IWSG: The Cruelest Month

Well, I'm back from Camp NaNo. 

My Camp NaNo t-shirt and Minion pajama pants are covered in chocolate and peanut butter and marshmallow. I refused to use those creepy Camp showers so I smell like fear-sweat. And wine. (Oh, come on, of course I didn't use the showers! Where else would a serial killer/giant rat/super-flu lurk?) My huge flashlight has run out of juice and is battered and cracked.

Much like me and my WiP.

I have picked up and put down this story for years. I lugged it to this conference, shoved it at that critique group. I wept bitter, angry tears. I know in my gut the story is alive and breathing, buried somewhere in the muck of pacing problems and point-of-view issues. It's waiting for me to dig deeper, harder.

And I will.

Camp NaNo is over, but the year is not. I've got time - to get this done, to get this right. And so do you. If your creative plans didn't work out last month, don't give up. Let's go into May with a plan and a positive attitude.

My plan positively includes eating more s'mores. And writing, of course. Care to join me?

*****

How was your April? Accomplish a goal? Make progress on a challenge? Have any big creative plans for the summer? Anyone going to Camp NaNo in July?

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For more information . . . 

Time Off for Creative Behavior

It's time for the April session of Camp NaNo, and I am ready to go! I'm wearing my Camp NaNo t-shirt and my Minion pajama pants. I've packed all the necessary supplies - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, wine, a giant flashlight that serves double duty - it's bright enough to illuminate all the dark corners of the woods (and of my mind) and it's heavy enough to thwack monsters, stunning them so I can run away screaming for help from either the tortoises or my husband.

And I've got a story draped over my imagination much like Spanish moss. It's been clinging to me for so long now that I've lost track of how many drafts it's gone through. But enough is enough. Writing this novella/novel is my fight of 2018, and April is the next round. Who - or what - will emerge at the end of this month?

"Because after all, 

isn't writing a novel 

a survival story of its own?" 

(Kathleen McCleary)

I'm pretty sure I'll make it - having gained a few pounds and lost a few more marbles. I think the story will survive - bloody and twisted. As for some of the characters, well, let's just say they really could've used that heavy duty flashlight to fight back against the baddies. Not that it would've done much good . . . .

Mwahaha!

*****

Will you be going to Camp this month? Participating in the A-Z Blogging Challenge? Undertaking some other creative project? Good luck to us all!

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Since I'll be busy wandering around the deep, dark woods, weeping into my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups while wondering why I thought being a writer was a good idea, I'm taking a blogging break for April. I'll be popping in and out - as long as the flashlight works - but no new posts until May's IWSG. 

Goodbye, July!

I don't know about you all, but I am done with July and ready for August . . . .  

* My Camp NaNo experience was a good one - I came out a winner! My goal was less about the word count - 20,000 words, on the lower side for me - and more about achieving a sense of accomplishment, something I've been lacking lately. I'm not sure yet what exactly I'm going to do with this project, but those creative juices are sizzling away on that hot summer sidewalk in my mind. 

* I'm still aiming to get my 2nd flash fiction collection, Garden of Lost Souls, out this summer. I've been stalling for all kinds of reasons, but that stops here and now.

* I also need to make health - physical and otherwise - a priority this month. (More on that in August's IWSG post!) Once again, stalling for all kinds of reasons. Once again, that stops here and now. 

So, how was your July? Did you win Camp NaNo? Complete any other projects or achieve any other goals? What are your plans for August? 

Backstory: the Pain in My Backside

My goal with July's Camp NaNo was to write more in my WiP. I wanted to pick up where I was - about Chapter Eleven or so - and keep going, chronologically, smoothly, moving forward, solidly laying down words and sentences like tracks heading off into the horizon.

Yeah, well, I don't know what I was thinking.

I have no idea where this novels ends. All I have are a few later scenes sketched out in my mind and on paper. I'm pretty sure of where the novel starts, but the story starts years before what happens on that first page. Does the reader need to know everything that happened in the past? No. Do I, as the writer? I don't know. The word "everything" is kind of vague.  

Now, the organized, list-loving part of my brain loves the concept of those Character Background Sheets. You know, the ones that ask you to list the traits and habits and secrets of your characters. I have tried using those things again and again, and every time, I get frustrated and rip up the pages and toss them about the room like confetti. I don't know her favorite ice cream flavor. I don't know his first puppy's name. 

So, instead of making myself even crazier and having to clean confetti off the tortoises' shells, I decided to stop forcing my writing process into one that's "acceptable." I didn't write Chapter Twelve for Camp NaNo, but I wrote scene after scene of backstory. I wrote them as if they were actual chapters, even though the chances of me using them whole and complete are slim to none. I wrote them from the POV of whatever character's backstory I was recording. I listened and I learned. So, that's why the Antagonist is as insane as she is! Ah, the Antagonist's sidekick has a few secrets of her own! Oh, I didn't see that possible plot line connecting a good guy and a bad guy before! 

I might not know who loves chocolate ice cream or whose dog was named Floppy, but I do know, or at least I'm learning, what's important to this story and to the people in it. 

