Writing Wednesdays

I said yesterday that I would talk about a new project today. Its also an old one too. Its a novel that I started during NaNoWriMo, that National Novel Writing Month back in 2008. I have pulled the manuscript out many times, sometimes thinking I really want to finish and rewrite it. Sometimes I think its just garbage and not worth the time and other times there are some elements that I really love. They don't want to let go of me. Sarah read what I wrote and marked it up pretty good with her red pen. It needs a lot of work. The time she told me it was probably a trilogy I got really frustrated because I just wanted to take one of my November novels and finish it.  This is turning out to be a bigger project than I intended. So once more I put it aside.  Sometimes there are projects that you are just supposed to do and I think for me this is one of them.

I've always been pretty transparent on this blog. I show my successes and failures. I share the entire journey in the hopes that by my example another person will have the courage to follow their own inclinations. I don't claim to be a good writer or really to know anything about what I am doing but I do  know how to share.  I think that in putting a public face on this it makes me more accountable.  So here is my plan. I am going to share what my work in progress is about, what kinds of things I am doing on a weekly basis to move me towards my goal.  You can come along for the ride or just skip my Wednesdays posts.

The working title for my novel is The Raven Story. My main character is a woman named Zia who grows up in a Native American type culture.  She travels with a wolf named Kael that she communicates with telepathically. She 'll be on a journey searching for her father whom, she feels holds the secret to her existence and several other mysteries. The Ravens are a race of people she will encounter.  I have a pinterest board with some images for inspiration.  You can see it here.

I have been reading other fantasy's to become familiar with how other authors are doing this.  The latest being The Seven realms series by Cinda Williams Chima  To be a good writer you really need to be reading a lot of books in your genre, so I am trying to do that.


My first draft has several areas I want to work on first: strengthening my main character, creating a more in depth culture for her to come from. So that means research.  This week I am reading the Little Wolf Medicine's book on the Wolf.   I am hoping for some factoids to flesh out my wolf character a little more. I will also be reading Nail Your Novel : why writers abandon books and how you can draft, fix and finish with confidence. I am sure it will be helpful. To help me with my character development I will be using Characters and Viewpoint, from the Write Great Fiction Series.


I'll report in next week on how this all went.

Catching Up

I am trying to catch up but I feel like I am weeks behind everyone else.  After ten days of company, everyone has gone home now.  Time to reflect on last year and pick my word for the year. Alas there are already things starting that need attention.

I wanted to share with you some fun free things out there in cyber land this January.

Milliande is doing her Art Journal January series again.  She has a video daily, there is some awesome inspiration there.  You can check it out here.

The Sketchbook Challenge has started also.  Its a year long project that will really encourage you to get that sketchbook out and use it.  You can start any time. There are guest artists and monthly prompts and giveaways and fun to be had.  Check it out here

Strathmore Online Classes featuring their new line of Visual Journals began Jan 1.  These are free classes. This month Pam Carriker is doing a class and there will be 2 more additional classes in March and May by Linda Blinn and Roz Stendahl.  You can check those out here

Then there is Make over your writing in 31 Days.  It really more of a blog than a class with daily posts and ideas.  You can see it here 

This is what Santa brought me for Christmas. I have wanted a good camcorder so that I can start filming online classes myself.  So now I have no more excuses, I have the equipment I just need to learn how to use it and start filming.

Word of the Year, I have been thinking about this for some time. I was leaning towards Wellness but lately the word I had thought about choosing last year seems to be resurfacing.  Last year I almost chose finished or completion but changed my mind and embraced the word bliss.  Now once again I am drawn to finishing things. So I do not know if the word should be finish, completion or focus or follow through.  I have been looking for the word that encompasses all of this but I haven't figured out what it is yet. If you have a suggestion I would love to here it.

This past weekend I had some spinning/knitting friends visit from Utah. I pulled out lots of UFO's and went to work on some on them. I finished a pair of fingerless mitts for my sister and finished a sock for Sarah, just have to do the other one.  I had another sock 1/2 done so that is being completed now. I am coming up with a plan to finish all these things I have lying around.

Now that is just knitting, I have lots of writing projects in the unfinished states and I'd like to tackle one of them and just complete it. So I think this week I will take some inventory and see what it is that I am willing to spend the majority of my time on.

How are you planning on spending your time in 2011?