Blogging Circle: Distract - ooo shiny! - ions

It's that wonderful time of the month (as opposed to the awful time of the month) where we gather around to do the blogging circle prompt.  If you cannot tell by the title of the post, this month is about distractions.  Distractions are the nasty things that pull you from what you're doing.  They can be anything, from a daydream to a nap to... well, a very cute and furry puppy.  Yes, Cookie, I mean you.  I would say stop being adorable but I do believe you will be a Nermal puppy (go look up Garfield if you don't get the reference).

Also, blogger thingie, I did spell it right.  On the first time.  Geek points for me, fail points for you.  Ha!

But back to the point at hand.  Let's copy/paste a bit here.
We all have them , whether they are living, mandatory, optional or fun. How do you work around your distractions? Do you separate time out or do you let the distractions come as they may? Are you one of the lucky ones that can shut it all out and write for as long as you'd like?

Before we get into the questions and answering and all, let me explain how I view distractions.  I view a distraction as something that happens when I'm actively working on getting something else done.  So, I'm writing a blog post and a police cruiser comes along, the police cruiser is a distraction because my eyes follow it to see what's happening.  This is different from just being a lazy butt and playing Freecell all day.  Mostly because that's procrastinating.  :)

Alright, first question - how do you work around your distractions?
I try to schedule work around them.  I know that, as soon as mom comes home until she goes up to bed (so, 5ish to 9ish), I will be distracted by whatever we're doing.  Usually dinner making and then watching television and whatnot.  Playing with the puppy as well.  So I try to make it so that I write before she gets home and then write a bit after she goes to bed.  Usually this works out well.  Sometimes it doesn't because I get distracted / not want to do my writing.  I also know, around 11 pm / midnight, I want to get on World of Warcraft and kick some Horde butt.  So, my writing day, on a day where I don't give into the want of not writing, is usually writing from about a hour after I get up (sometimes two, depending on the mood) until 5ish.  Then a break until 9 and some more writing until the WoW want kicks in.  That's how it's supposed to go.  It rarely goes that way, but I'm trying to be better.

Second question - Do you separate time out or do you let the distractions come as they may?
Well, the ones that I know are coming (see above question), I schedule around.  The ones that happen chaotically - meaning the puppy is involved - have to come as they may.  Same with the puppy needing me to play with her.  I just get up, spend some time with her, and go back to writing.  She seems to understand my writing time and is happy to curl up between me and the laptop.  Sweet thing.

Third question - Are you one of the lucky ones that can shut it all out and write as long as you like?
I can!  But only if the planets are aligned.  Meaning that it needs to be November, I need to have the noise canceling headphones on (with a fresh battery for the noise canceling part), and be at a Starbucks.  Then I am a rock star.  Same goes for when I write in a group / word war.  Unless the puppy needs something, I am good unless needed for an emergency.  :D

So yeah, that's distractions for the ... day.  I so want that person's convertable.  And ooo a puppy (not mine)!  *goes back to looking out the window*

Blogging Circle: Short Stories aka Tightening Prose

So, full disclosure here.  I am a novel writer.  I love writing 50,000 words and beyond, taking people on an epic journey, and all that jazz.  However, for one month out of the year, the amazing August, I become a short story writer.  For August, in the WriYe world, is the time of Augno and the AugNoWriMo Anthology.

I explained what I was writing in the last post and how it was breaking barriers and all.  This isn't another post talking about the story itself.  This post is more talking about the word maximums in short stories and how they're so darn short.  For example, the Anthology word maximum is usually 10,000 words with this year being a special 15,000 words because it's the fifth annivesary.  For someone who usually writes a lot more than that, it seems insane to try and pack an entire story into that little of space.

Fear not!  It can be done.  It can also be done the same way that one works on a novel.  You plan and outline.  It's ten thousand words, so if you wanted to do chapters, do a K a chapter.  Or 2K a chapter.  Yeah, it's tight, but it's doable.  But the easiest way that you're going to get it all out is if you go with an outline.  I recommend not to pants it because you might have story explosion.  So - plot it out - character sketch, outline, world build - the entire thing.  That is the first step to greatness.

