Blogfest Pregame

It's October 10, the day before my blogfest! Bells and whistles are firing off all around my apartment.

Please be here tomorrow, as early as you wish, and post your entry for the Hook, Line & Sinker Blogfest. Here again is your link to the sign-up sheet. Please, spread that last minute news around the blogiverse. I want more participants. Nom-Nom!


To remind participants:


You are to post 1000 words (a little more won't kill us), from the opening of any manuscript you have written. If that's the prologue, then post it. If that's chapter one, post it. We don't discriminate. If you do find your entry exceeding 1000 words, please leave a nice little reminder in the entry that it is longer than requested. Courtesy goes a long way.

The object of this blogfest is to see if you have established that hook agents and editors curse and hoot about. When you are leaving a comment, please be as constructive as you possibly can. This is a special blogfest and any of the comments left on the entries will only benefit this most crucial part of any writer's manuscript.

Things to ask yourself:

• Who is the character I am relating to?
• Does he/she have a personality that I crave to read?
• Is the world around them set up to compliment the character as they are introduced?
• Are there secondary characters to assist the hook along, with conflict or pace?
• Lastly: do I love the character? Do I want to read more about him/her?

I hope we all find our entries successful and I look forward to reading them all! See you tomorrow bright and early!

Peace and Writing Love,

JWP

Pantsing Through November

So, I think I've fallen on the decision to swallow any doubt my new NaNoWriMo side had brewed, and moved toward the option of simply pantsing my way through November. As wonderful as a lot of the recent blog posts are about planning, with charts and outlines, I think being my first time, I find myself just wanting to experience the thrill of a whole month of writing. While I won't be able to get my daily 1,000 word minimum accomplished every day, I'm going to try.

I suppose that's all that can be said. I want the challenge and think going in blind to this the first time would be a thrill. That goes without saying, if I fail at the end of November, I'll be returning next year with a plan.

I've decided to write a companion novel to my current series. While it will probably extend more than 50,000 on some later date, this is my goal. As most fantasy novels need superior planning skills because you're creating what isn't there, it will be an interesting thirty days to say the least.


In Announcements:


The Hook, Line & Sinker Blogfest is still looking for participants. I have twelve writers signed up and I am looking for a minimum of fifteen. Please continue to spread the word. It all goes down on October 11, 2010.

Until then.

Peace and Writing Love,

JWP

In Vein of NaNoWriMo

So I had signed up for NaNoWriMo this year, but I am not exactly sure if I would be able to follow through on the time line that is set up for the month. I would really love to buckle down and kill myself to complete NaNoWriMo, but trying it and knowing that I wouldn't have the time to finish might be worse than not finishing if I had the time to start.

Do any NaNoWriMo Alumni have some advice for a newbie? Any time line or planning ideas? Do you use any method of pre-planning that helps you write straight through the month without being hindered? I'd like you to share your experiences.

Also, please do not forget about my blogfest, which will be going down on October 11th. I have 9 particpants currently, and I would like to snag around 15. Just spread the word around and help me make this possible. It'll be a fun, I promise. Here's the link: Hook, Line & Sinker Blogfest. You can find the badge there, too.

For those who have forgotten, here's the theme of the blogfest:

1) Post 1000 or fewer words that come right from the first pages of your manuscript. Please don't cheat. Not that any of you fine bloggers would. But the goal is to see if you have a hook and to share it with the other participants. We'd like to see what is selling your character and world right from the beginning.

2) If you go slightly over 1000 words, you will not be penalized. If you do go over, please note the word count for courtesy.

3) On the day of the fest, please visit the entries, comment with advice or praise, and have fun!

Until then, much Peace and Writing Love!

JWP