Critiquing Fear

It’s the first day of a new study period for university. I click eagerly through the university website, glancing through the course outline. For my introduction, I have to introduce myself as a character. Well, that’s  different. And then…

I have to critique someone else’s introduction.

At once the panic starts to rise. Help! Critique someone’s work? But I’m not very good at writing myself. I don’t know how to give a good critique. I don’t want the other students to hate me for pointing out faults in their work. I’m having a panic attack and I haven’t so much as clicked the mouse yet.

It’s a funny thing, but no one seems to like giving critiques. My course is a creative writing course, and yet everyone is saying ‘Oh your work is wonderful. I love such-and-such about it’, and nothing else. Which is all very nice to hear. I can’t help smiling and feeling just a little bit clever. But at the same time, comments like these aren’t going to make me into a better writer. They’re just going to give me a big head.

So, if I realise that this is not the way to help people, why do I feel bad when I post a critique that both praises and criticizes a piece of writing? I might not have a piece of paper that tells me I’m qualified to help other people with their writing, but I can tell them what didn’t work for me. It’s an opinion, nothing more.

I think that this fear of critiquing someone’s writing comes from fear that I’m going to hurt the other person’s feelings. Even when I’ve spent an hour writing and rewriting the same hundred and fifty words over and over trying to phrase the critique in a way that I hope won’t offend, I’m still worried that I’m going to be making them feel like their work is terrible. I’ve had enough bad days of my own where I think that my writing is terrible to want to give anyone else a day like that.

But saying that everything is perfect, that’s not the way to help anyone improve. If we were all perfect already, why would we be taking this course? So I write and rewrite that critique over and over again, trying to word it just right, trying to gently show the other people where they might improve their writing and make it stronger. Not to say that I’m any good at this. It’s true, I’ve never done this before. But if I truly want to help the other person, I need to show them the good and the bad, in the nicest way possible. Critiques, they don’t seem to be easy things to write, but they are necessary if we're to grow as writers.

Quests and Saving the World

There are lots of things that I like about fantasy novels, both reading them and writing them. Characters can go to amazing places. There can be magic. Elves, dwarves and dragons are all commonplace. But one of my favourite things about fantasy novels is the quests.

Quests. Those epic adventures to find the solution to all their problems. Whether it’s a quest to kill a dragon, to find a magic gem, or, as in my novel, a magic tree made of living crystal. When a small group of people band together to go on a quest to save the world from a fate worse than death, how can we not cheer for them?

Frodo Baggins went on a big quest to throw the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. He and his small band of friends went across Middle Earth to save it from the powers of Sauron. One small band of friends to save the world. It seems impossible, but that just makes the end all the better when the small band defeats the mighty armies of the bad guys.

Quests, the perfect Q word for a fantasy lover like me. No wonder I write quests and read them. What are your favourite quests?

NaNoWriMo, the Big Writing Challenge

A year and a half ago, I discovered an exciting sounding challenge called National Novel Writing Month, where writers from around the world set out to write a fifty thousand word novel in the month of November. It sounded very exciting. And so, with only a few days to go before the start of the month, and with not a single idea for a novel between us, my three sisters, my mum and I all signed up for the big challenge, the younger two girls setting their own goals through the Young Writer’s Program.

November first, and we sat down to write. What would my novel be about? Would I be able to make it to the end of the word count before the month was over? I hoped so, and worked hard to make sure that it happened. My novel was a mess. Everyone talked over their ideas and gave each other suggestions as to how to keep on with their novels.

And by the end of the month, every single one of us had crossed the finish line with time to spare, from my nine year old sister to my mum. On the last day, we celebrated our victories, laughed at the awful quality of our novels, and made plans to come back and do it all again the next year. After working on fixing these novels of course.

The next year rolled round, 2012, and five people turned up for NaNoWriMo once again. This time we had out novels a little more planned, had a better idea of what was required of us, and brought with us even more determination to win than before. And did we win? We sure did. Another five winners celebrated on the last day, just as before.

And this year? Are we planning on going for our third NaNoWriMo wins in a row? You bet we are. We’re a family of writers. Writing novels is what we do.

