The Hunter's Journal

This is more for me than anyone else. Feel free to skip or ignore at will.

( Writing Project outlines )

So, those are the writing projects. There might be more waiting in the wings, but... for right now, that's it.

( Creative projects )

I want to find another knitting project, and I'll definitely be adding smaller cross stitching projects throughout the year.

That's my outlines. Any questions? Feel free to ask!

I don't have a trouble sitting my butt down and sitting at my computer. I get up, get a drink, and sit my butt down in the morning.

Where do I trouble? I have trouble in actually working on the writing.

That's right. Even though I put together about 280k words last year, I have a huge problem with getting the words onto the screen when I'm sitting in the chair. First there's procrastination - games, checking websites, reading of various f-lists, and checking my RP tags. Then, there's running around and getting the kids ready to go to school (when they have it) which usually means that my attention is on everything but writing.

I try to turn on music in the morning to get my brain working into the 'writing' mindset. It doesn't always work. However, I do try.

Then, once the kids are gone, I can do anything I want! Hurray! Freedom! Except... that usually overwhelms me with choices and thoughts of what I should be doing. Which means that I sit and procrastinate until OMG it's noon! How did that happen?

Sometimes, I actually do get some writing done, though not a lot.

So, to motivate myself, I generally join challenges. NaNoWriMo is probably the most well known. This year (for the second year) I've joined getyourwordsout on LJ. Here on DW I joined inkingitout. Both of them are year long challenges and I'm hoping that the competition will make me really get working.

So far this year? Nope not working. Which isn't a good thing. I have projects to finish and things to work on. I have got to get motivated.

This is me giving myself a peptalk and trying to get things straight in my own head. (Probably doesn't help that I'm exhausted.)

Once the kids go back to school, maybe it'll be better. I certainly have hope for it.

Today hasn't been a total wash. I did get something written. I'm not happy with it, but that's just in general, not necessarily because of the writing itself.

Ever notice how your writing ebbs and flows sometimes? I think I'm in a major ebb. Soon I'll get i flowing though. Flow writing flow!

I've decided I'm doing writing/creative challenges for 2011. So, this is going to be my master list of just what I've signed up for:

1:



Creative Every Day (thanks to finch for pointing it out!)

Now the rules state it doesn't have to be writing, but that's usually my outlet of choice. I'm going to try knitting this year, so, it's time to see about getting that done. Plus, part of my resolutions this year is to finish some cross stitch. Meaning, that I'm going to have to work on things. Plus, with a challenge, I tend to do better. I need to have something to work for. And people to beat. IDEK.

2: 750 words! I actually like this one. It's a small, reasonable goal that pretty much everyone can do. It's only 750 words a day, and that's less than an hour's work, unless I'm really struggling and I'm generally not. It's something to work for, and I have to keep going to get the badges that are offered as accomplishment, you see.

3: Get Your Words Out is a challenge where you sign up for a number (I signed up for 250k) to write over the course of the year. I have a lot of writing ahead of me, but it's possible. There's stories to be written and I need to be writing them. (thanks to kay_brooke!) The info post is here

4: I'll be doing NaNoWriMo again this November. Just like I do every year, because I'm a big old bunch of fail.

5: origfic_bingo. Seriously, this helps with backstory and fleshing things out a bit and working around and through things. It's great for cleaning the brain pan out a little. And for getting the creative juices flowing.

I think that's all I'm doing. But gods only know. I might end up signing up for more. I know I'm going to be doing NaNoEdMo in March too. But that's not a challenge so much as a "dear god EDIT that thing!" for me.

Anyone have any others to suggest? I do better with challenges and reasons to be prodded in the Word Processor direction.

So, I've got plots bouncing around in my brain. Considering NaNo was "fandom with the serial numbers filed off" I'm not real worried about that aspect of it.

However, I know that the plots are really contrived and cliché. Meaning that I'd have to work with them through some reworkings to get them to something that might be of interest for people to read.

Considering that I've spent the last two days writing Bleach/X-Men fic, I really have no room to talk.

Well, let's talk about contrived plots:

- Long lost noble - FOUND! Seriously, this has been done so many times that it's really a trope. It's how noblemen/heroes in fandom get surprise!kids, and how unsavory nobles are deposed, by the triumphant return of their neglected offspring. (Chris Paolini anyone?)
- Ostracized noble family regains honor Do I have to explain this one? It'll be something about the last heir going undercover/on an epic journey and reclaiming that which was taken from them by an evil rival or something.
- Baby adopted in, but ousted by natural born child Again, do I have to explain? This is such a joke that I'm not sure I could even finish a story with this even as a subplot.

I had a few others, but mostly it's the first one that's caught my attention recently. I'm thinking of maybe doing that one for next year's NaNo. Since I'm pretty sure my schedule won't allow for it. Next year's pretty well mapped out. I really do wanna work on the Moon stuff. That'll get that out of the way.

I need to work out my plot for it, like I did for NaNo. It'll help me keep the story moving along. At the end, it'll be ugly as hell, but... hey, stories almost always are the first time through.

I can maybe work in another thing for April, since that's mostly looking at my NaNo ago - even though I'm doing that in March for NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) - so that month might have something that I can nudge in, if I can get a decent outline/characters.

Who knows, maybe I'll work on the Jenith/Bear stuff, or the Kenny/Max stuff. Both of those kinda fascinate me, so we'll have to see.

