Writing workshop...

Because I went to one.

And it was awesome! That is really all I can say. Awesome! Oh... and Awkward... Let me tell you about it!

So. I arrived at the place where the workshop would take place and it was a small room for kids with serious - some times deadly - diseases to hang out and be themselves. At this place a few tables were sat up and we could sit roughly 3-4 around around each table. So being who I am I just sat down at the first one available. Two other girls sat down at the table with me, and usually I am pretty outgoing... but only around people who are also capable of... speaking... those two were just quite. And then I became quite. Which resulted in long awkward silences. But I don't blame them. I was that shy kid once. Now I'm awesome.

Okay, enough of that! The actual workshop, right. The author who was going to speak to us was Merlin P. Mann, who has written the "Taynikma" series - he has also written a lot of books for disney. He was there to talk to us about himself and how to write a great story. It was so interesting to hear his thoughts on subjects I have heard so many other authors touch upon, and I loved what he had to say. AND I loved his personality! The first thing he said when he came in was: "Can I take a selfie with you guys?" and he said it to me and those two other girls at my table! I'm the only one you can really see, so I'm just saying it's my personal picture with him.... kinda sad that my waterbottle is more in the frame than me, but Merlin did blame it on his short arms. 

It was such a great experience and I defiently learned a lot that I will take with me as I make my way into the business.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Rewriting from scratch - how it is going...

Wednesday I talked about how I was considering rewriting my novel, changing the perspective from 1st to 3rd person. Well... I have now officially begun the process. 

I'm not gonna lie - it is hard work. And even harder when I found out how different my story, world and characters are going to be. 

First of all the story - The plot at its core has not changed. It is still a post-apocalyptic novel, however... whereas that was the drive point... it has now changed into a bit of a Sci-Fi/PA novel... maybe there's also some dystopian in there somewhere, I don't know. But so much has changed in the story that it has been necessary writing a utterly new outline.

World - Something I noticed while reading through the 2nd draft of the original novel, was that the world was VERY empty. So empty it was unrealistic. There were no people, no buildings - which was so stupid since it took place in Central Europe. Also there were some plot-holes that I can't comment too much on here, but trust me: Some people would read it and ask themselves "how is that even possible?" because it wasn't. When I first wrote the book there were certain things I didn't take into account... which is why I have created this new - and better, world.

Characters - Some of them I've kept... but that is mostly by their name. They have brand new personalities... there are overall new characters, who will be playing big parts. But most importantly: This version will have much deeper and better relationships and developments. 

So how far am I? Well... I have written the prologue and the first chapter. Now I am working on the outline for the rest of the book. The reason I didn't do the outline first was because I wanted to see how different the story would be from the original. Now that I know, I will have an easier time figuring out what is going to happen. I'm almost - if not - done with the outline for chapter 8. I still don't know how many chapters I will end up with, but hopefully I can update you all on that on Wednesday.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna. 

Review: "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

A short summary

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life - and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mom leaving

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.

Now the two sisters are starting college, and Wren doesn't want to be Cath's roommate. Cath has to deal with an entirely new environment alone and deserted from her sister. With classes, love, family and her online life, the question is: Can she do it? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand?

The good

... everything. Okay, let me be more specific for you. Rainbow Rowell is amazing. She isn't an adult who tries to remember what it was like being a teenager. She remembers what it was like. Her writing is so adorable, and describes every situation the way it is. Everything about her stories is so realistic that I some times forget it is a book. A work of fiction.

The characters are great. I especially loved the development that went on with Cath's character. But I have to say that out of all the characters Levi was my favorite. I wish I had a Levi... He is like... perfect! But not in the sense that he is unrealistically perfect. No. I  know people who act like he does, but he just do it in a more... OMG that's so sweet.... way.

I have to say I am so jealous of all Rainbow's female characters. Park in "Eleanor and Park" is like my favorite character of recent time. So adorable! But Levi is just more... long term material, I think. Maybe because he is older.

Anyway! I'm rambling!

Another thing I really love about Rainbow Rowell's writing, and this isn't just in Fangirl, is her pacing. She doesn't have the big thing happen right away. No. She builds it up, so it feels natural when it actually happens. From the beginning of the book I had an idea of where Cath and Levi was going to end up, but I loved seeing the development in their relationship. Same with Eleanor and Park. Rowell just know how to build good and lovable relationships.

The bad

I wanted more. That is really all. I wanted to see how Cath did for the rest of the semester. I wanted to see what happened after freshman year was over. But at the same time, I felt like the story had to end, where it ended. It felt natural. 

Anyway, I gave "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell 5 stars on Goodreads. Defiently check it out if you're into cute contemporary books about an extreme introvert overcoming her freshman year of college. 

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Update on stuff...and things...

Because a lot has been going on.

Since my last post I have finished reading "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin. And I have got to say... it was AH-mazing! At first it was a bit hard to get through because it has been a while since I last read a book in english. Therefore, I had to get used to the structure of the book. Once I had it down everything started going so fast. I was reading over 100 pages a day and before I new of it, I was done. I personally loved all the characters - who's perspective we got to read from - with the exception of Sansa. Omg... she was so annoying throughout the entire book... and Joffrey was such a brat! Everytime he opened his mouth I wanted to punch him. In the face. With a chair... no... with a chainsaw. A plugged-in chainsaw. And it would need to be turned on of course. Can't have him surviving. Anyway! I came to looooove Dany! She is probably my favorite character so far. Especially loved her ending for the 1st book! SO GOOD!

