Time to Dejumblify

Alright, I know you’re not supposed to do this during Camp NaNo but… I looked back. I read what I had written and reread and reread it. I liked it, but I had hit a wall. The storyline was not going to work the way I had tried to force it to. I felt defeated and disappointed. Yet another attempt at this novel, failed.

I texted my husband–

“Ok I really thought this book was going to work but I think I’ve hit some fatal errors. It’s seeming stupid to me now”

He asked me what I meant and I told him, and for the next few minutes we discussed what was wrong and how I could fix it. Little-known secret: behind every good writer is a spouse who came up with all the good ideas in the first place.

Long story short: I’m having to rework this if I want to move forward at all. The cords got twisted together; they’re good cords, but I’m going to have to reorganize them if I want to know what connects to what. This is a setback, but hopefully it will be a minor one because I can still use parts of my current rough draft.

Time to dejumblify my ideas… which basically means make them not so jumbled anymore.

~A.D.

Do Your Research

Okay, so it’s the first day of Camp NaNo, and my writing passion has blazed like a burning fire for the past week. I believe Alli Day is back, and I may not have time to blog every day, but I definitely want to keep this up. There’s nothing like a rekindling after a long, dark period of nothing but ashes.

One thing I have had revealed to me within the past few months is that if you want to be a good writer, you HAVE to do your research. It is a must, because if you don’t it will show and people will read your work and say, “This writer has no idea what he/she is talking about.” That is not a thing that any writer wants said about them. It suggests that you’re either lazy, dumb, or don’t know any better.

If you decide to do your research, it is going to take time. Probably a long time. For me it has taken almost a year, but in that year my knowledge of my chosen subject has become 10 times richer and deeper. It was so worth it, and now I feel that I have the knowledge and the resources to actually write a good book.

So far I have written over 4,000 words in my novel, 1,882 for Camp NaNo. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start! Happy Monday!

~A.D.

491 Words!!

Okay, I know 491 words in a fantasy novel is barely a drop in the bucket. I do realize that. HOWEVER, this is the most good material I’ve written in my novel in like, months, because it’s taken so long to revamp the storyline.

I’m actually WRITING!!!

And I’m going to use Camp NaNoWriMo again this year to help motivate me to write. If you don’t know what that is, here’s the address–

http://www.campnanowrimo.org/

I’m hoping to get to 25,000 words by the end of April and after that I’ll re-evaluate. I really hope this works this time, I jokingly named my outline “Novel #14250″ because it feels like I’ve tried to write it that many times. So excitamicated right now. Yay!

Hope you all have a fantabulous week (Why yes, I do love using words that don’t really exist…)

 

~Alli

Stasis–A Poem

I have been going through a long period of stasis in my writing and in my professional life. Nothing I do seems to pan out and it’s very frustrating being unemployed when you want to work so badly. This is a poem I wrote about my “stuck” feelings. If it gets enough feedback I may post a video of myself performing it as a dramatic reading

 

Stasis

A poem by Alli Day

 

Caged

Like a wild animal

Clawing at the bars

Gazing at the lock

Reaching for the key

Can’t move

Give up

Go to sleep and start again tomorrow

 

Stuck

Feet in the quicksand

Trying to escape

Crying out for help

Wishing words would come

Can’t scream

Give up

Let the blackness suck you in and steal your soul

 

Doused

Fire has fizzled out

Ashes all around

Smoke has gone away

Bitter, cold wind comes

Can’t reignite the flame

 

Wait!

There’s still a spark!

Don’t give in!

Don’t let the cold world freeze your heart!

New Project-”The Story I’m Afraid to Write”

I am still trying to get this darn fantasy novel off the ground, but I realized something just recently–all along, the story I’ve been needing to write has been locked away safely in my mind, crying to get out, but I wouldn’t let it. Why, you ask?

Because it’s my story.

