Owner: The Writing Life URL:http://nienkehinton.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:56:33 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The successes and challenges faced by an aspiring novelist. Includes information on writing and the writing life. Lots of resources and links. Site statistics:Click here
Let's get writing!! 2006-10-22 18:59:00 Most writers often complain about lack of discipline. Why not try and inject some discipline into us?
Well, Melly from All Kinds of Writing has come up with a brilliant idea.
We will set up a group in, say, Google or Yahoo! or something.We won't talk about writing
in the group, but we'd write.
Here's how Melly thinks it might work:- We'll "meet" twice a week at set times, let's say (this can all change). For example: Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET. We could communicate via a Yahoo conference chat.- Before 9, all participants will post their goal for the hour-long-session. Examples:
- My goal is to write 500 words.
- My goal is to finish chapter 4, or that complicated fighting scene
- My goal is to work on the outline for chapters 11-20.
- My goal is to find a market for my latest short story and submit.
You see, very specific goal.
- Then, at 9:00, I'll sound the bell and everybody would start working.- The session will be an hour-long and at 10:00 I'll sound the closing
Snow & NaNoWriMo 2006-10-13 16:31:00 Happy Friday all! My condolences to those of you living in the Buffalo area. But hey, maybe if you're home for a snow day you'll be able to get some writing done! Although I suppose it will have to be with pen and paper with no power!
Eric has a great pre-NaNoWriMo
post over at Quantum Storytelling: "Cooking Up Some Creative Constraints"
Angela Booth also has some NaNoWriMo QuickStart posts to help participants get ready. Check "em out here.
I have entered NaNoWriMo this year - my first time. My user name is Nienke. Who else is going for it this year?
So you think you're good with words? 2006-10-12 03:14:00 Let's just see how good you really are!**evil laugh**
Also, link of the day:
"Write Now Is Good."
Read more:think
Back with working links (and a hat!) 2006-10-10 02:02:00 Well, I'm back from an awesome week. I hope all my Canadian friends had a nice Thanksgiving. I certainly did. Spent lots of time with family all weekend and also had the pleasure of some down time. Now, I'm at the computer, and aside from blogging, I'm also writing!What did you do this weekend?Thanks for letting me know about the bad links
on my last post. I blame Blogger. In any case, I'm reposting them and hopefully the links work this time. Between Your SheetsWe Write RomanceAccess RomanceSuite 101 Creative Writing WorkshopRomance Ever After - The Writing CraftMyra Nour on WritingLittle Willow's Archive of Author InterviewsTop 10 Blogs About Writing and Publishing43 Things - Write A Novel43 Things - Write a BookKaren Kelley's Writing Tips (some funny pieces!)Lucy Monroe's Articles for WritersEvolution (a writers' group dedicated to free and open creative expression in all genres)Oh, and S. William, thx for cleaning out my fridge and feed Read more:working
conference, links 2006-10-04 15:47:00
I'm off for a three-day business trip to Deerhurst Resort. It is a beautiful place but, unfortunately, I am solidly booked day and night for the entire time I'm there. Oh well. I am bringing my Alphie in case I get some time to myself.
And, for your surfing pleasure, some links
I've come across in recent Net travels:
Between Your SheetsWe Write RomanceAccess RomanceSuite 101 Creative Writing WorkshopRomance Ever After - The Writing CraftMyra Nour on WritingLittle Willow's Archive of Author InterviewsTop 10 Blogs About Writing and Publishing43 Things - Write A Novel43 Things - Write a BookKaren Kelley's Writing Tips (some funny pieces!)
Lucy Monroe's Articles for WritersEvolution (a writers' group dedicated to free and open creative expression in all genres)
Okay, that's probably enough to keep you occupied till my next post.
Keep on writing, folks!
Read more:conference
Friday's Excuse Not To Write 2006-09-29 19:54:00
Reprinted with permission from 101 Excuse
s Not to Write
.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated with your writing?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The Squeaking Noodle recently posted about writing a book in one hit.
Noodle says, "writing a book can be easier than people want us to believe."
Go check it out.
Read more:Friday
Writing comes first!! 2006-09-25 23:07:00
Oooh, I like this very much. With how crazy my life's been lately, finally a goal and way of thinking I can implement!!
The Writing Comes First Campaign by Lazette Gifford.
