The Blog

All Just Glass

2012-01-19T16:16:00.002-05:00

All Just Glass

has been nominated by Teenreads.com (in association with the Children's Book Council CBC and Every Child a Reader) for their 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year!

Vote Now for your 5 favorite books of 2011!

The 5 titles that receive the most votes will serve as finalists for the CBC's 2012 Teen Choice Book of the Year.

Please vote for me!

And for 4 other people!

Thanks!

SOPA, PIPA, and the internet strike

2012-01-18T06:28:00.003-05:00

[Edit] The official protest is over, so I've returned the banner to normal, but the post below will remain in the blog... because there's no reason to delete it.

I am not blacking out Nyeusigrube today because I lack the technological confidence to do so and be sure I can get the website BACK in the future... but I am in support of the strike against SOPA and PIPA.

I am a US copyright holder. I am a published novelist and I rely on the income generated by copyrighted material. So why am I not in support of legislation designed to protect copyright and combat internet piracy?

Because the way SOPA and PIPA are written, they will certainly FAIL to protect copyright in any realistic fashion, and in doing so, will violate free expression and the freedom of the internet.

To quote Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Though not in the original quote, many times this is paraphrased with the addition of "... deserve neither liberty nor safety, and will lose both." That is what these bills aim to do- sacrifice our first amendment rights, and sacrifice innovation and creativity, in favor of theoretical security that will harm more people than it will actually help.

Given we're talking about legislation, a lot of the articles on the web are pretty tough to get through (though more are readable today, now that the news is taking notice of the web-strike), but this post gives a pretty concise explanation of the problem:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech

In case anyone out there is wondering, if SOPA or PIPA goes into effect in anything near its current form, Nyeusigrube.com will shut down. As I said, I support copyright protections; I rely on them. But I barely have the time to check the forum and reply to posts. I do not have the time to police every post, every avatar, every signature, every link and every site linked from that. I chose not to go into law enforcement for a reason. This law would give me the option of becoming a police officer, or leaving the internet.

Hey, maybe hardcover book sales would go back up if we banned the internet?

... if only there were some way to advertise them...

It's the end of the world as we know it...

2012-01-07T16:41:00.003-05:00

Welcome to 2012!

Some people reported getting strange "you have been unsubscribed" emails around the time that the site was having issues, so if you haven't received any Inbox emails since then, please re-subscribe! Remember, you can subscribe by sending a blank email to:

single-earth-subscribe@nyeusigrube.com

Because of the way the system, you probably will not receive a confirmation email (I can't seem to get them to work), but you should get an email announcement the next time Inbox is updated.

If you're not already a subscriber, please consider becoming one now! It's free, I don't spam, and subscribers get access to bonus content.

In other news, I'm doing a local "how to edit a novel" event at 7pm on the 17th, so if you're likely to be in the area (Boxborough, Massachusetts) and want to come... I'll try to get more details promptly so I can figure out whether reservations are required.

The internet is back!

2011-12-10T08:05:00.005-05:00

I must say, I am very pleased with Verizon FIOS tech support. I've had consistently good experiences with them, which is unusual for an internet provider.

That said: Most of the Inbox update is written (including two subscriber bonus pages), and now that I can get online reliably I look forward to making that update.

The message board is currently not working (8:07 EST). If it still isn't working in a few hours, I'll try to contact that tech support. I've been a little less pleased with my server this fall than I have been with the internet. As always, this blog is here for updates.

[update] Tech support says they're "working on their servers" and the problem should be fixed shortly. Those of you who have been around much the last few months know this is a familiar story. I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump ship just yet (if I do, it would have to be in summer, so I have time to devote to the change-over) but in case I do, does anyone have suggestions of a reliable web-server? I'm currently with IX Web Hosting, and have been for years with minimal problems until the past six months or so.

[update] Message boards seem to be back.

[update] FIOS is over here again, updating all the equipment. Apparently the stuff the previous owners had is outdated, which is why we're having problems.

Coming Up Soon:

2011-12-04T09:23:00.003-05:00

I have some offline things I need to get done first, but here's what's coming up:

I'm on Random Buzzers this week! I'll be answering as many questions as I can, including FAQs that I often don't get to on the message board, so feel free to check it out! If you want to register, you can add your own questions to the list, as well.

At the TGIO party on December 1, someone asked me, "Why do you do NaNo? You're already a successful writer, aren't you?" It's an interesting question that I want to devote some time to answering, so sometime in the next couple days, I'll be updating this blog with a "Why do I NaNo?" post. Leonora, that should also answer your questions about NaNo.

