Archives October 2023

And NOW, the end is near… With the final 2 days of Preptober coming to a close, and NaNoWriMo about to begin, where did we land? Are you Ready? Let’s check out our final Preptober details and then get ready to move into our full writing mode, or as close as we can get.

The leaves have started to change color and more fall as I contemplate the changes to come. They pile upon the ground as the words flow out of my mind and into the twisting avenues of my story world. We are making progress, I tell myself, and I can almost make myself believe it. Preptober led us to some interesting places, and we were able to get much of the prep work done ahead of our NaNoWriMo journey which will begin tomorrow.

The Progress

The work area has been prepared and a clean and clear desk is waiting to start the writing activities. We have updated Campfire with our story details and added in more of the world-building details to help shape the environment. Campfire is now linked with the NaNoWriMo portal and the project is ready to be tracked.

Our scene list spreadsheet has been updated and we have a map of where we want to go. Our characters are being shaped and molded by the milestone events that we have planned and we will spend most of the month figuring out the intricacies involved in shaping them into dynamic personalities that come alive off the page.

Being Creative

Leveraging the new AI concept generation for imagery, like MidJourney and other services, helps bring some words and ideas into a visual design. While this will not be material to our story development, it will help to continue to spark ideas for scenery and character design as I work through how to build the story around the rest of the world I envision.

Let’s get started…

While I sit tonight waiting on entertainingly dressed families wandering through the neighborhood seeking free candy, I am excited to have some time to focus on the shaping of the story. The ideas are starting to flow and the excitement is building. Let the writing begin! Follow our progress and the story.

The last several weeks have been very hectic with work and the writing schedule, so I am condensing the previous 3 weeks into a single update as we are working to close out Preptober. As I have stated before, I am expanding most of the work that has been completed to this point, focusing on shoring up my main character and working to better define support characters so that they fully enrich the story progression.

It just goes to illustrate that even when an idea is already in progress, there is always more we can do to help improve our writing process and the details of our stories.

Week 2:

Week 2 has come to a close…

Closing out Week 2, I am considering what my ideal November writing experience would look like, this step is very important. Just with training for world-class athletes, visualizing how the process should flow and what to do when things are not in that ideal state helps you to find ways to overcome challenges and reach your Goals.

As for me, I have seen that the end of the year is hectic, work, kids’ events, and family obligations are always demanding time, so when would I write? In the past, I have tried to do this in the evenings, but the lack of motivation and the desire to stop making decisions does not make that time well spent. Moving it to first thing in the morning has some merit and may be part of the answer.

It essentially boils down to the ability to focus for a set amount of time. In short, I will be leveraging the Pomodoro technique and using some time during the day to nail out as much detail into the story as I can, using the off hours as a planning period or buffer if I am trying to complete an idea.

Week 3:

Wrapping up Week 3, Some Thoughts

The end of Week 3, brings a lot of focus to your main characters. You have to have quite a bit of interest in your characters for them to develop well on the page, you must care about them in some way and essentially form a relationship with your invisible friend that no one else can imagine until you share your work.

With that said, part of what draws me to my main characters, is that I found myself curious to see how their pairing would evolve, the interactions, the dialogue. Strong personalities, I am very used to working with them, but putting those same patterns into the story form makes for an interesting writing experience, which I am hoping will translate well to the reader at the end.

Having such a duty-focused MC who is challenged constantly by his companion, helps them both to evolve their world perspectives. It forces me to consider many more aspects of the dynamic than is shown in the writing and has such a varied effect on how they make decisions and interact with those around them. To say I am fascinated would be quite an understatement.

Week 4:

Do you feel ready, well, do ya?

As we draw near to the end of Preptober activities, I am left with the question, Am I Ready for this? I already know that I am not, though I do feel like I have a plan and a reasonable chance for success to close out this NaNoWriMo experience. What I have experienced in the past is the many varied ways that life can get in the way, not an excuse by any means. Its reality, there is always something that will need attention, and since this is not my only focus, there will be other demands on my very limited time.

I have put years into considering the aspects of my story world, how the different groups, ecosystems, and patterns will interact, and surprisingly that is not what concerns me about my story world. My concern lies in that I feel many authors rely on the external factors of the environment to push the story with a focus on many of the esoteric aspects of their creation. It is effective in many situations, however, I want my story to be able to stand alone without the need for those components, that they add flavor but are not the meat of the experience for my readers.

While I have planned and visualized different ways to ensure success, I know there will be challenges for me to agonize over, but at the same time… Why would I let that stop me?

Don’t be a stranger!

Hopefully, you are ready for your NaNoWriMo experience, please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences as well!

Something a little different:

This year my Preptober will take a different path than it has in previous years. I am not starting a new project during this period which feels a little off to me, though finishing an in-flight one is just as essential. Some of the normal milestones that I would typically be working through are already set, which alleviates part of the prep work, and with the time that is freed up, I will repurpose to expand and enhance the current project.

With this week’s activities completed we will be moving more into the prep phase for the activity that is coming up in November, training if you will on how to handle the low motivation and writer’s block events that are sure to happen. Stay tuned!