NaNoWriMo 2015!

November is almost upon us (yes, I'm sorry, I said it), and with November not only comes AMAZING weather, Christmas music, sweaters, heaters, and Thanksgiving, but also a month-long "task" for writers: NaNoWriMo. (Dare I use the gif I did last year when writing my NaNoWriMo post? ... Yes, I dare.)




For those of you doing the painful challenge of NaNoWriMo this year, I applaud and bow down to your dedication.  Some of you may be scratching your head and going... "NaNoWhatO?"  If that's you, let me explain.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  It's always in November of each year, and, as it implies, your goal is to complete a full novel in a month.  It's not a competition, but if it helps you to think that, it's a competition against yourself.  For youths (those of us who are 18 and under), it's easier because we get to set our word goal count manually.  It can be as low as 100 words to as high 100,000 words!  Not so easy for those of us who are "adults" (yeah, being an adult doesn't have as many benefits when it comes to that area).

For some (maybe most, maybe even all), NaNoWriMo can be quite... overwhelming, daunting, even scary.  But if you're equipped with the right knowledge and preparation, I promise that it will be less stressful and maybe even really fun. :)  Here are some things that I do before NaNoWriMo and during to prepare and meet my word goal.  Hopefully, it will be helpful to some of you.


#1.  Actually have an idea.  Yeah, it's hard, I know, even if you're planning to start NaNoWriMo the day before, it's a really good idea (obviously... duh.) to have an idea of what you're going to write.  Even if you don't have an idea at all, you can start by asking yourself some questions.  What genre am I writing about (or want to write about)?  The protagonist's personality vs. antagonist's?  Those kind of questions.  What I might do sometimes (ssshhhhh) is look at a few of my favorite movies or tv shows and take my favorite aspects from each and try to come up with an idea from that.  But that's only if I'm desperate and on the brink of brain deadness.  Pinterest always helps, too.  Looking at story inspiration boards really helps... more than I could ever fathom, really.

#2.  When you have an idea, outline it, plot it.  Yes, yes, I know, I know, you've heard this a million and a half times, and it can get... redundant.  I hate plotting.  I absolutely HATE it!  It makes me feel like I have to stick to this one thing, I have to get organized, and I have to stay in a box.  But it's really not like that.  I have found (for the unorganized and list haters out there like me *cough*) that if you plot the beginning, middle, end - along with critical turning points in the storyline (which I usually write in different sentences at the end of the document) - then it's not so bad and lets you be more flexible with your storyline.  But for those of us who are strict plotters, I applaud you and encourage you to do just that.

#3.  Character personalities.  This is an area that I feel I'm stronger in (unlike plotting *hides face in shame because I'm not one of those people who can plot extremely well*), and is actually one of my favorite aspects of "planning".  In order to have a good novel, you MUST have characters with strong personalities.  Not strong as in overbearing, but strong as in sound and dissectable (yes, I made that word up), not shallow and boring.  The key to this is really getting to know your character, feeling your character, putting yourself in their shoes.  I know with some characters it's a bit hard to "be" them, but that's where imagination comes in handy.  Character questionnaires are also a great way to better know and develop your characters.  You may have an awesome storyline, but if your characters are shallow and stink, then it's not worth the read.  The other way around, however, might be forgivable.  Stinky plotline maybe possibly be saved by amazing characters.  Trust me, it's worked for me in the past.

#4.  Set a schedule.  On the NaNoWriMo website, once you type in your set goal wordcount (for YWP, where you can set your word goal), it automatically tells you how many words you must write a day for you to finish on time with your set word goal.


#5.  (Optional, depending on what kind of a writer you are, if you can stand this sort of thing) Have inspirational music going on in the background as you write.  I know - for me, at least - that when there is righteous music going while I'm writing, it inspires me, makes me feel the emotions of what I'm writing, and also makes me feel that I can do (write) anything!  Also gets your brain juices flowing.  ;)  If you don't already do this, then I encourage you to at least try it.  If you're looking for good writing music, I have a list made out especially for writers, some of my music. :)

#6.  Write.  "Well, duh, Angie."  Yes, this one is a bit obvious (a bit?), but it can also be the most challenging.  Actually find time to write in the day.  If you're super busy, find time at night, or early in the mornings.  This is critical to meeting that word count goal.  (Well duh again)

