It amazes me how supportive nanoers are to one another. When I tried this a few years ago, I felt so alone and couldn’t see my way through it. But interacting on twitter, though it can be distracting, has shown me how supportive other writers and NaNo participants are. I’ve received more than one reply to my tweets of frustration or success. If you’re NaNoing, definitely follow the #nanowrimo hash tag there.
This is a link to the critique group that I joined recently. It’s already made a huge improvement in my writing because I see my weaknesses, and my strengths, much easier now. Add to that, it’s a great group of people and it’s a lot of fun reading all the great stories from so many talented writers. If you decide to join, say hi to me!
Romance Critters
Today’s Material Girl link won’t cost you a dime. Enjoy it, that’s pretty rare. It’s called Lovely Charts (a hug for my friend Kris for thinking of me when she saw it). I tried it out, and it is lovely. It comes ready to build several different types of flow charts, including people. How’s that for connecting your characters? I happen to have drawn one of these before, using tables in Word–it’s not fun. Lovely Charts? Fun.
I finished Ex and the Single Girl. This isn’t a review in the strictest sense. I’d never call someone out to condemn work they killed themselves to do. I’m not downing people who do, reviewers are important to us as readers. But as a writer, I’m going to respect the work whether I like the book or not.
That out of the way, I loved this book. When I enjoy a book, I make a point to note what I particularly enjoyed about it, because it gives me more range as a writer. I loved the friendship between Portia and Ian as it developed. It was sweet, and God knows Portia needed a friend, but at some point it became this ticking time bomb of sexual tension when you knew they were falling for each other and you kept waiting for them to figure it out. But done better than I’ve described.
So, my verdict. Lani Diane Rich=awesome writer. The book? Buy it now.
Right now, at the bottom of my blog, you’ll find a player from Last.fm. This is the music I write to, at least on my newest WIP. I have found so many new artists, so much music that touches me, the creative part of me, the story inside me that I’d never have found on my own. I highly recommend this site to anyone, but especially to the writer.
Once my new design is ready, the player will still be incorporated, though I have no idea where (this is like a section for future readers… look around for it: little, black, play button; also how awesome does this look?) Seriously, Tricia from Insanity Squared is designing a Wordpress Theme for me and I couldn’t possibly find enough ways to thank her except to direct you to her site, full of her creativity and awesomeness.
I bought GMC by Debra Dixon. It’s genius, I’d heard, and it’s true. It’s like having someone explain brain surgery in a book you can read in a day or two, and you finish and say, “Duh.”
Before I go on, I’d like to point out that used copies can go for more then $40 on Amazon. I love Amazon, nothing against Amazon, but you can purchase the book from the publisher for $19.95. Worth every dime, btw.
If you really want to know how useful it is, just google GMC and Dixon. You’ll find thousands of hits. That’s how widely accepted, adopted, and appreciated her work is.
The GMC one sentence checker (my name, I can’t remember THE name) works perfectly. Character wants GOAL because MOTIVATION, but CONFLICT. It really is that simple. I know–duh, right? It’s full of these nuggets, like an external goal can be experienced by the five senses. Well, that makes it easier. Now I know revenge isn’t an external goal. It’s internal, because internal goals are about emotion.
However, once you have your “Duh,” moment, this hits: “I am so screwed.” Or it does if you’ve written a word. I always knew I was a little vague on my goals. I think I even started out with goals, but… maybe I didn’t like what having those goals said about my characters, so I… got vague. Either way, I think I figured out why my first act was so slow… pointless?
But, I’m making my charts, and I think I can fix it. Maybe. Doesn’t matter, not for this–my point is buy the book!
