Bones, Muscle, and Skin

NaNoWriMo... Here I go!!!

It's now November and I am participating in National Novel Writing Month again. This will be my third year doing it. The goal, as always, is to reach 50,000 words. And it is not about having a perfect product, it's about getting the story out of you.

If I could give advice, which I don't ever like to do, since if one thing works for one person does not guarantee it will work the same for another, but people who want to write many times get stuck on the little details and rewrite... and rewrite... Truth is you could rewrite forever and never feel satisfied. Many published books are publish simply because the author finished them.

As I see it, there are three stages in writing - Bones, Muscle, and Skin.

The Bones of a story comes out to a completed manuscript, but is never perfect. Bones are only the framework of what can be accomplished. If you are worried and missing details, I wouldn't. If they are in your head at one moment, they return, I promise.

The Muscle is the second rewrite - gives your work strength and a strong bond to characters, situations, and gives you better clarity and understanding of, not only the reality of the story, but also background, or what's to come.

And Finally the Skin. The skin of course it the beautiful package. It is where the story begins to live on its own. The Characters could make decisions and stand on their on without you; the world turns, the plants grow - you believe it and then others will believe it too.

You are giving birth in a sense, to this child and soon it will walk away from you. So don't stop writing, give your ideas a chance to live. NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity for that. Give that idea you have been kicking around some bones and see what happens.

Wish me luck!

If any of you are thinking about doing it, search for me - cani-jo and see how we do.

http://nanowrimo.org/

http://youtu.be/miBhmLA62O4

Death, Babies, and other Distractions...

My new favorite things at the moment...

The last few weeks have been interesting. Here I am trying to finish my book... I mean literally moments from finishing and I have hardly had time to do so. Here are a few of my tiny distractions.

• Grandma Leah passing away. You might think, well, she was old. But even though it was been nearly a week I really am still shocked that she is not here. She was the neatest lady and I always thought she would out live us all, but it came swift and sudden and now she is with her husband and twins again. God bless her...

• Travel.... travel... back and forth... 90 miles this way and that... my g-ma had a stroke and we went to see her before she passed, and then came home, when she passed, there was another weekend spent 90 miles away in Logan. And with so much family around it was so fun, but completely distracting.
  

• Babies!!! My sister-in-law is having a baby girl. Have two stinky boys finally pink. She never asks for anything, but having a girl is a big deal and she deserves some pink, so me and my book club threw her a SURPRISE shower disguised as Book Club. I planned it before G-ma died and had to leave right after for Logan, but it went Awesome and I'm so excited.
  

• Halloween!!! AHH!!! Is it really tomorrow? I've had only 3 costumes to do - Candace Flynn (that's me), Mia is Junie B. Jones (and a dead ringer), and Jules is a girl Frankenstein (ala Monster Highish). Though the costumes are not hard, it took a lot of trips to Savers to get the right look.

• MY Blasted Cold. I felt it coming earlier this week, but I had to sing at the funeral on Friday and willed it away, but come Saturday I succumbed and right now life stinks.

• Work is crazy busy. Enough said. When I am rich and indeed FAMOUS, it would be nice to not have a grown-up job, but I do... :(

• ...and Vampire hunting - sometimes a girl needs some Count Chocula, you know? Any of the monster cereals are fantastic, but I have a ceremonial box of Count Chocula waiting for me when I finish. I can't wait for it.
  

But now that I have updated you all on my stinkin' life, I will go back to writing and finish this darn thing... thanks for letting me vent.... phew....

Mallow-creme Pumpkins ...nummm...

Daddy: What are you eating?
Mia: A Mallow-creme pumpkin.
Daddy: Where did you find that?
Mia: Under the stove.
Daddy: Gross.. and you ate that?
Mia: It wasn't that far under the stove.

SLump

No Chapter should ever take a month to write, but I finally finished 45. I can't say that will be the chapter that you read, since I plan on rearranging all the chapters, but when you get to it when reading the CONJECTRIX, I think you will all understand what I mean. It was all stuff I was building to but was sort of... avoiding.

...And Man!! It was SO hard to write. YIKES!! But now I am smooth sailing... I think. It's all down hill from now.

You may ask what exciting things I am doing instead of writing...

...Nothing...

But I promise, I will get out of this slump soon. I hope.