Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Tag: the writing process

  • Completed: October Things To Do

    Completed: October Things To Do

    I successfully completed everything on my October To Do List. It was a wonderful month and I am going into November with new goals and expectations. I decided to do NaNoWriMo but I am doing it differently this year by commiting to a poem a day for the month of November rather than a word count. I will still track on the site, so if you are interested in following along I am BetsySnowWhite.

    I have other plans that will solidify over the next couple of days that I will share when they take shape.

    Thank you for sharing Blogtober with me!

    • Magical Days, Madrigal Nights – Final Weekend: Wearing my new witch hat and having a blast with my friends.
    • Spooky Basket Exchange #1 – finish up and mail out: I need to finish a craft, box everything up and mail out.
    • Medieval Monster Mash at The Forge: Social distanced and monster themed. Our table is Witch themed. And Jameson’s Folly will be performing.
    • Spooky Basket Exchange – Duchess Edition: The ladies of the Duchess Squad will be exchanging baskets. Mine is purchased but needs assembled.
    • Give out candy for Beggar’s Night – Safely. I will figure it out.
    • Hallowest 1: Virginia West and Krystal Something Something co-writing and starring in the first Halloween performance at District West.
    • 2020 Witch Walk : My friend’s Kristan and Susan created this event a couple of years ago. We meet up at Goodale Park and then walk through the Short North dressed as witches.
    • Lady Gang Halloween at Carol’s: It’s Halloween and the Full Moon. We can’t let this go past without celebration.
    (more…)
  • To NANOWRIMO or not to NANOWRIMO…

    To NANOWRIMO or not to NANOWRIMO…

    I am currently trying to decide if I even want to try NANOWRIMO this year, or if I should give this year a pass since I have so much going on. I started a new job on Monday, so I am going to be working on learning my new function and getting it down. I am also still working on my Master’s and will be finishing up my poetry class to begin a Lit class on Shakespeare. I am definitely leaning toward giving it a pass this year

    But…there is a part of me that keeps thinking “Writers Write” so I should at least try, and just make my goal something more attainable with my current schedule. Like maybe write something everyday; this can be a poem, paper, blogpost, whatever as long as I sit down and write once a day. That seems like an achievable goal that sets a challenge but not one that will overwhelm.

    Are you doing NANOWRIMO? What writing goals do you have?

  • Written Word Wednesday: The Evening of Writing Uncontrollably

    Written Word Wednesday: The Evening of Writing Uncontrollably

    The Evening of Writing Uncontrolably was this past Saturday at the Wagnalls Memorial Library in Lithopolis, Ohio. My little sister, Traci,  came along to write with me, and we were joined by my friends Jill, Angie and Melissa. Traci and I got there and settled in a nice little nook in the fiction section between Janet Evanovich and Diana Gabaldon. Above us to the right was a bust of Shakespeare. It seemed like the perfect place to write. We settled in and got ourselves all spread out and happy.

    Jill came in a bit later, and was laughing because we had chosen the exact place she always uses when she goes to the library to write, which is often. I thought it must speak highly of the space. She went to get a snack and wander a bit, but eventually came back to settle in with us. Angie and Melissa came in after an hour or so, and joined us in our nook.

    I managed to write 2,866 words in the 5 hours we were there. That was with many drink, snack and bathroom breaks. And breaks to take photos in the beautiful library. We left at midnight, though we could have stayed until 2am. There is a strange naughty feeling being in a library after hours that I cannot explain though we all were feeling it. I felt like the night was successful, and fun, and I am so glad I went.

    I am probably (definitely) not going to win NaNoWriMo this year, but I have learned a lot about myself and my writing style. I am excited to try it again another time, maybe when I am not actively taking classes at the same time. I am glad that I tried though, and glad that I have worked on developing a short story into an actual novel, and one I will continue to work on. That makes the month a pretty big success to me.

     

  • WWW -Week 3 of NaNoWriMo, Writing for School and Blind Date with a Book Brunch

    This was another work heavy week for school, and I had to write quite a bit for various prompts, which means I wrote almost not at all for NaNoWriMo. This weekend is the Evening of Writing Uncontrollably at the Wagnalls Memorial Library in Lithopolis, Ohio. I am super excited about it and hope I can make up some loss of words that night writing with friends. I did write a story I am really proud of for school this week, so that feels good.

    This past Saturday the Columbus Ohio branch of Geek Girl Brunch had our Blind Date with a Book event. We wrap the book and describe it in three statements. Then we trade books. My description was: Female Protagonist, Practical Magic and Snacking in Closets. Any guesses on what the book is? I will reveal later this week. The book I chose was labeled: True Crime, Historical, Non-Fiction. It was The Devil in the White City, a book about the Chicago World’s Faire and H.H. Holmes. I am very excited to get into it soon.

