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July 22, 2010
I started a new project today. For the first time in my life I made a decent and in dept outline. It's only broken into chapters, but I'll be working on breaking it into scenes. I was a little surprised by this project because this idea started with a plot, or more or less, a type of alien, instead of a character. I always start with a character and then build a plot around that, so this is different.

I'm actually quite proud of my outline and I'm looking forward to see if it works. So far I have 12 chapters, but they seem like they will be pretty long because there is a lot of information that needs to get out there.

Another shocking discovery about this story is that this is hard sci-fi instead of my usual soft. I am a very character driven writer, and while while part of the plot is driven by a character's attachment to a certain alien and the alien's attachment to the humans there is a lot of technology. I'm certainly going to have to do a ton of research.

I need to look up theories about faster than light travel, information about other planets, about energy and subparticles, and stun guns. Yeah, that last one is going to be the fun one biggrin

Anyway, I'm really excited about this project. I'm not sure if I'm going to start it before NaNoWriMo or wait till November, but w/e.

So what's the agenda for this project:
Writer up character sheets
Plot scenes
Write up a planet sheet
Design a space ship
Research

What's on the agenda for my other projects:
I want to 25,000 words by next Wednesday. That should be about 1,000 words a day, which is actually my writing goal.
30,000 words are going to be due on Aug. 2
35,000 on Aug 7
40,000 on Aug 14
45,000 on Aug 21
And finally 50,000 on Aug 28.
That way I'll be done a day before band camp starts. There is no way I'll be able to write on the 29th after all, I'll be moving into my dorm. And the other two days I'll have marching band. If I stick to this plan I should finish SurWriMo on time.

Okay, so that's all for now. I'll probably be back in a week telling you all how much I hate writing and then I'll shoot my computer screen and we won't be able to communicate until my dad gets around to buying my my laptop for college. biggrin

Thanks Desert, it actually felt great to express that. I was having a really bad day that day. I'm really pushing myself right now. I try not to see my bi-polar and hormonal dysfunctions as excuses, but as reasons to push myself harder than before. Yes, I have a disadvantage, which means I need to work twice as hard to just get half as far as somebody else. That could be discouraging, but I just see it as a reason to push myself ahead.

Plus it's not all bad, I sometimes get really wrapped up in my work with such intensity and energy that people have never seen before. I can't expect people to copy emulate my energy, but I can inspire then and give them just a little more energy than before, which really helps when I'm working with my (nonreligious) youth group.

July 23, 2010
So I've decided to enter the competition. I'm going for the revenge is sweet prompt with a sci-fi style (who didn't see that coming, lol). I've already used the word macabre. I'm just under 500 words at the moment. I already know how I'm adding the revenge part in, but it won't be there until the very end.

I'm actually liking this piece a lot. I've got a distopia and oppression and alien overlords. Oh, and I start off by calling Christianity a legend rofl I'm going to post it on FictionPress too, because I haven't posted anything there in years.

Hmm, other things to report in on. I've mapped out my first chapter of my new novel by scenes. Only 11 more to go stressed

So I'm kind of stuck on my SurWriMos project. I'm in between major events and I just killed off one of the main characters, so I want to give them a little more time to mourn, have relationships grow, before I push them into the next devastating event. I think I just have to push through until I can get back to the fun of blowing up stuff and lightsaber duels biggrin

My reading binge has been great. I finished books 12 and 13 of the New Jedi Order in less than a week, and now I'm starting the Thrawn Trilogy. In addition to self-imposed Star Wars reading list (which includes the New Jedi Order, Thrawn Trilogy, and X-Wing series) I have six books that I need to finish, 1 not even being remotely sci-fi (technically Nightlife is could be considered a sci-fi in addiction to a parody, but there is no way you can say that Sense and Sensibility is science fiction).

It seems I've got a lot of reading and writing to do. I better get it done now before school starts because between 15-18 credits (still not sure if I'm going to drop my English class or just swap it) and marching band I won't have a ton of free time.

By the way, you are all writers, and many of you are adults. May I ask, what did you guys major in in college? I was thinking about majoring in writing, but I read this article that says you should just major in the liberal arts period. College is to teach you how to learn, and you'll learn how to do that in any major. Is majoring in writing wise? Or should I follow another passion of mine, one I'll probably never get another chance to learn.

My dad majored in wildlife biology and works on computers for a living. I'm really into biology. I'm also really into music. Should I consider those as majors? What do you guys think?

Actually my school has both an English and Writing & Rhetoric program. I was already accepted in the Rhetoric program, even though I never applied (lol) and then I transferred to Undecided Honors, although I'm not taking any honor classes this semester to fit in biology.