The second step is realizing that you might have a story that is not appropriate for a short story.  Short stories are supposed to do beginning, middle, and end in a very quick arc.  If you think about it like running, short stories are the dashes while novels are the marathons.  While plotting, if you feel yourself going on and on with the summary or the outline, you might have a novella or a novel on your hands.  Best thing to do is to put it aside for September or NaNoWriMo and come up with a new idea.  That is not to say to not try to make the awesome idea into a short story, but there's a good chance you'd frustrate yourself.  It is best to never go down the road of frustration.  It leads to a lot of things we don't have time to deal with right now.

As for the third step, it's really just making sure you run a tight edit ship.  If you're over the maximum, go back and take out dialogue tags.  Make sure that you don't have something silly like "nodding a yes".  Get rid of things that don't fit, like the odd subplot that you just pushed in because it seemed like a good idea at the time.  This is your last step in the short story process, so really go at it.


I will say, to end this post, that if you use these three tricks in your novel writing, it'll be amazing as well.  So that's it for the topic of the month - the short story and how to tackle it.  We'll see you next month for the blogging circle of insanity.  :)

Blogging Circle: Breaking Out of Your Box

So, on WriYe, there's this amazing challenge known as "Breaking Out of Your Box".  Basically, and to someone quote the amazing Keri, we all have our one genre that we like to write in.  However, we really shouldn't make it our one genre, so the challenge makes us brave the unknown and take a genre that you might know nothing about to write in.  It is really fun and this is the first year I am actually going to finish it and publish the short story in Milestone.  

Milestone, for those who do not know, is the short story collection that is written by the participants of AugNoWriMo.  The link for Milestone goes to the first volume, which I wrote Matthew's Side of the Story.  It's back story for one of the million of ideas that are in my head.  :)

However, back to the subject at hand.  This was originally July's topic because a lot of us write zombies during the month.  Now, zombies is outside of the box for me, because that's more horror and I wrote supernatural stuffs.  But it is fun to try and that's how the Blogging Circle topic is on the Breaking Out of Your Box challenge.  Understand?  Good.  Even if you don't, follow along for the questions.  

Did you manage to break the box?
Yes, I actually am breaking the box.  My genre for this challenge is a space opera.  To quote wikipedia, "space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that often emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities".  The best known space opera, at least to me, is the movie Star Wars.  One of the lesser known but insanely awesome ones is Firefly - which, if you have not seen, stop reading and go do so.  You will not be disappointed, especially if you're a fan of Joss Whedon.

Anyways, that's the genre I'm working in.  I've got romance (captain and her second are having a long term relationship), I've got adventure, and, most importantly, it is set in space.  They go to different planets and are currently running from the government due to a slight misunderstanding (murder and kidnapping).  I love it. I've got over 7K of it written and it might easily be 15K by the end.  It is just one of the most fun things I've ever written and I might have to do something more with the characters when I'm done with it.

Did it help you in anyway?
I think it did.  It showed me that I don't have to always write fantasy or supernaturals.  I can write something that is interesting to me and I'm not really having a lot of problems with it.  That might be because I started the story insanely early (August 1st) to allow for slow writing time.  However, part of knowing that it is going to get done and go into a publication that I love is driving me to enjoy it as I'm writing.  If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be writing it and still be tearing my hair out for an idea of what to do.

What did you learn?
That I can be awesome, even in a genre that is completely outside of my norms.  Then again, I already knew that.  ;)  I just needed confirmation - thanks Keri!  


So, that's it for now.  Stay tuned - I've got another blog circle post to do (August) and that'll be up before the end of the month.

Writerverse

Writerverse is a writing land community where there are weekly and monthly writing challenges.  Everything - from original to fandom - is welcome as you start your journey.  Join me at Team Poetry or fight against us as Team Prose.  Either way, it is a fun filled community that is sure to tickle your writing spirit.

