Other Worlds Barbarian Starship Lounge

Hi!

Clare, aka Nerinya here.

I'm working on my NaNo brainstorming. I'm trying to take an idea from a SSIAW short story that wanted to be a novel, and turn it into something interesting. Something epic fantasy-ish. I have a protagonist and 2 other sketchy characters from the original SS. I'm planning on multi-character POV's, likely will want to be really long/multi-volume. I have an antagonist and a rough idea of how magic works now, just need lots more worldbuilding, nations, peoples, maps, languages, creatures, politics, etc...

What is your NaNo project this year? I'm an outliner, so I need to be figuring out all this stuff early. I never do well when I jump into a story and don't know where I'm going.

:> Clare

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

Here we go. Man the threads pile up fast in the "groups" section.

-----
2009: Shiva and the Dragon
2008: Fast Ice (won)
2007: Confederation (*so* won)
2006: The Definition of a Madman (won)
2005: The Mighty Quinn (won)

Yep, signing up again this year!

I'm trying Steampunk on for size. "Story #5" is a short story I wrote this summer which, as often happens when I try to write short, really wants to be a novel. Right now it's in the chrysalis stage. Soon that gorgeous bronzy-purple shell will split, and a butterfly with strange, gear-like markings on its wings will emerge...

Alexa here. (Since starting a business called Anseris, I've become much more protective of my usual handle.)

This is the first time I've tried NaNoWriMo. I'll give my current monster-in-progress a break and see if this story I have in mind can be persuaded to stay below 150,000 words.

I have five main characters - all superbly qualified to get themselves into trouble - some broad-brush world-building and the vague arch of a plot. I daren't do much more preparation, because every time I sit down to make notes the story starts writing itself with the untamed force of a djinn escaped from its bottle. I'll guard that power carefully until 1 November. But that'll be the first time I've jumped into a new story on such slender preparation. Hope it works!

2009 (first NaNo!): Codex Accomplex

Alexa, just brain-dump. Ignore whether it looks like a scene or dialogue. I mean, if you sit down and describe a person or place or creature, that's not illegitimate: it's gazetteer or scene card stuff. Those aren't scenes: they're "explorations." Until you write them, you have no idea whether they will ever wind up in the book, and even then they'll probably be adjusted a whole lot. Consider it an off-brand of all the other prep you do, like when you write out the history of a race and, gee, somehow it mostly got worked into a conversation here.

Remember, typing in long quotations from other authors is considered legit words by the NaNoGamers, so if you re-type them with whatever changes you need, it's okay.

I couldn't operate without doing explorations. I'm queen of pantsers (that sounds so rude) so I don't even know what I have until I start colliding characters or write something out to see if it sounds stupid or not. Since I'm allergic to outlining, it's how I figure out the pivot points of the plot. I have a steno book full of them now, for two different projects (a third was possible, but it was the least grabby of them). So let's see if I can pull off the double-whammy again.

Now today I need to do something very important: build banners and book covers!

Going for novel #2 again!
'03: Trumpets of the Sky: win
'04: A Vision for Thieves: no
'05: Crossed Swords: win
'06: Master of Glass: no
'07-'08: not even trying
now:

a.k.a. Dreamway

When I signed up with OWWW I had no idea that I was jumping into the pool with the intellectual elite. After reading a little about you people on Nano I realize that I probably don't have the right to even play in the same sand box. In typical Joe fashion all that I can really say is; since my feet are wet, I may as well swim.
I will be a winner this year [my first year] in nanowrimo and my novel will be better than anything that I have done so far, thanks to the assistance of a certain few people out there.

Happy writing, Joe Hansen

Emotions, we all got spots.

?????

Joe, what the *&%$#@! have you been reading where?

We don't even demand members submit portfolios for admission, let alone charge fees. I've been looking for someplace like OWWW in other genres, and I just can't. It's either postcard crits and sub-basement amateur quality or they desire no unsolicited riff-raff. But If I can be publishable without paying $50 a month workshop fees, I don't need the elite later in my career.

