NaNo Or Not NaNo?

These days when I read my friends' blogs or emails, it's pretty obvious, that I'm not the first to ask myself this question.

If you wonder, what the hell I'm talking about, check this out:

Last year I did my first NaNo - successfully! It was literally a last minute decision, the circumstances were quite differently back then: I had a fantastic plot idea and NaNo was just perfect to let the story burst out of my head straight into the challenge. If you want to read the whole journey, check these out:

01 Nov. 2010: NaNo Writing Month
08 Nov. 2010: The First Week With NaNo
14 Nov. 2010: Week Two With NaNo
22 Nov. 2010: NaNo, Lucky Number 3?
28 Nov. 2010: Week Four With NaNo
30 Nov. 2010: Official NaNo Winner

What gone is gone, let's better talk about current events: NaNo 2011. For sure, this year I did a few challenges:

16 Jan. 2011: February Journaling Challenge.
09 March 2011: 1st Anniversary. 7 Links Challenge.
28 March 2011: April ABC Challenge.
05 September 2011: I'm Back For The 7-Sins-Challenge.

...but somehow my focus was/is more on Art Journaling than writing. In addition, I even made a blogging summer break and focused totally on reading!

I'd say, this trend is continuing, I leave out the NaNoWRITING-Month, instead I join in the NaNoJOURNALING-Month.
I already know, that I won't be able to post perfectly on every single day (like I did in our own FJC), but stay tuned, I let you know my progresses, my successes, my failures, everything interesting and my artworks (maybe *g*)!

No matter, if you join in NaNoWriMo or NaNoJouMo or nothing at all ... be creative ... be lazy ... just enjoy your time ... and I wish you a wonderful November!


xoxo Karin

P.S. Happy Halloween!

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100 Books Make Not A Library...

...but a good start!

Some drum rolls please!
Here, on this last October weekend I proudly like to announce, that I've done my Reading Challenge 2011 - successfully!

As long as I can think (... or let's better say read) I've always been a book worm. When I started this Reading Challenge, I considered 52 books, 1 book per week, doable and realistic, but not a chance for 100 books!

Just a few weeks ago, I was halfway through the epic Ulldart series, I doubted - again. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely fell in love with the world of Ulldart and I can't wait to read it soon again. You know, I have that bad habit, when I love a book (or a book series) very much, it's all about the story - first! I simply have to know, how the story continues. Will all my heroes/heroines, separated by dramatic fates really find their way back together in order to unite their forces and fight the evil and defeat the villain? And how for heaven's sake will these tricky situations ever work out well??? In case of English books I don't even care about any missing vocabulary. Evenings, nights and weekends are filled with fast reading and very little sleep!

After I'd satisfied my curiosity and calmed down my anxiety, I can give the book a second go. Now I'm able to pay attention to details, to the beauty and the style of writing and even some important vocabs. I'm not only a book worm, I'm a double-crazy book maniac!

And I'm loosing track ... focus! The Ulldart books made me doubt on the 100-book-mark, because every book has something between 400 and 650 pages. Remember, there are 9 of them! And when I take a look on my book list, there's rarely a book with under 200 pages! That I've come this far at all is only the result of my 'summer break', where I didn't feel inspired to write or blog, plus a really awful TV program and miserable summer weather, instead I did my reading - a lot of reading!

During my Ulldart time I can remember writing to a friend something like 'I should better read thin children's books.'! At that time I didn't really mean what I wrote. Right after finishing Ulldart (*sigh*) came the usual question: 'What's next?', somehow those one line had stuck in my head.

I took a closer look on my 2nd row books (Note: I really need bigger book shelves!). It's difficult to say, when I've read those Pucki and Hanni & Nanni books the last time - must have been centuries! I came to those conclusions:

1. How innocent and naïve are these stories - in a wonderful and very lovely way!
2. How fast and easy you can fill your 100-book-list, when one book has only 120 something pages!

So, my dear book friends, here I am ... I've really done 100 books ... and there are still two months left! Unbelievable!

Lots of love & keep reading!


Karin

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WQ-22. Never Written Scene(s).

30 Days Of Writing Questions 22. Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written or told anyone about before! Serious or not.

