It was ugly but I won! December 1, 2010
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: fiction, NaNoWriMo, writing
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I did it.
It was painful… the rough draft ain’t pretty… but I did it. I hit the NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words in 30 days. I just finished today, the last day, with several hours to spare. I acutally have a little more to write but it all goes beyond my official final count of 50,155 words.
I have to admit, I had some doubts. Especially last week. I spent several days on my theory mid-term for school, and then we hosted Thanksgiving, so I really had no NaNo time. I was pretty sure I was, well, screwed. But I just tried to pick away at it over the weekend and especially last night. This morning I knew I only had to do 2,000 words, so I just tried to do small chunks over several hours.
Not the most elegant way to do it, but I did it. Sometimes winning ain’t pretty but it still feels good!
Now, 11 months to rest until the next one!
One Word at a Time November 23, 2010
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: NaNoWriMo, writing
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I’m up to just over 29,000 words in my quest to meet the NaNoWriMo goal. Okay, that means that I’m something like 10,000 words behind…
I was really, really doing well with my daily word count but then one of my mid-terms for school got in the way. And since I’m paying a ridiculous amount of money per credit for this, I had to put it in front of my creative writing. Unfortunately I do need to sleep at some point. But I haven’t given up yet, and that’s the point right?
So, I’ll keep picking away. Maybe I’ll make the deadline, maybe I won’t, but I definitely won’t give up…
That’s at least a little something, isn’t it?
Just a little crazy October 31, 2010
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: NaNoWriMo, novel, writing
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Apparently, I don’t think I have enough to do.
I’m looking for a job (oh, joy!)… I’m going to graduate school… and I have signed up to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. It starts November 1.
So, what, you ask, is this “NaNoWriMo” thing?
Well, NaNoWriMo stands for “National Novel Writing Month” and participants who sign up attempt to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1 and November 30. Yea, a bit crazy, I know.
The official NaNoWriMo Web site says: “National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30 … Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, 
and write on the fly. Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.”
And that’s what I like about the whole thing – getting the idea out of your head and onto paper (or into the computer) before you start fretting that you have the perfect word or that one chapter isn’t quite flowing into the other one yet. Editing can come later (and it has to), but you gotta get the darn thing written first.
So, I have my general idea… I have a basic plot… now I need to get a lot of Mt. Dew and be ready to write my 50,000 word draft in 30 days!
Wish me luck!
TapTapTap August 17, 2010
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: fanfiction, freelancing, writing
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Gotta love the click of the keyboard.
I’ve managed to do more writing lately – go me! – although most of it is not writing that I had planned. Big surprise, aye?
The manuscript is still languishing, but I’ve been having some fun with fanfiction. I’ve worked on a new story recently that’s going reasonably well. I’ve also been getting good feedback on a previous story that’s given me some good things to think about for future work. I’ve blogged a little and I have written more bloody cover letters than you can shake a stick at.
I’ve even managed to find a couple freelance jobs where I’ve actually been paid to write, and I certainly can’t complain about that…
So, now it is back to the taptaptap of the keyboard and see what comes out next…
When Did That Happen? July 12, 2010
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: Blue Phoenix Communicatinos, fanfiction, freelancing, manuscript, writing
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Recently, my “fun” writing has been pretty stagnant. My new manuscript, well, I guess I can’t even call it new anymore since I feel like I’ve been working on it forever, is just languishing. I have a rough draft done, but I keep second-guessing where to start it. I know I usually have trouble at this point in my writing process, so I’m not ENTIRELY surprised but it is still frustrating.
I go in fits and starts on my fanfiction. I find that comes in a rush when it comes at all. I had a bit of inspiration around a TV series I watch, and have multiple chapers set, but I feel like I’m revisiting some of the same themes. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I wonder if I’m not just telling the same story with different characters. Well, as long as I’m having a little bit of fun, I suppose it doesn’t matter much.
What I am surprised about a little? I am sort of a small business owner now. I got laid off about six months ago, and looking for a job? Well, it sucks. The competition makes it crazy. But I have managed to land a couple freelance jobs and I’m a finalist for another that would give me some regular work. Not enough to live on at this point, but fairly steady. I’m competing against eight or nine other folks for a couple spots. My final assignment is due this Wednesday.
But if I’m going to freelance, I figured I should make it official. So I went down to my town office and filed my official DBA and I am now Blue Phoenix Communications.
Maybe this whole layoff was the Universe’s way of telling me to try something new.
We’ll see how it goes – wish me luck!
Not Dead Yet July 6, 2010
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: fanfiction, graduate school, jobs, writing
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Well, look who is finally back at her blog. Yea, that would be me.
