Me, Myself, And All The Other People In My Head

A post about character creation and how good characters will take over an entire project.

First off, let me just say that I do not "base my characters on people I know." To do so would inevitably land me in a great deal of trouble, especially if I kill the character you thought was written after you. If a character happens to share a certain trait with you, this is either coincidence or I might just like that thing about you. This applies to everything I write, with the exception of two short stories I wrote for two very special people in my life.

Now that I've finished my disclaimer, I can say that, yes, of course you're in my stories! Because you're a part of me, and I'm a part of each and every one of my characters. In order for you to properly enjoy a book, the characters have to feel like real people. Which means they have to have real emotions, reactions, traits, mannerisms, etc. And who better to base those things on than you?

Anyone who knows me and my writing knows that I don't write books. I write characters who happen to do interesting things. Almost all of my stories have started with at least a couple characters with interesting personalities and histories. Sometimes they become so realistic that they start doing things on their own and the next thing I know, I'm in the middle of a plot without a paddle!

 If you love a good character-based story and have a little extra time on your hands, I'm now in the midst of having Knockout Girl beta read and you are welcome to do so as well. Just click here to let me know!

- Natasja

Hello and Other Things

As you can see from my last blog post, two years ago I joined nanowrimo. I did actually win in 2015, then in 2016, and again this year. I've had a few questions about what I've been writing the last couple of years and the answer is:

The Onepian Chronicles

I call the genre of this series "light sci-fi," or a space soap if you will, because it centres around real human beings doing real things, except they have space ships, live on different planets, and it's set far into the future. It's a little like Star Trek, but without alien races and a little less technical. Each book focuses on the story of a new set of characters that have been previously introduced, so they read well as stand-alones but are part of a bigger overall story arch. The series is nowhere near ready to be published (or even read by people who don't love me unconditionally). I mean, one of the books isn't even finished and two or them don't have titles. (Contact me if you want to take a crack at that.)

Other than that, I've been working on perfecting another young adult novel called Knockout Girl. This book is very dear to me as it's one of my favourite books I've ever written. Elli, the first person narrator, is witty and sarcastic and at least half-full of teenage angst. But she's got a good heart and genuinely wants to see her friends succeed. Currently Knockout Girl is going through some rounds of beta reading and last touches, after which I plan on self-publishing again.

Of course, none of this is possible without the help and support of my amazing friends! Writing a manuscript is one thing. But having it edited and read over and over again and then publishing it requires a lot of work and is hard to do with a small group of people, let alone by yourself. So just know that I appreciate each and everyone one of you lovely people.

- Natasja

Nanowrimo News

It's been almost three months since my last post, but fret not! I have actually been writing a more than normal amount lately and I've decided to channel my rediscovered penchant for over-writing by joining Nanowrimo 2015! This will be my fourth time trying it and I'm very excited. Last year, I didn't do it. With a months-old baby and absolutely no motivation to speak of, it was just not happening. But this year, I've got a plan.

Those of you who know me know that I am a complete pantser. Normally, I let my characters run the story and I kind of just record whatever they do and say. But this year, my characters and I have planned the story ahead of time. I decided that I didn't want to get lost fumbling around looking for something else to write. Which is also why I'm going to do something I very rarely do - write out of order. I know that's how most books are written, but believe it or not, most of my books are written in order. 

Hopefully with the changes to my own personal process for writing, I will be able to complete my challenge. Feel free to:

- Go to my Nano page and keep track of how I'm doing starting November 1st

- Sign up and write alongside me

- Ask me for a detailed synopsis and then suggest book titles

- Donate

Cheers to a great Nanowrimo 2015!

- Natasja 

Here's to Making Up Words

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because of reasons,* but I do apologize. To make up for that, I would like to share about how I recently have been introduced to the concept of listicles. What is a listicle? It is an article made up of a list (or lists), solely for the purpose of posting something easy, light, and entertaining. Supposedly, I should write a listicle if I'm having trouble coming up with things to post. (Oops. Was I not supposed to mention that?) So, without further ado, here are some lists for you!

Things I have been reading lately:

1. Overqualified by Joey Comeau (A hilarious set of overly truthful cover letters)

2. Personal Days by Ed Park (A novel about a bunch of people who work in an office)

3. Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber (Yes, it's a Christmas book and I'm not even ashamed that I watched the movie afterwards)

4. City Love by Susane Colasanti (Yes, I do read a number of books at the same time)

5. The Cage by Megan Shepherd (Come on now, no one said I couldn't do that)

6. The Accidents of Style by Charles Harrington Elster (Everyone in every vocation should read this)

Things I have been writing lately:

1.

2.

3.

4. This list.

It's true. I've spent much more time reading than writing. I mean, that list would be at least twice, if not three times as long if I included all the books I read to my son on a daily basis. But I'm not discouraged. Sometimes I need to do a good clean sweep by reading a lot of outside writing and then I can get back into my own stuff with a fresh mind. Anyway, there we have it. A listicle!

- Natasja

*Reasons include: being a bookaholic mommy and librarian.

Write, Write, Write!

Okay, so I've been back to work for two weeks now, which - as you can imagine - has left me with very little time for myself. I was also busy preparing for my one-year-old's birthday party (I just had to mention that). However, I have been keeping up my writing and I promise that my new super short story series is coming soon! (Ish. Soon-ish.)

However, I've been writing something lately that I have no intention of letting anyone else read. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but just that I've been rediscovering the meaning of the phrase "write for yourself." Trust me on this - writing something you know no one but yourself will read is one of the most freeing exercises you can try. And it's completely motivating. Much like during nanowrimo, I barely read back, I don't edit, and sometimes I write complete nonsense. But you know what? That's not a bad thing. In fact, it's rather cathartic in a way.

So that's what I've been up to (other than helping a certain little man learn to walk on his own). Again, new stuff to read is coming very very very soon!

- Natasja