#roadtrip to nano

[bluberimufim]

NaNo has me acting derranged. I was writing during a roadtrip today. Like, on my phone, in a car.

[belleandsaintsebastian]

hi thea <3 ask game going around do u wanna share 5 fave songs & then pass it on 2 like 10 people…perhaps…or just share the songs…or don’t do anything whatever u wish <3

hii there rae how are uu !!! <33 this looks like so much fun i love a music ask game it must be said :))

five of my favourite songs...

waiting for the moon to rise -- belle + sebastian (love this song always and 4ever like. the feeling of taking the train at night alone)

debaser -- the pixies (the bassline............god)

i try -- macy gray (song that never fails to make me feel like i'm seven years old on a roadtrip listening to my mum's ipod nano in the car)

bigmouth strikes again -- the smiths (sorry but it's super fun....)

brand new city -- mitski (i should move to a brand new city and teach myself how to die. i mean who hasn't felt like that.)

[hufuf]

Do you think you could draw Hakase, sakamoto, nano, yuuko, mio and mai all going on a roadtrip

That's an interesting idea but would take a lot of time to draw.

I might draw in the future if I have more spare time

[tanzania2023]

17 Juliol: Llac Manyara

Aviam, això va així:

Jambo: Hola

Asante: Gràcies

Karibu: Benvinguts / de res

Raca Raca: depressa

Pole Pole: A poc a poc

Tafadhali: Si us plau

Habari za asubuhi: Bon dia

Usiku mwema: Bona nit

Hakuna Matata: cap problema

Avui després d'esmorzar hem fet el checkout del Olerai Lodge i ja hem tingut problemes per pagar. La Visa no l'acceptava la màquina i hem de pagar amb dòlars. I aquí tenim el problema: bitllets petits? No. Bitllets una mica trencats o arrugats? No. Bitllets d'abans del 2009? No. I així hem anat passant l'estona, triant els bitllets un per un fins que als senyors els agradin.

Un cop passat el tràngol, enfilem cap a Napuru Waterfalls. La carretera surt desde la principal i té tants sotracs que sembla el Shambala. Passem pel mig de poblats amb carrers estrets, avançant un munt de nens uniformats que van al cole. La carretera es cada cop més verda, més selvàtica i més elevada.

Arribem a una esplanada on ahir hi havia l'arribada d'una maratón i encara queden restes de la carrera.

Hi ha una guixeta on una noia amb un entusiasme zero ens cobra 10 dòlars per cap.

Havent pagat, tres xavals apareixen per fer-nos de guies i ens acompanyen per un camí verd, humit i preciós. Sembla un bosc del Pirineu però amb plantes selvàtiques.

El camí rellisca i fa molta baixada, no es fàcil. Es molt dret i complicat, però aviat arribem a baix de tot on corre un riuet de muntanya preciós. Anem caminant pel riu, sortejant pedres, rocs i l'aigua. Els guies ens ajuden.

I, una estona després, arribem al final del camí: un salt d'aigua molt alt envoltat de verd i roca. Es preciós i ha valgut la pena venir.

A la tornada ja som amics de tota la vida amb els guies, que son molt bons nanos. Un es Massai i va descalç.

Un cop al cotxe de nou, anem a l'oficina de Roadtrips a recollir l'entrada al Serengeti, que ens costa gairebé 2000 dòlars pels 4, el guía i el cotxe, per 3 dies.

Dinem a una pizzería i enfilem cap el Llac Manyara, al Maramboi Tented Lodge

A mig camí ens trobem un mercat rollo encants dels Massai i li demanem al xòfer de parar. Es un mercat impressionant, no hem vist mai res així. Ple de Massais vestits de forma tradicional venent de tot: taronges, patates, cebes, llavors, sabates, roba, radios, i fins i tot cabres. En serio, hi havia un camió ple de cabres i els Massais feien cua per comprar-ne.

Hem fet fotos però no els hi agradava gaire i fins i tot una noia ens ha renyat.

Ha estat molt impactant i autèntic

Seguim cap al Lodge i en arribar ja ens hem trobat jirafes, impalas, monos babuins, ñus, i més bitxos.

El Lodge es espectacular, a prop del llac. Ens reben amb un suc boníssim i anem a veure la posta de sol a la piscina, des d'on truquem a l'Arnau.

Les habitacions són tendes i no tant impressionants

Només entrar ens surt un porc senglar (Pumba) de sota l'habitació, que marxa espantat.

Sopem a la terrassa del Lodge amb espelmes.

[thoughmymindcouldthink]

Compilation and General Update

I've spend the evening reorganizing/archiving a lot of this blog, and I've noticed I talk around a lot of ideas rather than explaining them.

