Girls Are Like Apples...

I saw this and loved it, so wanted to post it here:

Girls
are like
apples on trees.
The best ones are
at the top of the tree.The
boys don't want to reach
for the good ones because they
are afraid of falling and getting hurt.
Instead, they just get the rotten apples
from the ground that aren't as good,
but easy. So the apples at the top think
something is wrong with them, when in
reality, they're amazing. They just
have to wait for the right boy to
come along, the one who's
brave enough to
climb all
the way
to the top
of the tree.

'Small Survivors' #Nanowrimo Banner

Here is my brand new banner for my Nanowrimo 2010 novel, 'Small Survivors' - I'm really proud of it! This now graces my Nanowrimo forums posts!

My Nanowrimo Novel premise is basically this:

"A group of strangers are abducted by a top secret government agency, who perform an illegal experiment on them and shrinks them to just six inches tall. Small Survivors, Giant Terror. What happens next? "

Let me know what you think!

You can also read more about my Nanowrimo exploits, and see more graphics and characters for my Nanowrimo novel on my dedicated Writing Blog!

Just A Little Gratitude...

Today I am grateful for...

• reaching my Nanowrimo word count goals today,
• the sunshine,
• having a relaxing day,
• having loving and supportive people around me

Thank you.

13,837 Words - Farther Than I've Ever Gone Before!

Wow, I've reached 13,837 words so far in my Nanowrimo 2010 novel! This is now the farthest I've ever gone with a novel before! I think it helps that I'm posting my word count on my Twitter, and I'm posting on here too! Plus I really want to write and complete this novel! I tend to have a problem finishing what I start, so now I want to make sure I complete this, so I have something completed (however bad this happens to turn out), so I can at least have something I can proudly say I have seen through to the end.

My novel is a little shaky at times, some scenes I have written have way too much boring dialogue I am sure, and some scenes are not well enough explained or detailed, some almost completely lack description, some I've forgotten to 'show don't tell' and for some strange reason, I seem to be writing in past tense in some scenes when it's meant to be present tense - to give you a sense of immediacy and excitement! My only consolation is that I can remedy all of this on the rewrite - which it will need plenty of work doing on it then. But at least I will have a framework to rebuild and perfect it around. Right now, I'm attempting to suss out my plot, remember all my characters names (with notes to help, otherwise many characters would have changed their names and spellings many times over by now), and try to decide what to write next! It will all come together in the end. Right?

7943 Words - I'm behind, but not that behind!

Having missed the two previous days and not done any writing for Nanowrimo, I find I am behind! But I managed to write an extra 1376 words today - Yay me! I just updated my word count on the Nanowrimo site, and took a tentative look at what my writing buddies are doing on there, fearful they will be way ahead of me, and what do I find? Chris Baty, the founder of National Novel Writing Month, is on 7504 words! He's actually behind me! Only a little, but it's boosted my confidence! If he can be a little behind, and still confident that he can do 50,000 words in time, then I'm sure I can too! I only have a few words to catch up on - I can do it! :)

I have had my characters abducted by a bogus bus, gassed, put into a top secret experiment where they have been shrunk to approximately 6 inches high, put through scary tests trying to outrun giant cockroaches, spiders and lab rats, and now, I've just exploded the lab, and set them free! (They had to climb their way out of all the fire, debris and ash, but they madee it!). Now I hope I can manage this a lot easier, though I am struggling a little.

Two things I need to remember:

• Show don't tell
• Let the characters follow their most logical course of action next - they will write the plot!

Now how easy is that? I hope!

4722 Words & Counting - Now What?

Wow, I've made it to 4722 words today! I managed to squeeze in some extra writing time yesterday evening and got more done then. Only one writing session today, it seems I can get more done, and be more productive if I have two writing sessions in a day - great for when I'm work!

I'm pleased I've managed to get ahead of my word count target, normally I fall behind and have to chase it to catch up, but so far this year I am ahead! I had to pause tonight as I've come to a little sticking point. I have my characters abducted, miniaturised, and put in cages. I know my cruel scientists will probably want to perform some cruel experiments on them, and then I want to cause an explosion or fire, in which the miniature people get to escape. Trouble is, I have no idea what experiments to put them through. And I don't want to bore my readers, they have to be exciting enough to keep them reading until they escape.

Any ideas or suggestions would be gratefully received!

And we're off! 1947 words!

I think I have just written the most difficult part of my story - the beginning! I have got going! I know I want to get my characters to a lab and being shrunk to 6 inches high, but getting them there, and seeing them full size before we get there is the difficult part I think! I'll no doubt find more difficult parts ahead, I'm just glad I managed to get started! And with a headache too, so I think I've done doubly well today. Well done me!

I've written my characters in a cafe, in the bus in the pouring rain, and I've managed to introduce all nine of my main characters with visual descriptions! Now all I have to do, is figure a way for everyone on the bus to get shrunk. Do I put hidden gas cannisters on the bus and knock everyone out? Have a beam of energy attack the bus and shrink them? What shall I do? I've got until tomorrow to think something up! I'm writing my story one (or two) scenes at a time!