If you do decide to join, say that crescent_gaia sent you.  :)

Blogging Circle: Tick Tock Goes the Clock (Even for the Doctor)

This month's blogging circle's topic is Deadlines.  Dun dun duuuuuunnnnnn.  *ahem*  And the first thing that I thought of was Doctor Who.  Good job, brain, go for the fandom parts.  Now, for the questions.

We've all have deadlines to face - whether it be yearly like WriYe, monthly like NaNo, or weekly like LWS (Last WriYer Standing).  How do you face your deadlines?  Any advice to help meet them?  Any advice on what to do when you miss them?

What I like to do, when faced with a deadline, is try to have a plan on how I'm going to reach my goal.  For example, with NaNo, I try to plot out as much of the novel as I can and how much I want to write for each chapter.  That gets me to the goal of wanting to write 50K.  It also helps with getting as much done of the novel as I can in one month.  For the deadlines that go month to month, I'm a bit of hit and miss on them.  Sometimes I'm right on the money and have something done and ready to go.  But that's because I plan out everything ahead of time.  So, plan plan plan down the details as much as you can.  Also, try to get your schedule planned out ahead of time as well.

You're probably asking: What if I hit a snag?  Oh noes!  Well, go back to planning.  There might be something that you're missing and you've just tripped over it.  Look at what you've tripped over and make a plan of attack to fix it.  Sometimes a half hour of sketching a chapter makes the world of difference to hit your deadline on time.  Also, you might find a subplot you wouldn't have realized if you hadn't gone back and looked it over!  I know I have from time to time.

Now, I have missed deadlines, waving to them as they pass by.  The best thing to do, when you miss a deadline, is try to finish the project anyways.  For example - it wasn't until 2008 that I finished NaNo for the first time ever but I first signed up in 2003.  With the 2003 to 2007 projects, I kept at them.  Some of them I finished and some of them are locked away in a drawer to never be spoken about again.  So, finish the project and try to do it within a month of the old deadline.  You might end up liking the project anyways or you might lock the project away to never see the light of day again.  But the important thing is that you did finish.  Yes, it is late and yes, deadlines are important, but sometimes a finished project is the best ephoria for a writer.

So, recap of suggestions:

• Plan your heart out: Outline, character sketch, world build, and everything else.  Get your plotting out of the way first and then your project should move smoothly to hit the deadline.
• Don't be afraid to go back to planning when you hit a snag: Sometimes the best plot ideas come from going back and outlining the chapter.
• Schedule your time: Realize when you're going to work the best and try to use that time to it's maximum potential.
• If you miss your deadline: Get the project done and do not blame yourself (much).

And those are my secrets.  Go forth and smack those deadlines head on!

WriYe Blogging Circle: Rhythm (February)

Poetry has an obvious rhythm but so can prose.  Writing can be so musical as, well, music writing.  What type of cadence do you find in your own writing?  Are you short and choppy?  Long and lyrical?  And why is your way better than anyone else?

The following is in verse because I am, at my core, a geek and a poet.  Also, I am awesome; the end.


My cadence, you ask,
Is one to be marched to.
Even though I work on
Becoming something else,
The road is long and never ending
But for the moment, it is,
The sound of the drum beat.

Short and choppy, to me,
Sounds more like real life
But is not really for me.
I'd like to go on and and on
And on some more
But then I realize that sucks too.
The balance is somewhere between the
Two and is like reaching some point of
Nirvana - lyrical yet short.

My way is the best
But only for me
And, as said before,
Ever changing
Like the sea.
For I must have a silly metaphor
Or simile
In every blogging circle
Post that I write.

WriYe Blogging Circle 2013: Inspiration (January)

As much as I want to write mind blowing stuff about the topic, I can't. Inspiration is like lightning. It strikes, never in the same way tiwce. And I better write it down or it rolls away like... no, thunder isn't right. Boo metaphor. You suck.  Anyways, there are questions and I'm going to answer them. Other blog posts might go another way but this is the way this one wrote itself. Deal. So, roll them on like a boss. Or drum roll. Whatever really works in the end.


