I'm having a lot of time getting motivated lately. Perhaps it is the lead I have on my goal. Perhaps it is the lack of certainty I have about what I'm writing at this point. I definitely think I'm going to try to cut to the end, and make do with it as best I can today. I am currently at 45,888 words so I am very near the end. I just need to push through my current malaise and get some words written. (point of interest, I wrote this part 2 hours ago. Get away from me malaise!)
I went to the Humor, Satire, & Parody forum for dares, but alas, there weren't any new ones. There were a number of people taking older dares, though. I've decided to go back to the most recent dare before the one I took last time, which is:
Have a Character Say "Why YOU-"
* If the character is overweight and male (or male-ish)
** The character reaches out to strangle the person
*** The character accidentally kills the person.
**** The character is supposed to be really good or graceful.
***** The person killed was supposed to be the hero of everyone.
Now I'll have a Homer Simpson impersonation added to the book. I suppose, as far as additions, this one will be fairly easy, I'll try to make sure to include it today. I'll also try to do a post before going to bed tonight, as tomorrow I will be busy most of the day and I'm not sure if I'll have time. With that in mind, I better get writing!
Showing posts with label dare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dare. Show all posts
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Day 24
Also known as Thanksgiving this year. Happy Thanksgiving to all those in or from the United States!
This is one of those times of the year that it is difficult living overseas. In South Korea they have a holiday called Chuseok that they celebrate a little earlier in the year that they equate to being the same. However, for me, it isn't. It is the odd combining in the calendar of getting days off that mean nothing to me, and then having to work other days like Thanksgiving that should be special. Many times, like today, I've spent the special days doing nothing special, and likewise for the Korean holidays as they aren't special for me. I'm not trying to whine, or complain, it's just something I noticed today, as I barely even realized today was Thanksgiving. There's a lot more I could say about this, but I need to get back to my novel today. Perhaps in a later blog.
Today, I must continue on! I struggled yesterday, and only wrote about 1,200 words. I'm also not sure exactly where to start today, so I've been dragging my fingers a little. (dragging my feet would only prevent me from getting to the computer, but my time on youtube and facebook prove that wasn't the case)
My dare for today comes from the Romance Dares thread. The_Word_Fairy posted:
*** A main character is forced to join a band of terrorists or a gang and they are part of a scheme to assassinate an important figure .....and they are in love with the person they have been scheming to assassinate
BP if they knew who the person they were scheming to assassinate was before the assassination attempt
TBP if they actually go through with the assassination
Oh dear! That means I need to add someone important, and to get the extra points I will need to add a backstory as well. Hmmm....well, maybe that should be my starting point tonight. Better get writing!
This is one of those times of the year that it is difficult living overseas. In South Korea they have a holiday called Chuseok that they celebrate a little earlier in the year that they equate to being the same. However, for me, it isn't. It is the odd combining in the calendar of getting days off that mean nothing to me, and then having to work other days like Thanksgiving that should be special. Many times, like today, I've spent the special days doing nothing special, and likewise for the Korean holidays as they aren't special for me. I'm not trying to whine, or complain, it's just something I noticed today, as I barely even realized today was Thanksgiving. There's a lot more I could say about this, but I need to get back to my novel today. Perhaps in a later blog.
Today, I must continue on! I struggled yesterday, and only wrote about 1,200 words. I'm also not sure exactly where to start today, so I've been dragging my fingers a little. (dragging my feet would only prevent me from getting to the computer, but my time on youtube and facebook prove that wasn't the case)
My dare for today comes from the Romance Dares thread. The_Word_Fairy posted:
*** A main character is forced to join a band of terrorists or a gang and they are part of a scheme to assassinate an important figure .....and they are in love with the person they have been scheming to assassinate
BP if they knew who the person they were scheming to assassinate was before the assassination attempt
TBP if they actually go through with the assassination
Oh dear! That means I need to add someone important, and to get the extra points I will need to add a backstory as well. Hmmm....well, maybe that should be my starting point tonight. Better get writing!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Day 23
Ahh! After tonight, there will only be one week left of NaNoWriMo. This is the point when people start to think about how their lives will be after the month is over. Many will be glad to have time to get back to the things they wanted to do all month. Some people in the forums were mentioning Skyrim, the new Elder Scrolls game. Others were warning that the game was so addictive and good that they blamed it for the reason they were behind this year. There is also that, not as exciting, realization that there are things like laundry, dishes, and other various chores to catch up on.
What will your December 1st be like?
Today's dare comes from the Mystery Dares thread. stepensdemise posted:
The Traveling Shovel Of Death. (Had to)
A sport's team's mascot is a suicide bomber.
Poisoned Twinkies (on the store shelves, like the Tylenol scare - forgot when it happened)
The Detective is being shadowed by a reality forensic show's crew while trying to work the case. (BP if he accidently delivers them into the hands of the killer and the last minutes of their lives are accidentally broadcast on Live TV)
That's all I have at the moment.
There is a bit of history to that first one, which is the one I will definitely be taking. Check out the WikiWriMo for a bit of fun trivia about The Traveling Shovel of Death!
The others could be fun, but I'm running out of time, and there are still so many dares to fill! Better get writing!
What will your December 1st be like?
Today's dare comes from the Mystery Dares thread. stepensdemise posted:
The Traveling Shovel Of Death. (Had to)
A sport's team's mascot is a suicide bomber.
Poisoned Twinkies (on the store shelves, like the Tylenol scare - forgot when it happened)
The Detective is being shadowed by a reality forensic show's crew while trying to work the case. (BP if he accidently delivers them into the hands of the killer and the last minutes of their lives are accidentally broadcast on Live TV)
That's all I have at the moment.
There is a bit of history to that first one, which is the one I will definitely be taking. Check out the WikiWriMo for a bit of fun trivia about The Traveling Shovel of Death!
