105 :: phoenix rain {rachel}

these are the first 105 words of my second book. this came to me in my sleep last night, and i could not get it out of my mind. this concept is one that i have been toying with for some time now; the narration for these first lines came to me in my dreams. i value your thoughts, opinions, or anything you wish to share.

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My name is Phoenix Rain.

My name is Phoenix Rain.

My name is…Phoenix…

Every slash of the whip brought the recurring thought, the continual reminder. It was a mental chant, one that kept up a steady cadence, matching the pulsing throb of the blood that poured from her shredded shoulders  

It was the one thing she had left. Her clothing was torn, her body was captive, her wings were bound. All of her former self had been shredded and turned to ash.

Save for her name.

The name that pounded in her soul, the only tether that still bound her to the sky.

            Phoenix Rain. 

the novelist {rachel}

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50030.

this was my final number on the 27th of November. somehow, by the power of God, i finished my NaNoWriMo novel.

well, i finished the word goal. the novel itself is still undone. i am anticipating a novel that may double in word count by the time the story completes.

and with a publisher already expressing interest in Cut Loose, i have my path laid out. December will still be busy, even though the writing month has come to an end.

but i've also come to another decision, one that crept to my lips at breakfast with my husband today. one that i had not voiced before.

i'm not going to wait until November 2012 to write another novel.

i'm starting again in January. no word counts or time crunches, no insane word sprints or nightmares of being pursued by passionate purple bars and line graphs.

i don't even know what i'm going to write about. but i've had ideas coming and going since the beginning of the month, ideas that i forced myself to push down and away while writing this current book.

NaNo may be over, but this blog is not even close to be concluded, and my writing adventures are continuing to grow.

so January will be a new start. not a resolution or a box to check off. it's a new thing, a freedom thing.

in Cut Loose, Niamh learned to cut her chains. 

in my life, NaNo helped me cut mine. 

my King and i, these words and i...we're looking forward.

geeking out {rachel}

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i never write fangirl blog posts. not about handsome celebrities or the next great thing in music, with the one-time exclusion of Owl City.

but tonight, i feel the need to go just a bit crazy.

because Chris Baty just replied to me on Twitter. twice.

this checks off item no. 46 on my bucket list.

i am fully aware that i sound a bit like a frantic schoolgirl. i do wish you could have seen me, leaping around the house and dancing.

11:46pm, 11-15-2011. 

@ChrisBaty: "Seriously, right?"

{this tweet was in response to the technique of starting each day's writing on a fresh document to avoid spasmodically erasing the previous's days disasters.}

please forgive me this childish rant. but i must admit, this has given me quite the boost in my writing. 

33,163 words. 

i am overwhelmed and overjoyed. 

forgive this rant? i've consumed a great deal of caffeine and raspberry chocolate, and so i feel that it may have been inevitable. 

oh, my glorious God knew i needed this. desperately. 

excuse me for a moment...i'm going to go dance for my ultimate Hero.  

the Lover and Restorer of my weary soul.

expectations cut loose {rachel}

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today's word over at The Gypsy Mama was "unexpected."

while this is not technically an entry into "five minute Friday," it is indeed a snapshot of my literary moments of shock, chagrin, and confused delights.

this week in the world of writing has been the epitome of unexpected developments.

my entire plotline changed overnight. it was remarkable to watch, and almost frightening to realize that i had much less control over this storyline that i originally thought.

Cut Loose has lived up to its title.

it had found its wings -- dragon wings, even.

it has grown so much larger, so much greater,  than i ever could have anticipated.

i am terrified and overwhelmed with joy.

22,646 words.

ten days of writing.

my hands shook as i wrote the above numbers. does that even make sense?

curious as to the changes made? first, take a peak at this post, written by me right around the end of October. read the post, take in my original synopsis.

and then read this -- my new and "improved" synopsis, which is located on the NaNoWriMo page itself.

what do you think?

are you a fan of the changes? 

i'm living in the land of the unexpected. my anticipations regarding this novel have found their own wings. 

i'm cutting loose. 

-blessings abound,

rachel 

day three {at the close -- rachel}

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it's day three. almost the end of the day, actually.

and i'm at 11,048 words.

i'm not sure if i should break into cheers or copious sobs.

being this far ahead is incredibly frightening for me. my first year, i wrote 50,056 words. 20,000 of them were written in the last four days of November. last year, i barely scraped 30,000 in a month's time.

and now, i'm so far ahead in less than 72 hours.

and i'm elated. 

and petrified. 

in three days, Cut Loose has changed more than i ever imaged possible.

my lead character's name has changed from Caitlyn to Naimh.

what was once a magic-less story now has a complicated weaving of mages and a complete magical system revolving around the Elements and colour.

government has arisen and a monetary system has been invented. there are maps and geography where once there was blank paper.

it's a prism of light, an ever-changing thing.

at this point in  your novel, is it turning out the way you want it to? i suppose so. i'm honestly not sure; i didn't have a whole lot planned in the beginning, so i'm letting my characters run the show a bit for now. 

have your characters had any big turning points yet? definitely! Niamh's character has been tested three times now; her love has now been ripped away from her, and she is about to be married off to a man who is more deadly than she knows just yet. i'm scared for her, actually. she's strong, though, thank God.  

