One Last Petal

Well, folks, this will be my last post of the year. I've certainly not been as consistent as I would have liked, but it has been a year full of ups and downs so I think I did okay overall. I know this has been a tough year for a lot of people, and the world is still reeling from the many deaths of famous people whose talents we have enjoyed. I experienced this on a more personal level as well with the loss of my grandmother early on in the year. More than that though, I'd like to think I've learned a lot about myself this year. I've learned to be a better friend. (I hope.) I had a falling out with a friend early in the year. In my younger days, I would have responded in anger, and let that anger destroy our friendship completely. Instead, we still talk, albeit not as frequently as before, and I still care deeply for her and try my best to help her when I can. I still mourn the fact that a case of miscommunication led to the disagreement at all, but I'd like to th

Lest We Forget What do we forget when we remember What are the stories left untold What do we think each November As we march down that glory road As we march down that gory road One hundred million Don’t come home from war Another eight hundred million Who lived to bear its scar Who lived to bear its scar Lest we forget What they were dying for Lest we forget What they were killing for Lest we forget What the hell it was for   What do we forget when we remember… Owen Griffiths The War to End All Wars. The Great War. The War of the Nations. World War One. It's been known by many names over the years, but mostly by the last one. World War One. Signifying that it wasn't the "war to end all wars" after all. Another came after it. And mor

Good morning all! NaNoWriMo started on Tuesday and I've been doing pretty well so far. I wrote double my word count goal on the first day to get myself a running start, as it were, and I've managed to make word goal everyday so far. And I'm rather impressed with the way I've worked in some Firefly references, and I even have a character named "Simon". That being said, I'm not really feeling the story. It almost seems like there's a discontent to my writing at the moment. Maybe it's just because I haven't written in so long and once I get going, it will settle into a better rhythm. Things just seem choppy and unnatural at the moment. However, I won't let it discourage me. After all, this is merely a rough draft to get the story down and we can work on more poetical writing in the revision months.  Here's a short excerpt from what I've written so far: What happened next about the little transport ship is probably best left to

Let's talk about scheduling. I know, I know, it sounds terrifying. But remember that massive goal of 50,000 words you set yourself? You're going to need help. If you don't have a job or school, then awesome, maybe you will have time to sit and write all day, but a lot of us don't. And are you being efficient, sitting there all day? How much time are you wasting on social media and "research"? Let's face it - having a schedule is going to help. Trust me. Set yourself a specific time to do nothing but write. No chores, no phone calls, no Facebook, no research. Just write. Every time you think of something else that needs doing, make a note of it and do those after. Make lovely big notes to yourself in your writing about things you want to edit or research later. But keep writing. Your time is precious, make it count. Why? Because we all know how easy it is to put things off. "Oh, I just need to do one more load of laundry before I write." &qu

October basically serves one purpose - preparation for NaNoWriMo . There are a lot of different theories out there for what needs to be done before one delves body, mind, and soul into November. Planners, those who like to have detailed outlines at hand before they start writing, spend October working on those. Pansters, writers who fly by the seat of their pants, allowing their plot to be tossed about by every wind of virtue, spend October catching up on sleep and TV shows. Plantsers, those like myself who are a mix of both, do some pre-planning, but allow for the story to wend where it will. Whatever category you are in, it's always good to take care of a few things before November strikes and you have no time for anything else. Here are a few things I like to do: Tell family and friends that I'm doing NaNo . This has a two-fold purpose: Accountability, and they already expect it when I say "no" to the countless invites as the holidays approach. Speaking of

Lately I've been trying to find more books in my genre, the genre I hope to someday be published in. I have a tendency to read historical, classics, even the occasional fantasy book. None of which are overly helpful in showing me what sort of elements are key components in mystery/action books. I've read a few recently that I've enjoyed - The first Jack Reacher novel, which is no surprise, as well as a spin-off novel by Diane Capri. However, today, I'm going to talk about things I've learned from a book I didn't  enjoy as much: The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd. This was set up with lots of promise: Noah Boyd was once an FBI agent, so he had working knowledge of what he was writing about, the jacket blurb sounded really interesting, and Lee Child wrote a commendation for the cover. I enjoyed the story: ex-FBI agent brought in to work behind the scenes to help catch a group of murderers/extortionist. It was fast paced, had moments of humor, and the right number of

