NaNo Novels by: ddBoone: October 2007

A NaNo Novels by: ddBoone: October 2007

This is a blog where deartra d. Boone talks about her NaNo Novels.

A Wealthy Place | PV 31 Ministries

10.30.2007

NaNo Icons Are Finished

I finished my NaNo Icons. I feel good because I was able to finish them. They look great, too. But I am partial to my own work. I am thinking about doing some word count icons for people writing 80,000 words and 100,000 words. I don't know if I will do that or not.

I haven't done my images for the characters or places yet. I gotta do that.

Labels: 2007, Icons, Pictures

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:30 PM

10.29.2007

Outline Is Done!

I finished my outline for the story. It isn't detailed or anything, just the basic flow of the story. I am getting excited. I just sat down and went to doing the outline, which was good. I had put it off long enough.

I am ready for NaNo. I am excited, but calm. I have been excited in the past for weeks in advance, but each year, I have gotten excited closer to November 1st. I think I am going to wake up on Thursday and be crazy with excitement.

The last thing that I am going to do is post the pictures for my characters and places into my Resurrection Sunday Blog. Then I will be ready for Thursday, November 11, 2007.

Labels: 2007, NaNo, Outline

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:25 PM

10.28.2007

This Week...

I didn't finish my goals for last week again. I am going to have to stop doing that.

Here are my goals for next week...

Work on my outline. By 10/29.
Finish my NaNo Icons for this year. By 10/30.
Put NaNo Images for characters and places on the blog. By 10/30.
Take the candy to the church for the Fall Festival. By 10/31.
Begin NaNoWriMo. On 11/01/07.
Write between 5,100 and 10,500 words this week. By 11/03.

Labels: 2007, goals

posted by Lady Boone @ 3:40 PM

10.27.2007

Yes, It's Done

I finished my NaNo Blog for Resurrection Sunday. I posted it tonight. It looks good. I think the font will be complained about because it is small, but I like the way it looks. I am just happy to have it done.

Labels: 2007, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:23 PM

10.26.2007

NaNo Novel

I didn't get to work on my NaNo Novel last night. I was up at the school. I am planning on working on my blog for it tonight. Then I will work on the outline. I am devoting Saturday to the rest of my NaNo Icons. I think I have 20 more to do. People are enjoying my icons. Cool! I need to put a post up on the NaNoWriMo site about the icons.

Labels: 2007, Icons, Novel

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:21 PM

10.25.2007

For My NaNo Babies

Greetings one last time today. This email will be brief. Just some quick questions so that I can get to know you…
What does your login name mean?
Do you have a Yahoo ID, AIM ID, or MSN ID?
Do you have a website for your NaNo? What is it?
How long have you been writing?
What do you normally write?
What is your NaNo about?
I will leave you alone now. Keep prepping your NaNo novel. November will be here before tomorrow.

Labels: 2007, NaNo Babies

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:19 PM

Letter to My NaNo Babies

Greetings to you. I am writing to say hello, let you know a little about me, and to give you some words of wisdom.

This email may be a bit long, but it is worth the read.

My first name is Deartra (pronounced dear-tra). You can call me Mrs. Boone, if that works better or Mama if you feel the need.

I am a writer by choice. I have been writing since I was 9 years old. I have had an essay and a poem published. I am hoping to have a book published by 2010. I write poetry, essays, short stories, novellas, and novels. I have written song lyrics also.

I have been doing NaNo since 2004. I have completed it one time. The other 3 times, life got in the way. I am not sure of what my word count was for last year. I hand-wrote most of the novel and did not have an official count, unofficially; my count was over 37,000 words.

I am married with no children. I work at a pre-school, so I am always around children.

Here are my words of advice.
1. Set a daily goal for yourself. To get 50,000 words in 30 days, you should aim for 1,700 (rounded) a day.If that seems too hard for you, make it something more obtainable.
2. Set other goals for yourself that have nothing to do with your word count.For example, write for 15 minutes everyday on NaNo.
3. Set-up a reward system for yourself when you accomplish your word count goal and your other goal. I use stickers. Each day that I reach my word target, I get a sticker. I have a sticker calendar that I carry around with me that have all of my stickers in it.
4. Set a weekly goal for yourself and reward yourself for it.For example, write 8,500 words for the week get a catfish dinner or write for at least 2 hours this week, get a new pair of shoes.
4. Don't get discouraged if you don't make your word count every now and then. That may happen. Life gets in the way of life. :)
5. Don't be discouraged if you don't "win" NaNo. It is better to look at this first time as a small step versus a giant task to complete. Winning isn't everything. Sometimes, being brave enough to enter the contest is the best accomplishment.
6. Find out about word wars. Those are great for word count and friendship.
7. Find out about events, write-ins, or get togethers in your area. Look and see if there is a Region near you by looking in the Region section of NaNo. If they don't have any going on, try to set one up. Let everyone know that you will be at the library @ 6:00 on Tuesday. Maybe some one will join you.
8. Lastly, have fun.
I hope these words of wisdom help you. Email me with any questions that you may have. I will try to answer them.