#7.  Push through.  Sometimes when writing, we can get bored with out plot or characters or whatever aspect on the book (as a huge procrastinator, I find this very true for me).  We can even get discouraged at our daunting word count goal, or even the way the story is turning out.  But no matter what, PUSH THROUGH!  It will be totally worth it in the long run, trust me.  Here's a little tip I have for this "sickness": write another scene, switch POV, change your text color to something bright and different every time a new speaker or paragraph or scene comes on.  Believe me, these little things can actually help.  What I DON'T suggest doing: going on pinterest for inspiration.  If you do that, then you'll be stuck there for eternity.  Take it from the Queen of Procrastination, you don't want to do that.


As I said in the beginning of this post, NaNoWriMo can be really scary, but if you just tackle it head on with a clobbering stick, then you'll be just fine this November.  I applaud you, writers for NaNoWriMo 2015.  You are brave souls.


~Angie

Character Personalities

Starting school two weeks ago Monday, I found that it's actually not as long and tedious and boring as I thought 12th grade would be.  It's actually been quite enjoyable.  British Literature is my FAVORITE subject as of right now, and I'm sure that won't change.  :)  As a part of my literature, I'm doing a vocabulary study and I'm enjoying it immensely!  While reading it last week, I stumbled upon ten different personality traits and their meanings.  Naturally, being a writer, as I came across the personality types and read through them, I compared them to my characters and placed my characters in the personality types.  It helped  me, in a way, see the actual MIND SET of my characters, but not necessarily their individual PERSONALITY.  Note the difference, my dear readers.  So.  Away we go.

Egoist

(Me first attitude)

This type of personality is basically, what it says in parentheses, me first.  Not necessarily conceited and stuck up, just me centered.  Not over the top selfish, but just thinking about "their" needs first, not others' need.  Self-seeking, but not over the top.

Characters of mine I would place in this category: Abigail Blackburn, Nikki Taylor, Colton Flynn, Soleil Corsetti.

Egotist

(Height of conceit)

Don't get EGOTIST confused with EGOIST.  Egotists are more intense than egoists, more self seeking, definitely stuck up, over the top selfish, and - in a way - rude.  This type is all about them, with no room for other people in their thoughts.  This can sometimes even lead to more advanced and a more intense levels of egotistic behaviors, such as egomaniacs who are basically mad.  Literally... mad.

Characters of mine I would place in this category: Owen Tracy, Alex Wayne, Alister Reynolds. 

Altruist

(Let me help you)

Altruists are the some of the kindest people, putting other's needs before their own.  They are the type of people who are always there helping, doing whatever they can to make others comfortable.  But sometimes this can lead to self negligence, not on purpose, of course.  They are so concerned with needs of others that they can forget about themselves.

Characters of mine I would place in this category: Allison Beauregard, Gareth Corsetti, June Forwen, Theodore Yeshevsky. 

Introvert 

(Leave me alone)

Think of a turtle who hides in its shell and doesn't want to see people.  That's the introvert.  The introverted personality likes to be alone, or with a small selection of close people (and when I say small collection, I mean small collection).  They're timid, shy, and quiet people, and personally one of my favorite personality types.

Characters of mine I would place in this category: Jemma Corday, Jagger Bachar, Elsa Altobelli. 

Extrovert

(Let's do it together)

Now think of the opposite of introvert - the exact opposite - and then you have the extrovert.  Extroverts are loud (and when I say loud, I only mean it in the best way - being an extrovert myself :P), exuberant, excitable, and big people lovers.  They like being with others and can't be alone for too long or else they'll go through withdrawals.  Very people oriented, extroverts are need socialization, it being crucial to their survival,

Characters of mine that I would place in this category: Mallory Steele, Riley Blackburn, Aggie Lennox. 

Ambivert

(Neither extreme) 

Neither and introvert or an extrovert, Ambiverts are a happy medium.  They're not extremely outgoing, and they're not extremely closed off people either.  They're a good balance to anyone.

Characters of mine I would place in this category: David Cruse, Edwin Anniger, Jadon Ross Ives, Samantha Reynolds. 

