CreateSpace - Free Copy for Winners

I was looking around on the forums and if you win NaNo, CreateSpace will give you a free proof copy of your book. That sounds pretty cool to me. Just another incentive to win.
After winning, you get a special code from NaNo and then make an account at CreateSpace. You have to follow their submission guidelines. After you receive your proof copy, you can decide to make it available to the public or invisible.

Create. Collaborate. Distribute.  (CreateSpace tagline)

Our free online publishing tools and Community can help you complete and sell your work.
Distribute on Amazon.com, your own website, and other retailers without setup fees or inventory.

Here's to hope that I win and have the option to do this if I want.

A Writer's Notebook

A writer's notebook is a case of digging your well before you are thirsty. Writer's notebooks are personal, make of it what you may types of records. Some keep them as journals and others have a specific book just for writer's notes.
Writer's notes are anything a writer wants to keep record of for future reference. These notes are used for sparks, inspiration or a nudge when a writer needs an idea. Sometimes ideas are all around popping up all the time and then sometimes they all run down the idea hole, nowhere to be found. Your writer's notebook comes in handy when the ideas are hibernating. And anything interesting to you qualifies for your notebook. It's yours after all, so don't worry about writing down anything wrong.
So many things are good to write in it. You may not be noticing all the different things you could be. Here's a list of things to be on the lookout for to include in your book:

+ Interesting words you notice
+ Quotes and one-liners from anywhere including people you are around
+ Eavesdropped conversations and ideas for novels from them
+ Headlines and story ideas from newspapers/magazines
+ Character profiles from real people
+ Setting details from real places
+ Things you hear children say - they see the world in different ways
+ Ideas you get while reading
+ Names of places on signs and business cards
+ People ahead of you in line and why they are buying what's in their cart
+ Habits of people around you - do you know why they have these habits?
+ Things you find really pretty or really ugly

Write down things you want to keep, but don't have a need for now. They someday may fit in a story or make a story for you. You just need to be able to reach out and grab them at the right time.

Ernest Hemingway

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward,

some are strong at the broken places.”

~Ernest Hemingway

I love this quote. I also think it could be a jumping off place for a lot of different stories. And maybe it already has. As I read this, it conjured up: a man who lost his brother in a wilderness hike and battled through the woods and climbed a rocky mountain in order for the search party to find him. And for complications.... who was chasing after him up the mountain and why? I think it has to do with a secret his brother was keeping from him and why he invited him to go on the hike.

Goodreads

Jayne Q Public's favorite books »

From the official site:
What is Goodreads 
Goodreads is the largest social network for readers in the world. We have over 2,500,000 members who have added over 60,000,000 books to their shelves. A place for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike, Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more. 
Why? Let's make reading fun again. Somehow, reading books seems to have gotten a bad rap. People are working too hard and not making time to read, people are watching TV because they can veg out and turn their brains off—hey, we feel it too! But every once in a while you run into a friend who tells you about this "great new book I'm reading." And suddenly you're excited to read it. It's that kind of excitement that Goodreads is all about.

I joined goodreads last night. My username is Jayne Q Public. Feel free to befriend me there.
I think I already like this website because you can save your favorite quotes. I am a quote collector and have been for years. There are tons of books already on the site and you can also search Amazon.com from goodreads. It's quick and very easy to rate and add books to your bookshelf. I took quizzes last night based on the books I put on my shelf. I haven't reviewed any yet, but plan to do so. I joined the NaNoWriMo discussion group and posted a few comments. I had a pretty good time exploring the site. I encourage you to check it out and sign up if you like it.

