Hitting the Books

It’s almost NaNoWriMo time again.

The question is, is it even worth attempting? I can barely find time to keep up with my paltry blog posts, let alone complete a 50,000 word novel in one month.

Last year I got a mere chapter’s worth of work done on WidowWalk. Something came up. Don’t remember what it was. But I did start writing the book, so now I can’t work on that one again: NaNoWriMo requires you to start from scratch (other than plotting and outlining and character sketches, etc.)

I do have a book mostly outlined and ready to work on, this time more sci/fi than historical (although half the book does take place in the past…during the American Civil War, which I’ve plenty of experience writing about).

But I’m neck-deep in rewriting An Uncivilized Yankee.

And there are 3-almost-4 fantasy novels wanting out of my head and on to paper. Books 1 and 2 are sitting at about 20,000 words apiece. Book 3 is mostly outlined plus about 3600 words and Book 4 is little more than a plot idea rolling around the back of my brain.

To top it all off the hubby is going to be out of town the first week in November–he’s going to Auctioneering School. Isn’t that cool? But that does leave me all alone with the Punkin again.

So. Do I? Or Don’t I?

I’m looking for a picture to help focus on a character.

Grant Walker is a computer programmer and gamer. An unlikely hero. Late 20s. Shaggy, sandy brown hair. Wire-rimmed glasses (I’ve always had a thing for little wire-rimmed glasses). Eye color unknown. Average height and build.

Think James Spader from Stargate, only with better hair (and cuter). Yes, I already looked at his pics and they aren’t right.

This is the best I’ve come up with so far, and it’s pretty weak.

Anyone got a better pictures for me?

Jiggity Jog.

Was away on a Women’s Retreat this weekend. Bunch of ladies from my church rented two lovely, huge beach houses. And I do mean huge. The main house had 9 bedrooms and 7.5 baths (not counting the two master suites we didn’t rent), an indoor pool, home theater, pool table, ping pong, beachside. Luxury…sorta. The house was brand-spanking new, and felt thrown together–doors didn’t latch and lock, gaps in the windows, and the WiFi didn’t really work (which is why I didn’t post like I’d planned to).

Our first night was very…um…exciting. We arrived in the middle of a nor’easter. We got sandblasted (literally) with 40+ mph winds. The sand covered the cars like snow. I had sand in my ears, in my hair, in my pockets, just from unloading the car. The wind was so strong that the house I was in, which was built up on stilts for flooding reasons, swayed so badly that I got seasick. On land. The tide came within about 25 feet of the house (if you click the link, look at the sandfence in the background. The waves were up to there).

At the same time, it was awesome. I’ve never seen the ocean so wild. The waves had to be 15-20 feet tall. And so loud. And my room had a Jacuzzi

I’d finished Fire in the Mist before leaving for the weekend (hopefully I’ll get to my review on it soon), so I read Piper at the Gate, by Mary Stanton instead. I loved Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West (it’s one of those I go back and read at least once a year), but wasn’t as impressed with Piper. Especially since information given in the first book was changed in the second. That Argh-ivates me to no end.

The retreat ended Sunday, but we had the house until Monday morning, so my husband and daughter came down for Sunday night and we got to let the Punkin run around on the beach for a bit. She loved the sand–laughed, kicked at it, wiggled her toes in it–but hated the water itself. Didn’t like the pool either. Thought playing pool was mighty fun though.

Nice sunny day today…as we were leaving. On the way home we stopped to let me get some scenery data for my book, which opens outside of Richmond. But once I got home I realized I might not have been in the right place. Which means I’m not sure, once again, where my action is taking place. ARGGHHH!! Drives me nuts. So now I get to spend the rest of the evening trying to pinpoint where Stonewall Jackson had his HQ on June 26, 1862, and whether or not there is a stream nearby.

Of course, of course.

Just a quick little post today…

Most writers don’t have a clue how to write horses accurately. Even those of us who do have a clue often don’t have enough of a clue. I’m fairly knowledgeable about horses and the basics of riding. But all my books, both historical and fantasy, focus around horses (Star and Travis both raise horses, and Faela was a horse at one time). Therefore, I better make darn certain I know what I’m talking about.

Since I’ve been so impressed with Holly Lisle’s stuff (if you can’t tell–I’m starting to sound like a Tupperware saleswoman), I downloaded Horses for Writers, by Elizabeth J. Baldwin.

Ya know, there’s a bunch I didn’t know I didn’t know about horses.

For example, did you know that true black horses tend to fade in sunlight? And that they have very little stamina? Makes a writer rethink that coal-black stallion that the hero rides in on, doesn’t it?

And her one page about side saddles got me looking about on line. I’m quite curious now to actually try riding aside–it actually looks like fun (and bit more comfy for us short-legged riders who tend to have their legs spread just a wee bit too far by most horses)

Baldwin packs quite a lot into this little book. It’s obviously not meant for really in-depth writing about horses, but it will keep most authors from looking like total greenhorns.

Anyhoo, another book to add to your writer’s arsenal. I recommend it, and if you buy it now, you can get this handy cake saver/carrier for only $3.99!

So I suddenly had visions of the Capitol Steps singing “A Whole Newt World.” If you’ve never heard the Capitol Steps…well, you’re just a poor deprived individual. Or else you’re from another country where the mad, bad, and socially unacceptable actions of our political system cause more embarassment than interest… Either way, you really should hear them at least once (I’ve heard them live 3-4 times). Don’t worry–they’re equal opportunity insulters.

Um, that was not at all what I was going to post about. But it’s after midnight and I didn’t get a nap today, so my brain is playing pinball.

No, what I was going to discuss was worldbuilding, a favorite pasttime of mine. Paperback Writer had a nice post, which is what got me thinking about it.

(Just an aside–Astrofantasy’s Worldbuilding tutorial is great, but it’s unfinished. Can only do the World Vision. Pout.)

Part of my new attempted schedule is working on my fantasy series daily. In order to do that I really need to get my notes in order–back-filling is a royal pain in the boohickey (or Bumpass. Which is a town here in Virginia. I’m sorry, I don’t think I could ever live in a town called Bumpass.). Since Holly Lisle hasn’t gotten her Worldbuilding Clinic up as an e-book yet (and when she does, I will buy it immediately), I’m having to organize all my thoughts myself. It’s so much easier when a really good author does the hard work of setting up an organization system for you.

I’m going to try to organize myself around Patricia Wrede’s Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions, which is probably the most complete set of questions I’ve ever seen (and I know Wrede is a good writer–I loved the Enchanted Forest series).

The main problem I’ve come up against with her list is that some of the sections overlap, and because the lists are so detailed, figuring out how to find the overlaps can be a bit confusing. Especially if you’re a writer in a hurry to find that one little detail so you don’t lose your wonderful new train of thought.

But if nothing else I do know how to organize, so we’ll see how this turns out.

Anyone have their two cents to add in? How do you keep your worlds organized?