I know the Jenith stuff could be turned into the first trope, especially.

AND MOVING ON!

I really need to do an outline/something of the Moon!Fic. Even though that's scheduled for next month, I'm thinking I need to get to it. I have characters to outline, and a plot to think of. That's probably going to wait until after the kids are back in school, though. Kids around = writing time cut short, unfortunately.

For now, I'm going to go see if I can find my book.

I decided to put this up. Feel free to kick my ass all year long, if needed:

January:
- Double check the writing classes
- Sit on KoO
- Outline possible Moon!fic revamp

February:
- Send out KoO (find someone)
- Sit on DB
- Write Moon!fic?

March:
- More writing classes
- Writing classes (find some that are NOT HRRW)
- Edit DB (NaNoEdMo)

April:
- Save money for BIG writing classes
- Look at DB again
- Sit on Moon!fic

May:
- Look at KoO one more time
- Rewrite
- Possible querying?

June/July/August:
- Whatever happens, happens. Last summer was a WASH and sometimes, no pressure is good. Plan on things with the kids, rather than writing.

September:
- Writing classes (A theme has appeared!)
- Plan something for NaNo
- Edit Moon!Fic

October:
- Short stories!
- Writing classes
- NaNo planning

November:
- NANOWRIMO

December:
- Maybe KoO2?
- Rewrite KoO1 if needed
- Edit shorts
- Writing classes.

Does it look like a lot? Possibly, but dammit, I need a schedule or everything goes to shit. For now, this looks like it. It'll probably get revised. I might take whole months to outline stories. Maybe it'll work better.

Eventually, I'm going to have something intelligent to put here.

Eventually, there will be more posts here about writing and what I am/am not doing.

Eventually, I will get off my butt and get things done about this blog.

Eventually, I might show everyone a brain process.

Eventually, it will be NaNo and the counters will begin again.

Eventually, I'm going to rewrite KoO (September) and then all my frustration will vomit onto the screen again.

Eventually... I'll actually be the writer I keep claiming to be.

Okay... so...

May: Finish the edit on KoO
June: Write something (Possibly Mira, or Ari)
July: RESEARCH MONTH
August: Rewrite KoO
September: Research/writing
October: Outline Dragon Voices
November: THE DREADED NANO - Dragon Voices
December: Send out second set of "PLEASE EDIT THIS" of KoO.

... That actually looks doable. Pondering this as I go along.

I'm hoping that nothing too much comes along to screw this up. Like, ya know, LIFE. But I'm going to attempt it.

Up until about three hours ago - I get up early no matter if I have to or not - I was severely undecided about participating in NaNoWriMo.

But, as the fog of waking up cleared, I realised that I had several stories that could be used and needed to be worked on anyway. I'm not in the proper headplace to write just yet, but World Building! That I can do.

So, yes, I'm joining NaNo - possibly for my last year. Next year I plan on being in school. Hopefully anyway.

For now, though, I'm going to go get started on my world building, and see where that takes me.

One of the most important tools - in my mind - that a writer can have is a personal library. That personal library doesn't have to be huge (though most end up being so, in my experience) but I think you'll find as time goes on, you'll find more and more books to add to that collection that really are needed.

And, if you've chosen genre writing, you're going to find that your collection contains not only your chosen genre but many, many others that seemingly have no connection to your own chosen genre.

Why? Because no genre is exclusive. They all draw elements from each other. Westerns, romances, mysteries, thrillers, all of it takes elements from each other and twists it in different ways.

So, reading all other genres can actually enrich your writing, no matter what you want to write.

I, personally, like fantasy. But to write it, I need to understand military movements, how horses move, and their limitations. I need to understand everything from guns to swords, to armour, to catapults, castle defences, and... Well, I'm sure you get the idea.

Which means, I need to read a lot of history books. Reading fiction gives me inspiration. Reading... Again, I'm sure you understand.

Today, I got a new book in my library. I'm planning on sitting here, for at least part of the night, and reading some of it, while I enjoy Lara Croft, and maybe something to munch on.

Think about what books belong in your library, and try to think outside the box.

I have to say, for the majority of my stories, I fly by the seat of my pants. Most of them, are on fantasy worlds, and while they require world building, I always just sorta roll with the 'pseudo-European' model.

However, the next story I'm writing requires enough research that I've got a stack of library books about China, Mongols, Egypt, Rome, the Tsars of Russia and so on and so forth.

I've got notes, on my personal diary (linked in the side bar) about the thoughts I've had about where my research needs to go next.

It's best for me to put it online, so that I can find it all with the use of my tags. Of course, the poor f-list gets inundated with those thoughts, especially when I get them multiple times per day.

A lot of the time the research is always a bit extraneous to the writing.

No matter how much you research, there are going to be things in it that you can't fit into the writing. And you're going to want to. There are going to be bits and pieces that you know you can just fit in, if you just tweak here and there...

Except then, your writing reads like a text book, and that is almost never fun.

Research and writing have to be carefully balanced. If I want a society based off of Ivan IV's (the Terrible) reign in Tsarist Russia, I can't just start dumping in every detail about his attempted social reforms.

Unless they start becoming relevant to the plot, there are things that you need to know, that the reader probably doesn't.

I'm involved in my research and love the way it's going. I hope I can bring it across in my writing, and hope that my research makes my writing better.