And, I also like Carter's logo:
What writing goals have you set for yourself, and do you meet them?------------------------------I also want to mention that Lauren Baratz-Logsted's book VERTIGO releases today. Pop on over to her site and congratulate her!
VERTIGO is a literary novel set in the Victorian era with erotic and suspense undertones, was found by both Publishers Weekly abd Booklist to be entertaining, with the Boston Globe favorably comparing it to the work of best-selling author Ruth Rendell. It should be available in bookstores everywhere today or you can follow this link to its Amazon page.
Read more:comes
Author Interview: Colin Harvey 2006-09-21 17:45:00 ColinHarvey
Colin Harvey is the author of Lightning Days (Swimming Kangaroo Books, 2006) and Vengeance (The Winterborn Press, 2005). He is a member of the Horror Writers Assosciation, and reviews for Strange Horizons on a regular basis. Colin is a member of the Management Committee of the Speculative Literature Foundation, and for the last two years has been one of the judges for their Travel Grant. He is currently
working on his newest novel, The Silk Palace, for 2007 publication.
What made you become a writer?
When I was nine, my teacher set us an exercise to each write a one-page story. I loved the act of creation, and from then on, I wrote longer and longer stories, until I began to think that I ought to let someone else see them!
Tell us about
Lightning Days
and how you came to writ
e it.
It's the present day, in South-Eastern Afghanistan. The world is hit by a string of tsunamis,
earthquakes and other unexplain Read more:Author
I'd like to introduce you... 2006-09-14 20:11:00 ... to my heroine and hero.
I've been working with Karen Wiesner's
First Draft In 30 Days
on creating characters. I like her method because I don't have to do it all at once, I can add to it whenever I discover something new and relevant or when I need something new and relevant. I'm really enjoying the process and thought I would introduce you to the two people I've been spending a lot of time with.
Meet Maggie Stokes:
At the start of my story, she is 18 years old. She is a high energy person with too much ambition for her own good. She wants all there is out of life, but life has a way of trying to hold her back.
Arthur Case.
Arthur was orphaned at the age of 8 and now seeks the attention and family life he never had. Unfortunately, he is in love with a woman for whom marriage and family are the last thing on her mind.
Stay tuned for more. I'd say preorder your copy now, but at the rate I write, you might be waiting a few years!
Do you use pictures to help develop
Ahh, the good life 2006-09-10 15:45:00
This is where I am spending my 4-day weekend (my best friend Mar's cottage on Georgian Bay).
I've come prepared with my Alphie and 'First Draft in 30 Days.' So, between caesars and hikes, I'll spend a little time with my heroine.
Friday's Excuse Not To Write 2006-09-08 22:06:00
Reprinted with permission from 101 Excuse
s Not to Write
.
and besides, I'm going up to Georgian Bay to be with my best friend for a few days.Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be back on Wednesday!
Read more:Friday
How to write a novel 2006-09-07 15:38:11 Justine Larbalestier has an excellent post on how to write a novel
. Go check it out.
And the winner is... 2006-09-06 15:23:37 Drum roll please…The winner
of book giveaway is Jen (a la Sassy Devil).Jen, please email your mailing address to me at nienkeDOThintonATgmailDOTcom.
Jen wins a copy of Alison Kent's new book, Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Erotic Romance
.
Thanks to every one who contributed. Looks like this book may come in handy for quite a few people!
Pale Immortal releases today! 2006-09-05 14:39:00 Welcome to Tuonela, a sleepy Wisconsin town haunted by events of 100 years ago, when a man who may have been a vampire slaughtered the town's citizens and drank their blood. Now, another murderer is killing the most vulnerable...and draining their bodies of blood.Evan Stroud lives in darkness. The pale prisoner of a strange disease that prevents him from ever seeing the light of day, he lives in tragic solitude, taunted for being a "vampire." When troubled teenager Graham Stroud appears on Evan's doorstep, claiming to be his long-lost son, Evan's uneasy solitude is shattered.Having escaped Tuonela's mysterious pull for several years, RachelBurton is now back in town, filling in as coroner. Even as she seeks to identify the killer, and uncover the source of the evil that seems to pervade the town, she is drawn to Evan by a power she's helpless to understand or resist....As Graham is pulled deeper and deeper into Tuonela's depraved, vampire-obsessed underworld, Rachel and Evan team Read more:Immortal
A roaring success! 2006-10-27 17:57:00 Melly and I are pleased to announce that the first session of the Writing Session Group was very successful. Here is the final tally:
Melly - goal: editing and writing 500 words. Result: 90%R - goal: coming up with 3-5 scene ideas and write smthg up on each. Result: 100%T - goal: finish reviewing my NaNo outline and to make the difficult changes I know are necessary. Result: 100%L - goal: 500 words in new short story. Result: 100%.M - goal: work on character development, further story building, read over/edit existing section. Result: 100%S - goal: wiring a certain year of memoir. Result: 100%Nienke - goal: work on outline. Result: 100%
And, as Melly put it, "Yay us!"
