In Which I Am A Winner

Is that not the most beautiful picture you have ever seen? It is. It is so beautiful, even if I don't look beautiful at all. I look disheveled and dirty. You know why? Because I won NaNoWriMo!

I am so so so so happy, tears were even in my eyes as I entered my manuscript into the word count validator, which actually told me I didn't have enough the first time I tried, but then when it told me a winner I freaked out, printed the certificate, and bragged to all my tweeple.

But then I realized I was not yet done. I still have the rest of this novel to finish, since it is not done yet. The story can't end with my main character getting ready for her rehearsal dinner, can it? No, it can not.

I still have to write a few scenes before the first draft is done. After that, I need to weed out some mistakes in the draft (they are in there and I know it). Then, I will send it off to beta readers. They will then tell me what is wrong with it. I will fix those things and try again, writing the entire novel over. I will repeat this process until they don't have anything negative to say about it anymore. Then I will do it again so that I am happy with it. Then, who knows what will happen.

I do have other projects I am going to work on while I am editing this one. A short story called Deadly Delicats is next on my to-do list, followed by Charmed. I am excited to write both of those, since they will be way fun.

If you have won NaNo, keep working. If you haven't, keep working.

See you soon,

Alexander

In Which I Am Ahead Again

I'm back ahead of schedule! Yay, I am like twenty words ahead of what the suggested word goal is. I'm going to try to get 2,000 words done a day so I can just get it done!

When I finish the first draft, I have a few people that I am sending it to, to be critiqued. One of them is a published author, one a blogger, and one a literary agent. I am looking forward to getting good, honest feedback.

I am going to start doing twitter-wide word wars. I did two of them tonight, and nobody besides me did anything, but it gave me an excuse to write. I love competition! Join me for the rest of the month (and after) for awesome word wars.

Hope you guys are doing well!

See you later,

Alyxandru

In Which I Am A Loser

I am officially behind in NaNoWriMo. YAY! This is what it's all about, racing to the finish line, not knowing if you'll make it. I know I will, but it feels great to be losing! Remember when I had 50% done in 1/4 of the time. Well, now I am behind!

I love authors on twitter. They are so funny and nice. Karsten Knight, Scott Tracey, and Gretchen McNeil (all who have books coming out in 2011) are hilarious.

Well, that is all I have to say. I could be at a water park right now, but I WANTED to go to school today and tomorrow. How stupid am I?

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

In Which I Am Back On Track

So, I hit the 70% mark on NaNoWriMo! I am only a day or two ahead of schedule, which means I need to write like crazy. Just because I feel like it. I am really nervous about editing. I haven't ever really edited anything, mostly because I have never had anything to edit. This will be the first thing I finish. And I am scared. What if I hate editing and want to throw Enchant away?

I finished that book I had to read for my internship. I liked it a lot, and am eager to see what other books I get to read because of Book Cents. Now, I am reading a 2011 book about pirates. I can't wait to see if I like it.

I am in the middle of writing a party scene in Enchant, where something VITAL happens. I am excited and scared to write it. Again, rewrites are going to kill me. Maybe. I don't even know if I will like them.

Well, I'm off to put away groceries, eat chinese food, read, and watch Harry Potter movies.

See you later,

Alyxandru

In Which I Bitch. Oh Look, That Rhymes.

So, I haven't exactly been blogging a lot lately. Oops. Lots of things have been going on, inhibiting my ability to blog. Or write. And honestly, I am enjoying the break. I've recently cut down on some things, like YouTube. Check out my channel to see what I mean, oh wait, you can't. I deleted that.

So, I haven't been writing. Oh well. I'll make sure I get 50,000 words by December. Or else I will throw tomatoes at myself, and most likely cry.

I have to go do tons of homework and read, since the literary agency I am interning at is having its first bridge call next week, and I have to read the book. Maybe the homework can wait.

See you later,

Alyxandru

In Which I Am Boring

I wrote today! I know what I'm doing for re-writes is going to be completely different from what I am writing now, but I figure I might as well have fun with it while I have all this freedom. Then I can attack it with a chainsaw.

