erudite and figure out what they should do. With war on the horizon, secrets are about to be discovered and relationships are put to the test. Tris discovers that Marcus, Tobias's abusive father, and Johanna, an Amity leader, are privy to a secret that could change everything. It is the secret that caused Jeanine, the Erudite leader, to attack the Abnegation. Tris makes a choice to discover this secret no matter the cost. 

Roth's words and ideas are an effortless read. They seem to come right off the page and pull you into the story. It was really hard to put this book down. All of the characters had multiple layers and grew and changed throughout the book, and I love Tris's relationship with Tobias. I would recommend this book to anyone with a dystopian or fantasy obsession.

Happy Reading!

~Snowie

The End

Do you no how good it feels to type The End at the end of a month long haul of full on novel-ing? If you don't then you obviously have never tried and won a NaNoWriMo. I actually think that this NaNoWriMo was the best one yet for six reasons.

• 1) It was in the summer, so no school to worry about, and plenty of time to write.
• 2) I actually finished the novel, a feat I haven't actually done in a NaNo before (The 13th Games does not count)
• 3) I wrote almost everyday and stayed on track with the word count
• 4) I was trying something new with writing- a new genre
• 5) There was a really interesting character and a pretty interesting character who were really fun to write
• 6) I used a lot of people and events from my own life in my novel which over all made the whole thing seem a lot more real, but that's because I know what character is drawn from what person.

I should also say that a lot of the problems that are in Love By Text (New Title wanted, Old Title irrelevant), come from my life. Writing about them and incorporating them into the story helped me to better understand them and figure them out. It was like my own form of therapy.

A lot of ideas and events that I had planned to write, I never got around to writing because I felt like they didn't fit in the story just right at the moment. Some of these ideas include Ben hooking up with Julia again and Amy finding out when she surprises Ben at college, Amy and Ben writing letters back and forth to each other (Which was at first the entire reason for the story), and the Epilogue when Amy graduates and drives to see Ben in college. 

So, time for a two week break from novel writing. I have an announcement, I think, set to post on July 1st, so I better start preparing for whatever that may be. Time to catch up on some much needed sleep. 

Still looking for New Titles. Can't wait to start revising... Wait, what?

~Snowie 

Camp NaNoWriMo 2012

Oh yes. It is that time again! Time to write another 50,000 words in the name of writing. But wait! What's that you say? It's not even November yet? It's May, you say? That is why the lovely people over at the Office of Letters and Light put a Camp in front of NaNoWriMo. This year there are two Camp NaNoWriMo sessions, one in June and the other in August. Camp NaNoWriMo is exactly the same as regular NaNoWriMo. You still write a 50,000 word novel in one month, there are still "winners" and t-shirts, and of course, and the words per day goal is still 1,667. The one thing that is different from NaNoWriMo are the cabins. Cabins are exactly what they sound like. You can either pick who you want for cabin mates, let a computer make the decision, or not be in a cabin at all. Cabin mates are supposed to provide encouragement and ideas for you along your month long novelling adventure. Another great part about Camp NaNoWriMo is that if you have done NaNoWriMo or Script Frenzy before, then you do not need to sign up again. Your NaNoWriMo Username and Password work perfectly with the Camp NaNoWriMo website.

I have participated in Camp NaNoWriMo once before. I used it to start writing Light, the sequel to The Night Stalker. At about 25,000 words I realized that TNS doesn't need a sequel, so I stopped writing. I am actually quite fond of Light. It would be a good story on its own. I liked Camp NaNoWriMo since it was in the middle of summer and I had more time to write because I wasn't in school.

This year I am planning to write in June, but probably not August. In August, school and volleyball start up again and writing will be put back burner of my life. I am planning to write a full on romance which is something that I've never done on a grand novel scale. This time (Unless I get really bored), the main plot will be focused on the romance, not supernatural beings or a war. I am a little bit worried because I don't have a lot of things or ideas on romance and what problems will affect it. I want the romance to be perfect, but that's the problem. Romance is not perfect, there are conflicts. I just have to find exciting conflicts.