Hey, wait! Are Sue and I doing this wrong and we ought to be charging? 30 * $50/the two of us .... Scheist, it's nearly as much as I bring home from my night job. But we wouldn't get such charming volunteers then. I'm sure someone is actually earning those fees having to do all the scutwork of the list and deal with people who feel entitled to their membership. I also have a certain suspicion of people who have that much to spare. Either they're very successful writers who don't usually hang out at workshops, or they're poseurs, with a heavy percentage of bored housewives of wealthy men. Not our world-wide mix of hungry writers.

We always wanted it to be a workshop with all levels. It's good for people to teach: I learn tons from teaching.

Now be prepared to write till you drop!

I just set up my title pages, and for one book a table of contents, and my tally sheets to keep track of my rate. I can't rely on the NNWM stats because I may not get on for days. If it's a choice between writing and checking in, writing wins.

Cthulie, it looks like both of mine are more or less steampunk. I'm glad they finally came up with a name for the stuff I was doing and reading when I could.

Wins
'03 The Challenge; Trumpets of the Sky
'04 End of the Night
'05 Accomplice of the Night; Crossed Swords
'06 A Hole in the Night
'07 The War Women: not!
'08 Lady of the Labyrinth

'09 Bane of Toads

I never mentioned money and i don't judge by money. I was talking about educational levels, accomplishments and all around smartness. If I was talking about money i would look at an excavator or a plumber who can get a million dollar bond with only a signature. believe me when i say that i am not looking at money when it comes to writers or artists.
If you go to a writing buddies page and click on some of the names you will pull up their profile and some of those profiles have their own web sites and that is where I got my information and I learned a lot. Sorry if you consider that snooping but I was home sick for a couple days and i hate TV and I don't have anything to read, sorry

LOL! Joe, it's not snooping. I mean, if someone doesn't want it known, they shouldn't put it on their web page.

Nah, if it was money, I agree with you. Teamsters! If you want to make money, become a Teamster. They always buy nice houses early in life. And they say you have to go to college to make money ... (I think it's the colleges saying that!)

Well, got my stenos are nearly covered, got my hair done for the duration, and have to make a shopping list for the big Friday hit (starting with folding speakers for my iPod and stocking up on Halloween candy for the month's chocolate fixes and sugar hits). Making up frozen casseroles--not likely since my freezer is small. I want to get a small fall-in freezer next year and only cook once a month. (It so happens my DH loves casseroles, since he wasn't force-fed bad ones as a kid.) Maybe a couple of cans of ginger cookies, and I don't mean cinnamon-molasses cookies: I measure the ginger in tablespoons, not half-teaspoons. Those things will cure sea-sickness.

Still have to give my Newt electro-shock therapy to see if it will clear up some software anomalies. Otherwise, if it won't come up usefully reliably (no screen sensitivity means it's useless), I can't be bothered lugging it to work. I've gotten used to my stenos. But that's the in-house IT guy's job. I do need to make up lots of playlists to transfer to my iPod.

I have all of today to pull my scribbled notes together into something vaguely coherent, though. Transcribing in bed doesn't work: no place to set up the copy. We have switched to a higher-speed digital connection, beyond the usual RoadRunner, so NNWM is annoyingly slow to load at even peak periods. It's worth $10 a month.

29th! I'm getting eager to roll!

Wins
'03 The Challenge; Trumpets of the Sky
'04 End of the Night
'05 Accomplice of the Night; Crossed Swords
'06 A Hole in the Night
'07 The War Women: not!
'08 Lady of the Labyrinth

'09 Bane of Toads

Aaaaaaahhhh!!!! I'm not ready!!!!!

Trying to finish up some things before the NaNo madness starts. Got one story sent out just now, need to tweak the other one a bit more then send it out, but as a hardcopy, so that takes more effort. Need to finish a crit. I have no outline for my novel, just 4 POV characters, a rough idea of some worldbuilding, and the initial scene that introduces each character. Vague idea of the ending, not sure how everyone gets there. Another 4 POV characters waiting for a chance to jump in mid-novel. Maybe I'll have to turn into a pantser for the month, but that is so outside my comfort zone.