Here's one more piece of advice… if your novel has come to a halt and you are having a hard time writing, have two of your characters have a discussion about underwear as an elderly "church" lady walks in the room. That will cause you to have some fun. :) It worked for me one NaNo.

Labels: 2007, NaNo Advice, NaNo Babies

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:16 PM

My NaNo Babies

Here are my NaNo Babies for 2007...

I am so excited about my children this year. I am working on a letter to send to them to encourage and support them.

Labels: 2007, NaNo Babies

posted by Lady Boone @ 4:19 PM

10.24.2007

NaNo Icons

I posted my NaNo Icon Site. It is not complete, but I have a lot of icons on the site.

Labels: 2007, Icons

posted by Lady Boone @ 4:16 PM

Setting Sketches Are Done

I have finished my setting sketches. I can mark off one more thing from my to do list. Yea! I had to add an extra setting, a beauty shop. This is where the girls get their hair and nails done. I want to talk about what happens at the beauty shop in my novel.

Labels: 2007, Setting

posted by Lady Boone @ 4:15 PM

10.23.2007

Character Sketches Are Done

Yippee! I finally finished my character sketches. It was after 11:00 PM when I finished them last night, but they are finally finished. I feel so good about it, too.

I can cross off one item off my to-do list today.

I am pleased with all but one of my characters. Boyd isn't who I want him to be at the moment. Well, his change of heart doesn't happen in an ideal way. One of my other characters who is going through something similar gives Boyd some sage wisdom and advice. Oddly enough, she doesn't seem to listen to her own advice.

On the one hand, it is good that it happened this way because that is usually how things happen with us humans, we can dispense advice about a situation, but we can't seem to take the same advice when we are in a similar situation. On the other hand, I just don't like. I think it will grow on my though.

On to the setting sketches.

Labels: 2007, characters, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 3:52 PM

10.22.2007

NaNo Novel Work

I got my images for my NaNo Novel; the people and places. I was trying to use clip art, but I couldn't find any men that looked the way I needed them to look. I ended up using photos. I will post them later.

I printed some character sketch worksheets so that I could do my character sketches. I have been trying to use the snowflake method, but it isn't working for me. I am going to finish with the snowflake method this time, but I will not use it again in the future.

Labels: 2007, NaNo Novel

posted by Lady Boone @ 3:47 PM

10.21.2007

This Week...

I didn't finish my goals for this past week, so they are my goals for this week.

Here are my plans for the week...

Create and finish my NaNo Icons for this year. By 10/28.
Create and finish my NaNo 2007 blog. By 10/24.
Work on my character sketches. By 10/26.
Work on my setting sketches. By 10/26.
Work on my outline. By 10/26.
Submit all of my Milk-to-Meat assignments. By 10/28.

I have got to get on this stuff this week. I put due dates on each item, so I will have to do them. I may have to go into seclusion to get all of this work done, but I have to get it done. I want to focus on other things for the last three days before NaNo starts. I still have to do the sketches for my places and I have to find images to represent my people and places. This is going to be a full week.

Lord, help me to stay on task this week. Help me to accomplish all of the goals that I have stated above. I need to finish all of the things listed on my list. When I get tired or discouraged, give me strength and courage to go on. With Your help, I know I will complete the tasks before me. Thank You, Lord for Your help. Amen.

Labels: 2007, goals, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 3:05 PM

10.19.2007

Character Sketches

I didn't do my character sketches this week. I gotta get on the ball.

Labels: 2007, characters

posted by Lady Boone @ 3:40 PM

NaNo Icons

I created some more NaNo Icons. I created over 30 today. I created icons for each day of NaNo with day on it and the word count number on it. I like those icons. They are cute. I have got to get my icon site up and running so I can tell people about my icons. I hope to have the site up by 10/28. That is the day that I have to have it up or else I will not be putting it up.

