I'm interested to see how this changes after I've posted it on the blog...

The Blogalyser reveals...

Your blog/web page text has an overall readability index of 12.

This suggests that your writing style is conventional
(to communicate well you should aim for a figure between 10 and 20).Your blog has 20 sentences per entry, which suggests your general message is distinguished by verbosity
(writing for the web should be concise).

CHARACTER MATRIX

male		female
self		world
past		future

Your text shows characteristics which are 56% male and 44% female
(for more information see the Gender Genie).
Looking at pronoun indicators, you write mainly about yourself, then the world in general and finally your social circle. Also, your writing focuses primarily on the present, next the past and lastly the future.

Find out what your blogging style is like!

P.S. It only changed my average sentences down to 19. BTW, I'm a writer. I'm bound to be verbose!

I thought I'd post an update on my current WiPs for whoever's interested.

Wizards of Dianthus: Adventures of the Wizard, the Apprentice and the Ghost
(WoD:AWAG) previously 'Overdue Fees'
I've written the first draft but the story is incomplete. I've reread it and am part way through making plot cards for editing it. I'm hoping to get a proof copy printed at CreateSpace for free because I participated in NaNo. But I'd have to be done by June (I think).

Wizards of Dianthus: Night Magic
(WoD:NM)
This is still unfinished. I last worked on it in early February and wrote about a paragraph. I think the sequel AWAG turned out a lot better plotwise. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with this. I hope to finish and I suppose I won't really know what potential it has until I do.

Reinsforde School of Special Arts: The Harbinger
(RSSA1)
I've still got the unfinished draft of this on my HDD. However, I've been having a lot of new ideas regarding the story and magic system so I think a near complete rewrite will be required.

Renae
I was sorting out my hard drive just before uni started and came across this short story I wrote for the Women's Weekly and Penguin Books competition. I know why it didn't win. It had a lot of holes and weak spots that were nearly holes. However, I think it dealt with an interesting plot line and I hope to rewrite and expand it into a chick lit novel.


Laters,
Lol

I probably should mention that I ended up winning NaNo in 11 days. With 20 minutes to spare. W00tcakes!

Now I'm editing up my story, Wizards of Dianthus: The Adventures of the Wizard, the Apprentice and the Ghost (aka AWAG) in hopes of getting a respectable free proof copy through NaNo and CreateSpace.

I'm currently reverse outlining. This means I'm going through and figuring out what each scene I've written is about and then I'll turn these descriptions into an outline which I can rearrange and otherwise edit. It'll also show me where I skipped scenes in my mad rush to the finish.

I want to have the whole editing process done by June or July (can't remember which) to get the free proof. I also want to take advantage of the 07 offer with my original Wizards of Dianthus (even though I wrote that in 06... shhh, no one needs to know). That's due the month before 08. I haven't even written The End on that story though.

Ta-ta,
Lol

NANOWRIMO!!

'Nuff said.

Recording some inspiration:

I've been browsing Picture Australia for my history unit and came across this photo of a mower part. At first glance it looked like some wacky aeroplane. Then I thought it could be some sort of mech/insect thing. Anyways! Save that in the memory bank.

I have my exam dates.

13-Nov is AFM112 Introduction to management accounting (or some such)
17-Nov is ECON102 in the morning and HIST151 in the afternoon
19-Nov is COMP100
20-Nov is NANOWRIMO 2008!!!

I'll have 11 days to write 50 000 words about Rebella Foxglove the... 3rd? Wizard of the 12th Order of Wizards. I'm pumped. But obviously not pumped enough to come and share the news on the day I actually got said dates. I've had them for a while. I've just been battling with assignments.

Bring on November!
Lol

PS. You'd have heard this sooner if you followed me on Twitter. Look for Rapunzel247

Hello from Kalgoorlie!

I'm having heaps of fun. Liss and I have done some cooking, scrapping and piano playing. We had a games night on Friday night and then one of their friends' 4-year-old had a birthday party Saturday. After church we went to a park with some of their friends. I saw emus, cockatoos, kangaroos and peacocks.

I've been thinking a bit about NaNoWriMo. My exam period is pretty much smack bang in the middle of November. I've got about a weekend after exams are over to write a novel. Unless I'm really lucky and get early exams.

