Are you starting to panic yet? NaNoPrep talk.

National Novel Writing Month is only a few days away!

I must admit, I am getting a little nervous. This year is going to be especially difficult because we are in the process of moving to a new house.

Add the Crazy of the Holidays plus Packing/ Unpacking (Yes that gets a Capital letter) while juggling 6 boys, one 80lb black lab, two senior citizens (my parents) and a Husband with various daily life schedules…Well, if you see a mushroom cloud over Western Washington, that is me and not the mountain or a bomb of some type.

I do plan on making it through NaNoWriMo. If I can write a novel this November without my eyeballs exploding or someone in my family dying, well then, there will be no more excuses for me NOT to be successful at this writing thing.

I know over the past year I have had many rambles of various things on the blog, but I always come back to writing and my journey to make a go of it. I try and post interesting things that other ‘would be writers’ and even established writers may find funny, interesting or helpful. Seeing how someone else made the journey helps you learn what you may or may not want to do on your own way.

Getting my butt in my chair is the hardest part for me.

I don’t know if that is a common writer problem or just an Iniriba problem, but there it is. My biggest issue with getting things written.

The moment I sit down I am either interrupted or think of something that HAD to be done RIGHT NOW. Mind you, it is usually not something that NEEDED to be done by ME, but as any mom can attest, sometimes it is just easier to do it yourself…

In between all the things that have to be done when moving from one place to another, I am doing my NaNoPrep. Packing does not take much brain power so it allows me plenty of time to go through different plot ideas I have had spinning in my head this past year.

When I get to the point in an idea that I need to write it down or lose it, I take a break, grab the pen and notebook every writer had within arms reach of them and write down everything I hashed out as I packed. Now I have a good stack of notes for the book and am about ready to outline everything 😀

Last years Nano taught me that I write best at night after everyone is asleep (or suppose to be anyway) so the plan is to do that again this year. The only foreseeable issue is going to be making sure I have munchies.

So there you have it. I guess this year will be the deciding factor in exactly how serious I am about this ‘writing for a career’ thing. Thankfully I am blessed with an entire family that wants to see me succeed at this as much as I do.

Hope you all have a happy NaNoWriMo!

Things don’t always go as planned.

That being said, I have decided to put the crowd funding campaign for Lost Hope on hold until further notice.

I want this book to be worth your time and money. In order to do that, I have to make sure it is truly ready to send out into the hands of an editor.

After much thought and speaking with a few people about it. (My husband and a couple readers who have opinions I value) I chose to withdraw my crowd fund.

Pubslush, the platform I chose to use for the crowd fund, has been more than awesome in helping me make sure that I have everything exactly as I want it.

From changing the time limit on the project from 60 days to 30, and now allowing me to stop the funding process without having to delete the entire project to do it. They have sent me emails making sure I am prepared as well as encouraging me as I head out on a new adventure with my novel and my dreams of publication and success.

I strongly encourage any writer to check out Pubslush. It is a BOOKS ONLY Crowd Funding platform. Think Kickstarter for your novel, short story, children’s book, Photo album etc.

 

More FullMoonStation

Since putting up Full Moon Station on a free promotion, several people have asked for more from the story.  It never seemed to speak to me beyond the first part but the story was so great I wanted to give it more. Here is what I have so far. Maybe after Beast Within is completed and uploaded to Amazon, I will be able to finish Mark and Ted’s story.

 

The sun reflected off the chrome of the ‘64 mustang, straight into the eyes of Detective Theo Logan as he pulled up to the gas station, It was in a ditch about forty feet away from the pumps. Local police and state patrol hovered at the edges of the vehicle trying to peek inside without actually looking in the window, a couple of the officers glanced his way as he parked next to one of the state patrol SUVs.
Ted was no where to be seen, but then they may have taken him into town to the station or the hospital. Positive thinking was a plus.
The desert heat poured into the car as he opened the door. It smelled like dust and dried weeds. It was only ten in the morning. “Detective Logan?” a younger female officer approached she was almost military in her uniform. Her black hair was pulled tight in a bun. Olive skin and flashing brown eyes took in everything about him and more.
Despite her small frame she seemed to radiate an aura that said “Mess with me, I dare you”. Her name badge read Hernandez. Theo unfolded his tall frame from the rental then leaned back in and grabbed his white stetson hat from the passenger seat popping it onto his head. He held out his hand, nodding his head in reply.
“The sheriff wants to see you before you get started. Could you follow me please?” the only reason Theo caught the accent in her words were from years of having a proud Latino partner.
He followed the young officer into the gas station. The front window had been broken out. Small shards of glass glittered in the sun like a million diamonds scattered across the pavement. There was a dark red patch of blood on the grey pavement just outside the window. He knew the body was already on the way to the local morgue.
He stopped himself before his mind raced around in circles with the thought of his son lying cold on a steel table.