Something I love about writing a witch book is that I get to read Secret Circle and claim it is for research. I LOVE those books!

Tomorrow, my choir has our first concert. If I knew any of you in real life, I would tell you to come. But since I don't, stay the hell away. We will most likely be fantastical.

I don't really know what else to write about. I'm doing well. I had a nice nap today. I got my word goal met. Life is good. Now, I'm off to go finish reading a book.

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

In Which I Freak the Hell Out

Ugh. Ugh. Why me. No. Damn it. Ugh. What the hell!

So, I've figured out that the entire idea I had for the Forgotten Falls Trilogy (Enchant, etc.) may have to be... completely swiped and re-done. Well, some of it at least. Mainly the magical aspects of it. I don't know what the hell I am doing with the magic. I don't know anything about how the magic works, what kind of magic it is, pretty much nothing is what I know.

Enchant is turning out to be a more character driven novel anyway, but how can a book that is supposed to be about witches not focus on the magic? I'm thinking I am going to introduce her into the world in Enchant, and have her learn more as it goes along. I just need to figure out how I am going to do that.

Now, how do I keep going with NaNo with this glaring problem? I'm just going to write everything, save the magic, and then completely re-do it in a complete rewrite. Yay.

Thank you Kailia and Jennifer for helping me in my time of need tonight!

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

In Which My Ideas Must Take a Backseat

I wrote today! Yay! After a week of only 2K to call my own, I wrote almost 3K today. Yay me!

When I was not being distracted by Twitter, I was being distracted by other ideas. I want all of my ideas to be written, and I want them to be written now, but they can't be. I have to go one at a time, and I would love to get all the other ideas out of my head until it is their time, but they will not go away.

I thought about how Slice and Charmed are going to work out a little, and I am looking forward to writing them. For some reason, I decided that Charmed needed to be a series, and I already know how it is going to end. Yay.

As for Enchant, it is going well. My main character, Moon, is a whore. She went on three dates in one day, and all she thinks about is sex. That is, when she isn't having it. Oh well, I'll let her have her fun. Funny thing is, one of the people she went out with was killed by the second person she went out with, only a few hours later. Yay.

Anyway, I am happy to be back on track with the writing. I hope I can get a lot done this week, since this weekend I am booked. And then there is only one more week. Ahh!

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

In Which I Suck

I suck! How could I not blog for two days? Well, I guess I can kick that "blog every day of November" thing out the window. I will try to blog the rest of the month, however. I know you missed me, so I'll fill you in.

I have written a little over 2,000 words this week. Again, proving that I suck. But I am still ahead of schedule, so I'm not stressing out too bad. I just have to have a fantastic week next week. I wish I wrote more, I miss writing CLASSY lesbian sex scenes. I am just about to get to the part of the book where the story kicks into high gear, and I am really excited.

Reasons I didn't blog Thursday and Friday:

Thursday- I forgot.

Friday- After school (which got out before lunch), I went to my friends house with a few of my other friends. After that, we went to a movie and the mall. And then we went to my house for a while. It was midnight before they left, and I was too tired to do anything.

I hope you guys still love me!

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

In Which I Entertain You With Stories From My Life

So today, I didn't write a single word. No matter, as tomorrow is a half day! And I write mostly on weekends anyway, so it doesn't matter much. I'll do everything then. Now to interesting things...

I downloaded 19 more Glee songs today, making my current total 99 songs! I totally need another one, just to make it 100. Last night's Glee episode was my favorite from season 2 so far. For one reason: character progression. I feel like this season is too much about the music, which I know the first one was too, but I feel like the writers aren't trying very hard anymore. Also, my love for Katy Perry was refreshed after seeing Teenage Dream performed by Darren Chris. Now I want to watch the Very Potter musicals again.

Also, my choir's first concert is on Wednesday, one week from today. I am NERVOUS! Even though I don't have a solo this time, I am one of the FOUR tenors in the choir, and I have to sing a lot of the tenor parts, sometimes by myself. I've been listening to the other kids who are doing solos, and all of their songs are fantastic. I can't wait to hear them, especially my friend Megan, who is playing Zombie by The Cranberries. And she is no doubt better than the original song, which is very hard to do.