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

Just as an after thought, because I am chopping on the bit waiting for Sunday. If you took a commercial plumber and added up all of the continuing ed with radon training, pneumatics, carbon dioxide and everything else involved. You definitely have a general degrees worth of credits if not a masters over twenty years. The difference would be that this is applicable knowledge which is all designed to increase what they can charge, colleges don't really offer that in my opinion.
As far as the snooping goes, by all means visit my website at chuckdwood.com or Minnesota hardwoods, I would love to sell you guys something from furniture to vent covers especially in the housing boom we are in. I'll even pay for delivery.
If you want more info I'll give it as I have no secrets. Damn, how depressing is that 'having no secrets'. Pretty uneventful life huh.
I have a short story that I am working from and have done a complete outline for it and am just waiting for the bell and hoping I can finish it in time. I cook at the ballroom Saturday night and should get home around midnight, this is when i will stop annoying everybody else and simply write. I already told, or I should say asked Jill not to fight me for the computer in November, we'll see how that goes. I was polite and made it sound as if it was really important to me so I think she will give me a break.

Happy writing
Joe

Hey Joe, if you're paying for delivery, I'm in desperate need of bookcases. They're hard to find in this country - it's all TV stands and dressers. No, you can't wriggle out of it now - see, there it is in writing!

I think I'm exactly as prepared as Clare - and with the same experience of pantsing. (We venture into this strange realm together, Clare. Let me know how you go with it.) More or less following Holly's advice, I'm not planning to dive straight into the story tomorrow morning - I'll go back to making character notes. When I was figuring out driving needs and formative experiences a few weeks ago, scenes sprang to mind every time I discovered something new about a character. My plan of attack is to get all those scenes down first and only later worry about arranging them into a plot. It's the reverse of my usual strategy, but this is a good chance to try something new.

I finished all October's work on Thursday, so have yesterday and today to run errands and write a couple of crits for posting next week. I doubt I'll get the second one finished in time (lots of good meat in that city that never sleeps, Joe), but it mght be just as well to have a half-done crit beside me in November - I have at times unblocked myself on a novel by spending time with a crit.

Okay, so: I have two functioning computers, lots of scrap paper and pens, coffee for the mornings and chai for the afternoons. I'll make a batch of Anzac biscuits today (oat and honey things - good brain boosters) and then I should be as set as I'll ever be.

Wishing everyone focus and inspiration!

Alexa

2009 (first NaNo!): Codex Accomplex

Holy s---, Do I really have to send it to Africa?

A man is only as good as his word so Africa it will be. I would need to know size. Height, width, depth, height between shelves.
Style, natural would be like pine poles and half logs with a clear coat, of course the bark is removed. Other styles are so obscure that I would need a photo of what you are thinking and yes it would have my own little twists like a small bookmark drawer or other specs that you may like. I just sold a ladder style that is only two legs and leans against the wall with each shelf getting wider to flush up against the wall as you get lower that works pretty good, however by the time you get to the bottom shelf you are at about eighteen inches wide with the top being under six. I personally wouldn't have one because they require a specific space and usually can't be moved from that spot due to furnace outlets, cold air returns etc. but they seem to be the rage.
I prefer the more classic styles and especially built ins. A unusable nook or cranny is always nice to fill with a little piece of Joe. I currently have White oak, Red oak, Black walnut, small amount of aspen, pine and ash however the ash might be hard to transport due to the emerald ash bore epidemic. My wood is not infected, the trees were healthy when I took them down and I only removed them for a building project on the lake. I recommend Ash as I feel that it has the most beautiful grain and is one of the hardest woods. Pristine white outer wood surrounding a pinkish/mauve center, it is beautiful and takes stain well. I would also recommend a white oak center with black walnut border, I love the contrast and could email you a photo of a hutch top I just attached this morning and isn't stained yet. Be careful as you will fall in love and not be willing to settle for less. All of my wood is either half logged or quarter sawn to maximize color and stability. I kiln dry everything to a 2% and then allow them to return naturally to a 5 or 7%.
All trees are harvested by me, cut, dried, stacked and shaped by me so it does take more time but there is only one person to deal with. I do not use plywood so any wall panels are a series of tongue and groove slats which creates that Joe affect that i mentioned earlier and don't even ask me to paint hardwoods. If you want painted wood it would be pine or go to Home Depot where they won't even recognize the term quarter sawn.
Contact me anytime through my website or my personal email. jhansen@hcinet.net and thank you for your interest.