The managers office was little more than a closet at the back of the store. Toilet paper rolls lined a small wire shelf packed in next to a file cabinet and a small desk. There was an ancient computer complete with green screen monitor and a small stack of three and a half inch floppy disks.
The sheriff was a roundish man with thick grey hair and a clean cut goatee. His dark brown sheriff hat sat atop the monitor while the man himself filled the small office chair beside the desk. Theo stood in the open doorway. Hernandez had dropped him off at the door then did a sharp about face and headed back through the store and out the front.

“Sheriff,” Theo said in greeting nodding to the man in the chair.
“Detective,” he replied. “ You wouldn’t happen to be the same Theodor Logan on the registration and insurance from that mustang out front now would you?”
Theo nodded.
The sheriff said. “Well, I spose that means you want in on this deal then?” again Theo nodded. “One thing first Detective Logan…” the sheriff glanced down at his hands then back up at Theo.

He could tell by the look in the sheriffs eye that he knew who was driving Theo’s car last night. “It was your kid wasn’t it.” It is a statement rather than a question.
“Yes, sir. My son borrowed the car so he and a friend could go to the concert out on the coast yesterday.”
The sheriff nodded his expression saying he already knew that as well. “Well, I suppose if you can report to my lead detective, I will let you get involved in the case.”

“That works for me.” Theo said.

 

When gamers cry…an NPC is Born.

Do gamers cry?

Do they feel anything for their fellow players?

Who else but another gamer can understand some of the things we go through? YouMadBro? Dodging Trolls. Hours spent getting through dungeons to get that slot item or crafting the best gear! Making it to the top of the PVP lists! Mad skillz bro!

I read an article linked to Twitter today about a little girl who was honored by “MechWarrior” after she lost her fight with cancer.  A specially designed ‘mech chassie’ you can purchase for $10 was created. The money goes to the Canadian Cancer Society ( here is the link to the article http://t.co/hP1wveNIbI).

I took the time to read through the forums and found dozens of comments from gamers of all walks who shared their story of a friend, loved one, co-worker, who had been honored by their game of choice in a similar manner.

I myself have experienced 2 unexpected deaths of fellow gamers. One of which was a very dear friend of mine who I had never met in person but considered to be family.

His name was Bilin. (His given name was Chris.) He has an NPC named after him in the MMO game Dark Age of Camelot. http://camelot.allakhazam.com/db/search.html?cmob=3944

He died suddenly when his gall bladder burst. My husband and I received a phone call from his sister telling us the news. Our number had been in his favorites listed as Family.

The other was a guild member in World of Warcraft. Our guild was always thought of as our gamer family so when someone from his family took the time to log in and explain to the rest of us about his sudden passing it was like hearing a cousin or aunt had died. I was grateful that they understood how important this extended family was enough to inform us of his passing.

We RIP’ed his characters Information in the Guild Roster letting future members know his status and informing future guild leads to leave them on the roster.

I hope the the friends and family who don’t game learn what a wonderful community of people there are that play video games. That we are willing to come together in support of each other when times are difficult. Being a virtual shoulder to lean on during times of grief.

Most people see just a bunch of lazy boys sitting eating chips, doing nothing but staring at a computer or TV all day long. They don’t catch the social interaction that happened, because until just recently most of that was done through text.

Regardless of what game you happen to play, if you learn someone is also a gamer, your ideas about them shift. Gamers come from all walks of life (Take the woman who ran for political office who was a WoW player). So before you get the idea in your head that we are all lazy slobs who don’t have jobs and are too fat,ugly, stupid for society to want us, remember we are people (and some studies show we are SMART people!) Flesh and Blood Humans.

Video games have been a social outlet for the social outcast to the celebrity. The bonds forged in the Field of Bone on  Kunark, or the Triumph of Defeating DeathWing are made in the fires of a Dwarven Forge! Allowing people to be who they are and not judged by how they look or what job they have.