If I do manage to write my 50k it'll mostly likely be a sequel to my (still unfinished) '06 NaNo or a story about shipbreakers. The sparse ideas I've had for the sequel include the MC being Rebella, one of Lez's co-wizards, the plot would revolve around a possible loose end resulting from Night Magic and there would be some interesting developements in the lives of some of the most loved (by me mostly) characters from Night Magic. I'd call it... um... I don't know. Coming up with titles is fun and annoying in even parts.

Oooh. I really want to think up a title... Plot keywords: Rebella, Moose, wedding, ghost, Prince of Wales... Ahaha! I looked over some notes about this sequel and came up with a working title (secret project name?): Overdue Fees.

I think I'll almost certainly write WoD2 if I can. It'll be easier to write in a weekend than the more serious shipbreakers story.

Argh. I can't wait to get my exam dates.

Till later,
Lol

The following is the abridged version of a short article I wrote on Helium. It's doing quite well (5th out of 38 articles). See the complete article here: http://www.helium.com/items/635580-writing-problems-to-avoid-five-things-that-kill-good-writing. If you would like to join Helium, let me know and I'll send you an invite!

Writing problems to avoid: Five things that kill good writing

I am convinced that there's more than five things that will completely ruin an otherwise great piece of writing. That much is obvious. However, the following lists outlines the five top things that will make me pull out my bookmark and throw aside your book.

1. Cliched characters.
2. Disappointing conclusion.
3. Over-using phrases and words.
4. Over complicating phrases.
5. Weak writing.

Hooray! It's time for another random update from me.

Bahram Jones was born this week. He's a narkity British Jewish steampunk/world war airship pilot who hates just about everyone but still acts like a gentleman--generally. His stories won't be serious as such. He'll go around fighting for the Associated World Trade Office with a bunch of Germans (I think. The story changes every two seconds.) and thwarting mecha beasts while acting as a vent for my frustration and something fun for me to write.

Lez and company are still waiting. They are top priority once exams are over. 19th of June, watch out.

Hannah from RSSA is likewise not doing much. I made a realisation at some point between my last post and now how I can finish the NaNo plot perfectly so that I can begin the next book with the very first scenes I ever concieved for little miss Hannah Lee and her familiar Pollery. Which is awesomesauce.

For now, microeconomics review calls. As do alarm response invoices. Woo-hoo!

(You can cut the sarcasm with a knife... interestingly so, because that's what sarcasm means: to cut someone. Which begs the question, why do I let myself be so sarcastic? Maybe this is something Captain Jones and I will investigate while battling flying pirates.)


Until the future,
Lol

Bloggity blog.

I updated my LJ too. Whee!

Okay, so firstly: Book-in-a-Year

The year will be up in just over a month. (What? You're kidding.) Unfortunately, the first draft isn't even finished. A little thing called UNIVERSITY happened. As I kinda thought it would. Perhaps I'll give it another short in 2012 once Uni is done with.

Most of the writing I've been doing recently is to do with uni. I've recently submitted a history document essay about the Proclamation of Martial Law by Governor Brisbane in NSW in 1824 and an archaeology literature review about the Lindow Man in particular and bog bodies in general. However, I just started poking at RSSA again yesterday after completing my microeconomics assignemnt. I discovered an awesome paragraph early in the story which has given me hope for the overall health of the piece. I shall repost it here for the fun of it:

Suddenly the pair came upon a bulge in the valley. The banks stood tall on either side, mostly just sheer drops. Actual water poolled in a smaller gully within the valley. It trickled down from the cliff face and onto a series of natural stone steps into the pool. Grass, trees, shrubs and vines filled the area overwhelmingly with green and let off a variety of interesting scents. However the two most striking features were man-made: a tall grey tower, perhaps once part of a castle, with greenery crowning its bulwarks and bursting from its tall, empty windows. Opposite this was a tall wall holding back the earth dug to form this little cove. It too was over taken by growing things.

Now, it's by no means perfect. But I love it because I vividly remember being rather worried while writing that particular paragraph. I wanted to capture a specific photograph in words. And I'm very pleased with it these couple of months on.

A small note about WoDNM: I also poked at this and tacked on a few extra words. I figured out a bit more of the plot. Including a bit where everyone in the whole world DIES. Except the MC and one of his sidekicks (but it isn't Moose!)

Lastly, I've been reading Vindie's (of NiH fame) blog recently and she's posted up two brilliant story ideas. They make me want to write my own stories so much (not to mention read hers) but financial accounting calls...

Love and kisses,
Zaphod Lol