The others could be fun, but I'm running out of time, and there are still so many dares to fill! Better get writing!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Day 22 dare!
I posted earlier tonight about how I'm feeling at the moment, and about this time of NaNoWriMo. It's really an exciting time, if you didn't read that post, I recommend hitting the older posts link to read it.
Word count: 42,131
Dares taken: 22 (officially)
Sleepiness: very
Busy factor: very
Sanity: surprisingly good!
I haven't gotten all the dares in to the novel yet, so I will really need to keep focused on getting them in soon. That may be when the sanity level drops a bit. I am ahead on word count, and that feels great! I looked at some profiles today, annoyed with people at 38,000 words. That was until I realized I was actually ahead of them. My mind is still in that catching up mode, I guess. Last night I wrote the 1,667 for the day, but it was so close to a rounder number for the total which pushed me to keep going. I noticed my count for the day was close to a better number, so I kept going for that. That left me with a very happy 2,000 words yesterday.
Today's dare comes from Mnemophage in the Horror & Supernatural dares thread:
I wouldn't mind having someone die of a cause other than some creatures I create. That is just another way to keep things going. The second part is also possible. The third...well, I don't have a red herring at the moment so I don't think I will get to that one soon if at all.
It's getting late now, as I had to write this twice. Google Chrome, why is it when you say you've crashed and I tell you not to shut down, you do anyway? That is a story for another time, I suppose. I have to stick to my current novel. Better get writing!
Word count: 42,131
Dares taken: 22 (officially)
Sleepiness: very
Busy factor: very
Sanity: surprisingly good!
I haven't gotten all the dares in to the novel yet, so I will really need to keep focused on getting them in soon. That may be when the sanity level drops a bit. I am ahead on word count, and that feels great! I looked at some profiles today, annoyed with people at 38,000 words. That was until I realized I was actually ahead of them. My mind is still in that catching up mode, I guess. Last night I wrote the 1,667 for the day, but it was so close to a rounder number for the total which pushed me to keep going. I noticed my count for the day was close to a better number, so I kept going for that. That left me with a very happy 2,000 words yesterday.
Today's dare comes from Mnemophage in the Horror & Supernatural dares thread:
Dare: have someone die in a way that has absolutely nothing to do with your main creatures.
Bonus: If it's a 'natural' death, ie: heart attack after desperately fleeing for life.
Double bonus points: If the red herring screws up exposition or the plans of your main characters.
Bonus: If it's a 'natural' death, ie: heart attack after desperately fleeing for life.
Double bonus points: If the red herring screws up exposition or the plans of your main characters.
I wouldn't mind having someone die of a cause other than some creatures I create. That is just another way to keep things going. The second part is also possible. The third...well, I don't have a red herring at the moment so I don't think I will get to that one soon if at all.
It's getting late now, as I had to write this twice. Google Chrome, why is it when you say you've crashed and I tell you not to shut down, you do anyway? That is a story for another time, I suppose. I have to stick to my current novel. Better get writing!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Day 21!
Well, with only a couple of hours to write, I certainly won't have a day like yesterday. My goal today is just to see how many words I can get in a couple of hours. I hope to get the standard 1,667 to keep the lead ahead of the goal that I have now. I am also going to writing about the ninja cows, so that should help!
Today's dare of the day comes from Archon_Huskie in the Fantasy Dares thread:
That is something interesting. I have just procrastinated looking into that idea. I'll help you out by having you watch a short video here. Knowing that I need to get more women into my stories, especially in stronger roles is something that I know I need to work on. This dare is good for me, and will help push me a bit out of my comfort zone. It's not that I don't want a more feminine influence to my stories, it's just that I'm a man. Writing for men is more comfortable for me. I fear that spending a lot of time on female characters will just reveal how inadequately I understand women, or how they think. I fear that the feminists might be harder on me if I write women badly, than if I just didn't focus on them. On the other hand, risks are good in writing, right?
As far as tips on writing go, there is a great entry identifying 50 blogs helping people through NaNoWriMo. You can read that here. You could also visit my friend Chazley's blog, which is mentioned in that entry. I also want to thank my friend Eamon, who has been sending me articles about getting through the rough patches of writing this month.
One of the worst patches is procrastination. I better stop writing and start writing!
Wait...that was awkward, perhaps there's a better way.
Better stop blogging and start writing! (not perfect, but it will have to do for now. I have 1667 to write today!)
Today's dare of the day comes from Archon_Huskie in the Fantasy Dares thread:
Here is my Dare for all of you.
I dare you to have you novel pass the Alison Bechdel Test.
1) You must have two named female characters.
2) They must have a conversation with each other
3) It must be about something other than a man (doesn't matter if it is a lover, brother, or king).
That is all.
I dare you to have you novel pass the Alison Bechdel Test.
1) You must have two named female characters.
2) They must have a conversation with each other
3) It must be about something other than a man (doesn't matter if it is a lover, brother, or king).
That is all.
That is something interesting. I have just procrastinated looking into that idea. I'll help you out by having you watch a short video here. Knowing that I need to get more women into my stories, especially in stronger roles is something that I know I need to work on. This dare is good for me, and will help push me a bit out of my comfort zone. It's not that I don't want a more feminine influence to my stories, it's just that I'm a man. Writing for men is more comfortable for me. I fear that spending a lot of time on female characters will just reveal how inadequately I understand women, or how they think. I fear that the feminists might be harder on me if I write women badly, than if I just didn't focus on them. On the other hand, risks are good in writing, right?
As far as tips on writing go, there is a great entry identifying 50 blogs helping people through NaNoWriMo. You can read that here. You could also visit my friend Chazley's blog, which is mentioned in that entry. I also want to thank my friend Eamon, who has been sending me articles about getting through the rough patches of writing this month.
