NaNoWriMo Kicks Booty

On Novemeber 1st, 2011, I (with a bunch of other crazy people) began a treacherous writing project called NaNoWriMo. That stands for National Novel Writing Month.

This dude is Chris Baty, genius extraordinaire.
The brains behind NaNoWriMo.

Goal: Write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. If you're not sure how big of a book that is, it's the size of The Great Gatsby. (Side note: The Great Gatsby movie is being remade with Leonardo DiCaprio and I cannot wait!) To stay on top of the words and to work at a steady pace, that's roughly 1,700 words per day.

This was my first official participation in the wonderous writing event, but I had done this before for a novel class with prof. Trembley at Hope College. BEST class of my entire life.

Anyway, let me brag on NaNoWriMo for a second. I just finished two days ago and I am already excited to do it again next year. If any of you have ever thought, "Oh, I'd like to write a book one day..." do this!! Talking about it gets you nowhere but with empty pages and wasted ideas. And if you do it during NaNoWriMo, you have a whole community of people in the same boat as you with lives that are just as busy as your life.

Quite a few people who asked why I was even doing this asked me what happens at the end. Do I get my name out there? Do I win any money? Do they pick a top ten?

The answer to all of those is no. The spirit of NaNoWriMo is not to beat anyone else, it is not to make a monetary profit, it is not even to write a good book.

Here's the deal with this: You're supposed to open yourself to the experience of proving that you can find time everyday to sit down (or stand) and write. Be creative! Go crazy. It's about creating something that you don't have time for. Everyone is busy, but we can't let that stand in the way.

This past November was the craziest month of my life, and it would have been if I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo. But I did. I have the web badge to prove it.

It was hard. There were a few days in the middle where I didn't write at all. (I paid for that later with a few 5,000 word days.) And I didn't even get a very good start. But I learned so much about the writing process and what I am capable of. For instance, I thought I could only do a thousand words in an hour...UNTIL I was down to the final two hours and had 3,100 words to go. I finished all of those words with a half hour to spare. It was the most intense focus I have ever experienced in my life. And even though I had winged the majority of this book, it even all tied together in the end. Bonus: I was happy with the way it ended. I suck at endings!

I learned how to make richer images in my scenes because when you have to write so much in such a short amount of time, you really look for ways to pad the story. I painted vivid images with the strokes of my keys and it actually turned out to be better than just padding. It was something I wasn't very good at before, and now I can take that new skill and apply it to the novel I've been working on.

And I won! On November 30, 2011. Everyone who finished on time won. The people who didn't finish still won, in a different way, because they took a step to begin a novel, which is more than most people who say they'll "one day" write a book do. Bravo to all who started! Bravo to those who finished! 

I almost quit near the end. There was one day my boyfriend, Gary, was over and all I wanted to do was cuddle and watch TV with him, but I hadn't written yet and I knew I needed to. I told him I didn't have any words left in me, but he pushed me to write just five hundred. In frustration, I dug my nails into my hands and then did so. Five hundred words came out slowly, but then the next thing I knew, I had written 1,500 and still had steam. My sister, Jen, also hounded me (pretty much daily) to quit playing Sims or get off Facebook, or stop doing whatever else and write. Getting started is always the worst part, and I'm thankful for the people like Gary and Jen who push me to do what they know I can when I think I can't. I thank every one else who encouraged me along the way, too. I won't name names because this month was a wild blur, and I don't want to leave anyone out because then I'd feel bad.

Then there was someone who agreed with me, at one time toward the end, that I probably couldn't do it, and that was all it took to set me back on fire. I wrote a note of what that person said and tacked it onto my writing board. Then right next to that note, I tacked on one of my own that said "I can make this a reality. In God I have all the rest I need." Above that is a quote I've had on my writing board for quite some time. It's from a Flyleaf song called Believe in Dreams. "Believe in dreams you love so much. Let the passion of your heart make them real." Here's the song if you'd like to have a listen.