And here is the Rough Plot.

I know that I want it to be a sort of Romeo and Juliet forbidden romance type novel. I even have the perfect songs to go with the novel.



and




(Going through an Adam Lambert phase, sorry)

The two main character's names are Amy and Ben. I want to tell the story from either both their points of view or just from Amy's view. They meet in high school and Ben graduates a year before Amy. They meet at a party and hang out for the rest of the summer until Ben goes to college. Amy and Ben talk to each other via text and letter and find comfort in each other away from their lives. (Learn more about the plot and characters HERE.)

.... This should be a great Camp NaNoWriMo.... As you can see, romance is not my thing. That's why I need to work on it. The novel (Title: Love By Text... maybe?) could turn out really good or really bad. My money is on really bad, but that is ok. I'll learn how to not write a romance novel.

~Snowie

P.S. Perhaps Camp NaNoWriMo is a good way for a certain Blake to get his novel done.... =)

P.P.S. Here's a link to a letter Amy writes to Ben. And another link to a short romance that I wrote.

2+2≠5: A 1984 Review

Wow. Two posts in a row, exactly a week apart. Commitment! Or, maybe it's just my blogging buddy's influence down at Blake Baker's Blog. Seriously, the guy manages to update his blog at least once every week or two. I am lucky to get in one or two posts a month (Maybe you should stop procrastinating, Snowie). He is a great blogger (And a great guy in real life), so everyone should check out his blog. Do it. Right Now. I dare you. 

Ah... A Book Review! Finally! I haven't done on of these in a very long time. 

1984 by George Orwell

From Wikipedia

"War is Peace.

Freedom is Slavery.

Ignorance is Strength."

Or so 1984 states. 

1984 (Sparknotes) was a very intriguing and entertaining novel, that is if you like books that really make you think. Through 1984, George Orwell sends a strong message saying that if society allows for the government to take control and unify everything and if history is allowed to be rewritten, then the future of humankind lies within the pages of 1984. This message is sent through the story of Winston Smith, a man who chooses to defy the government and society to find out why. Winston is a middle aged man living in present day London. He works for the Party, the ruling government of the time. Everywhere he goes, he is constantly being watched by the government. Any wrong reaction or emotion could make him guilty of thoughtcrime, thinking rebellious thoughts. 

In the beginning of 1984, Winston is working for the Party in the Ministry of Truth where he alters historical documents everyday. He buys a diary where he begins to write down his thoughtcrimes and wonders why the world is the way it is. He doesn't understand the government's control of history: The Party will claim that the country has always been at war with one country, not another, but Winston can remember a time when there was war in a different country. Winston meets a girl named Julia who feels the same way about the Party. They begin an affair, which they both know will only end in death by the Party. 

If I could, I would recommend 1984 to every single person. I would recommend almost every book to everyone, though. 1984 is a very deep, hard read with pages of nothing but text and very little dialogue. Still, more people need to read this book and take a good, long look at the ideas and motifs discussed in the book. It is not necessarily the story the book contains that is important, but what the reader learns from the book. 

One last thing. I have Chapter One of a story up on Figment which is ready to be read. Thanks!

Happy Writings!

~Snowie

Breakups, Makeups, and Anniversaries

A Cactus Patch... At Night... Sort of.
By smackbabe on Deviant

April 26th, 2012 marked the First Anniversary of finishing the first draft of the Night Stalker. Can I get a what, what?! Okay... Maybe not. And, since I cannot remember when I actually started writing the Night Stalker, I am also calling April 26th the day I started writing TNS. So, April 26th is both a First Anniversary and an Eighth Anniversary for me. Since April 26th, 2012, I have rewritten the Night Stalker once and I am working on my Third Draft. I think that the Third Draft might be the one! In this year, I have learned that there is no one way to revise 400 pages of awesomeness, that revising is a messy and complicated process, and that revising is like trying to find your way through a cactus patch... In the dark... Without a flashlight. 

