Project Updates – Anne Caitlin

3 Reasons Why I’m Not Doing Nanowrimo This Year

Normally I do Nano, but not this year. Why not?

I usually try to do Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) every year, but this year I decided against it. Here are my three reasons why.

I can’t do it justice this year.

Every year I did Nano , I usually tried to do some prep before it started. This might’ve been as simple as choosing a project, making sure it had all the necessary story pieces, and setting aside a time each day to write. Or I might’ve done some outlining and plotting. But I always did a little bit of preparation beforehand, and I usually had a story project whose plot was mostly formed and which was, sometimes, already being written.

This year, however, I have not given a thought to Nano due to my busy schedule. I also have many half-written projects which I’m not too enthusiastic about right now, and a ton of scattered writing ideas–none of which have a cohesive plot to be going with. This and the fact I do not have any preparation time brings me to believe that I will not be able to give Nanowrimo the justice it deserves this year. But more than that, is my second reason that:

I want to finish my main project.

My current WIP (work-in-progress) is currently in an awkward stage of revision. And rather than give myself another rough draft that I won’t work on for another few years, I’d like to finish a project I have. I’d like to break my habit of starting and not finishing. I really like the plot and background I am adding to my main WIP, and I’d love to finally, finally, have a finished project I can be proud of. I’ve delayed this project too long.

Similar to this reason, is my third reason why I’m not doing Nano this year:

I’d like to work on my consistency.

The Writer’s Sanctuary, a writing group I highly recommend, is doing a consistency challenge over the month of November instead of Nanowrimo, which is exactly what I need. I think it will benefit my writing more in the long run than doing Nanowrimo this year would. In this challenge I will be focusing on writing every day and working on audience building.

As you may have noticed, my posting is sporadic and my intended publishing date for my current project keeps getting pushed back. I want to make a real concerted effort to change that this year. The best way for me to do that is to take advantage of the consistency challenge my writing group is doing and finish my current project.

In conclusion…

Nanowrimo is a fantastic opportunity and can give your writing a big boost. However, this year I wanted to focus on completing a project which had already gone through the first draft, and improve my writing consistency.

I will be doing this with the help of The Writer’s Sanctuary, created by the fantastic editor and writer Jennifer Harris. Want to know more about this writing group? Click here! She tells you all you need to know.

What about you? Why are you doing (or not doing) Nano this month? How will you work on improving your writing this winter?

I hope you have a fantastic month, wherever God leads you! Stay safe and healthy, and God bless your adventures at home!

-Anne

Guardians of Ashith Cover Reveal!!

Hola, Reader!

Today I am presenting Guardians of Ashith’s first official front–and back–covers! Also, I added a new website banner–did you see it at the top of the page when you clicked in? If not, look up! 😉

Here are the front and back covers to Guardians of Ashith!! Abby Guthrie, a friend of mine, drew the image for the front cover, and I made the rest with a lovely program/website called Canva.

What do you think? Is there anything you think I should change with either cover? (More information on the back, perhaps? Should I change the synopsis? I didn’t include my publishing logo. Would you like to see it?) Let me know in the comments below!!

-Anne

Poetry and An Update

A poem by me and a blog update!

Hola, Reader! It’s been awhile!

As you know, I post rather irregularly. I struggle to find a good posting frequency that works with my busy schedule. So now I will be trying to post at least once, if not twice a month. Every week (or every other week), I will be posting a poem–either of my own or by someone else. Then, once a month, I will post an update on my writing/reading. Sound like a good plan? Let me know what you think below!

Books

Unripened words on the tree of the mind
 When ripe they're split open and eaten
 Some are rotten and thrown away
 Others are juicy and full of meat.

 For what are words but the fruit of imaginations?
 What are words except the whispers of the wind?
 What are words, the forces that drive all emotions?
 What are words, the ideas that flip the world upside down?

 No man can live on bread alone
 But on the very words of God;
 Words have power though they're unseen
 Words can't be explained by science.

 In order to grow words
 A mustard seed must be first planted
 And watered and loved so that it grows
 Into the solid tree that develops fruit.

 It can't be abandoned or it will die
 It oughtn't be left a seed forever
 It needs firm roots and a solid soul for soil
 Then it will grow into the tree
 Where birds will nest in its branches.

 If it doesn't grow no birds will come
 There'll be no shade under its branches
 Ideas won't blossom and prompts won't roost
 Within its nonexistent branches.

 These ideas make the world
 And change it for ever
 Don't waste the fruit of this seed
 Or it will take down other seeds.