  

 The point of this blog post is to encourage you to push through and do what you're passionate about! The best things are the hardest things, most often, because we are pushed and pulled and we grow tired and have to find some kind of strength to keep going. If we quit when we're tired then what do we have? Keep going! You'll find out you can do incredible things you never imagined. Find people that will encourage you. Find out why that thing is important to you and never let that go. Remind yourself of it often. Enjoy moments of relaxation because rest is important, too, just don't stay down and let your dream float on by. Now is the time.

The Story of How My Teacup Betrayed Me

When the tragedy occured, I saw all my life's work flash before my eyes. Thankfuly my computer survived and I can continue to write from my bedroom. Of course, I'll have to find a new writing buddy because my teacup and I are no longer on speaking terms.

Sims Shmims

Last night I went to a women's group meeting at my church--it was our first get-together. After we ate some goodies (You know what's super tasty? Adding a cucumber slice to your cheese and cracker sandwich. It was almost as divine as the chocolate cake.) we went around and introduced ourselves by saying our name and what it is we do.

As I listened to the other women talk about their jobs and their families, I knew I should have felt hesitation about telling them I'm writing a book. Most people think I'm stupid for doing only that and not working or going to school in the meantime. But...I wasn't nervous. I knew I could be honest and open with this group of women. I knew they would get it or at least not judge me for it.

When it was my turn, I told them, with a smile, that I'm writing a book and currently working on the third revision. It's something God has me doing and something I can be proud of. (So often in the past I've said it with...I guess what I would describe as shame coming through my voice.) But I'm not ashamed. I'm excited.

They reacted so well--asked me what it was about and some of them told me it sounded like a best seller. (That one made me blush.) One lady told me God had put the story in my spirit, and yeah--He has. Adira's story is one I know God will use. I see the need for this story so often. And God has placed many clues in my life that this is the very story I'm meant to tell at this time.

Anyway. The past couple days have been a little stressful for whatever reason, and I feel a little bit like taking a mental health day and just playing Sims 3. Actually, saying "a little bit" is a huge understatement. That's all I can think about.

I almost closed the novel and turned on the 360, but then all those supporting, beautiful women popped into my mind and gave me the drive to resist that temptress of a game (And it really is--I get sucked in for hours.) and keep working hard on the book. If any of the said women are reading this--thank you. Your enthusiasm means a lot.
Because of you, today I write.     

This Title Sucks Butt

A quick update for you:

Adira is getting so much better! I've put many hours into shaping her each day since I realized she's not who I want her to be. 

Today I watched Disturbia (one of my favorites) and studied Cale's character to see what I love about him, since I wasn't sure. He's not a super complex guy, but...I like him. So, I got a lot from that and will be looking at some of my other favorite movies the same way. Why movies and not books? Movies are quicker and I don't get caught up in them as easily.


Now onto new business:

I've never liked the title Picture Perfect. I picked it the night before my manuscript was due simply because when I emailed my prof, completely freaking out about having no clue as to what I wanted for a title, she told me it didn't matter--I just needed a title.

I told myself I would change it later, and I just never have. According to this article I just read, it doesn't matter that much anyway because the publishers will probably change it. They know what sells.

I still haven't come up with a title I like (though to be honest I haven't put much thought into it yet). What I have been doing in the past ten minutes is playing with this. If you didn't follow the link for whatever reason, it's a random title generator. For funsies, here are some titles that made me laugh and that I will not use:

...

The Cracked Birth

The Lover's Pleasure (We all know what kind of book cover that belongs to!)

Splintered Sex (lolwut)

Hustler in the Truth
Body in the Someone

The Forgotten Sex (I don't know why I find all the sex titles funny...)

Wet Time (Oh, dear.)

...Ok, I'll stop now. I should go be productive or something. But, hey, at least I found out what I don't want to use for my book! That's partially productive, right?

What's Her Name

I want Adira to stick with people. I want her to move the people who read about her. I want her to be this great girl who goes from victem to survivor heroine. I want people to want to be like her.

