BLOGWORDS – Friday 28 October 2016 – NOD to NANO
NOD to NANO
I’m throwing my hat in the NaNoWriMo ring. Or, my story. Hadn’t planned to but the timing is good. I’ve got a ton of research already under my belt.
Stacks of library books, my clipboard chock full of notes, and my kitty girl for good measure (She like to be close to me.)
I’ve know my main characters for each of the four books in the series—Mercedes, Scarlett, Pearl, and Simone—and the conflict for each one: Mercedes is keeping a secret from the others; Scarlett, too, is keeping secrets, though not her own; Pearl elopes; and Simone, well, she’s not dead.
I know the timeline, 1912 – 1913, and the setting, the town of Saison, somewhere north of Charleston, SC.
The southern town of Saison lies at the crossroads between North and South, progressive and genteel antebellum life. Between East and West, between history and heritage, and new frontiers.
In a world where slavery is dying and women’s rights are rising, four young girls share a bond—and experience a tragedy.
Seasons is the telling of their stories and Mercedes Renaldi’s story is first in The Long Shadows of Summer.
The series is Seasons, and the books in the series are The Long Shadows of Summer, Tilting Leaves of Autumn, Whistling Winds of Winter, and Whispering Woods of Spring.
So I figured with this much underway, and nearly 3000 words into Mercedes’ story, I’d give a whirl to the 50K for NaNo.
Following are a few links I’ve seen in the past couple of days with helps and suggestions, and the NaNo website.
http://writerswrite.co.za/nanowrimo-calendar-organise-and-conquer
http://writerswrite.co.za/five-things-to-do-before-nanowrimo-starts
http://writerswrite.co.za/dont-get-stuck-use-our-nanowrimo-brainstormer-worksheet-instead
http://writershelpingwriters.net/2016/10/5-nanowrimo-hacks-keep-words-flowing/
If you decide to dive in too, look me up—we can be buddies!
“I once said I should write down all the story ideas in my head so someone could write them someday. I had no idea at the time that someone was me!”
Ms. Mason has been writing since 1995, and began working in earnest on her debut novel, Tessa in 2013. Meanwhile, she cranked out a few dozen poems, and made countless notes for story ideas. Ms. Mason lived with depression for many years, and the inherent feelings of worthlessness and invisibility; she didn’t want to be who she was and struggled with her own identity for many years. Her characters face many of these same demons.
Ms. Mason has lived in the Upstate of South Carolina since 1988. She lived in Colorado for sixteen years, during which time she: went to high school, got married, had babies, got divorced and went to college. Her “babies” are now grown, two have babies of their own. She currently lives alone, with her five cats.
Ms. Mason writes Christian-worldview–in other words, there’s no salvation message, but there are plenty of characters who know the Lord and share His perspective with those who are struggling.
Tessa and Clara Bess, books 1 and 2 in her unsavory heritage series, are both available on Amazon, both for Kindle and in print. The third book in the series, Cissy, will be available in September, 2016. Ms. Mason also has several poems included in an anthology, Where Dreams and Visions Live (Anthologies of the Heart Book 1) by Mary Blowers, http://maryblowers.com, as well as a short story, Sarafina’s Light, also in an anthology, Blood Moon, compiled by Mary Blowers. She will also be working on a personal anthology of poetry to be released in 2016 as well.
BLOGWORDS, First Friday Feature, NaNoWriMo, 50K, Research, Seasons, New Series, Long Shadows of Summer, Mercedes Renaldi, Secrets, Tragedy
Sound like an exciting series. BTW: we just got back from Charleston (and neighborhood) SC Tuesday this week. Although we’ve been to SC, never spent any extended time there, even tho this visit wasn’t that long. Loved the visit tho and was just what I needed–time w/hubby, son and grandson to celebrate B.D and a belated anniversary celebration. Planning to return! Wish I had time to do the NaNo!
Hullo Carole! sounds like you had a lovely trip! next time you’re in SC, give me a shout! I’m in the upstate and would love to get together!
And if I wasn’t already underway with the new MS, I wouldn’t have time for NaNo either! Thanks for popping in!