Reaching the End

I'm sitting at my computer, fingers tapping on the keys. The Crystal Tree sits open before me, and I'm writing my way towards the end. It's been three weeks since I started the draft and I'm making my way towards the end. We're in the final scene. I'm trying to compose the last words. Endings are so hard in so many different ways. My fingers are moving quite slowly at the moment. I don't want the story to end. Not yet. I don't want to leave my characters and my world just yet.

But there, the last words are typed. Probably the worst last words in the history of writing. Endings never were my strong point after all. But it doesn't matter, that's what editing is for right? I sit back then and look at my nice long document and think over the story just written. It has to be the best first draft that I have ever written, thanks to a bit of planning.

And suddenly I'm not sad any more. I'm happy. It's done. It's finished. I wrote this draft, made up this story myself. It's not the best story, not yet. But it's getting there. And there is editing to do. Hang on, don't I not like editing? I should be cringing at the thought. but instead all I want to do is jump straight back in and edit the book until it shines and matches the beautiful picture in my head.

Nope, can't do that now. Must let it sit and stew for a while. Now it's time to be proud of finishing the draft, and then I'm ready to jump straight into planning the rewrite of another novel. Time to start laying the groundwork for another great story. That's the good thing about writing. The fun never really ends. When one story finishes, there's always another to take it's place.

And there's always a chance to make a mock cover for one's book too...

Deep Characters

I've spent the last three or so weeks finishing up my planning for "The Crystal Tree", and while I've been planning, I've also been thinking about what strikes me about some of the books that I've read recently and have really, really liked.

The book that struck me the most was The Help by Katherine Stockett. I read the whole book within a few days, and by the time I'd read the last page there was just one thing going through my mind. 'I wish I could write characters like hers. I wish I could write such deep, individual characters.'

I have found that the characters I like best are the ones that have depth. I like the ones that you can feel have a story away from the pages, a life that has been lived outside of the confines of the story. I like deep, well thought out characters who feel like they have a past.

And thinking about this made me think harder about all my characters, not just the main characters. I wanted to know, what were their stories? What had happened to them to make them the way they are now? Why does the noble girl bully the other students? What made the villain choose his course? What were they like as children?

Thinking about these kinds of questions has really helped me build a better picture of my characters. Before, my villain was just a bad guy who wanted revenge. Thinking about his past showed me that he never felt that he was good enough, and that he made bad choices to try and prove that he was good enough. He was a deeper character, and, I think, a better one for it.

Despite the time it took to work out the histories of my characters, I hope that my book will be all the better for it. Because if I love to read about deep characters then I should definitely write them. Because I'm sure that there are other people who like well thought out characters too.

My Next Big Thing

My friend Jeff Hargett from Strands of Pattern tagged me for the "Next Big Thing" blog hop. Now, whether or npt it's the next big thing I leave up to you, but it's certainly my next big thing. So without further ado, here is my next big thing in ten questions and answers.

1. What is the working title of your book?

The Crystal Tree. Originally it was called Song of Healing, Song of Hope and was part of a trilogy. However, for the second draft, I changed the name to something that now fits a bit better. Though I'm sure that it will change to something more exciting when I have a better idea of the story.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've always been interested in music and, being a lover of fantasy, I also love magic. So what could be better than to combine them? I wanted to write a book where songs were magic for a long time before I wrote this. And then I got the idea of a tree made of crystal that is magic. Combining the two gave me the idea for this story.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

YA Fantasy. YA Fantasy is my favourite genre, and it just made sense that I write in the same genre that I read. All that magic and invented stuff. So much easier to write than the real world.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I...have no clue. I don't know that many actors to tell the truth, and I never thought about casting my characters before.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

As luck would have it I spent a while working this out in preparation for the second draft of this book. And it's hard work boiling down an entire novel into one sentence, but here it is:

A young girl saves her country from a vengeful, exiled magician by sacrificing her magic.

6. If you plan to publish, will your book be self-published or published traditionally?

I would love to have it traditionally published, and certainly, that would be where I would look first for publishing. But first that means finishing the book...