What I don't want is for someone to tell her friend about this this book and have it go something like, "Oh, yeah, the story was about this girl...what's her name? Well, I don't really remember her, but her friend was cool, and that guy was cute..."

I still feel like Adira is not quite right. Working on this third revision has been terribly difficult, and over the last few days I realized it's because Adira is a half-formed person that I don't know well enough to write a story about. I know her story--where she starts and where she has to finish, but Adira doesn't possess all the qualities to make her awesome and three-demensional along the way. If her personality had a face, I'm sure it would look like this:

Which is, you know...Picasso. I'm not an artist and I don't spend much time analysing paintings, but this chick looks kind of weepy and about to fall apart into itty bitty pieces. And frankly, she's not easy on the eyes.

I'm revamping Adira and making her into who she should be--a strong, leading young woman/heroine without a cape/someone I hope you'll all love.   

Betas Wanted!

Today I printed out Picture Perfect as it is--260 pages of hard work--and I am going through it as if I'm reading someone else's book. I have a bright green pen in hand, and I'm marking it up. It's so exciting, and I feel like I'm in the final stretch, where things get really gnarly, but I can see the light at the end.  And the light looks breathtaking!

A lot of people hate on what I'm doing. One of the perks about actually doing this is that I'm daily proving them wrong. They'll see that when all this work come to fruition. (My goal is not to prove them wrong, it'll just be...a little nice? I hope that doesn't sound bad.)

Of course, my goals are to touch people with a story that needs to be told, and eventually make a living of doing what I love. God has given me this dream, and I am dreaming big! I can't tell you how excited I am right now. And I can't tell you what those dreams are, exactly, because I would blush--that's how big and crazy they are. (I know you wouldn't see me actually blush, but still...)

Coming up!

After I finish this revision, and am going to need beta readers.
beta reader: (bay-ta read-er) n: a completely awesome person who will read my manuscript and give me honest suggestions and opinions about the storyline, characters, grammar, etc.


My personal criteria for beta readers:

• Honesty. You can tell me if something is boring or cliché  or doesn't make sense--I promise I won't cry. (Though you can be honest in a nice way...)
• You can't show it to anyone. NOT A SOUL!! So, you have to be trustworthy and give me your word you won't let it be stolen. Plus, I have ways to prove it was mine first, and you will be in huge trouble.
• You can't take it and not get back to me for a year. I have to move on with it, so reading it in a timely fashion is much apprecaited. What does timely mean? ...How about a month? Sound good? It's not a long or complicated book.
• You have to like young adult fiction. My target audience: females age 12-20 or so. You can be older--I am! You just have to enjoy books for that age group. And I guess you can be a guy, but you have to like this sort of thing.  
• You have to like reading and/or writing because how else will you know whether or not it's any good?

If you need a refresher on what this novel is about, here is a link to my very first post, which describes the book.

I am going to need multiple betas because the more feedback I get, the better. So let me know if you're interested!   

 

 

     

Fancy That

Check this guys' blog out! He says some good stuff about writing.

In other news: I wrote a short short today called Locket for this contest. The short has to be exactly 78 words. Not one word more or less. I normal don't do shorts, but I'm quite happy with this one! Here it is.

Claudia pinched the locket between her thumb and forefinger. She wished she had noticed the ticking earlier. Wished she had peeled back the tiny picture and seen the countdown.

Fifteen seconds left in the game.

Her life or thousands? A whole stadium. Claudia’s husband and baby waited at home. No clue about her secret sport. Tonight was date night.

Claudia yanked the locket bomb from its chain and consumed betrayal in one, hard swallow.

Let me know what you think! Thanks, my loyal and noble readers! (Ohhh, now you have to say something nice because I said something nice about you. haha. Kidding. I always welcome constructive criticism.)

   

Fuzzy Brain

Today, as soon as I sat at my computer to write, I whined. Like a five year old. It was annoying, even to myself. My boyfriend told me to quit whining and just do it, but...but...

