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.

Just keep writing, just keep writing...

It needs to be done, so just do it.

So... as I told you all last time I had rewritten the prologue and chapter 1 of my novel into 3rd person. Now I have written chapter 2 and am in the middle of chapter 3. I have to say; words are really coming onto the page. So far I have around 11k words done already. And I'm only three chapters in!

The only thing I fear is that I will make a "NaNoWriMo"... Oh, you want me to explain? Well, okay then!

A "NaNoWriMo" is an act of writing, where you put in too much unnecessary information in order to get as many words done as possible. Later, once you have started editing, all those wonderful words will shrink into maybe only a third of that original number. This is what happened to my story, when it was stil in 1st person. And I have to say that it was devastating. To see all those words disappear... it broke my heart a little. 

But of course I know that it is a necessary process. No first draft of anything will be perfect. What I am currently writing is technically the 3rd draft, but since I am writing it in a different POV I might as well treat it as just another 1st draft.

I thought I would start doing something new here on the blog... share with you, my favorite writing music at the moment. Just so you can see what gets me in the mood to write.

This week I have been listening none-stop to one artist: 

Jason Mraz

The funny thing is that the story I am writing is on the darker side, and his music is really happy... maybe the contrast makes it easier to write to? I don't know. His voice and songs are just so... perfect. Not for my novel, but it fits so well with my personality. That might be the reason...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

Exciting news!...

And it was pretty exciting!

So as you know if you read the post from Saturday, I am rewriting my novel in 3rd person. I was in the middle of writing the outline, and guess what: I finished that on Monday! 43 chapters at the current moment in time. Now you may think... yeah that is exciting, but what is the big deal? 

The big deal is that, when I was writing the outline for the final chapter I started tearing up. Yes! Okay, so a little backstory... I'm pretty hardcore. I have only cried to a book once, but that was when I was young and didn't know what a good story was. Other than that I am usually ice cold. I didn't even cry reading Eleanor and Park, which surprised me. And I especially don't cry while writing my own stuff. Like I said, I'm ice cold.

So having that moment... feeling the tears... it just made me realize that maybe... just maybe... I'm writing something real here. I still have a long way to go, I've still only written the prologue and chapter 1, but things are going somewhere, which is good. Any progress is progress nonetheless.

ANOTHER EXCITING THING...

I participated in a competition to go to a writing workshop with one of the lead authors over here in Denmark - along with other people as well. What I had to do to participate was write 2 chapters of a story about a teenager with a life threatening disease.

I first wanted to write about a girl who had cancer... but I know shit about cancer... so I would sound freaking stupid if I tried writing about it. Therefore I decided to write about a young girl who had progeria. I watched the documentary "life according to Sam" and read all I could about it. And then I sat down to write it.

It got selected. I got selected. In one week exactly I'm going to Copenhagen to participate in the workshop. And the most amazing thing is that we'll be workshopping at a hospital with teenagers who have life threatening diseases, but also enjoy to write. 

I just know it is going to be an amazing experience. I just know it.

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. 

Dilemma as an apsiring author...

As many of you know I wrote a novel in November 2013 during the NaNoWriMo. After which I edited it and wrote the 2nd draft. Now I am currently reading it through before handing it out to beta-readers. Everything seems to be going well, right? ... not exactly...

It all happened a couple of days ago. I was writing a story for a writing competition I'm participating in. That story is written in 3rd person limited. Actually... most of what I write is in 3rd person limited. Except for my current novel. This one is in 1st person. And I thought it worked really well when I first wrote it. But then, as I was reading it through, I realised something: My world is so empty.

Because it is in 1st person, there is no reason for the characters to talk about what happened to the world and therefore it is hard as a reader to understand why things are as they are. Beside that I found that writing description is so much easier in 3rd person limited than 1st person, because in 1st person you can only describe what the character sees. That is not a problem in 3rd person limited; here I could describe the world as much as I liked without breaking the viewpoint. That option I currently do not have.

On top of the fact that I write better in 3rd person limited, I have also found that I enjoy reading in that perspective more as well. It's kinda stupid, but I feel like, when reading 1st person, that the author is telling me what to do. I know... I'm a freak. 

So this is kind of a dilemma. I have already finished the 2nd draft in 1st person, so wouldn't it be kind of a waste throwing that away just to write it all over in 3rd person... well no. I know it will be much better in 3rd person, or at least I hope so. I'll write the 1st chapter in 3rd person later tonight just to get a feel of where the story could go in that perspective. 

So yes. I will probably have to rewrite the entire novel once again, but it is okay. It just means that I am dedicated to my work and want it to be the best possible thing I can craft at the current moment in time.

Now I understand how it can take years for authors to write their books. 

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.

"Bite me" - Chapter 2: The first time - by Nanna Andersen

"I'm sorry about just barging in," Jasmine said while exposing her ear from the chestnut brown hair. "but I'm new to this city and don't really know anyone." she sqeezed her eyes together.