First on the docket, I revamped the organization system to be more streamlined and easier to use (at least for me, hopefully for visitors as well). Secondly, I archived a lotta (most) projects that I'm not really reserving brain space for at the moment. They're all in varying states of archived-ness in my brain, but they're all squished into one folder for blog purposes.

I'll continue to use this blog for resources, inspiration, challenges, and the like, but I have also picked out the Big Projects throughout the years to organize them better.

Current Projects

Handholding through Hell: the translation of a current dnd campaign into more traditional prose storytelling. Five party members wake up in a hell-like demi-plane with no knowledge of how they got there. On their hunt for a way back home, they discover that their pasts have followed them (or brought them?) here.

All or Nothing: Widofjord Uni AU, loosely based on the novel Coffee Cake. Heavy focus on Fjord, who needs to save his slipping grades to keep his athletic scholarship for rowing. Secondary focus on Caleb, who's recovering from some very intense drama in his ridiculously competitive academic program by working at the local cat cafe. Caleb offers to tutor Fjord and they begin to explore a romance. A semi-magic USA university AU in which Mollymauk deals fake IDs, Artagan’s a disillusioned ex-grad student, and Yasha gets to major in gardening.

BeauYasha Kidfic: Inspired by domestic beauyasha in the m9 epilogue, a vague idea of a future fic in which they help fjord overturn the orphanage that harmed him and end up with a half-orc kid of their own. got spooked when a lot of the after talk was quite similar to this idea and put it down.

Archived Original Projects

Vampire Apocalypse: Steampunk Lady Pirates: Hollywood fell to a vampire underground, and one young woman spearheads a resistance of sky pirates, all to get her sister back.

Antonita, the Spanish Contrabandista: A rewrite/update/retelling of an 1850s novella of a female pirate and her adventures with a Texan navy captain and his wife.

Outlander & Urchin: A traditional western fantasy story about two orphans who help each other survive while a magical war wages across the land. Reunited as adults, they realize their lives may be bigger than they thought.

Golden Gay Bridge (aka Gone): technically my undergrad thesis & 2016 nano project. A young woman loses her mother to cancer and goes on a roadtrip to find her elusive biological father and unearth half of herself.

Archived Fanfiction Projects

Rockstar AU: Louis is a rockstar; Harry is the label's new popstar. The two are forced to tour together for publicity. Liam is management, Niall is Harry's bestie, Zayn is Louis's bestie. Harry/Louis enemies to besties main plot, Ziall + Louam subplots.

Playboy AU: Harry runs an escort business; Louis and Niall are bunnies, Zayn and Liam are bartenders (Ziall + Louam)

Uni+ AU: Niall and Zayn fall in love at University, but their futures conspire against them – until they meet again. Essentially a uni!AU + a second chance trope.

Proposal AU: a ziall retelling of The Proposal (2009). That's it. That's the project. ALT: Cutting Edge AU (similar premise).

B99/1D crossover: Requested by bestie in like... 2015. An AU in which the 1d boys are Brooklyn police officers. Will likely not touch this one again.

[glbettwrites]

Hi Ash! I loooooove the idea of a LSOH AU, you're a genius. Are you going with the original film ending where everyone dies or the one they went with in the end? :o

I'm working on my WIP intro post tonight for RETROSEER, a book set in my An Asphalt Odyssey universe! I've decided it'll be my 'NaNo' (what do we even call it now?) project this year and I'm buzzing!!

It's a 90s vibe roadtrip with Jamie, a gal who sees visions of the past, and the guy, Lane, she impulsively broke out of jail because the person who turned him into a lycanthrope is the same one who killed her parents.

So she gains an ally and both of them, on the run from cops and other types, travel to hunt down the lycan—for Jamie's revenge, and Lane's cure.

Things get complicated and mutual pining peppered with a lot of bickering happens :)

Hows everyone doing? What's everyone doing

[ifonlyitweregay]

the FINAL camp nano update + stats!!

day 28-30: i was on a roadtrip this weekend, so i just managed to hit my 15 minutes a day goal. still, i kept making good progress on the loretto chapel CNF piece line edits, finished up edits on the fastitocalon poem, and worked very briefly on the fall out boy essay. AND THAT’S A WRAP ON CAMP!

to recap: my goal was to write for at least 15 minutes every day this month, which i did! (with the exception of one day where i had a bad migraine, which i’m not counting)

STATS!

i don’t usually keep track of word counts/etc, i prefer time-based tracking, but i do like seeing how much i work i do on each of my projects since i hop between different things so frequently. 

for the purpose of stats, i group individual small-scale projects (individual poems, essays, etc) together under a larger genre heading (“poetry,” “essays,” etc), and i track larger projects like novels separately from each other. i also usually work on multiple projects each day, so all the days won’t add up to 30.

with that, here are my stats for camp:

the rest of the month!