Doesn't this make you want to come join? Huh?
Oh, and I also want to mention that I popped in on young adult novelist Arthur Slade, who was at the library near my work last night promoting his new book, Megiddo's Shadow. What a great show he puts on. The kids just loved him. I know Arthur because of his podcast for writ
Writing Session Group is a GO 2006-10-25 22:35:00 Those of you that expressed an interest in the Writing Session Group
can now sign up here. Your administrator is Melly and she has the first post up. The first scheduled writing session (ws) is tomorrow (Thursday) at 8:30 pm EST. Hope you see you there!
Let's get writing!
NaNoWriMo Tools & Tips 2006-10-25 15:44:00
For those of you participating in the NaNoWriMo
(National Novel Writing Month) this year, I've compiled a list of tools and tips to help you get started and keep you going along the way.
Nanowrimo Podcast 2006 - back by popular demand
Character Questionnaires - Get to Know Your Characters
Steve's Columns - lot's of motivational stuff
Feaths Bookcase: Writers resources, random generators, progress bars - fun!
The Writer's Software Companion - just in case you get lonely
The Scriptorium - writer's toolbox - for the writer who has everything
Language Is A Virus - NaNoWriMo tools & toys - for the writer who has more than everything
How to "win" National Novel Writing Month in 5 (no, 6) easy steps - courtesy of Write Now Is Good
National Novel Finishing Month - what to do with your manuscript after November 30
NaNoFiMo Resources Page
What are you doing to prepare for NaNoWriMo 2006? Read more:Tools
Are you ready? 2006-10-31 20:30:00 The countdown has begun. Wrinos are wishing luck to fellow wrinos. I am shaking with anticipation. Can I do it? Will I do it? Is it within me? I suppose I shall find out.
Good luck to all of you participating in NaNoWriMo this year. I hope to see you at the finish line, with the certificate of completion in hand, if that is what you are aiming for. I doubt you'll see much of any blogger this Read more:ready
The two elements of writing 2006-11-03 05:17:00 I was listening to an interview with Doug Lyle, author of
Murder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers, on Writers on Writing and he had some interesting advice for writers.
He said there are two elements
to writing
a novel: the art and the craft. The art is the storytelling and the craft is the structure of the writing. It's important to get the story told, then go back and worry about the structure. To me, that's what NaNo is all about, getting the story told - because I get so caught up in the structure element I never finish the art part.
How's everyone doing so far for word count? I'm a little behind, but I've dedicated a 4 1/2 hour train trip to Montreal tomorrow to writing.
Soooooo behind 2006-11-07 13:52:00 I am tempted to list excuses for why I'm behind
, but there are no excuses. Writing is either a priority or it isn't.
However, all is not lost. According to my progress chart, if I write 2030 words per day, I can still do this.
In the end however, I'm not going to be too hard on myself. After all, every word written - whether it's 50,000 or not - is a word I didn't have before.
On that note, I've just viewed the progress of my Nano buddies and some of you guys are doing awesome! Way to go Wrimos!
How's everyone else doing? Feeling?