Now that November is over, Inbox of Diana Smoke is coming back! I'm hoping to post an update by mid-week or so. I had an animated conversation with my wife last night about the events that led to the bonus story, and I'm looking forward to getting back into that, as well.

Happy December, everyone!

Day 29: The Push to 50k

2011-11-29T05:45:00.003-05:00

This post goes out to Ian. I hope those issues you mentioned resolve themselves and everyone is all right. As much as I would love to be able to say "Just focus on NaNo this month. Everything else can be put off," we all know there are things that need to come first. Sometimes it's hard to prioritize (edit that paper better, or work on NaNo? Go out for dinner with a friend, or work on NaNo?) but if you're blessed with a family and friends you love and who love you, and those people need help and support... then there isn't really much of a choice.

Just remember, when things settle down: NaNo may end on December 1, but that doesn't mean the writing needs to.

Or, hey, if the world has already calmed down a little... there's almost 48 hours left! You could still be in the game!

Quotes of the Day:

"There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as do exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are, but through the jungles of self, the world, and of craft."

~Jessamyn West, Saturday Review, 21 September 1957

John Wilmot penned his poetry
Riddled with the pox
Nabokov wrote on index cards,
At a lectern, in his socks
St. John of the Cross did his best stuff
Imprisoned in a box
And Johnny Thunders was half alive
When he wrote Chinese Rocks
- Lyrics from “There She Goes, My Beautiful World,” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Tip of the Day:

I already gave you a tip, above! What' you want more?

It's almost 6am EST, which means we're down to... what? 42 hours?

My tip of the day is, MAKE THE PUSH. Wherever you are. Don't give up. And stop wasting time playing Facebook games and reading blog posts (like this one) because you feel so behind. Go write!

I'm currently at 41,423 words. This means I need to average 4289 words today and tomorrow to win. I'll leave for work at 7:30 today and won't be home until 4. Similar hours tomorrow. And unlike many lucky people I've heard from, I don't have a chance to write at work.

On the plus side, I unexpectedly have Thursday off work, so I can stay up late on Wednesday... if I have the energy to do that, which tends to be questionable, given the hours I get up.

But I'll do it. Because, why not?

Day 15

2011-11-15T06:25:00.003-05:00

"Life can't ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer's lover until death - fascinating, cruel, lavish, warm, cold, treacherous, constant."

~Edna Ferber, A Kind of Magic, 1963

"Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

~Gene Fowler

As many of you have noticed and inquired about, there hasn't been a new blog post in a while. If you've looked at my NaNo page, you may also have noticed that while today's "on track" goal is 25,000 words, I am currently at 18,530.

Except for the fact that my main character is totally devoid of all personality, the writing has been going very well. .. except for the carpal tunnel. I didn't write that last post out of nowhere. This NaNo has been one of the most physically difficult NaNo years I've had, with days where I simply seem to be unable to use the computer. Bad times.

But I'm not far enough behind yet to despair! If I can make the hands work, there is still plenty of time... despite the fact that I need to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner somewhere in there. On the other hand, this is the first year that I've brought NaNo into the school where I teach. The kids in my classroom are doing so amazingly well that even if I don't hit 50k this year, I will feel like I have accomplished something incredible by giving them the chance to accomplish something incredible.

Tip of the Day:

Don't worry if you feel like what you're writing isn't quite right. There's a quote from Arthur Polotnik that says, "You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."

During November, just let it burn. To give you an example, I am already very sure that all the chapters told in Tony's point of view are going to require a great deal of revision once I get a better sense of Tony himself. At the moment, he's a bland character whose responses are wildly inconsistent. However, it's November, and if I go back to try to fix it now, I'll struggle. I won't make my word-count and, more importantly, I will probably lose all momentum in the story.

Notice what I said there: "once I get a better sense of Tony." This isn't just a matter of putting editing off to get words down. Through writing, I will learn who Tony is. Then I can edit. The point of NaNo is to teach you to do it in that order. Write first, to figure out what you want to say. Then you can edit to make it clear to others what you have said.

Tip of the Day #2:

I just realized- when I went to write the title of this post- that today is Day 15. Do you know what that means?

BACK UP YOUR WORK.

In at least 3 places.

I'm serious. Even if you only have 1000 words, back them up. Get in the habit of doing this regularly, and you'll thank me some day.

Prompt of the Day:

A character (it doesn't have to be your main character) reveals a long-held secret.