[nanowrimo]

Road Trip to NaNo: The Power of Myth

November is coming. To get ready, we’re taking a road trip to visit Wrimos from around the world, and hear about how their regions can inspire your writing. Today, Wales Municipal Liaison Katie Price talks about Celtic mythology, and how myths can help you give texture to stories:

Bordered by England to the east and by sea in all other directions, this small, yet breathtaking country boasts home to a population of 3 million. Famous for its rugged coastlines, rolling hills, valleys, and majestic mountains, artists of all forms are never short of inspiration for their crafts when they gaze upon the vibrant country of Wales.

Apart from its beautiful landscapes, Wales is also famous for its many myths and legends. Each handed down over the centuries from their Celtic ancestors.

From pilgrims and knights in King Arthur’s court to giants, lake maidens, fairy folk, and dragons, Wales is steeped in fantastical lore. 

Shared throughout the ages as proverbs and songs, in addition to thrilling spoken and written stories, these myths have shaped the way Wales has grown and many towns gained their names through onomastic lore (lore which explains place names). Along with this, Wales is one of only two countries in the world to have the mythical dragon on its national flag.

In a country surrounded by mythology, and awe-inspiring scenery, it is no wonder that creative writers and novelists (especially those who participate in NaNoWriMo) tend to choose ‘Fantasy’ as their genre of choice.

I am one such novelist.

Growing up around all this mythology, it didn’t take long for my malleable young mind to become fascinated by fantasy and conjure up magical stories of my own, drawing on those familiar myths and legends as inspiration for my own writing. In fact, the novel I began writing five years ago and will be continuing for NaNoWriMo 2019 is a retelling of the Welsh changeling child myth.

Welsh mythology and lore certainly played a significant role in my journey as a writer and, no doubt, in the journeys of many other writers throughout the ages. 

Even if your writing style or genre of choice is the furthest thing from ‘fantasy’, myths can still play an important role in the development of your characters and the worlds they reside in.

Myths exist in every culture and country across the world. No matter where you are, there is always some story that a local might relate to you as warning or clarification as to certain events, locations, or names. 

They are traditional, usually ancient, stories involving supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes used to explain aspects of the natural world, show the psychology, customs, or ideals of a society, and sometimes, to explain the unexplainable.

If you are truly committed to your craft and to delving deeper into the worlds and minds of your characters, try using myths to do this. Let them add historical meaning and cultural background to your characters and the locations in your novel.

Whether you choose to write fantasy, historical fiction, romance, or any other genre of book, the fact remains that myths shape communities and countries as well as individual’s beliefs, attitudes, fears, and superstitions.

Explore what myths may have shaped the past and attitudes of your characters. Delving into their minds in this way will help you get a better insight into why they act or feel a particular way.

If you’re up for a challenge, try writing a myth to explain:

Why the sun rises

Why it snows

Why leaves change color

Why the moon changes shape

Why people are different colors; or

To explain the changing tides

If all else fails, a recollection and recounting of a myth from their past is a good way to keep the momentum flowing during NaNo and add a neat little chunk of words to your word count.

Katie Price is a first-year CO-ML for the Wales region and active participant of NaNoWriMo since 2012. After a 5 year career in Business Admin and Finance, she left the business world behind to raise a family and is now a devoted mother to her 2-year-old daughter and 3-year-old autistic son. When she can find the time she enjoys writing Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and YA Romance.

Top image licensed under Creative Commons from felizfeliz on Flickr.

[bougiebutchbitch]

oh no oh no oh no what if I had storyboarded the first ten-page chapter for a new multipart comic oh no oh no oh no

Congrats to anyone who can work out wtf is going on from these snips 😎

[hunxi-guilai]

god idk if you have thoughts about this but thinking about post Guanyin Temple Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng has been KILLING me - like I live for JC drags LXC out of seclusions because,,BECAUSE who knows how it feels to kill their own brother (without m e a n i n g to) but while still blaming them for the death of their beloved elder sibling!!! but even in general for all those 13/16 years who had the be the person that kept going while wangxian was a. dead or b. heartbroken L I KE,,, like

anon I think you have a post-canon fic to write

[drowsy-quill]

It’s March 31st! Meaning tomorrow starts camp Nano! I’ve been attempting every Nano event for the past ~3 years so Isolation and decaying mental state be damned! So here is a (re)introduction to my project!

Sam & Fern’s Epic Fantasy Roadtrip

Goal: +10K in 30 days (~333 words a day!)

Synopsis:

Fern loves magic, her hobbies and dreams center around it, and if you look closely enough, you can see the magic she brings into her own world. 