This whole thing has gotten me thinking about breakups and makeups.

My Plot Board
The Whole Plot for the Night Stalker Laid
Out On Pretty Notecards

Eight years ago, roughly, I sat down and wrote the first fifty pages of the Night Stalker. Everything was going great until I hit page fifty. Things started falling apart and all of the excitement from starting out vanished. The Night Stalker and I happily broke up. I respectfully put the Night Stalker behind me in a dusty drawer for five years. In May of 2009, if I remember correctly, I went searching through my thirty plus notebooks of old, unfinished stories, just looking for something to work on. Something that might be salvageable. What I found was the Night Stalker. And, TNS was brilliant. The Night Stalker and I made up and started racing for The End. Over the next two years (Minus two NaNoWriMos) I scratched out 408 more pages of glorious crap. This crap ended with: "Yes," Hamilton watched the flames leap below in the courtyard, hungry for more. The charred skull of his father smiled at him. Hamilton smiled, "Yes... We'll kill them all." THE END 4/26/11 Oh, the drama.

You see? Sometimes breaking up and making up can be a good thing. Sometimes, writers have to put things away for a while, or in other words, break up with their work. In the time that the writer and the work are separated, both mature a little, the brilliance comes back, and the passion and excitement start to return. New ideas sneak forward and a stronger story that demands to be written rises out of the depths of imagination.

There is a piece of advise from Gail Carson Levine that she puts into her book Writing Magic. Levine gives the advise to keep everything you ever write for at least fifteen years. Once fifteen years passes, you have the choice to throw out that writing or to keep it. Following this advise keeps potentially amazing writing from being thrown out and lost forever.

“A novel rough draft is like bread dough; you need to beat the crap out of it for it to rise.” -Chris Baty


~Snowfire

When Living is not Living: A Short Story by Me

When Living is not Living

By Snowie

“As soon as there is life there is danger.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The robot’s green eyes stared right at her, no, not right at her, right through her. Kassie stared straight back, saying nothing, thinking nothing. They had been like this for hours. Kassie had barely noticed. She had forgotten why she was staring at her father like this. How long had Kassie been standing there? The robot’s eyes flashed in a sort of automatic blink. Kassie blinked back. A ping came from the robot’s speaker. Kassie’s father turned around and rolled down the hall. He disappeared around the corner.

Kassie stood in the the hallway waiting for the nothing that would never come. Or possibly, the nothing was already there. Maybe the nothing was all Kassie’s life was. Maybe everything that ever existed was nothing at all. Everything that ever mattered to her (Which was nothing of much importance) was blanketed in nothing.

She moved her foot forward one inch, two inches, three, down. Kassie stared at her heavy feet as they shuffled. For some reason unbeknownst to her, it seemed like they were not her feet. Somehow the feet seemed to have detached themselves from her feet and found another person to carry around. She took another step and watched as the padded floor rose around her white shoes. Another step. Her hand touched the padded wall. Kassie looked up at the fake sunlight pouring from the fake windows. For a second she wondered what actual sunlight felt like. She froze. Why had she thought that? Sunlight was dangerous, the government said so. She could be thrown in jail for at least a month for just thinking about sunlight. Kassie held her breath. She waited for alarms to sound. None went off. Within seconds, the thought was forgotten and Kassie was left wondering what she was doing standing in the middle of the hallway.

Her mother came around the curved corner carrying the portable IV in her padded robot hands. Her usual monotone voice came on. “Time for lunch, Kassie.”