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I wrote the first draft for Camp NaNoWriMo, and from memory writing the draft took me around ten days, though I don't remember the exact amount.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm having a hard time thinking of this now. There are probably plenty of books I could compare it to, but I can't think of them...

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

After getting the initial idea, it was the discovery of Camp NaNoWriMo that inspired me to write this book. I had the idea and the Camp, and it seemed like the right time to write it. So I did.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Well, readers are interested in synopses right? So I'll share my freshly written one here.

Briar’s future is simple. She will graduate from the Academy of Song Magic as a song healer and spend the rest of her life working in a small country town.

However everything is changed when an exiled magician returns to the country of Kerr with an army, a thirst for revenge, and more dark magic than any magician has ever seen before, starting his war with an unexpected attack on the Academy of Song and taking Briar prisoner

With the help of some unlikely friends, including a griffin hunter who hates Song Magic, and a palm sized dragon, Briar must escape from Sachio’s camp, and then find the legendary Crystal Tree, the source of light magic and possibly the only thing that can stop Sachio's revenge.

As Sachio and his army move closer and closer to completely conquering the country, Briar must find the strength to wield the full magic of the Crystal Tree. But doing this will mean sacrificing her own magic... for good.

So, that's my next big thing. I'm supposed to tag people for this, but sadly I'm not sure who to tag. So, what's your next big thing? What fantasy books would you compare this to? What would you like to know more about with this book?

On NaNoWriMo and Second Drafts

It's three days after the end of this year's NaNoWriMo and I'm sitting here thinking about writing. This past month has been a good one writing wise. In one crazy, writing filled month, I've done more writing than I've done in any other month of the year. And I have plenty of good material now.

I'll be the first to admit, not everything I write in November is any good. Maybe even less than half. But inside the bad writing, the spelling mistakes and the clunky prose, there's a spark of a good idea, that something that got me writing in the first place.

There might not be a workable novel yet, but the ideas are there, and I certainly have a starting place for a good second draft. Now, at the beginning of a long summer break, might be the best time for me to get going  and to start working on the second draft of one of my novels.

So it's time for me to put away my NaNoWriMo writing and let it sit and stew for a while. And it's time for me to choose a novel from another NaNoWriMo session. It's time to break out the notebook and the coloured pens, and it's time to get planning, pulling out the hidden gems in the last draft, and creating a plan for the next one. And then it'll be time to get writing.

One of these days I'll have a draft that I'm proud to show everyone. It's just going to need a bit of work, that's all. And with a whole summer ahead of me, and a year of writing behind me, I think I might finally be able to have a go at doing this.

Outlining to November

Now that it's October, NaNoWriMo is well and truly on the horizon. And that means that writers around the world are getting their novel outlines ready for the big day. That includes me. Normally I wouldn't be thinking about my novel yet, or preparing anything. I'd be sitting back, letting the planners plan, and waiting for November 1st to roll around so I could start pantsing my way through my novel. But not this time.

No, this time I've decided to have a go at being one of those planners myself. This time I want to see if taking the time to plan before November will leave me with a better, more coherent story at the other end of the month. And so, like every other NaNo planner, I'm working on an outline of my novel, hoping it'll be ready in time.

Of course, I've never actually planned anything before. Always before I've jumped in feet first and made everything up as I went along, which is exciting, and very fun, but not really that good for having a solid plot by the end of things. So I don't actually know a lot about planning at all.

Which is where my new favourite writing book comes into it. I've been reading K.M Weiland's "Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success". I've never much liked the idea of outlining before, but this book has definitely helped me find a style of preparation that I actually like.

With the help of this book, I'm working out my plot by writing out every idea I have in a notebook, and allowing myself to come up with every sort of ridiculous idea, and finding the good ideas among those. I'm even starting to get an idea of my characters by just writing down everything I think about them. With this style of planning, I think I'll definitely have a good idea of my plot before November.

I can't say I'll come out of this knowing every scene, every character, every event, or even every chapter. The pantsing side of me doesn't like the idea of that. But I will hopefully get to November and have a good idea of where my plot is supposed to go before I start. And maybe, just maybe that'll help me have a not quite so completely rubbish first draft.

