Excellent writing weather for Hiram and the new book coming together during Camp NaNoWriMo

Writing this month has been going pretty well. The new girl in the book has been sharing her little personality traits with me. all I can say is wow, is she different from any other character that I have met. Kira is one strong independent young lady and yet, she has a fun side to her that keeps me researching.

Kira is also turning chapter nine around. I know this is the first draft, but I am pretty inspired by her. She is so quick and so quick witted. She makes me laugh as she puts Hiram through his paces. He with his superior ways never thought he would meet anyone that could make him want to pull his hair out in frustrations.  But up until now, he had never met Kira.

So only nine chapters in and plenty more to go. For a first draft, I do find the story building to a point of impending trouble.  Watch your step guys, there are more than just bears in the woods. Consider yourselves warned.

Keep up with Hiram and Kira and see how this unfolds.  It has me working like a tiger researching. I am on another continent seeking answers.  Perhaps it would be more correct to admit I am researching like a Leopard.

April 1st Campers Arrive, Unload the Laptop!

NaNoWriMo starts first thing in the morning. Hiram has been giving me little bits and bobs of the book, so I have a starting place and an ending. Now I have 30 days to write the parts in between!

All Camp NaNoWriMo writers, be confident, we can do this!

I will be in my cabin first thing in the morning. See you there with bug spray and tennis shoes.

Exciting Changes in the Works!

Who's that in the Cat Pajamas? is complete! The first draft and first edit are over on this children's chapter book. A rewrite occurred and one chapter was completely reworked.

What changed? You might ask. It seems that when I had a good idea, so good that I wrote it twice. When I realized that, I needed another chapter. So fleshing out began and lovely, exciting, and remarkable content filled in the blank.

We have an illustrator for Who's that in the Cat Pajamas?!

Anne Carmichael has offered to be the illustrator of this children's book and her concept drawings were brilliant. They hit on the points that I loved most about the story.  So far, I have seen 3 rough drafts and I am so impressed.  It was as if we had been sitting together brainstorming.

Making plans for the mega cover reveal which will occur soon. Watch out for notices. Of course, you will all be invited!

I am also furiously working on the YA book, Blip. It is taking on a life of its own. This is the project I will be focusing on during NaNoWriMo and I feel it is going to be a real gem.

You might remember Hiram from his little blurb last week. He is coming to life with the force of a tornado. I love when a character sits me down and tells me his story.  We are meeting a new character this week and I am already quite intrigued.  Keep talking Hiram, show me what you have in store. I am already shocked at your ingenuity. Keep us writing!

Camp NaNoWriMo, are you joining in?

April 1st means another year at Camp NaNoWroMo. An exciting event where you commit to writing in a 30 day period as many words on a project as you desire.

I am going to go for the 50,000 words that NaNoWriMo is known for and I will be working on a project called The Path to the Past. It is a follow-up to the first book featuring Melanie Easton and her family. This will be continuing from where we left off and taking Melanie into a new world of living with people that she doesn't actually know very well.  It will also allow her to search for the elusive secrets that have been withheld all her life.

There is a lot on my plate with this book. So my plan is to start off fresh with her story strong in my mind and take her through an entirely new adventure. Those that know and love Melanie will see her facing more challenges and seeking more answers.  Rob will be making an appearance as will others from the Path of the Child.  Melanie is not a child any longer, and she has goals and plans.

Keep watching here for more updates on her journey down the Path to the Past.  If you have not read Melanie's story and want to be ready for the next journey, then you can pick it up at Amazon or on Smashwords.

Join me in writing during Camp NaNoWriMo and have fun, earn a few badges, and make some friends. It is a great place to spend April and July each year.

Remember at Camp Nano, if you have a WIP you can bring it in for editing and that counts just like writing a new transcript.  There is also the screenwriting option. The camp has something for everyone.

Scrivener Saturday!

Today I woke up ready to write. I chose the story that I wanted to focus on and I have focused well. I have written about 1000 words so far which doesn't take into account all the words I have deleted and changed.

I find myself editing as I go, recreating sentences several times before being satisfied. How many similar items are too many when you are making a point?  I add and subtract and then add them back in. Does anyone else second guess themselves in this manner? 

Research this morning went well and brought in a new dimension to the story. I like what I found and think it will resonate with the readers.  As this is a middle grade / YA story, I am hoping that they will enjoy the research done to make it authentic.

Research is such a fun part of writing. It allows more depth to the characters and their story.  Now to get the images created to go along with the story.  I would love to be an artist. It is a shame that the images I have in my mind are not going to be the final product. Hopefully, the final products will go above and beyond my own vision of Hiram, and his world.

I only want images to project the feel of the chapter so it isn't like producing an illustrated story.  

What are your thoughts on the number of images needed to tell a story?  Just the cover image or more?