I apologize for the length of time between my last post and this. My NaNoWriMo novel seems to consume all my time, brain-power, and emotions. I'm loving it though! :) When I read back over what I have of the story so far, there are some points where I'm like, "Wow, did I really write this? It's amazing!" (Of course, there are parts where I wonder: "How did that get in there?!" )
Yes, this novelling business certainly is a roller coaster ride. There are days that I have to force myself to sit down at the computer, even if I'm just staring at the computer for fifteen minutes before I think of anything to write. And there are other days where my characters dance in my heads all day, solving their problems and difficulties for me and introducing new twists in the plot. Mostly, though, it's been somewhere in-between. It's just finding time to write and staying focused when I do get to write that's hard.
One time when I was writing, I came across a scene that really struck me. I don't usually get very emotional when I write, but in this scene I actually found myself crying as I was writing. The scene was of the main character, Anna, feeling that there is no one who cares about her, and no one to rescue her. She just wants to give up hope and let herself grow numb. But the princess Cassandra, who Anna is serving as her maid, tells Anna the reason that she is still hoping for someone to rescue her. Cassandra says, "The only thing that is keeping me going is the knowledge that I have a father in heaven who is watching over me. I know He cares for me." It's hard to explain why that made me cry - it just really touched my heart.
Another big thing that has happened while I've been writing this novel is that I had my wisdom teeth removed a week ago Monday. I'm glad I didn't know what it would be like before I did it, or else I would never have been so brave. It was pretty tough, especially since I decided not to do the general anesthetic, just the local and "laughing gas". My reason why is that I abhor needles more than just about anything else. The oral surgeon actually said at the end of the operation that most people who have teeth like mine chose to have the general - so he said I was very brave. I really didn't feel brave. I just tried to suffer through it.
Afterward, I found that the recovery was actually harder than the operation. But my novel kept my mind occupied on other things, and I was able to write alot during that time. Of course, now that life has picked back up for me it's harder to catch up (yes, I'm still behind the schedule). But I just keep plugging along, one day at a time!
So those are some of the ups and downs I've faced writing this novel. I am now past the halfway point, so hopefully it will all be downhill from here!
~Melody
P.S. I made a "word cloud" for my novel. It's up on the right of the page, right under the banner for my blog. It's a pretty neat thing - It basically takes all the words from my novel and makes the words that are used most the biggest. Please check it out!
11.03.2009
My characters are running through my head
Well, I had planned on writing a post on the first day of NaNoWriMo, but I got too caught up in my story. I guess that's a good thing, though!
When I sat down at the computer to write for the first time, I almost began to feel emotional. Think of it - this story that I am starting completely from scratch will be completed (or at least 50,000 words further) in only 30 days!
I typed in the title, and the words "Chapter One" on the next page. Then I sat in silence. Beginning is always hard for me, because I like to just jump in without introducing the main character & the setting. So I had to go over and over the beginning until I got it just so. (Yes, I know that with NaNoWriMo they want you to kill your inner editor, but if I do that, I think it would just about kill me!) I finally got it where I actually rather like it. Here's the first couple of paragraphs:
"This is my first time ever writing in this book. My name is Anna Forsythe, and I know I will be an author someday. I know this even though right now I’m only 13 years old.
I eventually want to write a story in here, but for now, I’m using it as a place to collect my thoughts. I have a lot of thoughts. And no one to share them with. My Dad’s too caught up in whatever he does (I don’t really know what he does) and my mom… well she’s not living anymore.
Anna stopped and stared out the window of the car. She could still remember the day… but it was too painful to recall. She pursed her lips and continued writing.
My dad and I are moving to a new home. We aren’t bringing any of our furniture or anything, just our clothes and stuff. I wish we weren’t moving, because I liked our other home. But Dad says it’s too big. I think he doesn’t like all the memories."
I'm also finding that it's hard trying to write in the style of a 13 year old - and trying to figure out how a 13 year old would write a story. But Anna has captured me with her vivid imagination & love of writing. Also, her inability to function in the real world is making my heart break for her. I hope she can enlighten me more as I write her story.
Off to get these characters out of my head, and on to the paper!
~Melody
When I sat down at the computer to write for the first time, I almost began to feel emotional. Think of it - this story that I am starting completely from scratch will be completed (or at least 50,000 words further) in only 30 days!
I typed in the title, and the words "Chapter One" on the next page. Then I sat in silence. Beginning is always hard for me, because I like to just jump in without introducing the main character & the setting. So I had to go over and over the beginning until I got it just so. (Yes, I know that with NaNoWriMo they want you to kill your inner editor, but if I do that, I think it would just about kill me!) I finally got it where I actually rather like it. Here's the first couple of paragraphs:
"This is my first time ever writing in this book. My name is Anna Forsythe, and I know I will be an author someday. I know this even though right now I’m only 13 years old.
I eventually want to write a story in here, but for now, I’m using it as a place to collect my thoughts. I have a lot of thoughts. And no one to share them with. My Dad’s too caught up in whatever he does (I don’t really know what he does) and my mom… well she’s not living anymore.
Anna stopped and stared out the window of the car. She could still remember the day… but it was too painful to recall. She pursed her lips and continued writing.
My dad and I are moving to a new home. We aren’t bringing any of our furniture or anything, just our clothes and stuff. I wish we weren’t moving, because I liked our other home. But Dad says it’s too big. I think he doesn’t like all the memories."
