One heck of a day

Today started out pretty nice.

I was doing ok in a few silly games I play, had vintage detective shows to listen too, and several orders for the store.

All in all, I was going to take the day off.  Got a bit tired, so I went to take a short nap. Back in my work room, I decided to clean it up more.  Opened my laptop and... Nothing.  It had just stopped working.  Forced restart gave me the 'Question-mark Folder of Doom', as its called.

What does this mean?  Most likely that my lappy's HD is toast.  Not joking here, I've been kinda bummed for the last few hours.

Tomorrow, I'm visiting the Genius Bar to take it in, but let me tell you... I'm all 'uuuuuugh' about it.  Sure, I've got a back up... and almost everything of importance is in the cloud, but that doesn't stop me from mentally freaking out over what this might mean.

At least I've had some good sales today, plus my windfall.  And I printed out my stories, so I can edit them this week with less to distract me [aka, FaceBook].  But, its my baby and I hate having to give her up.

I'll know a bit more tomorrow.  I hope.

For now, everyting will be done on the iPad.  Saving grace, I've got two backups.  The 17" Dell, and the iPad.

And this is why, kiddies, I hate to give up my backup.  Whenever I update a computer, I always keep the previous one around.  This amounts to me selling off the one before the last one.  Sure, may not get as much money, but at least I'm not screwed if something unthinkable happens.

Kristy C

Sleepy, Tired Me

This morning I took my dad into work [his car hadn't started on Wednesday] and while I was there, printed out pretty much all of my stories.  Missed a few, but that's ok.

Went to the write in, last one for me, and started editing my Charming Lines story.  I plan on going through a double edit, before getting beta's to check things over.  Hopefully by June or July, I'll have book 1 ready to go, with book 2 ready to go in a month.  Its a serial set, so helpful to be about a month out in work.  That's my goal at least.

When I got home, there was a surprise waiting for me.  Its a blessing, if it turns out to be real.  Could mean a chance to try and be a vendor at WorldCon next summer.  Also pay back my dad AND maybe get a new cell phone at the end of the month... Along with Christmas gifts.

It all made me antsy and so I've been cleaning up.  Not an easy task, since the room sucks for it sometimes.  Oh well, I'll figure it all out.

Kristy C

Day 26 of NaNo, and the end

I'm done... Don't think I could write anything else for a few days. Honestly.
90177 is the final tally, with a trilogy ready for edits, shorts ready for anthologies and magazines, and stories in need of middles and endings.

But, I'm happy and I think that may be the only thing that matters.

Now, I'm going to crash for a few days, kick my muse in the balls, duck tape her to a chair and tell her to leave me alone until next month.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it, and remember to support small, indie and local companies/people this shopping weekend.

Kristy C

BLACK FRIDAY, SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY AND CYBER MONDAY!!!

Yep, all of those.

I've got several items going on sale over at my ETSY shop.

Everything will be prediscounted, so no worries on remembering a special code or anything.  There are at least 30 pieces marked down to 30% off, but I'm thinking of adding in a few more.

Please don't forget to support your small business, they are the lifeblood of our homes.

Kristy C

Day 24 & 25 of NaNo

I opened the page to write, then ended up forgetting about it.

13k away from double winning.  My plan is to try and end tonight only 10 away, leaving me four days to finish up.  But, I'm ok if I don't do that.  Either way, I've won.  What I really hope, is that I'll end with 3 books to start editing, along with others, next month.

There are  few ideas I have in mind for night, to get some sleep before midnight or later.  One, I'm taking a book in with me, but leaving my iPad in the other room.

Kristy C

Day 23 of NaNo

I'm gonna get back on track of scheduling these things, I promise.

Meanwhile, I ended yesterday at 83,847 in my WC, with the story progressing nicely.

One of the characters demanded a scene be written, out of order, so I did micro plotting in between and have been filling in since then.  I may end up rewriting some of the other scene, but we'll see what happens.

Two things came to mind as I was typing.  1, I'm going to end up killing someone important.  I don't want to, but I know it has to happen and it kills me inside.  2, I'm not sure if this is the last book, or just book 3.  It could be either.  Neither is a bad option, but I want an answer at some point.

So, that was yesterday.

Kristy C

Day 22 of NaNo

Somehow, I threw my sleep pattern out of whack and now I'm barely getting to sleep before 2 or 3 in the morning, which pushes my getting up later and later.  Need to get out of this thing.

Once again, did my writing last night and only just barely managed to get it all in before passing... Almost out.  Sucks.

Almost to 80k.  Marked my 'info dump' section, in case it turns out to be too much all at once.  Then the story said 'Now, we need to leave this place we worked so hard to get into, and go there... But only after sweeping declarations, predictions and a surprise twist'.

>.>

I really do think that section might have too much going on all at once.  Edits are in the future for this story.  On the plus side, its freaking book three!

Kristy C

Day 21 of NaNo

At least the day's not over yet...

So, yesterday was one of several bad mornings I've been having lately.  No desire to get up out of bed, barely able to feed the cat, before I'm back in bed for a few more hours.  Sucks.

Did some errands, picked up a new script and then to the bank.  Then, to gaming.

Had a nice chat with one of the gamers, before we got into the actual game.

I won't say what one, so I don't give anything away.  But, I play an Oracle of Time, 13th LV.  All six of us were on an airship, that was going down.  So the Wizard and I headed off to take care of the ship, while the others flew after our reason for being here.

Step into the Engine room, I look around.  Nothing.  I don't trust it.  [My characters not a trusting person, at all.]

I use my Time Sight, where I can see them.  Whispering to the Wizard, I say 'There's a person over there.'

:D  Then I point in the other direction and send off a new spell, Undeath to Death.  Take out four of six zombies.

I think the Wizard and I had fun in that little battle.  Walking around with a Cleric who likes killing things, two paladins and a fighter rogue, sometimes you end up being left behind in the dust, nothing but support.  Nope, we kicked ass.