One of the worst patches is procrastination. I better stop writing and start writing!
Wait...that was awkward, perhaps there's a better way.
Better stop blogging and start writing! (not perfect, but it will have to do for now. I have 1667 to write today!)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Day 20!
I finished yesterday with 31,679 words which meant that I was caught up. I did a happy dance before going to bed last night. Today, I started writing a couple of hours ago and have reached 33,755 words. That is great, because that means I have already gotten my day's word goal accomplished. It is also great because I now have the opportunity to get a bit ahead. That is important as I know next Saturday I won't have time to write, so I need to be a bit ahead to allow for that. I also have a lot of paperwork to do this week, so I'll be pushing to get both done at the same time.
The skipping around has helped a lot. This is because instead of sticking with a scene until it is really finished, or setting up a scene properly, I started skipping to what I think will be the most interesting parts. That interest keeps the words flowing. I've also started setting the timer during my breaks, not just for the writing time. That has really helped me focus back on to the writing when I'd be tempted to sit back and be entertained.
Today's dare comes from the Adventures forum. There were no recent posts, so I returned to the beginning of the thread, and will take the first dare. It was actually an example left by a moderator, but I will take it all the same. Dragonchilde posted:
* - introduce a character who forgot a vital eating utensil (say, a fork)
** - meet up with an indigenous group of peoples who have said eating utensil
*** - who then throw your character in prison for not possessing said eating utensil
I guess that means I'll have to throw in an indigenous group at some stage. Perhaps today. What could my characters be missing? Fork, spoon, chopsticks? I know my characters have knives, so it will need to be something different.
Thanks to all that have been reading this blog. That goes especially to those that take time to comment and those taking time from your writing to read. It really helps to encourage me to write, knowing that others are taking the time to read.
My alarm will go off soon, so I'll end this here for now and head off to do some writing!
The skipping around has helped a lot. This is because instead of sticking with a scene until it is really finished, or setting up a scene properly, I started skipping to what I think will be the most interesting parts. That interest keeps the words flowing. I've also started setting the timer during my breaks, not just for the writing time. That has really helped me focus back on to the writing when I'd be tempted to sit back and be entertained.
Today's dare comes from the Adventures forum. There were no recent posts, so I returned to the beginning of the thread, and will take the first dare. It was actually an example left by a moderator, but I will take it all the same. Dragonchilde posted:
* - introduce a character who forgot a vital eating utensil (say, a fork)
** - meet up with an indigenous group of peoples who have said eating utensil
*** - who then throw your character in prison for not possessing said eating utensil
I guess that means I'll have to throw in an indigenous group at some stage. Perhaps today. What could my characters be missing? Fork, spoon, chopsticks? I know my characters have knives, so it will need to be something different.
Thanks to all that have been reading this blog. That goes especially to those that take time to comment and those taking time from your writing to read. It really helps to encourage me to write, knowing that others are taking the time to read.
My alarm will go off soon, so I'll end this here for now and head off to do some writing!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Days 18 & 19!
Well, it wouldn't be NaNoWriMo without me having some sort of technical glitch. Yesterday, I spent a long time getting the writing done for the guest blog submission. As I went to send the submission in an email, it wouldn't attach. From the time I opened up the email to compose to the minute afterward when I tried to attach the file, my internet stopped working. I tried restarting the computer. I tried turning it off and on again. I tried talking nicely to my computer and internet. Then I tried yelling and threatening my computer and internet. I tried adjusting my firewall that had just updated. For over 2 hours I tried. Nothing, nothing worked. This morning, still nothing. I took my computer into work, and found that it does work and can pick up the internet. I'm now back home and the internet is magically working again! Knock on wood it will remain working at least until the end of the month.
That having been said, now you will understand why I didn't post yesterday and why I'll have to take 2 dares today. I also need to catch back up on my word count. I'm hoping to push and pad to get ahead this weekend, because the next 2 weeks at work will be very busy.
Speaking of busy, I better get started, so I need to talk about today's dare(s) of the day.
The first dare is from the Humor, Satire, & Parody dares thread:
Awesome! Perhaps I will add a radioactive ninja cow anytime I get bored.
The second dare, well, it happened again. The most recent post in the SciFi dare thread happened to be my own. The one before mine was the dare I accepted last time. The SciFi writers don't seem to be quite as dare-ing as I had hoped. I've decided to take my own dare this time, though I hope not to make a habit of it. Perhaps if it happens again I will go with the first dare of the thread. My dare was this:
Have your main character bounce a rubber ball against a wall any time s/he is stressed.
BP if the ball lights up.
TBP if the ball also makes loud noises or music every time it bounces.
QBP if during a critical hiding, chase, or fight scene, this is the hero's downfall.
Cookies if the ball turns out to be a disguised robot or weapon that helps to save the day.
Which just adds to the fun of what's going on. I'm really thinking that I will be going a bit crazy with my writing for the rest of the month. I'll basically be writing a detailed outline with snippets of scenes to get all of these dares in. I'll probably be breaking down the wall and adding personal comments as well. I just need to have fun and roll with it. Hopefully the words will just start pouring out.
A day behind at the moment, so I better get writing!
P.S. How are you doing?
That having been said, now you will understand why I didn't post yesterday and why I'll have to take 2 dares today. I also need to catch back up on my word count. I'm hoping to push and pad to get ahead this weekend, because the next 2 weeks at work will be very busy.
Speaking of busy, I better get started, so I need to talk about today's dare(s) of the day.
The first dare is from the Humor, Satire, & Parody dares thread:
Dare:
Bright green ninja cows
BP: with radioactive axes
Bright green ninja cows
BP: with radioactive axes
Awesome! Perhaps I will add a radioactive ninja cow anytime I get bored.