Character Profile Questionaires

I have heard a lot of writers talking about Character Sheets. So far on my NaNo novel, I have two main characters sitting pretty solid in my head. I really don't want to sit down and do a profile on each. I would rather let them form a bit more on the paper before I go filling out a "demographic" for them. Maybe afterwards, it would be interesting and give me some different directions to go in if I get stuck. On the other hand, I think I will fill in partial sketches on some of the lesser people that could be in my story. I'm a real visual person, so I've been cutting out any interesting people pictures from magazines and taping them in a notebook where I can write whatever I want alongside them. I think that may come in handy at some point too.
Below are links to some character profile pages:

Rich Hamper's Character Profile Sheet
Character Sheet Generator
Charlotte Dillon Character Chart (with questions after to ask your character)
Writers Write - How to create a character profile
Fiction Writer's Character Chart
Gotham Writer's Workshop - 2 questionaires
Character Trait Chart and Personality Components
Fiction Addiction Character Creation - multi-paged

I haven't decided which one(s) I will print out yet, but it was interesting looking through the questions. There are different ones on each. Some are very in depth. Some I wouldn't have thought of at all. In answering, I think you would definitely get to know more about your character. And with some of those in depth questions, maybe TMI (too much information) haha!

NaNoWriMo Desktop Calendar - Rabbit

Right click and choose set as desktop background.

 

NaNoWriMo Desktop Calendar - Landslide

Right click on picture and set as desktop background.

NaNoWriMo Desktop Calendar - Cat

Right click on the photo and choose "Set as Desktop Background". Choose stretch and ok.

 This is my first attempt at making calendars for NaNoWriMo.

This worked fine for me on my laptop -- hope it does for you too.

Reading Is Crucial To Writing

From the book On Writing by Stephen King:
"Reading is the creative center of a writer's life. I take a book with me everywhere I go, and find there are all sorts of opportunities to dip in. The trick is to teach yourself to to read in small sips as well as in long swallows."

I usually have a couple of books going at the same time when I'm reading. There is always one by my bed for night-time reading and I always have one at work for lunch-time reading.
I usually take a book with me when I know there is going to be a waiting time. Times such as doctor's appointments or airports, you know what I mean. I love it when I have something to pass my time enjoyably and sometimes get dirty looks from people who are forced to sit there and just stare at the walls because they didn't have the foresight to bring entertainment.
I only have half an hour for lunch so that reading time is definitely a small sip, but one I find I look forward to each weekday. A small slice of escape and I make myself stop at the beginning of a new chapter when time is up. Sometimes it's in the middle of something good, so I can't wait until tomorrow's lunch to get back into it. I haven't mastered reading while walking on the treadmill, but think it would be a good talent to keep pursuing. Talk about a win-win situation.
I think if you keep reading the kinds of books that you want to write, you will pick up skills as to how things are done or what not to do. And you also find out what has been done over and over - to think outward to new scenarios, not just the old standbys.

FORUM UP/READY FOR POSTS

I have spent the last few days searching for and setting up a forum. The Read Dream Write forum is now up and you are welcome to stop in and post. Please do become one of the first members and help build the community. What I have up so far is a base and I expect to add categories as they become necessary or wanted. I definitely have a forum for NaNoWriMo participants.
The forum also has arcade games for distraction when you are procrastinating and not writing. My favorite is Gold Miner. There is a link to the forum in the top links of this blog.

Cruise on over!!

Got Plot?

I found some online resources for finding your main idea, your plan of action, your plot. Everything else is an accessory to your main inspiration for your story. You may have thought of a character or even a characteristic first, but the plot is the action, the what-happened part. It's what drives your story---so pick a good vehicle!!!

A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is - full of surprises. ~Isaac Bashevis


Big Huge Thesaurus - Synonyms, antonyms, and rhymes (oh my!) Along with story plots, this site also has blog post ideas. Big Huge Thesaurus boasts millions of story plots!
Hatch's Plot Bank - Several pages of almost 1000 plot ideas each. These are very short sentences to get you started. The first few I read I didn't like too much but going down the list kinda hit and miss, they do get better and get your mind going to make up your own plots.
Plot Twist Generator - Generate up to 50 plot twists at a time.
Romance Story Generator - Complete with extra details.
Scriptboiler - Free plot and character ideas. This blog has posts full of ideas.