Now that I am done with the first book in "A song of ice and fire" I am watching season 1 of the HBO tv show before reading the 2nd book. This way I will be 100% prepared for "A Clash of Kings" when the time comes to it. So far I... like the tv-show. I am addicted to the opening theme. Again: SO GOOD. But... I think the show is too fast paced compared to the book. I know that is to captivate viewers, but it just goes TOO fast in my opinion. Also certain events happens at completely different times than they do in the book. I was looking forward to the Jon and Tyrion scene, because it was SO GOOD in the book... but in the tv show... I don't know... it fell kinda flat for me. I still like the show and will continue watching it, though.

On Monday I received a package. With two books. "Eleanor and Park" and "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell. I started reading and finished "Eleanor and Park" that same day. Park has become my favorite male-book-character. Like ever. He is adorable. Now I am currently 100 pages into "Fangirl" and I'm loving it, can totally relate to Cath. And I love Levi. He's good fun.

Okay so that was my "reading update". Now onto the writing!

I finally finished the 2nd draft of my novel! Yeeees! It's done! 103k went down to 68.707 words. But I am way more happy with this result than the previous. It took way longer than I had originally expected, but now that it is done, I feel so relieved. Now what I need to do is read it aloud to myself to see which sentences needs extra work, and then I have to find beta-readers. The only problem is that I do not trust people. I am so scared giving it to people online... what if they steal the book and publish it under their name?! I know I would win in court, but still... and I cannot trust my friends or family to give feedback, because they are supposed to say good things about it. Then who do I have left? My writing teacher, who is a published author herself. But is she enough? For now... she's all I got... and a few friends who I will force to give me their honest opinion. Or else...

Anyway... so that is what I have been up to. This Friday I am coloring my hair for the first time ever! That is gonna be great...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna. 

"Bite me" - Chapter 3: Change - by Nanna Andersen

Josh sat at his desk in his class at Palamont City's High School. Sat with a stack of papers that he had no idea what to do with. He wanted to help these kids expand there knowledge, but if they had no interest in what he had to offer, what was the point then?

The door to his class opened and Josh turned his head to see Amber step in; head bended towards the floor, arms tucked around the books they used in his class. She didn't even look at him, instead she rushed to her seat at the back of the classroom. 

Josh kept on following her movement with his eyes. It had been the same on the bus earlier this morning. Usually she would look up at him, smile and say a quick "Hallo professor Fields." but not today. Josh tried telling himself it was just the Friday morning flue: when the kids were all exhausted form a whole week of school and really just wanted to welcome the weekend with open arms. But that hadn't been it. Something else was different about his straight A student. He just couldn't put his finger on what. 

Amber opened her text book, the one about the 21th century's literature. Josh had picked out that book himself. He still remembered the argument he had had with the other teachers about his choice. 

Miss Jenkins was, what Josh would call, conservative. When he told her that he wanted to get new books for his classes, she had met him with a hoarse laugther. Saying, they had always taught english literature from the 19th century. Her argument had, in Josh's eyes, been invalid. In her opinion they needed to give the future rulers of their country an understanding of where their roots lay. Josh had looked at her with a lifted eyebrow, but only halfway. He had never been able to do a perfect eyebrow-lift. Then he had looked at her, deep into her old, wise eyes and whispered "Why linger in the past, when it is the future they will rule?"

Josh smiled just by the thought of it. That had made her shut up. And he had gotten his text books. Of course literature from the good old times were important, but to him it was just as important to live in the now as knowing of the past.

Amber brushed her bangs behind her ear exposing the small silver ring in her earflip. She looked so concentrated, so at peace with herself. Josh got out of his seat and walked to her desk. He knocked on the desk and Amber jumped in her chair. She hurried up closing the book and smiled up at him. 

He pointed at the book. "How do you like it?"

She shrugged and stroke the cover wrapped in old newspapers. "It's... different." she said avoiding his eyes at any cost.

Josh braided his fingers together on his lap. "Well," he said, nodding towards the book. "Some times different is better."

Amber snorted. "Or some times different is a freak."

Josh stood up and walked back to his desk in front of the blackboard. At the halfway point, he turned back to face Amber. "I think different," he said. Amber's eyes rose to meet his. "is exactly what this city needs." out the corner of his eye, he caught half of a smile from his student.

As the bell rang to lunch all his students rushed to the door. "Mr. Davids," Josh yelled to overpower the screaming of over a hundred students running to the cafeteria. Matthew Davids stopped in the door, other students pushed him back into the classroom. 

"What's up mr. F?" he said as he leaned his ass on the edge of one of the front desks. 

Josh crossed his arms over his chest. "To you, it is professor Fields." the brat rolled his eyes and chewed his gum a little harder opening his mouth to share the leftovers of his breakfast. His teeth had with certainty not seen the shadow of toothpaste, therefore the gum.

For a moment the two of them just stood. Awaiting each other's next move. Then Matthew rubbed his hands together. "If that's all, can I go?"

Josh stood up and walked to the door, closing it. "No," he said. "No, you cannot."

