Post-Christmas

I swear I'm going to go back to my normal Friday blogging schedule one day (probably when school starts back up and I'm required to keep the Friday schedule for a grade). But, as today is Sunday, that day is not today. Of course, with Christmas and gifts and family and movies, my writing has, once again, been neglected. But, due to Christmas and gifts and family and movies, I have received many resources that I will be able to use for a long, long time to benefit my writing. For that, I thank my family very much.

As it is relevant to the story of Elsie Hudson, I feel it's pertinent to remind everyone that this December 25th marks the hundred year anniversary of the Christmas truce of World War I, where soldiers from both sides of the war called out greetings and tossed tiny tokens to each other from across trenches, even meeting in 'No-Mans Land' land between them, just for one night. For that one night, they allowed Christmas to stall the fighting. Even George Washington didn't do that.

I should mention that I have written some of the next chapter, and I've written other things as well. My goal is to have two chapters finished by the end of break. Whether that will happen, we'll have to wait and see. But it is a goal and goals are not met with hope, they're met with work. So it's off to work I go!

Thanks, as always, for reading--all two of you.

Whoops

As you may have noticed, I am a terrible blogger. I said in my last post that I'd write again in a week and here I am writing a week and two days later. Sue me. 

It might shock you too know that I'm even more terrible as a writer. Not only have I not written my blog in over a week but I've also not written on the novel in that time. As a writer, I know it's terrible to neglect your writing, even for a day, as it is a tool that can easily dull. In my defense, I had extreme work to do in preparation for the exams I took throughout the week. Although that is no excuse, I'm using it as one anyway.

I've been keeping my tool sharp regardless of the fact that I haven't written on the project. I've been planning and plotting and developing ideas for other novels. Sorry to say that my creative mind is not limited to just one story. Now that I have two weeks off, I'll be using my vacation effectively by writing as often as I can. Hopefully my Supernatural marathons won't get in the way. Also family. Family might limit some of my time. Then there's the actual holidays themselves. But don't worry because I'll be writing at least some of the time and if I can write almost half of an act in less than a week, I can do anything.

Merry Christmas, if you're into that. There's still a few more days in Hannukah so happy Hannukah if you're into that. I think Kwanza is coming up too. But everyone should enjoy a happy new year, sorry but you're all required for that part. Okay thanks for reading again. See you next week probably. 

Deliverable 2

So I thought deliverable 2 was due next Tuesday but as it so happens, it was due today. Fortunately, I got the memo this Tuesday and managed to cram in my last two chapters throughout the week. Despite writers block on Saturday, I finished chapter 3 over the weekend, and wrote chapters 4 and 5 on Wednesday and Thursday, finishing up act 1. If you read the introduction page and are aware of what the story is about, Elsie has completed her training and is on her way to France at this time. If you're not aware of what the story is about, why are you here?

Moving on, now that you've got weekly review, we can talk about important things, like the deliverable. Act 1, unedited and without page breaks, is currently 47 pages. With the software I have, I'm not alerted of any spelling or grammatical mistakes so that's certainly subject to change, especially once I edit it. It's a little over 11,000 words, getting me closer to my estimation of 50,000 words, the typical goal of National Novel Writing Month. 

So about writers block. It's a pain. To deal with it, I usually try to squeeze out at least a couple sentences while uninspired. Sometimes I go to another story to get my mind in another place, usually promoting more creativity. I also have a few playlists on my 8tracks that are just movie scores, sometimes in the mood of whatever I'm writing. Without words, I don't get distracted and can just enjoy the peace and mental stimulation. Tea and food are also helpful. Focusing on your novel's backstory or having a conversation with a character can help. Even throwing in a weird plot twist, free writing, or messing with an alternate universe with your characters can help. I've heard exercise also assists but, as an unathletic person, I generally choose not to do that. 

Okay this has been some really fantastic writing tips with Jayda. I'll be back next week for yet another update. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Supernatural to watch. Thanks for reading.  

 

The Path to Deliverable One

With a week and a half left until deliverable 2 is due, I'm expected to finish the first act, composed of the first five chapters. I'm current with my goal so far. I finished chapter 1 last weekend and finished chapter 2 today. With any luck, I'll have chapter 3 done by the end of this weekend, chapter 4 done by the end of next week, and chapter 5 finished by the end of next weekend. That way, I can edit on Monday and I'll be ready to turn it in Tuesday. 

After that, I intend to write at least one, if not two, chapters over winter break. I'll also need to get a little ahead on act 3 while working on act 2 because act 3 is longer than all the others and the time for act 2 is longer than the time for the others.

Okay, enough boring talk. I said I'd give out some tips and so I will. One thing that I learned this week is that  there is no time where you will not need research. This is especially true of historical fiction writing, but it can apply to any genre. I cannot describe how many times I was writing and I realized I didn't know the exact circumstances of a Hello Girl's application or the clothing style of a typical woman in the WWI era. Many authors will tell you to turn off all internet distractions when you're writing, and that's fine if you have other resources that you can turn to or if you're an expert in your field. However, for the vast majority of young or aspiring authors, the encyclopedias are not only semi-foreign but also insufficient. So when you're writing, you can't rely solely on your personal knowledge. You need to have access to research. And if you're concerned about your inattentiveness or distractibility when in contact with the Internet, leaving the Internet available while you write will be a perfect way to expand your self-control. And trust me, you will need it. 

Anticipation

This has been the first official week of the twenty percent project. Due to scheduling issues, deliverable one, which was supposed to be due today, has been cancelled. For me, deliverable one was an outline on the entirety of the novel but, because it has been cancelled, I can skip directly to deliverable two, which is act one, including the prologue and chapters 1-5. Note: One structure of novel planning is a three-act structure, which is essentially what I'm using. But, because act two is generally twice as long as the other two acts, I split it into two separate acts, making four acts total.

Since I can't tell you about the deliverable because it isn't complete, I'll tell you what I'm anticipating about the project. I've always wanted to tell a story about WWI. After doing my history fair project on women in WWI, I knew I would definitely write one. I began to explore possible story options and settled on this one (more information in my About section). I can't wait to tell everyone the story of Elsie. There are some really excellent plot twists and characters that I'm excited for readers to encounter.

There will also be challenges to telling it. Finding time to write with my school schedule and extra-curricular activities is an ongoing issue. But I will make every effort to meet my deadlines. Maintaining motivation will also be an struggle. I will still do everything to keep my words constant and together.

Okay. That's all for now. Thanks for reading.