Then, we still crashed.  But from 100ft away, we're effective and just focus on killing things, while the others do the up close and personal.

Got home, after an incident of 'OMG, NO GAS!!' and sadly contributing to my dad's bad day, by needing him to rescue me.

Did some writing a little before, and after midnight.  [I count it as the same day though.]  Did a weird, I'm tired, scene in the story and hated it, then was able to turn it around into something cool.  I may have info dumped, but we'll see in the edits.

All in all, wasn't a bad day.  I enjoyed the game, and I enjoyed the chance to beat people up.  My oracle dislikes undead things, and takes great joy in rekilling them.

WC, 77,473

Kristy C


OH!!  Also, check out this KICK ASS Video.  Made me laugh [and just keep watching this groups stuff.]

Day 20 of NaNo

Not much to say today.

But, I did want to share a story I wrote.

Also, I'm at 75k.  Big part of me wants to see if I can't make it to 100k.  Who knows if it'll happen, but I'm kinda wanting it too.

Anywho, here's the story.  The song that inspired it, has been really pushing at my mind for a while now.  Something in that song has a story that wants to escape, but isn't ready yet.  So, every so often I write while listening to it, and end up on a repeat until I'm finished and drained.

Keep careful watch of my brothers souls…

The words drifted to her ears, bringing with it the dark memory of the last time it had played.  She loved it, despite that pain.  Its melody grew in pitch and passion.  That was what she missed most in this place, passion.

And I see fire…

It was the fire that spoke to her more than anything else.  She could still see the horror of it, stretching out for miles around her.  Red filled her vision, no place was safe to run or seek protection.

Burning the trees…

A circle was all that separated her from the heat and pain that threatened to overrun her as it had everything else in the world.

I see fire…

Inside the circle, it was cold and lifeless.  There was no life, but her own in this place.  A desolate place that wasn’t worth protecting, if she was honest.

But it was all she had.

Then we shall all burn together.

He had screamed that out to her as the fire had started.  Around them, people tried to run from the destruction and death.  But it was everywhere, and nothing was beyond its reach.  He had seen to that.

We should all die, together.

That was his goal, and only the circle protected her from his desire.  At first it had been big enought to protect more than just her.  But his power was greater than hers, and the fires burned through it all until only she was left.

And if the night is burning, I will cover my eyes

He blamed her for the deaths, naming each one as they fell.  They both knew that he didn’t have to do that, as each life lost brought an image to her mind.  Even with her eyes closed to it all, she couldn’t escape.

With that shadow upon the ground, I hear my people screaming out…

Tears fell down her cheeks as the memory of his eyes when she’d first denied his vision for their creation.  It was in that moment, she had known her brother was gone from her forever.

Confined in mountain halls, we got too close to the flame

Too long, they had stayed in the halls of their godly home, rising above the people and forgoing the duties given them by the people below.  When word reached them of the faithless acts, he had seen only one ending to the story of this place and time.

I see fire… Blood in the breeze

A remnant of the world they had left, he swore that only through fire, could they cleanse this place of its godlessness.

I hope that you remember me…

When he had realized his mistake, it was too late for them.  Resting a hand on the side of her prison of protection, sorrow filling his eyes at the beauty he had destroyed.

“And I see fire burn, auburn on, the mountain side…”  She whispered, looking back out a the still burning home of her people.

Kristy C

Day 19 of NaNo, or...

The day the story kicked my ass.

:P

I promise, no ranting at you today.

I was working on my story during the virtual write in, and it started to reach a place where I noticed it wasn't going to have a third book. Now, I don't mind that too much, except that it didn't end how I thought it would.

The story had to remind me that sometimes, I don't have as much control as I thought I did over how things go.  Its not bad, just different.

In some ways, the story reached the conclusion I wanted, just a 35 thousand words before I was prepared for it.  ^^

So, I hit the block and was glad to at least have reached over 1667 for the day, because I was ready for bed.

On another note, I saw my doctor yesterday and she's given me something to take when I have a panic attack.  Since everything seems to be helping me with the depression, I get why she'd rather not yank me off it and go through everything again.

If the side effects are minimal and manageable, there's no point in a detox and new trial.  I'll see her again in 3 months.

Two publications will be released soon with stories of mine in them, and I've got more in the works with one magazine.  Once enough time has passed, due to a personal tragedy, I want to contact someone who told me to do so, about an anthology idea or two.

So, there's my little update.  Life moves on, no matter what.

Kristy C

Day 18 of NaNo

I think the best part about NaNo, is that its not an unattainable goal.

Nor is it a worthless one.

50k sounds like a lot of words.  And it is.  Of course, most novels you read today are two-three times that long, so its a pretty small book.

If you can manage 2-3 hours of writing a day, you can most likely reach the 1667 word goal.  Not kidding, it happens.  Need numbers?

4-6 fifteen minute WW's in 2-3 hours = 1-1.5 hour of writing, not counting if you get in a groove and write between.

350 words, average, per.

x4                                    x6

= 1400 words                  = 2100 words

You may start out a little on the slow side, and you'll have days where you barely write anything, and days when you can't seem to stop.

The best part is, it gets your butt in the seat and focused on writing.  Why?

BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT A WRITER, IF YOU DON'T WRITE!!!

We all have ideas.  But if you just let it percolate up in your head, its just that.  And idea.  It'll never be a book.

If you don't sit down and write it out, you're going to think its the greatest story ever.  Trust me, it's not.

Not yet at least.  First Drafts are also called Rough Drafts for a reason.  They're crap.  No one, with a brain, writes out their book, spell checks it, and puts it out on the shelf for consumers to buy.

I've heard all the reasons against NaNo, and the truth is that its not for everyone.  Hell, after this I want to keep track of how many words I write per-day.  I want to see what I'm doing.