This time I really want to spend more time on this one and my other blog, Silver Snow Dragon. And yes, I know, you’ve all heard that before and the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. We’ll see how I do.
So, this blog was supposed to be focused on writing as a general guiding topic. Well, seems I’ve been doing a lot of writing lately. Of course none of it has really been focused on my original fiction. Why doesn’t that surprise me.
What have I been doing you might ask? Well, in January I joined the ranks of the unemployed. Lucky me. Well, in some ways it was lucky. Part of me is glad that I got out of the crushing corporate machine. I’ll have to go back at some point, but the break has been good for my head, I’ve got to admit that.
I’ve gone back to school. Yep, after more years than I care to admit, I’m a student again. I am in Emerson College’s graduate program and I’ll have a MA in Communications Management when I’m finally done. So far there have been several papers, so I’m getting my writing in there.
And I’ve been entertaining myself with some fanfiction. I know some people who read this will poo-poo the idea of fanfiction, but y’all can piss off. I find it enjoyable, it is a good creative outlet for me, and I’ve met some really cool people by doing it.
Well, I’m still here – screaming and kicking at times – but I’m enjoying the ride.
They’re Only Words February 27, 2009
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: regret, time, writing
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Made a little progress the past few days on my manuscript. Little truly does mean little. I probably sound like a broken record all the times that I grouse about how little time I have to write and how much other stuff I have to do.
But the other stuff is is all stuff I’ve chosen to do. Stuff I like. Like my riding. There was a point where I wasn’t riding so much but then I had the chance to get back into it, and I realized how much I’d missed it. It takes up a lot of time, but I love doing it.
But my writing has suffered for it.
Do I regret it? Sometimes. Like tonight, I’m blogging and not writing.
But there is always tomorrow and I’ll get some done this weekend. I will. Might not be much, but it will be something.
Progress Not Perfection February 3, 2009
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: Adanya, manuscript, story, writing
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The title is something a friend of mine says from time to time and I try to keep that in mind with my writing. I’ve managed to get a little bit done the pat few days, which makes me happy. I’m not done by a long shot, but I think I’ve gotten through two more chapters for my Adanya story.
Now, I just need to keep up the momentum so it is time to stop blogging tonight and get back to my manuscript.
Just Can’t Win January 14, 2009
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: books, literary agents, self-publishing, writing
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I was reading a magazine the other day – couple articles about writing in general and gettng published. This one had a good piece about getting an agent.
And one of the first things they said was basically (and I’m paraphrasing here) “If you *sniff* self-published, most agents are not going to be interested in your work.”
I self-published. So now I have cooties?
I get the fact that an agent wants to discover someone, find that diamond in the rough who will turn into another JK Rowling or Danielle Steele or whoever. Really, I do get that. But aren’t agents possibly throwing away a vast pool of potential talent with this albeit generalized feeling about self-published writers?
Don’t get me wrong, not every author (regardless of who published them) is a great writer. I’ve read a few self-published books that are downright terrible. Is mine perfect? Hell, no. But I chose to self-publish after some considerable thought, and I feel like I learned a LOT about my writing, my ability to self-market, how to choose a proofreader, what friends are good support friends (they’ll love whatever you write no matter how awful), and which friends will tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothin’ but the bloody truth.
I didn’t self-publish because I thought my book was “better” than everyone else. I did it because it was an opportunity that I thought was worth taking advantage of.
Would I do it again? Maybe. I’d shop around more if I did.
But it is too bad that there are some agents out there who wouldn’t give me the time of day because I’ve already self-published a book. Am I the next JKR? Probably not.
But you never know.
Long Strange Trip January 10, 2009
Posted by firemaiden in Uncategorized.Tags: Darkstar Rising, fantasy, novel, writing
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Hello!
Don’t know how many people will visit this who have read my book, “Darkstar Rising.” If you have read it, THANK YOU! If not, it is a fantasy novel and you can learn more at www.firemaiden.net.
I have been slowly working on my new book… I call it Adanya for short because that’s the name of the main character. The tentative title is Seafarer’s Secret but who knows.
This one has been tough. I think that at the start I tried to make it too much. I had told myself that I was going to create a trilogy and I think I put too much pressure on myself. I should have just written the story and then figured out if it created a trilogy or not. Forcing it doesn’t work.
But, I’ve been making a little more progress lately, although it is hard sometimes to work on it as much as I’d like. Funny how the day job and all the other pieces of life fill up your day.
In any event, I’ll sign off this log and then try to get a little writing done… I’ll post again sometime soon. Promise!