Kassie’s feet moved again and she was walking out of the hall and into the dinning area. She sat on the white padded floor and took the padded white IV from her mom. Kassie lifted her white shirt a couple of inches revealing pale white skin that had healed around a closed tube. Kassie took the tube from the IV and locked it into the tube that disappeared inside her. Kassie touched the start button lightly. A clear fluid filled the tubes and vanished inside of her. Three minutes later lunch was done. Kassie relaxed a bit. She had heard that lunch, breakfast, and dinner were the most dangerous parts of the day. Mom had told her that the government was working on making IVs safer. Kassie carefully unhooked the IV and stood. The robot bent over and picked up the IV. Kassie watched. Something shiny and pointed stuck out of the robot’s back.

“Mom, can you stop?” Kassie moved closer and the robot froze. It was an odd object. She had never seen anything like it in real life. Maybe she had seen something like it in the dangerous listings. What was it called again? ...Metal. That’s it. Metal. Kassie reached out and hesitated. This was wrong. She should not touch it. She should call the police and turn Mom in. Mom was dangerous. It would be the right thing to do, wouldn’t it? Kassie looked down at her mom. But, it was her mom. Would Dad notice if Mom left? Kassie looked at the metal sticking out of her mom’s back. She stared and turned her head to watch the fake light reflect off of the tip. The thing was so beautiful. Kassie’s hand shook as she moved closer. Her fingertips were inches away from the tip. Touching it once could not do any harm, could it? Even closer still. Perhaps everyone was wrong. How could something so beautiful be so dangerous?

Kassie poked the metal. She screamed.

Mom jerked up as Kassie snatched her hand back. Alarms blared through the house. Doors locked and the light flared. Kassie stared at her finger. It was throbbing slightly. A dot of red sat on the tip of her finger. She stared at the droplet and watched it fall to the ground. The padded floor soaked up the red and it spread through the fibers. Another droplet formed on her fingers. For a moment she stared at the droplet. Kassie hesitated then touched her finger to her lips. She licked the red dot. Something funny happened to her mouth. Her spit seemed to change and be different. She spit on the ground trying to make the funny spit go away. Mom stared at her. Her blue robot eyes blinked simultaneously.

The padded door swung open. Three men and a woman walked in wearing helmets and thick suits. The three men walked straight over to Mom and opened the control panel. One of the men punched in a code. Mom followed them out the door. Kassie looked away from Mom and the men. The woman was standing by her, waiting with a large medical kit. Kassie held out her finger for the woman. The woman bent over and opened her medical kit. She took Kassie’s finger and wiped away the red. The wipe dissolved in the woman’s hand. The woman brushed the remains away and the floor cleaned up for her. Kassie watched silently as the woman took out a lighted wand. The woman pressed the wand against Kassie’s finger. When the wand was removed, there was nothing to prove that the red had leaked from Kassie’s body.

The woman smiled and put her equipment away. “Now go lay in bed. By morning you will have forgotten everything terrible that has happened today.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Socrates

Divergent, Delirium, and Once Upon an Idyll

Divergent Cover From Goodreads

Divergent By Veronica Roth

Setting: Future Dystopian Chicago

Main Characters:
Beatrice- Also know as Tris later in the book, she was raised in the Fraction Abnegation, the selfless.
Four- Known as Four because he only has four fears

Protagonist: Beatrice

A Little Need To Know: Dystopian Chicago is divided into five fractions each devoted to a certain virtue: Candor (Honesty), Abnegation (Selflessness), Dauntless (Bravery), Amity (Peacefulness), Erudite (Intelligence). When the children of the fractions turn sixteen, they choose a fraction to spend the rest of their lives with. Those who are rejected from the fractions (Fractionless) are put out on the streets and given the jobs no one wants.

Plot: Beatrice is sixteen. Her test results were inconclusive and she can choose from three fractions: Candor, Abnegation, and Dauntless. Candor is out of the question, she can lie to easily, but the other two aren't so easy. Will she stay with her beloved family, and be selfless for the rest of her life? Or will she become a brave Dauntless Soldier like the ones she's envied all her life? She makes a decision, one that will change her life forever.
During the deadly initiation that follows, Beatrice becomes Tris and tries to conform to the new life she's chosen. In a game where everyone will kill to win, Tris must watch her back. Not everyone is a friend when it comes to the Dauntless. Everyone has secrets, even Tris.

