The weasels have arrived

As NaNoWriMo season approaches Rippy McWeasel, our region's mascot, and I have been busy screening weasel recruits. These wily little creatures must have what it takes to become rabid cyborg attack weasels, hellbent on keeping writers in line during the November writing frenzy. It's not an easy task to keep a distracted writer on task. So many gadgets, and that darn internet and "just one more thing before I open up my WIP file". Shiny chickens, jobs, obligations, families, all those things that get in the way of writing time. Well, these weasels will have none of that. They must be heartless, able to withstand sobbing and ranting, pleading, rationalizations, deals one made with ones self, and downright bribery.

It's not every weasel that is prepared to become one of Rippy's elite rabid cyborg attack weasels. No sir. It takes years of training. That's why most weasels must take on cyborg parts to keep going after their natural lifespans would have taken them out of action. Yesterday, this first batch, stood on their stubby little feet for hours while Rippy instructed them in the ways of keeping writers in their seats.

To begin their field training, these weasels will be sent out into writer's homes this November. They will experience a NaNo and all that can distract a writer from writing 50k in thirty days. And in December, they will have either proven themselves worthy or slunk off into the shadows to live in shame.

So if you're contemplating NaNo this year, sit down and write your 50k. You wouldn't want to condemn one of these little creatures to failure, would you?

Victims of the Knife: The Storm

Ms. Wildstar looks up from her dinner of fantasy novel cast off generic "food" and grimaces. "Is that thunder?"

Xander cocks his head a listens for a minute. "Hail?"

Nekar shakes his head. "She's writing again. About time. Just be glad she's on the laptop and not that old keyboard that sounded like a herd of elephants on speed."

"What are elephants?" asks Xander. "Are they similar to those gun-toting camels we heard about in the interview with Marion Sipe?

"No. Nevermind. I forgot you were from another planet."

Xander sets is plate on the ground. "So are you."

"Yeah well, I've been around a lot longer than you." Nekar picks up one of the freshly fallen paper wads. "Anyone see any new discarded food scenes? I'm sick of this bad food joke crap we've been stuck with for months."

"I haven't read much of it yet. The wads keep falling. I almost got crushed by a 3k pile of words yesterday." Xander looks up warily. "Anyone find any armor? Maybe a helmet? I don't care if its fantasy or sci-fi, as long as it protects my head."

"Nope, sorry," Ms Wildstar says as she finishes off her meal. "It's mostly been arguments and heavy paragraphs of character thought. I think I found a ration bar if anyone wants one."

Nekar shakes his head. "I'm not that hungry." His eyes grow wide. "Xander! You're fading!"

"YES!" Xander performs a double fist pump, full on mentos grin and leaps into the air. "Our gracious and wonderfully talented writer has found a role for me in the rewrite! I'm back in!"

Nekar hurls a paper wad at Xander as he vanishes. "Suck up."

Plot bunny zombies are going to eat my brains!

It's been a busy and productive week around here. I've been gleefully murdering darlings left and right. Nine chapters have undergone my knife over the past week. Three scenes have been gutted and plundered. Two were sold as slaves and one is locked a closet. It wasn't even my closet. Someone is sure in for a surprise!

Why rewrite three scenes that I've loved and toted about proudly for years? Well, I'm still conquering the episodic feel issue as well as the whole Mr. MC must take charge of the plot issue. I ended up two hours behind at work yesterday thanks to Mr. and Mrs. MCs combining three scenes into one (and I only counted that as one in the gut and plunder count. Woohoo!) intense and definitely character defining scene. I'm still loving it a day later so it can't completely suck.


On the NaNo prep front, I wrapped up project zombie with a horde of plot bunnies, pumpkin heads, cats and folklore zombies! I'm hoping these tiny zombies will go well in the upcoming raffle. Check out this book to make your own zombies. Next sewing project: Weasels. Lots and lots of weasels.

ZOMBIES!!!

With school (finally) back in session, it's time to dive back into writing and begin planning this year's NaNoWriMo regional events. While I have yet to accomplish any writing that is post worthy, I have made strides toward NaNo plannning so we'll go with that for today.

Which brings us to zombies!

Zombies make great raffle prizes. Who doesn't love the lurching, brain-craving, partially decomposed undead?

Books don't just attack me at bookstores. Oh no. They lurk at craft stores too! I saw this cover and couldn't resist.

Next week's project: Plot Bunny Zombies!!! Just look at their cute guts dripping out of their flufffy little bellies. Auww.

August Readingfest - OUCH!

As my readingfest frenzy creeps toward its end --September, with the kids back in school should see my back to my quiet writing time-- I finished George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows. I'd only read that one once before and I was amazed at how much I'd missed my first time through. It may be that I'd forgotten more than I remembered after six years, but I have a feeling it was more a case of devouring the book and missing subtleties of the plot lines. Having read the first four books now in close succession, the forth felt the weakest, mostly for the simple fact that it was only half of what was going on during that book's timeline.

It's book five, A Dance with Dragons that I have to thank for the fire red sunburn on my back today. Just a couple chapters at the beach...and one more...maybe just one more. Roll over? I can't read on my back! Just one more chapter.

I'll slather myself in aloe and read from the comfort of my couch in air conditioned house from now on. Or acutally remember to apply sun screen. That probably would have been a good idea too. Hmm, staying inside, yeah, that's a safer option, I think.

Book five of A Song of Ice and Fire promises to make up for the partial story of book four by relaying all the character's stories we missed in A Feast for Crows and then concluding by twining them all together again so we can happily lead into book six--which is promised in the opening notes. I just hope it won't be another six year wait. Ahem. I'll try to be patient. Besides, I have another few days of reading until I reach the end and the long wait for the next one begins.

Something I've noticed along the way: weasels. They're everywhere in this series. Particularly in book three, which is filled with them. Rippy McWeasel is not particularly pleased with the way his kind are portrayed in these books. I've told him to be quiet and bide his time. NaNoWriMo will be here soon and his time to shine will come.