"Am I in trouble?" he asked without a care in the world. Josh watched him. He kept looking at the door as though he had to be somewhere else. His hands were shaking. When Matthew saw Josh staring at his hands, he shoved them into the pockets of his sweatshirt.

"You tell me." Matthew didn't seem to understand, so Josh sat back onto his desk. He pulled a clean paper out of his bag and handed it to the student in front of him. "Here." 

Matthew took it without a word, so Josh continued. "You go home right after school, and then you write me that essay."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you give me no choice but to give you a F."

Matthew didn't answer. For a second Josh thought he saw a hint of fear in the eyes of the fried brain in front of him. He did not like that little brat, but everyone deserved a second chance. Josh could give him that. Matthew stuffed the paper in his bag and headed for the door, leaving Josh alone with his thoughts.

And he did think. All the way down to the teacher's office. And those thoughts pointed towards one single target. A young beauty called Jasmine. Josh did not even know of her last name. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really know much about her. Her name was Jasmine, Jazz for short... she was new in town... her eyes were green... what else? He couldn't think of anything. And yet he had felt the urge to ask her out. Two things had played in to that. First of all, Arrow had bit her, and he feared for his K-9. The other reason was Jasmine herself. She was different, and as he had told Amber, maybe different was exactly what this town needed. Maybe it was what he needed.

Josh opened the door to the teacher's office and was met by the smiles of the rest of the staff.

"Ah! Professor Fields!" Principal Roberts rushed to him. With him he had...

"Jasmine?" Josh burst, sqeezing his eyes together to make sure what he saw was real. It really was her. In all her beauty. 

"I see you already known miss Smith." Roberts said clapping his hands together in excitement. "That's good. Miss Smith is our new intern. She is currently studying english at Palamont City's University, but you probably already know that," Josh did not know that. "Anyway, she is going to be here part time until she has taken her final exam. While here, she will be helping you out with your classes."

"Is that so?" Josh couldn't hide a smile. He offered Jasmine his hand and she took it. Her hand was just as warm as the other day. He studied it. Small scars showed where Arrow had buried her teeth. All of a sudden his stomach tied a knot. His eyes moved to her's. "I'm looking forward to our future teamwork, miss Smith."

Jasmine tightened her grib around his hand. And for the first time since their goodbye at his house, she spoke. "I can only say the same thing, professor Fields."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So this is the part where I would usually write "To be continued" but due to being able to copy the text from this site, there will be no more parts of the story on here. I made this decision from the start "a prologue + 3 sample chapters" and that is what I have given you. 

I hope you have found some enjoyment in this story, and if you wish to continue reading it, I will post a link at the end of each of my Saturday-posts to the story. 

I still haven't decided wether or not I will give this a try in the "real world" but I might.

For now...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

I need this in my life...

... I'm busy with a bigger school assignment, so this is all you get until Saturday.

So I need this box set of Harry Potter in my life. I can't even describe it... it's sooo beautiful. And I've already located where to get it, but it cost like 82 euros, which I don't have. I'll probably end up selling my own copies of the series just to get money for this edition. I mean... just look at it! So pretty...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Let's talk about inspiration...

Because right now, I am lacking some of it...

Don't get me wrong. I don't believe that suddenly the muse strikes and then BAM! BOOK, BLOGPOST, WHATEVER! No. I think that you need to seek the inspiration yourself.

What I tend to do when lacking inspiration is watch interviews with authors who made it in the business. Also watching the writing lessons by Brandon Sanderson, which are available on youtube, helps getting me going.

However, some times these things just doesn't help. Then what do you do? For me? I would love to say that I sit and stare at a blank paper and force myself to write, but instead I tend to go on tumblr (which I have now! Check it out! http://n-andersen.tumblr.com/) and do everything I shouldn't do. That's called procrastination. What a nice word.

Also one of the reasons why I can't really focus is because I just came home from an interview. An interview that is going to decide whether or not I am going to Canada for a month. The sponsors got a lot of applications and I was selected along with 5 other people to get the interview. Later tonight they are going to make a decision on who is going to be the 1 person that will get this amazing experience. So I have a 1 in 5 chance... which is not a lot. 

I start thinking; "Why choose me over someone else? What makes me more interesting? Why have I deserved this more than someone else?"

This doesn't just apply to the Canada trip, but also to my writing. Remember how I talked about a few posts ago how I was afraid my book was going to be too short? Well, now I am having more doubts. 

What if I'm not good enough? What if people just tell me "Oh this is awesome! You should send this in!" because they want to be nice? I shouldn't fear that, I know, but... Do you ever have those doubts? 

I am usually a really confident person. I have always been the one who tell my friends to go pursue their dreams and screw the fear, but it is so much easier said than done. Especially when I have this stupid thing about being the best. I have it whenever we hand in an essay and someone gets a beter grade than me... it just pisses me off... you know what I mean? It's like this: They don't plan on making a living from the stories they tell... so why do they have to be better than me? 

It's stupid I know, but we all have those feelings from time to time. I know that my best friend gets pissed at me some times for getting a better grade than her, and I'm okay with it. 

Wow... that escalated quickly... So moral of this blogpost? I'm a jealous for the wrong reasons! Nah... more like; everyone have times when the inspiration seems so far away that it is out of reach. But it gets better. When I am done with this post I will do the rest of my homework and then get back to writing. Because that is what I want to do. What I need to do.