The second dare, well, it happened again. The most recent post in the SciFi dare thread happened to be my own. The one before mine was the dare I accepted last time. The SciFi writers don't seem to be quite as dare-ing as I had hoped. I've decided to take my own dare this time, though I hope not to make a habit of it. Perhaps if it happens again I will go with the first dare of the thread. My dare was this:
Have your main character bounce a rubber ball against a wall any time s/he is stressed.
BP if the ball lights up.
TBP if the ball also makes loud noises or music every time it bounces.
QBP if during a critical hiding, chase, or fight scene, this is the hero's downfall.
Cookies if the ball turns out to be a disguised robot or weapon that helps to save the day.
Which just adds to the fun of what's going on. I'm really thinking that I will be going a bit crazy with my writing for the rest of the month. I'll basically be writing a detailed outline with snippets of scenes to get all of these dares in. I'll probably be breaking down the wall and adding personal comments as well. I just need to have fun and roll with it. Hopefully the words will just start pouring out.
A day behind at the moment, so I better get writing!
P.S. How are you doing?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Day 17!
Over the last day I:
Wrote over 1,000 words
Offered to write a submission for someone else's blog (I'll post a link later if it gets accepted)
Had lunch with friends
Enjoyed a short walk in the warmer weather while it is still here
Did a little self-promotion on the NaNoWriMo site
Gained a new follower =)
Made a slightly scary choice
It's that choice that I want to talk about. I'm getting bored with my novel. I have a lot of dares to cover. What to do?
I think I'm going to attempt doing what so many other writers do, and what other writers have recommended. I'm going to skip to the good parts. Sounds great, right? So, why am I scared to make such a decision?
I think I've written before about the fact that I tend to write from beginning to end. I make logical steps (at least they seem so at the time) to get from one scene to another and one chapter to the next. (OK, I don't write in chapters, but I'm rolling now, so let me go with it) I try to make sure that there are no plot holes. I try to see my characters grow and change. As I need new characters I add them. As I need a way to help my characters out, I try to base it on information from earlier parts of the novel. If that doesn't work, I add something a bit deus ex machina style and make a mental to note to add something earlier in the revisions so it won't seem so out of place.
Today, though, I will make that first leap into writing the best scenes and hoping to fill in the gaps and connect the dots later. It will start with this line: Jake reunites with his friends, catches them up on all that has happened over the past few months, then other stuff happens and they end up outside of a country mansion.
This will lead right into one of the dares, which I will probably rush through to try to get to the others.
Speaking of dares, today's was posted by Laura the Explorer in Romance Dares:
I actually used this in one of my previous novels (although it wasn't a romance):
-Have a character sneeze just as they're going in for a kiss the first time.
Perhaps I will add a goofy love interest today, just to make sure I have this dare covered.
Scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time; better get writing!
Wrote over 1,000 words
Offered to write a submission for someone else's blog (I'll post a link later if it gets accepted)
Had lunch with friends
Enjoyed a short walk in the warmer weather while it is still here
Did a little self-promotion on the NaNoWriMo site
Gained a new follower =)
Made a slightly scary choice
It's that choice that I want to talk about. I'm getting bored with my novel. I have a lot of dares to cover. What to do?
I think I'm going to attempt doing what so many other writers do, and what other writers have recommended. I'm going to skip to the good parts. Sounds great, right? So, why am I scared to make such a decision?
I think I've written before about the fact that I tend to write from beginning to end. I make logical steps (at least they seem so at the time) to get from one scene to another and one chapter to the next. (OK, I don't write in chapters, but I'm rolling now, so let me go with it) I try to make sure that there are no plot holes. I try to see my characters grow and change. As I need new characters I add them. As I need a way to help my characters out, I try to base it on information from earlier parts of the novel. If that doesn't work, I add something a bit deus ex machina style and make a mental to note to add something earlier in the revisions so it won't seem so out of place.
Today, though, I will make that first leap into writing the best scenes and hoping to fill in the gaps and connect the dots later. It will start with this line: Jake reunites with his friends, catches them up on all that has happened over the past few months, then other stuff happens and they end up outside of a country mansion.
This will lead right into one of the dares, which I will probably rush through to try to get to the others.
Speaking of dares, today's was posted by Laura the Explorer in Romance Dares:
I actually used this in one of my previous novels (although it wasn't a romance):
-Have a character sneeze just as they're going in for a kiss the first time.
Perhaps I will add a goofy love interest today, just to make sure I have this dare covered.
Scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time; better get writing!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Day 16 Dare!
I feel like I've used exclamation marks more this month than ever before in my life! (see, there's another one! (and another!)) Perhaps it is just the excitement of NaNoWriMo, or the number of times I wish another writer good luck on their writing. Does being positive and encouraging require exclamation marks?
I did not reach the halfway point last night. I first made the mistake of turning on the television for a few minutes, and got trapped into watching As Good as it Gets...again. My computer was also moving very slowly last night. Doing one of those ridiculous 'waiting until I've typed 10 words to allow them to appear and tell me I've misspelled all the words in part do the computer lagging and not recognizing every keystroke' dances. I was frustrated, and I was tired. I let it all get to me. I even stopped 10 minutes before midnight knowing I was too far away to reach the goal of the day.
That is what I call a low point.
The good news is I'm back again for another day! (There it is again! (Does blogging require exclamation marks?)) I'm starting a bit earlier tonight, so hopefully I can catch back up or at the least get the 1,667 for the day.
Today's dare comes from the Mystery Dares thread:
--posted by stepensdemise
I could use this as an interesting side story. This is one of those frustrating times when I've come across something that I feel could be its own story easily. I'll try to use it, but if it doesn't work in revision it may very well become its own story. Another notable dare that I saw, but wasn't the most recent, involved cute zombie plant eating animals. Perhaps it is my love of Monty Python, but I think zombie bunnies attacking would be terrific. (Should it be comedy or horror? I feel like it could work either way.) I'll bookmark the cute bunnies for something later. Or, possibly, I might at them when I run out of ideas in this novel.