Thirdly, I got my report card for this quarter today. And since my stupid science teacher, who crashed a plane several years ago, gave me a B+. Thank you Senor, thanks to you I have a 3.8338 as my GPA. How am I supposed to get into college with that! My mother wants to get me a tutor, no joke. My other grades were as follows... Algebra: A-, Biology: A, Computer Apps: A, Economics: A, Foods (Cooking): A, Honors English: A, Choir: A-. How awesome is that!

I printed a lot of song lyrics today. They include Zombie by The Cranberries, Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, Baby by Justin Bieber, Firework by Katy Perry (WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO, I LOVE IT!), Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne, The Past by Nevershoutnever, Animal by Neon Trees, Paparazzi by Lady Gaga, Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, and See You Again by Miley Cyrus. I can't wait to sing them all.

Which brings me to something else. Today, I started singing Teenage Dream, thanks to Darren Chris, and I kinda started a giant singing session of that song. I was so proud.

Wow, I have lots of things to say. This morning, I walked into a room where my seven year old sister was watching the Whip My Hair music video. I was really proud. I should print THOSE lyrics.

One more thing, my strange family is celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. What are we, Canadians? No, that is my other side of the family. I honestly have no idea why we are doing this, but it does mean I get TWO Thanksgivings, which is fine with me.

I lied. THIS is the last thing. My friend Jackie edited my thesis essay for A Raisin in the Sun, and completely destroyed it. Apparently it was REALLY bad. I can't wait for her to give me opinions on my books and such *cringes*. Thanks for being so critical, Jackie.

So, I guess that is all I have to say. I hope I entertained you with this post.

See you tomorrow,
Alyxandru

In Which News and Popsicle Sticks Take the Spotlight

So I didn't write a lot of words today either, but I did manage around 1,400, which I am going to say is fine. At least it wasn't 200 again. But that isn't really why we are here is it? No, we are here for NEWS! Because I have lots of it.

1. I am now an intern at Book Cents Literary Agency. Yay me! I'll be reading and reviewing books and manuscripts and such, and then discussing them with Christina (the literary agent), and the rest of the reviewer people. Pretty cool stuff.
2. I have a new banner and blog name for this blog. Pretty cool stuff.
3. I have deleted The Deceased. It wasn't really a good idea, and even though a few thousand of my words are lost forever, I can focus on writing stuff that is actually good... or can be with time. Pretty cool stuff.
4. I've realized I write better and faster on weekends, in the morning, which leads me to today's advice.

• Find out when you write the most and the best, and then write as much as you can at that time. After the morning (and my five cups of coffee) start to wane, I start losing focus, making it nearly impossible for me to get anything done.

I hope you have enjoyed the news.

See you tomorrow,
Alyxandru

WAIT! I almost forgot to talk about my popsicle stick addiction. Yes, you heard right. I have a popsickle stick addiction. I literally have a bag of them, and I just sit there chewing them. I have sores in my mouth, slivers in my lips, and all sorts of cuts, but I just can't stop. I've tried gum, jaw breakers, actual food, but nothing can help.

In Which I Talk About My Stupidity

So today I wrote OVER 200 WORDS! Yay me! Now I know you're probably thinking "and he's proud of that why?". Well, I would probably think that too if I weren't myself. I was planning on writing 2,000 words today, but was overloaded with homework (which I honestly could have done in half an hour if Twitter hadn't distracted me), and didn't have time. Then my plan was to not write at all. But then I decided to write for a few minutes, which created those new 200 words.

I guess this doesn't count as my break day for this week.

In other news, Alyssa Kirk (Teens Read and Write), a fabulous blogger, recently landed an agent, Michelle Wolfson, who also represents Kiersten White, author of Paranormalcy. Hearing this news got me excited, and made me realize what I am doing this all for.

But then I did something stupid. I went to Michelle Wolfson's website, which led me to go to other literary agents' sites. I was skimming through their submission guidelines, seeing which books were represented by which agents, and soon I was lost in it all.