I'm also finding that it's hard trying to write in the style of a 13 year old - and trying to figure out how a 13 year old would write a story. But Anna has captured me with her vivid imagination & love of writing. Also, her inability to function in the real world is making my heart break for her. I hope she can enlighten me more as I write her story.
Off to get these characters out of my head, and on to the paper!
~Melody
10.29.2009
"I'm diving in, I'm going deep..."
I have been challenged so much over the past week or so. It seems that everywhere I turn, someone's exhorting me to do better or dig deeper or put more time into something. I've also been challenging myself: to be diligent in my study, not to go on the computer as much, spend more time with my siblings... etc. And it is hard sometimes to follow through with all these good intentions. I backslide, fall, trip over my own feet, and get myself completely turned around. Yet I know with all this God still loves me. That keeps me going.
One challenge I received was from my best friend. She is an amazing writer (her novels grip me so strongly that I cry in most of them), and I've always... well, felt a little intimidated by that. After she heard that I was doing NaNoWriMo, she asked me what my plot was, and my characters, and all that. Then she asked me a really good question. She said, "How can you make your writing deep? How can you go beyond the norm, find something that will make your reader cry & laugh & be moved? What makes you do these things?"
I was really struck by that. In my books I never really thought about being "deep", I typically write because I'm interested in the story and want to see where it goes. Often I would rather write something in a beautiful or unique way than just what I actually feel. But this deepness to the writing... that goes so much beyond. That's what makes all of her novels so good. That's what I want to do to make my novels good.
We're writing a book together, currently called "Queens". The book is in journal format, with the journals of the two main characters side by side. When we got together and wrote the first entries, she again challenged me to write with depth - directly from my heart. It was hard to do that, knowing that she would see it and wondering if she would praise it or think my "deep" thoughts too shallow. Yet writing is all about trust.
I had to trust her enough to write what I really felt. I'm so glad, though, that I did, because once I was done, I could see my character, speaking to me from the page. She was real.
And that's what writing is all about.
I can't wait to put this challenge into action in my NaNoWriMo novel as well. It will take hard work, and trust. Yet I know God can pull me through. He knows alot about writing with depth - after all, He wrote my life story!
~Melody
One challenge I received was from my best friend. She is an amazing writer (her novels grip me so strongly that I cry in most of them), and I've always... well, felt a little intimidated by that. After she heard that I was doing NaNoWriMo, she asked me what my plot was, and my characters, and all that. Then she asked me a really good question. She said, "How can you make your writing deep? How can you go beyond the norm, find something that will make your reader cry & laugh & be moved? What makes you do these things?"
I was really struck by that. In my books I never really thought about being "deep", I typically write because I'm interested in the story and want to see where it goes. Often I would rather write something in a beautiful or unique way than just what I actually feel. But this deepness to the writing... that goes so much beyond. That's what makes all of her novels so good. That's what I want to do to make my novels good.We're writing a book together, currently called "Queens". The book is in journal format, with the journals of the two main characters side by side. When we got together and wrote the first entries, she again challenged me to write with depth - directly from my heart. It was hard to do that, knowing that she would see it and wondering if she would praise it or think my "deep" thoughts too shallow. Yet writing is all about trust.
I had to trust her enough to write what I really felt. I'm so glad, though, that I did, because once I was done, I could see my character, speaking to me from the page. She was real.
And that's what writing is all about.
I can't wait to put this challenge into action in my NaNoWriMo novel as well. It will take hard work, and trust. Yet I know God can pull me through. He knows alot about writing with depth - after all, He wrote my life story!
~Melody
10.21.2009
"Rescue My Heart"
I love rescue scenes. I love writing about them, reading about them, and seeing them in movies. So after realizing that the title "True Beauty" didn't quite fit with my NaNoWriMo novel anymore, I decided to go with "Rescue My Heart." Because that's what the story's really about. Anna's heart needs rescuing from the barrier of her stories that she's put up around herself. Anna's father's heart needs rescuing from being wrapped up in himself. The princess Cassandra's heart needs rescuing from the evil prince who has locked her up in a tower. Even the evil prince's heart needs rescuing from his pride & selfish desires. Everywhere I turned there was a rescue story right there in front of me.
Rescue. There's so much action and meaning packed into that small word.
I think of a tiny kitten, shivering yet safe in the hands of its savior. I think of a rescue mission in wartime, where the captives are set free from their horrible prison. I think of a darkened soul, rescued from death into the beautiful light of life.
And while I was thinking about the word rescue, I realized that "redeem" and "ransom" have very similar meanings. And God does all of these things. He rescues us from sin, redeems us with His blood, and ransoms our souls from the power of death & hell. No wonder I feel such a thrill when I hear those words. God has put the longing for His rescuing, redeeming, ransoming work in my heart.
~Melody
Rescue. There's so much action and meaning packed into that small word.
I think of a tiny kitten, shivering yet safe in the hands of its savior. I think of a rescue mission in wartime, where the captives are set free from their horrible prison. I think of a darkened soul, rescued from death into the beautiful light of life.
And while I was thinking about the word rescue, I realized that "redeem" and "ransom" have very similar meanings. And God does all of these things. He rescues us from sin, redeems us with His blood, and ransoms our souls from the power of death & hell. No wonder I feel such a thrill when I hear those words. God has put the longing for His rescuing, redeeming, ransoming work in my heart.
~Melody