As a writer, how do you handle backstory? Do you use those Character Background Sheets? How do you make them work for you? As a reader, how do you like to come across backstory - in big flashback scenes or chapters? In threads woven here and there into the main story?

Finding My Way Out of the Swamp: A Camp NaNoWriMo Update

Well, here it is Week 2 of Camp NaNo, and I'm pretty much still in the woods. Although, it does look more like a swamp, at least according to the local wildlife - frogs, cranes and one freaky big alligator. Oh, and these guys, of course -

My word count goal for Camp NaNo = 25,000 words, which is half the usual NaNo goal. I did this because I knew I had other novel work to do besides the actual writing. I've got to clean up a lot of old notes. Backstories and character motivations need to be developed. Plot holes need to be filled. I also have some really creepy research to do that I've been putting off because I'm afraid it's going to land me on some kind of "watch list." 

But my word count is coming along and the story has legs, so I wouldn't say I'm totally lost. It's more like I've found a very rough, overgrown trail that I can barely make out but that I've decided to follow anyway.

And, thanks to my wonderful husband, I am not without sustenance! The day before Camp NaNo started, I came downstairs to find this on the kitchen counter - 

Of course we had to test out the new S'mores Maker right away. I do so love a man who can cook. 

*****

How's your summer going? Any big projects you're working on? Have you eaten any s'mores or has someone cooked you something delicious? If you're traveling this month and you're in the woods - or in the swamp - please keep an eye out for me. I'll be the weeping, disheveled creature waving an empty Camp NaNo mug and begging for more coffee. 

Why I Am NaNoWriMo-Less This November

I participated in and won National Novel Writing Month for 8 years. 

I participated in and won Camp NaNo for 2 years.

This November I am saying "no" to NaNo in order to say "yes" (See my The Year of Yes post) to something else - my current work in progress, the manuscript I took to the The Breakout Novel Intensive V2.0 conference this past September. 

I tried to find a way to make this WiP fit in with NaNo but I just couldn't. And I didn't want to lose the momentum and forget all the great advice and encouragement I received at BONI.

And so, this year, while I will not be sporting the newest NaNo t-shirt (believe me, I have enough of them - they're pretty much my in-house wardrobe), I will take out my "plot" mug and I will raise it in a toast to all of you who are participating - Good Luck, Everyone!

Back from Camp!

Whew! I've returned from Camp NaNo with a backpack stuffed with over 51,000 words, a compass, a glow stick and the mug you see pictured above. 

Unfortunately, I also have a manuscript with no ending, enough plot threads to weave myself some sort of poncho, and characters who appear in early chapters who are never heard from again. (Maybe the Chupacabra got them?)

So, as I sort through all these things - some dirty and smelly, some shiny and bright - spilling out of my backpack, I think about what to do now, what to do next...

First things first - keep the tortoises away from the s'mores . . .   

Second thing - fill up my mug with some good strong coffee . . .

Third thing - grab up my glow stick and compass and dive back in. The next time you see me, I'll either have a pretty good draft of my manuscript or I'll be sporting a snazzy plot thread poncho.

How's your summer going? How's your writing and reading coming along?

Lucky Me(me)

Both Nick and Julie tagged me for the Lucky 7 Meme. Thanks, guys! I've never done this one before so here goes . . .

Lucky 7 Meme Rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current manuscript.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy the next 7 lines (sentences or paragraphs) and post them as they're written.  No cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers to pass this meme on to. (I'll leave this up to you all - feel free to tag yourself if you'd like to give it a try!)

Well, since I'm being a Camp NaNo Rebel, I shook this up a bit. I went to Page 7, Line 7 of my WiP - an untitled, YA Horror novel - and included the next bunch of lines, stopping where it made some sort of sense. It's very rough - so rough, this excerpt is still in first person POV when I've since switched to third person POV - but I hope you enjoy the glimpse into this Camp NaNo mess I'm currently wallowing in . . . 

*****

“But why, Judy? Why would someone do that? What would be the point?” Dad sighs. He rubs his hand over his head, mussing his sandy going to gray hair. He needs a haircut. 


“I have absolutely no idea. How do I know what goes on in the mind of a crazy person?”

“But what if the person who called isn’t crazy? What if they’re not joking? What if Nana Helen really is alive?” Jake bounces in his seat. “It’s like a real life mystery.” When Jake grows up, he wanted to be either an elephant trainer or a detective. I figure he has a better chance coming across cases to solve than elephants that need training.

“Why would she pretend to be dead all these years?” Mom shakes her head, sending her short bedraggled curls to jigging. As annoyed as she is about this trip, I know how much she loves a good mystery. The bookshelves at home are stacked with them. “…I mean, sure sometimes you two drive me crazy and I want to run away but still…” She elbows Jake, who keels over, pretending it hurts. She catches my eye in the mirror, gives me a wink. 

I pretend not to see it.          

*****

Greetings from Camp . . .

