Tag Archives: ideas

Day Two Of Camp NaNo!

Posted in Camp NaNo, FanFiction by

Camp NaNo started yesterday!  I’ve been waiting and waiting for it, and now it’s arrived!  For anyone who’s not familiar with it, it’s NaNo…year-round.  It’s great for people who can’t/don’t want to do NaNo in November or for people who want to do more than one novel in a year.  While I’m a big fan of multiple novels going at one time, I know it’s not for everyone, so it’s a good way to get all of those ideas out.  Plus, last year, I learned that 2 50k novels is the most I’m willing to do, so it’s perfect for me!.  This month, I’m doing an NCIS fanfiction, and it’s based off of the season finale.  The timing of Camp NaNo is perfect, because I’m hoping to have this thing (mostly) written by the time the season 9 premiere rolls around in mid-September.  I think it’ll also be a good test run for NaNo, because this month, I’m planning to keep up with my other novels while writting a 50k novel.  I’m not sure how completed they’ll be by November, but at least one should be done, maybe 2 or 3 if I’m lucky.  Anyway, it’ll be good to see how it works out.

It’s off to a really slow start, and my own theories about what’s going on aren’t thought out at all, so I’m winging it.  I’ll definitely have to write those down as soon as possible.  I’m not sure if it’ll reach 50k, but I’m going to try!  And if I have to word-pad, I will.  Since I didn’t do any planning, I am having some trouble with it, so once I come up with my own theories, it’ll (hopefully) get easier.  I think part of it is because I’m so used to doing Harry Potter fanfiction, and it’s a lot easier to reference Harry Potter than it is to reference NCIS.  I’ve seen bits and pieces of the first 7 seasons, and only the second half of season 8, so I’m not completely caught up on it yet.  I feel like I have a good handle on the characters, but still, I feel like I’m missing a few things.  There is this fan wiki site which looks like it’ll be really useful, and I’ll probably refer to it quite often this month.  I’ve already learned something: if you’re doing a fanfic based on your theories on what might happen in the next season, it’s a really good idea to write them down before you starting writing the actual fanfic!  Since it’s only day 2, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

It’s strange to novel in a non-November month, but it’ll be a good way to narrow down the field for November.  My last (and only) attempt at doing a novel that’s not during NaNo failed- I did get 10,000 words or so, so it wasn’t a complete loss.  I definitely got into the mindset that November=writing, but I’m slowly trying to change that, so maybe I’ll get farther along in noveling the rest of the year.  I can do it!

So, yesterday, I wrote 1746, which was rather surprising, considering how much I didn’t want to write.  I struggled with the first 800-ish words, and after that it got slightly easier.  Maybe today will go better.

I Was More Productive Than I Thought I Would Be

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I got a bunch of writing done-  not a big surprise, but I am managing to write in months that aren’t November, which is a big achievement.  Plus, I’m very slowly working on projects in months that are not October, which is also an achievement, because it gives me time to think, and plan (at least a little).  I never considered myself much of a planner when it comes to NaNo, but the one project that I had the least trouble with last year is the one I had the most notes on…which is especially strange, since I went into November with some vague ideas.  Notes are good, at least in a very limited experience.  I don’t know if I’ll outline or not, but at the very least, a list of potential conflicts is necessary.  And right now, I’m all about trying new things, so maybe I’ll eventually work my way up to a very vague outline.  Anyhoo, I wrote just under 2000 words last week!

I only worked on one character from my funeral plot bunny, which is okay.  I used a different worksheet for Hannah, which I like as much as the last one.  There are some similarities, but some differences too.  Maybe I’ll combine questions from both for future plot bunnies.  I definitely want to have some kind of profile/biography for most of the family members, even if it’s only one page.  It’ll be a lot to work on, but I figure if I do 2-3 week, I should be able to get through most of them by November.

I worked a little on my pact plot bunny- I have a bunch of different ideas and thoughts and possibilities, so there’s a lot to think about!  I have a few lists to make, and I’ll work on those this week.  I just need to pick something, but I have no clue what I want to go with right now.  Lists might help with that.

There’s not much to report on the weight-loss front- I stayed the same, which is okay.  At least I didn’t gain anymore weight.  But honestly, I’m not exactly trying either.  I don’t want to go to the gym, because I’m lazy.  And not even my biggest loser workouts are appealing right now.  I’ve been eating okay, but not as good as I could.  I did make a bunch of food this month, but unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the food I made.  The desserts were fine…unfortunately, I can’t live off dessert.  And I don’t have a big sweet tooth anyway.  It is part of my food experiment though- I will come across things I don’t like, but I’ve also made things I love, so it all balances out.  And how will I know if I like or dislike something if I don’t make it?

Speaking of things I like, I went to the library a couple times last week, and I was super productive!  I got reading done, and most of my writing too.  I might not be able to eat in the library, but I sure am productive!

Magic Steps

Posted in Books by

Book: Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce

Pages/Format: 262/Hardcover

My Thoughts: Magic Steps is the first book in The Circle Opens quartet.

Sandry discovers a boy who can dance magic, and as the mage who discovered his power, she is the one who must be his teacher.  Sandry and her uncle, however, learn that there is someone who is stalking some local merchants.  This killer has some very strange magic- an ability to reduce essence to nothingness.

I love the whole premise of novel, and found the unusual forms of magic different from the few fantasy books I’ve read.  It was a little slow in the beginning, but the pace picked up, and I found myself wanting to read more.  I definitely want to read the rest of the books- at first I thought I wouldn’t like the book, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.  The circle opens quartet is the sequel to her circle of magic quartet. 

I found the character of Lark to be the most interesting and I wished she had appeared in the book more.  The characters weren’t really developed in this one, although that’s probably because they were developed in the first series. 

I do wish there were more details on how the dancing magic worked.  How magic works may well have been covered in the first series, and it certainly seems like Pierce assumes the reader has read the first series.  There were enough details for anyone new to her circle of magic books to understand what was going on…but not a lot.  While it’s not necessary to have read the circle of magic in order to understand this one, it would be a good idea just to know how the characters came to be. 

Rating: 3 out of 5.  Interesting book, and the world she built is fascinating.