Misanthrope

(People are no darn good)

Misanthropes believe that people are stupid and "no darn good!"  Everything people do is not good enough, complain worthy, and far less better than anything they could do.  Whatever someone else can do, they can do better.

Characters of mine I would place in this group: Alister Reynolds (again)

Misogynist 

(Women are no darn good)

Women haters, women dislikers, women scorners, annoyed by women... Shall I go on?

Characters of mine I would place in this group: Alex Wayne (if I had to place a character here, it would be him.  He doesn't hate women, he just thinks they're quite annoying.  Pft... Shows what he knows.)

Misogamist

("Marriage is an institution--and who wants to live in an institution?)

Free spirit is the word for this personality type.  They don't want to be tied down by obligations or priorities.  They prefer short term things, such as in the the case of relationships.

Characters of mine I would place in this category: Alva Callen 

Ascetic

(Self-denial, lonely contemplation) 

I see this type as either "woe-is-me", or the deep thinker and philosopher who contemplates life very deeply.  Self denial and living alone is the story of their life.  I wouldn't call them hermits... Well, yes I would.  They're a bit like introverts, except lonelier.

Characters of mine I would place in the category: Elsa Altobelli, Kaliana




So that's my list.  What do you think?  Where do your characters fall in these categories?

Thanks for reading!


~Angie <3

One Last Time Q & A

I was kindly nominated by Sam Tattershal from the blog Onions, Lemons, and Apples.  Thank you so much, Sam! :)  So... here goes. 

"Last Time Q &A"

Rules: 

1. You must be tagged to take the Q & A quiz
2. You must tag and notify at least three other bloggers
3. Answer the questions to the best of your ability
4. And you must have seen The Battle of the Five armies to be tagged/take the quiz

NOTE: SPOILERS 

1. Tell your story of how you came to see the movies or got into Tolkien in the first place.

  It happened one night my dad and oldest brother were watching the Fellowship of the Ring, and I had NO IDEA whatsoever what Lord of the Rings was, so I sat out there - wanting to be a "big girl" and see an "adult movie" (*headdesk*) - and watched it, thoroughly confused but delighted!  It was then I was hooked for life. 

2. Who are your three favorite characters in the Hobbit? 

   Oh man, this is hard... I'm not going to say Legolas (like I usually would) because he's not in the book, only in the movie, and he's STINKY in the film.  So I'm gonna have to go with Bilbo, Fili, and Kili.

3. Did you cry at the Battle of the Five armies, and if so, which scenes and what type? 

  Cry... did /I/ cry?! HECK YEAH! It started when Fili was killed.  I watched in stunned silence as a tear trickled down my face.  What really got me was Kili and Thorin's death, and Thorin's speech.  I was weeping like a fool. 

4. Were the death's compelling to you, and if so, who's?

  I was very disappointed in Fili's death.  It was so... unworthy, if you will.  Kili's was very heartbreaking, Tauriel's role didn't help any with tears.  But Thorin's death... yes, it was very compelling.  His speech to Bilbo... *starts to choke up* that's what really did it.  

5. Overall, were you satisfied with the movie itself?

  Yes, I was very satisfied.  There were only two things I did not like: the addition of Legolas and Fili's minor death.

6. Describe the movie in one word.

  Majestic.

There are my answers and here are my nominees!

Anastasia at Inkspot 
Kayla at Concerning Writing
Faith at Princess Faith 



Thanks for reading!!!


~Angie <3

Character Introduction: Olly Brighton

Okay, so yes, I have a new obsession.  Right now it's with my new character in a book co-authored with the one and only, very talented, beautiful, and wonderful Hootie Olson.  :)  As of right now, the book is untitled and we're sticking with the nickname Foggy Booky Thingy.  Yeah, I know, brilliant, eh?  *Que applause*

So anyways, this new obsession of mine has a name.  A beautifully unique one.  Olly Brighton.  :)  Isn't his name just beautiful?!  I think I'm going to name my child Olly.  It's so short and cute sounding and just AHG!!!  *Ahem*  Sorry 'bout that, folks.  I get a bit passionate about my new found... passion.  :P


Let's all give a nice warm welcome to Olly Brighton!



Okkkaaayyyy... don't where that came from.


So this is Olly:



Everyone, say "Hi, Olly!"