Are you preparing for NaNoWriMo? Have you read this book? What writing books would you recommend?

Camping Again

Camp NaNoWriMo

July has simply flown away. I don't know where all the days has got to. But with the approach of August comes the approach of something else, something very exciting. August Camp NaNoWriMo! Yes, I'm gearing up for the start of more NaNo.

Having NaNo in two months so close feels a bit strange. Only a month in between camps in which to res and recover and prepare for next camp. But at the same time it keeps the writing streak going longer. And certainly, by the end of this camp I'll have plenty of novels to work on before November.

NaNoWriMo has helped me get plenty of first drafts out already. It feels like all I am doing is drafting sometimes, but I'm also experimenting. I'm learning more about novel writing by actually writing. And, despite what it feels like, I'm working on the finished novels, slowly and surely. Certainly though, I think after this camp, it might be time to learn more about the editing side of things and make some of these novels all pretty and shiny and finished.

But for now, there is August Camp. Anyone else joining me on the virtual campsite for next month's challenge?

Returning from Camp NaNoWriMo

With the end of June has come the end of Camp NaNoWriMo. No more evenings spent madly thumping the keyboard in an attempted to write down a novel. No more days forgetting that there is a world outside of novels. No more talking to my characters and getting annoyed when they run away with the plot.

Thanks to Camp NaNoWriMo I've met friendly writers from all around the world. I've finished a new novel, and I've collected my winners badge on the last day. I've thoroughly enjoyed my month of novelling madness.

Now I'm back, and ready to get back into real life again. Which means I'm back to blogging, crafting and drawing again. And planning for next month's August NaNoWriMo, in which I do it all again!

Did you do Camp NaNoWriMo? What did you spend your month doing? Anyone planning on joining me for August?

Writing With Friends

Camp NaNoWriMo is flying ahead. I've written thousands of words, and I'm really enjoying myself during this month. In fact, I think I'm enjoying myself more this month than I did in November. Which made me stop and think, why?

The main difference between Camp NaNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo is actually something I've done. I got involved in the forums, and that has made all the difference.

Writing in November, it was me, and my family. I had all my sisters and my Mum doing it. But apart from them, I had no contact with anyone in the NaNoWriMo world. I avoided forums like the plague, and stayed in my own little world, the embodiment of the solitary writer.

But this month, I took the plunge. I commented in a few forums, and suddenly, I've made a million friends. It's filled with writer who love writing! Not surprising, but very exciting. I have a group of friends now who will word war with me, rejoice when I have a great writing day, share excerpts of their novels with me, and laugh and joke with me.

And it's changed my whole camp.

It's fun. It's motivating. And it's good to know that there are other people, other than my family and blogging friends who are cheering for me, and for whom I can cheer.

So, from this I have learnt an important lesson. Writing is so much better when you have writing friends.

Creativity Breeds Creativity

The first week of Camp NaNoWriMo is over, and I'm starting to notice a strange, but encouraging thing. Being creative makes you more creative.

Since planning my novel for Camp NaNoWriMo, I've been struck with ideas for another four novels, plus I've got many, many ideas for the next rewrite of another book. This is the most ideas I've ever had at any one time. Being creative has given me a rush of ideas.

My theory is that being creative opens up the creative part of your mind. You're thinking creatively, so you're ready to have more thoughts, ready to be hit with more inspiration. And once you start, those ideas are (hopefully) going to keep flooding in.

So my advice? If you want to be creative, go out and start thinking creatively. Because being creative makes you more creative.

Shiny New Projects

There's something wonderful about a brand new project, whether it is writing, drawing or any other kind. In my case, it's a writing project, the novel I'm planning for Camp NaNoWriMo.

I can see it in my mind, every word perfect. The characters grow naturally and perfectly. They act like real people, with real emotions. The story will stay with readers long after they've closed the book. Everything is tinted with a golden glow.

That's how I imagine a new project.

