Wednesday, December 4, 2013

December IWSG, 5th Grade Fan Art and Getting Close to the End


Last week I had the privilege of spending time with a class of 5th graders discussing THE MAGIC WAKES and writing. My mom teaches math, but she's been reading TMW with her homeroom class. Although this novel isn't really for their age group, they are enjoying it. Mom just skips over the kissing parts. :)

They are only halfway through the story, but they had some wonderful questions. I was impressed with their deductive reasoning and predictive skills. They guessed one thing to come but have lots of surprises in store too. The cool thing was that their guesses were some of my earlier options that I later twisted into something else.

Perhaps the neatest part was at the end of the class. Mom and I had made lot's of necklaces (Talia inspired) to give them, and some of the kids gave me pictures they had drawn.

I planned to scan them to show you, but my son's computer is stupid and I can't figure out how. I'll keep working on it. One girl drew a new pet for Talia to replace Keeta. Another drew the sunsrise, and finally another was a card telling me how awesome my book is.

For a day, I considered writing a MG book. Who knows, maybe I will someday.

November in general was a great month for me and writing. It usually is. However, my insecurities for December are growing. There is so much to do and thus far I've not had the time to sit and write once this month. (I wrote this post sitting at the dentist office) My fear is that with the permission and goal to write every day for Nano I'll stop again. The family indulges me in November, but now they expect my attention and for me to be running around all day getting "things" done.

Some of you may have realized that in life I'm not a super assertive person. I know I need to say "NO, this block of time is for writing," and yet I feel so guilty for doing it. I also know that I need to read the end of this story while my mind is moving forward with it. I'm currently 54K into THE SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE thanks to Nano, but I need at least another 10-15K to reach then end of this sparse draft. The other problem is it's so easy for me to fall back into editing now that November is over. Especially now that I know which of the two new guys is the traitor secretly working for the demon possessed maniac who wants Talia for his own.

Yeah. :) I wrote 50K not sure which it was. Hopefully that will make it hard for the reader to guess too early as well.

I'm so close.

But the hustle and bustle of "real life" (blah!) is slowly sucking the motivation out of me. Somebody kick me now!

Purpose of IWSG: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. I'm currently #154.

Also, in case you've missed the new website, or the Facebook page...just click the links. :)

31 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. LOL, okay, it's up now. Can I say how much I hate the new Windows operating system? I can never find anything on the computer anymore.

      Anyone know how to find your printer so you can open it to scan something?

      Delete
  2. You are getting as bad as Alex. Translation: Too Much to Process.

    Finding motivation is like a hunt for some elusive creature, isn't it? I fall back on something Stephen King said about '...writing 2000 words a day and only under the most dire of conditions do I allow myself to miss..." that goal. If he doesn't, the characters lose their life-like traits and become, well, characters in a novel.

    http://www.authormagazine.org/articles/thayer_james_2009_04_09.htm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I think my head is going to explode one of these days. Then people will be looking at all the gloop scattered everywhere and think, "What the heck? Look at all the crazy stuffed in her head, no wonder she had issues." :)

      Thanks for the link! I've bookmarked it to read it tomorrow. Hopefully.

      Delete
  3. WOW! Your purpose for sharing is working. I definitely feel encourage to start writing again. You have gotten so much done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I'm glad you feel encouraged. Good luck with all your writing endeavors.

      Delete
  4. Hi Charity
    Thanks for the like at the fb, This is very interesting one for the day,
    But the brighter letters here, I mean the white letters in black background gives little eye strain to read on. Especially for old people this will surely give more trouble, and i am sure some may run from there to another cool place. I am sorry to say this Pl Think of a different color or a background. Thanks
    Phil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, sorry for the white on dark. Nothing else really fits my style and blog though. *sigh*

      Delete
  5. Kids discussing your book is awesome. I don't know if my Sacrifice Novellas will be allowed below High/Middle School. Insecurities are just that, you just keep right on moving Charity.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds like you had a blast with the 5th graders. That is too neat that they guessed some upcoming events in the story. I know what you mean about December. It's exhausting to juggle everything.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kids can be hard to impress. You must be doing something right to get a whole class that excited about your book. Congrats!

