Ack! It turns out my laptop isn't ready and they might get me a different one...*moans* How am I going to write my NaNo now??? I can't write it on our home computers because I'll have to live down there! *sigh* Well, I guess I'll switch off between that and paper until the laptop's figured out...
*is sad* *panics* 4 and something more hours! Eek!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Too Much Information?
Heh, you may be wondering why on earth I'm putting all my NaNo info on my blog...It's because the laptop's in repair, and this computer won't let me use Word <_< So, I'm going to wait until the laptop's ready, copy and paste, delete *chuckle*, and then walla! I have my stuff where I want it. For now, I honestly don't care how much you know about my NaNo before it's written. I need to write it down to remember it anyway. =P
Haha, and you might wonder why I'm doing over, like, 50 posts on here in one day. Hey, I'm new at this! Not to mention this is my first attempt at doing NaNo. XD
I've been doing research, looking at old Civil War, diaries, letters, etc...It's so cool! I'm going to have to wait until November's over to ready sift through it though, there's just too much! But the subject fascinates me, so...
Alas! I have so much school to do before midnight. *sigh* -.- I wish I didn't have to tag along tonight at Chipotle, though it is really good. I have so much to do!
~Shae
Haha, and you might wonder why I'm doing over, like, 50 posts on here in one day. Hey, I'm new at this! Not to mention this is my first attempt at doing NaNo. XD
I've been doing research, looking at old Civil War, diaries, letters, etc...It's so cool! I'm going to have to wait until November's over to ready sift through it though, there's just too much! But the subject fascinates me, so...
Alas! I have so much school to do before midnight. *sigh* -.- I wish I didn't have to tag along tonight at Chipotle, though it is really good. I have so much to do!
~Shae
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Names
Alas, I must think of names for all my characters. I think I've found ones I like. Here's a list of some of my charries, including the MC:
MC - Jocelyn (Josie) Grace Williamson
Family:
Father: Adam Williamson
Mother: Ruth Williamson
Luke Williamson
Joseph Williamson
Elizabeth Jane (Eliza) Williamson
MaryLou Alice Williamson
Caleb Williamson
Friends:
Benjamin (Ben or Benny) James
Naomi
Jeanine
Mora Samuels
Olivia
Clara
Others:
Lizette - maid
Theodosius - neighbor
Franz Kristel - German cousin
Micah Summers - soldier
The Giottos:
Rosetta (Mrs. Giotto)
Alessia
Emilio
Renzo
Catarina
Time for the elimination process, of names I mean. I still haven't figured out all of the people in my story but they come eventually =D
~Shae
MC - Jocelyn (Josie) Grace Williamson
Family:
Father: Adam Williamson
Mother: Ruth Williamson
Luke Williamson
Joseph Williamson
Elizabeth Jane (Eliza) Williamson
MaryLou Alice Williamson
Caleb Williamson
Friends:
Benjamin (Ben or Benny) James
Naomi
Jeanine
Mora Samuels
Olivia
Clara
Others:
Lizette - maid
Theodosius - neighbor
Franz Kristel - German cousin
Micah Summers - soldier
The Giottos:
Rosetta (Mrs. Giotto)
Alessia
Emilio
Renzo
Catarina
Time for the elimination process, of names I mean. I still haven't figured out all of the people in my story but they come eventually =D
~Shae
Character Profile - the Main Character
Another helpful writing tip from Mangy - create a character profile! I'll make one right now only for my main character, but perhaps later I'll create smaller ones or other important characters as well. ((Which I'm going to edit and fill in later because I have yet to finish my schoolwork...))
Basic Statistics
Name: Jocelyn (Josie) Grace Williamson
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Birthdate: February 8th, 1845
Hometown(fictional): Jonastown
Current Residence: Jonastown
Occupation: Writer and teacher(not officially)
Talents/Skills: She loves to read and, especially, write. She can sew, knit...
Salary: She gets none. Her parents don't pay her.