Yeah I like the city that never sleeps and almost chose it for my nano project but as with all of my SSIAW projects, they need work and i am looking forwards to any crits that I may recieve. I am getting tired of being a chef and it doesn't look as if the housing market is going to turn around soon so now is the time to hone the writing skills. The closest writing program that I could take is over seventy miles away so OWWW is a godsend for me.
Sincerely,
Joe

Ok, that seems to be my strategy too. I have a few characters, and for some of them I have the initial story thread or a scene or two imagined in my head. I'm at work today, and if it's slow enough I'm going to work on more character notes and will try to flesh out more worldbuilding. I need names of things too, although I can always use place holders if I need to. My biggest worry is that I don't know how I'm going to tie the different characters' story threads together in the later middle to ending part to come up with the ending that I have planned. Perhaps the NaNo craziness will inspire me with something by the time I get there.

Yes, I have a critique to finish for Joe today too. I'll worry about November crits in November sometime I guess. The revision and submissions I needed to do this week are done though!

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

Anybody else writing yet?

-----
2009: Shiva and the Dragon
2008: Fast Ice (won)
2007: Confederation (*so* won)
2006: The Definition of a Madman (won)
2005: The Mighty Quinn (won)

Yep, just finished reading a crit on the story that I am using, sure wish I could have gotten a few more of these before today but such as it is, so it will be.
3, 2, 1, GO

Well, so far tonight, I've written two crits and a review of a ghost book and cd, not to mention a bunch of business correspondence, and I had to copyedit some stuff for IFP. So, I've only managed 104 words of the book so far.

-----
2009: Shiva and the Dragon
2008: Fast Ice (won)
2007: Confederation (*so* won)
2006: The Definition of a Madman (won)
2005: The Mighty Quinn (won)

'kay, I just left my protagonist in a situation that would have left Odysseus groaning in sympathy. I'm off to bed.

-----
2009: Shiva and the Dragon
2008: Fast Ice (won)
2007: Confederation (*so* won)
2006: The Definition of a Madman (won)
2005: The Mighty Quinn (won)

Hey, good morning!

I managed to type out a little over a page before catching some sleep last night. Now I'm home, coffee in hand, no plans for the day other than NaNo-ing. And maybe I'll go the gym if I need a break or to get out of the house or something. Husband is still asleep, so I'd better get to work while I can do it without distractions!

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

Wow, this is hard. I have never work from an outline before and keep having to go back and check it to make sure that I am on track. I am beginning to wonder if the outline is a good idea or should I dump it.
Yesterday I couldn't wait to get started and today I seem to be stumbling from one brain fart to another. I am going to go out to the back yard and shoot a couple of hoops, an increased heart rate would help me right now. Also it is amazing what nailing a couple of three pointers can do for your confidence, maybe it will fill up that empty space that I call a brain.

Joe

I arranged my patrols so I could start just at midnight, and I have to say I had a ripping good time. A brisk mile and a half walk re-oxygenates the brain.

I can't outline at all. It kills a story for me. You, too, may be a pantser rather than a plotter. For the plotters leaping into the tornado of pantsing--trust your wings! They're stronger than any wind. They won't lose a single glittering feather. The worst danger is getting a mite confused, but ask yourself: what would be fascinating/fun/amazing/affecting to read here?