Hello all!  First of all, I'd like to apologize for my unannounced hiatus. Life suddenly got very busy, and instead of trying to fit in a few scattered posts, I opted to just take the summer off and enjoy the adventures. (Hint: they involved princes, fancy dresses, friends, cuddly things, and even a trip across an ocean!) I'll fill you in more about that all later, but for now, we need to address that most important events that is already breathing down our necks: NaNoWriMo.  If you don't know what that is, go check it out  here . Basically, it's a world-wide challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. It's all about getting your  story out, without fear or inhibitions. I encourage you to try. Even if you only get 5000 words or 5, it's still a start. And I believe in you.  This year's theme is Space, and as soon as I saw that I got a brilliant idea: Why not write a space-themed story? I've been playing around with my usual cast of cha

So, I've got nothing wonderful and prolific for you today. I nearly forgot about posting today in the craziness that has been life lately. Instead, you get a random brain sketch of some character interactions. Sorry for the lack of descriptions, it just sorta came to me and I enjoy watching the Colt and Topside together, so I thought I'd actually write this one down, but of course, I lost most of the dialogue as soon as I started typing. “Let’s roll!” Topside barely heard the Colt’s call as he considered the weasel of a man before him. How he had the audacity to say such things... “Yeah, I thought you couldn’t take it,” the man sneered. “Any time, any place,” Topside retorted, his muscles tensing for a fight. “I said - let’s go.” The Colt appeared beside him, acting as though the other man wasn’t even there. “Aww look, you got your mom to come rescue you, isn’t that nice?” the man taunted. Topside tried to step past the Colt to take a swing at the man, but she s

Today I have a story to tell you guys. I’m a bit of history buff at times and I recently attended a talk given by a local author and researcher regarding a major historical event for this region. I spoke briefly with the author, Janet Maybee, after the presentation. Aside from being quite passionate about her topic, she was very sweet and encouraging, and I’m still fangirling a little bit over meeting a Real Author. You know, one of the Published Ones. But anyway, this is about the story she felt needed to be told, not mine, so, without further ado: December 6, 1917, began like most other mornings in Halifax as the Great War raged on across the seas. People got up and went about their business, doing their part for the war effort, despite the plea in every heart that it would just end. The harbour was particularly busy at this time as hundreds of ships gathered to form convoys, trusting in the safety of numbers to fend off the the horror that lay beneath the Atlantic Ocean - the G

Progress!! Hurrah!! Except, there hasn't been as much progress as there should have been this month, unfortunately. I knew that the first part of the month would be busy with family-related things, and various distractions from Real Life, which is why I made my goal rather low. I didn't expect quite so much to happen, pulling me away from my nice quiet evenings of writing. Life seems to be settling a little bit now, so I'm confident I can get back on track before the end of the month, especially as there are two Saturdays in there with no plans at the moment. Other than helping a friend move. Oops. Probably shouldn't have offered to help in April... In terms of the story, I think it's progressing fairly well. Perhaps a little more slowly than I had anticipated, but based on previous critiques, earlier exposition seemed like a good idea. My goal is to have a good solid base for the trilogy, so that I don't have to worry about remembering to explain th

As I’m writing their story for my Camp NaNo project, now seems as good a time as any to tell you all about the cutest couple ever. (The Author would here like to state that she totally isn’t biased, what are you talking about?) “Trap” is the official ship name of Topside and Raven, two very different people from separate universes who met in a role playing thread, and despite all the trouble this would cause their Authors, couldn’t help but fall in love. Topside is a little over thirty years old, and a former USAF test pilot. He continues his risk-taking career as a member of an elite task force.  Despite his daredevil tendencies, he’s quite laid back and gets along with pretty much everyone. He can be rather stubborn and fiercely loyal, rarely backing down from a fight if it involves someone he cares about. However, it isn’t often that he takes offence personally, and is slow to anger. At 6’3, Topside is taller than most, but his height is tempered by his broad shoulders and lean