Birth order: She's the second oldest out of 6 children
Family Relationships: (spouse, siblings, parents, etc.) Father: Adam, Mother: Ruth, Brothers: Luke, Joseph, and Caleb. Sisters: Eliza and MaryLou.
Physical Characteristics:
Height: 5'6''
Weight: About normal
Race: White
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Chocolate brown
Skin color: In between white and tan
Shape of Face: Heart
Distinguishing features: Her freckles and dark hair and eyes.
How does he/she dress? Like women during the Civil War did: blouse and skirts, or dress, petticoats...
Mannerisms: Bits lip when she makes a mistake, taps her fingers when she's writing, holds her breath when trying to keep from bursting in anger...
Habits: She twirls her hair(the end of her braid, etc...)
Health: Good
Hobbies: Reading anything she can get her hands on when she has the time, helping out at home, teaching her younger siblings, writing!, drawing, reading her Bible, spending time with her friends, telling stories and entertained her siblings, daydreaming, and frolicking in meadows ;)
Disabilities:
Greatest flaw: Her impatience and hot temper and bitterness towards things she doesn't like.
Best quality: Trying to please the Lord in everything she does and learning from her mistakes.
Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes & Attitudes
Educational Background: She had to quit school at age 15 to help out at home.
Intelligence Level: High school and possibly up.
Life Learning Experiences: Her mother tries to make everything a lesson, even messing up.
Short-term goals in life: To write books
Long-term goals in life: To love and live for the Lord and to calm her temper and overcome impatientness
How does Character see himself/herself? As a writer and a learner - in more things than one
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others? She knows that people get angry with her frequently but tries to do her best in pleasing them.
How self-confident is the character? Most of the time, very.
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or a combination of both? Emotion, mostly. But sometimes common sense gets ahold of her...
What would most embarrass this character? Being proposed to.
Emotional Characteristics
Strengths:
Weaknesses: Temper, impatience.
Introvert or Extrovert? Extrovert, I think
How does the character deal with anger? She tries to bottle it up but ends up venting in the wrong places later. Or she writes.
With sadness/conflict/change/loss? She writes about it or talks to God.
What does the character want out of life? To be loved and to love.
What would the character like to change in his/her life? Her flaws.
What motivates this character? God
What frightens this character? Spiders, losing her family.
What makes this character happy? Her Bible, friends
Is the character judgmental of others? She tries not to be
Is the character generous or stingy? Generous
Is the character generally polite or rude? Generally polite, unless they make her mad...
Spiritual Characteristics
Does the character believe in God? Yes
What are the character's spiritual beliefs? That God sent his only son to die for everyone's sins and that by having a personal relationship with Jesus you'll have eternal life.
Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life? Umm
If so, what role does it play? A big part. Her modivation for everything is God, and if it isn't, she tries to change that.
How the Character is Involved in the Story
Character's role in the novel (main character? hero? heroine? Romantic interest? etc.): Main character/Heroine
Scene where character first appears: The first scene.
Relationships with other characters:(Name each character and describe relationships and changes to relationship over the course of the story.)
Ben: Her best friend. When they were children, they told each other everything, and even now they're best friends.
Her family: She's closest to Joseph and Eliza, the two she spent the most time with growing up. MaryLou and Caleb are younger than her, but she loves them. Luke remains more distant, being the oldest brother. She tries to tell her mother almost everything and is frequently talking with her father about quite a bit of stuff.
Naomi: Her other best friend, female. She, of course, tells Naomi more than she tells Ben, even though she's only known her since they were 12. Ben, Naomi and Josie are good friends and are almost always together.
Other (girl)friends: She's not as close to any of the others as she is to Naomi and Ben, but she tries to get along with everyone, despite their differences.
How is the character different at the end of the novel from when the novel began?: (This is one of the most important things to nail down. A story that invokes change in a character will be more interesting and appealing to your reader.) ((Will fill in later))
Additional Notes on this Character: ~
Basic Statistics
Name: Jocelyn (Josie) Grace Williamson
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Birthdate: February 8th, 1845
Hometown(fictional): Jonastown
Current Residence: Jonastown
Occupation: Writer and teacher(not officially)
Talents/Skills: She loves to read and, especially, write. She can sew, knit...
