Looks like 2012 is going to mirror 2008 with the paltry metric score. This post from last year will show you how much I was ahead. The NaNoWrimo Death Bar count is: I can’t blame it on much except my heart just wasn’t in it this year. At least at the Write Ins I’m getting some word count in. I can happily report that Woonsocket and Newport Libraries have nice meeting rooms and if we ever get more people asking for write ins in those areas I can point them in the right direction. So far, the write ins in Providence and URI seem to be the most well attended. I’ve took my own advice and hit page break and went back to the current work in progress and shifted a few chapters around so Spencer and Melinda (the book’s two protags) get some equal time. I think it works since one chapter ends on a cliffhanger for Spencer and the next chapter picks up the Melinda storyline better. The WIP Death Bar count is: One more chapter for Mindy then it’s back to Spencer and soon they’ll meet up and fight the evil.
My background knowledge is fairly light when it come to William Adama’s backstory and after nearly 3 years of a vacuum (I’m not counting the misstep of Caprica), I could care less if Blood and Chrome doesn’t adhere to cannon. I just wanna see Battlestars, Toasters and Classic Cylons and Blood and Chrome does all that. Thank you SyFy for not picking it up and then releasing it only to see if it does well. There’s a good reason why I only watch the channel now for Warehouse 13, Lost Girl and Continuum/Primeval (when they arrive)…..oh right. That’s it. Anyway, here’s the first two parts, as they drop I’ll post’em… Part 1:
Alternate titles for this post were: Bacon is the sex of meat. Or Fifty Shades of Green. * Sentences overheard during our NaNoWrimo Google + Meet Up. So far I’ve started off slow since I not working on my current wip but a new idea I worked on during the SF+F 1 Gotham Writing Course. The NaNoWrimo Death Bar count is: Currently ensconced at the Newport Public Library in their Rotary Room. Hopefully more words will arrive.
So with NaNoWrimo now upon us, now what? Well, a couple of things: First: Be prepared. Back yer stuff up. Get a USB Stick, Dropbox, iCloud, Google Docs, some sort of easy to use cloud and or physical back up that you can easily carry around with you. Emphasis on easy and portable because you don’t want your gear to crash on you loose all your work. This also means going into the word document preferences and adjusting your auto save to every three minutes or less and making sure to create a backup of the document as well. Triple redundancy is your friend. Second: There is no need to work on some epic that has eluded you for years. NaNoWrimo is and is not about story. Third: Find a word war buddy. Yes, that means step 4. Step 4: Go to your region‘s bulletin board and find a local Write In. Meet people. Be friendly. Ask someone if they will poke you every so often so you won’t fall behind. The comments from people who have never gone to a Write In and suddenly find their writing output going through the roof is always nice to hear. Sure, this draft is going to suck but it’s 50k words, you can edit in January. Fifth: Why wait? Because NaNoWrimo is fun exercise to rub your sticks of creativity together and see what it’s like if you decide to do this writing thing full time. Sixth: Edit in January. Seriously. Just put it on the back burner and worry about the holidays then come back to it. Seventh: If you find M$ Word is too expensive try Scrivener (Mac/PC) or Storyist. They both may have a learning curve but it’s better than having to go through several folders trying to find that little tid bit you were looking for. Eighth: Find a writing group. Check Meetup.com or find an online writing course like Gotham Writing Courses. The general idea is to get other people looking at your work to find the errors and to give advice. This leads to the ninth step. The Ninth Step: Get thick skin quick. Your first few stories aren’t going to be home runs. As the old adage goes: How do you get to Symphony Hall? Practice, practice, practice. It takes time and effort. And, if anyone could do this then everyone would be doing this but they aren’t. If you enjoy this, if you can take the critique and the feedback then on wards and up wards. Lastly and this will probably irk some people but fan fiction can only take you so far. I started writing Robotech fan fiction and received some good advice about playing in my own sandbox instead of someone else’s. Sure, Fifty Shades of Gray started off as Twilight FanFic but sometimes a fresh idea starts with reading a magazine article.