For now, I better get writing!
I did not reach the halfway point last night. I first made the mistake of turning on the television for a few minutes, and got trapped into watching As Good as it Gets...again. My computer was also moving very slowly last night. Doing one of those ridiculous 'waiting until I've typed 10 words to allow them to appear and tell me I've misspelled all the words in part do the computer lagging and not recognizing every keystroke' dances. I was frustrated, and I was tired. I let it all get to me. I even stopped 10 minutes before midnight knowing I was too far away to reach the goal of the day.
That is what I call a low point.
The good news is I'm back again for another day! (There it is again! (Does blogging require exclamation marks?)) I'm starting a bit earlier tonight, so hopefully I can catch back up or at the least get the 1,667 for the day.
Today's dare comes from the Mystery Dares thread:
Leaving:
Include this twist on the angel of mercy type killer: Killer targets people who are the cause of suffering rather than those who suffer.
BP - killer was once a bully or other cause of suffering in others.
DBP - The killer decides those of wealth cause others suffering.
TBP - If the killer is filthy rich.
QBP - Killer realizes he is a living inconsistency in his mission, decides to kill himself , and fails.
Infinite points - If the killer, having failed in his suicide attempt, is then murdered by someone unrelated to his own killing spree. (An opening for a whole new novel!)
Include this twist on the angel of mercy type killer: Killer targets people who are the cause of suffering rather than those who suffer.
BP - killer was once a bully or other cause of suffering in others.
DBP - The killer decides those of wealth cause others suffering.
TBP - If the killer is filthy rich.
QBP - Killer realizes he is a living inconsistency in his mission, decides to kill himself , and fails.
Infinite points - If the killer, having failed in his suicide attempt, is then murdered by someone unrelated to his own killing spree. (An opening for a whole new novel!)
--posted by stepensdemise
I could use this as an interesting side story. This is one of those frustrating times when I've come across something that I feel could be its own story easily. I'll try to use it, but if it doesn't work in revision it may very well become its own story. Another notable dare that I saw, but wasn't the most recent, involved cute zombie plant eating animals. Perhaps it is my love of Monty Python, but I think zombie bunnies attacking would be terrific. (Should it be comedy or horror? I feel like it could work either way.) I'll bookmark the cute bunnies for something later. Or, possibly, I might at them when I run out of ideas in this novel.
For now, I better get writing!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Day 15!
(Just a point of interest, something went wrong as I tried to post this before, so I am now writing this for the second time.)
Day 15! Yes, it is the halfway point! With a bit of luck and dedication, I might make it to 25,000 words tonight!
I am both excited and frustrated to see my writing buddies soaring ahead of me in their word counts. I am glad to see that they are doing well, and to know that my encouragement, at least in a small way, has helped them to get where they are. It is frustrating as I don't like to be behind, as I am at the moment. I would prefer to be ahead of the daily goal. However, the frustration I'm feeling will hopefully help spur me on to catch up. Even when writing buddies are frustrating, they're still helpful, isn't it a wonderful thing?
Today's dare comes from the Horror & Supernatural Dares thread. Astrid indeed posted:
Two dares in one post? I like the sound of the second one, though it does add to making my creatures even more complicated, elaborate, and a bit more crazy than they were before (and I have yet to write one into my novel...ack!). I better get to the creatures soon!
Question to you: do feel as there are two dares that I should do both? or just the second one as it is the most recent?
I will leave you to ponder that as I am off to do some writing!
Day 15! Yes, it is the halfway point! With a bit of luck and dedication, I might make it to 25,000 words tonight!
I am both excited and frustrated to see my writing buddies soaring ahead of me in their word counts. I am glad to see that they are doing well, and to know that my encouragement, at least in a small way, has helped them to get where they are. It is frustrating as I don't like to be behind, as I am at the moment. I would prefer to be ahead of the daily goal. However, the frustration I'm feeling will hopefully help spur me on to catch up. Even when writing buddies are frustrating, they're still helpful, isn't it a wonderful thing?
Today's dare comes from the Horror & Supernatural Dares thread. Astrid indeed posted:
Leaving: Have a character talk about a defining childhood experience in which feral hunting dogs killed his cousin.
BP: He tracks them down and seeks revenge.
DBP: If he attempts to kill them with fire but fails.
TBP: If the account starts with the line "father told me the hounds had been sold to pay for mother's tombstone."
QBP: If he kills the dogs using only his hands and teeth.
Cookies: If he ends the accout with "and that's why I'm a vegetarian!"
Write a species that claims to come from the moon.
BP: If they actually do.
DBP: They photosythesise to circumvent the lack of nurtrients on the moon's surface and are somewhat translucent.
TBP: They treat sucrose like a drug.
QBP: They are the reason we don't send men to the moon anymore.
Cookies: Their shadows are parasitic independant creatures that would kill a human host outright.
BP: He tracks them down and seeks revenge.
DBP: If he attempts to kill them with fire but fails.
TBP: If the account starts with the line "father told me the hounds had been sold to pay for mother's tombstone."
QBP: If he kills the dogs using only his hands and teeth.
Cookies: If he ends the accout with "and that's why I'm a vegetarian!"
Write a species that claims to come from the moon.
BP: If they actually do.
DBP: They photosythesise to circumvent the lack of nurtrients on the moon's surface and are somewhat translucent.
TBP: They treat sucrose like a drug.
QBP: They are the reason we don't send men to the moon anymore.
Cookies: Their shadows are parasitic independant creatures that would kill a human host outright.