Salary: She gets none. Her parents don't pay her.
Birth order: She's the second oldest out of 6 children
Family Relationships: (spouse, siblings, parents, etc.) Father: Adam, Mother: Ruth, Brothers: Luke, Joseph, and Caleb. Sisters: Eliza and MaryLou.
Physical Characteristics:
Height: 5'6''
Weight: About normal
Race: White
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Chocolate brown
Skin color: In between white and tan
Shape of Face: Heart
Distinguishing features: Her freckles and dark hair and eyes.
How does he/she dress? Like women during the Civil War did: blouse and skirts, or dress, petticoats...
Mannerisms: Bits lip when she makes a mistake, taps her fingers when she's writing, holds her breath when trying to keep from bursting in anger...
Habits: She twirls her hair(the end of her braid, etc...)
Health: Good
Hobbies: Reading anything she can get her hands on when she has the time, helping out at home, teaching her younger siblings, writing!, drawing, reading her Bible, spending time with her friends, telling stories and entertained her siblings, daydreaming, and frolicking in meadows ;)
Disabilities:
Greatest flaw: Her impatience and hot temper and bitterness towards things she doesn't like.
Best quality: Trying to please the Lord in everything she does and learning from her mistakes.
Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes & Attitudes
Educational Background: She had to quit school at age 15 to help out at home.
Intelligence Level: High school and possibly up.
Life Learning Experiences: Her mother tries to make everything a lesson, even messing up.
Short-term goals in life: To write books
Long-term goals in life: To love and live for the Lord and to calm her temper and overcome impatientness
How does Character see himself/herself? As a writer and a learner - in more things than one
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others? She knows that people get angry with her frequently but tries to do her best in pleasing them.
How self-confident is the character? Most of the time, very.
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or a combination of both? Emotion, mostly. But sometimes common sense gets ahold of her...
What would most embarrass this character? Being proposed to.
Emotional Characteristics
Strengths:
Weaknesses: Temper, impatience.
Introvert or Extrovert? Extrovert, I think
How does the character deal with anger? She tries to bottle it up but ends up venting in the wrong places later. Or she writes.
With sadness/conflict/change/loss? She writes about it or talks to God.
What does the character want out of life? To be loved and to love.
What would the character like to change in his/her life? Her flaws.
What motivates this character? God
What frightens this character? Spiders, losing her family.
What makes this character happy? Her Bible, friends
Is the character judgmental of others? She tries not to be
Is the character generous or stingy? Generous
Is the character generally polite or rude? Generally polite, unless they make her mad...
Spiritual Characteristics
Does the character believe in God? Yes
What are the character's spiritual beliefs? That God sent his only son to die for everyone's sins and that by having a personal relationship with Jesus you'll have eternal life.
Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life? Umm
If so, what role does it play? A big part. Her modivation for everything is God, and if it isn't, she tries to change that.
How the Character is Involved in the Story
Character's role in the novel (main character? hero? heroine? Romantic interest? etc.): Main character/Heroine
Scene where character first appears: The first scene.
Relationships with other characters:(Name each character and describe relationships and changes to relationship over the course of the story.)
Ben: Her best friend. When they were children, they told each other everything, and even now they're best friends.
Her family: She's closest to Joseph and Eliza, the two she spent the most time with growing up. MaryLou and Caleb are younger than her, but she loves them. Luke remains more distant, being the oldest brother. She tries to tell her mother almost everything and is frequently talking with her father about quite a bit of stuff.
Naomi: Her other best friend, female. She, of course, tells Naomi more than she tells Ben, even though she's only known her since they were 12. Ben, Naomi and Josie are good friends and are almost always together.
Other (girl)friends: She's not as close to any of the others as she is to Naomi and Ben, but she tries to get along with everyone, despite their differences.
