What kind of author are you? Do you let your characters flow from your mind onto you paper or screen (pantster) or do you develop detailed outlines you follow to the letter (plotter) ? Or, are you somewhere in between?
I tend to fall in the middle. I plan my plot to a point where I know where my story is going, then I let my characters take me on the journey. Sometimes they lead me down paths I didn't know were there when I started. (Recently, my MC introduced me to almost her entire adopted family- I wasn't expecting that!)
So, if you are a plotter, do you let your characters lead you down those side roads to see what might be there? If you're a pantster, do you jot down timelines or a vague outline to follow? What kind of author are you? Share in the comments!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
WCC Wednesday
Well, it's another Wednesday-- a rainy one here, and time for my update on Weekly Chapter Challenge.
Last week I posted an outline of my WIP chapter 7. This week, you can see what that became on the link to the right. Please remember this is just a first draft. However, any comments you would like to share would be welcome!
Katie's The Vampire Slave is moving right along. She has introduced a new character with great set up to allow her to be on the side of good or on the side of evil. Plots and twists abound, and Katie has done an excellent job to capture me in the moment and need to know more.
Fiona's The Path Through the Mist is also captivating me. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for her MC. Her simple, yet evocative descriptions continue to amaze me. I'll keep working with her to let me share one or two with you. She has such a way with words.
For me, I am continuing on with The Lost Princess. I finished my first draft of chapter 8 yesterday and am going to start chapter 9 as soon as I post this. My goal is to finish the book before November so I can take a break from it during NaNoWriMo and come back to it with fresh eyes. I am also working on a short story for a competition. The end needs some work, so I will be looking at that today, too.
How about you? How are your WIP's going? I'd love to hear your progress.
Last week I posted an outline of my WIP chapter 7. This week, you can see what that became on the link to the right. Please remember this is just a first draft. However, any comments you would like to share would be welcome!
Katie's The Vampire Slave is moving right along. She has introduced a new character with great set up to allow her to be on the side of good or on the side of evil. Plots and twists abound, and Katie has done an excellent job to capture me in the moment and need to know more.
Fiona's The Path Through the Mist is also captivating me. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for her MC. Her simple, yet evocative descriptions continue to amaze me. I'll keep working with her to let me share one or two with you. She has such a way with words.
For me, I am continuing on with The Lost Princess. I finished my first draft of chapter 8 yesterday and am going to start chapter 9 as soon as I post this. My goal is to finish the book before November so I can take a break from it during NaNoWriMo and come back to it with fresh eyes. I am also working on a short story for a competition. The end needs some work, so I will be looking at that today, too.
How about you? How are your WIP's going? I'd love to hear your progress.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
NaNoWriMo
I know it's only October, but this is the perfect time to get ready for NaNoWriMo!
I am NaNo-ing for the first time, and am hoping to make my goal of 50,000 words in the month of November. I will keep you posted on my progress here!
If you are NaNo-ing, let me know, and Good Luck meeting your goals!
Upcoming Posts:
WCC Wednesday
Panster or Planner
Recipe Friday
I am NaNo-ing for the first time, and am hoping to make my goal of 50,000 words in the month of November. I will keep you posted on my progress here!
If you are NaNo-ing, let me know, and Good Luck meeting your goals!
Upcoming Posts:
WCC Wednesday
Panster or Planner
Recipe Friday
Monday, October 4, 2010
POV
Today's post is about Point of View (POV). I tend to write from a 3rd person POV, varying between 2-3 characters. I have also written from 1st person POV (for me, this one is trickier!) So, how are they different?
3rd person POV allows the writer and reader to see and understand the feelings of the person who is viewing the scene. For my stories, I usually have 1 or 2 characters in the scene and pick who I want to view it through-- who has the most internal dialogue to share. Sometimes I have to write it from both POV's before I get the correct view. In this view, you can also use the omniscient narrator-- this allows the reader to know what is going on, even if the characters don't experience it.
1st person POV follows the story from the main character's (usually) POV. You only know what they know, only see what they see. If something happens off stage, you don't know about it. And, the character can't know what someone else is thinking. I have to be careful in this POV not to assign emotions to character actions that the main character can't know.
What about you? What POV do you use? Do you find one trickier than the other? Any tips for others? Share in the comments!
Upcoming Posts:
NaNoWriMo
WCC Wednesday
Pantster or Planner?