Hardware Murphies one after the other, so I was writing longhand, or I would have done more. My Newt needs a new screen cable, which has been ordered, but I had put all my notes and references on it rather than printing out, so I'm running on memory. I can correct names later. The cable for the ISP to the bedroom looked to have died, but it was just unplugged. The Weather Svc keeps saying, "And tomorrow the trades will return with cooler weather," as the fifth month of Kona weather starts. Yesterday, my reliever called in sick at the last minute, so I was four hours late getting home (that means I walked in the door an hour after bedtime).

Joe, you're making me drool with woodlust. (It makes me want to build musical instruments again.) Especially the idea of bookcases with little extras. I need a shallow one for paperbacks to go behind the frontroom door, and I just never get down to City Mill for supplies (I won't walk in Home Depot: I once had a clerk there, supposedly looking for something for me, forget I existed to go help cut carpet, and no one thought that was bad). Those ladder shelves just don't look solid enough for a bookshelf, like too spindly-weird a chair is unattractive. I'm working on steampunk as my decor style.

Remember, everything that exists was created out of Chaos. It's a good place to start a novel. Let it amaze you! I just found out Kiderr is *not* getting to go along on the spy ship, which surprised hell out of me.

Holly

Wins
'03 The Challenge; Trumpets of the Sky
'04 End of the Night
'05 Accomplice of the Night; Crossed Swords
'06 A Hole in the Night
'07 The War Women: not!
'08 Lady of the Labyrinth

'09 Bane of Toads

Joe, don't sweat it. You're in the land of what I call "Brain of Poo", so-called because everything I wrote when stuck there makes me think, "This is poo! Utter poo!" Don't be fooled. There's probably nothing wrong with it. Your brain is just trying to trick you out of doing the work.

I'm always excited beforehand, too, but it's usually hard. I had one (last year's, I think. It was "Confederation") that bit and tore and was just hard from beginning to end. Great idea, but the writing just wasn't coming easy. I only finished because I was too pig-headed to lose NaNo.

-----
2009: Shiva and the Dragon
2008: Fast Ice (won)
2007: Confederation (*so* won)
2006: The Definition of a Madman (won)
2005: The Mighty Quinn (won)

I can definitely help with your wood lust and quarter sawn is all that you want to use for instruments as bastard sawn [yes that is an actual term] moves too much with the humidity and you wouldn't be able to keep them tuned. Too bad though, because bastard sawn does create some really cool grain patterns and are preferred for electric guitars as how it resonates isn't a factor. I am probably the only man who can say that as thick or thin as you want, you can bet your ash, I got wood. I apologize for that one but I really couldn't resist.
I really stunk at basketball today and only made about 25% of my shots and most of those were off the boards however it did help and I was able to pound out a couple thousand words when I was done. All advise has been great and I am thinking about a new novel titled the Brain of Poo, but by the time I was done it would be the Brain of Pooh and still be considered plagiarism.

Having fun and loving this outlet.
Joe

Just coming in to sleep on the sofa. Don't mind me.

4K words today, but not on Nano - finishing up a story for a crit group this week.

Hey, I would love to read a novel called Brain of Poo! That would have to be entertaining.

Ugh, anyways...a new day, a new word goal. Actually I'm pretty happy so far with how my story is starting out. I'm aiming for a controlled blitz, meaning that I really really really hate revision, so I'm trying to make this first draft better than poo. I know that's not really blitzing, but oh well. I also have no outline this time, which is WAY out of my comfort zone. I'll probably be on here in a week begging for help from Holly and other pantsers about how to keep going. But I can kind of see the appeal - with one sentence descriptions of maybe 5 chapters, I don't see that as really being an outline. I'm discovering all kinds of neat things about the one character that I've started to write about. I didn't know that his mother was still alive and living with him, and I didn't know that he had a brother that lives in the Martegrave's forest to the south. Maybe that's why he'll likely head that direction when his village is razed. Possible plot threads just start to appear in my head as I flesh out more of the worldbuilding.