(thank you, Sha, for the prompt)

For some reason, your character can't get into his/her house. What does he do?

(thank you, Qara-Xuan, for the prompt)

This one made me chuckle, and is mostly for those who hate something you recently wrote:

Have all of what you wrote yesterday (or last chapter, etc) turn out to be a dream-- now the character has to either do all that again, or progress differently from the starting point

(also from Qara-Xuan)

Day 6

2011-11-06T07:26:00.003-05:00

"A deadline is, simply put, optimism in its most kick-ass form. It's a potent force that, when wielded with respect, will level any obstacle in its path. This is especially true when it comes to creative pursuits."

– Chris Baty, No Plot, No Problem

Tip of the Day:

This tip comes as I am somewhat behind in word-count, because I took it easy yesterday after having a couple rough days, physically.

Whatever your goal, however far behind you may get, if it hurts, take a break. This is one of the few tips I will ever give you that puts anything above getting word-count, but it is one of the most important things to remember during NaNo. Your body is precious. November will end, but you want to keep those hands, and wrists, and back, and stomach and eyes for the rest of your life.

If your wrists start to feel like you're being stabbed; if your hands tingle and go numb; if you can't turn your head because of that sharp pain up your spine; if you find you are struggling to hit the right keys because your hands feel sore... TAKE A BREAK. Eat something, take an anti-inflammatory (don't take aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxin, any of those things on an empty stomach- trust me), and/or use ice or heat until your wrists/neck stop hurting.

Do not keep pushing yourself because you can take the pain.

According to an article published in the New York Times:

Employees with CTS who try to work through the disorder often put more stress on the wrists to compensate for the weakness and pain. The end result is to make the condition worse and impair work performance.

Eventually, the worker with CTS may be forced to give up his or her livelihood. In one study, nearly half of all patients with CTS changed jobs within 30 months of an initial diagnosis.

Repetitive motion injuries are not a joke. It's not a matter of a sore muscle you can ignore and deal with later. It is your nerves being compressed and quite possibly damaged. Nerves don't heal the way other parts of your body can. Take this advice, coming from someone with loss of sensation in her hands, and take care of your body before you take care of your word-count.

... now that I may have scared the hell out of you, get back to work! Just be careful, and stop when you need to. Many people on the Nyeusigrube forum report that taking a warm shower or making and eating a meal your character would enjoy (or hate, actually) is a nice way to get past writer's block, anyway.

Prompt of the Day:

Your character suddenly recalls a previously unremembered appointment.

or

Your character walks by (or stops to watch) a street-performer.

Day 5

2011-11-05T06:42:00.003-04:00

"The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible."

~Vladimir Nabakov

Tip of the Day:

I didn't get a chance to pre-write all 30 Blog posts this year, so it is likely that I may miss quite a few. It's sometimes hard to find "prompt of the day" options that work with an ongoing story (most sites with writing prompts expect that you are starting something new) but here are a couple options for you:

The NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program has a "Dare Machine" on their front page, which includes prompts. Click "Dare Me" to generate a new one.

Adam Maxwell's Fiction Lounge will generate a sentence as a "writing prompt." I haven't had a chance to look at much of the website yet, but "incorporate this sentence" (or idea) makes a good prompt.

Or, if you flip back to last year, or the year before, I'm sure you'll be able to find something you didn't use before, or which you could use in a new way this year. I usually recycle a few of the favorites, anyway.

Prompt of the Day:

Your character falls, or is in some kind of accident, and is injured in a way that affects his or her ability to do what needs to be done.

or

A secret admirer sends a beautiful (or creepy) gift

Day 3

2011-11-03T05:27:00.002-04:00

"Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."

~ Barbara Kingsolver

Tip of the Day:

Sometimes, even during NaNo, less is more. Those of you who might be reading this blog from the school where I work may have heard this already, but I'm going to summarize a bit here.

Someone asked me, "How do I make my fantasy setting seem old-fashioned, without referencing things that don't exist in that world?" My answer is, you never TELL your audience the world is old-fashioned. Think instead about how your character lives. How do they wake up in the morning (probably not an electric alarm clock)? How do they bathe? Get and cook food?

In real-writing-life, spending twenty pages discussing the ways your characters needs to pluck and prepare a chicken to cook it in the cast iron stock-pot hung over the fire may be excessive (during revision, you'll probably cut back), but during NaNo, figuring out the little details of your fantasy setting, such as how people do simple tasks, will not only help you world-build in your own mind, but will generate words.

