Imaginary People

I was chatting online with a friend tonight about writing and the upcoming NaNoWriMo and told her about an image I had about a character - running from some people during the turn of the 20th century in NYC. She had the audacity to call me weird! LOL

I told her I was a writer - I'm supposed to see and talk to imaginary friends. Then she added all those imaginary friends she had as a kid are coming in handy when she writes. I loved it!

The image I had this evening driving home was of a woman running from someone. He was chasing her because she had bought something. Something she wasn't supposed to have. Right now that item is a newspaper. What's in the newspaper? Something wrapped in the sheets or something printed in that particular issue?

Picture is The Plaza from my trip last December to NYC.

A decapitated statue guards this grave

guard, originally uploaded by wordnrrrd.

Here is another of my favorites from Flickr. I had plans to personally find this statue and take my own photographs, but I ran out of time (darn you, Biltmore Estate - LOL) the last time I was in Asheville this past summer.

This is another example of using a photograph to inspire a character or a story idea.

I knew something would have to go....

...I dropped my programming class yesterday. I decided I didn't have enough time to commit to the class and I'm planning to write in NaNoWriMo again this year, so I don't need something else in the way. Besides, I think this is a class I will need to attend in person, not take online.

Speaking of writing, I was driving to work this morning, taking the route I usually take home (couple miles longer, few more minutes) and had an idea smack me up side the head for my story about an accident investigator. I've been looking for a spot in Maine that has twisty, curvy roads where I could put an accident scene, and have the road and the conditions have an impact on the accident itself. I've been checking online topographical maps looking for the perfect spot and not finding anything. But as I was driving, it suddenly dawned on me that I could create an accident scene along a stretch of road like this - using conflicting skid marks, etc to confuse the investigators. So that's my plan for the weekend - construct an accident scene. And work on my homework for my other class.

For those of you who like Quincy, M.E., Netflix now has all 8 seasons to watch online (or through Tivo, like I do). I'm finally able to watch the season 4 episode "A Night to Raise the Dead." I think this one is my favorite!

Ghost outside the Window

Ghost outside the Window, originally uploaded by suphiro.

One of the many interesting photographs I've found on Flickr. I often look here for inspiration for ideas and stories.

Research for NaNoWriMo

Since I work in higher education, I've decided to create a fictional college for my NaNoWriMo story this November. It will be a small liberal arts college, probably private. I've been doing a little research tonight on number of students, where the towns are located, etc. One college I looked at was Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Va. I've stayed at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel near the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Theater. If you like Shakespeare, this is the place to come. I loved it. Anyway, the college is near the hotel and theater, which are next door to each other. I could see one the buildings of the campus from my window during my trip.

I'm going to use my hometown as the layout for my community and the location of the college. I already have a county map and a topographical map of the town. There is a high school which has about 1000 students, around the number of students in the schools I had on my list. The other schools I looked at were Sweet Briar College and Randolph Macon College. My college will be like these only in scale and how they are laid out geographically next to their respective towns. I'll create the background and curriculum later, but now I just want to get a feel for the number of students and how the geographical information may play a role in my novel.

As for the name of the college, I think I'll use a person's name, a fictitious name, as someone who either donated money to the school, went to school there, or had some other relationship with the school. At Sweet Briar College, the school was created in memory of the daughter of founder. I liked that idea, and may use a similar idea for mine. I have a first name chosen, but I need a last name that sounds important and wealthy.

Now on to the characters.

Happy Birthday to my DAD

My dad turns 76 today. He's been retired from teaching for 20 years and doesn't look a day older! Sorta.

My dad has taught me a lot. Like how to drive a stick shift, shoot a gun (rifle, shotgun AND pistol), smack a squirrel up against a tree (that's another story) and a little bit about chemistry, calculus and computer programming. I know enough to be dangerous, remember.

So thank you, Daddy, for your love, encouragement, wisdom and a love of books.

I want to be just like you when I grow up.

2 months and counting until NaNoWriMo

Two months until the start of NaNoWriMo.

I've decided to use my hometown as the layout for the town for my story. I'll change a few things around, but the town is the right size for what I need.

So now all I need is some characters, a crime (murder, most likely - I like those) and a few suspects. Throw in some humor, a little bit of romance, and hopefully I'll reach 50K by the end of the month.

NaNoWriMo - Are you ready?

NaNoWriMo, originally uploaded by mysterywriter.

I know November is still two months away, but I'm getting prepared. I bought my third copy of No Plot? No Problem! along with the novel writing kit. I like to play with "extras" like this - I'm a geek that way.