love and writing types 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Cairo loves Piffy.My Dad created this picture from two photographs. I just think it's so cute.And, thanks to Lynn over at A Jolt of Reality for this one:You Should Be a Romance NovelistYou see the world as it should be, and this goes double for all matters of the heart.You can find the romance in any situation, and you would make a talented romance story writer...And while you may be a traditional romantic, you're just as likely to be drawn to quirky or dark love stories.As long as it deals with infatuation, heartbreak, and soulmates - you could write it.What Type of Writer Should You Be?Ha ha! Big surprise.What about you? What type of writer should YOU be?? Read more:writing
, types
A viral marketing campaign 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I've mentioned before that I like to support my fellow authors (and I like to win prizes), so I've decided to take part in the following viral marketing
experiment:I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package. $200 Amazon gift certificate Signed copy of Slave to Sensation New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy GameYou can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.SLAVE TO SENSATIONNalini SinghBerkley / September 2006Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memorie
Author Interview: Dawn Scovill 1970-01-01 00:59:59 DAWN SCOVILLDawn Scovill is the author of Immortal Bonds, to be released in October 2006 by ArcheBooks Publishing.Immortal Bonds is Dawn's debut novel.Dawn also has an online presence at MySpace, which includes her blog. What is the best thing about being a novelist? Thats easy: Response from readers who say I've hit the mark. Writers, in general, are impatient, needy buggers who have a constant jones for feedback and I'm no different. What is the hardest part of writing for you? Waiting. Waiting till the piece is finished. Waiting till someone reads it and says its good. Waiting till the agent/publisher, magazine, contest official, reviewer responds to a submission. Waiting for the book to come out. Waiting till the next opportunity to write. Waiting sucks. What made you become a writer? Until three years ago, I thought I'd started writing in fifth grade, which was when I got my first diary with a lock. I still have it. But, when my mom cleaned out my grandp Read more:Author
Wet Spots & Contraception - a Review and BOOK GIVE... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I was given the honor of being one of 24 writers given a chapter of Alison Kent's new book, Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Erotic Romance, to review. Kent gave me Chapter 22, "The Marriage of Fantasy and Reality.' Kent's book focuses on applying all aspects of craft to erotic romance, but it also addresses fiction in general. Writing about sex can be awkward. Yet, most romance sub-genres contain some level of it—some are even based on it. Most genres outside of romance also contain some romance and, with romance comes sex. When writing sex scenes, questions writers face include: How much sex to add?How realistic should the scenes be?How do you deal with sexual realities such as wet spots and contraception? These are only some of the topics covered in Chapter 22 of Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Erotic Romance. Kent addresses the subject of writing about sex head-on and discusses when and when not to deal with the realities (or inconveniences) of sex.
Blogging is important too 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Spent some of today organizing my various snippets of writing, so now I have a chronological and cohesive piece of work to continue with. Does anyone else do this? Write in notebooks, home computer, laptop, Alphie, work computer (on lunch of course!) and then have bits and pieces everywhere? Takes more time than I allotted to put it all together and make it smoothe. But, I needed to do it. Guess I'm just a smoothe operator...I've neglected my blog of late, tho I'm very fortunate to have many online friends who continue to support me through comments here and on my NaNo profile and via email and chat. Thank you all, it certainly helps! However, I've come to realize the importance of my blog by the readership base. We took in another (yes, another) abandoned kitty (10-week old Suki) and I discovered that he is an avid reader of my blog.Click here to see.Here's a close-up of Cairo with his new brother Suki: Aren't they cute? Read more:Blogging
Cool site 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I had some problems using this in IE, but Firefox worked without a glitch.Visual Thesaurus.How cool is that?
Need laughter or motivation? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 For those wrimos who need a laugh or a little bit of motivation
, I encourage you to listen to the follow Writers on Writing interview with Chris Baty (author of No Plot? No Problem and founder of NaNoWriMo).It's a double interview, with Baty following Literary agent Betsy Amster. Read more:laughter
NaNoWriMo - what I've learned 1970-01-01 00:59:59 CONGRATULATIONS to those who made 50k during November! You ROCK!I didn't make the finish line for NaNoWriMo
. However, it was very successful for me and I've learned much.Here are some of the things I've learned:1. Any writing is better than no writing.2. I can find time to write.3. I get gut rot from too much coffee.4. Writing 50,000 words in one month is hard!5. Once I get into the groove of my story, and I write regularly, the story stays with me and I think about it all the time.6. First drafts can, and usually do, suck.7. You can't rewrite or improve a blank page.8. It's fun to watch word count go up.9. (one I already knew) The online writing community is very supportive. Thank you - you know who you are.10. Hey, maybe I CAN write a book!!What have you learned?
Ready for Christmas? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As illustrated by my dwindling posts, I am busy with Christmas
and wrapping up year end deadlines at work. I'm actually ahead of the game in terms of shopping... I often leave most of it till the last minute. I'm also in the spirit this year, which feels nice. You ready for Christmas?Christmas Shopping"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukka' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukka!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'" ~ Dave BarryWhat do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?Claustrophobic.Play Evil Elves
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