TGIF

So last night, instead of sleeping (which incidentally, led to me sleeping through my alarm clock this morning and missing discussion...mehhh), I wrote.  A lot.  I guess when the inspiration  hits you, it's like responding to a cocaine addiction: you just NEED TO OPEN MICROSOFT WORD AND TYPE THINGS, PRETTY THINGS.  It's nice when that happens, but for some reason, it always happens at one in the morning or later.  

But it's Friday now, so all is right with the world.  Tonight is the first regional meeting for NaNoWriMo 'round these parts, so I might get to see some writers IN REAL LIFE for the first time.  I don't know any writers that I've met in person.  Zero.  Zip.  Nada.  Unless some of my friends are harboring deep, dark novelly secrets.  I'm pretty sure they're not, though.

I wanted to share a cool discovery I made last night.  Cool for me--maybe everybody else already knew about it.  Gail Carson Levine has a blog.  Besides the fact that it's GAIL CARSON LEVINE (Ella Enchanted, Fairest, Two Princesses of Bamarre, etc.) who is way high up on my list of favorite authors, she blogs only on how to improve your writing.  YOUR writing.  She posts every Wednesday about a new topic, usually a question posed by a commenter.  Occasionally, there are fun exercises she puts up too.  It's very cool and helpful.  I have to rein myself in from wasting hours by reading all of her posts.  Since, you know, she's a best-selling author and all, she probably knows a little bit about good writing.  Did I mention that it's GAIL CARSON LEVINE?  

Next week, I'm going to try a new technique with my writing.  Instead of shooting from the hip all of the time, I'm going to...outline.  I usually plan novels according to what is going to be in which chapter.  This time, however, I'm going to write up every scene on notecards and let them go as they will, dividing by scenes instead of chapters.  I think this will lend a better sense of pacing to the story as I go along.  For NaNo, I mean.  And I'm guessing that I will write faster if I know where the story is going.

Have a good Friday!