Two dares in one post? I like the sound of the second one, though it does add to making my creatures even more complicated, elaborate, and a bit more crazy than they were before (and I have yet to write one into my novel...ack!). I better get to the creatures soon!
Question to you: do feel as there are two dares that I should do both? or just the second one as it is the most recent?
I will leave you to ponder that as I am off to do some writing!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Day 14 Dare
Nearly halfway there! I'm currently at 21, 557 words which is a bit behind. I hope to catch up soon. A good day could help me to catch up. I need to make sure I keep on task until I have that good day. I will keep the blogging today at a minimum to help with that.
Sarita153 left this post:
Have a magical bookshelf
Bonus points if it always gives out the wrong books
Double bonus points if people think it's giving them the right books and act accordingly
Triple points and a cookie if the wrong book saves the day
This is one of those fortuitous moments when I had a character trapped in a room with bookshelves yesterday, now I have a gimmick to help him get out which will actually be a bit more believable. It could add to some interesting things to write about until the escape. I've spent a long time on a character that isn't my MC. Perhaps I've been focused on the wrong character before now?
Better get writing!
Sarita153 left this post:
Have a magical bookshelf
Bonus points if it always gives out the wrong books
Double bonus points if people think it's giving them the right books and act accordingly
Triple points and a cookie if the wrong book saves the day
This is one of those fortuitous moments when I had a character trapped in a room with bookshelves yesterday, now I have a gimmick to help him get out which will actually be a bit more believable. It could add to some interesting things to write about until the escape. I've spent a long time on a character that isn't my MC. Perhaps I've been focused on the wrong character before now?
Better get writing!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Day 13 Dare
Today's dare comes from someone that I think has more words posted in the forums, than officially in their novel. I also have a problem with it for another reason. It comes from the Adventure Dares, 2011 thread:
Dare:
*No cussing
(including the words damn, shit, ass, and hell, unless you're using damn as condemn and/or shit as poop and/or ass as a type of donkey and/or hell as a place [because those are the original meanings])
**No sexual references in your book
(obviously short kisses are acceptable, as is holding hands, et cetra)
***You must include a place with rainbows + daisies, and/or a unicorn + fairies, and/or a chocolate fountain + leprechaun somewhere in your book.
This causes a problem as I already have a couple swear words in the book. I don't use a lot of profanity, but a couple of times this novel I have. I think in revision, I could perhaps alter this to do the first part of the dare. I'm still somewhat safe on dare ++. Dare +++, that one is definitely doable. I won't do the first one at this point because it would require me to go back and delete/change words which will take time. I have precious little of that at the moment, so I will fail part one but possibly achieve parts 2 and 3.
Better get writing!
Dare:
*No cussing
(including the words damn, shit, ass, and hell, unless you're using damn as condemn and/or shit as poop and/or ass as a type of donkey and/or hell as a place [because those are the original meanings])
**No sexual references in your book
(obviously short kisses are acceptable, as is holding hands, et cetra)
***You must include a place with rainbows + daisies, and/or a unicorn + fairies, and/or a chocolate fountain + leprechaun somewhere in your book.
This causes a problem as I already have a couple swear words in the book. I don't use a lot of profanity, but a couple of times this novel I have. I think in revision, I could perhaps alter this to do the first part of the dare. I'm still somewhat safe on dare ++. Dare +++, that one is definitely doable. I won't do the first one at this point because it would require me to go back and delete/change words which will take time. I have precious little of that at the moment, so I will fail part one but possibly achieve parts 2 and 3.
Better get writing!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Day 11 Dare
Yes, hooray for 11/11/11 day. The day when it doesn't matter what country you are from when you write the date. Month first, day first...it doesn't matter today! As I am writing this in South Korea, it is also Pepero day. This is a day for buying a special snack, and giving it to people. You can read about it here. (Go towards the bottom for English) Or, better yet, check out the news story my friends did about it here!
This is also my friend's birthday, and 2 the day before. It will be a busy weekend of celebration. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with the writing. I think this is the longest I've been able to stay ahead of the day's total word count goal. Only time will tell.
Today's dare comes from the Humor, Satire, and Parody Dares thread. creatively_inclined posted:
Have a character with an obsession with rubber ducks.
BP If this obsession gets in the way of important scenes, when he sees a rubber duck he just HAS to have and gets a little side tracked.
DBP If someone uses his obsession against him, i.e. kidnapping his rubber ducks and holding them for ransom.
TBP if the character with the obsession is otherwise evil and heartless.
Which is again the only dare since I last posted. Hopefully with some week 2 struggles people will feel more inclined to dare soon. Either way, I feel as though by the time I finally introduce the villain, it is going to be a very quirky scene!
Time to be off to finish the scene when a magician is mad that a magic shop doesn't sell and real magical supplies (and start thinking about a rubber duck obsessed character too). There's only a short time before I'm supposed to be meeting friends for dinner. Better get writing!
This is also my friend's birthday, and 2 the day before. It will be a busy weekend of celebration. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with the writing. I think this is the longest I've been able to stay ahead of the day's total word count goal. Only time will tell.
Today's dare comes from the Humor, Satire, and Parody Dares thread. creatively_inclined posted:
Have a character with an obsession with rubber ducks.
BP If this obsession gets in the way of important scenes, when he sees a rubber duck he just HAS to have and gets a little side tracked.
DBP If someone uses his obsession against him, i.e. kidnapping his rubber ducks and holding them for ransom.
TBP if the character with the obsession is otherwise evil and heartless.
Which is again the only dare since I last posted. Hopefully with some week 2 struggles people will feel more inclined to dare soon. Either way, I feel as though by the time I finally introduce the villain, it is going to be a very quirky scene!