These stories doesn't tell themselves.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Kill your darlings...

... But what if I don't want to?

So for those not aware, I take writing classes and have been doing so since late August 2013. I have known since the very beginning of the course that I would have to write a short story, which would get published along with everyone else's from the writing classes in a short story collection. Now... This is cool. Infact, I am really excited! By Spring I will be a "published"-ish author. But there is one problem... short stories is not my specialty... 

It's not that I don't like writing them, trust me I do, but whenever I do write one I am really proud of it.

Especially the one I have written for the short story collection. It has a very simple plot, but then again it is very mysterious and I love that. Not a lot happens, and that is okay. Or so I thought. 

Apparently it doesn't quiet fit under the theme that my writing teacher gave my class... She loves my story, but says that not enough happens in it.

So here I sit. I have rewritten it, but I am just not happy with the new result. I think it is stupid, and sounds really unnatural and I have to say... I am a bit disgusted by the language. I can usually write really well, but when I am forced to write a way that will make other people happy that talent falls flat.

My teacher told me to "kill my darlings", but I don't think she understands how hard that is to do in a short story... whenever I write a novel I cut away like a crazy person! In my current novel I think I have cut away maybe... 20k words? SO FAR. And I am actually scared that my 103k first draft will become less than 50k words... so as you can see I can easily kill my darlings. But those are the darlings, that I just used as filling. With this short story I really poured my heart into it and made it as perfect as possible, but because it doesn't fit the theme, I had to change almost everything...

That hurts...

I don't know about you guys, but I will:

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

JanNoWriMo and outlining a fantasy trilogy...

January is going to be a pretty busy month for me...

JanNoWriMo

So I don't remember if I've told you, but I am currently doing JanNoWriMo, which is pretty much the same as NaNoWriMo with the only difference being that this one takes place in January. I am not going to be starting something new, but instead doing the 2nd draft of my current novel. I am about 15k in, and I'm starting to worry that I might have cut too much out. But I need to remember, that it will be longer in book form than in a word document. 

It's funny. Before I started the 2nd draft I was scared that my chapters would be too long. Now I'm scared they are too short. However, I do know that it isn't the case. Some of my chapters are only 800 words, but an average book page is 250 words. That means the 800 words chapter is about 4 pages, which is not a bad length for a chapter. I personally hate when chapters go on for too long. This was one of my problems with Harry Potter. If I'm not mistaken some of the chapters wereover 30 pages. I could be wrong, but I think I remember hating reading those chapters. 

So what am I worrying about? Nothing really. Short chapters should not be a making or breaking point when it comes to publication. Even if the publisher says that the chapters are too short, it can easily be fixed in the final edits before the release date... which I'm going to get. Of course. That's one of my NYRs.

Outlining a Fantasy Trilogy

So a few posts ago I talked about my worldbuilding. Well, that worldbuilding has turned into outlines for the first 2 books in a Fantasy Trilogy. It's the first trilogy I'm going to write, and I am currently loving my story line! My favorite thing about it is probably that you don't need to read the 2nd book once the 1st book is read. Every book is going to have its own ending and own storyline. Of course you will understand it better if you read all three books, but I have followed Brandon Sanderson's advice and created a fantasy trilogy with three standalone books with sequel potentiel. 

I really can't wait to write it. Though I still haven't decided if I'll be writing all 3 books and then revise them together or if I'll write one book at a time and edit them individually. However, before I even start writing, I need the outline for the 3rd book, which I already have the plot for.

The first book is going to be about the 65-ish chapters

The second book is 54 chapters

And I think the third book is going to be anywhere between 50-60 chapters.

So it is a more hefty fantasy trilogy, but that's the way I want to do it. And I'm going to make it awesome.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

New Year Resolutions...

It's 2014! Wow! And I who thought 2012 had just started. Crazy how time fly.

So another year has ended, and what a year it was! I look back on it and for the most part all I can do is smile. Now every year has its downers, and I've had a fair share of my own, but that didn't stop me from having an awesome year.

One of my biggest accomplisments in 2013 was probably finishing 1st year of Gymnasium. The first year is always the hardest, and now that is it over I'm having a blast with 2nd year. And as of today I only have 1½ year left before I'm graduating and then going to university! 

Another amazing thing 2013 brought me was NaNoWriMo 2013. I've talked a lot about NaNo here on this blog, but this year was especially good for me. I was able to write 50k words in one week, and even better, I had a 100k novel finished in twenty days. Not only did I finish it, I also began the rough edits. I took out my yellow marker and marked those words up!

But the thing I am most excited about is probably beginning the early work on a fantasy trilogy, which I'll be writing in 2014. I have finished the outline for book 1 and is now working on the outline for book 2. On top of that I also know the plotline of book 3. But I won't be writing it until my current novel is sent off to a publisher.

Which brings me to 2014. What are my plans? 

Well, I have a few New Year Resolutions that I plan on actually achieving this year.

1. Stop the nail biting! It is disgusting and I should not be doing it. So stop it girl.
2. Complete the final draft of current novel and send it off to a publisher.
3. While waiting for the inevitable rejection letter, I will start working on my fantasy trilogy.
4. Whether or not I get a rejection letter or a contract for my book, I will get a novel published in 2014.
5. Say yes to more things.
6. Passing my exams.
7. Win NaNoWriMo 2014.