How is the character different at the end of the novel from when the novel began?: (This is one of the most important things to nail down. A story that invokes change in a character will be more interesting and appealing to your reader.) ((Will fill in later))
Additional Notes on this Character: ~
The Four S's
I never knew this before - it helps so much! I just posted it here to help me remember to include:
* Sensory experiences (sights, smells, tastes, physical sensations, etc.)
* Specific details (colors, tiny markings, little plants, etc.)
* Significance (have a reason for everything that exists in your story's world)
* Surprising (don't be afraid to do something no one has done before--make your mountains yellow or your trees silver--surprise and delight your reader always)
Thanks Mangy!
~Shae
PS: Working on my outline and names for my charries, etc...
* Sensory experiences (sights, smells, tastes, physical sensations, etc.)
* Specific details (colors, tiny markings, little plants, etc.)
* Significance (have a reason for everything that exists in your story's world)
* Surprising (don't be afraid to do something no one has done before--make your mountains yellow or your trees silver--surprise and delight your reader always)
Thanks Mangy!
~Shae
PS: Working on my outline and names for my charries, etc...
Time Setting?
I pondered over this thought for a while. Shall I set it during the 1830's, or the 1860's? Now, you may question me as to what the difference is between the two? Well....
I first picked the 1830's because I'm most familiar with it, story wise. The Millie Keith books are set during that time period and I've read those how many times? But then, I may have a problem when it comes to literature...I don't know which books were published before then.
I'm thinking I might go with the 1860's - during the American Civil War. Yes, I'm going to have to do research, which will take up precious time, but I really want this novel to be good. I know I'm supposed to care about quantity, not quality. But that's the point. I shall write this novel, then it will be done and I can go back and edit to my heart's content. Ooh I'm so excited...
~Shae
EDIT: Ok, I've sorta figured it out. I want it to take place around the war, but not during. I'm leaning on afterwards, or very close to the end. YES! That's what I'll do...
I first picked the 1830's because I'm most familiar with it, story wise. The Millie Keith books are set during that time period and I've read those how many times? But then, I may have a problem when it comes to literature...I don't know which books were published before then.
I'm thinking I might go with the 1860's - during the American Civil War. Yes, I'm going to have to do research, which will take up precious time, but I really want this novel to be good. I know I'm supposed to care about quantity, not quality. But that's the point. I shall write this novel, then it will be done and I can go back and edit to my heart's content. Ooh I'm so excited...
~Shae
EDIT: Ok, I've sorta figured it out. I want it to take place around the war, but not during. I'm leaning on afterwards, or very close to the end. YES! That's what I'll do...
Plot Dares!
So...I've found myself a plot. I'm sort of reluctant to do this one, because it doesn't leave room for much fantasy, but I've realized I'll be able to write it better as long as it isn't contemporary fiction. For some reason, I just can't force myself to write it...
Anyways, I've decided to choose some plot dares from CleanPlace, only because I need something funny to spice up my story. I'm not sure if I'll use them all however...
I have 47. XD I have some ideas as to how I'm going to add fantasy to this historical fiction novel... ;)
~Shae
Anyways, I've decided to choose some plot dares from CleanPlace, only because I need something funny to spice up my story. I'm not sure if I'll use them all however...
I have 47. XD I have some ideas as to how I'm going to add fantasy to this historical fiction novel... ;)
~Shae
Monday, October 29, 2007
NaNoWirMo - 3 Days!
Wow...three days until chaos! I knew I was getting a late start at this...
I've got a layout (sort of) of my plot. I just hope I don't decide to change it. It's going to be historical fiction, with some fantasy bits here and there. I wanted to write something funny, but then decided to write something more serious. =P
So I hope, as this is my first year attempting Nanowirmo, that I can reach 50,000 words by the 30th!
~Shae
I've got a layout (sort of) of my plot. I just hope I don't decide to change it. It's going to be historical fiction, with some fantasy bits here and there. I wanted to write something funny, but then decided to write something more serious. =P
So I hope, as this is my first year attempting Nanowirmo, that I can reach 50,000 words by the 30th!
~Shae
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