The Awesomeness that Is My Nano 2010 Novel:

Wow! I've added about 5K words to my Nanowrimo 2010 Novel Summary today! :D

I've added some great new scenes, and some new characters. One is a supporting character, and she will show Dante's compassionate side (though he will still remain the master villain). The other two are minor characters, but I had to name them, as they are more than just passing characters. Oh, there are also two other named characters that have to do with the new supporting character.

Anyway, I've added the part about Dante's lover who killed herself (from the character journal entry I wrote the other day). I also added a section on how Aedmon and Dante, who used to be friends, had a falling out. They were young at the time, and it was the catalyst that set up a chain of events that continues to this day.

And I added some other awesome new stuff. I could keep going, but I need a break. I'd like the chance to work on this tomorrow, but doubt I'll be able to. Maybe I can print it out, though...after we go shopping sometime in the morning. Then I'll have it handy when I work on some more character journal entries! :D

I also need to make Kean's role a bit more prominent. This is the problem with having so many characters. They all want to vie for the top spot. ;)

So, my summary now stands at 28 pages and 17,594 words. I think I need to finally start envisioning more of the ending. I know how it ends, but I can't see it in clear detail. I need to start thinking about how everything going on will bring about the end so I know how much more I need to add before I get to that part.

This is so cool! 8-) Have I said it yet, about how I can't wait to start writing this thing! :D

Lois

Changes to My Nano 2010 Summary:

Misty Bridge (from Stock Xchange.com)

My Nano 2010 summary is now 19 pages (12,475 words) long. I’m having such a blast with this story so far. I feel as if I’m writing it already, as my summary is pretty detailed. November 1 can’t come soon enough. LOL! My only wish is that I have this summary finished and a few more character journal entries written before then.  

I’ve made some changes to the story, too. It no longer takes place on Earth. It takes place on another world, but it’s still a fantasy…and a very traditional one at that. I’ve also changed some place and character names.


I’ve finally added the backstory for some characters that needed it…one of them being the master villain. I still have some scenes I need to write into the summary for him, too. They will go into the backstory section.

Speaking of the master villain, I recently had some friends help me come up with a character model for him. I had nine choices, and I’m happy to say that they chose well. I’m really falling in love with this villain. He’s the perfect not-so-evil-but-not-so-good-either bad guy!

And now I’ve got other things to do, so I’m out of here.

Have a good one!

Lois

My First Character Journal Entry for Nano 2010:

I wrote a new character journal entry today. It’s almost seven pages, and it sits at 3,111 words. It’s my first character journal entry for my 2010 Nanowrimo novel, The Bow of Ildirin. 

 

This entry is from the viewpoint of the master villain, and it’s one of my best, so far (and I’ve written more than a few).

Here’s a very brief excerpt:

…I have yet to see this child, yet I fear her. I don’t know why I should feel such dread at the prospect of seeing one so fair, as she is a child of the woman I loved so long ago. A thought comes to mind, and it is an unsettling one. I hope I am wrong in my thinking. Could this latest daughter be the one traveling with the Son of Ildirin? Could she be the one who teaches him about life, love, and sacrifice? Could she be instrumental in helping him become the destroyer he is prophesied to become?

I am really loving this villain. He’s not so villainous, yet he is very villainous at the same time. He’s been forced to live the life of a vampire for a very long time, and he’s suffered because of it. He’s made decisions that were very unwise, but really has no way to change things.

What will become of him? Will he see the light before it’s too late? Will he kill the hero or be killed by him? What will happen when he encounters a young woman who looks exactly like the lover he lost so long ago?

So many questions, so little time.


Have a good one!

Lois

New Nanowrimo Summary Progress

Six pages and 3,298 words and my story has changed a lot! It's still a fantasy, and it's still modern, but now it's got some more traditional fantasy material in the way of backstory that's important to the current story.

There's also a new character who's added some romantic complication. What's a little conflict between friends, right? :D The new character is the main character's best friend. They're closer than brothers, having known each other for a very long time, and they're both interested in the same woman. Who will get the girl, I wonder? ;)

This summary is far from over, and I'll be working on it some more tomorrow. I can't wait! If all goes well, this could be my first 100K novel! :)

But right now, I've got about five or six other things I have to do.

Happy evening!

Lois

Crafts, Fish, Writing, Etc. (28 September 2010)

Sorry this is so late. I've been busy.

Jeff and I bought a male betta this weekend. He's a Crowntail betta, same as the female I had. We also bought him his own little tank, which I'm taking care of in the bedroom. So far, he's doing well, but I've heard that I should feed him every other day, instead of every day. From what I've seen of him, I think that's true, as he doesn't eat much. Anyway, he's beautiful. Here are some pictures:







The kids bought some more fish last night, and it seems they're all pairing off. It's really cute. And we think one of the black tetras they bought last time is pregnant. I wonder if there's some way to put the eggs/ fry in a separate dish to keep them safe for a couple of weeks...