So these are my goals for the coming year. They seem achievable, right? I think so. I hope so.

Do you have any NYR? If so tell me about them!

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Worldbuilding...

Because I just started my worldbuilding of this new awesome novel I'll be writing, so yeah... I want to share what I do.

So for me to do any kind of worldbuilding I need to have a plot. A basic idea of what is going to happen, like the one-line-pitch you give when someone ask you to describe the plot of your novel.

Once I have this pitch I will make a word-document in which I make four headlines

1. World
2. Magic
3. Characters
4. POV

World

Backstory - It doesn't need to be this 2000 year old backstory of the world, but more a backstory that explains why the world is in its current state. That can be anything from a natural event to maybe a war. The possibilities are endless on this matter.

After this we have the basic information. Things like gender roles, traditions, religion... all of these are relevant here. Now if you have other races than humans, you might want to describe them and write down why they are different. My story only has humans.

Magic

Who has it? Who doesn't? What are the rules for the magic? These are all questions that you need to ask yourself when creating a magic system. I have found that magic systems are really fun to make up. And seeing how it interacts with the world is a journey in itself. 

Characters

In this section I write down all the characters who are going to play a special role in the story, and I write down a few lines about what kind of journey they come out during the story. You can also put down descriptions like what they look like, but I would rather discovery write this than have it outlined. That way they just feel a bit more real to me. 

POV

In this story I have a 3. person limited POV between four characters. This might expand to more, I haven't really decided yet, but so far this is how it is going to work. Some might argue that POV isn't really a worldbuilding thing, but to me it is. All the POVs are eyes which interpret the world differently, and their view needs to be shared.

As you can probably tell my worldbuilding is not as deep as someone like J.R.R, but this is my style, and it helps me get the details down without making me tired of the story, which is important in my book.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Christmas Book Haul...

Merry christmas! I hope you all had an awesome day, and if you don't celebrate this day, then I hope it was just another ordinary, but awesome, Tuesday!

So all in all I got 8 books, but 7 of them were in a box set, so yeah...you can go figure which books they were *wink, wink*.

But I will share them with you anyway! Because That is what I like to do!

"A song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin complete box set with a freaking map included! I haven't started reading them yet, since there are 3 more books I need to read before I begin these bad boys. But I am so  looking forward to starting them. And since I have all of them I can just read them one after another without worrying about forgetting what happened while waiting till I get the next one in the series. It's going to be great reading a new series and invest myself in a new set of characters.

"Julemandens død" (or "The death of Santa Claus") by Kenneth Bøgh Andersen. This book is danish and have yet to have an english release. I don't know if it ever will, but it's out over here so I will enjoy it! It's split up into 24 chapters entitled December 1st, December 2nd and so on. I absolutly adore the cover art of this book. It is so beautiful and looks like leather. Also it has a really nice feel to it.

I love Kenneth Bøgh Andersen's writing style and this along side two other of his books are the ones I need to finish before starting Game of Thrones. I have heard only good things about this book, and it seems really unique so I can't wait to get to it!

Other than that I got my polaroid camera and I got my cups from Menu! It's been an awesome holiday season for me, and I got to spend it with the best of my family, which is more important than the presents. 

Oh yeah, and on December 23rd I finished my rough edits on my novel, so now I can relax and take a break from it until January 1st.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

This is a weird one...

Because I don't really have anything in particular to talk about. This post is actually kind of improvised. My best friend was spending the weekend alone, but she got uncomfortable so in about an hour I'm going to her house. I know; I'm an awesome friend.

On the writing front things are going well. I have finally printed out the last chapters of my novel, and all left to do is editing, and then I can start the 2nd draft. I can't wait! January is going to be a great month for writing. And on top of starting my 2nd draft, I may also get a new computer, which is going to be awesome, because what I have now is... not good...

This is my final post before christmas, so I wanted it to be special! Damn... some times things doesn't go according to plan. I guess I could tell you my christmas wishlist...yeah I'll do that.

Books...books, books and more books! I can't remember every book I wished for, but A song of ice and fire, The Fault in Our Stars, Lord of the flies and a lot of Stephen King books were on there. I want to read all of them at some point, but I really hope I get the "A song of ice and fire"-boxset. Then I'm going to marathon them. 

Polaroid camera. Because I want to take a lot of pictures of my friends and hang them on my wall immidiently. I got this idea from the movie "new year's eve", when Anna Hatherway is taking a picture of her boyfriend, or whatever he is.... it just looked kind of cool, and I want to replicate that.

Other than that, I wish for the usual... giftcards for book stores, clothing stores....Oh! And I wish for cups. Let me show you a picture! They are so pretty!

I am soon moving out (with soon mening August/September 2015) so I need to stuck up on everything I need for my own apartment, starting with these gorgeous cups from Menu!

I guess that was everything... I'm sorry if I seem kind of all over the place, but I hope you have a merry, merry christmas! I will try to get done with editing before the 24th, so I have the rest of December to just relax before January 1st.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Review: "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor

I am not going to go all filosophical about this review. This is mainly my own opinion of the book and why you should go buy it...NOW.

A short summary

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she's prone to disappearin on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually gros out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star- crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself? - Credit: Goodreads.com

The Good

I could go on forever about what I love about this book, but for your sake I am going to control myself.

