Tomorrow is April 1st. And for me, it's the first day of Camp NaNoWriMo! Whoo hoo!
Last year I did July CampNaNoWriMo, but since this July is going to be a bit busier than last year, I'm not sure if I'll get to do anything come July. So this year, I'm cramming in as much writing as I can before our new package arrives.
I'm at a great point in my writing this time for CampNaNo. Last year I was in the middle of the first draft of A Fairy's Tale. This time, I've just finished working through my notes on the second draft of Powerful. I've set myself a low goal of 20,000 words with the hopes of getting much more done. Because I'm working on the third draft, it should be a lot easier to edit what I've already got.
Keep an eye on the word count bar on the side! I'm starting at 0 again. I'm expecting this next draft to be somewhere in between the word counts of the first two drafts (which were 103,000 and 90,000 words). I cut out a bit too much for the second draft, so now there are bits that need to be added back in. And now that I've had a handful of friends read through and provide feedback on the story as a whole, I know where there are plot points missing. I've got at least three scenes that need to be written from scratch, and I've got at least three scenes that need to be completely reworked and rewritten. The rest is basic editing and rewording, most of which I've done already in notes on the side of Scrivener.
I've got a cabin set up with a bunch of my friends, and I'm all ready to go! What are your goals for the month of April?
~Allie
I have always loved the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. I mean, what bookworm didn't want to be Belle? I mean, THAT LIBRARY. It's no question what inspired the two story library inside Floures Academy in Powerful. SO MANY BOOKS.
Anyway, I never had any problems with the plot of the original animated movie. Sure, there could've been more backstory for EVERYTHING, but isn't that how most stories go? We want to leave a few questions unanswered. And the plot could've been a lot worse, like Disney's animated versions of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
Now the new movie is out, and it's breathtaking. The things they can do with computer generated graphics is truly astounding. But...that doesn't make the writing to be any less important. When Disney first put out Snow White, it was for the animation, which was truly groundbreaking technology at the time. Disney was known for its animation, not its story telling. And that's why Disney did so many already well-known stories at first.
Since then, Disney's told some major, groundbreaking stories. And that's why I was disappointed with the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
With 14 movies released, 9 in progress, 2 ABC shows (with 1 more on the roster), and 4 Netflix shows (with 2 more coming soon), the Marvel Cinematic Universe falls nothing short of success. I mean, one minor character was so popular after his death that the fans rioted until creators decided to revive him and give him his own tv show. But there's so many elements to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that it makes it too complicated to analyze what exactly makes it so successful. To simplify things for the sake of this blog post, I'm going to stick to the first phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movies that conclude with the Avengers.
It all started in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. By 2012, 5 more movies had been released. That's right 6 movies in 4 years. Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk (which I don't totally count because they changed the actor and it gets confusing), Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America (if you know anything about me, you know he's my favorite), and The Avengers. So how, in such a short period of time, did the Avengers become so successful?
Today we're in for a treat! I'm interviewing a very special guest author, Elise Edmonds! You may remember her as the Magic Writer, who helped me a lot with some world building questions for my writing a while back.
Recently, Elise published her first novel, Where Carpets Fly, and now she's touring the world on her own flying carpet to tell us about herself and her book.
Growing up, my parents always pushed me to pursue my passions. They knew long before I did that I would end up as a writer. They cultivated my love of books and encouraged me to study what I loved. In today's society where degrees are more and more important to getting a job because of the competitive job market, it's like a breath of fresh air to have such a support system that pushed me toward passion instead of "success". My husband has always been the same way.
But now I exist in the real world, where people don't understand how you can follow your dreams and do something you enjoy when you don't appear to make any money. Where if you sit at home all day, people assume that you're doing nothing with your life and spend all your time watching Netflix. Working from home or working for yourself "isn't a real job".
At my last job, when I worked part time, I was constantly asked what I did when I wasn't working. When I answered that I was writing a book, people would say, "That's cute." or "What a fun hobby." They didn't understand that that's what I wanted to do full time. They didn't understand that that's what I planned to do full time.
Can you believe it's already March? Wow! This year has flown by so fast. Anyway, because it's another new month, that means it's time for another new guest! Please welcome S. M. Pace!
S. M. Pace lives in the wilds of Central Virginia, with her husband (bear), son (bunny) and a pond full of fish (sometimes). When she’s not writing, she loves crafts, sewing and hiking. She is the author of two books in the Threads of Magic series, Shadow of the Wolf and Wings of the Butterfly.
This was NOT going to be my next topic because I was going to veer away from the young adult and cartoon genre for the time being, but this is also my blog and I get to talk about whatever I like. And if you know me, you know I LOVE the How To Train Your Dragon series.
The first movie came out 7 years ago, based off the book series that came out in 2004. I've talked before about my struggles with depression and anxiety, but I haven't talked about the circumstances surrounding the first time I saw How To Train Your Dragon. My sister's boyfriend at the time just asked her to prom, and to celebrate he decided to treat her, me, and my cousin who was in town, to a movie. The movie we went to see, was How To Train Your Dragon.
