Progress Report for Skoora

I'm over the halfway mark on my first semester in the Solstice MFA program.  I have about ten books left to read (I'm behind, unfortunately) and I have five craft analyses under my belt, one pedagogical response finished, three cover letters, one artists statement, and somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty pages toward my novel.  There are more pages than that, but those are incomplete scenes and chunks of notes.  On the whole I have to say that distance learning with a mentor has really worked well for me.  It was new and I was unsure at the beginning but I enjoy the back and forth of the cover letter and have found Steve Huff's comments to be incredibly helpful.  His critiques are honest but not rude.  He doesn't skirt around issues and, when necessary, he offers reasons behind his assessments.  It's been a wonderful journey so far and I'm a little sad that I only have two more packets to exchange with him.  That being said, I need to get my rear in gear because I want to share brand new writing with him on this next packet as well as really start putting into practice the things that he's touched upon in his responses to my packets.

One thing that we discussed is narrative authority.  I tend to write 'somehow' and 'perhaps' when writing in observant third person and not writing directly from the characters experience.  This makes it sound as if I, the god-like narrator, does not know how or why something happens.  The character does not know these things, but the narrator definitely does.  This is something I definitely want to work on because a vast majority of the stories I want to write will depend greatly upon the credibility of the observer narrator.

This month is a Camp NaNoWriMo month and I am signed up with a 20,000 word goal.  Usually I try and crank out the 50K but since the majority of what I am writing right now is coming to me slowly and with much revision and polishing, I figured a smaller goal would be less stressful and much more feasible.  I'm curious about my fellow contributors: are any of you participating in NaNoWriMo this month and if so what kind of projects are you undertaking?  I am working on my dystopian novel as well as a few short stories that may be lead ins to future novel projects.  

© Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) 2013

STOP! NaNoWriMo Time!

     So many people I know are pulling their hair out already, and I have to wonder why. For those of you that are not a member of the self torture club known as NaNoWriMo, let me explain. The goal is to write at least 50,000 words in a month. No, it can't be the same word 50,000 times. The purpose of this month of writing abandon is to make yourself write. To turn off the inner editor and get the words out on paper, or in most cases, the hard drive. You can write whatever you want: fiction, short stories, non fiction, exceedingly long poems.

     Many of my friends sign up to do this year after year. For me, this is my fifth year, and I have won every year. I have never had a problem with just sitting with the laptop and letting my fingers tell a story. I have a rough idea and I let it take me where it wants to go. So why are my friends having so much trouble?

     I think one of the problems people have is the anticipation for the game to start. They have their notebook or flashcards filled to the brim with ideas and characters and amazing plot lines. They get 5,000 words or so in and BAM. Roadblock. And they don't know how to back up and go another direction.

     I admit that I get stuck occasionally. I write myself into a corner and have to stop and wonder what I just did. And sometimes that happens at 3 in the morning. So I hit "enter" a few times and get going again. I go with another character or a situation. I keep moving forward with the story, even if I now have to take the dirt road with all the bumps and dips. I'll still get to point "B," I've just decided to take the scenic route.

     The point is to not get discouraged and throw in the towel. There are 30 days in the month. Plenty of time to get back on track. And don't let the word count of others bother you. If you can only manage 2,000 words a day, you're still above the daily average. I am a person who writes at a fast pace and finish with my 50,000 words pretty early in the month. But I still keep going along with the story. I can't leave my little babies hanging. And if I can help others that are struggling, all the better.

     Just keep going and don't get discouraged. Before you know it you will cross the finish line and will have a goofy grin on your face. And then you will sleep soundly, knowing that you did something that not many people can do. You will have created something that came from your own imagination, your own experiences, and your own knowledge. And that is something to be very proud of.

Progress Report for Skoora

The goals that I actively worked on this past week were those toward grad school and finishing what I started.  I narrowed down my 19 potential grad schools to four, I purchased Poets & Writers and am using it as an MFA resource as well as a source of inspiration for potential contests.   As far as finishing things: I finished the Love Scene VS. Erotica series for our blog and have also taken on a variety of craft projects which I have finished.  I made post cards and wrote out small letters and words of love to my friends which is part of my writing goals as well - handwritten letters, and the fact that I began and finished the project in the same day gives me a bit of a boost.

Things that I need to work on this week for homework purposes: select one or two schools and apply.  This means securing two or three letters of recommendation as well as writing letters of intent and other essay responses for the application.  Also it means editing/looking over samples of my writing to be submitted with my application.  I could use some help in picking/polishing these samples just as I would love to get outside opinions for my intent letters.  It's kind of interesting when one realizes that the self absorbed profession of writing, which is glamorously seclusive, has a great deal to do with others after all.

Another thing I would like to work on is a word count total each week, much like what Crimson is doing.  I have a story that I am working on and would like to see it reach some kind of fruition whilst I work on my other goals.  I think a 5K word goal would be feasible but still force me to get some writing done.  I am only going to count words that go toward either of the two novels I am currently working on.  And I invite anyone contributing or reading this blog to smack me upside the head if I fail to meet this goal.  It's as simple as this: I want to/need to be a writer and a writer writes always.  Therefore, I cannot push that aside while working on grad school goals.  And as always, I need to work on time management.  It's getting better - at least I feel as though I'm actually making some good use of my time these days - but there is still much room for improvement in this area.

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012