Keep your eyes and ears open!! and let your own story ideas pop into your mind.
* Play the "what if?" game - With any thought that comes by, put what if? ........ this happened in front of it. Keep asking what if? again and again to see what else pops up.
* Read obituaries to get ideas from a real person's life. What different things did they do in life, which of their family and friends are listed, etc. Read between the lines of what isn't listed and think of reasons why. What secrets did they keep and were they taken to the grave or not?
* Use newspaper and magazine headlines. Don't go any further into the article, just write the headline down and then write up a different story based on just those few words.
* Keep a notebook and write down any odd fragments of thoughts throughout the day. Make a story from one or combine two or more.
* Write down the synopsis of a tv show from an online guide or the guide on your tv. Don't watch the show, make up your own story.
* Cut out words in different fonts and colors from magazines. Put them on magnet tape (a strip of magnet with sticky on one side). Put the seperate words on your fridge and then move them around every once in a while. Pick out a certain number of those words or make a sentence out of them and write a story.
* Cut out pictures from magazines that inspire some type of emotion in you. Tape/glue them on index cards. Then use them to spark story ideas. Pick one or pick a certain number and then include them in your story.
* Watch the news, especially the personal stories.
* Listen to children talk. Their view of the world and how things work can spark some great stories.
* Watch people. Airports are great for this. But anywhere there are people will work. Grocery stores, school, waiting rooms, church, sporting events, etc. Try to figure out why they look or act the way they do. Eavesdrop....take those bits of conversation and turn them into something other than what they seem to be about. Be nosy about your neighbors and make up some fantastic story about why they always get home at 11:00pm or what is really in their trash cans or who is in that white car that always comes around every Wednesday.
* Write down who, what and why and then twist it into whatever genre you are writing or make yourself stretch and try out another genre.

Free Writing Software

One of the first things I did after deciding to do NaNo this year was to search around for a writing program. I have Vista Home and of course, cheap Microsoft only gives you a trial of their suite which includes Word among other things. I think this is stupid of Microsoft since there are so many other programs out on the web to download for free -- the full versions!!! And they are pretty much just like Word. I have the Open Office Suite downloaded on my laptop. I also use Google's Suite of office tools online. There are a lot of different options for word processing.
I have a couple of programs downloaded and haven't yet decided what I will use. I am playing around with them this month and probably won't choose until it comes down to the first sentence of NaNoWriMo 2009. In my search, I found anything from free to expensive. I don't believe in paying for something if there isn't a need. I really don't see a need for myself to buy a writing program - if it came down to it, I would just use my Open Office or the Note Pad already installed on my computer.
Below you will find some free writing software programs I found on the net:

yWriter - Spacejock Software - this is the program I downloaded and will most likely use.
From the download site:
Features:
Organise your novel using a 'project'.
Add chapters to the project.
Add scenes, characters, items and locations.
Display the word count for every file in the project, along with a total.
Saves a log file every day, showing words per file and the total. (Tracks your progress)
Saves automatic backups at user-specified intervals.
Allows multiple scenes within chapters
Viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome fields for each scene.
Multiple characters per scene.
Storyboard view, a visual layout of your work.
Re-order scenes within chapters.
Drag and drop of chapters, scenes, characters, items and locations.
Automatic chapter renumbering

There are a lot of features in this program. At first I couldn't get around in it. After playing a bit, it was pretty easy to use. It's useful that you can store extra information in pop-up boxes which are quickly available. I saw something on the website about text to speech. I'll have to look for that to see what it's about. I love extra stuff!

Storybook
From the download site:

• Storybook comes with 3 views:
  
  
  
  • The Chronological View shows the scenes sorted by date.
  • The Manage Chapters and Scenes view shows all chapters and their assigned scenes. Scenes can be moved and renumbered by Drag-and-Drop.
  • The Book View shows all chapters and their assigned scenes sorted by chapter and scene numbers, as you would read it in the final book.
  