Recipe Friday
3rd person POV allows the writer and reader to see and understand the feelings of the person who is viewing the scene. For my stories, I usually have 1 or 2 characters in the scene and pick who I want to view it through-- who has the most internal dialogue to share. Sometimes I have to write it from both POV's before I get the correct view. In this view, you can also use the omniscient narrator-- this allows the reader to know what is going on, even if the characters don't experience it.
1st person POV follows the story from the main character's (usually) POV. You only know what they know, only see what they see. If something happens off stage, you don't know about it. And, the character can't know what someone else is thinking. I have to be careful in this POV not to assign emotions to character actions that the main character can't know.
What about you? What POV do you use? Do you find one trickier than the other? Any tips for others? Share in the comments!
Upcoming Posts:
NaNoWriMo
WCC Wednesday
Pantster or Planner?
Recipe Friday
Friday, October 1, 2010
Recipe Friday
Update: For those of you interested in seeing the world my stories are set in, there is a map link to the right.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog!
It's fall, and October! That means pumpkins and cool days. Today I am going to share my recipe for Pumpkin Sausage soup. (You didn't think I only made cookies and candy, did you?) At one point in time I actually had a written recipe for this that I got somewhere, but I have no idea where it is. What I am giving you is the simple, basics for the soup and how I modify it when I make it to get different flavors.
Pumpkin Sausage Soup
1 large can pumpkin (not the pie flavored kind) or 3 soup can sized cans
1 container chicken stock (approx 32 oz) (you can use beef or vegetable stock, too)
1 tube frozen sausage, thawed (I prefer Jimmy Dean Sage or the blue wrapper Great Value breakfast sausage)
1 to 2 teaspoons Mace or Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Cumin
Red Hot or Tobasco Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Cream/Half and Half (optional)
Cook the sausage in a deep skillet (or a regular skillet if you want to do the rest in a separate pan- I don't like to do dishes, so I do it all in one pan!) Chop into small bits while cooking. Add stock and pumpkin. Mix. Add mace/nutmeg. (I used Mace this last time and found it worked better than the nutmeg- a more subtle flavor.) Add cumin (this gives it a smoky flavor). Add a dash of Red Hot or Tobasco, (or more if you like things spicy!) Salt and pepper to taste (I don't use a lot of salt, but found this helped balance the sweet from the mace). Cook until hot. If you want a creamier version, add a pint of cream or half and half. Serve sprinkled with grated romano or parmesan cheese.
It goes very well with a fresh loaf of bread, or grilled cheese. And, I found Saranac's Pumpkin Ale is a nice accompaniment for the over 21 crowd. (Cider works well for the under 21 crowd in our house!)
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog!
It's fall, and October! That means pumpkins and cool days. Today I am going to share my recipe for Pumpkin Sausage soup. (You didn't think I only made cookies and candy, did you?) At one point in time I actually had a written recipe for this that I got somewhere, but I have no idea where it is. What I am giving you is the simple, basics for the soup and how I modify it when I make it to get different flavors.
Pumpkin Sausage Soup
1 large can pumpkin (not the pie flavored kind) or 3 soup can sized cans
1 container chicken stock (approx 32 oz) (you can use beef or vegetable stock, too)
1 tube frozen sausage, thawed (I prefer Jimmy Dean Sage or the blue wrapper Great Value breakfast sausage)
1 to 2 teaspoons Mace or Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Cumin
Red Hot or Tobasco Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Cream/Half and Half (optional)
Cook the sausage in a deep skillet (or a regular skillet if you want to do the rest in a separate pan- I don't like to do dishes, so I do it all in one pan!) Chop into small bits while cooking. Add stock and pumpkin. Mix. Add mace/nutmeg. (I used Mace this last time and found it worked better than the nutmeg- a more subtle flavor.) Add cumin (this gives it a smoky flavor). Add a dash of Red Hot or Tobasco, (or more if you like things spicy!) Salt and pepper to taste (I don't use a lot of salt, but found this helped balance the sweet from the mace). Cook until hot. If you want a creamier version, add a pint of cream or half and half. Serve sprinkled with grated romano or parmesan cheese.
It goes very well with a fresh loaf of bread, or grilled cheese. And, I found Saranac's Pumpkin Ale is a nice accompaniment for the over 21 crowd. (Cider works well for the under 21 crowd in our house!)
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
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