NaNoWriMo

Well, it's almost that time of year again. For help with plotting, Holly Lisle is offering a mini-course.

Set your sand dials, clocks, watches, hourglasses, or whichever methods of keeping time you possess, for NaNoWriMo is nearly upon us!

Testing

I've tried to readjust the settings, since they are discarding the "old" format soon; but an error message keeps occurring, and nothing is accomplished.

My Thoughts on Writing Fantasy Fiction

At this site, 5 tips to writing a fantasy novel, one of the tips is to know the political factions. It's a good thing I've spent years thinknig about the one I am working on, because I have actually developed political factions over the years for the world in which it is set. I essentially finished book one and have plans for book two. I did start a bit of editing; but I think I should finish the trilogy before editing in earnest, since parts tend to overlap.

I haven't been writing too much lately, mostly because I've been studying the worldbuilding for an mmorpg called World of Warcraft. Yes, I enjoy playing it. There's also mention of occupations as well as classes, which is also a good point to take into consideration while writing. The things your character does for a living, outside of a plot, may well influence points of the plot. If you have an herbalist, for example, well, chasing herbs can often get you into some sort of trouble... ;-) Same with mining ores. An archer may be more then someone who shoots arrows. S/he has to know how to care for them.

Even magic must have some rules. I like the idea of basing a magic system on the act of using a computer. Technicians help with maintenance (that's where the real magic users come in), and there are people who will refuse or who are unable to learn to use it by some form; but there may be some forms of it which are usable by anyone who bothers to learn how to "tap into" the resource. The knowledge may not be accessible to lower classes if you operate on a form of caste system, but it is there, and may even be a plot element in some cases. Any person, of whatever class, may gain some knowledge of how to "tap" the source, if they have, or have had, access to the proper resource for tutorials in either the past or the present of a story.

Bah. Even outlines change over time. My notes are so disorganized, though a lot of them are stored in my fevered little brain (rhymes with "insane"). I think you may need to be at least a little crazy, to entertain the idea of writing a novel of any sort. With no guarantees of success, publication, or getting someone else to feed and water the cat (not to mention letting the Feline Wonder bite someone else's ankles for a while), well... It's still good to keep notes. I have notes all over the place, including online.

Central location, anuyone? We needs tips on some form of organization, as well as the writing and outlines processes. Notebooks are all well and good, but they are not often always accessible, and have a tendency to disappear or get displaced for one or another reason.

Situation Normal, All Futzed Up.

April Foolls Novels

April Fools sign-ups starts on 15 March. I've participated, not since the beginning, but each year since about 2005 (I think), possibly since 2004. You pick a goal, get to choose a pip to show your progress ,and let 'er rip.Since there are about four and a half full weeks in April, why not shoot for 5000 words with me? I'm debating going for 50k, but maybe 6k is a better total for me at this time.

I Actually Did Write A Book Last Year!

Yes, you read that right. I did. Unfortunately, I did not realized I'd reached the end of it till it dawned on me that I'd segued right into the next book. How could I tell? Related, but separate cast of characters and problems. I've bene chewing on it for a couple of months.

Exactly where and how does one part of a story cut off, and the next one begin? That's something to ponger, cogitate, and masticate upon.

Linky-Dinks

Aphorisms For Writing Science Fiction

Sci Fi - Arizona

The Six Stages of Writing

Stages of the Writing Process

Workshop: Writing The Novel Synopsis

Advice on Novel Writing with Crawford Kilian
 Elements of a Successful Story
 Storyboarding
 Ten Points on Plotting
 Constructing A Scene

The Grand List of Overused Science Fiction Clichés

The Grand List of Fantasy Clichés by Kathy Pulver and J. S. Burke

--
Elizabeth Anne Ensley

I didn't lie--I was writing fiction in my mouth.
- Homer Simpson

ADVICE: SYNOPSIS

Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up
by Dee-Ann Latona LeBlanc


Writing the Tight Synopsis
Workshop Presentation at Autumn Authors’ Affair XIV
Beth Anderson


How to Write a Synopsis
by Marg Gilks


Hunting for an Agent (with Sample Synopsis)
by John E. Stith


The White City
(Sample Synopsis)
by Benjamin Rosenbaum


The Craft of Writing
Tricks of the Trade
Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis
Lisa Gardner


Outlines and Synopses
Outlines
Robert J. Sawyer