I mean, I'm going to. Right now. Right after I procrastinate by writing this.

I like writing, really, I do. Revising, though, is not as much fun. It definitely has its moments, like when something changes and it's so much better. But most of the time, I don't look forward to it.

Holly Lisle sends emails out every week, and this weeks made me feel like a normal writer (whatever that is) because she talked about how hard revisions are--much harder than writing the first draft, and especially if it's your first time. Which it is. A light flashed on above my head, like "Ahh! This is what I should be feeling! This is what writers from many places and times are/have feeling/felt!"

This is her website, full of so many writer goodies. Sign up for her email if you write, too. She's hilarious and gets me through so many bouts of whining over my keyboard. Check her out. She has a place in my acknowledgments one day, most certainly.

Ok, I truly am going to work on the revision now... 

Time Will Tell

So far in revision three, I've come to the exciting realization that I know my characters better! Better than when I first dreamed them up and put them in the story, and better than when I tore then apart and put them back together again for the second revision.

I'm finding that I have to change the way I introduce them because I now know how they work, think, talk, carry themselves. I know what makes them tick. What they hide and what they tell. They have depth like real people!

I thought I knew all this before, but it wasn't until I spent months with them in revision 2 that I truly got to know them. I like my characters much better now, and they make the story even more exciting to tell.

Name Changes

I didn't want to, but I understand the hang-up, and it had to be done. So, I did it. I changed two character names.


Nadine "Dino" is now....(Wait for it! It's not as cool, but I think we can all get used to it, and it will make Adira's name that much more unique in the story.)...Lucy.

And Landry is now named...Jason.

What? Why??

A lot of people who I'd let read some of the story said the names were hard for them to get past. They kept getting Adira and Dino mixed up because of the similar "d" sound. And so many people in one group wouldn't all have such unique names. Unless this were The Hobbit. It's not, though, so...

A couple people did tell me they liked the names (so did I!). Thank you if you were one of them. Names are one of my favorite parts about creating a story. BUT if the names are such a hang-up to so many people, then they can't stay. I don't want to give any readers a reason to put the book down because the story  is so much more important than a couple names.

I'm happy to say, though, that Adira is still Adira. That name's a freakin' gem to this story.

Finished! ...And Starting!

This afternoon, August 13, 2011, I finished the second revision of Picture Perfect with 76,221 words, 332 pages!

If you know me at all, I do not run. Right after I finished it, I saw my parents leaving the driveway on a walk. I couldn't possibly wait to tell them\, so I threw on some clothes and actually ran after them. that's how excited I was.

It feels so wonderful! Thank you, God! Thank you. Thank you for giving me this book idea and for blessing me with so many people who support me in this.

I mean, it's not complete yet. I have more revision and editing to go through. Then I need some beta readers. Then more editing and revising. My goal is to have it ready to send out by the time I turn 22. So I have to work diligently.

Ahhh! I'm so pumped!

Two thumbs up because I'm so pumped!

 

Endings...Suck.

I was supposed to be done with the second revision of Picture Perfect yesterday, but I was busy one day, emotional the next, busy again, busy, busy...

Actually, I'm just afraid of endings. I totally could have fit it into my week. So. Deep breath.

I'm going to suck it up and barrel through the end. If it's cheesy or unrealistic, or if the whole town is hit with a  supernatural plague that didn't exist in the whole story, it_doesn't_matter. I can fix it, throw it against a wall to test whether or not it's done enough to stick, and chew on it to see how it tastes.

To get there, though, I just have to do it. Ending's are freakin' scary, but not as scary as my wonderful supporters who I hope support me enough to at least remind me I won't ever be a writer unless I write endings.