My life has been riddled with obstacles that many people in the US and all over the world face today. My parents separated when I was 12 and got divorced a few years later. I have an autistic brother, whom I love very dearly, but the rest of the world doesn’t understand him. My grandfather, the beloved patriarch of my mother’s side of the family, died of cancer when I was 14. I’ve been overweight my entire life and am still struggling against obesity and all the junk food/drink we are bombarded with in today’s world. Because of my obesity and general social awkwardness, I was bullied as a child. On top of it all, I was part of a religion that was not able to provide me with help and real answers to my problems, but instead pushed me around even more and used my deepest, darkest fears to manipulate me… even telling me that psychiatrists/psychologists were “of the devil” so I would only use the counseling they provided. All of those things and more have left me with deep psychological issues I’m going to have to deal with for the rest of my life.

It is my dream to help the people around me overcome the same obstacles that I have overcome in the past and will overcome in the future, particularly children and teenagers. My generation and the generation after me have such a complex world to take care of when we “grow up” and our parents are in the nursing home. So much damage has been done by ignorance and downright wickedness in this world. If I can bring a little understanding and wisdom to my generation through the lessons I’ve learned, why am I selfishly keeping my knowledge hidden away?

Because it hurts. It is excruciatingly painful to dig into your past and pull out the hurts you’ve tried so hard to forget–bullying, abandonment, betrayal, loss–the list is mountainous… but someone needs to tell this generation that it is not okay.

It’s not okay to make fun of people because their problems are different from yours or you don’t understand them. It’s not okay to publicly humiliate people or abuse them because it makes you look bigger. It’s not alright to get so caught up in your own desires that your spouse and your children become your last priority. Children need fathers. People need friends. Special needs children and adults need to be understood and they need a voice. My story speaks to nearly everyone, and it would be selfish of me not to write it.

Stay tuned for more news on my newest project, “The Story I’m Afraid to Write.”

(Disclaimer: I will be changing the names and some details to protect the identities of the actual people in the story.)

~Alli Day

Taking Off

The storyline is written. I’m not entirely convinced it will stay the way it is, but it’s written. Now comes the tough part… summoning the courage to actually start writing again.

I’m not sure why it’s scary to me. It never was before, but maybe that’s because I was younger and more naïve about how tough it actually is to write well. It isn’t the bed of roses it was back when I just sat down and wrote, not caring about how good or bad it was. Quality makes things difficult. This time, I want it to be good. Something worth publishing, reading, crying over, autographing, and winning awards.

I’m about to make a big admission right now–it is my ultimate dream as an author to write a bestselling novel… not because of the money, but because I want the sense of accomplishment. I want to be one of the greats… but doesn’t everybody? How does someone become great?

I think Thomas Edison said it best– “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” If you have a great idea, it will never be taken seriously or used unless you put it into action. Look how much we owe to Thomas Edison! And why? Because he worked his butt off. Yeah he had great ideas, but they would have meant nothing if he hadn’t gotten out of bed every morning (or never went to bed at all some nights, I bet) to work on his projects.

So to my fellow writers, I’ll say this today: regardless of your motivation level, write at least 1,000 words today. It can be anything random you want it to be, just put some work in!

It’s almost the weekend, hang in there y’all.

~Alli Day

Character Introductions

I think it’s about time you met some of the other characters in my new novel. A couple of the names have been changed and things will continue to evolve as I keep writing, but last night I got a lot of ground covered on the storyline and soon I will be writing for real (OMG!!!!!).

You already met Lithiril, the heir to the throne of the fairy kingdom, Arbadia, and the destined savior of her people.

Maxinine you heard of as well–Lithiril’s grandmother who raises her on a secret island.

Azyrith is Maxinine’s lady-in-waiting. She and her family live with Maxinine and Lithiril on the island. At the time of the escape, she has a husband, Merimus, a two-year-old son, and a baby girl.

Ishnol is Merimus and Azyrith’s son and Lithiril’s best friend from infancy.

Arysa is the daughter of Merimus and Azyrith. She does not feel included by Ishnol and Lithiril, which leads to bitterness in her heart and gets her in trouble later.

Jenexis is no longer the name of Lithiril’s father, it is the name of her pet dragon. Jenexis owned the island before the small group of fairies showed up, but they tamed him and he became entranced by Lithiril.

Dyrol is the evil king of Siranai. He is a master of dark magic and holds the Arbadians slaves. They are not merely slaves physically, but in their minds and hearts as well because he has made them believe that they have no powers and they are worthless without him.

That’s all for now I hope that excites you as much as it does me!!

~Alli Day