We are Gamers! We are Family!

So, Do gamers cry?

Yes, we do.

Do gamers care about flesh and blood human beings?

Yes, we do.

One day soon…

One day soon I will finish this manuscript rewrite.

One day soon I will send it out to professional editor.

One day soon I will seek out an artist for the cover.

One day soon I will start the crowd funding.

One day soon my work will be in print.

One day soon I will start book two!

My Kickstarter Experience: A simple starter walkthrough

So I have been thinking, I am going to try to do a Kickstarter for my novel I wrote for this years Nanowrimo. I posted a brief bit with a link to the page I am working on.

And then I thought “Hmm, I wonder how many other authors might want to try the same thing but are not sure if they can?” I decided to write a blog post about how and what I am doing for Kickstarter. Giving a walk through of my experience so that you can have a better understanding of what they do and how to go about doing it for yourself.

First off, Kickstarter  according to their own site:

“Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.”

The way they work is they are an “all or nothing” style funding. Either you meet your goal and get paid or your don’t and no money changes hands. It is up to you to get people looking at your project and sponsoring you.

This opens up a whole new world to people seeking support for their creative projects. For writers, this may help you decide if you are going to self publish or pursue traditional publication. Something to keep in mind when you are getting ready to set your goal amount.

When you first start your Kickstarter project they send you through their GUIDELINES to learn what is a proper Kickstarter project and what is not. Things like getting an album produced or, for writers, getting the backing to self publish your novel.

Next are the BASICS of your project. In this case, your book.

• Project Image: Post the Cover Art if you have it already, if not post an image used for your author platform.  I am using a bit of art made by my husband that I am also using on Twitter. That way people will know it is really my project.
• Project Title: For Books you can just use the title of the book or try to put something that is Eye Catching. I just put Death’s Hope for now.
• Category: You will need to categorize your project. There is a section for Publication and sub sections on what type of thing you are seeking to publish. Fiction here.

(I strongly suggest going through their vids and such on how to pull off a successful kickstarter. You can get some great ideas and learn a great deal on how it all works)

•  Short Blurb: If you tweeted about your project (135 characters) what would you say?
• Project Location: Where is your project located? Kickstarter has a breakdown and you can look up current projects started by people in your area. If you are someone who likes to support local artists, check out what is being started in your area.
• Funding Duration: This section is for how long you want your project to run on Kickstarter. They have a ‘small print’ section here. Read through it to learn what is the best action for your project.
• Funding Goal: This is very important to research. Find out how much you will need for your project and then ask for that. Don’t get greedy. Look and see what other people are doing. I took a long look at the people who had achieved their goals and what they did.

Next section you will be asked to work on is the REWARDS section. This part was my favorite. Thinking up all the different things to reward my supporters with. Bookmarks, Signed book copies, Launch Party invites. Anything you feel would be seen as valuable and worth a person investing in your project. Keep in mind that you will have to pay for the things you are offering to your supports when you are setting goal and reward levels. Have fun with it and your supporters will too.

The next step is the STORY.

• Project Video: Post a video about what you are asking people to spend their money on. It does not need to be anything fancy. Some folks might even think “Well if you can afford to get that video all cool, why you need my money?” It will make you look more credible if people see the person behind the project. Authors should really use this as a time to get your audience started.
• Project Description: This is where you tell people about your book. What stage are you at? Is the book finished? Are you still working on it? What is it about? Tell people as much as you can without actually giving away the story. This is the section you want to be very honest and open in. People will read this to find out more about what the project is about and making their choice to give you money or not based on what they read here.
• Risks and Challenges: This section allows you to show your supporters that you are fully prepared for the things that might happen during the course of your project. Print delays? Computer crashed and need to get a new one to finish the rewrite? There ya go.

From here it is all ABOUT YOU. Who are you? What kinds of things are you interested in? How can supporters find out more about you? Do you have a webpage? PLATFORM people! This is it!

There are two other sections to completing your project with Kickstarter. Account and Review. I am just getting into these sections myself so I will do another blog in the near future about what it is like to get through them. You will need to create an Amazon Business account and have either a Debit card or Credit Card for them to deposit the fund onto if you should make your goal.

I hope this was helpful for people who are interested in learning more about the Authors journey through the Kickstarter process. I will be posting more about this experience to share for future or upcoming authors!

Enjoy and let me know if this was helpful or not! Click the speach bubble at the top to leave a comment!