Labels: 2007, nano icons

posted by Lady Boone @ 3:40 PM

10.17.2007

NaNo Icons

I created some NaNo icons. They are looking good. I have a lot more to do. This thing is getting crazy. So far, I have created 50 of them. I will have to up them on my website before too long.

Labels: 2007, nano icons

posted by Lady Boone @ 8:17 PM

10.16.2007

NaNo Novel Work

I have been so wrapped up in Prewriting that I haven't done much work on my novel. Plus, I have been suffering with allergies, most of the time I just come home and try to relax. I haven't had much time to concentrate on my stuff with everything that is going on around me. I have got to get myself together before the 28th. That is when I want to be finalizing my pre-NaNo activities.

I do have character names:
Main Characters:
Precious Devereux - This is the Coquette in the story. She is the one trying to get the pastor.
Pastor Brock Van Duren - This is the pastor of the church.
Alexia Trudeau - This is Precious' aunt.
Boyd Lee Allen - This is Brock's best friend.

I have the places settled on:
Church - New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church. My brother had suggested New Tabernacle Baptist Church, but I searched the church name on Google and there quite a few churches with that name. I searched New Tabernacle of Praise Baptist Church and there weren't any churches with that name, so that is the name I will be using.

City - Jouette. Of course I am using the name of a city from the state of Maddocha.

Mall - Orchard Park Mall - I am still looking for a name for the mall. I want something more than just Jouette Mall or Mall of Jouette.

Beauty Salon - Lovely Ladies Salon - This is where Precious & Alexa get their hair and nails done.

I have a timeline of events for the story. The story starts on Thursday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. I have what events should happen on what day.

I guess I haven't been goofing off as much as I thought I had.

Labels: 2007, characters, NaNo, Settings

posted by Lady Boone @ 8:10 PM

Excitement Abounds

I am so excited. I finally found a picture that I liked for my NaNo Novel.

It is so amazing. I am so excited. It is cool, too because the lady is the correct skin tone and ethnicity. The church in the picture is like mad crazy. I love it like crazy. The preacher in the picture is cool, too. I have to create my blog for the NaNo now.

Labels: 2007, NaNo, prewriting

posted by Lady Boone @ 8:07 PM

10.15.2007

PreWriting

I found a clip art picture that I liked, finally. I have created my cover. It looks great.

Labels: 2007, NaNo Prewriting

posted by Lady Boone @ 8:01 PM

10.14.2007

This Week...

Here are my plans for the week...

Create and finish my NaNo Icons for this year.
Create and finish my NaNo 2007 blog.
Work on my character sketches.
Work on my outline.

Labels: 2007, goals, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:58 PM

10.13.2007

Prewriting Tirade

I am pre-writing my novel right now. I can't seem to find the clipart that I want to use for the picture. I will make do with what I found.

I learned about prewriting while I was in school to become a certified school teacher. In prewriting, the students are asked to draw a picture of what they want to write about. Learn more here.

Funny thing is, I am still not certified. I need to take my tests. I am going to do it eventually. I need to call Region 10 and ask them how much longer do I have to take the test. I hope that my time hasn't run out yet. if it has, my husband is going to kill me.

I don't think I will be a good teacher. I have issues with discipline. I can't get with this love and logic stuff. I am old school. When I tell you to do something, you need to do it. I am not into this asking a child to do something. I am used to telling them to do something. That's what is wrong with these kids today, they have too many choice.

I'm like my mama… You have two choices, one to sit down, and the other to get your tail busted. Wait a minute, I can't do that.

How did prewriting turn into all of this?

Labels: 2007, Discipline, NaNo, prewriting

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:54 PM

NaNo Icons

I worked on some icons for NaNoWriMo. Visit my NaNo Icon Site. I redid some of the ones I did for last year. I created quite a few new ones. I created 32 of them. I have a whole lot more to create.

Some other people are creating icons as well at the Live Journal Community. I haven't downloaded any of them. I kind of want to use my own icons.

The people at the icon community are so talented. Sometimes I feel like my icons are so elementary.

I started creating icons last year. I create other types of graphics. Icons can be hard because they have to be a specific size. I enjoyed it last. I decided to do it again this year.

