There is a contest going on at Jennifer J. Bennett's blog. The idea is to write a monolouge about a random household object. It must be under 1000 words and you cannot include a picture. Winner recieves a Barnes and Nobles giftcard. Visit her blog for more information http://jenniferjbennett.blogspot.com/2009/09/contest-2-characterobject-monologue.html

Concerns

It hit me today: I don't like my Plot Cards for the middle of my project. That realization scares me. Although I am not very far yet, if I keep writing every day, soon I will reach the "murky middle". Soon, I won't have any idea of what needs to happen next. I've tried working on my cards, but I'm not making very much progress. I guess I'll just deal with it when I get there.

This brings me to an important point: You should look through your cards before starting your story. If you don't, you'll realize later that you hate many of the scenes you had planned.

I can't wait to write this next scene. This is where things really pick up. I haven't been this excited in a long time. My goal is to write at least 500 new words, which I am almost certain I can accomplish. I've been writing every day, something I haven't done in a year. This is a big step for me.

Before I close I want to recommend a book to anyone reading this. For anyone who wants to write, you need this. "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg changed my life. It made me burn to write. It gave me great tips on how to get started. The section about timed writing is brilliant.

So. I'm off to write and enjoy the day with my husband. Have a great writing day. I know I will.

Finished First Chapter

I finished the first chapter of my project yesterday. It's only seven pages long, but I think they are pretty good for a first draft. I have decided to write every day, even on weekends, because at the moment I only write 300-600 words. Maybe when I am able to write a bit more I will switch back to five days a week, but for now, I need all the time I can get!

In the course Thinking Sideways I am on Lesson 10 and it is about the Law of Unintended Consequences, or LUC. I learned how to create my own LUC, how to make my story deeper and more full of conflict because of this Lesson. Soon I will be writing an unplanned scene based off an unintended consequence...I can't wait! And later this week I'll learn how to write query letters that get noticed, something every writer needs to have mastered in order to get an agent.

Things have been moving rather slowly, but I have been progressing. Best of all, I really think I can finish this project. I know it most likley won't be publishable, but it will be a learning experience. I can't wait to reach the end and I've only just begun!

First Pages

Project Update: I wrote my first scene today. It was much shorter than I wanted it to be. I was hoping for 1000 words...or at the very least 500. Instead, my scene ended at 277 words.

There is freedom in having a blank page to work with, in just starting the story. It can be difficult as well, especially when you don't know where you are going. Or where your story should even start.

One piece of advice: It should start with change. Something should be different about this time, this day, this situation. It should NOT start with backstory. Backstory is boring and will throw the reader right out of your story.

If you have problems starting your projects, even after spending months planning them...ask yourself some questions. Where are you? What is your character doing? Who are they watching? Why are they there? What changes? After answering these you should have some interesting ideas on where to start. It helped me at least.

Plot Cards And Why You Need Them

For the past few days I have been plotting my novel using the techniques in the Thinking Sideways course. This involves writing one sentence, under thirty words, for every scene in the novel. In the sentence you should include: your characters, the conflict, the twist and the setting. Without these elements you can end up writing a weak scene, you can get lost, you can even end up writing a novel that isn't worth saving.

Plot cards are important for many reasons. They keep your story on track. They allow you to write strong scenes. They can be used when you must plan and write a novel in a very short amount of time. For me, it has been a struggle writing my plot cards, but I know that in the end I will love what turns out and I will be that much more likely able to finish my project.

I will be honest. I never did project planning before taking Thinking Sideways. It never even entered my mind. I was the type that just got an idea in my head for an awesome character with a problem and wrote like crazy. Problem was...I hit the brick wall fast because I had no idea where my story was suppossed to go.

I have found that even though I was not much of a planner that this Lesson is helping me more than I can even imagine and it is a tool I will continue to use even after I finish this course. I love some of the ideas i'm getting. But I also see what needs to be fixed.

Well, that's it for today I think. Next time I'll either talk about fixing plot cards or even starting the first pages of a novel, depending on where I am at that day.