So, in that way, more-is-more.

On the other hand, if you can't figure it out, be vague for now. Don't know a thing about horses, but know your characters need to ride them? Skip the extensive research during NaNo! Hint! Leave yourself notes if you want to, like [I'm sure there are words for the part of the saddle you hold on to] but don't get distracted for 10 hours on Wikipedia during NaNo.

For the record, this applies to everyone, fantasy setting or not. If you're stuck in your storyline, spend some time describing the basic, boring parts of your characters' lives. Even if it is something you know you will cut out later during revision, it isn't just wasted junk-words: It's valuable insight for you as a writer, and it might give you an idea of how to move forward.

Prompt of the Day:

Your character finds $50 (or your world's equivalent) in the street.

(Thank you, J, for that prompt)

or

In the spirit of the tip-of-the-day, have someone cook something.

NaNo'11: Day 2

2011-11-02T00:01:00.004-04:00

To answer two FAQs I normally hear about this time:

Question 1.

Who are you on the NaNo site, and can I friend you?

Answer 1.
I am NeseraRai, and you absolutely may friend me. However, please do not be hurt if I do not friend you in return. In the past, the NaNo site has been a little odd about the friends list, so I'm in the habit of only friending people in my writing group, and some folks that I'm attending physical write-ins with.

Question 2.

What's the point of this? Don't you just end up with 50,000 words of crap?

Answer 2.

No, I generally end up with 30,000 or so words of crap. The rest, mixed in somewhere, is about 20k of good storytelling. I've been doing this for a few years, and publishing for a few years before then, so my ratio of crap-to-keep is actually pretty high. But the point is, if at the end of NaNo you have 50,000 words and a vague idea of your world, characters, and story, you have now accomplished something you never would have while trying to get the first 100 words perfect.

That said, today's quote of the day...

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." – Silvia Plath

Tip of the Day

Save constantly, and back up frequently.

By "save," I mean do not trust your auto-save. In most text-editing programs, you can hit ⌘S (Mac) or Ctrl-S (Win) or probably something similar in any other OS, and your file will SAVE. Do this all the time.

As for backing up, do not trust one copy on one computer. Ever year, I hear of computers frying, getting left in the rain, stolen, reformatted by Dad, destroyed by little Sis, or just dying for no good reason at all. Backing up to a thumb drive is good. If you do this, make sure you know how to properly eject your thumb drive, or you can destroy your data. Also, if you lose your thumb drive, it will inevitably communicate with your computer, and that is when you are most likely to suffer spontaneous computer failure. For that reason, every time you complete a large chunk of work (whatever that means for you), I would recommend backing up in a THIRD place. An internet email account like Yahoo or GMail works pretty well.

Prompt of the Day

Your character has lost something, or left it behind, and needs to go back and look for it.

NaNo 2011

2011-11-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome, everyone, to National Novel Writing Month (2011!). I have participated in NaNoWriMo every year since 2006, and for the past two years, I have dedicated my blog through the month of November to providing quotes, tips and prompts.

For those of you unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, here's the summary: 30 days, 50k. The slightly longer version: In the month of November, participants attempt to write 50,000 words of a new novel. Rules are somewhat flexible on the definition of novel, but the main point is that this should be a NEW project. You are absolutely forbidden to use any prose written before November.

Obviously, I'm not the NaNo police; however you define "new" or "novel" or "50k" or for that matter "30 days" is up to you and I won't argue (though you may consult the official site, if you would like). The goal, however, remains the same: CHALLENGE YOURSELF. Present yourself with a goal that is such a push that it forces you to think differently. 50k in 30 days is designed to push writers beyond their hangups and desire to get it perfect. NaNo is about getting it on paper (or computer); editing comes later.

In addition to this blog, Nyeusigrube hosts a NaNo forum every year, featuring daily "rant" posts. Please feel free to join us! Even if you don't plan to spend the month writing, you can spend it supporting the writers.

That said... welcome to NaNoWriMo!

"The scariest moment is always just before you start." – Stephen King
"You can fix anything but a blank page." – Nora Roberts

Tip of the Day:

Write!
No, seriously, that is the tip. You're past pre-planning now. Your only goal at this point is to put words on paper. Don't worry about starting it right or even starting it good. I frequently go back and delete my entire first chapter, once I start revising. Start rambling, and it becomes like a conversation: eventually, you'll find something to talk about.