  
  
  
• Storybook helps you to keep an overview, especially helpful for complex stories with two or more plot-lines (strands). Imagine it as a kind of a "dynamic mind map".
• Strands and strand links: Each scene belongs to a primary strand. Optionally, other related secondary-strands can be linked to a scene.
• Characters: Add, edit or remove characters and assign them to scenes.
• Locations: Add, edit or remove locations and assign them to scenes.
• Chapters: Define your chapters and assign scenes to them.
• Parts: Large projects can be split into well-arranged parts.
• Information: A hierarchic tree shows all characters, locations, chapters and strands. If scenes are missing or exist twice, a warning informs you.
• Adjustable view: All views can be re-sized to fit to screen or to get a better overview. Even more working space is available if you hide the information panel with a simple click on the tool bar.
• Task list and Navigation: The task list shows all scenes with a status other than "done". With the "Go to date" respectively "Go to chapter" navigation you can easily jump to the desired date or chapter-number.
• Spell Check: Your text can be checked for spelling. New words can be added to your personal user directory.
• Instant save: Because Storybook uses an embedded database called H2 to store data (and not a file) each input entered is saved in an instant. Even if the program crashes, you won't loose any data
  

 Q10 - This is the most slim-lined, barebones download I found. If you want to just write, this one is for you. And you don't have to do without options. Q10 is packed with great ones for NaNoWriMo. I also downloaded this program. I plan to use it for free or timed writing and for competing in word wars & challenges with other NaNo'ers. I like this little program.
From the site: 
Full-screen.Focus on your work. Live text statistics. Word, page and character counts are updated live as you type.Programmable page count formula.Specify what formula to use for page count calculation. You’re not constrained to the 250 words per page rule anymore.Customizable look and paragraph format.Change the colors, line spacing, first line indent, paragraph spacing, font...Perfectly portable.A single self-contained executable file. That’s all. Easy to use with a pendrive, so you can carry your writing environment with you everywhere. Q10 will remember the last file you worked on, even if the drive letter assigned to your pendrive changes from computer to computer.Easy to use timer alarm.Perfect for timed writing sessions and word wars. When the time is over, it will tell you how many words you wrote in that period.Spell checker.You don't make mistakes. I know it. You know it. But many people do, and Q10 lets them check their spelling.Notes.Any paragraph starting with ".." is considered a note. You can get a list of all notes in the current document and jump instantly to any of them.Target count.Displays completed percentage. You can choose units: words, pages, lines, paragraphs or characters. If NaNoWriMo is your thing, this is for you.Partial counts.Keep track of the extension of current chapter or see how much content you've produced in the current writing session. You're free to use partial counts as you like: up to four counters with customizable labels and units: words, pages, lines, paragraphs or characters.Autocorrections and quick text.Unlimited autocorrection entries to fix on the fly those persistent typing errors. Unlimited quick texts list for frequently used words or phrases, like character names, places, etc.Standard and clean text format.You will be able to open your work with any text editor or word processor. Now and in the future.Encoding and line endings agnostic.Reads and writes ANSI and UTF-8 texts, and line endings formats are not a problem for Q10.Typing sound effects.Get that typewriter feeling again. For the trivia lovers among you, the typing sounds were taken from the movie "Amélie".Small, fast and stable.Less than 360Kb in size, you don’t need huge frameworks or runtimes to use this beauty.Autosaving.You can ask Q10 to save your work after some number of new paragraphs, or after some time has elapsed. If you're really paranoid, set Q10 to save every paragraph.

Writers Focus (have not downloaded)
From the site:
Research Sidebar
Fuel your thoughts with inspiration and research from the web without loosing focus on your ideas. To keep you in your world of writing and research at the same time, you can access Wikipedia, wiktionary, Reference.com, Encarta and other online tools in a sidebar. You can also keep notes related to your document in the sidebar. In one screen, blocking out everything else, you can keep your mind clearly on what you're writing.
Customize Your Screen
For maximum writing comfort you can design your perfect writing screen. Set the Font size, font color, page width and background colors. WritersFocus is all about having the most comfortable screen so you can jump in and start writing at any time without any visual interruption.
Save Settings Profiles: You can setup different configurations and switch quickly by pressing F11 and selecting the profile. This allows you to have different Visual customizations for writing projects.
Character/Word/Paragraph and Page Counts: WritersFocus can automatically calculate writing statistics as you write and display them on the WritersFocus Taskbar.
Record Time Spent Writing: You can also have WritersFocus record the time you actually spend writing. It will keep time whilst you a pressing keys and stop recording after a specified idle time. This allows you to keep track of how long you spend on each writing document.
Block Pop-Ups and Other Software:In the bottom left hand side of the WritersFocus Taskbar click the padlock to block any other programs from stealing focus whilst you write. This will block instant messenger Windows and other software alerts that might distract your train of thought.