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have any characters met their significant other in the book yet? oh, yes. they were together from the beginning of the book! 

what are your future goals for your novel this month (besides word goals)? i think it'd be very nice if my characters would start behaving themselves just a bit. i've let them run the show, yes, but even they need to reign it in just a bit. magic is dangerous, and Fire is the most dangerous element of all. 

current playlist: a combination of Howard Shore and Regina Spektor stations on Pandora, as well as a steady stream of Gilmore Girls on the DVD player. 

caffeine intake: high. extremely high. M&Ms and Dr. Pepper rank high on the list

latest night thus far: midnight, so far. but i'm pretty sure that a 2am bedtime will be down the road shortly. 

any emotional breakdowns: does crying count? and having to get up and leave the computer a lot to avoid editing? then yes. 

curious as to how the poet in me is handling this journey? then check out my two most recent personal blogposts here and here. 

-blessings abound,

rachel

10 Things:

Hi, voice of reason talking here. NaNoWriMo officially starts tomorrow, and  most of us are gearing up our playlists and outlines to start writing our novels. We live for our late night writing sessions, our marathon like attitude as we push ourselves to keep writing the next word. However, I am here to remind you of 10 things you should not forget during this month. I'm sorry, the free spirited goof ball I am can not stay silent as I listen to some of you have mental breakdowns over your novel's plot lines and forget to eat because you're glued to your laptop


TOP 10 THINGS YOU CAN NOT GO WITHOUT THIS NOVEMBER

1. Remember to eat


2. Remember to eat Chocolate


3. Remember those family and friends of yours? Make sure to give them time.


4. Go out once a week.


5. Watch some comedic movies, Redbox is calling your name. Laughter is the best cure for a writing hangover.


6. Remember to shower, dress, do your hair a.k.a look like a presentable human being. Trust me your spouse/friends/family will thank you.

7. Everyone has responsibilities, remember to do your homework, do well at your work place, or do your jobs at home.

8. American? Don't forget thanksgiving, plan on this day having your computer off. This is a time to be with others.

9. Remind yourself why you love to write, it is easy to get fed up with it during November.

10. Above all else, have fun with this. This is meant to give you the push you need to create that story within you that was meant to be shared. However, it is not the end of the world if something goes wrong. This is a challenge! Laugh at yourself, step away if you start yelling at your computer, eat some more chocolate if you start feeling depressed. This is sure to be a great and fun month if you allow it.




Keep Calm and Drink Tea,
                     Alexandria

plot-ish {rachel}

i finally feel like i have a footing. it's taken me six months to come up with this concept.

i'm honestly not sure what took me quite so long to let loose and allow my inspiration to create this concept in my head.

i will admit, a very large portion of this came to me in the bathtub {of all places} on Friday night. i now hold fast to cucumber melon body wash, and the power of a relaxing soak.

i am sharing this plot with you all. it comes direct from my NaNoWriMo profile, which is what i'm sharing with the world at large.

please understand. this plot is a seedling. the barest beginnings of what are yet to grow from my ever-growing inspiration.

take it in, if you will. drink it down like the copious amounts of coffee and Dr. Pepper that will accompany me in this process.

as a little girl, Caitlyn never wanted a fairytale life. in fairytales, all the fathers die and there's so much pain before the love. all she wanted was to grow up at her father's estate, marry the stableboy {Ashley}, and live in her own version of "happily ever after."

but her father dies anyway, fairytale or not. blamed for her father's death by her already bullying half-brother, she is still raised as a Duke's daughter, but treated with nothing but disdain.

when the time comes for her to marry, her brother cruelly ignores her pleas to marry Ashley as Caitlyn's father had always intended. instead, he chooses Royce, a sinister man who has a history for losing wives to mysterious deaths.

passed as a pawn from one frightening overlord to another, Caitlyn struggles to maintain her individuality while still preparing herself to become a murderer's bride.

she has faith still. she knows that love is stronger, faith is deeper. her father's words echo in her head: "you are this to some, you are that to others. but you are always mine, and you are always more."

will she find herself trapped forever, or will she find a way to be Cut Loose?

this is rough, i know.

be gentle with my soul. please?

-blessings abound,

rachel