And in case you need some extra motivation, you might check out Dr. Wicked's "Write or Die." I adore this gadget, especially during NaNoWriMo. I love it enough I spent the $10 to have the desktop version, which is not internet dependent and has more options, but there is a free version along the right side of the page I linked you to.

Prompt of the Day:

Look out the window - what do you (does your character) see?

or

If you're already procrastinating by watching television,
then wait for a car commercial (or something similar) to come on.
Use the setting (rugged mountain, ice-covered tundra, city streets?), characters (family of five, guys on vacation, business man?), and/or conflict (flat tire, lost, kids driving them crazy?) from that commercial for your first scene.

2011-10-19T15:49:00.001-04:00

Again: I'm aware there's an issue with the site. I have spoken with tech support. They are still having some kind of server issue, but they believe it will be resolved shortly.

Their "shortly" seems to be taking a long time and getting ever more complicated, as more and more of the site has issues, but please know I am doing everything I can (which is very little, other than wait and occasionally prod tech support for an update) to get the site running again.

Attempt 2

2011-10-12T05:32:00.008-04:00

... I just lost my whole post. I hate it when that happens. Why does Firefox prompt me (are you sure you want to close all these tabs?) every time I intentionally close the program, but when I occasionally hit the button accidentally, it closes immediately?

Well, this version won't be quite as eloquent, funny or world-changing as the last (trust me, it was). Bare-bones version!

It is mid-October. You may have noticed. I just did. This means two things:

Work (my other work, as a teacher) is busier this year than last. This has made scheduling things like Inbox difficult. My goal for Inbox is to update twice more before November, including subscriber bonus content. I will then take a hiatus for November (to be elaborated upon in point 2), before returning in December with a goal of Inbox updates every other week. If I have less-busy days, I may occasionally add an extra update, but I am hoping the every-other-week goal will give me enough time to complete updates without feeling guilty that they are late and thus causing me to try to avoid the matter entirely.

Don't worry about Inbox! Originally, Inbox was scheduled to conclude in December, because Poison Tree was scheduled to be released in January. Poison Tree is now scheduled for Summer of 2012, so we have plenty of time. My inability to update regularly is not losing you anything in terms of content-- in fact, since I have more time to contemplate between updates and play with ideas (even if I don't have time to write and code, I still daydream and make notes), it is getting you more content than you might have had.

*Save Post*

Mid-October means it is almost November, which my absolute favorite month of the season for two reasons: Thanksgiving, and NaNoWriMo! If you are unfamiliar with NaNo, it is a crazy, month-long, world-wide event I and (as of last year) 200,000 other writers participate in every November. I am not officially affiliated with NaNoWriMo or the Office of Letters and Light (they ask us to include that disclaimer), but Nyeusigrube does celebrate NaNo in a few ways.

Every day in November, this Blog will feature a post including a writing-related quote, tip, and prompt of the day. I have been told in the past that these posts are enjoyable even to people who do not participate in NaNo (your mileage may vary).

Also every day in November, the Writing Forum will have a new "rant" post. Writers participating and non-participants wishing to show support are all welcome to jump into the thread and share your NaNo angst, your current wordcount, your woe as a NaNo Widow or Widower, suggestions, etc.

*save post again* *realize there is no point three*

That's it, the entire gist of what I had to say. Aren't you glad you read the short version?

Happy October!

Site Outage

2011-10-05T18:19:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm aware the most of Nyeusigrube is down right now (including the forums). Apparently we're moving to a new server, which may take a few hours. If we're still down tomorrow, I'll follow up with tech support and see what it is I need to update on my side.

[Edit: Site seems to have come back with no major hiccups. Let me know if you see any problems]

Shana Tova

2011-09-29T06:32:00.003-04:00

Happy New Year, to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah. To everyone else, I hope you are having a lovely fall - some of us are still wearing shorts and T-shirts, and others have already raked enough leaves to jump in the pile, but the nights are shorter than the days now and getting longer every time we turn.

(Unless we have anyone in the southern hemisphere. Anyone out there?)

Around this time of year, I usually put up a long post about why the fall is my favorite season. I will probably get to that eventually, but in the meantime, I have to say this fall is so busy... and it hasn't been very fall-like yet. We had a few very cold days, but then the weather returned to the 80s and muggy, the way New England tends to do.

Once it gets to look like Fall again, I'll tell you how great it is.

For now, may you have a sweet new year.

Inbox Hardcopies

2011-07-23T08:31:00.004-04:00

Subscribers already got an email about this... please leave feedback here about the possibility of a hard-copy of Inbox available for purchase once the entire online component is complete. Thanks!

