NaNoWriMo

To write, or not to write, that is the question thousands of people have been asking themselves for the past month. Today started National Novel Writers Month. This is my first year trying it out.

Just getting set up is a little intimidating. Building a writing buddies list, reading and joining forums, getting encouragement for all quarters. My head spins thinking about it all.

I have been writing today. It's disjointed and sporadic. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to set a goal of 1,667 words per day. At the end of the month, if a person is diligent, they should have 50,000 words completed. That's enough for a full manuscript. What an idea - a book in 30 days!

Having the support and encouragement of other people in the same boat as you makes the endeavor more invigorating and exciting. Hope to find more of our group there. For those of you who are, please add me as your buddy - PattiMO. We also should be able to meet our goals for November doing this challenge.

Happy writing!

New Horizons

Here we are almost a month out from the conference and I'm lovin' it. I finished editing a short piece and sent on to the Publisher...now I'm just killing time, doing the patience dance. Which consists of working on my WIP, plot( I know... weird huh.) and getting in touch with my writing side.
A first happened to me a few days ago I was having coffee with a few friends, when two of my characters demanded face time. A story I put away months ago because I worked myself into a corner and couldn't see a window to crawl out. And there they were with a proverbial window.  Gotta love the way the subconscious works on ideas silently in the background. 
So now I'm writing more and working more than ever. Thanks to the conference and the extra boost of writing energy. 
Here I am with a schedule, some sparse outlines and creativity dripping from my fingertips. Write On, Write ON!

rememberences

First of all I want to say how glad I am to have rejoined the group. This is a professional organization and one I am proud to be a member of. In the current time of belt tightening I consider my membership as an investment. As we are all writers we are mostly loners. Yet we carry our characters in our minds, thus never truly alone.
In the last meeting it was suggested that we do a profile of our characters. To me a simple profile is not enough. First note physical appearnace, any physical disablity, manner of walking, manner of speach. Then pretend your character is a member of a dating service and is trying to find a mate. What would the request be?
Then have the character apply for a job. What would the experiences be?
And finally have the character visit his/her doctor. What would the complaint be and how would the patient handle it?
Of course no one character should impart all this information in a book, but it gives the writer a formula of sorts to know the under laying factors of the character's behaviors.
Does any one in the group have another method of knowing the hero and heroine more completely? What works for me might not for you. To me that is the greatest thing about writing, there is no wrong way, simply what works or not.
Feel free to jump in throughout the day and make any comments you wish. Any questions? Throw them at me. Enjoy this beautiful day. I think maybe Spring has sprung.