*waiting*

...


Okay, good enough.


...


So Olly is a goodnatured, goofy, outgoing, sweet kind of personality dude with no cares or worries. Well, at least that's what it looks like from the outside.  He might seem like a popular kid - gets good grades, the best on the swim team, handsome - but the truth is, there are only two other people in the world who would pay attention to him.  His two best friends, Marley Joseph and Anderson Forwen (expect character interviews on them later).  Olly could be recognized as an outsider, but then again, not.



I will now proceed to bombard you with pictures of my beloved character.


Get ready... cause this train is going full speed and it's not - I repeat - it's not coming back.




HERE'S MY BABY, LOOKING ALL COOL AND AWESOME!!!






AND HERE HE IS AGAIN, STARING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE AND LOOKING ALL DRAMATIC.



AWWW!!!  LOOK AT HIM, TRYING TO SHOW HOW SLICK HE IS, RIDING A MOTORCYCLE!!!  MY BABY'S TRYING TO GROW UP!!!




AWWWWWWWW!!!  SOMEONE DID HIS HAIR ALL BY HIMSELF!!!




LOOK AT HIM!



SOMEONE WAS PLAYING IN THE MUD... BAD BOY!!!



HE'S A SWIMMER, JUST SO YOU KNOW... AND HE'S AWESOME AT IT!!!




HE POSES NICELY.



OKAY, I'M DONE...


Love,
Angie <3


WAIT, IS THAT THE CROWD YELLING 'ONCORE', I HEAR???






YUP, THAT'S MA' BOY!

HELLO EVERYONE!

BY HOOTIE OLSON

     Just wanted to introduce myself! As a good friend of Angelina's, I was invited to post on this blog. My name is Hootie Olson, and I've written since I was, hrm...... nine years old? Somewhere around there. And I ain't posting no writings from back then so don't get your hopes up. 

    

     So anyways... I'm really into post apocalyptic type writing, fantasy, and some modern stuff. I enjoy short stories more than anything, but I make myself write big books because that's where the real stuff happens. I'm currently working on a fantasy novel called Isles of Ruin, a short story series called Ty Skyy's Guide to Life, a sci-fi book called Blue Skyys, and a post apocalyptic book called The Orion: The Uprising. My completed books are The Orion: The Deadlands, and I'm a little embarrassed to say that is it.

  Onto the fun stuff. My obsessions anyone?! here's a list of my fandoms and feel free to fangirl in the comments with me:

BUUUUUCCCKKKKYYYYY

CAPTAIN AMERICA

MARVEL IN GENERAL

KINGDOM HEARTS

ROXAS AND AXEL :'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''(

MERLIN

NIGHTWING

BATMAN

MY OWN BOOKS

AIBLEY

LUKE VETTI

FLASH

AGENTS OF SHIELD

FITZSIMMONS <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

ROBIN (ALL OF THEM. ANY OF THEM.)

KILI AND FILI

THORIN

LORD OF THE RINGS

THE HOBBIT

THIS LIST IS ALREADY TOO LONG

     I'm going to stop there or I might hurt myself. 

     Hmm... Is there anything else? Oh! I'm super excited to be joining and I hope I do this blog justice and stuff! This is my first blog post ever in the history of me, so I hope it's acceptable. ...It's not very informative, but I live a pretty boring life I guess. :/... Actually that was a lie... my life is AWESOME. I'm a fifteen (turning sixteen sunday!!!) year old, homeschooled, teenage writer, ballerina, pianist, guitarist, singer, blogger, pinterester, babysitter, ballet teacher, and I could probably think of a few other things if I sat here long enough! I have six other brothers and sisters, two perfect parents, and a house the size of a small mansion (no not really... It's just really big. I'm not a Duggar, I promise.)

     So that's it! I hope you enjoyed reading about me!

-Hootie Olson

<3

Short Story Challenge

Writing novels can get, well, to be honest, lllllllloooooooonnnnnnngggggggg after a while, and also a bit... old.  I find the best way to cure me of this "disease" is to compose a short story.  It gets my mind off my novel and on a whole new set of characters and their problems.  Also, the advantage of writing a short story is you don't have to worry about writing a whole novel about them.  It's just a short story. 

