NaBloPoMo | BulgingButtons

November 12, 2013
by BulgingButtons 4 Comments

Two Freeway Nightmares

I’ve just woken up from my second vivid dream, nightmare really, involving driving on the freeway. Ok, I’m listening. I will slow down. I will pay meticulous attention. I do not wish to live out either scenario, although the second is far preferable to the first.

Nightmare number 1: I’m driving along on a familiar freeway, in the middle lane, going south. My attention is diverted for a split second. I look up and there is a man standing by the driver’s door of his stalled white pickup truck directly in front of me. I’m going too fast. I wake up.

Nightmare number 2: I’m riding with my mother on an unfamiliar freeway (impossible, she doesn’t drive on freeways). In the middle distance I notice cars are having trouble with a high point in the road. As we get to this spot the minivan ahead of us goes airborn. We see the bottom of the van looming in front of us. They manage to land. Mom manages to stop without it hitting us. Both of us badly shaken, I talk her through pulling off to the side so nobody hits us. Nobody does. I tell her she saved our lives. The back of the minivan opens. There is a dog crate in the back and kids in the seats. I think everyone is ok. I wake up.

For me, this is the real stuff of nightmares. I don’t generally dream of monsters or aliens. Usually I have pleasant dreams, but sometimes I dream of the things I fear. I fear getting into a bad accident. I will be careful. I will listen to my dreams, even when they are awful.

November 10, 2013
by BulgingButtons 9 Comments

Stranger in a Strange Land

I am having a minor freak out moment here. I am 17,000 words plus into my Young Adult novel that I’m writing. I’m doing it as part of NaNoWriMo, and for some foolish reason I think I can either complete the 50,000 word challenge or at least get close. I’m on the right pace, but not everyday turns out the same for writing. I mean, once all my original ideas have been written, then what?

That’s not the real problem, though. The 50,000 words all need to flow in a manner that tells a single story, and within that story convey multiple plot lines and characters. Words are easy. I can always find words (in spite of an earlier post wondering whether or not I would be able to do just that). It’s finding the right words that’s the problem.

I know, I’m supposed to suspend judgment and just write. Silence the inner editor and all that jazz. Got it. What I don’t have are novel writing skills. I’m floundering in the land of description and spending too much energy on back story. I know I need more action, but I’m not sure how to write it. How do I pace my scenes? How do I utilize dialogue effectively? How do I move the action from one point to another? How do I include the factual information necessary to understand the story? And on and on it goes. I have no idea how to craft a novel, this much is apparent.

For that reason, and that reason alone, I am freaking out. One thing that has helped me is the software I’m using, WriteItNow. It allows me to arrange my writing into chapters, gives me places for notes, setting, ideas, etc. It has screens that allow me to connect my characters together with all of their relationships, and offers so much more that I haven’t even scratched the surface of. And no, they’re not paying me to endorse them.

The other help has been my flow map of the story. I’m sure the software offers something very similar, but I didn’t take the time that I needed to learn how to do it. I just grabbed a pen and paper and started drawing my boxes, with each chapter’s main event summarized, so I can go back and add, delete, or change as necessary. For me this is far easier than an outline, but it still gives me the structure I need to make sure the story has continuity.

If you’re still reading, you deserve a medal. I feel a little better just getting my worries about this project off my chest. Now if I were a smart NaBloPoMo blogger, I would wait until tomorrow to post this, but I’m not. There will be more words tomorrow, I’m sure.

November 3, 2013
by BulgingButtons 9 Comments

Snarky Bloggers Need Not Apply

Actually “reply” probably makes more sense, but I didn’t want you, dear reader, to think I was talking about you. I wasn’t. I was actually talking to the “helpful” bloggers who want to rid the world of blog posts they deem unworthy. I’ve seen lots of snarky and sarcastic comments about blogs that I don’t think are helpful at all. Maybe I’m missing the point. Perhaps they have been offered as satire. But I sort of don’t think so.

Telling new parents not to write about their babies is advice that’s likely to fall on deaf ears. Their new child is a wonder, and they want everyone to know about the amazing transformation they are participating in every day.

Not everyone who writes a blog is looking to be the next _________ (fill in your favorite writer here). Many people blog to keep in touch with far away family and friends, others do it just to get all those words that are swirling around inside of their heads out for some fresh air. We don’t all wish to be critiqued, even if we do hope to be read.

I understand that the internet is a public forum and whatever you put out there is fair game, but to offer criticism in the guise of advice seems unfair to me. It’s like your mama told you, if you don’t have something nice to say (or at least respectful and productive), then keep your big yap shut. New parents will tell you about every little thing their genius progeny does, from his rolling tummy to back prowess to her revolting sensitivity to dairy products.

New parents aren’t the only ones who do this. I’m a quilter. I read a lot of quilt blogs. If I were a more involved quilter I’m sure I would write many more posts about quilting. Would my experience of running out of thread in the middle of a big project be earth shattering? If it is, it’s only in my eyes. Still, I may wish to blog about the situation. Does that make me a bad or boring blogger? Not automatically. You would still have to read my post to find out. If you’re interested, that is.

What it boils down to is this: I think readers can judge for themselves what content appeals to them. Telling bloggers that there are hard and fast rules of blogging seems counterproductive to me. Blogging allows for instant publishing for the people, by the people. It’s very democratic, and as such you, dear reader, have the option of reading along, participating in the discussion, or passing any particular content by. Give the people choice, I say, and keep writing those cute baby stories. People really do read them.