Where do you get your initial spark of inspiration?
See lightning metaphor/simile thing. Oh, for fanfiction, it is more along the lines of "..what if?". Example: Sucky ending of X-Men: First Class where it ends with the clear lines drawn of Charles vs Erik. Since, it was a reboot, I thought we'd have a MORE ORIGINAL ENDING YOU WRITERS. *takes a breath* So, that needed the "...what if?" of Erik taking Charles home to be helped and killing Moira. Or have Van Helsing having a happy ending. And so on and so forth. So, lightning for original and "what if" for fanfic.


Is it from anything important?
I...don't know? Maybe when it is from something outside of me instead of my mind. Like the story idea from a Nightwish song. Or intertwining 3 different movies that Jeremy Renner is in (Bourne Legacy, M:I 4, and Avengers) because the characters feel like they could all be the same person. Maybe that's important. Otherwise, I dunno.


What else about inspiration intrigues you?
I'd love to know more about how and why inspiration works. However that probably includes brain scans and scientific words.


What is your advice to others?
Read newspapers. Take a walk. Listen to music. And always ask "what if?".

And sneak attack! We're back

I do feel like the title says everything I need to about this post.  We can all pack up and go home due to the title.  Word.

So, it's 2013 and it's March.  I meant to be back earlier, because the WriYe Blogging Circle is starting again, but January and February were a mix of meh and awesome.  Let me back up a bit.

So, it's December 12th, going into December 13th.  Casey, the dog, is sleeping and suddenly he starts yelping loudly.  Thinking it's a nightmare, I wake him up and go find him to make sure he's okay.  He does this two more times and, after the third time, he can't get up.  So I wake up mom and he has another episode.  We find a 24 hour vet hospital, bundle him up, and get him there.  He arrested in the parking lot and was declared dead.  It just happened - they (the vet and the person helping) think it was a mix of seizures and stroke.  They both think that he wasn't in pain and he just went.  There one moment and gone the next.  Christmas was hard because of this, but we got on okay.  Save for grandma asking if we could get a puppy everyday.

So, it's January and we've decided on what type of breeds we want.  And I go researching Cavachons and find Foxglove Farms Designer Puppies.  We fall in love with the puppies because, you know, they're puppies.

Side note: Anybody saying we should have adopted?  Please check yourself.  Casey was a rescue who would have been put down otherwise due to biting a kid, dog aggression issues (he was just insanely overprotective of his humans), and not being socialized well as a puppy.  We did look at shelters and other places.  Most had older dogs, which we just went through, and pit bulls.  Now, where I live, pit bulls are considered vicious and you are not allowed to have them outside, save for a quick run to the car for grooming and vet appointments.  So, that was a no-go because we couldn't walk it and there's only so much yard running around can do.  Plus, we also wanted to raise a puppy / young dog (around a year, year and a half at most) and most dogs were 3 years or older.  We just left that situation - Casey was 3 when adopted - so...yeah.  We went the way we did.

Back on track - after thinking about it and pressing mom into just calling already, we did.  Our first two choices were already on hold but the third - our Cookie - wasn't.  So we decided to buy her and give her a good home.  She's spoiled rotten, but listens well and learns easily.  We've had some accidents, but she's a puppy and I'm a stupid human sometimes.  So, that's one of the big reasons that I didn't do a "dust off the blog" post earlier.  And why it's been a bit hard to write.  At least in January.

February was just...I had to get fanfic done in a set amount of time and it was killing me.  I should never do that again.  if I get like that, I should just drop out and spare myself the pain of cramming.  Other people can cram, but I can't.  I wish I could, because it would be awesome, but eh.  Life is life.

So, that's everything.  The first 2013 WriYe Blogging Circle post will be up shortly.