    -James

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, with your mom reading the manuscript to the class, you are just going to have to go and visit them and talk about your book! Make sure to get a video and post it online because I want to see how the class interacts with you after reading your wonderful novel.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That's awesome your mom is reading your story to her class.
    Maybe for December you could give yourself a weekly word count. Something to get motivation flowing again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I certainly won't kick you, but PLEASE know you are not ALONE. This month has been a wasteland for me after nano and I too, am missing the motivation and permission I had during November. Part of the problem is I have edits from my editor coming in soon, and I don't want to start on the nano book only to have to switch gears right away. Oh well. I'm sure we will both work it out (hope hope) I'll cheer you on if you'll cheer me!

    ReplyDelete
  11. "Mom just skips over the kissing parts."
    HA!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You can't find a block of time where you tell them, "Don't bother me, I'm writing"? Of course, I don't have kids, so I wouldn't know how that works...

    Too cool with the 5th graders. You might have some new fans for life.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Whoo! Sorry it took so long to come reply! I'll start at the bottom and work my way up...

    @Liz-- My block of time is supposed to be while they are all at school and work. Somehow there is always a long list of stuff to do. It's my problem of not being strong enough to say no to people who need help with stuff. One day I'll get mean... :D

    @David, isn't that great?!

    @Lisa, I'm glad you didn't kick me, mostly. :) Hopefully we will both work it out. Good luck with the upcoming edits as well. I think waiting so you don't have to switch gears midway is wise.

    @Patricia, A weekly word count is a great idea!

    @ Michael, I think I will go back at the end of the year when they've finished. Recording it could be interesting...I'll think about it. :) This experience was a lot different from visiting the high school, but just as enjoyable in a different way. I'm quickly learning to not go in over prepared, but more relaxed. They just want to talk after all, and I'm good at that.

    @planetpailly, thanks! It could just be that my mom is awesome. Yeah, it's probably that, and the fact that these are inner city kids that have probably rarely been read aloud to. They get excited about everything and I find they are always grateful for any attention they can get.

    @Brinda, So true about December being exhausting. I'm glad IWSG was at the beginning of the month. Even so I'm behind on returning visits and comments...It's a great time too though. All the lights and treats, yum!

    @Sheena-kay, I didn't think mine would be middle school worthy, still don't really, but *shrugs* Thanks thought, I love how you are always so positive!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I promise to return the visits tomorrow after a good night's sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  15. First, congratulations on finishing Nano! That's a major accomplishment. I imagine it's hard getting back to the 'normal' routine. December is just a wacky, stressful month. Period. I haven't worked on my novel, and I'm very frustrated with that. I understand. But we probably should cut ourselves some slack, at least until the holidays are behind us.

    Thanks for dropping by with a comment, Charity. I'm your newest follower.
    xoRobyn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Robyn! My problem is when I do give myself a little slack it's hard to get going again. :) Thanks for the follow! I've added you to my netvibes list.

      Delete
  16. Congratulations on completing Nano! (Think we discussed this on the IWSG FB page!). I love working with younger children - that'd be why I became a nursery nurse - so I totally get how they would have reacted to the story telling :)
    Suzanne @ Suzannes Tribe
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it wonderful (and a bit sad) to see that just a little effort can bring so much joy to them?

      Delete
  17. Oh yeah! Life totally sucks all the go-get-em out of me as well. I hear you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) If only we could return to living in caves. Although it's a bit cold right now...

      Delete
  18. Congrats on completing NaNo! I really applaud all the NaNoNites. You're a brave bunch...
    And getting 5th graders interested in your book is really a special thing. At that age, they're so hard to please...
    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I would love to have been a little mouse in the corner of the fifth grade classroom. What a different perspective they must have on your story. Sounds like fun. Congrats on NANO. Nope never made it to 50000 words, but I got 2 published books out of the effort. So you asked for it, here's a big kick in the arse. Get goin' grrrrllll !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats on the 2 novels! I love that Nano can be what we need it to be--rebel all the way!

      Thanks for the jump start too! I opened the document today and did some clean up work in preparation for more writing tomorrow.

      Delete
  20. Saying no to the family has to be the hardest thing. But if we don't show we're serious about our work how will they take us seriously? BTW, I hate the new Windows, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is it because we love them so much? That's my excuse, but then I get sad that they don't love me enough to support me. AND then I realize it's my fault. I'm working on it though.

      I never did figure out how to scan on this thing. My printer is stupid too and I can't just hit the scan button without getting an error, but on the last computer I could work around that. *sigh* Another reason to get a Mac. If I have to learn a new system might as well be the one I want. :)

      Delete
  21. I hope you find the writing time you need!

    For my part it's not my other obligations taking me away from the project I should be working on, but my own inability to stop slacking!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.