How My Novel Came to Be: A Love Story (Haha, Kidding)

My novel is insane. You should have seen how it started out, so I'm showing you now. It's pretty weird.
It originally started out as a story about a girl who wanted more to life. (Not as a bucket list to my surprise.)

Here's the original idea:

Trixie
"I just want to feel like I did something, you know? Cured cancer. Traveled the world. Something! I don't want to be that freak whose horny grandkids can't even remember. I want my name to be in the record books. To make my life significant. I want to be somebody. Not just Trixie."

Trixie started out as Trixie. The same sass. The same sarcasm.
She started as a book lover, though. But I completely changed it completely at chapter two. Completely changed it. She was supposed to read instead of watching movies, but it changed. It didn't suit her personality.
The story also was originally a road trip not during the school year. And McLaughan met Trixie on the road. It was definitely different.

Has your novel changed? If yes, how? 

Beautiful Books: Where I Share My Secrets to Writing

Did you know that Cait is doing this awesome NaNo blogger thing? With Sky. So I decided to do this! Even though my story is an unofficial NaNo. (I can't do NaNo officially since I'll be using my iPad to write. Haha. Bus rides are good for writing. You get my meaning?)

Is the book turning out how you thought it would be, or is it defying your expectations?
Defying my expectations. My Novel is this wild child who makes lots of sexual references. I have been loving writing it. It's awesome because Trixie is just insane and weird. I get to write these awesome lines. Have you seen my snippets?

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?
"Hey, McLaughan," she called, "dare me to skinny dip?"
This just shows you how awesome Trixie is.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you ever tried both methods and how did it turn out?
A bit of both. My entire second chapter, which I am working on, is all on the seat of my pants. I have tried planning, but it doesn't always work.

What do you reward yourself with after meeting a goal?
I'm not sure. I don't?

What do you look for in a name? Do you have themes and where do you find your names?
I make up names. I have characters name Ravenda and Dyvian. But I just try out names. Trixie was just the perfect name. And McLaughan sounded nice. 

What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end -- and why?
All the above? I'm kidding. I like the end. It's fun. Especially if I know the ending and you don't.

Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?
Trixie! She's so much fun. She's nice and hilarious. And awkward. And awesome.

 
What kind of things have you researched for this project, and how do you go about researching? (What’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched?!)
I don't research for contemporary novels? I mean, I might search up things about Las Vegas or the Loneliest Road, but that's all. Haha. (Written before I did some research)

An update! I actually did some stuff for the Loneliest Road, and it's pretty cool. I'd love to go down the road. And if you get some stamps from certain cities, or mini towns really, you can get a 'I survived' sort of thing. Anyone wanna go with me?

Do you write better alone or with others? Do you share your work or prefer to keep it to yourself?
Alone. I hate being with others in general. I'm antisocial. I like to share my work and get feedback but nothing else. Loners FTW!

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!
Uh...no. I don't have habits. I just write. Without an snack or whatever. Or I do eat. Who cares about food, right? I don't listen to music, though. It's distracting to me. And I can write in a loud coffee shop or in the comfort of my own home. I don't care. I'm easygoing like that.

NaNo: How to get to 50,000 words

How to get to 50,000 words

You may or may not know that I'm doing NaNo. Here's another post of my thoughts and tips for NaNo. 

This time, I'm talking about getting to that daunting 50,000 words. 

Here are my steps to getting to the 50,000 words.

1) Don't freak out

Because freaking out is the worst thing to do. You're probably freaking out, though. 

2) Candy

Candy will be good. Eat candy. Binge eat it. Who cares about weight?

3) Procrastinate

You're doing this also too. 

4) Stop procrastinating, get to work

As if. Working is for peons. Give it to your peons.

5) Watch cat videos

This is very productive. You'll be inspired. 

6) Make a wish with the NaNo gods

They may not be listening. The sacrifice requires your favorite candy bar and the first draft of your novel. And then you need to burn the candy and do the ritual dance (Gangnam Style) in front of the fire. Toss in your draft page by page. Make sure you have another copy of the draft. Digital or not. 

7) Words magically appear 

Because magic. MAGIC. 

8) Thank the gods and applaud yourself for your hard work (with food mostly)

Foods. Treats. Yay, you made it without dying. Huzzah

What are your steps for getting to 50,000 words?

Mission Impossible: Blogging During NaNo

If you are familiar with November's National Novel Writing Month (NaNo), you know about the stress and ranting that it brings. As someone who has done NaNo twice before (this is my third year), I know how stressful one month can be. (It's like taking exams but worse since you're your own cheerleader. AND NaNo is something you choose to do.)

Here's a little about NaNo if you didn't know anything:

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.

Aka you madly write 50,000 words in one month. That's around a thousand plus words a day. 

This year I discovered so many different bloggers who are also participating in NaNo. 

Here are my tips to go about blogging while doing NaNo.

1) Plan ahead. 

Aka this tip is a little late, but it is useful for future NaNo endeavors. Plan your November posts. Do you want discussion posts? Reviews? Interviews?

Maybe even write these posts beforehand. 

2) Choose posts with little or no prep time.

I know that sounds bad since we bloggers dedicate hours to the perfect graphic, but you got to prioritize. Think of quick post ideas. Maybe a few discussion posts with two paragraphs. Maybe a three hundred word review. I don't know. You decide.

Doing this will make life easier for you since you don't have to do much. 

I personally suggest promo tours. Those are great since the post is sometimes already formatted for you. Just click publish. Not that I'm saying to abuse this or that I abuse it. It's just handy. 

3) Get help from other non-NaNo-er bloggers.

Aka lessen the load for yourself. Getting other people to help you out is easy. Do guest posts or interviews. If not, maybe ask a good friend to take over your blog (if they aren't busy.) 

4) Set aside time dedicated to both writing and blogging. 

If you make sure you have time to blog, you'll definitely have posts up. And you'll also have time to write! So double whammy. 

Are you doing NaNo this year? If so, are you blogging at the same time? I'd love to know!