Sam is magic, her world is full of it, and she is the second most powerful mage in her realm. And with magic, there is always a price. Sam's price is a prophecy, but she won't let a little doomsday get in the way of a fun summer vacation. \

Honestly, what's one to do when they come face to face with their destiny? Load up a friend's van with mixtapes and junk food and drive to California, obviously!

Aka- a queer YA urban fantasy about two girls who go on a road trip to stop the apocalypse!

You can find the WIP Page here! 

Taglist Under the cut! Let me know if you want to be added/removed!

@sunlight-and-starskies​ @kaosys​ @marewriteblr​ @halfbloodlycan​ @shadescrawls​ @smokedcapybara​

[transannabeth]

anyone have any suggestions for good songs to listen to on a road trip during the apocalypse? 

[wernerherzogs]

“He’s bone tired so it’s easy to get into bed but it’s not easy to fall asleep once he’s there. True to his fears, Louis shivers. He curls up on his side, tucks his knees as far as they’ll go into his chest. The mattress feels thin and poky, full of springs that might be as old as he is, and it makes noises every time he moves.

“Hey,” Harry says, six inches from his face.

Louis’ eyes fly open and he shrieks.

“Sorry, I should��ve knocked,” Harry says, getting up from his knees where he’d been couching by the side of the bed. He climbs right onto the mattress, picks the edge of the blanket out from underneath Louis’ body, and crawls into it. Louis can only watch in the dim haze of the hotel room, dumbfounded. The only light is from the moon coming through the cheap curtain, and a smoke alarm over the door.

“What the fuck were you going to knock on?” Louis says, finally. Yep, Harry has — Harry’s just crawled right into his bed. Harry, who isn’t wearing a shirt at all, who’s as hot as a furnace, who is bare skin and tallness, rounded shoulders and too much jaw, and a giant grin glowing a little bit creepily off the light from the window. Harry has crawled into his bed and Louis has already shrieked once but he could probably find it in his heart to conjure up another.

“You tell me, what’s your door, Lou? You’re cold,” Harry whispers.”

____

Alien Roadtrip!

[antique-symbolism]

During October I'm going to outline both Magnolia, Stay True (the sapphic skeptic/medium 1920s romance y'all were unexpectedly really into) and A Brief Family History of the Magical Mundane (formerly CCGCCL, the college kids on a magical roadtrip story which I need to completely reconceptualize)

THEN I'll decide which one I want to write for November, perhaps even on Day One of NaNo.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

October 4-7. In Which Oklahoma Weather Has No Chill.

[ineffably-good]

Thinking about writing tonight, as I sit here on day 23 of preptober, getting ready for Nanowrimo 2022. Shhh, don’t tell, I’ve already started writing even though that’s cheating, and I’m nearly 9k words into the first draft.

But what I keep thinking about is how DIFFERENT the process of working my way into *this* book feels from the last book, or the one before it. Last year in nano, I wrote a YA contemporary novel called The Afterlife and Other Problems. I planned a little, but my life was extremely chaotic right then and I mostly just dove in, writing huge swaths of it in this gigantic, fun, heady rush. I couldn’t have told you much about the characters, their backstories, or even the overall story arc until I discovered it during the writing process. It took a LOT of work in revision and edits (thank God for my editor) to make it into a polished final product because of this.

But this time, the biggest change is that it’s all It’s emerging from my head very slowly — much less last year’s manic rush and more a slow, steady trickle with a whole lot of forethought and planning. I write a few hundred words every time I sit down, and I’ve filled half a notebook with planning. For the first time, I feel like I know *so* much about these characters, and I have the strangest sense of being in control of my story instead of the other way around. Everything feels so much more deliberate. Like I know what I’m trying to achieve, and like I have a very different set of tools this time around.

It’s still a batshit crazy, wacky concept, this book, because that is pretty much what I like to write — let’s just say there’s a demon and a comet and a game of intergalactic croquet that’s gone quite wrong with dire consequences for planet Earth — but I’m excited by the depths it already feels like it contains and the undercurrents I can sense in the things I’m planning.

I honestly don’t know if this book will turn out to be good or not, but it’s exciting to see how I’ve grown since I wrote the last one. I write for a lot of reasons, but one of those reasons has *always* been that I loveloveLOVE the craft of writing so incredibly much, the feel of creating something, of carefully putting words together. Of growth.

I may never get published, but these last couple years writing the three novel-length volumes of Faeted, rewriting part one into a book which did not well and has been shelved (but which I have a FANTASTIC idea for rewriting into something more sellable and will be tackling this winter), writing The Afterlife and Other Problems (which is currently out being read by four agents on request), and now drafting The Last Roadtrip have been probably the most fun I’ve ever had on a writing front.