I know we've got more than a few writers here and don't know if you've heard about this. National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Link below. - No cost, just registration. I've heard people ask about Transgender Fiction, well here's your opportunity to be part of the solution. Write it. I know I'm going to give it a try under my old (sic) name as my wife hates my new one.

http://nanowrimo.org/

Start thinking plot outlines now and November 1st, start writing.

I do this every year and can't recommend it highly enough. Such a good way to spend a month.

I've been meaning to do this for a long while now, - perhaps i might get to do it this year.

Well, I've decided to do it. Anyone else in?

Quote from: traci_k on October 09, 2015, 08:04:56 AM
Well, I've decided to do it. Anyone else in?

me!

Yes I'll give it a go, - I've got a few ideas for stories knocking around inside my head.

I discovered it last year in the middle of November, so I missed my opportunity to participate.  My story "Bobby the Aardvark" was already published so I couldn't submit that.  But I swore I would make the next one.

I have created an account over there and have committed to the process.

While the story I'm imagining isn't about transsexuality, it is about transition.  Just not the kind you might think.

I made an account, TheInvisibleWoman8765309.  Check it out and hopefully I can complete it.

-Sandy *TheInvisibleWoman8765309*

Just signed up user name is polish pub.

Anyone else wish to share their user names.

Still trying to flesh out the story in my mind but I think it's going to have a dual story line one of a Boy Scout working on his Eagle Project along with befriending a transgender girl who winds up helping him complete his project and a high school friendship/romance blossoms, set in a Southern fundamentalist community which will give the opportunity to show transphobia and provide information on the struggle trans people in general face, along with the best data we have available on gender identity.

My user name is GirlWithAPencil and I haven't a clue what I'm going to write at the moment.

And we're off!!!

I have given my story a name.  It is "Ship of Theseus", a speculative fiction about spirituality and computers.  I just started actually writing this morning.  So far, I'm past 1200 words.  I hope to get to 1700 before the end of the day.

Good luck to everyone in reaching their goal!

-Sandy (especially me!)

So how is everyone doing?  I'm off to a slow start because I haven't been well this week 

So far I've been keeping up.  I've exceeded my daily goal yesterday.  It was called Double Up Saturday, but I didn't double my WC.

I'm currently at 11,160.  This is turning out to be the challenge they say it is.  One of the things that keeps me going is the statement that this is just supposed to be a first draft.  Just get the words out of your head and on the page.  Right now about all I'm doing is writing scenes.  Fixing plot holes, stitching it all together, cleaning up, polishing are not part of it.  *Thank God!*

As trans people we know the power of persistence.  It's one of the skills that we learn.  It works.  Just keep typing!

-Sandy

The only way I could ever in my life pull off such an awesome feat as this, would be to not ever eat, sleep or pee ever again until its finished. In other words, I got too much goin' on to even consider trying it. I mean, I got a book I haven't even finished revising yet that I had originally wrote since I was 13 in middle school. A fantasy novel. My plan is to make it into an epic similar to what Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings is. Not sure if it will ever enjoy that same level of success, but heck, its worth a shot, right? I just would not be able to finish this in no friggin' sixty days! More power to all you authors out there who can!^^

~Nixy~

Wow Sandy you're doing better than me, - I've only got 6021 words on the page.  Unfortunately I've got this very bad habit of trying to put too much polish on a first draft instead of getting the basic story on the page.

King Phoenix, - I spent a year trying to pull a manuscript into shape for publishing and your description sounds about right; - not eating, sleeping & etc until it's done.  If you've got a book inside you it has a way of taking over.

Although, I'm not a participant in this event, I did start a new novel in the past couple of weeks. So far I'm at about 15,000 words. I'm trying to be more careful this time around and flesh out my characters better than with my other novels. So, I try and keep it at the scene level/character's POV. One per day. It keeps me active in the story and I believe I'm creating a better story than what I have produced in the past.

Cindy!

I haven't heard from you in a long time!  I hope all is well with you.

What other novels, besides "Squirrel Cage" have you written?  As they available?  I'd like to read them.

This is my first NaNoWriMo and it's quite an effort to hit the daily goals.  I guess that's the idea.

-Sandy

I have the whole next chapter in my head, - I can see it and hear it unfold, - but do you think I can manage to write any of it down......... Oh dear me no 

Bloody narcolepsy.........

I too have a very difficult time writing the next chapter. I create note cards for up coming scenes by noting things that happen... just one liners for the scene. Then I "story board" the scenes by putting them in order. Sometimes I have an idea for a future scene. I create the note card, poke it on my story board at the bottom, and flesh out the scene with a rough draft. I use Scrivener software to do this on an Apple laptop. I also keep a running list of my characters, events, and foreshadowing, to make sure I keep things tidy and in sync.

I have a writers group this week and instead of presenting another scene from my novel, I believe I will take something from my journal and create a series of one paragraph scenes in different genres. My writing group is more oriented towards the compilation of personal history than writing fiction. So this will give them an idea that yes, there are genres and yes, they do not need to be an expert in each genre to appreciate them.

Sandy, I have three novels on Amazon and some short stories. The novels are the "Dimensional Shift" trilogy under the pen name Michelle Stone. The short stories are under the pen name "Charlene Rugeri." My personal favorites of the stories are Christmas Coal and Teens Are Like That.

Cindy:

I will definitely check them out!  "Christmas Coal" sounds like it would be appropriate for the season.

I found Scrivener when I was getting ready to write "Bobby" and it was such a godsend!  I was trying to use word or some other word processor, but they just don't work like I think when I write.  It was the tool that let me express myself!  It's letting me plow ahead with "Ship of Theseus" because I can jump around from scene to scene.

-Sandy

When i first started writing I was very much pen and paper and it took me a long time for me to adjust to using anything which didn't have the same intimate connection as writing directly on the page.  I started to use typewriters, - mostly ancient electric typewriters I pulled out of the neighbourhood trash collections and repaired, - then finally moved onto using various old IBM computers I built up and repaired from scavenged parts.  I used DOS wordprocessors for ages and liked their basic simplicity.  My favourite was 'Easywriter' and I stuck with DOS long into the Windows era until friends hauled me kicking and screaming into modern times and I finally purchased a brand new Compaq computer.
Right from the start I hated MS Word and I used 'Starwriter' instead, but still wasn't that happy with Windows type wordprocessors.  For a while I used Linux and my writing was done with 'Abiword' which I again liked for its simplicity.  These days I'm back on Windows again and I'm using a Chrome app called 'Writer' which looks and works very much like the old DOS wordprocessors I used to use and love.
I looked at 'Scrivener', but it's just too much interface between me and getting words down on the page for me to even consider it.