I first found out about NaNoWriMo in 2007. My friend L and I were attending class in Knoxville, TN in the spring and we were hitting all the local bookstores while in town for the weekend. Our class was online, but actually met 4 times during the semester. I know it was a Borders where I bought my first copy of Chris Baty's life-changing book.

In May 2007 L and I had our own NaNoWriMo - We challenged each other to write 50K words that month. We also had a side bet - whoever had the least amount of words had the buy the other one dinner. I "won" and had to buy dinner. I tried that November to complete another novel, but I was only able to make it to 11K.
In November 2008, I was able to official "win" NaNoWriMo.

I'm looking forward to this year's writing experiences!

Scooby - R.I.P August 19, 2009

Scooby, originally uploaded by mysterywriter.

The ultimate work space

I just came across this article from Writers and Artists (UK) about the ultimate work space. Exactly what I need.

The photograph is of a set of blueprints I bought from Southern Living (no longer available) several years ago. It's a garage with an apartment overhead. I had planned to build this on my parents farm (still working on it) and move into it. But I think now I'll change the plans and turn it into a writing area. I can write upstairs and use the downstairs for my library to house all my research materials.

All I need is a couch for naps, a small dorm fridge for cold drinks and a microwave for the popcorn and I'm good to go.

Blue books

Yes, those dreaded exam books from your college days. I recently picked up a few while I was in Knoxville at the UTK bookstore on campus. Those were green, but I have many of the blue ones as well.

Why do I buy them? For notes and outlining. If I'm researching a particular topic, I'll write the topic on the cover, along with the date, then makes notes inside of information I might need. I will also make detailed notes inside for future plot ideas. My most recent one is dated August 7th and is titled "bank robberies" where I've listed thoughts and ideas and possible story arcs. Their thin, wide ruled (even though I prefer college ruled paper) and I love them.

If you live near a college or university, go buy some now. If you don't, visit one on your next vacation or business trip. All if not most bookstores have maps to their location and usually have visitor parking nearby. If you can't find a way to get to one, check out their online presence or call and see if they would be willing to mail you some.

The new desk...

....doesn't really look that big, but I think it will be perfect for what I need. I do most of my writing on the Macbook so I plan to use the iMac when I want to actually sit down at a desk and write.

Until I have one entire room dedicated to my writing, with custom cabinetry, this desk will be home for the iMac. Home for the TARDIS as well.

T.A.R.D.I.S.

T.A.R.D.I.S., originally uploaded by mysterywriter.

They say patience is a virtue. Not sure whether or not I believe that, but my patience was finally rewarded today with the arrival of my very own TARDIS.

I ordered this thing on March 31 from the BBC America shop online and I was afraid I was never going to receive it. The delivery date kept being pushed back, and back, and back - you get the picture - but I kept the order, hoping that one day....

This TARDIS is a USB hub. I'll eventually hook it up to my iMac, but I just had to take a photo of it and share.

CUSTOMER DISSERVICE - I can't wait!

I so want to buy this poster and hang in it my cubicle.

The month of August is what is known as "blackout" - no one takes vacation/annual leave and any sick leave must have a doctor's excuse to go with it. It's not as bad as it sounds. I'm used to not taking time off. Before I took a few days off in June and July I had over 40 days of leave time saved up.

Anyway, the problem with August is the graduate students who apparently wake up on X morning and decided to go to graduate school. I really don't want to hear all the whining about why official transcripts, test scores, reference letters and writing samples are needed for X program. A few of them have even asked why they can't be admitted without sending ANYTHING!! The closer we get to the August 24th start date of the semester, the worse it gets.

I'll keep you posted.

new month and new ideas

I hate to be so disorganized. My friend Lisa over at AllAboutAlton is always quoting "Organization will set you free" to me whenever I can't find something. I was looking tonight for some unique character names. I came across a map of wrecks of the Outer Banks. I have a copy of this map somewhere in a box. Somewhere. Sigh.

Anyway, I found a partial image through Google and wrote down a few names and the dates of the shipwrecks.

1. Helen Benedict, 1914

2. Harriet N. Rogers, 1873

3. Isabella Parmenter, 1925

4. Annie Blackman, 1889

I had thought at one time to create characters with these (and other names from the map) and see if anyone would ever notice the connection. Guess I'll have to dig out my map and make note of a few more names.

My NaNoWriMo for July did not end like I wanted it to. All I will say is that my word quota did not reach 50,000. I'll try again.

I've started making notes for the NaNoWriMo for November 2009. I'll need to reread my novel from last year, since the character I'm using for this year's novel, Zero, was a major supporting character. He's a computer hacker, a loner, but will find himself involved in helping out others so he won't be able to hide behind his computer screens.

Until November gets here, I'll be working on character development for Zero. I don't want to do too much, since it seems that I write more when I don't plan ahead of time. Apparently the writing part of my brain likes the seat-of-the-pants approach.