And now, my favorite (actually, the only one I like) quote about endings:

Endings are hard. Any chapped-a** monkey with a keyboard can poop out a beginning. But endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always going to b%@#&. There's always going to be holes, and since it's the ending, it's all supposed add up to something. I'm telling you--they're a raging pain in the a**.
~Chuck Shirley, Supernatural (Eric Kripke's goodbye speech)

A Million and Two

You know  what helps give me drive to finish this book and work really really hard on it so one day I can find an agent and get published and hopefully touch someone's life with Adira's story?

The fact that I have people who believe in me.

And for every scoffer and naysayer, there's somone who does believe in me.

To my loved one's who do, a million and two thank yous.

Also, a long time ago I promised a picture of my writing board! Here it is.

Those little stars on the side? That's my progress meter! Each star has five lines that represent a thousand words, which, if you're at least nine years of age, you know means each star is worth five thousand. I started this meter at 30,000 words, and my goal is 80,000. I have seven thousand words to go before this revision is DONE. Yes. Done. This calls for celebration.

Knock Knock! Who's There?

I'm not entirely sure why, recently, I've used bad jokes as my titles...

I have a little piece of excitement to share with you. I was writing the other day, and Adira opened a door. Both she and I had an idea of who would be on the other side when she opened it...but it was someone else. And it turned the situation from sunshine to hide-in-your-basement-or-in-the-bathtub-if-you-don't-have-a-basement kind of storm. It was scary. And I was just as surprised as Adira!

Sometimes I feel like I'm reading the book instead of writing it. Those are the moments that thrill me and give me that little push I need after all the time I've put into the novel. There are times I don't feel like writing, but those moments bring all the excitement back that I had in the beginning. I hope my readers will enjoy those parts of the book just as much.

I leave all good surprises out of these blog posts because I have to save the good stuff for when it's all finished and in your hands. One day you'll see.  

Happy

I'm sitting at my desk, with the sun shining in all it's orangeness through my window, Lemon Lift Bigelow tea next to me (not my favorite, but what I have in the cupboard), and my writing tie is on. Oh, and I'm in my pajamjams.

I'm about to write, and it feels a bit like I'm in a Disney movie. Like I might just burst into a song that's brewing in my chest, ready to burst out and dance in the air before my keyboard.

Why? Well, the sunshine and tea help a lot, but I think the real reason is because I took a look at where I last left off--and unfortunately, it's where I was in my latest blog post--and decided not to care about cheesiness for now. If need be, I'll clean it up later.

This is a moment for Adira. A real God moment. I've had plenty of those, so I know what it feels like--the completely wonderful smile-like-a-dork-and-tell-all-your-friends-after-either-crying-or-jumping-around-the-room-making-high-pitched-squeaks-of-joy feeling. Those are the best moments. So, I'm taking those, and weaving them into the story the best I can.

No over-thinking, just writing from my heart.

Too Much Cheese Can Block You Up

And no one wants that.

Likewise, no one wants to read something super cheesy because...well, it's lame.

My aim in Picture Perfect is to tell it how it is. I want every bit of the story to feel real to my readers. Thing is, I also want to include God in the story because He's a huge part of my life and part of the story I want to tell.

I'm not saying God is cheesy--because He's not at all. But...if you haven't noticed, a ton of Christian stuff is super cheesy. T-shirts. Movies. Books. Bumper stickers. Websites. While I appreciate the meaning behind all of it, I do wish it didn't trigger my gag reflex. (Is that harsh? I mean, Christians have gag reflexes, too.)

One of my favorite authors and inspirations, Melody Carlson, does a bang-up job of writing Christian YA fiction. If you haven't read her, and you like the sound of my book, you should definitely give her a try. I love everything she writes.

The Bible is another example of non-cheesiness. It's not all rainbows and sunshine, after all.

Even having read Melody Carlson and the Bible, it's hard to write God parts of the story. I want my book to appeal to Christians as well as non-Christians. It's easy to write the real-life stuff, but not so easy to not write cheesy Christian stuff.

I find myself stuck on a God-part as I write tonight, so I thought I'd share this with you. Here's what I have at the moment:

[Note added 3/4/14. Excerpt has been removed.]

