~Photo Friday~ Giant Babies

I'm a little late but here is my Photo Friday post. Does the tiny table make the babies look huge, or what? :o)

The NaNoWriMo Experience

Well, it's the 18th of November. Today those participating in NaNoWriMo should have well over 25,000 words written. Many are far beyond that and many are done. Way to go! to those who are done and those who are ahead. You can do it! to those who are still trying even though they're behind. There are still almost two weeks to go. You can do it.

I am a first time participant. I have managed 42,198 words at the time of this post. I realize that this doesn't necessarily mean I'll make. But I think my chances are pretty good. :o)

All that aside, I wanted to share my experience at this halfway mark. I have enjoyed the ride so far. It's been a lot less stressful than I'd anticipated and I like having a clear goal in view. The words have come easily, something I had not expected. I chose to write a genre I have never written before so I expected quite a bit of writer's block. I have been using this exercise as an opportunity to "Write Through It" when block threatens.

I have heard both sides of the argument in regard to the efficacy of this exercise. Some feel it is of supreme benefit to crank out the first draft without worrying too much about editing. Others believe it is never a good idea to write in such a free fashion, that it is better to edit as you go and try to get as close to a finished manuscript as possible in the first draft.

I was always of the latter group on this particular subject. Unfortunately, I am a procrastinator at heart and have often allowed this fault to take over. I have many, many manuscripts that were started years ago and remain unfinished. I am hoping this "competition" will help me with this issue.

So, what do you think of NaNo? Whether you are a participant now or in the past or just observing the race, I'd like to know what you think.

~Regency Wednesday~ Reticule

A reticule was a lady's handbag or purse. They could be of many shapes, materials and sizes but they were most often small. It was usually made to match her gown or bonnet.

What was inside depended much on the lady's personality and habits. You could probably find within a bottle of sal volatile, a handkerchief, calling cards, and perhaps a pencil or even a small slip of paper. They were usually too small to carry much.

For a more detailed post on the subject, I recommend Donna Hatch's post, Regency Reticules.

A Fantasy Confession

I have a confession.

I'm writing a fantasy novel for National Novel Writing Month. (No, that's not the confession. You already knew that.) In this novel is a character named Magoric who is not really a villain but he's not really a hero, either. He is a mercenary hired to kill the heroine in the tale. How is that not a villain, you ask? He has his doubts about killing her.

I feel the need to confess my inspiration for Magoric. In appearance, he is a combination of the Wraith of Stargate Atlantis and Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII. My initial vision was close to Sephiroth with a few slight differences. The major physical difference: Magoric has four arms instead of two. Since my introduction to the wraith some years ago, the vision of my character changed some more.

Pictured here is a wraith who has altered his appearance to blend with humans on Earth. There exists an uncanny resemblance to my mercenary character, minus the black glasses.

I say uncanny because Magoric has been roaming the deepest recesses of my brain for years, long before I saw this particular episode of SGA for the first time. I happened to re-watch this episode last night and got a chill at the resemblance. Spooky.

Now, if only I could find pics for my other characters...

*Image is a photo I took of Stargate Atlantis, Season 5, episode 19, Vegas. I am in no way implying this franchise endorses me or my writing.

~Photo Friday~ Winter Wonderland

The frost this morning reminded me of Winters past. So I dug up some pics of Winter last year here in Michigan. These were taken the night of November 24, 2008. Enjoy!

The flash reflected on the snowflakes as they fell.

This one was taken without flash.