Book Reviews by Today, I Read…

I didn’t get the NaNo board finished yet, but it’s coming along. The calendar, Magna Carta I & II, and some visuals have been completed. The goal is to finish it up this weekend so I can hang it above my desk by Monday.

In the meantime, I’ve already set up Liquid Story Binder XE for my newest novel by resetting my global work logs from last year’s and preparing my Planner.

I’m doing things a bit differently by incorporating Builders. The reason is that this time around, I’ve actually prepared a mind map for this particular novel—something I didn’t have last year (I flew by the seat of my pants).

Right now I hope to write as much as possible because I want a nice comfy cushion when those lean writing days arrive…and I know they’re coming.

I’d also like to keep a daily writing journal and post over at Today, I Wrote… (which is desperately in need of some love) as I go along. I hope I won’t become too preoccupied.

If you’re also participating in NaNo, buddy me. You can never have too much support.

If you’ve never heard of Project Gutenberg, you’re missing out on some Unadulterated Awesome™.

It’s a place where you can find books in the public domain, including many of the great classics such as Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (pictured above). You can even find works by Austen, Lawrence, Twain, the other Brontë sisters, Wells, and many more.

FinePrint is software which allows you to print multiple pages on a single sheet of paper. It’s not free, but there’s a fully-functional free trial that doesn’t expire—it only adds a small footer.

Personal laser printers offer sharper lines than inkjets, meaning smaller font sizes are easier to read, and they tend to print much faster. (My Brother wireless printer shot out the entire novel pictured above—50 pages—in under two minutes.)

The wonders of binder clips should be self-explanatory. But just in case: No unholy mess of papers. (Also good for keeping snack bags closed.)

Now I can curl up with a novel and highlight sections and jot notes in the margin without any residual guilt for mangling a perfectly good (bound) book (which may not be mine in the first place).

Here are a couple helpful tips if you plan on going this route:

• Whenever possible, choose the HTML version of a book, and then copy/paste it into a word processing program so you can format the font/margin sizes, remove space between paragraphs, and add page numbers. (12 pt Times New Roman/.5” margins all around usually works best for me.)
• Delete everything that isn’t part of the novel itself—it’ll save you about 5-10 pages. Most of it is found at the very beginning and very end of the novel.
• If you use heavy weight/darker paper, double-sided printing will save more trees, but if you wish to take notes, then single-sided is best.
• Print a single test sheet to make sure everything is as you like it. Much easier than printing 50 sheets and discovering the font’s too small for your pleasure.

In less than a week, the mass month-long caffeination of hundreds (possibly thousands) or writers worldwide will begin. Yep, I’m talking about National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo, where the participants are asked to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days’ time.

Impossible, you say? Not so. Last year I won, even if the 50,000 words I managed to churn out amounted to nothing more than a coaster made of recycled trees. (Yes, I really am using last year’s novel as a coaster right at this very moment.)

But learning from past experience, this year, I’m going in with (more of) a plan.

My brain likes structured chaos—you know, the stuff that looks like a hodgepodge but is really organization in disguise—and highly visual stuff—big and colorful so I can’t miss it.

The light bulb flickered on for me when I saw the extra 24×36 in. poster frame I had stashed in the corner of my room. I thought, “Hmmm, that’s big enough to fit a whole bunch of bright colorful stuff on. (sound of mental gears grinding.)” Story collages, mind maps, the magna cartas, inspirational quotes…a calendar…all smooshed together.

BAM! The NaNo board idea was realized.

With the easy part out of the way, it’s a matter of figuring out how to implement it. (Wish me luck.) Here’s the blueprint so far:

• Epicenter = mind map. A few months ago I came up with a story idea and drew up a mind map on an 9×12” sheet of paper.
• Calendar below. I was going to create my own, but finding a link to all the NaNoWriMo calendars on deviantART saved me the trouble. (I printed out a fun one with coffee stains and quotes.)
• Magna cartas on either side. No Plot? No Problem! (links to my review) discusses creating two magna cartas (aka lists), one detailing everything you like in a novel and the other detailing everything you hate.
• Inspiration on the fringes. Pictures, other images, and words that relate to my story and help keep me in my inspired happy place while writing. (In other words, shinies in collage form. Looks like all those magazines I’ve saved since 2006 will finally come in handy.)

During the next few days, I hope to finish, in addition to the chaotically structured  NaNo board, my novel folder which will include character dossiers, location samples (i.e. maps, descriptions, random town facts), and fleeting bits of dialog.

When it’s all set up, I’ll be sure to take pictures and update.

Meanwhile, I need writing buddies. Hit me up please.

Just finishing up the 24 Hr Read-a-Thon and thought that since it is technically Sunday, I should post up my Sunday Sketch.

Since it’s the last book read, I figured it would be fitting to do a scene from Soulless by Christopher Golden.

So, here you go. Enjoy.

(Now, before you laugh, just know that it’s a miracle I was even capable of drawing this in my current sleep deprived condition. I’ll do something better after sleep. I promise.)

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? This one. I want to sleeeeeep.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Soulless by Christopher Golden could probably work well, or for something a bit on the lighter side, I’d recommend the graphic novel series Tarot Cafe by Sang-Sun Park

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Still thinking about it…

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Um…see above. The real answer is my brain is mush and I can’t really think straight right now. o_0

5. How many books did you read? 4, but two were previous reads so I feel kinda guilty, almost like I cheated a little bit.

6. What were the names of the books you read? Tarot Cafe 1&2 by Sang-Sun Park (graphic novels), Dawn by Kevin Brooks, Soulless by Christopher Golden

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Enjoy…well, I did enjoy Soulless…but if we’re talking impact, I’d have to go with Dawn.

8. Which did you enjoy least? Not entirely a fair question since I didn’t not enjoy any of them. Maybe Soulless because of the slow parts, but again, I certainly did enjoy it.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I didn’t sign up to be a cheerleader, but I did try to stop by other blogs and drop a few words of encouragement.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? It’s a given that I’m likely to participate next year. I’ll probably do a lot more planning, maybe do a couple dry runs so that I can do both cheerleading and reading.