Sunday started off perfectly.  I was visiting my boyfriend's family, which is always a pleasant time. Breakfast was a cozy affair, with plenty of coffee, then it was off to church. Everyone there is very welcoming, and after the morning service, there was a fellowship lunch (aka potluck). I talked to an exchange student from Thailand, snuggled a baby, coerced boyfriend (Killian) into bringing me more coffee - all normal, mundane things. Bible study followed lunch - they are discussing Colossians at the moment. And I was happy. I was looking forward to a quiet afternoon with my boyfriend, maybe taking a drive around the countryside as it was too cold for a walk, and a relaxing evening after, chatting with his parents before returning home for work Monday. Everything was right in my little corner of the world. Until I looked at my phone. I had a message from a friend. Things had just gone horribly wrong in her corner of the world, and they would never be the same again. I crumble

Finding Raven *drumroll please* Ta-da! Here's the big reveal of my CampNaNo April 2016 project!! Characters from all sorts of genres find themselves dropped into a tiny corner of the world. There, a young girl, the raven spirit bearer, and a military test pilot find themselves falling in love. There is a place, that is neither very far nor very near, in which worlds meet without any of the usual unfortunate happenings that generally accompany such things. It should also be known that, other than a few rare exceptions, such as poor cellular service or the atmosphere not quite agreeing with one, one can generally expect that whatever abilities one has in one’s own world will work exactly the same here. Money isn’t required here: there is nothing to buy. Nor are phones or any other such commodities of any use. What is needed here, is found here; or it is found that it isn’t needed here. Known as “The Corner”, because it lies at the corner of all the worlds, it

Trouble in Bookland: Part One by Marlene Simonette First of all, I would just like to say that I am honored to know this young and talented author personally. I met her last year through the NaNoWriMo forums and she is one of those with whom I have stayed in contact over the past several months. Her joie de vivre and vivid imagination are easy to see even in just how she interacts online, and are among the reasons I was looking forward to the release of her first book so much.  Trouble in Bookland  fulfills the dreams of so many authors and readers - it offers a place where writers and characters can interact in the world together. Thirteen-year-old author Linda is taken to this wonderful land for her birthday, and while she's there, adventure ensues, just as it should. While dealing with something from her past, Linda must grow as an author in order to defeat a villain that seems intent on destroying book worlds.  This is a fun little story (only took me around an hour to re

If you don't know about National Novel Writing Month, then you need to head  here  right now. Yes, forget about me, and go get lost in the wonder that is NaNoWriMo, writing 50,000 words during the month of November. It's a fun challenge to leave your inner editor behind and just let your story out. It's a race against yourself  to finally  write that book you've always said you would (or at least get a good head start on it!). But mostly, it's a world-wide community of like-minded people who are just as introverted, crazy, and obsessed about their own characters as you are. Camp NaNoWriMo is also run by the same people, but just as summer camp was a time to relax and play in the mud, so is Camp NaNo a less formal version of the November challenge. Personally, as much as I enjoy NaNo, I love  Camp. You get to pick your own goal, so if you aren't ready to tackle 50,000 words in one month, this is a great place to start. Not only that, but there's a stronger

I picked up this book on novel writing by Walter Mosley the other day at the library. I was looking for another one, (which I didn't find, sadly), when this one stood out. It's small, but the affirmative wording of the title drew me to pick it up (Clever, Mr. Mosley, clever). I read it in just a couple of hours this morning, the blizzard outside giving me a great excuse to curl up with hot chocolate and a book. It's not full of profound wisdom nor overly burdened with examples or "must do's", which I found made it all the more enjoyable. The straight-forward wording is something that I relate to, and the example that were given were clearly laid out. It's not a workbook or a reference guide, just a simple presentation of the basics of novel writing, along with a forthright assumption that you will now go write your novel. A few things that I hope to take with me from reading it: 1. Write every day. Mosley suggests a minimum of one and half hours a day.

Bonjour! I'm known as Belle; because I view the character as part alter-ego, and part role model. I've always admired her - not just for her love of books, but for the way she isn't afraid to stand up for what's right.  I'm a writer, who hopes to someday be an author and dreams of being published at some point in that oh so vaguely defined future.  I've always had various stories playing in my head; getting them down on paper is where the trouble lies. I get distracted by plot bunnies and Real Life gets in the way. That's where this blog comes in. My hope is that I will use this to keep myself organized and somewhat accountable.  Over the next few weeks, I'll tell you more about some of my writing projects and introduce to you a number of my characters. In the meantime, poke around and feel free to ask me any questions. Thanks for stopping by! ~Belle