My current distraction technique is to draw really bad pictures of my characters in paint, then upload them into ywriter. What's everyone else doing to procrastinate or to just break up the blitzing? I'm a little ahead on my word count and I have to work tonight, so I'm hoping to reach the minimum goal for today before work. Then if I have time to write at work, I'll hopefully stay ahead.

On to a couple other forums, feeding kitties, drinking coffee, then off I go!

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

One of my characters needs to have a painful cavity.

Just needed to comment here on how no one in a fantasy novel ever has dental problems...

Ok, bye. Back to work.

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

Don't get me started on all the real-world discomforts that never intrude on fantasy worlds. Go, toothache!

On my own scribbling front, I just gave someone the double black eyes of a broken nose, the charming vocal quality of having the reset schnozz stuffed with cotton, and all that other stuff usually lacking from the aftermath of fights.

What annoys me is to find that, though I'm not supposed to start writing on the first until *my* midnight, all the deadlines here are *someone else's* midnight, so I'll lose a day of writing at the end of the month, so as to be sure not to miss validation. My stats for the second showed up on the third, though it was still the second here when I put them in and looked at them. X-P So much for rushing from bed to the computer without even stopping by the bathroom.

Both stories are going well, though a little bead-plotty. I have to not let author knowledge of the solutions seem too obvious to the characters. But assassins on board are never simple, and neither is finding a new lift gas.

Going for novel #2 again!
'03: Trumpets of the Sky: win
'04: A Vision for Thieves: no
'05: Crossed Swords: win
'06: Master of Glass: no
'07-'08: not even trying
now:

a.k.a. Dreamway

I thought that Fafurd had a toothache in one of the Lankmar series and in another story someone had a urinary tract infection. I just can't help but feel that the author is simply writing about what they are going through at the time in their own reality. Maybe that is why my protagonists just don't get it sometimes.

Hmmm. Who writes the Lankmar series, Joe? I haven't heard of that one, at least by that name. I know The Green Mile protag has a urinary tract infection. Not sure about other stories with one though.

Of course now that I'm determined to have a character with a toothache, I'm ready to write chapter 2. The POV character for these scenes is adolescent, so less likely to have a bad chronic toothache. I think I'll save that for one of the other two main characters I haven't written about yet. So - now I need to figure out whether it should be the middle-aged crime lord, or the grandmother formerly famous/powerful magic-user in hiding. Can magic fix/prevent dental problems??? I don't know!!! I think it will have to be the crime lord having a bad day that gets the toothache. Maybe that can be the driving force behind whatever she's supposed to be doing (I have no plot for her yet!).

But off to chapter 2 now...after a little thought into the worldbuilding and who the POV character's friends are.

Nerinya
Member of the OWWW Barbarian Horde
NaNo 09: The Slithering Madness, Book 1 of Something Long and Epic
"The Size of Things" now in the July issue of A Fly in Amber

Fritz Leiber, The Swords of Lankhmar, the only novel in the group and one of the first fantasy books I found all on my own as a teen. The others are really short story anthologies: Swords in the Mist, Swords and Deviltry, Swords Against Death, Swords Against Wizardry, The Knight and Knave of Swords. I had such a thing for the Mouser! (Other girls got crushes on pop stars, I got them on fictional characters. I knew it was really about one's fantasy life, not actually about getting involved with someone. I figured I had as good a chance as most of meeting my crush-object.) Dark Horse now has a graphic novel series of the stories.

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?binding=&mtype=&keyword=Leiber+Swords&...

Your education in modern adult fantasy is not complete if you don't read these.

Holly

Wins
'03 The Challenge; Trumpets of the Sky
'04 End of the Night
'05 Accomplice of the Night; Crossed Swords
'06 A Hole in the Night
'07 The War Women: not!
'08 Lady of the Labyrinth

'09 Bane of Toads