Time to be off to finish the scene when a magician is mad that a magic shop doesn't sell and real magical supplies (and start thinking about a rubber duck obsessed character too). There's only a short time before I'm supposed to be meeting friends for dinner. Better get writing!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The Dare Problem
Hmmm...so I really didn't think this would be a problem. Today's dare of the day was meant to come from the Mystery Dares thread, however, the last dare (not post) was from me. I suppose I could do the dare, but I'm in a bit of a quandary here. This was the dare I left:
The mystery also involves a cold case from 20 years earlier.
BP if the victims are somehow related.
DBP if the murderer is also related.
TBP if the detective is also related.
QBP if they had all been in a room together 20 years earlier, but none of them knew each other.
Which, I think is a good dare. I could find a way to use it. However, the post below mine says:
Omg. Thank you. I'm so taking. This will definitely give my story the push it needs to not only get finished, but to make it over the 50k mark as well. Thank you (:
So, with that post, I now feel bad if I try to take the dare as well. I mean, look how happy it made that other writer! (which in turn, made me feel pretty happy)
My decision was then to move on to the Romance Dares. Those of you that have been following this blog for the past few days might remember that I had to start that thread. Well, it currently has 16 posts since my original. That also feels pretty good, as dares have been left and taken in that time. The most recent dare was taken by someone else. It is possible for more than one person to take a dare, so I will do that in the Romance Dares thread (seeing as I had to pass by this one before).
Therefore, I will be taking this dare from the Romance Dares thread posted by Alex Hamilton-Jefferson:
Leaving:
Have a character become completely infatuated by another character's accent... only to find out that it's fake.
Just so you know, I did check to see if there were three separate dares threads in the Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller, but sadly there was only one. I really didn't think lack of dares would be the problem when I set up this idea. It's not that there aren't dares, it's that there aren't new ones, as I am trying to use the most recent in the forum (but trying to not let that be one of mine).
Dare chosen, better get writing!
The mystery also involves a cold case from 20 years earlier.
BP if the victims are somehow related.
DBP if the murderer is also related.
TBP if the detective is also related.
QBP if they had all been in a room together 20 years earlier, but none of them knew each other.
Which, I think is a good dare. I could find a way to use it. However, the post below mine says:
Omg. Thank you. I'm so taking. This will definitely give my story the push it needs to not only get finished, but to make it over the 50k mark as well. Thank you (:
So, with that post, I now feel bad if I try to take the dare as well. I mean, look how happy it made that other writer! (which in turn, made me feel pretty happy)
My decision was then to move on to the Romance Dares. Those of you that have been following this blog for the past few days might remember that I had to start that thread. Well, it currently has 16 posts since my original. That also feels pretty good, as dares have been left and taken in that time. The most recent dare was taken by someone else. It is possible for more than one person to take a dare, so I will do that in the Romance Dares thread (seeing as I had to pass by this one before).
Therefore, I will be taking this dare from the Romance Dares thread posted by Alex Hamilton-Jefferson:
Leaving:
Have a character become completely infatuated by another character's accent... only to find out that it's fake.
Just so you know, I did check to see if there were three separate dares threads in the Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller, but sadly there was only one. I really didn't think lack of dares would be the problem when I set up this idea. It's not that there aren't dares, it's that there aren't new ones, as I am trying to use the most recent in the forum (but trying to not let that be one of mine).
Dare chosen, better get writing!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Day 9 Dare
Today's dare of the day is from the Horror and Supernatural Dares thread. KCunningham16 posted:
Dare: Have the main character shout "look a distraction!" in the middle of an intense scene.
Bonus: They look
Double bonus: Lives are saved.
I guess this means there will be a lot more comedy than I expected to my novel. I think that's fine, but best I start rolling with it now!
As a point of interest, I noticed that one of the dares that I left earlier was accepted by someone else from Ohio. NaNoWriMo can make the world feel smaller at times. =)
I made it to 14,205 words yesterday. The goal for today is at least 15,000. I better get writing!
Dare: Have the main character shout "look a distraction!" in the middle of an intense scene.
Bonus: They look
Double bonus: Lives are saved.
I guess this means there will be a lot more comedy than I expected to my novel. I think that's fine, but best I start rolling with it now!
As a point of interest, I noticed that one of the dares that I left earlier was accepted by someone else from Ohio. NaNoWriMo can make the world feel smaller at times. =)
I made it to 14,205 words yesterday. The goal for today is at least 15,000. I better get writing!
The Dare Machine
No, I'm not talking about me. I just found out from NaNoWriMo's most recent pep talk that the Young Writer's Program has a Dare Machine on its website. Check it out for a bit of interesting fun. I've always found the Plot Machine on the Script Frenzy site to be particularly entertaining as well.
Before I get to today's dare, it has occurred to me through a friend that some of the acronyms I put on here may not be common knowledge. Trust me, after one NaNo, most of them will be very clear to anyone that gets involved in the forums. For those new, and those that haven't really looked at the NaNoWriMo site, here are some things to know:
IE=Inner Editor (that voice in our head that tells us to stop writing and make things better) We are supposed to ignore them for the month
MC= Main Character (MMC=male main character, fmc=female main character)
BP, DBP, TBP= bonus points, double bonus points, triple bonus points
cookies= the reward for putting in the most challenging aspect of a dare, one the poster thinks no one can really use (or they really want to see make it into someone's novel)
All the points are imaginary, of course. I (sadly) won't actually get cookies when I put the difficult dares in my novel. It does allow the poster to leave easier versions of a dare and ramp up to some pretty ridiculous stuff.
Feel free to ask in the comments if something I post isn't clear. Chances are, if it isn't clear to you, there are others that aren't understanding it either. By the way, you can check out the forums for some good laughs and to further see what this month is like for the writers attempting it. You just won't be able to comment unless you sign up.