The story

It is unlike anything I have ever read before. First of all I think I should explain: I am not a huge fan of the urban fantasy genre. But this book has changed my opinion on that! I did not know a lot about the story going into it, but once I started reading - and I mean right from the first page - I was hooked. 

The characters

I. Want. To. Be. Karou. It is that simple. I love her. She is funny, quick on her feet, funny, smart, she has friggin' blue hair. BLUE. After reading this I want to colour my hair teal and get matching tattoos.

I may not be Karou - yet atleast *wink, wink* -, but we share the same love for Akiva. He is perfect. But not in a "he could never be real" kind of way. I know that he isn't real, but in the world of the book he seems real. Laini Taylor made me believe he was possible. And I understand their relationship... maybe not at the beginning, but keep reading and you'll figure it out. And you will feel so smart while screaming "I KNEW IT!"... I totally didn't do that...

Sulfur... He's like...I mean... he's Sulfur. He is so caring and lovable... even if he is a monster - fysically -, he has the biggest heart in this book. At least in my opinion.

There are a lot of other characters in the story, but these are just some of my personal favorite. I liked all the characters, and I actually remember them all, which says a lot.

The setting

As I said this is an urban fantasy story, which if you don't know, means that it takes place in our world but implies fantasy elements. This book does that in a wonderful way. The main setting is in Prague. Even though I have never been to Prague, I could get an impression of the environment around Karou. It was almost like I was there myself. But we don't just get to spend a weekend in Prague. Oh no. We go To Paris, Marrakech and the fantastical world of Eretz, or "Elsewhere". Everything is described in a detailed, yet amusing, way, It doesn't get boring reading about these places because Laini Taylor has an amazing gift of voices.

The Bad

Okay so trust me, when I say; it was super hard finding something wrong with this book.

But if I had to say ONE thing I didn't like...or could have gone without... it was the cliffhanger at the end. I am really not found of cliffhangers. Like Brandon Sanderson says: "Write a standalone book with sequel potentiel, not a sequel dependent book." okay... not a direct qoute, but that was pretty much what he said! And I fully agree on this. 

That said, I am going to buy the 2nd book once it comes out in Danish. No question there. 

So yeah... I am not a master reviewer, but there you have it!

When it comes to my own writing; I am exactly 3/5 through with the editing! Only 10 chapters to go and I can start my 2nd draft! I seriously can't wait.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

First impressions: "Daugther of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor

This is going to be a short one for a change. But I need to talk about this book to someone, because I am addicted.

First impressions

I had heard a lot of good things about this book from a number of people, but I never really looked into it or anything. Seeing the cover I thought it was some sort of romance story and a masquerade. I was so wrong. But anyway! I was pretty annoyed one day and decided to buy something for myself. So I went to my local bookstore and there I saw it; Daugther of Smoke and Bone. Hardcover. For only 9,5 $. Little to say, I had to buy it.

I started reading it immidiatly and right from the first page I was sold.  The characters are funny and the plot is unlike anything I have ever read before. It's been a while since I've wanted to be a character from a book, but I can say without doubt; I want to be Karou. She is beautiful, funny, and has a freakin family of chimaeras! Oh and Akiva! I am falling for that angel! He sounds so perfect... I just... I can't even! 

Something that I don't have a problem with, but I can't not notice is the amount of passive voice used. It might be because I am reading the danish translation, and maybe it is different in the original one, but I have started to count the amount of times the word "was" is being used.

As I said, I don't have a problem with it. The book is amazing. And I am actually off to reading it right after writing this! Unfortunately I will have to wait quiet a while for the danish release of the sequel. One may argue that I could just read it in english, but I like to finish a series in the language I started it in, so I'll have to wait... #sadface.

Anywho. That's my first impressions. I will probably do a review of the book this coming Wednesday, because I can't keep myself away from it. And I want to share my final opinion on it once I finish it.

Just a little update on my writing; I am about 2/5 through my chapter revisions! Hopefully I will be done by the end of December... hopefully.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

My writing process...

Everyone have their own way of structure. This is mine.

Pre-writing phase

In this step what I do is gather information. If my story is going to be somewhat realistic (like the one I am currently editing) I need to get my facts down. You can't have a nurse do surgery. Some people may not know the difference between a nurse and a surgeon, but the ones who does will get annoyed and will probably put the book down. In my current novel I had a lot of astronomy themed research to do. It was very important for me to get it just right, and I actually spend an entire summer doing this.

I guess outlining would also go under this step, since you aren't writing the actual story yet. So I do that. I make a very brief description of the world and characters, and then I do my chapter-by-chapter outline. What I do is I write everything that is going to happen within the given scenes in a chapter.

First drafting phase

This is where I write the actual novel. For NaNoWriMo this year it took me 20 days to finish this step, but last year it took me 44 days. I am not sure how I feel about the first drafting phase yet. I love to write and get the story down, but then again it feels so much better to have written than to write. Doing this phase I tend to follow my outline pretty strict. However, things do change. In my current novel I intended to kill off a pair of brothers, but when writing that part I decided to have one of them live. Because of this I had to change my entire outline so it would fit with this new stream of events. 