If we speak here of 'Deleted Scenes' or 'Bonus Scenes', then...

1. I mainly write short stories, it's a little difficult to cut out big scenes! And when you add bonus scenes, it's no longer a short story, right?
2. When I think of my one and only existing novel, I'm not yet ready to cut out anything ... I'm still adding and adding. Let's later, much later speak about editing and deleting scenes!

If we speak here of literally 'never written' scenes, then I wonder, what the sense of this question is?!? I mean, is it a scene an author considered and never wrote, because it's too ridiculous, too sexy, too embarrassing, too whatever? Honestly, which author wants to talk about scenes like that?

I came up with another 'if': If we speak here of plot ideas, character notes, dream sequences and similar stuff, which are written down somewhere in a notebook to keep it for later, but never published ... well, then I have to say: Yes, I do have such a book, where I scribble down my ideas and notes and dreams, and this one I do NOT publish, never! Not a chance! In the end somebody else 'borrows' my secret thoughts, makes a book out of it and earns millions with MY idea! Don't even think about it!

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Wreck This Journal: Document A Boring Event In Detail.

No, I didn't reinvent the wheel ... it's just a detailed report about the most boring speech I've ever been forced to attend to!

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Wreck This Journal: Use This As A Test Page.

From various other pages of my WTJ I've picked up here a background, there a material, then some elements, added some glitter, stickers and gemstones ... and here it is: My Test Page Mandala.

I've just added layer after layer and now I think, it's finished!

*hmm* Somehow I wished to re-do that page ... the initial idea sounded better than the result now is! I'd say, this is my least favorite WTP-page.

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WQ-21. Character's Children.

30 Days Of Writing Questions 21. Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

Strange question. I slowly begin to wonder, who came up with those questions first?

Anyway, I'd say this question depends on the point of view. When I think of my main characters, none of them has children or cubs. But my supporting acts has children, like in my 'Voodoo Island' Richard O'Connell has a daughter called Cathryn.

Cathryn, who's supposed to be my main character, for her I used several techniques to 'write' her, e.g.:

• Personal CV incl. her look
• Chart with all her connections/relationships to family, friends and other characters in the story
• Profile with strengths and weaknesses, favors and dislikes, abilities and handicaps.

Depending of how important a character is in my stories, I'd use more or less the same techniques, no matter if it's an adult or a child!

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Wreck This Journal: This Space Is Dedicated To Internal Monologue.

"To Wreck Or Not To Wreck, That Is The Question!"

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WQ-20. Favorite Character Interaction.

30 Days Of Writing Questions 20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?

THE CLASSICAL POINT OF VIEW
My first ideas for character interactions were scenes containing love, romance, conflicts, intrigues, fights, etc. between two or more people. But when I thought about all the various possibilities and the emotions connected with them, I came to the conclusion, that I don't have a favorite interaction ... not in the pretty obvious sense.

MY PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW
What I really love to write are interactions where a character meets nature, environment or objects. I love to play with the impressions, that the five senses give the particular person in such a situation/scene. I indulge to write, what can be seen, smelt, heard, tasted and felt. Plus the characters' reactions (appropriate or not).

I just have to think on 'The Perfume' by Patrick Sueskind. A wonderful book with the focus on the smell. It's amazing, how the author shows us the world of Jean-Baptiste Grenoille through his nostrils. At least I don't know any other book focusing so much on only one sense, this book is really unique and the joy of reading is immense!

This book is one of my role models, where the use of your senses makes a story interesting. That's why I love to write this type of character interactions.

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Wreck This Journal: Trace Your Hand.

I knew very early, how I want to design that page ... then finally I felt inspired to finally make it. For the background I used yellow and red 'Strohseide', on a seperate piece of paper I traced my hand and draw the Mehndi with a brown Stabilo pen. Add some shadows and ribbons ... and that's it!

Originally I also wanted to add some gemstones, but for my taste it would have been to much! Hope you like it?!?

P.S. I tried to find out, what's the correct English term for 'Strohseide', word by word translation would be 'straw silk'. It's silky, transparent and fibrous, like pieces of straw were woven in silky paper.

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