And I shouldn't be doing any of that. I should finish a first draft, make that first draft into something awesome after TONS of editing and rewriting and crying and diet coke and coffee and candy, and THEN I will be to the point where I should even be THINKING of agents and all that garb.

So my advice for today is:

• Just write. Worry about everything else later. You're job is a writer, not a published author. Enjoy the freedom of having no deadlines or contracts. Some aren't that lucky.

See you tomorrow,
Alyxandru

In Which I Repeat Myself and Give Encouragement

What is that? Oh yeah, it's called MUSIC TO MY EARS!

This excites me to no end, seriously. I am 2x ahead of schedule, and at this pace, I will finish my novel next week. I probably won't, though. But how cool would that be? Also, I feel like I wrote that yesterday. Oh well, I deserve to repeat myself.

So what should I do with all this spare time? Oh yes, keep writing at the same pace. Just because I can afford to take a break, doesn't mean I will. Most novels are not 50,000 words, and I doubt mine will be. So my goal is to finish the first draft in November, even if it exceeds 50,000 words. Because I want this book to be written. I love writing it, but I want to get this rough draft done so I can make it... less rough. Because it's not too fantastic the way it is.

I hope you guys are tackling NaNo with ease, and don't worry if you aren't. You have time!

See you tomorrow,
Alyxandru

In Which I Talk About Goals and the Evil That is Twitter

Today I created some of the best writing I think I have ever made. Sure there was that one erotic scene, and everyone seemed to be crying the entire time, but it is some of my best writing and by far the best work in Enchant so far.

It just shows that you become a better writer with practice. And I've had my share of writing practice in the last five days.

I wrote a lot today, 5,000 words. It's a lot of words. And tomorrow, 5,000 words is my same goal. You know why? Because with those next 5,000 words, I will hit 25,000 words, making me half done with NaNoWriMo. In less than a week.

NaNoWriMo has already made me a better writer, and it is also making me a faster writer. My sanity is still in tact and I love writing even more now.

Here is today's advice:

1. Set a goal and stick with it. Today after I had written about 2,000 words, I was ready to stop. But I had told myself earlier in the day that I would write 5,000 words today. And I did it, which I am so happy about.
2. Don't worry about the NaNoWriMo site. It goes up and down all the time, so instead of reloading the page, just write and update your word count later.
3. Stay away from twitter. I probably could have doubled today's word count if I hadn't been checking my @ replies every five minutes.

I hope everyone is doing great with their NaNo projects. Just so you know, three new books have been added to the updated "My Books" tab. They are cool ideas that I can't wait to get working on.

Til tomorrow,

Alyxandru

In Which I Talk About De-suckifying Plans and The Vampire Diaries

Got back to writing today. Got a little under two-thousand words, which is just fine. My goal is to have 25,000 done before I sleep on Sunday, meaning I will be half done with NaNo by the first week. Wouldn't it be cool if I could finish in half the time I am allowed? Then I could work on de-suckifying the book. 


My break yesterday really put me in the mood to get writing again, which is awesome. It lets me know that the story wants to be written and I am not forcing it. I made a few awesome realizations today, which I can't wait to write into the story.

Today's advice is...

1. Give yourself rewards when you hit your writing goal.

My rewards are simple. Every few hundred words, I let myself check twitter. Today, my mom bought me Origins (The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, #1), which I can't wait to read. Unfortunately, I need to get caught up on the show, which is what I am doing tonight. I have about twelve episodes I need to watch before I'm all caught up.

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

P.S. I made some changes to the "My Books" tab. Check it out.

In Which I Contradict Myself

So I guess blogger is acting strange since it seems to have reverted back to what it used to be when you make a new post. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, today I decided I didn't want to write. I have had this feeling the past few days, but I pushed myself to do it and had fun just like I did the first day of NaNo. But then I realized I had written so much so quickly that I was going to burn myself out.

So I'm taking a break. It's not a crazy week-long, going to ruin NaNo break. It's just one day. And I've decided to let myself have one day off every week. That should be just fine, especially with the rate I am writing at.

So here is today's advice, which goes against everything I have just said...

1. Write every day, even when you don't feel like doing it. For the past few days, I didn't really want to write, but when I made myself do it, I had a blast and got a lot done. So just do it.

