National Novel Writing Month… for those of you who haven’t heard of it, yes, it does exist. (Why oh why have I not discovered this before now?)
NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of November, beginning on November 1st and officially ending at midnight on November 30th, and encourages anyone and everyone to write a 50,000 word novel.
Sounds impossible?
It’s really not.
Actually, it sounds like a lot of fun, and I am a girl who likes a challenge. Whether or not I succeed in writing a 50,000 word novel is beside the point; for these 30 days I plan to write as much and as frequently as possible.
NaNoWriMo gives writers a chance to flex their muscles, to take themselves out of their comfort zones in order to strive for something they might not ordinarily believe they can do.
A couple of months ago I blogged about the availability of my first book, De Couleur Pale, on the Amazon Kindle e-readers. Now, the entire trilogy is available for purchase!
As I wrote in my last post, all three books are newly edited and much cheaper than the paperback copies sold on Amazon.com. (Each book is $.99!)
It excites me that I’ve had this opportunity, and live in an age where the sky is truly the limit. Who could have ever guessed authors could self-publish or sell digital copies of their books by 2012?
If you’re interested, search for my books on the Kindle!
One week from today, I will be participating in a local Barnes & Noble book signing at the Tallahassee Mall. I am so excited to be a part of the event, and I encourage you to come out and join me. 🙂
The book signing is specifically for local self-published authors, and for the first time I will have the privilege to meet these other local authors. We will be signing books between 2:00 and 4:00 PM.
If you have any interest in my books, the books of these other local self-published authors, or books in general, I’d love to see you there!
Book signing: November 10, 2012, Tallahassee Mall Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 2-4 PM
I love reading Writer’s Digest articles. I receive emails from Writer’s Digest nearly every day, and while I send many of them straight to the trash, I usually keep the ones with links to interesting articles.
This is because I read more about writing than I do actual writing.
Anyway, these articles usually make me laugh, or offer extremely useful tips when it comes to crafting characters, plot, and conflict. I recently read the article “5 Things to Stop Doing (If You Really Want to Finish Writing Your Novel).”
If you are a writer, this article is a must-read. Because you will probably find yourself nodding at the screen as you read through the list.
1. Nix the excuses.
2. Stop trying.
3. Stop the Inner Critic’s crazy rants.
4. Don’t overdose on caffeine.
5. Stop thinking it should be easier. <—- This is totally me.
I think the only one of these “5 things” that doesn’t accurately describe my current writing life would be #4. I can’t stand coffee, so I would be more likely to overdose on hot chocolate. Or tea. (Is that possible??)
And I was surprised to find that the books I was reading (the books I enjoyed the most, that is) were dystopian fiction novels. I say I was surprised because I had previously written-off dystopian fiction as a genre I would not enjoy. (Why? I’m not really sure. Probably because I sometimes enjoy having strong opinions for no reason. And also possibly because I did not know what dystopian fiction was, and associated it with vampires and werewolves.)
Anyway, I have found that dystopian fiction is really, really good, and just because there is now a ‘dystopian fiction’ book genre, does not mean that every dystopian fiction novel is the same. (Like vampire and werewolf books.)
I have created a new poll to gauge the popularity of some of my new favorite authors, so scroll down and check out the sidebar to VOTE for your fave dystopian fiction author. 🙂
Book 1 of my Sky City Trilogy, De Couleur Pale, is now available for purchase on ALL Amazon Kindle e-readers for only $.99!
The book is newly edited and much cheaper than the paperback copy sold on Amazon.com. I have been working on this for the past several months and hope to have the next two books (A Battle of Fate and Scharred) available for purchase soon, as well.
E-readers are so popular now because they present avid readers (like myself) with a more convenient way of collecting and transporting books!
Today was National Poem in Your Pocket Day. As a writer, I was naturally anxious to participate and found the whole event quite silly and fun. “I have a poem in my pocket!”
Anyway, I didn’t find out until first poem, but I was able to copy one of my favorite poems from a textbook, and for the rest of the day the poem resided in my pocket.
I’ve never heard of Poem in Your Pocket Day, but April is poetry month, and what an awesome day for someone who enjoys reading and writing poetry! Here is the poem that was in my pocket today:
Metaphor
by Eve Merriam
Morning is
a new sheet of paper
for you to write on.
Whatever you want to say,
all day,
until night
folds it up
and files it away.
The bright words and the dark words
are gone
until dawn
and a new day
to write on.
The books I’ve waited so long for are being released…all at the same time. For the past several months, I’ve been without a truly GOOD book, and now several will be put on the shelves simultaneously.
Why does everything seem to happen at once? This principle seems to apply to almost everything in my life: holidays, birthdays, tests, applications, vacations…
Here are the books I am most anxious to read (in no particular order):
1. Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter – March 13
2. The Serpent’s Shadow, Kane Chronicles Book 3, by Rick Riordan – May 1
3. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare – May 8
Is it worth it to buy all three books at a relative price of $20, considering all three will be hardback? Probably not. Do I really want to spend the money to buy all three books on my Kindle Fire, which would be somewhat cheaper? Probably not. Last option: do I want to reserve the books at my public library so I can be put on a waiting list that is already 8 people deep? No. But I’m going to anyway.
Authors and those involved in the world of publishing…here is something to think about:
Don’t publish your books at the same time. I’d like to be reading quality literature year-round. Also, maybe I could afford your books if I only needed to purchase one every few months.
I am a huge computer person. It’s why I have a blog, a Facebook profile and Facebook pages, and a Youtube account. Not to mention the bazillion other photography websites, online shopping sites, and game sites I’ve signed up for that send me emails that usually wind up in TRASH and sometimes SPAM.
So, naturally, I have become a Pinner.
I discovered Pinterest last winter when my aunt showed it to me. I was taken by the site immediately, and signed up that afternoon. I knew the website must be totally awesome if you had to be ‘accepted’ by it. (I realize now that the website accepts everyone. But it was still a good feeling to be ‘invited/accepted.’)
On Pinterest, I have virtual pin boards (like cork boards/bulletin boards) where I can ‘pin’ great ideas that I find from any online site, or other Pinterest users. The website is easy to use, very user-friendly, and FUN. Have you ever found an awesome recipe online, or a really cute outfit or idea that you didn’t want to forget? By adding the ‘Pin It’ tool to my bookmarks, I can ‘pin’ whatever I want right away. I’ve created pin boards like ‘Food,’ ‘Jewelry,’ ‘Style,’ ‘Organization,’ and ‘Holiday.’
Because you can sign up for Pinterest through your Facebook account, I am ‘following’ many of my Facebook friends and they are following me. I follow my mom.
Best part is: I had no idea a cereal box had so many uses.
My advice: Check out Pinterest. Become a member. Follow me. 🙂
Another site that I love is Wordle.net. You can create your own ‘word clouds,’ which, trust me, are a lot of fun. Click ‘create,’ and type in a long list of words that describe you. Click ‘generate,’ and the words become a collage. By playing around with the ‘randomize’ button, you can generate new styles. If you have specifics in mind, change the font, font color, and positioning of your Wordle.
If you enjoy Wordle, (and I know I’m not crazy – several friends of mine totally agree that it’s the best), you’d probably enjoy Tagxedo even MORE. Tagxedo is Wordle times 10. You type in your words but choose a SHAPE – like a bird, peace sign, or heart.
A couple of friends and I kept ourselves entertained in the computer lab this morning during English class designing word clouds with Tagxedo. I printed my Wordle in the shape of a whale. 🙂
I realize this was a pretty random blog – but I just wanted to share it with my readers in case you haven’t already heard of these AWESOME websites. You’re welcome.