[edit] I've had an offer of help from a friend I trust, who might be able to make the signed pre-order offer actually work out.

[edit2] Okay, it looks like I will definitely be making hard-copies available. Depending on how organized my local crew can get, we'll go the "autographed copy with pre-order" route and/or the "purchase online for direct ship" route. For those of you unsure whether you'll buy a hard-copy until you know what would be in it, I entirely understand; even if we do pre-orders, I won't be asking people to do so until next late-spring/early-summer, when Inbox is wrapping up.

Website lag

2011-07-22T22:49:00.003-04:00

Hi, everyone. I'm aware that most of the site is lagging spectacularly- most importantly to most of you and me, the message board. I've spoken to my server's tech support, and they tell me the issue is on their side and not something I broke, which hopefully means they're going to fix it at some point. Hopefully in the near future.

Take care and bear with us...

[edit]It's been fixed! And it actually was my fault (silly tech support... maybe they were trying to make me feel better?) and once I knew that I was able to fix it very quickly instead of waiting around for the server to fix itself.

"Inbox" is live!

2011-04-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

If you've been waiting for the official launch, "Inbox of Diana Smoke" is now live. You can find it through the "You have new messages!" link above.

Hyperfiction

2011-04-06T07:22:00.004-04:00

For those of you who missed the previous post, or just don't read them when they're long, be sure to check out "Inbox of Diana Smoke," a canon Nyeusigrube hyperfiction starting later this month. For updates and bonus material, please subscribe to the email list!

Wow! It's April...

2011-04-02T08:31:00.004-04:00

I don't understand how time flies so fast. Well, during the last month, part of the flying has been attributed to World of Warcraft, which I had stopped playing for almost four years before my wife brought that addictive beast back into our home...

Much of the rest has been working on the home, and my other jobs, as well as figuring out what's next in terms of books. One of the downsides of publishing is that sometimes things move frustratingly slowly, and I don't like to announce anything until it's a done deal.

I updated the "Most Recent Books" and "Next Books" sidebar on this blog, so you'll see a new title there: Promises to Keep. Some of you may have read small excerpts or comments about Promises if you saw my NaNoWriMo site in November 2009, or any time before it turned over for 2010.

I am also planning an epistolary-style online serial web project. This project is as canon as anything in the published books (unlike R:N and the drabbles on the message board), and takes place in the one months span of time between All Just Glass and Poison Tree. It takes the shape of emails written to and from Diana Smoke, the CEO of SingleEarth, so in addition to following up with some characters you know from previous books and introducing a few you will see in the future, it will also give readers some insight into the organization of SingleEarth.

Most exciting (for me) is the fact that I will be working with a good friend of mine who is also a professional illustrator to produce the first official representations of some of these characters. I love fan art, and certainly do not want to say anyone else is "wrong" if what we come up with isn't what you see in your mind, but if you ever wanted to know what I see in my mind, this will be your chance.

One of the reasons this project is taking so much of my time right now is because I wanted to have it mostly done before I even announced it, much less before I start posting in the very near future. I am considering this an official project, not a side project like the general site, R:N, etc, which means it does not have the option of being put aside in favor of more important projects. In other words, for those of you who have been frustrated with my lack of follow through on pet projects in the past, this one will actually happen and be completed - just in time for Poison Tree to hit shelves.

I want to spread the word, and I want a lot of feedback, so I know whether or not this project is worth doing again in the future.

To subscribe to a mailing list and receive updates about the SingleEarth project, please send a blank email to:

single-earth-subscribe@nyeusigrube.com

And yes, there are benefits to subscribing! In addition to receiving notice when new content is posted, there is likely to be "bonus" content available only to people on the subscription list.

(For the record: This is the first time I've used my web-server's email list feature. If it's glitchy, I apoligize, and we will move to yahoogroups or something.)

Random Buzzers: 1/24 - 1/28

2011-01-25T06:29:00.002-05:00

Do you have questions, about All Just Glass, or really anything at all? Head on over to Random Buzzers this week! It's not too late to post new questions.

December

2010-12-02T06:11:00.003-05:00

Welcome to December. We all survived NaNo, and last night, Mandi and I lit the first candles for Chanukah. The family gathered in the library/piano room- me, Mandi, Morgan and Chivas- and we sang and did all those things you do on a holiday. It was lovely. I think it would be correct to say that this is Mandi's second Chanukah with me, but it's really my first Chanukah.

