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Making A Workshop List

February 3rd 2010 12:06
As some of you already know, this year I want to do a workshop that lasts at least one week on my blog. These are meant to be intense, short workshops. In January I did a workshop on Organizing Your Novel, and this month I'll be doing a workshop on characterization. These workshops are designed to help writers with a first draft figure out what they want their story to look like in the next draft, and to help them figure their characters out as well.

I've come up with a theoretical list of workshops for the next year. I'm hoping for some input on what you think would be most useful. Take a look at my list and let me know what you think. Suggestions are welcome.

January-Organizing your novel
February-Characterization
March-Editing
April-Developing a Religion
May-Dear Diary Workshop
June-Developing Mythology
July-Developing a History
August-Increasing Your Productivity (Scheduling workshop w/prompts)
September-Short Story workshop (writing a short story)
October-Character and Plot Building month long workshop
November-Nanowrimo related workshop
December-Short Story Editing

What do you think of this list? Which workshops are you most interested in? What do you think could be better replaced by something else?
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On Nanowrimo

November 1st 2009 12:12
Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. It was hectic; a friend of mine ran into some trouble and I had to help her out.

I just want to say thank you to everyone for reading and thanks to all those who participated in the workshop. I would love to see your feedback, so if you have any comments-things you thought worked well, things you thought didn't, things you think it would be interesting if I tackled next year-let me know. My email is diannalgunn@gmail.com

Today is the first day of Nanowrimo. It's time to begin your novels; to write that first sentence and see where the words take you.

Try to write more than you need to today. You want to write two or three thousand extra words today, so that if something happens midway through November you have a little bit of wiggle room as to your word count.

This is the beginning of a crazy, month-long journey that will sometimes feel like it was years, and sometimes feel like it was only a few days. You are likely to learn things about yourself and what you are capable of over the course of this month.

When you're ahead of the game, just keep going. When the words are flowing, let them out, let them go. You're writing a story here, a novel.

And when the going gets tough, find a way to make yourself write. Go to the forums and find someone who will have a word war with you. If you're really desparately lost, go to the forums and let the world know your situation. Someone is bound to help you out-the forums are full of great people.

Remember that Nanowrimo is about challenging yourself. And even if you don't write 50, 000 or more words, you're still a winner just for trying-and you'll probably get more done than you would if you hadn't tried.

Good luck-now stop reading and start writing!
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What I Did This Week

September 26th 2009 15:37
This was supposed to come out yesterday but I was too tired by the time I got home to write it.

This week I didn't really get as much done as I wanted. I wrote out a page about The Shadow, and now I'm working on The Demon, writing pages upon pages upon pages before I can return to other work. I wrote a poem or two for Bleed, and I decided to put an excerpt out there from Bleed, but I can't decide exactly what or how.

I've got ideas running through my head for Nanowrimo and I've decided that I'm changing up the Jihad series. I've been writing a lot about the Gods lately and I realize that I need to include a book or two about the Gods themselves. The first book will be about the end of the Council, and it will be called Phoenix Falling. I'm also considering a book called 'Demon In My Bed' which is Astarael reflecting over the Great Alliance just after its fall.

I'm definitely writing Phoenix Falling though, as this Goddess' disappearance from the world of mortals is quite an interesting subject.
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What Didn't Get Done...

September 19th 2009 04:37
I did very very little this week. I've been adjusting to the return to school, and had events both Tuesday and Wednesday to attend. I got very little writing done, bits and pieces of the Nanowrimo prep course I'm working on, but I'm really falling behind.

Today I've been sick, hence the late post, so I haven't done much other than sleep. But I'm not extremely sick, so I should be better tomorrow. I intend to spend tomorrow day/night writing, and a good chunk of Sunday, to catch up on my Pre-Nanowrimo course and over the course of the week I will be editing The Beginning


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Archives: Dear Daddy

September 8th 2009 12:15
Some of you have been reading for quite some time, or at least, the way I figure it, a good chunk of the summer. You may have read the Dear Daddy post that I wrote at the end of July to honour Daddy, because his birthday passed on July 27th. He'd be 38 this year... had the cancer not stolen him.

Anyway, my post for today is scheduled to highlight a post from the archives, so I'm going to link back to the first Dear Daddy post I wrote here, which I wrote on the anniversary of his death last year


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What I've Done This Week

September 4th 2009 12:31
So this week I've decided not to continue on with Eternia Falling. I need to do detailed worldbuilding for the time period before I can properly write the book. And that gets to wait until at least December, because right now I've got a lot of work to do for the Jihad series.

I've written several poems in the last week, and I wrote the three pages I need for the Phoenix, one page for Those Who Are/Those Who Have Always Been and two of the pages for Elwin's character bio, so I'm doing pretty well so far with the worldbuilding


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September Goals

September 3rd 2009 03:58
Goal setting is incredibly important for a writer. You need to have clear, concise goals that are achievable, and you need to know how to reach those goals, and make each step its own miniature goal.

