Category: NaNoWriMo

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NaNoWriMo

Countdown to NaNoWriMo 2009

This year has to be the first time I’ve felt so excited for NaNoWriMo so “early”. I’ve gone ahead and bought some merchandise, donated a small bit to the OLL, etc. The one thing I haven’t done, though (and it seems like most of my NaNo comrades started all these preparations long ago) is actually figure out what I’m going to write for the whole month of November.

This will be my fifth novel since I’d started up a couple of non-NaNo novels this year and last year; for all the novels I have written these past two years, I have noticed that I write my best (maybe worst?) when I just don’t have a plan for what the story will be like. I’d have an inkling of what I wanted to write, but I wouldn’t map out the whole plot, the characters, etc. For me, I feel like if I did this, I would be boxing in my imagination and end up having a major Writer’s Block early on in the month.

That’s why, for this third NaNoWriMo, I’m going to continue with this method of mine and see where it takes me. Who knows, I may write in a genre that I had claimed to be averse to in the past. My imagination needs to run wild first before I think to tame it after all.

So, do you have a plan for NaNoWriMo yet? If so, what’s it going to be?

P.S., feel free to find me on the NaNoWriMo website–my username is “heriko”.

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NaNoWriMo reflection travel

Traveling through the year

There’s something about visiting a new place: it truly gives me a sense of adventure and renewed optimism. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I last traveled until I arrived at SFO this past Wednesday evening and thought, “Well, the last time I was here was in January.” I’d lost track of time and had since only been traveling within San Francisco or to Sacramento to visit relatives.

It explains the restlessness I have felt for quite awhile now; the need to be on-the-move, seeing/hearing/feeling new things all around me.

In other news, it seems like some people are already gearing up for NaNoWriMo this year; it’s a little under two months away now. I can’t believe it’s already September; the end of the year is always something I look forward to. As my brother has said, “It’s when everything ‘falls’ into place.” It’s a horrible pun, but it still makes sense: a lot of things seem to happen at the end of each year, and I always look forward to the travels ahead.

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Inner Editor motivation NaNoWriMo Novel 2

Flipping through Novel 2 & Anticipating NaNoWriMo 2009.

As the saying goes, “Better late than never.”

After putting off any progress related to my later works, i.e., Novels 2 & 3, I finally got around to printing out the first draft manuscript of Dark Prayer’s Song aka Novel 2. I’m currently in the midst of reading the entire manuscript to refresh my memory on what the novel is about. It’s been hard trying not to let my Inner Editor come out and say “Man, this piece is not so great.” It took me roughly 10 months to finish that novel, mainly because I went through a big block during the middle of 2008 (I began writing the novel last January). There were a lot of tumultuous things going on in my personal life at that point anyway; once NaNoWriMo 2008 rolled around, though, I re-gained my inspiration again to finish up that novel. Writing “The End” to a manuscript is always a big accomplishment.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo: although it’s still four months away, I’m already feeling excited for this year’s event. It’ll be my fifth novel to write, and, well, who knows where this one will take me? With all my novel projects so far, I have been trying to dive into different genres to feel out my writing voice. They’re all experiments, as beautiful (and sometimes ugly) they may be. In the end, there’s no real regret for any of the projects; they’ve all been good learning experiences. I’ll write on-the-fly again this year with NaNoWriMo; it’s better that way for me anyway. Although I’m usually known to be one who makes lists/plans a lot, when it comes to writing, I just want to write and let it flow instead of pre-judging/overanalyzing how I’m going to go about it.

Really, just write; that’s all there is to it.

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inspiration NaNoWriMo news Novel 4

Another novel in the works.

This past week, I began my venture into another novel–Novel 4 to be exact. NaNoWriMo doesn’t come around quite as often as I’d like, it seems, since I end up itching to start another novel shortly after NaNoWriMo in the past couple of years.

What I have been trying to do with each novel I have written so far is to experiment with different genres; my first novel, Writing the Past, can be described as Mainstream Fiction (for the timebeing anyway); my second novel….well, I was trying to write it as a mystery/suspense, but I need to go back and seriously tweak the plot after rewriting the first novel; my third novel…adventure/travel. This fourth novel leans more towards a memoir; so far, it’s been challenging writing in this genre since I am trying to get the general true facts down.

Well, it’s refreshing to have something new to work with, although I know I should be focusing more on rewriting my first novel since I intend to publish it by summertime. Watch my progress on Novel 4’s wordcount in the sidebar, and wish me luck. =)

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change Facebook Internet Myspace NaNoWriMo Work in Progress

Clicking in; completed novels.

Yes, yes, I know, it has been awhile since I last posted. I had meant to post during the month of November to keep you all updated on my NaNoWriMo progress, but, due to the extreme amount of words I was typing every day, I guess I didn’t think to post blog entries in my spare time.

Well, it is hard to believe, but already the end of the year 2008 is upon us all. I had tried to keep with Blog365 the whole year, and I suppose I should pat myself on the back for keeping up with a post-a-day for more than half of the year (through July). That’s a big accomplishment, so..can’t be sad that I didn’t post so well during the rest of the year.

Besides, a lot of things ended up changing and causing some turmoil from August up until now. Even now, though, changes continue to happen, and I find myself lacking a lot of free time. But, I cannot complain really, since these days life is much more enjoyable than before.

Something exciting to share, by the way: I recently completed the novel that I had begun in January of this year, which means I am up to three completed novels. Granted, these novels are all still first drafts, but I would like to see them all published soon. Since I have completed these projects, the next step is to start the editing/revising phase of Novel 1.

Word has spread that I write novels, so it seems like I already have a small core of a fanbase going. I can’t quite decide how I should go about in establishing an “online presence” for my writer identity; I used to have Myspace and Facebook, but of course, we already know what happened with those accounts. I’m not sure if I should create new accounts at either sites (or at any social networking site for that matter) for my professional identity; I’m wondering if I will become tired of the scene again if I do so. I’ve heard some suggestions thrown about on the NaNoWriMo forums about creating blogs for my protagonists, to keep fans excited/at bay before the initial release of my completed work.

I definitely don’t want everyone to lose interest if too much time passes. So, I would like some feedback from others about what would be the best way to go about doing self-promotion for my books and my general identity as a writer.