Josh wasn't really sure why he said what he said, but he ended up saying it anyway. "Well, you do now. My name is Josh Fields." Arrow howled behind him and rubbed her snout against his thigh. He tripped forward and look over his shoulder. "And this is Arrow." he added, stepping aside to introduce the white and dark grey siberian husky of eight years of age. 

Jasmine squatted down and streched her arm out towards Arrow, but stopped at the midway point. "May I?" she asked and looked up at Josh. He did an approving hand gesture and told Arrow to come out from behind him. She was reluctant at first, but as Jasmine's hand came closer, Arrow took in the smell and suddenly Josh witnessed something he never before had seen:

Jasmine screamed as Arrow's teeth ingraved themselves into her skin. Time moved in slowmotion. It was as though Josh watched himself from the outside and he saw everything like it was. Saw himself try hard to get Arrow away from Jasmine. He saw the fear in the newcomer's eyes as Arrow tightened her grib and shook its head form side to side. Jasmine's armedmoved accordingly to Arrow's movement like a slave. Josh's other self resorted to the last thing he thought he would ever find himself doing. He hit his dog. 

Arrow, who in all her eight years had never experienced the fury of her master, whimpered under the force of his hand and with that she let go of Jasmine's hand. Josh pushed Arrow outside in the yard and hurried Jasmine inside to see to her wound. As the door closed behind him, time moved normally and he was within himself once again. 

"I'm so sorry!" he said desperately as he moved with Jasmine to the sink. "She doesn't act like that normally! I don't know what's with her..."

Jasmine's eyes were closed and her head bended backwards. "How bad is it?" she said. Josh sent a look to her hand and examined the damaged caused by Arrow's teeth. He bid his lip and didn't answer his guest, which worried her. Instead he opened for the waterflow.

"Here," he said and drenched a cloth in the warm water. He twined it around her hand. "Hold it there." she did as he said and he bowed down under the sink to find the first-aid kit. 

Outside the endless howling from Arrow speared through his heart. She had always been able to behave herself. Never had he had any trouble with raising her to be the best dog possible. When he bought her the saleslady had warned him that the siberian husky was one of the more aggressive breeds. However, he had never seen that in arrow. Now he feared what he would have to do with her. 

He had heard horror tales about owners who were forced to put their dogs to sleep because of assault on another human. He didn't want to lose Arrow, even if she had acted in the wrongs. There had to be a way for him to convince Jazz to not press charges. There had to be. 

"Find anything down there?" Jasmine asked and by the suprise of her words, Josh hammered his head into one of the sink pipes. He cursed and stood up with the first-aid kit.

Jasmine had lowered her head and was now looking directly at him. She wasn't scared anymore. Didn't even look mad. Josh was happy. That had to be a good thing. He opened the kit and took the bandages. Jasmine removed the cloth and the disgust was painted on her face. The cloth had removed most of the blood, which left her with four deep holes in her hand. Josh could not even begin to think of all the bacterium hidden on Arrow's teeth. Hopefully Jasmine would not suffer an infection. 

He began wrapping her hand in the white bandages. She didn't say anything. It worried Josh. He needed her to understand. To go away from here with a smile instead of heading to the police office.

"You know," he began. "Arrow usually doesn't act that way." 

Jasmine shrugged. "I guess she doesn't like me then." Josh saw the disappointment in her eyes. She looked up at him. The mint green eyes shining like they had done outside. "I'd hoped she would. But I'm probably more of a cat person." 

That still didn't explain Arrow's behavior. She had seen cats before. Hell, she even played with them from time to time whenever one dared to enter the yard. They knew what they were getting into; A brawling match with the unbeaten champion. But doing one of these matched she had never hurt the cats. All she ever did was push them around until they got tired of her and walked away. She would follow them to the fence and stand up to watch they walk off into the sunset. When she then came back into the house she would lay her head on Josh's thigh and look at him with her eyes shining from the victory. And he would rubb her head and call her a good dog.

He decided to not tell Jasmine about Arrow's love for cats. He didn't want her thinking Arrow had something personal against her. So he just agreed with her and said that had to be the reason. He tied the bandages in a bow to seal it off and Jasmine twisted her wrist to test the mobility of her hand. It looked perfectly fine. 

"Well..." Jasmine said, but didn't continue. She rubbed her hands against each other and looked everywhere but at Josh.

A scratching could be heard on the door and Josh peeped over Jasmine's shoulder. He bit his lip. It hurted as Arrow's wining got louder. He couldn't keep it out. 

Josh shook his head and tried to say something, but Jasmine held up her hand to stop him. "It's okay." she said and stroke his shoulder. Her touch was warm. Like honey in a cup of tea on a winter afternoon. "I'll see you around, I guess." she turned away from him and her long hair hit his chest in the turn.