And btw, I'm not counting my blog words.  ;D

Sorry if this has been a bit... Preachy, but I've met people who get so bogged down in useless details at the start, that they never get anything done.  They rewrite for the wrong reasons, and at the end of the day... There is no story for them to point to and say 'I did this.'

Most of the people I know who write have files upon files that they can point to and say 'I did those.'  Are they all publishable?  Hell know.  But did I write it?  Yes!  I got it out of my head and onto paper.

The next step is the editing, and it can stink.  Why?  Because we think our words are golden.  We know the story!

That's the problem.  We know the story.  I've left things out, because I knew it.  The reader however, doesn't.

If you're not sure NaNo is right for you, try CampNaNo.  You can set a smaller goal and just get yourself into the groove.

Find a local writers group, one that meets up to perhaps critique AND to write.  Trust me, it can be a gold mind to have people around you, writing at the same time.  Perhaps even try to find one online.  I've mentioned before the FB group I'm with that sprints.

We all have lives, other jobs, things that distract us.  But.. To pull a line from Sister Act 2, if all you think about when you get up is writing?  You're meant to be a writer.

So go forth, write, dream, try it out.  Do what you can and don't take any shit.

Kristy C

Day 17 of NaNo...

Yesterday started pretty bad.

Couldn't seem to wake up, barely managed to feed the cat, before I fell back into bed for a few hours.  When I finally did get it, I was still tired.  :P

And in typical fashion, by 5ish in the evening, I was up and ready to go. You know, for the next few hours, before bedtime called.

Or rather, before I felt tired enough to go to bed, but not out of it enough to actually fall asleep.

Anywho, in NaNo I moved my people out of the 'meet the parents' fun, and am gearing up towards 1 or 2 other things.  I think when I go to edit, I'll have more filling in to do with this book than I did in book 1.  But, we'll see.

I do have a blurb I can share with you, out of context and all that.  ^^

“Shut up, or you’re never gonna escape that path of yellow bricks.” I said, rolling us away as the thing continued to focus on… Me. “Anyone else notice its singular goal?” 

“Maybe, you killed his grandfather?” Blood asked, pushing us apart as it attacked, again. 

“Haven’t been around that long…” I jumped up, kicking it in the head and bouncing off the side of a building. 

What? We’d been practicing a lot more lately. Its good. Builds character. And, team work. My main goal had been to prove we didn’t need that stupid ‘trust building’ weekend. Have I mentioned how not thrilled I am with it? 

“Normal attacks don’t seem to be working on it.” Blade said, using the halberd that was now always around. “Any ideas Researcher?” 

“Tons.” The distorted voice said over the com. “None of them useful right now. Beyond, make it stop.” 

Ok, not helpful right now. We’d have to figure things out. “Lets see if it’ll follow us out of town some. I’d rather it not hurt anyone. Or, anyone who’s not us. I sense we’re gonna get plenty hurt.” 

“Well, it likes you… Maybe wink at it, and show an ankle, so it’ll follow.” I flipped of Blade, who was grinning far to much at that. 

“It could want a date.” Blood offered, earning his own flip off. “Just saying. You could try showing it some ankle.” 

“When we’re done, I’m going to kill both of you.” I said, whistling up at the creature. “Hey, slimey!” 

It didn’t take more than that, for the thing to start pounding toward me. Now, I just had to move faster than it did. Craaaap, this was gonna suck. 

“Hey, you two, how about being useful! Attack it or something!” I swear, they stood there and debated it for a few minutes. Not that I could hear, but Jayden was laughing at them in my ear and I was going to kill a few someones.

:D They're a blast, I'm telling you.

Kristy C

Day 16 of NaNo

Did a reverse of the day before.

I started out in bed, then moved back to my living room for a good chunk of time.  Spent about 6 hours writing, wrote just over 5k.  Now, that was several 30min sprints, some writing in between and dinner, dessert making and cat snuggling.

Got past one drama/depressing/all the feels moment, then right into another.

Meeting the Parents.  Never easy.  More so, when one of them doesn't seem to like you from the start.

Still, relationships are getting better, and that's good.  I've got a few more elements for this one, before its finished.  Its sitting just below half of where I'd like it to be, but because I know it'll have some space to grow [more so than the first] I'm not quite as worried about it.

I've got even less of an idea for book three, but I think it'll be more about each of them coming into their powers more strongly.  I'm hoping for the other two hero's to reach a point of going past what's become the norm, and into what they used to be.

Also toyed with the idea of adding someone, but I like the dynamic as it is.

The other day I posted on FB, asking for someone to perhaps beta the first book for me, to see what they thought of it.  Its out with a fellow author and I'm trying not to be antsy over hearing back.  Not an easy task.

At the end of the day, I'm at 63,230, which is AMAZING!!!

Kristy C

Day 15 of NaNo, a blaaargh of a day.

So, yesterday was kinda weird.

I got up late, but that's normal for me.  My sleeping habits seem to be 'wake up about 4 or 5ish, check your phone, play a game on your iPad, then go back to sleep'.

Anywho, after that I got up and got dressed, so it was a little before nine I think, and I remembered I hadn't picked up a perscription yet, and I needed it now.  Went up to chat with dad real quick, ended up watching TV for an hour+ with him.

Picked up the meds, then a 7-11 trip for hot chocolate coffee and snacks, before back home.

At some point, I looked at the clock and it was almost, or just after, 1pm.

It was freaking ONE in the afternoon!!!  I had no clue where the day had gone, but I'd done next to nothing!

Went to do a sprint, and but couldn't focus on... Well, anything.  Decided a nap was needed, since it seems I was in some kind of anxiety attack mode.  Most likely due to the whole 'WHERE HAS THE DAY GONE?!?!?!!' moment.

Two more hours passed, before I got up again and just decided to move into my bedroom for the day.

After a free write, I did some sprints and something in my brain clicked me forward in my story.    Wrote nearly 3k today, even with the loss of most of it, and the anxiety riddleness.

It did end awesomely.

One of the sprint groups got to chatting about tossing ninja's in, then it was ninja monkey's, then ninja monkeys who use bananas for attacks.  And in my weird brain, every time I hear of an attack with a banana, I think of Monty Python.




It turned into twenty minutes of Monty Python quotes back and forth.  :D

Enjoy that, and happy writing!!

Kristy C

Day 14 of NaNo

Acks, sorry this is late.  I kept thinking 'Write your blog post' ans it didn't happen.

Still writing words, which is awesome.  Working on book two of the series, tentatively titled 'The Silent Moon'

Had some epicness in the story, but I'm worried that if I share it with you, you'll know too much about the story as a whole.  So, I can't.

As you know, I've got one short story already out in the world.

On the fence about it? Well, you can stop by WattPad and read the first 10% of the story there.

Wandering Wizard on WattPad

Like what you read?  Leave a review or comment, then head over to Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo or Smashwords, to pick up the rest of it.

My current word count is 54,986.  In 24 words, I get to have another piece of pie.  [That's my goal right now.  Every 5k over 50, I get a piece of pie or a treat.  :D ]

The Snarky Moon came to a halt at 29,251 in numbers, so my goal is to make book two about the same length [25-30k].  I'm at 5,351 currently, and while plenty has happened, there's space for more to go on.

Leave a comment if you feel like it, I'd LOVE to hear from my readers.

Kristy C

Day 13 of NaNo.... A Frackin' Epic Day

So, yesterday was a pretty amazing day.  If I do say so myself.

My goal had been to list some items, then head out early to get lunch and arrive at the Write In before we started, to pound out some words.

Seems my brain had other ideas.  I started working before leaving, getting a couple hundred words written.  Then, I went straight to the Write In, where I worked on my numbers.  By the time everyone else arrived, I knew it was about 1000 words left to go.  A few WW's, and I did it.

I wrote over 50,000 words, in 13 days.

0.0

0.0

0.0

I still can't believe it.  And, I finished The Snarky Rose.  Well, I finished book ONE.  Yesterday, I figured out the last line and knew that a second book was in the wind.  Which is awesome, since I love the story.  Below, I've got some cover ideas.  They're loose ones, but I'm liking the vibe.

Anywho, I hope to have it out some time next year.  But honestly, I'd like to have book 2 in edits, before I even get that far with book 1.  I may send out a few small pieces, and I have thought about making up a short story collection.

Hows your NaNo going?  Remember, you can't actually lose this race, unless you give up. And that doesn't include life getting in the way, that always comes first.

Kristy C

Day 12 of NaNo...

Holy crap, the emotions.

My story had some HUGE emotional elements today, which made it feel like I was plodding along.  Earlier, I was writing and writing and seemed to be getting no where.

Then my local group did its Virtual Write In, which included several WW's and even though my numbers remained in the 4-500, they started to add up.  Even with the turmoil the characters were facing, I watched in disbelief as one moment I was in the 43,000 range, and the next I was over 45.

Speechless is a good way to put it.

And it kept going.

When I stopped writing last night, I was at 47,789...

0.0 And I had the third highest numbers in our region... By close to 8k!!!

I mean, HOLY CRAP!!!!

One person encouraged me to keep writing, to take the leap, but after having had a panic attack earlier today and dealt with the emotional 'going through the fire' phase of the story, I wasn't ready to face the next part.

So much has to happen, and it's going to be more than I could deal with last night.  [Although, I did go back and end up writing another 1200 words, before knowing I needed to stop.]

Through the rough patches, the emotional struggles the characters tossed at me, and the panic attacks from out of no where, I've kept at this and the best part is... It doesn't feel stressful.  If anything, it feels normal.  Sure, lately I've been a little over the top with some of it, but its just.. Safe and normal to write so much.  And it makes me proud to be a writer, who is finally stretching her wings.

Kristy

Day 11 of NaNo, or the day I won a CinnaBon from myself..

41,000!!!!!

My goal was 40,000.. But then I got home and decided I wanted to sweeten the pot a bit more, and work on the part I didn't want to mess with.

Normalish life.

Its more fun to write about the epic battles they face, but even stories need a shot of the mundane.  And even then, its not mundane.  The characters are people, who live two lives.

For heavens sake, my MC is a 16 year old girl, who's graduating high school that year, never dated and doesn't have a lot of friends.  Her twin brother skipped 3 grades, and is in college already.  Now she's got a job as a hero for the city, on top of all the other things.

Her life is going to be a hell of a lot more than just 'We fought this bad guy/monster, we won.  We fought this one, it was a long battle, but we won.'  She's got homework, family life, other students and even a boyfriend, to deal with.  [that's a new addition.]

So while I don't want to write about it [its mundane compared to the other things], its vital.  So I got them into the date, out of the house and snuggled on a loveseat at a cafe.

I hit 41k, so I went to bed.

Oddly, its just as draining to write the epic battles, as it is to write the mundane.  While I enjoy the former more, it leaves me tired and out of it.

My goal, is to finish this by the end of the week.  If I can keep it up, its 9k away, it'll happen.  ^^  I have high hopes.

Kristy C

Day 10 of NaNo, no more road block...

I broke it.

My Speed Dragons talked with me about the story, and helped me get an idea of where to go with it.  So, I went and POW... Moved through to get another big piece of the story.  Almost 4k worth.

Unedited, The Snarky Rose [its title] sits at 17,178.  I think its about half way through.  Give or take.  We're in the 'becoming a team' phase of the story, with bigger and badder monsters/villain's taking them on.

They've had both an easy battle, and a rough one with a baddie that got away.  On the personal side, Jasmine's got some romance problems starting to work into her life, which is what makes a teen romance story even better.

Already, I have a short list of changed I need to make later on, but that's for next month.

I have 2 goals for myself.

1, to reach 40k today at the Write In... Then to splurge and buy a Cinnabon when I do.
2, to 'win' before the end of the week.

Pulling the numbers I have lately, I should be able too.  Even with the road block yesterday, I've been writing about 3k a day, almost 4k.  Once again, I think its the Speed Dragons to thank for that.  Along with some competitiveness.  Because of all the sprints we did the last two months, I honestly have been closer to those numbers anyway.

It all makes me feel like I'm a real writer.

Kristy C

Nano day 9... Road Block

Yep, a road block.

I'm working on my Snakry Girl story... [think I'm gonna call it 'Midnight Rose'] and landed in a place where, I'm not sure where to go to next.  I know edits will have to happen later, and I like where I'm at... But I can't figure out what's going to happen next.

Or rather, how I'm going to get there.  Its feeling more and more like a full on novel, not a short story.  Which isn't bad, but kinda odd for something that started with the prompt 'Paragons of Innocence.'

Still, I'm at 33,400 in my WC today, and I'm averaging enough to keep this up.  I stopped early last night, because I got the 'second week dumps', which I don't want.  I mean, this is amazing... I'm over the day 20 goal, on day 10!!  The three years I did this one and one, I never won much more than 2 days before the end of the month.  Heck, most of the time I was writing like the wind on the last day, just to get it all in.  But this time, I could do this thing.

And its not just 'Oh, I'm amazing' that's the reason.  Between Conquer the Craft in August, and writing sprints in Sept and Oct with the Speed Dragons, I've been getting things done for a while now.  All thanks to the wonderful people who've pushed and encouraged me along the way.

If anything, this years has been a HUGE 'you can doooo eeeeet' for me.  On all fronts.  And I'm thankful for that.

Anywho... no snidbits, cause I'm at a place where I'll be giving away too much of the story and I want ya'll to buy it at some point, not knowing all the secrets it has to offer.

I'd LOVE if some folks shared their numbers with me, plus how they were able to push through the 'omg... I'm only done with the first week?' part of week two.

Kristy C

NaNo day 8...

Or, how I wrote a ton of words and ended up at 30,057 and almost 10 days ahead of the NaNo schedule.

Yep, I did that.  Spent hours working on my writing, took a few break and even felt like I was moving 'slowly' in WW's, only to end up writing more words than I normally do.

Won't be a long post, cause I'm drained and today's busy with a photoshoot for my jewelry.  It'll be good to get a break.

Snidbit!!

Gonna share something else this time.  This is a piece I wrote with the prompt 'Bottled Memories'.  Hope you enjoy it.

He stared at the small container that seemed to shimmer as it caught the light.  From the moment he’d opened his eyes, it had been all he could see, almost as if the bottle was calling to him. 

“Its yours.”  The sound echoed through the small room, causing the mans face to scrunch up breaking of perfect silence. 

“What is it?” 

A figure moved in the otherwise dark room, only his outline visible.  “Bottled memories.  A chance to never look back at the man you once were.  You came to us, seeking a new life.  We removed all that had once been you and placed it in that bottle.” 

She finally stepped into the light, looking at him. “Its one of the services we provide to those who have lived a life they no longer wish to have.  Along with your memories, we changed your look.  Helps keep the past from returning.” 

“Why did I want it all changed?” 

“It’s not our job to know why, only to change what you request us to change.  Some are unhappy, others have done evil… A few are just bored.”  Holding out her hands, the woman gestured to the walls and then at the bottle.  “You will always have this room to return too and decide if you wish to make it yours or not.  Its included in your payment.  But once you take it back, you’ll never be able to remove it again.  The process is only doable once.” 

Looking at the bottle again, he wondered what had brought about the change in him.  “What if I wanted this life removed? The one I’m about to go live now?” 

She raised an eyebrow at the man, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.  “That, we could do.  But you’ll only ever be able to drink one past.” 

“I think…”  He turned and headed out the doors and away from his past. 

Watching him walk away, the woman knew he would be back.

Kristy C

Day 7 of NaNo... And a lovely Panic Attack

So, my Friday was swamped and I wasn't gonna be able to spend as much time writing, as I thought I would.  I was actually wrong about that, since my gaming only took up the early evening, not the later part. Got home early, and planned to get to work.

I'd managed to write up some words before gaming started [about 600 in fact, not too bad.] on a new story that arrived on Thursday.  I reached a place of pause in my other two biggies, and pulled out a bunch of prompts I liked to use as a kinda... Cleansing palette thing.

They gave me 3 shorts [two completed, one in works] and 3k in words.  Not too shabby for some shorts.

On the next one, 'Paragon of Innocence', I got something from out in left field.

The story starts on a bus, with a young girl [17] listening to a conversation from the two girls in front of her.  Its not something she wants, but its something she's stuck with.  A guy behind her, one she's known for years, but had sort of forgotten about, starts to chat with her.

Out of no where, the bus runs into some BIG, and she has only one choice on what to do...

Sneakily change into her Magic Girl persona, and fight it.

Yep, that happened.  Snarky girl is a magic girl.  And its a blast.

Before my snidbit, let me catch you up on my Friday night.  After gaming, got home..Did writing and was about to start a Word War [WW] when something sparked a panic attack.  Heart started racing, body aching, head hurting and a bit light, out of breath.

Ah, the joys of panic attacks.  :P

No idea why, just there.  I kinda pushed through to do some writing, then gave up for the night.  My saving grace, was that I managed to still get in the daily 1667 [over, but still] and pushed myself into for sure being quite a bit ahead.

23,789 is my current WC, and that's just past day 14's goal.  ON DAY 7!!!  For me, that's freaking HUGE!!

Anywho, here's a piece of my Magic Girl story.  Hope you enjoy. [Its long, sorry]

Laughing, I ended up wincing as one of the bimbo’s screeched a moment before the bus smashed into something fairly solid.  Turning around, I blinked at what that ‘solid’ thing was. 

“Crap.”  I mumbled, blindly digging into my bag.  I did not need this right now.  Risking a glance behind me, I noticed Cory had vanished.  Half standing, I looked around the bus for him.  Most of the students were crowding their way off, so I figured he had done the same thing.  “Finally!”  I cried, pulling out the smartphone I kept hidden away.
Taking another look around, I sat back down and managed to mostly hide myself as I dialed a number and pressed send. 

Can I just say that changing into a ‘magical’ girl while you’re laying on the seat of a bus is not something I wanted to repeat any time soon.  Bad enough I had to carry on this stupid family thing, but if anyone figured out it was me.. I was screwed. 

Yay for having a magical smartphone that could teleport me out of the bus and behind the monster. 

“Hey, bug brain.  Looking for a real fight?” 

Who said that?  I was supposed to be the one giving quirky quips to the big and evil things that seemed to wander around our city like it was free pass day from the looney farm. 

Ah, there was a guy standing on top of the bus.  Guessing that’s who stole my thunder.  Ok, lets see if I can remember the phrase my mom told me had to be said for the baddies to know why they should fear me… Something about ‘paragon of truth of something…’ Oh yeah. 

“Yo, ugly.  Stand down, or prepare to fight the [pure truth that only loves mighty strength can grant.]”  He turned to look at me, frowning 

I kid you know, he frowned at me.  Jerk. 

“What?” I yelled at him. 

“You thaid it wrong.”  He got out. Don’t think words are what that mouth was meant for. 

“I what?” 

“You thaid it wrong.  Ith ‘The paragon of truth will thow me the thrength only love can grant’.”

I glared at him, this really sucked.  I hated my family.  Stupid magical people with their stupid magical phones and annoyingly pink outfits.

“EEKKK!!! Look at him, he’s so sexy!” One of the bimbos screamed, as the magical guy jumped off the top of the bus, landing next to me. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt this reunion, but think we could do away with this dark creature?” he asked me, sounding… Annoyingly right, and kinda like someone I knew. 

“Fine, whatever.”  Looking him over, I didn’t bother with a few of my ‘attacks’ knowing they’d just annoy him and cause lots of damage.  I swear, magical people did more property damage than the monsters. 

Taking my little tiara off, I screamed out the ‘spell’ to release it.  Someday, I was gonna learn if I had to say it all, what with the spinning around and all that, or if I could just throw the damned thing. 

“By the light of the sun, by the grace of the moon, I send thee back to the hell from which you came!” 

“What about more banter!!” he cried, just before my tiara struck home and he splintered into a million little pieces. 

“New to this?”  The guy asked, smirking down at me. 

“Yeah, look… I’ve gotta go.  But please, don’t steal the spotlight again.  Towns only big enough for one magical dweeb and I’m it, got it?” 

“Sorry, I’m here to stay.”  He said, before swirling his cape (really, a cape?) and vanishing in a puff of smoke. 

“Well crap.”  I said, pushing a few buttons on my phone and letting it transport me away, while transforming me back to me.

:D  Its gonna be awesome.

Kristy C

Guest Post!!! Eric Swett

Today's post is from a fellow author, Eric Swett.  He's gonna share a bit about his inspiration and what turned him into a writer.  I hope you enjoy.

Six years ago I found myself unemployed for the first time in more than a decade. I worked some odd jobs here and there, but nothing that was anywhere close to full time. I had a lot of free time on my hands so I read through my books about writing and decided it was time to give it another try. You see I had taken a break because of some negative comments I had received about the novel I was working on. I was not feeling particularly confident in my skills at the time and their well-intentioned criticism sent me into a tailspin of doubt, so I gave up.

One of the books (forgive me for not remembering which one) suggested trying to write one-hundred words per day as a way to make sure you are writing every day. I decided to give it a try and wrote EXACTLY one-hundred words every single day. No more. No less. It was a fun little exercise and unbeknownst to me it would turn into my first book, Apocalypse Rising.

Once Apocalypse Rising was out in the world I took a short break before starting work on the next book. I was so pumped up from getting the first book out that I was writing like a man possessed during the second book and had punched out more than sixty-thousand words in the first two months, but then I had to slow down because my wife was pregnant with our little girl and I got busy taking care of her and the baby once the happy day arrived.

I turned forty this year, and I’m not as young as I used to be. Getting up at night to help with the crying baby takes a lot out of you even when you are young. Writing was very low on the priority list for the first year after my daughter was born. 

Soon after her first birthday I was offered a new job and I took it. As soon as I was acclimated I started writing again. One of my coworkers did some writing on the side and it got me reinvigorated to have someone I could talk to about it. Before I knew it the first draft was don and the editing began. Six months of editing later and the latest book, Apocalypse in the Balance was born.

I’ve been writing in one form or another since junior high. I even went through a poetry phase, but in hindsight I was an awful poet. I love the fantastic and seeing my ideas put to paper is a thrill that forever pushes me to write. While I have only published two Urban Fantasy novels, I have written a post-apocalyptic novel, a science-fiction novel and I have the beginnings of a high fantasy and another science fiction novel. The writing comes easy. It is the editing that is hard.

The inspiration behind the Armageddon Angels series was late in coming to me. As I said earlier, the first book was written very slowly over time. I honestly did not have a clear idea what was going to happen with it until I was well past the midway point. When I finally decided on who the main character was going to end up being (because even he is not entirely sure), that was when I started to get a clear idea that this was going to be a series and what that series was going to be about.

I’ve always been a fan of mythology and religion. I find it interesting, complex, and full of moral dilemmas. Taking the Christian mythos of the Book of Revelations and tweaking it to fit my story seemed like a perfect idea, but I wasn’t satisfied with leaving it there. I wanted to intertwine some other influences into the mix and some otherwise classical elements of fantasy into my modern story.