This is leading up to a huge God-moment for Adira, and I want it to feel huge to the reader. The God moments also need to be real, so I'll tell that exactly how it is, too.

Now, I might crawl into my toasty bed and think back on all the sweet--none of them cheesy--things God has done with me. I'll imagine how He'd be with me if I were in Adira's situation. Maybe I need to stop thinking about cheese, and if need be, clean it up later. Or add some fiber... What's the literary equivalent of fiber?

Film, negatives, spools, and darkrooms. Oh my!

Adira is, as I said in the first blog post, an aspiring photographer. Naturally, she knows a lot about the art.

I do not.

During editing, I've come across a lot of this:

I stepped into the darkroom and turned on the safety light. I felt the pressure and adrenaline that always comes with developing a perfect role of film. [INSERT STUFF ABOUT DARKROOMS AND DEVELOPING FILM]

I've known, since I chose this hobby and aspiration for Adira, that, at some point, I'd have to learn about photography. So that's what I'm doing! Via YouTube. How-to videos are just the best.

After a couple videos. I'm going to test out my new knowledge and try to make it seem like Adira actually knows what she doing. And you get to see it first. (Oh, dear.) 

I stepped into the darkroom and turned on the safety light. I felt the pressure and adrenaline that always comes with developing a perfect role of film. From just under the table, I pulled out the three water jugs I needed. The smell of Rodinal tickled my nose pleasantly, like walking into a house that smells of freshly baked cookies.
With the chemicals ready on the counter, I wound my camera and took out the film I'd used at the park. Careful not to crinkle the film, I held my breath and wound it onto the 120 film spool, holding the edges lightly between my forefinger and thumb.
Wound. I let my breath out and felt the flawless work I'd done. I hoped these pictures would be the ones I'd send in. I was out of ideas.

There you have it! I hope it sounds natural.

Your researching blogger,
Jessie

We're Not Dead

Neither I, nor the novel, is dead.

I just wanted to let my readers know this because after I said I'd be making new posts every Monday, I stopped posting. Tsk tsk on me.

I'm so very sorry.

Reasons:
-Slacking. (I'm done with this one and will get back to work now.)
-My computer has the blue screen of death, and it's quite annoying when it randomly blue screens and I have to shut it down. This hasn't gotten fixed yet, but my computer and I are learning to work together on this...somehow.

You may be wondering how the novel is going. I'm currently editing, which is tricky business since it's easy to skip over my own mistakes. I figured since I've been slacking, it would be a good idea to read over what I already have before I write any further, so I can get back into the story. And while I'm reading over it, I may as well edit.

Special thanks goes out to those of you who have asked me how it's going in person. You're a huge part of the reason I realized I should stop slacking.   

Unto Us a Book is Born! Well, Not Really Born...More Like Squeezed Word-by-Word Into Being.

Reader, this is my blog. Blog, this is my reader. Now that we're acquainted...I'm writing a book! Yes.

Ok, a little background (I promise it's very little). I went to Hope College for two years, took some sweet writing classes, then dropped out. In one of those classes, the goal was to write a 50,000 word novel in twenty eight days. That's how this book began.

This book, in case you were wondering, is called Picture Perfect. I'm now revising it.

I want to be a writer. God wants me to be a writer. So, I decided that if I want that and God wants that, I should probably be a writer. What better way than to stop wasting thousands of dollars on an education when instead I can educate myself by doing?

Now I'm writing--to the point where I want to bang my head into a wall--everyday. And I love it!

I'll stop blabbering now and tell you briefly what Picture Perfect is about.

Seventeen year old Adira, an aspiring photographer, comes back from her mission trip to Mexico with a dark secret. She hides the truth, wanting nothing more than to see the world through the rosy lens of her camera. Along with her secret, she buries her faith and denies God. Only when Adira finds out her best friend may meet the same terrible fate does she reveal the truth of what happened in Mexico. She must find the strength to trust love again in a world that has hurt her beyond repair.