So that is why I am giving this challenge to anyone who is reading this now.  Write a short story about the picture below and send it in to me, and I choose which one is the winner.


Rules:

1) Short story must be a SHORT STORY.  The maximum is 3,500 words (which is roughly 10 pages).
2) Absolutely NO PROFANITIES or SWEARING!  I will not tolerate any foul language.
3) No unacceptable or questionable scenes. 
4) The deadline for your short story is July 4.  That will be the last day I will be accepting short stories.

Along with your short story, submit a little bit about yourself and perhaps an icon of something that you love or describes you most.  I.e., I would probably submit my icon picture as Rapunzel since she's my favorite Disney princess and also 'cause I have really long hair. 

The winner of this challenge will receive a virtual hug and a thumbs up icon, a blog post about the author, and the author's short story published on my blog. 

Are you ready???



You can email your submissions to me at angiezoewriter@gmail.com.


May the best story win!


~Angelina Zoe

The Many Quirks of Writers That We Just Can't Help

As you have probably guessed from reading the title of this post, I'll be listing a bunch of quirks that us writers have... and do a lot.  So without further ado...



1.  Staring at a random person for the longest moment with a glazed-over look in our eyes.  


(Who is that weirdo, and why does he/she have the look of a zombie in their eyes?)

I'm sorry, but as writers, we usually have a million things going on in our head, a million plots, and a million character's lives we are thinking about, and you just happen to be in the path of our uncomprehensive eyes.



2.  (Also relates to #1)  Staring at a random person and giggling while averting eyes because that random person looks scarily like a character from your book.  


(Why is that person staring at me?)



This is the reaction of the "victim". ^


(IT'S MY CHARACTER!)

This is our reaction at seeing our book characters in real life. ^  Hey, it could be worse.  It takes all we have inside us not to tackle the look alike.


(HELLO, CHARACTER OF MINE!)

As hard as we try, we cannot possibly contain our excitement.  So don't freak out if book writer comes up to you with this creepy smile on their faces and asks to take your picture.  Yeah, I've done that before... *ahem*  Moving on!



3.  During a conversation and out of the blue we mutter something totally random that does not relate at all to the topic and smile stupidly. 


(Wh-what are you talking about?  This is not irrelevant to the subject!)

You might not know it, but you have just given a writer just the idea they have been searching for for their book.  A wondrous idea that could CHANGE THE WHOLE FATE OF THE WORLD!  In the book, I mean.  Forgive us, if you are reading this and are not a writer...  It is not intentional to interrupt you.


(That face we get when we finally find out what's going to happen in our book.)



4.  When someone tries to have a conversation with you while you are trying to write, your words come out in broken syllables.


Look, people, when we're writing, we're in a whole different world and can't comprehend or grasp what you're saying.  It might sound like we're being antisocial or selfish, but it's something we can't help.  All we want to do at that time is write.  Our mind isn't in the real world.  It's in a world we have created.


(Just... leave us in peace while we write!)

To put it politely:  PLEASE LEAVE US BE!



5.  We ramble on and on about our stories and bore you to death about our meaningless characters.

We don't mean to, but when we have a story in our heads we just need to spout it out to someone, even if that someone is half listening and doesn't care.  We need someone to talk to!  We need someone to tell our secrets to!


(Can I talk to you... about my books?)



6.  (Depends on the type of writer for this to be true)  When we get inspiration... no, I don't need to put anymore words.  Just this.
  





And I leave you on that note!


~Angelina Zoe

Abigail Blackburn: A Look at the Character

So I have this character just like floating around in my head, and I can't get her out!  Every minute of the day I'm thinking about her characteristics, her family, her job, everything.  So I'm just going to get it out.  I will not call her a new character, however.  I will call her a "refurbished character" because she was someone I had in a book a long, long, long time ago...

So, re-introducing...


Abigail Grace Blackburn

(It is very hard to find a picture of her... so this is the one I'll throw out there)

Age: 23ish-25ish
Height: 5'6
Eye color: naturally chestnut brown, but she usually wears contacts to make them green
Hair color: naturally dark, dark brown, but colors it really blonde (white, almost) and black underneath





This is how she naturally looks, the way she was made.




