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Writing Resources: eadeverell.com #NaNoWriMo #Preptober

Oct12

At some point I should probably look at my page with fave NaNo resources and give it an update, but for now I want to share a new one I just found. I’ve spent the past week or so slowly but surely working on worldbuilding for next month’s NaNoWriMo novel. I intend to write a new-from-scratch draft of my novel Quest for Serentasia, which I wrote for my first NaNo in 2007. I may be including elements of the second novel, Return to Serentasia, which will in turn, perhaps, get its own second draft next year. I am not even going to reread the original drafts first – I know enough of the storyline, and really want to improve it more than proofread it, so I don’t need to reread it.

The biggest problem I’ve had with these two novels is that I don’t have rules for the magic used in the magical fairyland that is home to the kingdoms of Serentasia and Felicimora. My biggest goal for Preptober is to define the magical system, which is going to make rewrites easier and more cohesive. So I have been doing a lot of research on worldbuilding and creating a system of magic for fantasy fiction.

Enter Eva Deverell‘s site. She has a ton of great writing worksheets and resources. Come for the PDFs on magic, stay for the PDFs on every other aspect of noveling. Actually, the amazing worksheets aren’t even why I’m posting, although they are certainly awesome enough to merit a post (and please, if you are a writer then go explore her site).

No, what I am so excited about today is the Novel in a Month Notebook. I will admit that I was a little nervous at first. A cute little booklet whose success depends on my printer’s ability to perfectly print double-sided pages, my own luck in flipping the pages the right way in the printer, AND my precision in cutting all of the pages? No small feat, but I was up for the task. And while I would prefer to buy a perfectly printed and stitched book, I’m really happy with the outcome. I haven’t decided what I want to do about binding (staples? rubber band? string?) but it actually looks really good.

My fountain pen soaked through the first page a little bit, which is a flaw in the system and obviously has nothing to do with the PDF. So I will be using my colorful, fruit-scented, glitter gel pens to fill out the notebook instead, and that’s turning out to be a lot better anyway. 😉 Here’s a quick photo of the notebook as I’m working in it. I will try to remember to post more pictures in December when I’ve filled out a lot more of it.

Gearing up for another NaNovember

Oct10

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What most people call November I call NaNovember. I like it. It’s my reminder that for one special month, I give myself permission to spend all my free time (and much of my work time, shh!) frantically writing a novel that I may or may not want to publish some day. I spent a few years working on my Cassandra story, and while that’s still a work in progress, I think I will shift gears this year.

In 2007 I wrote the novel Quest for Serentasia. It still needs work to become publishable, but I had some vague ideas for a sequel back then and I have yet to write more than about 3500 words — that was last year, when I had Lyme disease and had zero energy for at least the first half of the month. By the time I was feeling better, I had no enthusiasm because I felt I didn’t have time to get to 50k.

My current plan of action: Reread what I wrote last year. Edit that if I see fit, but do not add any new words. Start planning the rest of the novel. November 1st, whatever is already written is off-limits. Take the new word count and add 50k to get my 2012 total word count goal. I did this in 2010, adding 50k to the preexisting word count and continuing a failed NaNo attempt from the year before. So that’s what I’m going to do again.