Revising phase

When the first draft is done and you've put down the lovely words "the end" it is time to revise, revise, revise! What I like to do is first make a one-sentence summary of every scene within a chapter so I can get a better understanding of what my book is about. After this I print out my chapters and go through them with a yellow marker. I mark every sentence or paragraph that needs to be changed and write the changes down on a notepad. I cross out everything that needs to be taken out of the book, which sometimes is a lot. 

Second drafting phase

Now I am still currently at the revising phase with my current novel, but this is how I plan on structuring the rest of my editing.

In the second draft I will start on a blank page and write the story from beginning to end while implying the changes I made in the revising phase.  Having already written the story and all the changes this step should not take more than half a month. Hopefully. 

Beta-reading phase

Once my second draft is done I should be comfortable enough with my book to give it to a beta-reader. So far all I have is my writing teacher and my best friend, but I will probably ask others. I plan to ask them to write down the emotional impact the book had on them; where they were bored, happy, sad, confused, etc. Things that I can take into account when doing my third (and hopefully) final draft.

Third drafting phase

Same process as the second drafting phase, however, this time I imply the feedback I got from my beta-readers, assuming the feedback was valid and usuable. If they said something like "You should have" I won't listen. This is not their book and therefore I will only listen to feedback build on the emotions felt throughout the reading of my book. In this phase I also make sure to correct all grammatical errors that may have sneaked into my book so it is ready to be sent off to a publisher.

Publication phase

Now this one is not guarenteed, but I this phase also includes the "sending the manuscript off into the sunset- phase". While I am waiting for a response from the publisher, I will start something new. That way if I get a rejection letter I will have something new to send in. At some point they will get so annoyed with me that they'll have to publish me. Simple as that.

If you write, do you have a specific process? Or do you just write for fun and see where it goes?

In any case:

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

My writing survival-kit...

Of course I have one.

Must-haves

Tea. Green tea to be exact. It calms you down, it's good for your health AND it tastes delicious?! I think I've made myself very clear.

Snacks. Sometimes your brain craves sugar, and when it does that obey it. Give it what it needs. You know you want to! It doesn't have to be candy, fruits are really good as they keep you energized for longer. 

Hula-Hoop. This is not a must for everyone, but for me it is. Whenevery I get stuck on writing I get up and hula-hoop for a couple of minutes. It keeps my bloodflow going and slowly but surely I'm achieving that golden waist-line!

Motivational qoutes. I have them hanging on a notice board on the wall which I am facing when writing. Things like "A professional writer is an amatour who didn't quit" and "I believe more in the scissors than I do in the paper" are what keeps me motivated to write. And writing is very hard to do, so at certain points we need that motivation.

Hardware

I write on a 17.3" HP pavillion g7 laptop. It is about 3 years old and it is reaching the end of its short life. I once dropped it, and since then it has slowly started falling apart piece by piece. Other than that the internal fans are pretty much dead. Dust gather up in there so fast that cleaning it helps for five minutes and then it sounds like a vacuumcleaner is going off in my room. Also it is pretty big and heavy, which is another reason why I am saving up for a new computer. But as for right now, it does the job. One thing I love about it is the keyboard. It is amazing to write on, and I don't think I could ever get used to a new one.

Software

We all have certain programs that we dedicate to our writing. I use a few different functions on my laptop.

Dropbox. I save pretty much everything on my computer to it. This way even if I were to drop my laptop (again) I would still have everything. 

Scrivener. It is great because it autosaves your work every second, so even if my laptop was caught on fire, I would still have everything. That and I link my scrivener projects to my dropbox.

Word. Just... yeah. Word. Can't live without it. 

Sticky notes! It sounds nasty, but I love this program. If you are using windows (or at least windows 7) you should have it on your computer. It is a program that sticks notes on your desktop screen. On these notes I write all my future story ideas and have them stare me in the face until I sit down and write them.

WriteOrDie.com. Now, I really only use this when I am in severe need of writing or show symptoms of writer's block. It is a program that pretty much forces you to write. There is a free online version, or you can get a desktop version for a small amount of money. I just use the online one. I'm cheap like that.

NaNoWriMo, or other writing communities. Writing is not something you have to do alone. It is actually really motivating to talk to people who is in the same boat as you. 

Editing tools

Printed manuscript. Someday (hopefully) my book is going to be in a book store, and that means it is going to be in print. At some point or another you need to print that book out and look at it. It is a whole different experience editing in hand and on the computer. So just do it.

Markers. I buy way too many of these, but highlighting what needs to be fixed is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself. 

Notepad. What I like to do is craft my sentences in hand and then write them into the next draft on the computer once I am done crafting the entire book. This takes a while, but it is what works for me. 

Last but not least

Sunlight. When I have been working on my novel for hours on end, I need to see that bright light and feel the fresh air. Writing can consume my entire life, but that shouldn't be the case. For me to function right I need to go out and spend time with my friends and family. They are the ones who is going to support me once I send my manuscrpt to that publisher. And they are going to be there if I get a rejection letter. Therefore it is important to cherish and nurse those relationships.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

The "Writing Habits" tag...

Since NaNoWriMo officially ended, I decided to do a little tag. Just for fun. This tag was originally created by DreamImpossibleDream (http://www.youtube.com/user/DreamImpossibleDream). I wasn't tagged by anyone. I'm just rebellious like that.

