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.

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

pique

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i'm touched by so many things.

wood, freshly hewed and polished alike. candles, their flames flickering in the darkness of night. lanterns with their soft beams casting a warm glow over me and my soul.

i surround myself with these things when the time comes for me to write. i know what piques my mind, what pushes my inspiration to its highest point.

i rent films. not movies filled with careless words and meaningless drivel. but films, rich with colour and life so gorgeous that it makes me melt.

An Education. 

Starlight. 

Edward Scissorhands. 

Once. 

Chocolat. 

Anne of Green Gables. 

The Chronicles of Narnia. Shakespeare in Love. 

i fill my ears with soundtracks to life and love. i find artists that don't just sing, but whisper their souls between the notes. i find those melodies that change and transform. 

Imogene Heap

John Williams

Hans Zimmer 

The Swell Season

Owl City

my senses come alive during this month. i slip between the words and find my place to snuggle up and watch this world pass.

what inspires your NaNoWriMo? what pushes you down this path? 

who are your guides?

-blessings abound,

rachel 

cover art {rachel}

it's seven days from the beginning.

seven days until my life turns into words and clicking laptop keys and late nights where i see sunsets and sunrises before my eyes ever close in slumber.

seven days until my husband begins his understanding meal plan of mac-'n'-cheese and tuna helper.

seven days until Ali and i launch upon this glorious adventure of thirty days and fifty thousand words.

today was another day of prep. a day of pouring over photos and character names. of creating cover art for my novel.

it's freeing for me to see the cover of the book i will soon be composing. it's a sign that there is some sort of structure. a plan for its creation.

currently, i have four covers. i'm not sure which one i will be choosing.

would you care to aid me in my decision? 

each one is a fragment. a corner of the story yet to be told, but that i can see so well in the corner of my novelist's mind.

seven days until the curtain opens.

and i feel ready. if only just a little.

-blessings abound,

rachel

novelist {rachel's edition}

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sum up your novel in five words or less.
music. eyes. ruins. luggage. freedom. 


{yes, i'm fully aware that my list could not be more disjointed. but there's a beauty in that, i think.}
 
Novel title?

current title: Cut Loose
be aware, this could change. it usually does. 


 Sum up your main character(s) in one word each.
Coleen: freedom
Allistar: passion


{names pending and subject to change. A LOT}

Advice for newbies in three words?
never give up.
 
Tell us about your secondary characters, how do they affect the story?
honestly, i'm not exactly sure yet. i'm already having problems with my secondary male lead running away with himself. i'm feeling the creeping fingers of frustration slipping over me already, and it's still nine days before we start. this may not be a good thing.

Do you plan to stay up till midnight on the 31st?
yes. i always do. i would be far too excited about starting to actually sleep anyway. so i stay up and write until i crash, wake up, and write more and more and more. 

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How many years have you done NaNo?
three. 2009, i completed 50,216 words. 2010, i barely scraped 10,000. this year will be the best of them all.

What came first, characters, or plot idea?
characters. i have only the barest scraps of plot.

How much prep do you do before November?
quite a bit, actually. having my NaNo pinterest board as a springboard has truly helped me a great deal. it's been nice to be able to mentally coordinate and physically view my ideas as they come together. 

Now be honest, how do you really feel about NaNo?
in a word: terrified. i always get this way before NaNo though. it's a beautiful kind of fear, the kind that will spur me on to the completion of this novel. i'm more than a little excited, as well. i cannot wait to see what November brings me. 

-blessings abound,

rachel

to question and to answer

here we are.

twelve days from one of the biggest months in a writer's life. 

at this point, i'm honestly not sure if i'm ready to undertake this task yet again. it's my third year, sacrificing an entire thirty days toward the creation of a brand-new novel. breathing life into a new chapter, day after day after day. 

are you joining us? 

have you ever done this before? is this your first? your fifth? have you been writing since the beginning? 

for those of you who have never done this before

what questions do you have?

for those of you who have walked this path time and time again

what answers can you share?

this is a group effort. individual stories, but all one great work.

so please, share with us together. 

what are your questions?

what are your answers?

ask and we will answer.

share and you will be shared. 

twelve days and counting.

-blessings abound,

rachel 

soul's genre

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the countdown to NaNoWriMo is slowly ticking down.

twenty-four days remaining.

and now the time has come to decide.

what will your story be?

and where will it begin? it must have a year in which to dwell...and a genre which to inhabit.

genre is tricky. 

when you begin to write, you must ask yourself the most important of all questions:

have i found a niche or have i fallen into a rut?

do you write for your genre because you love it...

because your nights are filled with dreams of knights and fair maidens, 

of cowboys on dusty horseback, 

or things that have not yet come but are whispering from the future? 

do you write because these worlds intoxicate your soul? are you captivated, lost, and overwhelmed because these places love you back?

or do you write because, when pen meets paper, when soul and words collide, you find yourself with a sigh and a muttered

i don't know what to write. so i guess i'll write this. i always do. 


my dear friend, do not let your stories die because you feel compelled. trapped.

for this death is the worst of all. you kill not only your characters and your literary light...but part of your ink-stained soul dies as well.

write the truth. not the requirement.

write for love. 

for passion.

do because you love. not because you must.

seek. define.

what is your soul's genre?

-blessings abound,

rachel