July 24, 2010
I know it's the wee hours of the morning but I have such exciting news. I joined an online writing group with a few members of Gaia from the writer's forum. I just going to have the critique my short stories because I hope to get my novels published and am hesitant to put those on the next, even in a secure group. Anyway, I'm really excited about this. My first entry is due next Friday.

Yay!

Later That Day
And by later I mean 2:15 AM.

I just finished writing my story for the contest. It's 1,631 words and uses four out of the five suggested words (Loquacious still needs to be placed in there somewhere). So I'm going to probably edit it a little sometime next week and then have my group review it.

Since I'm done with this one, I may enter a second piece. Maybe I'll even try to venture from the sci-fi realm (don't count on it). Okay, I'm going to hit the sack, which probably won't last long because I didn't take on melatonin tonight, and I'll probably be up again in an hour reading the Thrawn Trilogy. Night!

And Now at the End of that Day
So I got no writing done today, but I did get some reading down. I'm 100 pages into the first book of the Thrawn Trilogy and I'm in love heart

I'd actually consider today as being quite productive. I finally got around to buying a new flashdrive after my old one was stolen after a week (by a youth group coordinator, no less) and I got around to organizing some computer files. I was able to combine my files from my dad's laptop that I've practically stolen and my own desktop, delete old files, and organize the stuff I was keeping into nice new files. I set up files for schools, but the biggest folder is my writing folder. With this nice and convenient flashdrive I will be able to work on any computer with my up to date work, and now I'll be able to keep my files when I get my laptop for college. Now I just have to get around to uploading my most important files to googledocs are a backup.

Last night I made a promise to myself that I was going to read 2 books before the end of the calendar year. That's a little more than a book a week (there are 23 more weeks). I think I can do it. Really all I have to do is read 50 pages a day.

You may be wondering why I talk about reading so much in my writing blog (and my mental health). I think that reading is such an important part of a writers life that it needs to be spoken here. We learn so much from reading, even if it is just a Star Wars book. I'm a sci-fi writer, I should be reading Star Wars, and Ender's Game, ect. I expand my horizons too, you must learn all sides to a craft, but I truly enjoy sci-fi the most.

My biggest fear is that I won't be able to emulate my favorite authors and write a piece like theirs. Yes, I know I need to be original, but I mean a good piece. I may love sci-fi, but is it my forte? My first and only novel was a romance. I guess I'll see if I have what it takes in the next few months as I continue work on my novel. I still haven't decided if I want to write this novel for NaNoWriMo. I scared it may feel too rushed. I know I can write a novel, I don't need the confidence again. I think I may need careful time with this novel. Should I write another story for NaNoWriMo?

Well I seem to have a lot of questions that I should sleep on. I must be really tired because I planned on this entry just being about my organizing and then bam! I'm asking myself the hard questions. Oh well, goodnight, see you after I get some Zs.

July 26, 2010
I got around to planning chapter two of my novel. I'm so shocked by my proficiency. Chapter two is going to be my hardest chapter I think, with the most technology. I mean even cut out one the scene if it gets to boring, but I'm definitely going to write it. It will test my skills as a hard sci-fi writer. I still haven't decided if I'm going to write this for NaNoWriMo or nothing. Do I want to spend months on this novel (in addition to the months of planning) or knock it out in a month. Perhaps only time can tell.

More importantly my friend Jen from my X-Men RP asked me if I would like to do a One-On-One RP with her. We're doing a Star Wars one. We still have some details to iron out, but we've decided the Rise of the Empire/Empire era. We'll either start a little bit before the Clone Wars or during them (I prefer the former, more character development) and there will be a lot of development on how the war and the Great Jedi Purges change them.

She's forcing me to create at least one male (wouldn't go for my amazon brigade idea). It's not that I don't create male characters, it's just that I tend to focus on females ones more. I have to admit that I do under develop male characters. And I know that's wrong because that's what most male writers do to female characters.

So anyway, I now have to work on some character profile (see, they can be useful). Maybe I should make two male characters, just to push myself. Writing is all about getting out of your comfort zone, learning from your mistakes, yadda, yadda, yadda. I've recolonized my mistakes and I will work on improving.

Okay, I'll write to you again in the daylight. Byes.

In the Afternoon
Wow, I'm shocked I'm awake this early. It's 12:30ish and I've already call my college housing department to try to get my roommate changed. Yeah, I'm really stressed right now stressed

So I worked on my character sheets and I'm going to show tell Jen about then when she gets out of work. I created two masters, both female, and a male apprentice. She told me we should make two masters and two padawans each, but I'm going to see if I can convince her that three pairs are enough. She already has two padawans and one master, so it works. Although since both her padawans are girls and her master is a man that means our master-padawan pairs will be oftly segregated.

I'm really proud of the male I've produced though. He's very well thought out. I even gave him the moody characteristic who I usually favor (cause I'm moody too mrgreen ).