Showing posts with label picture books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label picture books. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Weekly Progress Report - Nano and crazy goals and picture books

I'm sure most of you know that November is National Novel Writing Month and that www.Nanowrimo.org is a website that links together the crazy writers that try to write a 50K novel in the 30 days of November. I'm one of those crazy writers. If you want to link up as writing buddies, I'm there as Scarlett9284

This is my seventh Nano attempt. I won all of the previous six times I tried. I skipped one year, the November after I gave birth to son #1. I wasn't about to try with a one month old.

Anyhow, despite the craziness with the end of October weather and the power being out, I wasn't going to let anything hold me back. I was doing Nano this year.

This started out well, on pace for 50K for the month. Then day 4 happened and I had a really good writing day.

And I decided that my goal is to not write 50K of a novel in November. I want to write the entire first draft of Crystal's Magic this month. It's a paranormal YA so my aim is to write 80K. The story might end up being a little short (hopefully not longer than that though).

Right now, my word count is 20,730, just about right on pace for reaching 80K on the 30th.

Some teasers from Crystal's Magic:

     Lightning flashed, casting eerie shadows across her path. Thunder roared like an angry lioness. Sleet slashed across her cheeks, mixing with the tears that streamed down her face.

     A woman with long chocolate brown hair and soft brown eyes stared at her, a wide smile on her face. The tall man beside her wore the same smile, his dark hair streaked with a little white on the side.
     Her mom didn’t know Crystal had this picture--a picture of her real mom and dad.


     "But you, you I want to live for today. Promise me that you’ll always live for today, no matter what tomorrow may bring."

     Yes, biologically, Regina was her aunt, but Regina had raised her nearly her whole life. Surely that made her her mom.

     The front door opened.
     Crystal headed toward it. “Hi,” she said, but no one stood in the doorway.


     Years ago, cemeteries had terrified her. Now all she felt was peace, a completeness, as if the cycle of life to death was the natural order, and that whether or not there was life after death didn’t matter.
     Although, of course, she did believe in Heaven.

     The visions of her future—her hair had been longer. Could a simple haircut be a way to ensure the future was changed?

     Why not try it and find out? She certainly didn’t want to die any time soon.

---

In addition to doing Nano, I'm also taking part in PiBoIdMo - picture book idea month where you try to come with with 30 ideas for picture books in the month of November.

I've already come up with 30 ideas. My next step is to outline them and maybe start some, while trying to come up with more ideas.

Are you doing Nano? How's your progress? What have you been up to this past week?


Check out some other great progress report this week:

http://www.writersally.blogspot.com/
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com/p/tuesday-wip-status.html
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in/
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://lynneawest.blogspot.com

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Picture Book Idea Month

So I'm crazy.

But I'm sure most of you already realized this. Glad you still come back though!

Anyhow, a couple of days ago, I mentioned how I  want to start writing picture books, as if I don't already have enough on my plate.

Well, while doing some research on PB, I found this wonderful blog that mentions November being Picture Book Idea Month. You're supposed to come up with 30 PB story ideas in the 30 days of November.




Now, November is also National Novel Writing Month, and I already signed up to do that.

But how hard is it to come up with 30 PB ideas? It can't be that hard.

So I'm going to do both.

I told you I'm crazy.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Picture Books

My hubby and I love to read to our sons. Son #1 especially loves it. He'll turn the pages (sometimes before we're finished reading it). There are times he'll sit with a book and flip through it while babbling. It's so precious. And I love that he loves to 'read.' He just turned 2 a few days ago and he's already a reader.

So this of course, makes me want to write books for him, stories that he would like read to him. So a light bulb went off. Picture books! I could write a picture book!

Well, writing one isn't hard. I wrote one, a cute little story about a baby brown bear who loves Christmas. The only problem - I know nothing about picture books. I don't know the market, how to write a query letter for it, anything really. Are any of you picture book writers? Have any pointers for me? Any suggestions? If you aren't a picture book writer, would you ever consider writing one?