CONTEST: of interest to beginner-writers, like myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not pretend to be an expert.

I am not published.

My own projects are still in the works.

I can’t even make edible dinner rolls! (ask me later)

All I can brag about is the fact that for two months now, I am writing without a break, doing my research, and trying to reach out to other writers like myself.

What do you have to do: make at least two comments on this blog from April 21 through April 25, and leave a way for me to contact you (either an e-mail, or a link to your own blog).

What you get: You will be entered into a draw for my honest opinion on your piece of writing. It cannot exceed 1,000 words, but I will spend some time breaking down what I think of your voice, topic appeal, and clarity of sentences.

Why am I qualified to judge your writing? I’m not. Really. My credentials come down to “I like to read, and I have an opinion.”  If you dare to enter anyway, then comment away!

Writer’s blog: It’s Nothing like Austen

Someone pointed out, ever so kindly, that my blog title “Almost like Austen” was a bit presumptious. Of course it was, that’s why I began my first entry here with “Okay, it’s nothing like Austen. Not even a little bit.”!

Now, who reads the very first entry these days? No one. And that leaves me comparing myself to one of the greatest writers that ever lived. That wasn’t the idea, I swear!

To remedy the situation, and not to give off “I’m certain I’m ever so cool” vibe, I change the title. There. I hope you will stay with me here.

You would think…

… that it would take me less than two months of blogging to figure out how to allow people to subscribe to my blog! *shaking her head*

It’s a miracle I have any readers at all. Anyway, now that I’m caught up with the times, and in with the cool guys, feel free to use the subscription for RSS feed in the side column to stay in touch. 

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Updates

BARILLIA: I’m working on chapter 4, and simply having fun by thinking up  harmless (for now) alien creatures. I’ll have you know that as far as vegitation goes, instead of grass Barillia is covered with lichen. I learned quite a bit about it on wikipedia today.

DRAGONFLY ISLAND: Lily and Renoi “lose” the prince for a while. Which gives them a chance for a little romance magic. I don’t know if it’s clumsy or real. I keep concentrating on getting the events out on paper. I can’t allow the critical self to slow me down here. That’s what editing stage is for, right? Right?! RIGHT?!

I know I’m right…

I have a planet to settle: a purple frog and a flying bunny.

Since my middle grade novel is a sci-fi, I am now in a position of settling a planet: giant mushrooms and purple frogs, can it get any better?

It is a little bit like settling my fantasy island in DRAGONFLY ISLAND, but the difference is, I have to start from scratch. I don’t think I can throw in a mermaid on the said planet. Just as well… a flying bunny will have to do. Aliens are fun!

P.S. I never would have guessed I would be writing a Sci-Fi novel and enjoying in. Ha! Live and learn…

I’m trying something new: polished first draft, anyone?

 While DRAGONFLY ISLAND will end up being an editing nightmare by the time I’m done with the first draft, I have a different plan for BARILLIA. I’m forcing myself to make sure that each chapter is more or less presentable before moving on to the next one. I’m really curious to see how this works out.

Am I really doing this?

That’s right, I added another project. I can’t imagine stretching beyond this into anything else, yet here it is…

I will be focusing my energy on YA fantasy DRAGONFLY ISLAND and, check this out, middle grade novel BARILLIA.

I can’t stop. I have to tell both stories. I will be very proud of myself if I pull it off. By the end of April, I fully intend to have 10K added to my fantasy  novel and 20K words down for my new project; I want to keep the details on BARILLIA to myself for a while. The only thing I am ready to reveal is that my middle grade novel is inspired by my fourth-grade students. 

Oh, and maybe one more clue… 

An excerpt from a scene I worked on today:

“The field before us offered a magical sight. Tall grass covered thick, knee-high mushrooms and berries the size of pumpkins. Danko was jubilant! He couldn’t help himself, but to skip around from one wonderous fruit to another. He gave hugs to berries, staining his shirt with juices, pretended to hide behind mushrooms, and ran around wild and happy as a child should be.“

If you are a writer…

You will love this place. I discovered it last week, and it is my new favorite forum to visit. I haven’t been posting there much, as I am still overwhelmed with all the information. 

ABSOLUTE WRITE WATER COOLER

I hope to see you there

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Playing God: writing history behind my island.

I always thought this would be a boring part. Quite honestly, I understand the necessity behind it, but I figured I would do it only because I have to. Who would have thought that I will be enjoying this? Believe it or not, summarizing the war between the human kingdom and the magical beasts is not that boring after all.

Things I have to explain for myself and the reader:

* Why outsiders cannot see the island? (DONE)

* How come Dragonfly Island is divided: humans and non-magic animals on the wings side, and the magic-folk along the tail of the island? (IN PROGRESS)

* The governing of the human kingdom: history behind the royal family. (I’m struggling with this, but to be honest, I just didn’t get to it yet).

The bad part? Most of the notes I am making on the topic do not go directly into the novel, and therefore I fall more and more behind on my word count goal… It doesn’t do much for my fuzzy proud feeling of progress.

The good part? After doing more reading on expectations for YA novels, it seems that it will be more than okay if I land somewhere around 50K. I was worried that if I pushed it to 80-90K it would come out too wordy and forced.

Off to work.

P.S. I have almost 500 words down for my second project. Working title - Butterflies on Halo.

Oh, SNAP! Not another writing idea…

I’m feeling a little bit hysterical at the moment. I’m all over the place between the happy, and the sad, and the overwhelmed. 

I started another project today. Another novel. 

Don’t worry, I worked enough on this one. About five pages of notes in a notebook, and a map to think through the physical portion of the journey: how many miles a day, where each planned encounter would happen, the motivation of the characters, etc. I even wrote a bit on history of the island! What I’m trying to say, I am by no means forgetting my island fantasy with mermaids, and wild hounds and what not.

But! This new idea is so good, so simple, so tempting to jump into… It was born out of “writing a query” exercise from this brilliant blog http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/ . (Don’t ask me why I’m jumping into exercises like that when I have a pile on my plate <insert an eye-roll>).

For this new project, I already answered ALL of the most important questions. Who the main character is and how she will change. Her motivations, hopes and fears. The plot advancement, the tone, the climax and the resolution… Done. Solved. Answered! *sigh* 

Where do I find the time?! I can’t stop writing, and what if all of it *pardon my french* sucks?! 

I have a full time job, thank you very much, and I am forced to get up by 6:30AM. 

Anyone knows what I’m talking about? Should I be drinking energy drinks and write until I fall asleep on my keyboard, or do I need something like chamomile tea?

*holding up my HELP banner; nice and high*