I'm also going to work on some new ideas. I was reading a recent issue of Threads and came across a tip someone had submitted. The tip was about using two different colors of thread when you didn't have the correct color - by using a darker color and lighter color, they blend together, and as long as you're not too close, you won't be able to tell the difference. I marked the page with a sticky and made a note to put this on a clue list - a clue that would show the button had come off and been repaired that might later be used to solve a crime.

Biltmore Estate Asheville NC italian garden b&w

italian garden black and white, originally uploaded by mysterywriter.

This is an older photograph (from 2007) but I decided to use it anyway.

I ended up not taking too many pictures during my recent visit to the Biltmore Estate. I was too excited about the Premium House Tour. And what an experience it was!! I've been on numerous Behind-the-Scenes and Rooftop tours but I was able to walk down into the Winter Garden, visit the den (behind the library - I'd already been in there twice, but I didn't say anything) and was able to actually do into another couple of rooms I had only been able to see by looking at them from the outside.

I'm so glad I did this new tour. I had some of my questions answered. I'll have to plan a new trip and more questions for the next time.

My little band of time travelers...

...wants me to write about them again. They've been sitting quietly while I write about other things, but their patience is up with me.

I can hear Mac and Freddy, demanding to be let loose somewhere in history. But I've got to finish my NaNoWriMo for July first - which is going to be really hard.

I'm finally having to change the name of my character, Ginger. The name just isn't working out. So I've pulled out my copy of The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook (second edition - first edition is somewhere in a box) by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I suppose I could use any old baby name book, but I like this book. I can look by country for male and female names (listed separately) or use the reverse lookup in the back to look up a certain word - say "noble" and a list of names and page numbers will appear that use the definition of noble for each name.

There is also a list of top ten U.S. names by year, beginning with 1980 and ending with 2003. Should I decide to write a period novel, I can check the list of top ten names for 1908 to see that John and Mary were the top names for males and females, respectively.

Thankfully, MS Word has a piece that I can find and replace words - cause I'm gonna need it when I finally fine the right name for Ginger.

(The photo was taken in front of my house looking east.)

Premium House Tour at Biltmore Estate - Should I?

I've just discovered a new specialty tour at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I'm headed there next week. I've taken the rooftop and the behind-the-scenes tours many times - and learned something new each time - but this sounds like a great experience.

For $150 I get a personal tour guide for 2 hours. The areas seen in the previous tours I've been on are included, as well as the areas open to the public. Here is a link. I need to call in the morning and find out the details. I called tonight but the reservation was already closed.

If anyone has taken the tour, let me know how it went.

A trip as a reward

I just booked myself a weekend stay in Asheville, NC as a reward for writing at the end of the month. I've been here several times and joke with my friends that this is my second home. My reason for going is to see the new rooms that have opened up at the Biltmore Estate. I let my year round pass expire this past April so I'll have to renew it. How can I pass up unlimited daytime visits for a year?

I'm getting ready to settle down and write some tonight. I'm having a hard time meeting the word quota for the day, but I hope the Biltmore "carrot" will do the trip and get me writing. I'll go whether or not I meet the quota, but I'll be happier if I've reached it before I leave.

August also starts "blackout" in my office - no annual/vacation leave and sick time can be taken only if you have a doctor's excuse. So I need a treat before the madness starts.

I'll leave Friday after work and return late Sunday evening. The drive isn't too bad. I've got Sirius satellite radio to keep me busy and I may just throw in the Twilight audio book as well. All I need now is to plan what to wear and wait out the time.

I think I hear Ginger and Robert (hey - he finally has a name!) calling to me.

The start of my NaNoWriMo this July

Ginger is my heroine's name. She's got red hair, wears glasses to read, loves to knit even though she isn't very good and is a library school dropout. Don't let the dropout word fool you. She's quite canny in her thinking.

She works as the secretary for the local PD and does research for a famous mystery writer who lives nearby. A new chief of police comes on board, a man hoping for a nice, quiet place for retirement (he's only 48) when a series of murders begins. He still needs a name, but what I plan to write tonight doesn't concern him......yet.

The new series of murders will be based on an older crime, a killer who has so far gotten away with his/her crime. But I believe the time has come for some revenge.

My goal is to write the 1613 words per day (31 days in July, remember) and get back on track to writing every day like I was at the beginning of the year.

The picture above shows my current project, the Ishbel scarf/shawl. I bought it on Ravelry. The yarn came all the way from Scotland courtesy of the people at Old Maiden Aunt. The color is Hebridean from their Homecoming collection. 50% sure alpaca and 50% merino. Wonderful stuff.