Morgan is now sitting with me at my laptop as I type this at 6:30 in the morning on my day off (parent-teacher conferences today, which I do not need to attend). I am looking forward to spending the day catching up on some projects for work and home, as well as refreshing my memory as to what I was doing with Poison Tree. The next round of revisions is due back to Random House around the end of January, so I need to get back to work now that NaNo is done.

Day 30

2010-11-30T00:01:00.002-05:00

"Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?"

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Prompts of the Day:

It's the end of NaNo, so here you go... it's time for true love's kiss. Or, someone gets slapped. Remember, just because 30 days are done, it doesn't mean your story is.

Tip of the Day:

Do NOT forget to validate! Many good folk have finished 50k and then forgotten to officially validate on the NaNo site. Try to validate early; the site in the past has always lagged more and more as midnight gets closer.

Of course, if you're like me, you will probably write your final word at 11:57 pm in which case... good luck!

Day 29 - Almost there!

2010-11-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

"Life can't ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer's lover until death - fascinating, cruel, lavish, warm, cold, treacherous, constant."

~Edna Ferber, A Kind of Magic, 1963

Prompts of the Day:

Here's a great one from Kml: The ending you thought out, planned for, and truly hoped for doesn't happen! Completely change the end of your novel, destroying your characters' hopes just in time for the most unlikely person/thing to save the day. Or just twist the ending so that even you end up surprised by how things turn out.

Day 28

2010-11-28T00:01:00.002-05:00

"The process of writing has something infinite about it. Even though it is interrupted each night, it is one single notation."

~ Elias Canetti

Prompts of the Day:

From Silver Twilight: Someone is in pain. Physical or emotional, your choice. Your MC has to do something about it.

Day 27

2010-11-27T00:01:00.002-05:00

"Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies."

~Terri Guillemets

Prompts of the Day:

From Rayne: Look at a random photo and use the setting/surroundings of it as a scene in your book.

Day 26

2010-11-26T00:01:00.003-05:00

"Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."

~ Barbara Kingsolver

Prompts of the Day:

From an Anonymous Writer: An infestation of something (bugs, rodents, unwanted family members, etc.) causes your character irritation.

From Raynelyn: Oh no! Your character has lost something: their mind, keys, a loved one... you decide!

(Keep your prompts coming in the comments, and I'll post them up! Thank you all who jumped at that suggestion.)

Thoughts of the Day:

How y'all feeling? Ready for a big day of writing? Or still sleeping off turkey, or hanging out with relatives? We're nearing the end of November. I have come up with a plan to get me past the hump I was having trouble with, so I am hoping to do a lot of catching-up today... before I go out to see Harry Potter VII (Part 1) this evening with my cousins. Good times!

Day 25 - Happy Thanksgiving, USAmericans!

2010-11-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

"You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."

~Arthur Polotnik

I don't know about you, but I don't do a lot of writing on Thanksgiving, even with NaNo going on. I have family over. I'm currently only on the computer because we're waiting for the mince meat pie to finish so we can put the cherry pie and kugel in the oven.

Whether or not you're in the USA celebrating Thanksgiving, make sure you take time to recognize the people you love, and give thanks for their existence in your life.

In other news: New idea! The first person to check the blog in the morning must write a prompt in the comments.

Day 24

2010-11-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

"The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it."

~Jules Renard, "Diary," February 1895

Prompts of the Day:

Prompt 1

or

Include the following line(s) [edit pronouns/tense/etc if necessary]:

"Quote"

(from credit, "Credit")

Tip of the Day:

Tip of the Day

Day 23

2010-11-23T00:01:00.002-05:00

"Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

~Gene Fowler

Prompts of the Day:

No prompt for you! Next year, I need some help getting these done. I only had one person offer to help this year, and I used a lot of her suggestions. Thanks, Sha!

Day 22

2010-11-22T00:01:00.002-05:00

"My stories run up and bite me on the leg - I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off."

– Ray Bradbury

Day 21

2010-11-21T00:01:00.002-05:00

"It seems to me that those songs that have been any good, I have nothing much to do with the writing of them. The words have just crawled down my sleeve and come out on the page."

~Joan Baez

Prompts of the Day:

Frustration. Something breaks at the worst time. Car battery dies, door jam snaps, computer melt-down, you decide.

Day 20

2010-11-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

"An old racetrack joke reminds you that your program contains all the winners' names. I stare at my typewriter keys with the same thought."