Personality

Before her father died, she was the happiest girl in the world, always smiling and laughing, and always there to give an encouraging word to someone.  She was sweet, sensitive, and had a dream of becoming a doctor to help people.  But that was before her father died.  Many people would call her an unfeeling monster, and she believes it, most of the time.  But every once-in-a-while she finds that she does feel, and she doesn't like it.  When she feels emotions, she tries to shut them out and works even harder to keep them away.  That is until Bailey Forwen.  :)


Family:

Gabriel Blackburn, father: Died when Abby was nine.

Maria Davis Blackburn, mother: Mother doesn't keep in contact with her at all, could care less she even has a daughter.  Only calls Abby when she needs money.

Riley Gabriel Blackburn, younger brother: Four years younger than Abby, a mechanic and sort of a drop-out when it comes to school.  The only one of her family who loves her for being her.


Background:

When Abigail was just nine years old, her father died, leaving her mother desperate for money.  Her mother began gambling, drinking, and many other nasty habits.  It was like her mother had become a whole different person who completely ignored, unacknowledged, and almost loathed Abby.  Having to take care of Riley, Abby withdrew from any affection, save that of Riley, and put all of her hurt and sadness into karate.  When she was older, she became a CIA agent, but that didn't suit her.  She then went into an intense, special soldier training program where she became even harder and less feeling, and from there became a special agent - an assassin, if you will.  On the side she was an FBI agent.


She thinks that she is invincible and nothing could happen to her.  She pushes those that love her (which aren't many) away so that her enemies (which are many) will have nothing to threaten her with.  But her life is suddenly flipped when she is unjustly framed for a crime she didn't commit, and is then forced into hiding, having no money at all.  Then she meets an unusual biochemist named Bailey Forwen, who seemed to have no worries in life at all.  That is when her world is turned upside down by this man.


Here's an excerpt from a book I'm writing about her when she was growing up and missing her father who is off at war.

In my room
On my desk
January 15

    

     Dear Daddy,

     Hi!  How are you doing over there?  I hope there isn’t anything very horrible going on over there.  Do you still have the picture of me and Riley and Mommy that we sent you last fall?  If you do, and if you’re looking at it right now, imagine me taller, because I’ve grown a whole half inch since then!  Or at least I think a half inch.  Riley has grown the most, though.  He actually almost looks like a six year old, and not a four year old.  Mommy hasn’t changed at all, except she wears more makeup now to cover up wrinkles.  I ask her every morning now when I’ll get to wear makeup, because next picture we send I want to have it on.  Then I’ll be prettier for you!  I am eight now.  Don’t you think I should at least be wearing lipstick?

     I’m supposed to say something about school in this letter, or else Mommy will probably get mad.  So here’s what I’m saying about school.  It’s going good.  I mean well (I hope Mommy doesn’t read over this letter).  I think I know what I want to be now.  A doctor.  I want to help sick children, I think.  Isn’t that what you wanted to do?  I will make you and Mommy proud of me one day, Daddy.  I will be a famous doctor and heal many people and kids, and everyone will love me.  Even Mommy.  She doesn’t seem to be proud of me, and I don’t know why.  I think it’s maybe because my grades aren’t all A’s anymore.  What?  It isn’t like it’s second grade anymore.  Third grade is harder.  But I can do it.  I’ll make Mommy proud.

     Oh, before I forget, I have to ask you a question.  Do you believe there’s a Jesus who watches over us?  I asked Mommy that, but she said no, and she also said that people who believe in God are suckers, wimps, and cowards.  I don’t know if I believe her, though.  So I decided to ask you, cause you are always right.  If you do believe in Jesus, then I was thinking that I’m going to give it a try and pray to Him and ask Him to protect you.  I hope you answer this question soon, because I want to know if it will work or not.

     I have to go now.  Riley is whining at me, trying to get me to make him a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich.  Mommy is having some “me-time”, so I have to make him one.  I love you, Daddy.  And I am so proud of you!  I’m staying brave for you. 

     See you later, Alligator!

Love,

Your Bumblebee Abigail

  p.s.

I can’t imagine how much you miss me right now, because I’m missing you more than anything in the world! 



If you don't feel bad for Abby now, you will... if only you knew what I have in store for her.  >:}  Yes, I am evil!


~Angelina Zoe