See you tomorrow,

Alyxandru

Hey Look, I Found a Quarter!

I love NaNoWriMo. So freaking much. I was such a loser, telling myself I am a slow writer and I can't do jack shit. Well, I can write really fast. And it isn't that hard. And here is a big announcement...

I am already one forth done with NaNoWriMo. On day three. Hell freaking yes. I hope you guys are doing well, because if you tell yourself you can do it, you can.

Here are some more tricks I've learned...

1. Tell yourself you will write X amount of words in X amount of time. And do it. Chances are, you will be able to.
2. Sprint. Don't do long writing sessions, you will get distracted.
3. Know where you want your story to go, but don't force it to go that way if it starts going a different way.
4. Just DO IT!

And that is my amazing post, which hopefully helped you.

Jackie is also blogging everyday about NaNo. Read her posts. They are really spiffy. See them here.

That Wasn't So Hard!

You guys are all big fat liars! Everyone kept talking about how hard NaNoWriMo is. Well, it isn't. Not so far, at least! 


On the first day of NaNoWriMo 2010, I wrote 6,711 words. That is around 13%. I think that is pretty damn good. If I keep up this rate, I should have my 50,000 done in about eight days. But that is never going to happen, and I know it. I am probably going to be stressing out during the last few days of November just like most people, trying to squeeze out those final words. 


I am keeping my goal at 2K per day. I have proved to myself that it is manageable and with the head start I already have, I should be able to win NaNo.


Some things I have learned from my first day of NaNoing are as follows...

1. Have a few pillows to sit on. Your ass WILL hurt. 
2. Candy is not a sustainable substance to eat the entire day. It will make you want to make yourself puke.
3. Don't go into it with a negative attitude. If you don't think you're gonna do well, you probably won't.
4. Get a buddy to word war with. Almost all of my writing was done during word wars with Jackie that lasted from half an hour to an hour. They help a lot.
5. (From Jackie) Make sure you know what you are going to write before you write it. Outlining helps.

One reason it has been so easy for me is because I love what I am writing. I already know the characters well and they are already making me fall in love with them. I am weaving in intricate plot points that will no doubt be a big deal later in the book into the story now. I WANT to write this book. 


If you don't want to do NaNo because you keep hearing how hard it is, don't worry. I know it is just one day in, but if you know what you are going to write and are excited to write it, you should be able to do it! Just keep writing!


See you tomorrow,

It's Finally Here! The First Day of NaNo!

Well, last night I had a good time with my friends. I unfortunately had to leave all the fun a little early, but no matter. That gave me an excuse to stay up til midnight and start working on Enchant. By the way, I am writing this at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night. 


Tonight, I dressed up as spongebob. I went with my friend (and co-writer on a book we're writing in 2011) Jackie, who's blog you should really check out, as her posts are much better than mine. And several other people, but they don't have awesome writing blogs like me and Jackie.


Anyway, it is the first day of NaNoWriMo! Here are some things that will keep me sane...

1. The 24 pack of diet coke I bought.
2. A bag of fresh Halloween candy (plus twenty-five cents from the dude who ran out of candy)
3. A good book to read when I finish my goal (first one is Wither by Lauren DeStefano, can't wait to read it!)
4. Jackie, and all the other fellow Wrimos. But especially Jackie. We've promised to call each other after we reach our goals every day and talk each other through the madness.
5. You guys! Whether you are doing NaNo or not, I know you guys will be great and supportive as usual.
6. The fact that I know I will not let myself sleep until I have written at least 1,500 words every day. I will aim for 2,000, but I know that will not always be possible so 1,500 is still a good goal.

Anyway, I can't wait to start Enchant. I have a feeling it's going to be my best yet, even though it is going need to be edited with a chainsaw when NaNo is all said and done. 

Lastly, my favorite book series EVER, Secret Circle by LJ Smith is being adapted by the CW and being made into a television show. I blogged about it here.

Good luck to everyone doing NaNo this year, we can do it together!


Almost forgot... you can add me as a writing buddy on NaNo if you want! My username is AlyxBennett