I finished Cyrus's afghan last week, so we went to Hobby Lobby to get some yarn so I could start on Josiah's. We went back to Hobby Lobby yesterday so I could get another skein. I bought bright golden yellow with a coupon for 40% off. I have a theme for this afghan. I'm calling it "Sea and Sky," and the bottom 1/2 - 2/3 will be made from the colors of the ocean (green for seaweed and other aquatic plants, dark blue for the deeper water, and teal for the surface water), then I'll use green again to separate the ocean from the sky, then I'll start on the colors of a sunset for the sky part of the afghan (golden yellow, orange, red, reddish purple, dark blue). So far, it's looking pretty good. Again, here are some pictures:









And, of course, I can't post this without adding some piccies of the baby afghan. :) Here they are:







Eric gave me a pair of camouflage shoes he and Chelsey bought for Josiah when he was a newborn, and they want me to send them to Leah when I send the afghan. Here they are, as well:




Aren't they cute? :D

I did a lot of rearranging around the house yesterday. I moved a bookcase into the bedroom. The betta tank is sitting on top of that under a lamp. I also got rid of one of the folding tables, and it will likely go into the living room soon so my mom can use it while she's here. And I moved my favorite little table next to the bed (on my side). Juggling things around allowed me to free up a bookcase for the kids, which currently still sits in the guest room. I would take pictures of all this, but I doubt anyone's really all that interested in it. ;)

Speaking of the kids, I have great news! They've been on a waiting list for a while now to get into an apartment, and they just got word that they can move in soon--as in a couple of weeks (or so). They went to see it, but it was having some maintenance done to it. Still, they'll have their own place! :D I've been going through our things to see what we can give them. I'm not done yet, but at least it's a start. :)

We bought an Asparagus Sprengeri at Walmart on Saturday, and I'll be planting that in the glass container I bought last week. I plan to plant it today, making it an open terrarium. Here's a picture of that:





I also bought a cute little scarecrow for $1, and it's staked in my grass planter. Here are two pictures:







And I knitted a cozy for my large French press this weekend. I also knitted two cup warmers. One is very large, one is small. Here's a picture of the cozy and the small cup warmer, and it's the last picture for today.





I plan to work on my modern fantasy today. I've got the basic outline, I just need to read it, take notes, then begin tweaking it.

I'll work on the afghan later this afternoon. I also need to start work on my contributions to this year's goody bags for the Nanowrimo Kick-Off Party. I can't wait! :D I'm giving tea again, and I need to design the tags, then start assembling the bags.

At some point, Jeff and I will have to go back to the library, too. I put two audio books and two other books on hold.

Have a great week!

Lois

Back to Work!

I haven't been on here in a long time, but I'm ready to try again. I've cut my work load back, so it should be much easier for me now.

 

Today, both Jeff and I are starting back to work. He is starting at the greenhouse (he was laid off for two months or so), and I'm resuming work on my writing (I took a longish break). 

 

I have ideas for a screenplay rewrite, and I've got to get them all down. My old idea, while I loved it, it just didn't seem like movie material. It seemed more like a novel in screenplay format. I'm going to change it, make it better...make it bigger. I can't really explain it better than that. I just need to get to work on it as soon as possible (as soon as I finish up online).

I've been working on a baby afghan. Here are three pictures:







I also knitted some hand warmers. I've tried knitting with double pointed needles before, but always got frustrated and quit. This time, it was fairly easy, for some reason. Here's a picture of one of the hand warmers:



Jeff and I went shopping for new shoes this week, too. He found some shoes for work, and I found some to replace the ones I've been wearing. Here's a photo:



I've finally taken a photo of the other Fittonia bowl terrarium I planted. Here's a picture of that:



And the last picture of the day is a funny one I took of Jeff and Niki:



So, this past week, I've done a lot of crocheting, a little reading (I've resumed The Faery Reel), and a bit of shopping. For the most part, it's been a pretty good week.

Oh! But our Mollies died. :( We're going to give it another week or two before we get anymore. One of the plants doesn't look too hot, either. Jeff thinks it has something to do with the nitrites. He keeps testing the water quality every few days. Yesterday, he added some kind of stuff to help regulate the nitrites, and hopefully it will work. Two of the Molly fry died, and he put the last one in the aquarium, but the Betta found it and ate it. At least she's doing well! :P So, all we have left are the frogs and the Betta, and they all seem fine. The Ghost Shrimp mostly disappeared, but we saw one dead on the bottom (Jeff removed it immediately), and we saw the tail of one up against the filter's intake. I think it's safe to say that they all died, as well. Maybe they'll do better next time...

Lois

Errands, Job Hunting, Whatever

Jeff sent his resume and cover letter out to two or three more greenhouses. I sure hope he hears back from someone soon!

I didn't do any writing yesterday. I moved some things into the guest room, though. Today, I plan to move the drawing table out of the bedroom and my desktop computer and table in. Eric can get on and put the stuff he wants to keep into a folder for me to put on a DVD, then that will be that. :)

Jeff and I went out for a while yesterday. We bought some Frontline Plus for Chloe. We also bought a new cordless phone...with two handsets. They're all charged up and ready to go. :)

And we stopped at a fish store to look at fish. We're not setting up the aquarium yet, but it was cool to look.

I'm hoping to write some more today. I'd like to get 5K, but don't know if I will. With the other stuff I need to do, I may only get about 1,500, which would still be fine with me.

 

I won't be updating here on Blogger anymore. I need to cut down on how much time I'm spending online, as it cuts into my writing time. I'll still be updating over on LiveJournal and Facebook, so you can keep up with me there. I wish I could keep posting here, but it just really cuts into my time, and I can't keep up with my F-List. :(

Have an awesome day!

Lois