My plot has been going down the drain day by day and it has shown in my writing and in my blog posts. However, thanks to Akaluv, I started to give thought about my plot in the way of chapters. I te…
Source: Advice and Inspiration
Tag: planning
In Moderation
I have mentioned this in the passing but I have honestly forgotten how to write. Were my other drafts, for other stories, this horrible? Maybe it’s because I have spent so much time revising …
Source: In Moderation
The Countdown Begins
We have 22 days until November and the race is on to prepare for NaNoWriMo. I have officially added Phantom Blade as my novel on the National Novel Writing Month website. My goal is to finish another novel this year so I can start shortening the list of stories I want to write. Hopefully this year I can finally put this story to rest.
The good thing about NaNoWriMo is that, for me, it gives me an opportunity to experiment. The story doesn’t have to make sense and my scenes can be out of place. Sure, eventually I would have to edit and revise so much but I don’t mind doing that. I have the liberty to write whatever I want to write and the editor inside of me can take a break. The outline I made for Phantom Blade will help and it will keep me grounded so that my creativity won’t get out of hand.
I have started hinting to my friends and family members of the upcoming month where I won’t be very social. This also means that I’ll have to plan out how many words I have to write if I plan to go out one day because I really want to finish the novel this month.
The last thing I will say is that I’ll be posting blogs in my NaNoWrimo 2016 blog once November starts but once the day approaches I’ll have more details.
Step One: Summary
With a little over a month until National Novel Writing Month starts, I have been busying preparing. My outline is nowhere complete but as November 1 approaches, I’m confident that I can figure out more of my plot. I have the beginning and I know how it’s going to end, now I have to figure out the rest of the novel.
In order to accomplish this and too keep “on track” on what I want the story to be about, I have composed a rough draft of my summary. I have written it about ten times and this will be last draft for a while. I won’t pretend to know how to write a summary. Usually, it’s what the story is about while highlighting the important key points of a story. I’m no expert which is why I have been browsing Goodreads and reading summaries for different type of books. This way, I was able to format my summary with what I read.
I decided to post my summary of Phantom Blade on here for a little bit of feed back but also to let you guys know about what I have been up to. This is what I have so far:
“Humans must never know the truth . . .
Breaking that rule is the sole existence for Enforcers – the Fae powered individuals who have sworn to keep the paranormal existence from humans. At any cost. At least, that was what Avon believed.
Now, as an ex-Enforcer, Avon only has one thing on her mind: hunting and killing the demon that slaughtered her team. But after two years of tracking down every lead and killing anyone in her path, the trail has started to grow cold and the Council won’t sit idly be. Reinstated at an immigration office for demons – run by demons – it’s taking Avon every ounce of her will power not to kill them and continue her hunt. But when paranormals start disappearing, she is partnered with the demon, Samael, to discover the perp.
Samael was living the dream – as well as any demon could – on the Council’s payroll as an immigrant officer for his fellow demons. But when the higher-ups force him to work with Avon, a permanent trip to hell seems like a better option. But Samael is no detective and it doesn’t help that the two are always butting heads.
With no one cooperating and the werewolves acting strange, trust is the last thing on their minds. Avon knows that the only one she can truly trust is her blade even if it means giving into the power inside her. Nothing is as it seems and the case might be closer to home than Avon realizes.”
It’s not perfect and it can definitely use more tune up but for now, it will have to do. Having a summary will keep me on track for what I want to accomplish in November and I’m looking forward to developing this story.
Thanks for reading.
Preparation for NaNoWriMo
I haven’t mentioned this before, or maybe you got the idea but, I have a lot of projects I work on so I’m always busy with something. This also means that I never lack any ideas for stories/novels which is why this year, I already have the story I’ll be working on in mind. A little background on this story is in order.
The story is titled Phantom Blade. I posted it on wattpad a few years ago but somehow, it just wasn’t coming out right and it started to drag. I called it quits before I started hating it. Over the years, however, I have reworked the world and the characters and reworked the plot. Sure I don’t have everything set in stone but I have an idea of what’s going to happen and how it is going to end (more on endings later).
This also means that I have most of the characters already set and so I don’t have to start from scratch. I think that’s one of the benefits of having so many projects. You’re always working on something and, when you finally start writing, there’s not a whole lot that you have to worry about. Just like this story, all I have to do is write. Editing comes later.
Sure I’ll keep planning before NaNoWriMo 2016 starts but for now, I’ve started outlining my novel. For me, this is sort of like writing a synopsis. I basically type of the plot, scenes, and/or details of what I want to write for the story. These aren’t always concrete but sometimes I do write out dialogue or character development moments. It all depends. My outline isn’t always complete. I don’t write out the entire story because a. there would be no creativity left and b. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
The one thing I make sure to do is to be flexible. I know I have an outline but I use it more like a guideline. I allow the story to change because, otherwise, I would feel like writing would become a chore. I like writing and I don’t like being forced to write (like college essays for example *cough*). Not to mention that having an outline helps me keep writing without hitting a wall so soon.
Has anyone else started preparing for NaNoWriMo 2016? What tips or advice would you share? Thanks for reading.
Dabbling in the Art of Writing 