Before I get to today's dare, it has occurred to me through a friend that some of the acronyms I put on here may not be common knowledge. Trust me, after one NaNo, most of them will be very clear to anyone that gets involved in the forums. For those new, and those that haven't really looked at the NaNoWriMo site, here are some things to know:
IE=Inner Editor (that voice in our head that tells us to stop writing and make things better) We are supposed to ignore them for the month
MC= Main Character (MMC=male main character, fmc=female main character)
BP, DBP, TBP= bonus points, double bonus points, triple bonus points
cookies= the reward for putting in the most challenging aspect of a dare, one the poster thinks no one can really use (or they really want to see make it into someone's novel)
All the points are imaginary, of course. I (sadly) won't actually get cookies when I put the difficult dares in my novel. It does allow the poster to leave easier versions of a dare and ramp up to some pretty ridiculous stuff.
Feel free to ask in the comments if something I post isn't clear. Chances are, if it isn't clear to you, there are others that aren't understanding it either. By the way, you can check out the forums for some good laughs and to further see what this month is like for the writers attempting it. You just won't be able to comment unless you sign up.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Day 8 Dare
Hello, and welcome to week 2! Normally this is a pretty rough time, as this is the point when beginnings and excitement are over and the middle takes over. For me, this is usually the point when I have a very vague idea of where I'm going, but no idea of how to get my characters there. Luckily, this time I have a few more characters to play with, and daily dares to spur me on should I become really stumped.
Speaking of which, the dare of the day comes from the Fantasy Dares 2011 thread, and was posted by DarkCoffeeJazz:
Speaking of which, the dare of the day comes from the Fantasy Dares 2011 thread, and was posted by DarkCoffeeJazz:
Have the MC introduce himself to a character in the format of "Bond, James Bond", using his own name.
BP if he's from Earth and the other is not.
DBP if the non-Earth resident gets the reference.
TBP if the MC actually introduces himself as James Bond.
BP if he's from Earth and the other is not.
DBP if the non-Earth resident gets the reference.
TBP if the MC actually introduces himself as James Bond.
Oh sorry, I mixed up the DBP and TBP lines. Just, yeah, switch those around.
*casually ignores his own mistakes~*
*casually ignores his own mistakes~*
I think that this will be another good one to do for me. Just need to add something/someone from another world. Well, I wasn't planning to have pop culture references in my novel, but that's two dares now involving them. At least they are ones I know well and can use easily.
With this being day 8, that means I have had 8 dares to keep track of. For those of you keeping track: I've used the debating about salt types, the whiffle bat, and the Doctor Who quotes. I refrained to using 2 thus far, but at this rate, if pop culture references become important to a character there may be more. I also found the original posting for the first Fantasy dare, which had an additional dare of a blind, ranting seer. I've added him as well. That's 3 out of 8 thus far, with ideas of how to use most of the others, but later in the novel.
With that in mind, I better get writing!
Monday, November 7, 2011
13,154
A push right up until midnight, but I did get my 1,667 words in today. That is helping me to keep almost a day ahead. It feels pretty good to know that I've been able to stay ahead so far. I hope to keep that up. For those of you that may be falling behind, don't lose heart! I've been there before, and come back from it before. I've seen some of my writing buddies in the past pull off some amazing comebacks.
By the way, I'd recommend trying to catch up earlier than a dramatic comeback at that end. (though when it comes to deadline time, I'll be encouraging anyone to try for the win)
Off to sleep. Tomorrow I already have a plan to start by focusing on one of the dares I've been waiting to use.
By the way, I'd recommend trying to catch up earlier than a dramatic comeback at that end. (though when it comes to deadline time, I'll be encouraging anyone to try for the win)
Off to sleep. Tomorrow I already have a plan to start by focusing on one of the dares I've been waiting to use.
Day 7 Dare
Today's dare of the day comes from the Adventures Dares, 2011 thread in the Adventures Forum. Roecourt posted:
Have one of your characters beat another one liberally around the head and shoulders with a whiffle bat.
It won't be logical, but I think adding it to the story could be easy to do. In fact, I might try to add it today. I wanted to do a week one roundup, but as it is still week one (and it's late, and I haven't started writing yet), I plan to do that tomorrow. I'll try and some up what week one has been like and write about the dares I've been able to use so far.
As a side note, there was only one dare added since my last trip to the Adventures forum. At this rate, I might very well end up doing my own dares. Perhaps I should start to leave easier ones...
Have one of your characters beat another one liberally around the head and shoulders with a whiffle bat.
It won't be logical, but I think adding it to the story could be easy to do. In fact, I might try to add it today. I wanted to do a week one roundup, but as it is still week one (and it's late, and I haven't started writing yet), I plan to do that tomorrow. I'll try and some up what week one has been like and write about the dares I've been able to use so far.
As a side note, there was only one dare added since my last trip to the Adventures forum. At this rate, I might very well end up doing my own dares. Perhaps I should start to leave easier ones...
Sunday, November 6, 2011
talking guns?
Well, yes, because the dare of the day comes from the Offical Sci-Fi Dares thread. Zhopia posted this dare:
Dare: MC has a gun with a full AI
BP: the gun chats with the MC and plays an active role in the story
DBP: the gun regards the MC with contempt
TBP: the MC tries to "program" his/her gun
QBP: the MC fails
BP: the gun chats with the MC and plays an active role in the story
DBP: the gun regards the MC with contempt
TBP: the MC tries to "program" his/her gun
QBP: the MC fails
I hadn't planned for this, but with the setup I have going so far, it shouldn't be too hard to add this gun. Having it talk could be fun, as well! As for the dares as a whole, they are starting to stack up. I have plans for how I'm going to use them, but I think I'm going to have to start adding them in some way as I take them, or they will all com true in the novel at the end!
Off to keep writing!
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