Apocalypse Rising is about a man named Justin who witnesses a murder along with one of his friends. They are forced to flee for their lives, but they are just street trash, and the murderer is one of the most powerful men in the city. Justin is an Angel that fell to earth thousands of years ago and through that time his powers have diminished along with his memories, so he must try to remember who he is and regain his faith if he is going to have a chance to save himself and his friend.

Apocalypse in the Balance takes place five years later and focuses on Kohaku Hitaratsu, a criminal overlord that loses everything he has and is forced to return to his old neighborhood and start over. While he tries to figure out how to make a return to the top he is confronted with nightmarish monsters that stalk the street at night. Kohaku has to figure out how he will protect his new friends and figure out who he really is. When the battle for survival is joined he will have to make a choice and the results could mean leaving the world in tatters.

I’m currently working on a novella that takes place between the two books, and I will be starting the  next book of the series after the first of the year.

GIVEAWAY

Visit Rafflecopter to WIN an Autographed Book

 About Apocalypse in the Balance:

Five years have passed since the Angel of Death made a very public appearance in the middle of New Arcadia. Since then the city has become a hub of activity for the supernatural. Most people are blissfully unaware of the powerful forces at work in their city, and the darkness bubbling under the surface could not be happier. Businessman and criminal kingpin Kohaku Hitaratsu finds his world turned upside down, and he is forced to seek refuge in the slums he left behind. He no longer rules the neighborhood that was the foundation of his empire and he must find a way to survive on the streets with little more than a pickup truck to his name.

When Kohaku finds his neighborhood and his new found home under siege by monsters better found in nightmares, he chooses to stand and fight rather than simply survive.

Standing up to the darkness draws the attention of forces better left alone, and Kohaku is caught in a tug of war between the all too familiar evils of his life and the light within that is struggling to get out.

 Friends and relatives choose sides in his struggle, but ultimately it is the love of a woman that will determine his course and could decide the fate of the world.

BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON

About the Author: Eric Swett is an author and IT professional living in Mooresville, NC. He is the husband of Tracy and the father of Zachary, Connor, and Kaitlyn. Eric is a rabid Arizona Cardinals fan and a lover of most things geek, and hes been before either of them were cool. When he is not writing or spending time with his family, he is reading and playing the occasional video game. His favorite authors include Ben Bova, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Jordan, J. R. R. Tolkien, and L. Ron Hubbard. His favorite Bands/Musicians include The Beatles, KISS, AC/DC, Yoko Kanno, John Williams, and Imagine Dragons.
   

   

Day 5 of NANO!!!

WOOOO!!!  DAY 5!!!

>.>  My WC is awesome!!!

15,364

Yep, fifteen thousand, three hundred, sixty-four.

:D

I wrote some in both my Tapestry Time Travel AND the Gamer Romance story.

On another front, I also made a bracelet today.  I kinda like it, but I'm gonna ask some others too.  What do you think?

SNIDBIT TIME!!!

From the Gamer Romance piece [which is 9000 words long right now.]

“Moonchild no longer wants them.  They’re looking for something and those people aren’t it.”  Turning back to glance at the small thing, he blinked.  “You’re purple.” 

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.  Thank you for saving me.” 

He shrugged, “I ain’t your savior.  Just don’t think someone should arrive and then be kicked off like that.  Few survive the fall." 

What's the role of her amber eyes, Paris walked a few feet away from the stranger. "I didn't say you were my savior, just that you had saved me. Besides, the act of saving kind of makes you a savior."

Kristy C

Day 4 of NaNo

First, I'm feeling a heck of a lot better.  :D  So, that's a big YAY!!

Second, I seem to have started to 'catch up' to all my friends who are writing like mad men this month.  Mostly, I do this by writing in WW's for a good 2-4 hours.  These sprints give me a chance to make up words and get myself moving.  My numbers go from 300-600, depending on how much thinking vs just writing I can do.

Dictating is AWESOME!!!  Not gonna joke.  Sure, its not perfect.  But I'm hoping if I can get Dragon, it'll get better.

WC: 11,439.  Still about 2 days ahead.  :D  If I can keep that up, I'll be golden.  The idea is to NOT need them for days when I do squat.  At the very least, I need to write 1667 a day.  Doing that will make me happy.

I don't really have a snidbit for you today.  The set up for the story is different and not easy for random writing, except that I'm not sure how you'd really plot it all out without over plotting.  Both the characters, and the ones they play in the game are growing and coming to life before.. Well, all our eyes.

Still not sure how Soul Strippers works into the game, but I'm getting a better idea... Ok, I have no clue.  But, I'm sure there is a reason.

Are you taking part? I'd love to know how many words you've written so far.  Share with me.

Kristy C

Day 3 of NaNo... 0.0 Holy Crap!!!

So, I started the day with a fairly nice Word Count.  3564 words, with 3333 being the daily goal.  A little ahead and not that bad a number to have by day two.  My main goal was just to write about the daily average and keep it up.

Then I sat down to write last night.  I know, only day three.  Sush and liste... Ah, read.

Gave myself 3 prompts.

'I've got my evil goblets, I'm ready now.'
'Waif -- Person (child) who has no home or friends.'
'Soul Stripper'

All three just spoke to me, so I kept them all out.  Gave them to other to use as well.  ^^

4345 word later, I'd started another story and had no idea where or what it was for, just that I liked it.  Don't get me wrong, I WILL get back to the Time Travel Tapestry thing, but this piece just said 'write me, write me, write me.' and lately, I'm going where the prompts take me.  Seems to work with my mind.

This piece is a kinda romance for some gamers, playing a tabletop RPG called Soul Strippers.  I have a vague idea of how the name comes into play.  Weirdest part is that the characters, Lily, Rose, Alex, Jace and Aidan had to come up with their own characters!!  No kidding.  Not a whole thing like in D&D, Pathfinder, WoD or others.  Its loosely based off a few games I know or have played where you don't get to do much character creation, that comes as you play.  :D  Its more fun I think.