 Words have the power to burn the trees
 They have the strength to fly the bees
 Whispers untold will fold the world
 And exclamations shake it.

-Anne B. Caitlin

This poem came out in a kind of song form, rather than just a poem. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

Let me know if you have any suggestions for posts and/or post frequency! What did you think of the poem? Did you see any ways I could improve it? Comment below!

-Anne

Wattpad

Hola, Reader!

In this post I am announcing that, after much convincing from other writers, I now have a Wattpad account.

To be honest, I had never heard of Wattpad until about a year ago. And it sounded kind of like a cheap-o writing website often with strange people and poorly written stories on it.

And while it is kind of all those things, it is a (free) platform to publish your writing and get more views on. And there are some jewels you can find in Wattpad! It just takes some searching and mining to find them, most often. Just like with book stores, except Wattpad is mostly for WIPs instead of finished stories.

While I was (and still am) a little cautious about being on Wattpad–because of the strange and frequently rude variety of people on there–I decided I would test it out. I will wait and see if that was a bad decision.

Anyway, here‘s my account! You can check out some of my poems and WIPs I have going on while working on Guardians of Ashith. And you’ll also get some hints and drafts of stories I have to come!

If the link doesn’t work for you, please let me know. You might have to have a Wattpad account in order to view it. But if it’s causing you problems, comment below and I’ll try to fix it! Thank you!

Well, I hope you’re having a great week! I have more posts on the way, so keep an eye on your inbox! 🙂

-Anne

P.S. If you’re a fellow writer and you have a Wattpad account, please share it in the comment section below! I’d love to check out your WIPs! 🙂

Full Intro to Guardians of Ashith

What do a hedgehog, a squirrel, and a cardinal have to do with a fox? Read the story synopsis…

Above picture is a piece of the front cover of Guardians of Ashith. Artwork done by Abby Guthrie.

Hola! Today I am sharing a full introduction to Guardians of Ashith.

Synopsis:

Kinkley the hedgehog and his friends Bwonk the squirrel and Melaine the cardinal never expected their quiet lives in the sunny glades of the Forest of Ashith to be disturbed. But one day, rumors begin to spread; something horrible is happening to their beloved forest.

Other than these three friends, however, no one is serious about taking action on these rumors. Will the threesome have the courage to leave the haven they’ve always known, to encounter mysterious dangers and a fox? But more importantly, how can three small friends possibly save the world of Ashith?

If they don’t take the rumors seriously and decide soon, they might discover a world of terror and danger for their beloved forest home.

Continue reading “Full Intro to Guardians of Ashith”

NaNoWriMo

Dear Reader,

An update and announcement– I am currently participating in NaNoWriMo, and my novel is Final Cross!

It was doubtful at first whether I would be doing NaNoWriMo this year. I had one whole week in November that I knew I wouldn’t be able to write in, and I was barely keeping up with my homework as it was. But, after some encouragement from my writer friends, I finally joined NaNoWriMo officially.

And here is my profile!

As I said, I am writing Final Cross for NaNoWriMo this year. I started it in June 2012, and just got back to working on it. Since I started NNWM so suddenly, though, I didn’t get much planning or outlining done for the book; so I am just “pantser-ing” right now. Next year, I hope to get a lot more planning done, since I will actually plan on doing NNWM in November! It’ll be a big help, especially since many of my book ideas aren’t fully completed yet. It’ll be a lot of fun.

The first week of NaNoWriMo, I struggled to get my homework done; I was procrastinating like crazy. But this week I am working harder at keeping a schedule, so I’ve been getting more done. Hopefully I’ll have more time to write now! You should see my word count soar.

In case you were wondering about Final Cross, here is a short synopsis:

“Xavior Hevings has just arrived at a Christmas Party where Santa Claus appears. He doesn’t believe in Santa anymore, and is more interested in the food. But his parents take his little sister, Asheara, to see Santa.

How could he know, that in only an hour he would be running through the murky streets carrying Asheara? How could he possibly know then, that his parents were going to be captured by the S.M.?

He soon meets a group that calls itself “The Seekers”, a group that is trying to undermine the S.M.’s plans. He joins them, and they use his information to find and conquer the local S.M. bases. But are they telling him the truth? Is their version of who the S.M. are really the right one?

How can he find out which way is truth? Will he get his parents back? Wait to find out.“

This is barely the first draft of the book, so some of the names might change. But the storyline should stay the same! 🙂

I’ll let you know how NaNoWriMo goes for me, and give you periodical updates. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week! And to the Wrimos out there– Keep on writing! We can do it! 🙂

-Anne