. . . .Camp NaNo, that is! Yes, I'm off to Camp NaNo for the second year in a row. Okay, I'm not actually going anywhere - in fact, Camp NaNo looks an awful lot like my office - but my mind will be taking me on a journey into some dark woods where some really scary people hang out. Don't worry, some good guys will be there, too. And so will some people who aren't quite sure on which side of the line they fall. Should make for some interesting talks around the campfire.

Honestly, it feels more like one of those Wilderness Experience kind of things, where they drop you in the middle of nowhere with a shoe horn, some scotch tape and a bottle of water and you have to not only survive but come out stronger in the end. Okay, that's an extreme metaphor but I do feel a little lost. I'm taking this manuscript to a conference in the fall and I want it to be strong and full of all kinds of good stuff. It doesn't have to be all pretty and polished. In fact, it shouldn't be - because this is a conference on craft and, by the end of it, this manuscript should be - will be! - deeper, darker, more layered and just plain old better.

Any suggestions or tips on surviving this month? Anyone else going to Camp NaNo, too? Maybe we can share s'mores and tell ghost stories around the campfire. But, just so you know, if a bear or a wolf or a zombie show up, you're on your own.

The Check-Up

Summer is almost over - not that you'd know it here in Florida - and all over the country, school is already in session or about to be. Ahhh, I can smell those new notebooks with all those blank pages just waiting to be filled with notes and facts and doodles and ideas. Of course, as an adult (ahem!) I can get a new notebook pretty much whenever I want so the feeling isn't quite the same but I do tend to cling to nostalgia the way lint clings to the dryer screen. 

But this time of year also makes me think back to what I've done so far this year. Okay, this time of year and the fact that we took the tortoises to the vet and it made me think about "check-ups" in general.

[Side note: the tortoises are healthy and active and the vet got a big kick out of how personable they are. I guess I should say how personable Mrs. Larry is since Larry pretty much stayed in his shell the whole time. Mrs. L looked around the office, stuck her head out to be petted and, when she was getting her nails clipped, acted as if she was getting a manicure/pedicure. Larry? I didn't see his head again until we were back in the car. (Although, to be fair, that's pretty much how I act when I have to go to the doctor.)]

So, I thought I'd do a quick check-up on my writing for the past six months or so....

Stories/short pieces
- I've written a number of new things - some finished, some in various stages of being finished.
- I've had about 8 of those new works - plus a handful of older ones - accepted/published.
- I won one contest and placed in another.

Novels/longer ms
- I finished a women's fiction ms, revised it a bit, then set it aside because something about it wasn't working. I haven't given up on it, though, because I do love the characters and the story.
- I wrote a women's fiction/horror-type first draft for the first ever Camp NaNo (July.) Right now, it's sitting and drumming its fingers waiting for me to figure out exactly what to do with it.

Other achievements
- I'm on track for the monthly Light Ray version of Write 1 Sub 1.
- I was invited to join Write 1 Sub 1 as a co-administrator.
- I've kept up with my blog and tried to keep up with others'.
- I joined the Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign over at Rach Writes.
- I read lots of writing mags and some books about writing.

Okay, that list feels rather piddly to me. I know I can do more, do better. I'm not exactly sure what that means or how to do it, but I'll figure it out. There are some fresh notebooks out there with my name on it, just waiting for me...

How about you? How has your summer - or the first part of the year - gone for you? Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Why or why not? Did you do more than you thought you would and if so, how? Any tips or suggestions for how to do more, do better? 

There Are No Mosquitoes at Camp NaNoWriMo...or Are There?

I never made it to Girl Scouts. I was, however, a Brownie and as a Brownie, I went camping. Once. Now, remember, I grew up in the city - concrete and brick and honking cars and indoor plumbing. At this camp, there was an outhouse-type building so yes, it technically had indoor plumbing but the bathroom was still outside! I had to walk outside to get to it.

Only I wasn't allowed to walk to it by myself. And neither was anyone else. We had to go with a buddy. Especially at night. Now, I had no intention of walking to the outside bathroom in the dark, knowing for absolutely certain that escaped convicts wielding machetes were hiding in the trees, with only another little girl for protection. Not. A. Chance. So, I made sure I wouldn't have to use the facilities and then I went to bed.

And do you know what happened? Every little girl in our cabin woke ME up to go with them to the bathroom. Me. Why? I still have no idea. But I went. Why? Because I couldn't let my friends get eaten by the zombies I knew were lurking behind every tree along the path. I might not have made it to Girl Scouts, but even I knew they didn't give out patches or badges or whatever for being a chicken. (Although, if they did...never mind.)

What does all of this have to do with Camp NaNoWriMo? Nothing really, except that was my one and only experience of camp life and I wanted to share. But Camp NaNo (the new summer version of November's NaNo!) will not have any mosquitoes or outside bathrooms or escaped convicts or zombies...unless you want them and then it's up to you to put them in your novel.

For more information and to maybe donate if you can, click on the link above and join me in this summer pursuit. Make sure you get your marshmallows and your chocolate and your crackers...it figures that my only other memory of camping is the food. S'more later.