1. Typed or Handwritten?

Typed. I would show you my handwriting, but that sight is way too horrific for the innocence of the internet. Also... typing is faster and I can do it for longer hours than handwriting. However if I am revising and crafting sentences I do it by hand. 

2. Cursive or printed?

Printed. Well... then again not. I have developed my own kind of style. It's a bit of both. A word will start out cursive, but then slightly move into printed. It's weird and ugly.

3. Show us your favorite pen

This is the best pen ever. It's a 0.7mm and the writing is so smooth. I got it from my best friend for my birthday. That and 10 packs of macaroons (you would think I was fat, right? Yeah me too). "And that kids, is the story of why my best friend is awesome".

4. Where do you like to write? (location)

I write in my room. There I am able to lock myself away from the rest of the world, but I do admit that there are a lot of distractions, which is why I have started going to the public library to write. The smell of books makes me productive.

5. Who are your 5 favorite authors in terms of authorial style?

The first one is a danish author, so a lot of you are probably not familiar with him; Kenneth Bøgh Andersen (We share same last name!). His writing is amazing. I love how he is able to create so many pictures in so few words. And he is one of the people who inspired me to write.

Next up is Jonathan Stroud! Do I even have to explain this one? No, but I'm going to anyway. He is so funny! I have only read his Bartimaeus trilogy, but in the first book alone he left an expression on me. It was the first novels I read that had multiple viewpoints and Jonathan is amazing at voices. It made the books far more enjoyable.

J.K Rowling. I am not going to say why. It should be a given.

H.C. Andersen (another shared last name!). I'm danish. I pretty much have to like him! And I grew up with his fairytales. They are what made me love books and stories in general.

The last one is once again danish. Henrik Pontoppidan. And this is just recently. I had to analyze one of his short stories for class and I fell in love with his writing. It is very old fashioned, but yet he writes in a way that was modern for his time.

6. What are your three favorite books on writing?

Confession time! I haven't read any. "I am a natural talent," she said smirking.

7. Have you ever competed in NaNoWriMo?

Hellz yeah! My first year was in 2012 in which I wrote a fantasy novel, and then again here in 2013 where I wrote my first dystopian.

8. Have you ever won NaNoWriMo?

I won both times I competed. In 2012 I managed to write 63k (which then extended to become a 90k novel) and this year I finished my novel at 103k.It calm

9. Have you ever had anything published?

No. But in the second quater of 2014 I am going to get a short story published through my writing course. So I got that going for me.

10. What projects are you working on now?

I am currently in the process of revising my dystopian from this year's NaNoWriMo. I am at chapter 5 so that's 1/5 of the book almost revised, and I am planning on starting my 2nd draft on January 1st. Other than that I need to start thinking of what my short story for my writing course is going to be about. I am completely blank.

11. What is your soundtrack to writing?

Usually something that fits the theme of what I am writing.

12. Do you have a writing pump-up song?

I wouldn't call it a 'pump-up' song, but I can always write to "Down" by Jason Walker. It calms me, and though the song is a bit of a downer, it motivates me... as weird as it may seem. 

And that concludes the tag! Oh God... This is when I have to tag people myself... well.... um... I tag you! Everyone who is writing, whether it be professional or just for fun, is welcome to do the tag. If you chose to do so, please let me know via the comments so I can check it out!

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Words...

Are just that... words.

NaNoWriMo day #28 - wordgoal: 46666 -

Now the thing is; Since I finished my novel, I do not keep track of what I do each day of the month... Yes, I actually did that. But I know I was still working on revising chapter 2, so yeah. That happened. What have you been up to? Writing? I hope so. Because only two days remain.

NaNoWriMo day #29 - wordgoal: 48333 -

We are nearing the end. Only one day until the finale. Even though I finished my novel nine days ago, I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach. It's like I can feel the excitment from everyone who is still getting to 50k. Oh on that note; Editing is going great. I finally finished revisions on chapter 2 and started on chapter 3. Chapter two took a little longer than I hoped it would, but that's okay. It is my first time every revising a novel, so of course it is going to be a struggle. I am still having fun with it though, so I got that going for me.

NaNoWriMo day #30 - wordgoal: 50000 -

WE DID IT! Confetti and champaign for everyone! I know I have been real hard on you throughout this month. I yelled at you a couple of times, but that was only because I wanted you to succeed. And even though I have been saying how important it is to hit the 50k mark... it really isn't. Whether you hit 50k, 30k or 168 words... you still did something that a lot of people fear. You wrote. You sat down and wrote. Starting something new is scary. But the only way of getting ahead is getting started. If you did NaNo, in some way or another, you started. If it wasn't for NaNo I don't think I would have been able to start my novel. Having this end goal of 50k words and...the graf...ohhh the graf... it motivates me to write. That is why I keep doing it. This has only been my second year doing (and winning) NaNo, but I am going to keep at it. It is an amazing project that challenge people to take quantity over quality. That is pretty damn hard. We are forced to keep going and finish the project before we are allowed to edit and perfect.

Now, writing is what I want to do for a living, I literally can't go a day without working on my novel. And even if I don't see the shadow of NaNo until the summer camps, I will still be writing. I finished editing chapter 3 and that means there is only 22 chapters to go before I can work on my 2nd draft. It is going to take a lot of hard work, but in the end I know it will be worth it.

The real journey starts now. I hope you will join me. Until we see each other again;

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.