Of course, I know that once I get into the writing, the characters will refuse to behave. They'll refuse to act properly, and they'll steer the plot off course. My writing won't do justice to the story in my mind, and I'll waffle, hunting for and missing the right words. The novel will become an almighty mess.

But, I still have that image in my mind, the goal I'll work for. And I'm excited to start writing, getting into the rocky regions of the first draft. Because I know, out the other side sits the perfect story, surrounded by it's golden glow, and that's what I'll work towards.

How do you feel when starting a new project of any kind, not just writing?

Camp NaNoWriMo

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll already know that I love the NaNoWriMo events. I completed NaNoWriMo last November, and Script Frenzy this April. Now, a new event looms close on the horizon: Camp NaNoWriMo.

Camp NaNoWriMo has only been around since last year. It's exactly the same as NaNoWriMo, except that it takes place in June. Oh, and in August. Camp NaNoWriMo runs two sessions a year.

Well, as soon as I heard of this, I knew I just had to sign up. After last year's NaNoWriMo, I can't wait to race through 50,000 words again. I want to sit at my desk every spare minute, racing against the calendar. And this is novel writing. Much as I enjoyed Script Frenzy, I am a novel writer at heart.

So, I'm plotting a new story, washing my writing gloves and packing my bags for Camp NaNoWriMo. Anyone else care to join me?

Swords and Bows

I love weapons. Swords, bows, knives, anything remotely fantasy connected. I love them all. It might have something to do with the fact that I love writing fantasy novels.

My fantasy characters are so lucky. Somehow they all seems to end up with amazing weapons, and all end up knowing how to use them. I am frankly envious of my characters, who learn how to fight with a sword, or shoot with a bow and arrow. It just seems so unfair!

The closest I can come to this however, is imagining I have these awesome weapons. Which then brings up another problem. Which weapon would I choose to have?

Swords are always dear to me, with their showy sounding fights. A good sword fight is always welcome in a book. Plus you can always have a legend involving a sword, or have one with fancy engraving on the blade. Knives are fun too, especially throwing knives. I'm not so sure about spears though. And axes are definitely not my style.

No, out of all the weapons, I think I'd be a bow-girl. These weapons are so graceful, and very practical. You can defend yourself long range, and pick up a roast for dinner at the same time. Plus, there's something very elfish about bows.

What weapon would you chose to have if you could have anything? Would you have an old fashioned weapon like a sword? Or a more modern weapon like a gun? Can you suggest any other weapons that could be used in a fantasy story?

Magic, Minstrels and Script Frenzy

I've written several posts about Script Frenzy so far this month. I've talk about what Script Frenzy is, what I've been writing, and how I've been writing. I've posted about what scripting program I'm using and I've even posted some Script Frenzy inspired art. However today I want to share the news of my triumph. Yes, Charlotte and I have written our 100 pages of script.

It's been so much fun writing a script. Magic and Minstrels, our musical, finished up with 89 pages and a lot of laughing. Somehow, every script writing session had to have a laugh or two in it as the characters went from one hilarious situation to another.

But that's not our only project. We also started writing a TV series based off the Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton. We've only just started the first two episodes. What about the rest of the series? Is it fated never to be written?

No! We've got plans for the rest of the month, plans that involve much, much more script writing. Fr Brown is quite safe while there are days in the month. We could stop writing...But we won't. Because we love it. Script Frenzy, the page count is going to rise.

Write Together

In an earlier post I talked about Script Frenzy and how Charlotte and I are co-writing a musical. To make our script writing last until 100 pages, we've also started writing a TV series, which give us two scripts to work on. Two scripts means we can both write at the same time. And two writers means a 'write in'.

Writing is almost always a solitary occupation. While Charlotte and I write the same script, we don't work on it at the same time. It's the same with novels. Always we write on our own. And that can get a little lonely.

We found the solution to this problem however. This afternoon, armed with music, chocolate and two laptops, we sat down to have our very first Script Frenzy 'write in'.

Out fingers flew over the keys. The sounds of two tortured keyboards filled the air. Somehow, the knowledge that someone else was working just as hard as me spurred me on to work harder, longer and better.