~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Thoughts:

Yes, I know, the prompts and notes aren't coming very frequently this second-half of the month. My hands have been giving me a lot of problems, so I've been avoiding the computer as much as possible - which, as you might imagine, is not conducive to a successful NaNo, either.

We'll see how it goes... I'm at 31,215 and I still have hope.

Day 19

2010-11-19T00:01:00.004-05:00

"The pages are still blank,

but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible."

~Vladimir Nabakov

Day 18

2010-11-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

"Books want to be born: I never make them. They come to me and insist on being written, and on being such and such."

~Samuel Butler

Day 17

2010-11-17T00:01:00.003-05:00

Novelists... fashioning nets to sustain and support the reader as he falls helplessly through the chaos of his own existence."

~Fay Weldon

Prompts of the Day:

Humpty dumpty took a great fall (and had a silly name, to boot). So does your character. Where s/he lands, nobody knows. Fall out of a car, off a mountain, oh how the mighty do fall, fall from grace, fall asleep...

Tip of the Day:

Dream sequences, flashbacks, fantasies - these can all make great filler, but some people hesitate to use them because they don't want to mess up the story with something meaningless. I understand that; I try to avoid word-filler for the sake of filler, too (though many people would call avoiding filler a NaNo deadly sin). However, things you write out of sequence, like dreams or flashbacks, can be more than that. Taking a break from your direct narrative can help jostle loose ideas you might have been struggling with, or give you a vehicle to approach something your character is thinking or feeling that s/he might otherwise be reluctant to describe directly.

Day 16

2010-11-16T00:01:00.002-05:00

"There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as do exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are, but through the jungles of self, the world, and of craft."

~Jessamyn West, Saturday Review, 21 September 1957

Prompts of the Day:

In a crowded place, your character hears someone whispering...

Or

Your character is all alone, and yet years someone whispering.

Tip of the Day:

Someone posted a great tip in today's comments (which I am writing in, since she posted before I actually did). There are fifteen days of prompts behind us. Have you tried looking back, and seeing if there are any you can now use, or which you can use in a new way, now that your story has progressed a little?

Day 15 - halfway there!

2010-11-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

"An old racetrack joke reminds you that your program contains all the winners' names. I stare at my typewriter keys with the same thought."

~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Prompts of the Day:

If you're struggling or feeling bored with your story: Introduce a new character in a dramatic fashion, like a car crash or a natural disaster. This character has something to say...

Or, if you don't want to mess with your story that way: The phone rings (or whatever you have in your world that is similar to the phone)

Tip of the Day:

1. Don't try to get it right the first time - write first, edit later.
2. Don't revise during November.
3. Write with friends, for support and competition.
4. Stand up and stretch frequently.
5. If you feel stuck, change your method.
6. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, BACK UP YOUR WORK.
7. Try to figure out how and when you work best, and plan for that. Create the right writing situation.
8. Don't abuse your body or mind so much they give out on you.
9. Stay away from time-suck distractions that kill your motivation.
10. Go out and spend time in the real world occasionally.
11. Don't give up if you're behind, and don't get complacent if you're ahead.
12. Seriously, DO NOT try to revise, rewrite or edit during WriMo.
13. Set goals based on what you know about your abilities and your writing style.

We're half-way through November. Pat yourself on the back for making it this far, no matter how many or few words you have.

Then back up your work and get back to typing. No time to rest on your laurels now.

Day 14

2010-11-14T00:01:00.003-05:00

– Chris Baty, No Plot, No Problem

Prompts of the Day:

Make a wish- blow out the candles, or wish on a star. If you're writing fantasy, do you have any superstitions or legends about wishes? Does your character believe in wishes?

Tip of the Day:

Make yourself a goal and a deadline, beyond just "50k/30days" or even "1667 today." Make deadlines like, "It's now 9:00 a.m. I can write 500 words before 9:30."

Make goals based on what you know you've been able to do when you're focused, not impossible goals (which will only leave you frustrated) or goals that are so easy they encourage you to procrastinate.

Also, when you make your goals, keep in mind how long you can maintain high levels of productivity. For example, I know I can reliably write 600 words in 15 minutes; 800 words in 20 minutes; and maybe 1200 words in an hour on a good day. When I'm really focused for a word war, I can hit around 800 or 900 in 15 minutes, but I cannot sustain that level of productivity past 15 or 20 minutes. So I set goals that fit into that, like "It's 6:00. I want to do 800 words before 6:30, when I need to leave for work."