When we do what we like to do
and get thanked for it,
we don’t quite know
what to do with the thanks,
in as much as we do
appreciate the gratitude.
~ Kat
Gratitude
10 Sunday Feb 2013
Posted in From my flat: The chronicles of Cat, Poetry, Writing
Category Archives: Writing
Over to you great author
27 Tuesday Nov 2012
Posted in Writing
Dear Friends in NaNo,
As NaNo draws to a close, I’d like to simply say this. I will not be a NaNo winner. How does it feel to say those words out loud? It feels okay, actually.
My first novel writing experience went this way.
- I mapped out my novel, outlined the plot, described my characters, et cetera, et cetera. An iPad app called ‘A Novel Idea’ came in really handy. It’s the best tool I saw out there that could help a newbie like myself.
- I did my research. I loved this part. I was just short of taking a trip to where my novel is set. I get a rush just thinking about it.
- I even narrated the novel to a very willing and seemingly entertained listener, from start to close to end. I was that psyched about it all.
- Then I wrote. Ideas, scenes, more ideas more scenes. Fed them all into my A Novel Idea app, while updating my word count in another app called typepad. I was writing, finally. Yay!
A Novel Idea – great app.
But then I seemed to have a bit of an issue. Continue reading »
NaNoWriMo Openers
03 Saturday Nov 2012
Posted in Writing
Yes, yes, I know you’ve heard – NaNo is upon us and all that – but you may not have seen or heard about this, trending right up there with Mitt, Barack, and the Prime Minister’s office: NaNoWriMo Openers.
What would the first line of your draft epic novel sound like? How would/does it go?
Take a look at these, from Twitter. Be inspired/amused, and share your own, if you will. Among those is one of my own. No, not my actual opener, but something along the lines of what I’m working on.
NaNo is upon us
01 Thursday Nov 2012
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, if you’re a blogger you’ve heard that November is National Novel Writing Month, that time of the year many bloggers/writers make a mad dash to pen a 50,000 word novel in a space of 30 days. The idea is that you just write, put simply. No looking, no intensive editing, no excuses.
This may sound crazy to many but published novels have actually come out of NaNo. Of course at the end of November what you’ve got is simply a rough draft, but at least you put in the time; and a brilliant idea may come out of it. Some also choose to devote the time to a work in progress that promises a good book.
To get ready for NaNo, I’ve been looking around for useful resources, seeking to hone my craft. Writer’s Digest has been useful, and it led me a number of other very helpful sites. Flogging the Quill turned out to be one if my favourites. Ray invites readers to submit their first chapter for a critique, and he posts a first page critique, giving his opinion as to whether he would turn the first page or not (& why) , depending on the writer’s work. Other readers/writers are invited to critique, comment, and vote on whether or not they’d turn the first page.
Turning the first page, here, is synonymous with an engaging read. Ray lists the following 6 vital storytelling ingredients from his book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells, advising that ‘While it’s not a requirement that all of these elements must be on the first page, they can be, and I think you have the best chance of hooking a reader if they are.’