Together we worked of hours, hardly noticing the passing of the time. Two hours solid work past in the blink of an eye. Two hours I never would have worked through on my own. A marathon of writing, made easy by the fact that there was another person writing alongside me.

Writing together makes things more fun. Script Frenzy will fly by as long as I have Charlotte working alongside me. Write ins are amazing fun, and so productive. If you want to get a heap of work done, work with someone else. It's amazing what you can do.

Do you like to write with another person? Do you find it easier to concentrate and get more work done? Or do you fine it distracting?

Celtx

When you're spending the month writing a script, it really helps to have a proper scripting program. While looking around the Script Frenzy site we came across Celtx, a free, web based scripting program.

Well, the first thing that caught the eye was the word 'free'. As long as it formatted our scripts in anything like the right way, it'd be ok. We created out free accounts, downloaded the free desktop version and started writing.

One day in and I was in love with Celtx. You could make a title page, take notes on the scenes, plan out new scenes on virtual notecards, make notes about your characters and it formatted everything for you. Writing a script with Celtx was a breeze.

It wasn't long before I found another great feature of Celtx. It has templates for so many other kinds of writing. It'll format your screenplay, graphic novel and radio play. And, most importantly, it has a template for a novel. Well!

Celtix is now my favourite writing program. My current novel is transferred, with chapter breaks, title page and notecards. My script Magic and Minstrels sits waiting for me with the easy formatting. Yes, I love Celtx, and I can't wait to try out the other templates.

Have your ever used Celtx? What writing programs do you use?

Magic and Minstrels

I've never written a script in my life. Yes, I've read massive amounts of Shakespeare and a fair few Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, but I had never actually thought about writing one. Certainly not writing one in a month.

But it's April, and the start of Script Frenzy, the month of script writing, and of course we're involved. How could a family of writers pass this opportunity up?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Charlotte and I are team writing a musical. Not that we know what we're doing, or know where we're going. But ten pages in, we've got characters and a problem, plus lots of songs. Who knew song writing was so easy?

With four minstrels constantly arguing which love story is the greatest, a prince with a hot air balloon and a taste for adventure, a captive star princess, an evil magician and a sphinx, this musical looks set to go. Welcome to Magic and Minstrels.

It's all fingers flying as we pound our way towards the distant goal of 100 pages.

Anyone else writing a script this month?

April Frenzy

Script Frenzy

I've always thought of myself as a novel writer. Somehow, I never got the hang of short stories. Poetry, while fun to read, never appealed to me as a writer. No, I was a novel writer. Didn't I complete NaNoWriMo last year?

Well, that was before the discovery of another month long writing challenge. Script Frenzy. Run by the same people as NaNoWriMo, Script Frenzy's challenge is to write a 100 page script in one month. It can be any kind of script, from TV series to stage play.

The inner writer in the Elvis girls rose. How could we pass up on a challenge like this one? No, we simply had to sign up. Of course, none of us had ever even considered writing a script before, but that simply wasn't relevant.

That same afternoon, we had decided on what kinds of scripts we were going to write. All of us decided to write scripts for stage plays. But the genres were highly varied.

Charlotte and I chose to team write a musical. We have high visions of it turning out to be a work of art, something to rival Gilbert and Sullivan's famous operettas. Not that we had even the slightest idea of how one worked, or even if we'd ever manage to write music for it.

Sophie decided on a romance, a surprising choice. She struggled to choose whether to have a death or two in it, or not.

Gemma-Rose is adamant she is going to write a tragedy 'like Shakespeare.' Everyone has to die according to her, even though we try to persuade her you need one character left to say the epilogue. She wanders around, notebook in hand, collecting interesting ways to die.

Three totally different genres, and we haven't even worked out what our plays are going to be about. Something humorous for the musical I think. Maybe some mistaken identities, and paradoxes. We've got a big book of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas to gather inspiration from.

Come April the first we'll be sitting down at our computers, new documents open, ready to start on out newest challenge.

Is anyone else doing Script Frenzy this year? Has anyone done it in the past? Got any good advice for four novices?