Personally I've got a couple Big Goals which are more long-term and several smaller goals which mostly build towards reaching those Big Goals. For example, one of my Big Goals is to finish the rough draft of one of the books in the Jihad series by January 1st, 2010. Smaller goals reaching towards that include worldbuilding, character building and outlining


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Excerpt: Eternia Falling

August 18th 2009 18:26
A small excerpt from Eternia Falling, my Augnowrimo novel.
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I woke up to find myself in a dark room. In one corner of the room there was a tiny lit candle, down to a stub. I looked around, trying to see something, anything, but there I couldn't see anything other than the candle and a small table it appeared to be on. Putting my hands out in front of me I slowly crawled on all fours toward the table, making sure to feel for anything I might hit.
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10 Things To Look Forward To On Fictional Worlds

August 14th 2009 00:11
This is a list of ten things you can look forward to here on this blog over the coming year. I've been planning quite a few workshops and things to do around here to make life more interesting. I've also been debating making a forum for these workshops. Anyone who would be willing to help me run it should contact me at diannalgunn@gmail.com about it.

Here are some things you can expect to see


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2 Year Blogaversary

August 13th 2009 23:40
This is my official two year blogaversary for Fictional Worlds. Today, that is. So I'm writing a special post to talk about the last two years of my writing.

When I first came here, I had never had a poem published. I was completely unknown, unheard of, and no, I could not be found on Google. But I did have one good thing going for me: a talent and passion for writing


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AugNoWriMo

August 3rd 2009 13:04
So. It's officially August. In fact, it's Agust third. I spent the first two days of August partying, so I haven't gotten any of my planned writing done, really. Well, I got nothing done yesterday or Saturday. So far for the day I've written 3, 331 words.

I'm planning on getting that word count up to 10, 000 by the end of the night, at which point I will be fully caught up for the last couple of days. My end goal for the month is 10, 000


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AugNoWriMo

July 12th 2009 19:32
Yes folks, it's time for me to go crazy again.

Those of you who have been with me for the last year or more (almost 2 years for a couple of you, which is how long I've been blogging) will probably remember (or maybe not) that last year I decided to jump into this crazy endeavour


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Developing Your Voice

July 8th 2009 23:20
I often see writers on various forums asking the same questions. Usually they're questions about things like chapter length, pacing, character building-all those important things. One of the most frequent questions asked isn't specifically about your story though-it's about developing your voice.

Writers ask 'How does one develop their voice


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Dear Diary 3

July 3rd 2009 20:00
Dear Diary,
I am quite bored of staying here. I hope they do not tell us to press further; my men are not ready to strike Fidolius at the heart. I want to go back to the border, where we can safely sleep and eat and not be afraid that a large force will come down swinging swords for our necks. Shalorin and the other messengers have not returned; I am beginning to worry for it has been near four days now-they should arrive tonight.

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Jihad-A Seven Book Series

June 30th 2009 21:03
Those of you who have been with me as readers or as writing friends for a while will know that Jihad has been with me for quite a long time. It started as one book in which the main character is thrown out of our world and into a completely alien one on the brink of war. In essence Jihad is about her mission to end the war.

The Jihad was based off of many Gods very real to the world and the mistakes they had made in the past. There was one war seven hundred years before our main character gets transported. The enemies were 'defeated' but now they are returning


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Writing Goals 2009 AND Call for volunteers

December 23rd 2008 02:14
So I'm completely and utterly burnt out thanks to Nanowrimo followed by getting back to school followed by the endless week of Christmas. I've got the workshop 95% finished, and since it's almost the new year, here are my writing goals for the year:


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Writing Work

January 22nd 2008 21:26
I'm praying right now. Praying that I'll get a big gigantic break in my writing. I'm looking for places to submit one of my short stories to (the one that's been sent around and around) and praying that someday SOMETHING will come along.

Right now I'm also on the lookout for poetry competitions and publishers. I'm looking everywhere and hoping that something soon will come through. Within a couple weeks I should know if one of my pieces is getting published


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Writing Is Difficult Without Computer

January 20th 2008 00:35
I've got very, very limited computer access right now (as in I only have it at my bf's), so my writing is flopping and so is my blogging.

But I AM alive. Yay.
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Writing Work

January 14th 2008 16:11
I'm coming back with a vengeance. I'm writing again-yay-and I'm looking for places and web opportunities to submit to. I'm looking for places to put my writing again.

Right now I'm praying that somehow I'll find a way to become a writer within two years, a way to earn the money to get out of this hellhole I'm forced to call home


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Been Sick But I'm Back Into It

January 14th 2008 04:16
I've been getting hugely back into my writing as I recover from my stress sickness. I'm getting seriously into it because I want to make a career out of this.

This is my life, this is my dream, this is my career. It is everything to me and it is my only passion-honestly, it's the only thing other than my spirituality that I care about


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