  • Written Word Wednesday – NaNoWriMo, Falling Behind and Starting Again

    Written Word Wednesday – NaNoWriMo, Falling Behind and Starting Again

    Well…I have broken 10,000 words for NaNoWriMo and then I fell off from writing for a couple of days. There are a lot of reasons: helping my mother move, doing homework for my MFA program, and probably the biggest reason is that I think I want my book to go in a different direction, and it will change a lot. At first I was considering going back to rewrite, but instead I think I am going to push forward with the new idea knowing that the first days may no longer fit.I am taking two courses right now, one is Studying the Craft which focuses on reading books as a writer (probably using Fahrenheit 451 and The Giver which was a suggested pairing and one I really liked) and Story and Concept during which I will write a short story using techniques I will learn in the class. These classes are challenging, so I will not beat myself up if I cannot finish NaNoWriMo in order to apply myself fully to my classes.Priorities! I am still going to work on my novel but I am not going to be in a hurry to finish it just now.I began Starless Sea, and it is entrancing even just a few pages in. I hope I have time to sit and read it this week sometime. We shall see. I found out Erin Morgenstern will be coming for a book tour to a location about 3 hours away, and I am considering going. I get very starstruck, though, and I am afraid I might get weirdly emotional at her. It is a strange issue.

    Samhain helping me write.

  • Written Word Wednesday -NaNoWriMo Week 1

    I have lived through five full days of NaNoWriMo! Woo-hoo! 8,693 words written, absolutely no fits had, zero editing, and having a pretty great time. I have been encouraged by family, fellow writers and several text messages from my brother in law who is living vicariously through me. I have no idea if what I am writing will amount to an actual novel, but I am having fun doing it.

    In other writing news my pre-ordered copy of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern arrived in the mail yesterday. I have been looking forward to it all year. I love the Night Circus, and reread/ relisten to the audio book every couple of months. I haven’t started reading it yet, but maybe later tonight with luck. Or maybe after November is over.

    I hope November is treating you well.

  • Welcome November!

    Welcome November!

    Can you believe it is November already? I can’t.

    And it being November that means that on top of the writing I will be doing for school I am also attempting NaNoWriMo for the first time. I met my word goal for day 1, and it will be interesting to see how I am able to keep that up as I get into school etc. I have already signed up for a writing event on the 23rd at the Wagnalls Memorial Library. The theme is to write all night in your pajamas, and they will have speakers and snacks through the night. I am looking forward to it. How can you not be inspired by a building that looks like this?

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    I plan to update and share how my writing is going on Wednesdays for the month of November. Watch out for my Written Word Wednesday posts regarding that if you are interested.

     

  • Ready to Write

    Ready to Write

    I am working on getting myself geared up for NaNoWriMo and starting classes in my new major next week, so I have been looking on Pinterest for inspiration from other writers to get me geared up and ready to go. I have already read through the syllabi for my classes and feel like I picked up some really interesting advice from that.

    I am the kind of reader who once I have fallen in love with a book I will read that book again and again. In an announcement for my class English 510: Studying the Craft my instructor Amy Myer advised us:

    “Chances are, you’ve all heard that adage that a good writer is a good reader. True. But does that mean to be a good reader means to read all the classics? To read all the yearly award winners? To read book after book after book after book? 

    No. 

    To be a good reader is to read widely …within reason. But more importantly than that, it’s reading repeatedly those books that call to you. The ones that told you you want to be a writer. The ones that you read and sigh and say, “I hope I can write like this someday” or “I hope I can craft a story this thrilling someday.”

    She would go on to explain that the first time we read a book or story all we read is plot. On second and third readings we can find more and really examine the craft in the piece. For the class we need to choose two books one classic (30 years old or more) and one contemporary and she recommends choosing a book you have read before, as both books have to be read during the course. I have a couple of ideas on which books I may want to use; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern for my contemporary and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath as my classic. These are subject to change, but were my initial thoughts.

    Are there books that you have read again and again? What are they and why do you love them? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo?

  • She’s an Impostor!

    She’s an Impostor!

    Recently, I was attending a party at my brother and sister-in-law’s house, when a friend of theirs whom I have met a couple of times but never really spoken to asked me what I do. I told him that I am currently working at a bank, and that I am about to finish my degree in English-Creative Writing. He said, logically, “So you are a writer?”. And, my brain froze, I internally stuttered over calling myself a writer. I am roughly two terms away from a degree in Creative Writing and I am hesitant to call myself a writer.

    What the ever loving hell is that?

    Oh, I know what this is, Impostor Syndrome. That feeling that you are not good enough, smart enough, or enough enough. How can I claim to be a writer? Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Charles de Lint, J.K. Rowling, hell even V.C. Andrews are writers, are authors. I am, what, a dabbler, a student, a learner, but not a writer.

    But why not? Why not a writer. I have written poetry and stories since I was old enough to do so. I have hosted a blog on one platform or another since 2008. I have written essays with depth, and meaning. I have grown and learned, and written so much. When do I become a writer then?

    In the end I told him I am a writer. I told him about my blog, and how I had just bought my domain. He loved my “brand” and told me that he works in publishing for companies. We had a lovely talk about publishing, self-publishing, and self-promotion. It was nice to get outside validation of some of my choices as a writer.

    Because I am a writer.

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