NaNoWriTool (have not downloaded)
From the site:

• the ability to edit plain text files, much like Notepad
• a real-time word counter in the status bar
• the word counter exactly matches the counting algorithm of the NaNoWriMo website
• showing the word count target for the day in the status bar (assuming you write the same number of words every day)
• a timer for word wars that also counts the number of words you have typed during the word war
• a full screen mode that eliminates all distractions
• changing of the display font to suit your preferences
• changing of foreground and background colours for maximum readability
• simple formatting features, in particular: chapter headings and emphasis
• a wide margin that makes text easier to read and can be clicked and dragged to select lines of text
  

AbiWord - similar to Microsoft Word
Open Office Writer - I have this. It is a great substitute for Microsoft Office programs.
Google Docs - online word processing program. You automatically have this when you sign up for a Gmail account.
Zoho Writer - another online program, but with a huge suite of programs.
iDailyDiary - I have this program. The free version is awesome and is capable of keeping multiple tabs for each day. Right now I have tabs for daily notes, writing notes and work notes. Awesome program!! 

I think there are certain options that participants of NaNoWriMo find useful, most notably a word counter. If you find a program that you really like and it lacks a word counter, don't despair or choose something else you like less. There are places you can input your daily output or whole novel and have it counted for you. I think you have to weigh all options and decide which ones are most important.

What Is NaNoWriMo?

From the official site: "National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've known about NaNoWriMo for a couple of years, but this year is the first year I am going to compete. I've dreamed of being a writer since I was a young kid going to the library. A library card has always been a magical item to me.

 I don't just go into the library with a grocery list of books and never impulse shop. Nope. I do know which ones of my favorite authors have new books out and look for them. But after that, I wander the aisles and pick up books that catch my eye until my arms are full. It depends on my mood what I'm looking to pick up. Sometimes I go in certain sections if I've been cooking or looking to brush up on something for work. Or maybe I'm in a bestseller kinda mood and then sometimes just something light you would read while catching some sun. I'm always in the mood for suspense and especially one with a twist at the end. And my favorite part is it's all free! Well as long as I get the books back on time :-)

I am so grateful to all those authors for making my spare time so enjoyable. And also for allowing me to go to so many different places and meet so many different people. Making up great characters is what a great author does I believe. Those are the books I remember the most. If I believe in a character and care about what happens to him/her, it makes for a memorable book. Stephen King is a master of this. I like the way his mind works and the crazy things he comes up with to write about. I love Stephen King because when I read him, I feel like he is sitting in the room with me telling the story. His characters jump off the page and seem real. After reading one of his "chunkers" I feel like I have to pull myself out of that book and back into the real world. King has a lot of talent no matter what the critics say. He is and always will be my favorite author. Others include: Kellerman, Cornwell, Iles, Irving, Grisham, Patterson, Koontz.

So back to the "I've always wanted to be a writer" bit. I've never done anything about being a writer, especially the first thing: write. Well let me back up, I haven't wrote day in, day out. I haven't made a commitment to it. I did take a class to write children's books and didn't do too bad on the critiques from my teacher. I have blogged here and there. I journal here and there. I think about writing all the time........... Bet there are lots of you who do that too. Hence the idea that I should enter NaNoWriMo this year, maybe make writing a habit.

I started googling nanowrimo and also writing and found a lot of interesting sites. I want to be able to reference these and thought it would be a good idea to make up a blog to keep the information for myself and also to share with others. If you do find something here in this blog that helps you, great! Leave a comment or share sites, hints or tips that have helped you. (Thanks in advance) I hope doing NaNo this year will help me to see I can write everyday even after November ends. Also, it would be great to be able to put a 2009 NaNoWriMo winner's badge on here!