But, there is some information they each had to get on paper.  And so now, I'm writing and creating TWO worlds at the same time.

My muse is a bitch.  And epic muse, but a bitch none the less.

Think of it as what they have to be doing in.. The Gamers, The Dorkness Rising or Hands of Fate.  You have the 'normal' world, then the 'RPG world' and they're different, yet connected.  Its all very Shakespeare and complicated... But exciting and speaks to my love of World Building.

So, I'm about 400-500 words away from Day 5's word goal, and I've yet to write on day 4.  :D  Stay tuned for an update on my WC... and the worlds I'm working in.

For now, a sneaky peak at the start of this new story.

“I can’t believe I’m looking through the personals for a date.”  The red head glared at her best friend, before gabbing the paper back from her.  “I mean, really?  Look at these things… ‘Interested in someone who’ll dance in the rain with me, and roll in the hay. Send a reply to…’ Is this for real?” 

“Just because you’re weird, doesn’t mean you can’t find someone worth talking to.  I mean, here’s one… ‘I’ve got my evil goblets, and I’m ready to use them.  Join me on a date with the soul stripper.  No waifs wanted, just a real person who likes fun and dice.’  Good lord, this could be you.” 

Reading it for myself, I chuckled a bit.  “I’ve heard of Soul Stripper.  They’ve said its a pretty good game.  And it says he’ll meet at a gaming shop, so there’s less risk of it being someone who’s just gonna stalk and do bad things to me.” 

“Lilly, he’s still gonna do bad things to you.  It’ll just be in game.  What DM has ever been a ‘nice guy’ for the whole game?” 

“Plenty… Ok, not the whole game, but come on?  Join me this time.  Please?  I don’t really wanna meet this group, or guy, alone.” 

Rolling her eyes, the blond gave in with a smile.  “If it’ll get you out of the house and away from moping about that loser you dumped, sure.” 

Bouncing in her seat, Lilly hugged the other.  “Thanks Rose.  You won’t regret it.”

Kristy C

P.S. OH YEAH!! I learned that I can use dictation with my lovely MacBook Air.  :D  It ROCKS!! And I did most of the 4k I wrote, by talking to my lappy.  It KICKED ASS!!!!

KAC

Day 2 of NaNo...

So you're warned, good chance almost every update this month will be about NaNo.  I'll try and slip in other things as well, but you'll find a LOT of NaNo over November.

Anywho, wrote 1888 words for day two, bringing my total upto 3,564 words in all.  ^^

My weird time travel piece got some extra words, as did another piece.  It may be finished or it may still be a work in progress.  Can't say for sure.  If anything, I think it needs more in between.

Here's a sneaky peak of it.

I remember running from someone on the street.  They’d caught me stealing food and decided that wasn’t something they could let go just then.  Bad enough that the world had come to a screeching halt three months before, didn’t need teen thief running around stealing food too. 

Ass. 

Yeah, money’s tight, but there’s no way anyone can pay for the food, when we’re not even working any more.  Only people with jobs are those few with connections.  Leaves most out on the streets. 

So, I took some food and was trying for a hair brush when they caught me and I ran.  That day really changed my life. Wish it could have been all for the better.

Kristy C

Day 1 of NaNo...

So, Day 1 of NaNoWriMo

I spent most of the day watching tv, playing games on my iPad or sleeping.  But, I'm sick so that's just fine.

After a marathon of NCIS and Graham Norton with Benedict Cumberbatch and Maroon 5, I finally escaped to my living room/work room and started writing.

First prompt of the day?  'Edged with Blue.'  It started a piece that has time travel, love and tapestries stalking people across time and space.

~shrugs~  Don't ask, it's what came out when I started writing.

Oh, and there are no taco's in the future, which I think is sad.

Here's a snidbit.

A tall woman with piercing grey eyes looked down at the two of them.  Mouth open, Aubrey realizing she must have been well over seven feet tall. 

“Let me guess, you’ll take care of her in a world she’s never been in and introduce her to the changes? Going to try and have the producers make taco’s again?” 

Grayson shook his head.  “No, I won’t try that again.  But to the rest, its the best option right now.  Its never shown up here, so we might be safe. If nothing else, we’re more prepared for the thing.  Alise, at least give it a shot.” 

“We are not prepared for it to show up.  No one is, but we do have more information on how it works than any other time.”  Turning on her heel, Alise strode away.  “Fine, have it your way.  She’s all yours.” 

Looking down at her, Grayson smiled.  “Don’t worry Bre, I’m gonna take care of you.  It’ll take a bit, but I promise everything will make sense soon.  First, we should get cleaned up.  Time travel can leave unknown substances on our clothes.” 

“Time…Travel?”  She mumbled, eyes rolling back into her head as she sank to the floor.

Kristy C

What I did for Halloween...

So, I woke up Friday morning with a stuffed nose and a scratchy throat.  I'd known the night before that my day wasn't going to happen as I'd planned.

On the flip side, I've spent the last two months fighting a cold, been to two cons [hundreds of people], an outdoor event and been dealing with stress all over the place.  So, its a surprise I haven't been sick already.

At the very least, most of November is set to be done inside and and more at rest.  That being, I need to upload the rest of my jewelry to etsy and start writing whatever the heck I'm gonna write for NaNoWriMo.

Instead of going out for my events, I picked up two movies and dad got pizza... And I hung out at home.

Watched Transformers 4 and I have to say... It was better than 3, which was better than 2... But perhaps not better than 1.  [my list would be 1, 4, 3, 2].

Anywho, it could be perhaps because when I watch movies like this I expect so little out of them, that I almost always end up getting more than I planned and it makes me happy.

Stanley Tucci has the ability, I think, to make a movie better, just by being in it.  Somehow his skills always make a movie more enjoyable.  No matter what the part, good, bad, inbetween... He's a joy to watch.


Kristy C