Writing and Final Words: Read this book. I mean it. It will capture your imagination and pull you in. I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down until you finish it. Roth has a away with words that will put you in the same place as Tris. In a way you become Tris. I believe that is what makes a good book, a good book. Think about it. The best books pull you in and put you into the characters mind. You feel what they feel, you cry when they cry. The only thing I wish was different would be the final climax. It felt way to short and I would have love it if I was another 5-15 pages longer. Read it!

Goodreads Reviews

Picture From Goodreads

Veronica Roth's Blogspot

Delirium By Lauren Oliver

Setting: Future Dystopian Portland, Maine

"I believe that a life with out love is probably a life without pain, but I also believe that a life without pain is a life without happiness.  Therefore... life without love is a life without happiness."
-Lauren Oliver

Main Character:

Lena- A young girl who lives above and works in a Grocery

Plot: Lena is ninety-five days away from her operation. Ninety-five days and she will be safe from the disease forever. Ninety-five days and she will be safe from love. A lot can happen three months. 

Like everyone else she always believed that love was a disease. She always knew that she would be infected someday, somehow just like her mother and sister. Maybe she would jump off a building when they tried to operate on her, kill herself like her mother did, or escape to the wilds with the man she loved. Ninety-five days. She was counting down praying it would come faster. Until she met him. The boy with all the answers. She was infected. She didn't care.

On Writing: Despite my plot description that ended up sounding like some dramatized teenage girl wrote it, this is a really good book. Nice plot, amazing ending, great characters although at times Lena really should take some toughness pills and suck it up. I mean come on your secret boyfriend (Named Alex) who could potentially get you killed is not going to leave you. I mean seriously, come on! Alex will not leave you unless he is shot down and killed. It's a good book over all. Read it! =)

Lauren Oliver's Website
Goodreads Reviews

Picture from Goodreads

Once Upon an Idyll By Muse Lee

Setting: Present Day and Wagner's Ring, "...a world of dwarves, Valkyries, water spirits, and angry tribes."

Main Characters:
Mary- A young, nine year old girl who lives with her mother and sister in an apartment; has a love of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.*
Danny- A new friend of Mary's, also age nine, who lives in a large house with his wealthy parents.
Wotan- King of the Gods, calls Mary and Danny into Wagner's Ring, is Mary's father.

Plot: Every Friday after school, Mary and her family visit the park. And every Friday she goes to the same tree to the same spot to listen to recording of songs from Der Ring des Nibelugen and look at pictures from a book about the opera. It is here that she meets Danny and tells him about Wagner and the opera. They are called in to Wagner's Ring by Wotan and meet Meme the dwarf. Meme, who apparently thinks he has been taking care of the children for a while, tells Danny he must slay the dragon, Fafner, who guards a magic ring. While sitting by a brook in the forest outside on Meme's cave, they meet Wotan. He tells Mary he is her father and she is a Valkyrie, the warrior daughters of Wotan. Wotan gives them a mission. Danny must kill Fafner the dragon and take the ring. He must travel with Mary to the river to return the ring to the water spirits from which it was stollen from. If they do not complete their quest it could spell disaster not only for them, but for the entire world.

Writing: This piece was well written, very original, and overall a great book. Raise you hand if you have ever read a story inspired and connecting with an opera? I know that I haven't until now. This book was a quick read. I probably finished it in a total of four hours or so. It was entertaining although I wish the characters would have been expanded a little more. You could tell by the use of language that Mary and Danny are eight years old. When I was reading it, I knew that Muse Lee had not just self-published it without major editing just to say "I have a book published". Lee put an awful amount of time and effort to make this book the best it could possibly be.

Amazon
Goodreads


 *Sorry if I get any facts wrong in this. The closest thing to an opera that I've seen is Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert on DVD.



Good Writings!

Snowie