I hope people like my icons. I shouldn't worry about that, but I do. It is so fulfilling to have people like your work. I will just create them. If people want them, then they can have them. Can't worry about too much of that. It doesn't matter if anyone else likes them. I love them!

I should probably use some clipart other than the ones at MicroSoft. BIG SMILE.

Labels: 2007, Icons, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:52 PM

10.11.2007

Idea Sharing

I am so excited about my idea for my NaNo Novel.

I emailed Jerry and asked him to help me with the name of the church and a mall. He gave me the name of a church. Jerry said that he liked my idea. He is going to have to help me write the Resurrection service sermon. I want it to be good.

I emailed Jolene and asked her to design a cover for me. I gave her some ideas. She is excited, too.

I posted a note about me writing a novel in my signature at school. Quite a few people said that they checked out my sites. They said that they liked them. It is cool when people check out your stuff. I hope some of them will check out my novel. I am only going to post two or three chapters of the novel. I hope to publish it one of these days.

I am going to have Captive By History and Flirting With Danger online. I don't mind them being online since those were my first two attempts. Allegations and this year's novel, I will get published.

I will begin prewriting, outlining, and character sketching later on.

Labels: 2007, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:32 PM

10.10.2007

A New Word

I learned a new word while writing the synopsis for Resurrection Sunday. I first used the phrase "Sexy Woman" to describe my female character. I wanted to use something different. I looked up the phrase "sexy woman," but it wasn't in the dictionary @ http://www.dictionary.com/. I looked up flirt in the dictionary first and then in the thesaurus.

Here are some of the words that were listed as synonyms:
coquette, cruiser*, gold digger, heartbreaker, operator*, philanderer, player, seducer, siren, swinger, tease, trap, trifler, vamp, vixen, wanton, wolf*, wolverine.

The only I really liked was coquette. Most of the other words referred to men. Several of them referred not inanimate objects.

Coquette [koh-ket] is a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt.
It also means, a woman who makes teasing sexual or romantic overtures.
Here is another definition... a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men.

Ain't learning grand?

Labels: 2007, NaNo, Vocabulary

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:45 PM

Finally, An Idea

I got an idea. I feel like dancing. It came to me while I was riding the bus. I was listening to a song on my I-Pod. The song made me think of Resurrection Sunday (Easter). The idea came to me; a coquette meets the new (single) pastor of a local church. She goes to church to "meet" the pastor, but she meets Jesus instead.

It was cool. I got all excited.

I get to use two aspects that I love to use in my writing: A lady that dresses up and is very girlie as well as being well-to-do. I had to come up with a story where I could use those two elements.

Here is the link for the site... http://www.alwaysinspired.info/nano2007/ .

Coquette [koh-ket] is a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt.
It also means, a woman who makes teasing sexual or romantic overtures.
Here is another definition... a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men.

Labels: 2007, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 7:35 PM

10.09.2007

PreWriting

I am about ready to start prewriting for my NaNo Novel. I have an idea for the story that I think I am going to do. I can't find any clipart to go with the image that I want. I may have to ask my sister-in-law to draw it for me.

Labels: 2007, nano 2007, prewriting

posted by Lady Boone @ 1:59 PM

Another Story Idea

I thought of another story idea for NaNo. I was thinking about a story on Resurrection Sunday, with a twist. Someone goes to church for one thing, but finds Jesus instead. That one is really appealing to me.

Labels: 2007, nano 2007

posted by Lady Boone @ 1:49 PM

10.04.2007

October: NaNo is One Month Away

It is October 2007. NaNo is one month away. I have no idea what I want to write about this year. I am considering 3 things: finishing Allegations, a modern day version of something based on a Bible character, or a story of victory over abuse. Nothing has stood out for me yet. I will keep working on ideas.

Labels: 2007, nano 2007

posted by Lady Boone @ 1:57 PM

10.02.2007

No Idea Yet

I am still tripping because I don't have an idea for NaNo yet. I have been contemplating what to do, but I don't have anything concrete yet. I don't know why I am fretting. I have a few days before I need something.

Labels: 2007, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 6:10 PM

10.01.2007

Mad Challenge #2 from Mad Challenge

From Mad Challenge

Are you doing NaNo?
I have two ideas tossing around in my head. I can also finish last year's novel, but I don't know just yet.

Labels: 2007, Mad Challenge, NaNo

posted by Lady Boone @ 6:06 PM

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I am trying to write at least 1000 words a day. Right now, I am feeling so ! I hope my current mood allows me to write. :)