Liberty Hall Writers

Some thoughts:

1. What do we want this challenge to achieve?

To give a novelist a framework to create that is focused on the end goal of writing the novel.

2. How closely do we want to tie this challenge to MidSommer Madness and NaNoWriMo?

Loosely. It should precede both. That means that in 2010 it will occur in April or so.

3. How long should the challenge be?

I like the 30 day timeframe.

4. What tools do we use and/or base the challenge upon?

While we will provide links to all kinds of tools, we will not require any specific ones. However, we will specify end results.

I am willing to set up a WorldBuilding Challenge for the month of August. However, I don’t want to do it all on my own. There’s a forum open for people willing to help create the challenge. Please go there and add your thoughts and ideas.

World Building Challenge Discussion Forum

Maps and Other Images

Although maps are certainly not all there is to worldbuilding, they can play a large part, especially in fantasy. They are also hard to add to challenges; not everyone has the skills or desire to create and post maps.

Other elements of worldbuilding include:
Read the rest of this entry »

In the last month or so I’ve had three pieces published:

On 30th May, “The Owl and Great Cthulhu” went live at Everyday Weirdness (http://everydayweirdness.com/e/20090530), then in June “A Primary Function” was published by Every Day Fiction (http://www.loreleisignal.com/CelebrationinBlueSilk.html). Yesterday, “A Celebration in Blue Silk” was published by Lorelei Signal (http://www.loreleisignal.com/CelebrationinBlueSilk.html).

I would add properly formatted links, but something on the blog appears to be broken. Not only can I not access the HTML tab, I can’t even see what I’m typing!

It is July 1 and Midsommer Madness is now officially over.

Give yourself a reward, whether you’ve finished the entire 30 days or not. You are ahead of where you were, and you have a clearer idea of one of the many ways to view a novel as a project. This means that you can now figure out how to do it better. Please also let us know how to do things better, for next year.

If you’d do an overall evaluation here, by means of a comment, then others who have followed this process on the blog will benefit from your experience.

But is it REALLY over? There are rumors that some of the Maddest of the Mad are going to go ahead and do some worldbuilding. Could it be yet ANOTHER challenge on the horizon?

Folks who joined in to MidSommer Madness are eligible to add a new pip to their signature. As this was the first one, and thus a bit of an experiment, I encourage anyone who didn’t finish the challenge to use the pip anyway. I am going to.

To add this pip, go to your User Panel in the Forums and edit your Signature. Add the following code:

[img]http://www.libertyhallwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/MM20092.png[/img]
or
[img]http://tinyurl.com/meavfz[/img]

“A Quiet Afternoon at the Alabaster County Ladies’ Sewing Circle and Patchwork Society,” one of my LH flash challenge stories, is now up at Residential Aliens. Just a placid little tale about passing the time with a few friends, a cup of tea, and a bit of needlepoint. As if.

Day 30 Create a schedule for yourself to write one-page expansions of the 20 paragraphs from (Day 10).

When creating this schedule, resist the urge to over schedule yourself. Be realistic and give yourself something you can actually follow. Leaving a little breathing room will allow you to not only meet your goals, but possibly get ahead. Everyone likes the feeling of being ahead of schedule, and this can provide a positive boost to your morale as you tackle your book. If you intend to use the information you've developed for NaNoWriMo, then this would be a good time to make sure that your schedule fits theirs.

Day 30 -  Create a schedule for yourself to write one-page expansions of the 20 paragraphs from (Day 10).

Recently, I discovered that the Celtx extension for exporting the catalog as CSV also exports scripts and text as text files.

This means that Celtx might continue as part of my novel planning process. I’m seriously considering writing first drafts of a few key scenes as scripts, so that I focus on dialog. I can then export the scenes as text files, and bring them into Open Office or Word to develop as a scene in my novel.

Perhaps I’ve been infected by Midsommer Madness.

Day 29 – Identify at least three potential publishers.

Here’s one resource. I’m sure there are others:

• Publishers Marketplace

I have installed a new php chat application and would like to test it. If you are willing to do so, please use the Contact Us link to send me an email, including:

You will have to enter a username/password combination to enter the chat room. When it asks you for a nickname, please use the username you sent me.

Here are a few commands you can use: