Wednesday, November 25, 2009

NaNoWriMo: Day 25

I'm just shy of 30K as I type this--words I should be typing in my novel. :oP

My husband asked me when I would be willing to throw in the towel for NaNoWriMo 2009. I told him: "11:59 p.m., November 30." XD

Hope springs eternal.

Monday, November 23, 2009

It's Official...

...my day has been made.



And this is so true, it's not even funny. XD

Thanks, Beth! *hugs*

Saturday, November 21, 2009

NaNoWriMo: Day 21- Plot Dare from Blue Monkey

My young friend Blue Monkey gave me a plot dare via Facebook that really couldn't have fit in better with my previous inclusion of SiriusThoughts' plot dare. How perfect is this?

Blue Monkey: "Include a King who thinks he's batman."
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King Bruce jumped to his feet and clapped his hands once, then pointed at Cross. "I knew it! There has been an impostor fighting crime in my stead!"

Cross' brow furrowed deeply. He glanced at me as though I had an answer, then back at the king. "What?"

The great King Bruce straightened up where he stood, pulling his royal red velvet robes taut across his shoulders with a yank on the fluffy, gold-speckled white trim. "I am Batman." He leaned forward. "The REAL Batman."

Cross jabbed a finger in the air. "It's YOU who are the impostor, sir!" I could see that he would tip the cradle over if he continued getting upset in this manner. "I've been looking for you for the last five months!"

"It is I who have been looking for you!" King Bruce shouted back. He turned to the men on either side of the levitating basket. "Guards! Take him to the dungeon. I'll deal with this treachery later."

"No! I'm Batman!" Cross threw his fists wide and struck one of the guards. The kinetic energy tipped the cradle, and I rushed to his rescue, grabbing the side and pushing it back up.

Unfortunately, I over-corrected in my fervor to help and dumped his crippled body out the other side. Cross fell to the marble floor with a dull thud. He moaned in pain and cursed me.

If I were human, I am sure my cheeks would have been burning in the red blush that is indicative of embarrassment. Instead, my emotion receptors sent a pang of shame through my body, making my hands shake. This was neither a pleasant sensation nor one that made me feel at all useful. I turned it off at once.

NaNoWriMo: Day 21- Plot Dare from JHudsonrox

Here's another plot dare I received via my YouTube channel:
JHudsonrox: It stars raining oranges...
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Hover vehicles soaring overhead came racing away in droves. I sensed a vibration ripping through the air--a sonic boom--and suddenly the hover cars and trucks came crashing down towards the ground below.

A delivery truck overturned, correcting the steering and trying to stay afloat on the shuddering cushion of air, but its payload dumped out, sending a shower of hundreds of brightly colored, under ripe oranges through the air like citrus hailstones. This did not look good.


An orange hit my shoulder, denting it I was sure. I took to swift running and headed straight down the middle of the road, dodging broken buildings and out of control cars and crashing hover trucks.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

NaNoWriMo: Day 15 - Plot Dares from YouTubers

I got some wonderfully silly plot dares on my YouTube vlog page, which I managed to integrate all into one crazy moment in my novel. Thanks to the following friends who posted the following dares which are featured in the following excerpt:

SiriusThoughts, "Dare 2: Use the exclamation "Holy Ninja Turtles, Batman!"
Jhudsonrox, "Harry Potter is seen flying on a broom."
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A sound shoofed overhead, and my eyes rose to the sky. A boy in a black cloak was riding a rather scruffy looking broom and soared a dozen feet above our heads. I shielded my eyes and watched as the boy circled slowly. He made his way down in a spiral and landed on the vibrating ground.

The boy was mostly likely of sixteen years based on his height and bone growth structure. He wore visual aids in the form of wire-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. His hair fluttered in the rising wind, a messy mop of brunette. I could see a dark pink, jagged scar on his forehead when the breeze pushed his hair away. He looked at Cross, breathless, and exclaimed, “Holy Ninja Turtles, Batman!”

Cross' gaze darted in all directions as though he were looking for something or someone, then grabbed the boy's arm. “I told you not to call me that when I'm not in costume!”

“The turtles,” the boy yelled back, “they're taking over the frozen section of the grocery store down the block. It's mass chaos out there, man! Mass chaos!”

Cross rubbed his chin. “Frozen section, eh? If I know them, they're after the pizzas. A global catastrophe is no time for pizza!” He ran off down the street.

I've used several more dares, but I think I might save some of those for reading on my next vlog.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

NaNoWriMo: Day 14 - Plot Dare from Beth

Thanks for all the plot dares in response to my last vlog! I have been using them all throughout today and plan on reading some of them on my next recording. For now, here's one from Beth, who posted the following dare on Facebook: "I dare you to add a very unusual princess."

So SR7 just got kidnapped right off the street.
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Sure enough, a door opened, and a woman entered. She was dressed in form-fitting body armor of red and white. Her bright red hair was pulled back into two fluffy ponytails that stuck out the bottom of a white leather skull cap. On the front of her cap, a red human skull glared out at anyone who dared face her.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

NaNoWriMo Vlog #2: Help! - 11.10.09

This is vlog #2 of my intermittent vlogging during National Novel Writing Month. In this one, I beseech you for help in writing my novel.

Leave a comment with a plot dare. If I use it, I'll post it.

NaNoWriMo: http://www.nanowrimo.org

Sunday, November 8, 2009

NaNoWriMo: Day 8

I didn't have a lot of time to write today, but I did manage to make carrot cake muffins and peanut butter bars. Does that count for anything? My dear friend MightiMidget helped me out by suggesting that I incorporate a vase filled with sand in my novel since she was in the process of bubblewrapping it for a move. Excellent...
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A woman huddled in a corner between two broken concrete slabs. In her arms, she clutched a glass vase to her chest. The roses inside had been crushed by sand and debris that had fallen into the mouth. She had a wild but confused expression on her face.

She looked around at the street, at the chaos incited by the still-shivering earthquake, all the people running for their lives and resorting to their primal instincts for survival. Tears streamed down her dusty face, and I wondered how long it would be before she dropped the vase and joined the others in running for her life.


If you would like to suggest a dare for my novel, leave a comment, and I'll write it in, then post the excerpt.
Only one dare per person, please. Thanks!

NaNoWriMo Vlog #1 - 11.7.09

This is vlog #1 of my intermittent vlogging during National Novel Writing Month. In this one, I'm at Panera Bread and talk about how some people showed up to write alongside me.

NaNoWriMo: www.nanowrimo.org