"Jazz?" he cried as her fingers closed around the doorknob. Her gorgeous face turned to see him. "I want to make it up to you. Would you allow me to take you out for coffee some time?" his heart was pounding, and he was sure it would burst out of his chest in a minute. He couldn't believe himself. It wasn't in his nature to act so direct. Maybe he thought that all hope had already went out of the window, so he had nothing else to lose.

Jasmine opened the door and stepped aside while Arrow rushed in and hit behind Josh's legs. He didn't pay her any attention, his eyes locked on the beauty at his door. She stepped over the doorstep. "I like my coffee with caramel cream and whipped cream on top." she closed the door behind her, leaving Josh alone with Arrow, who had never looked smaller.

To be continued...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

2nd NaNoWriMo within a year?!

... Naaah, not exactly.

So, for those of you unaware, I participated in JanNoWriMo. This was not an official event, but something that me and other people did on Facebook, just for fun. You set a goal for yourself and throughout the month we were going to try to achieve that. 

Though the month is still not over, I would like to share my results, since Saturday is story-time!

My goal for the month of January was to do the 2nd draft of my current novel.

So I had things going great for me at the start of the month. Had the first 10k down within the first week, which is slower than what I managed in November, but still good. And from there things moved on in a steady pace. However... When I hit about 25k I slowed down. I was scared that I had deleted too much in my revising process and that my novel would end up being less than 50k words long. So I did not feel motivated to write at all.

I felt hopeless and actually had a minor depression. Didn't wanna do anything at all. And having trouble in my Social Science class only made things worse. And I didn't have anyone to turn to. I don't know about you all, but I am not a very touchy-feely person, and I hate sharing how I feel with others. When I have a problem, I like that problem to stay with me. Because of this I felt alone.

Writing is not as easy as some people may think. It takes dedication. And a heck of a lot of it. When you have school, writing classes, a social life and free time writing interferring with each other... things get kind of crazy. 

So for a while I couldn't even rewrite a whole chapter in a day, which was really slow progress for me. However, then something amazing happened to me. I went online and found a website where I found out that some of my favorite authors' books weren't even that long in wordcount terms. If we take Cathy Hopkins as an example; Her series "Mates, dates and..." has 12 books. Some of those books aren't even over 30k words. 

This brought back my desire to write. I thought to myself "If she could get published with that wordcount, so can I. And I'm not even done yet!"

That ended up working out for me, and by now I have a little over 52k on my 2nd draft. What does this mean? Well it means that I basically did my 2nd NaNoWriMo within a year. My 2nd draft is still not done, and I think it will be around 60-80k words... maybe 75k. Something like that. 

Now this wasn't as dificult to achieve as the goal in November, since I already had everything written down this time around and all I really had to do was type it into the computer. But that process was way more time consuming than I expected when I set the goal for myself.

I can't wait for this draft to be done. Then all I need to do is read it through, send it off to beta-readers, get their feedback, imply their feedback and then send it off. I don't even care if I get rejected. All I care is to know that I have what it takes to put this much work in one project. And I am proud of myself for that.

Keep Calm and Write on.

- Nanna

"Bite me" - Chapter 1: Just another day - by Nanna Andersen

It was an ordinary day for the 32-year old Josh Fields.

At 6 am, he woke up, as he always did. He ate breakfast, brushed his teeth and went for a walk with old Arrow. They took the same route as they had taken for the past eight years, and Arrow had done her business at the usual place by the small tree stump that had always been there. It would never grow up to be the tree it once had been.

Josh remembered it clearly. How when he first moved here he walked down that very same road and saw the old birch being cut down. How it majesticly fell, landed on the ground as though it just gave up on life, it was almost as if it signed. The ever so green leaves seemed to fade to a more greyish tone.

All left was the stump. The same stump as now, covered in moss and other fungus - Josh would even go as far as saying that an entire colony of woodlouse lived in there. 

From the first ever walk; Arrow had stopped at the stump. It was the same every single time. She walked around it, all the way around. Just looking. Then her nose took in the same scent of eight years. Last, but not least, she stepped up on it. Gazing at Josh with her deep, blue, husky eyes. Once done with her every-day ritual, she did her business and moved on. Nothing else caught her attention like that stump, and only on the way out. She didn't even glance at it, when walking back home.

Josh had always found this behavior odd for his old gal, but, like everything else, it was now part of his daily routine.

Once at home Josh packed his bag, filled Arrow's bowls: one with dry food, and one with icing water. He gave her a quick bellyrub and left the house, locking the door behind him. But like always, when he reached the gate, he turned around to check on the door. Arrow growled, but went silent when she saw her master. Josh smiled at her and then continued on his way to work. 

He had never forgotten to lock the door, not since he moved here at least. Yet, he still felt the need to check every time. Just to make sure. Make sure that today wasn't the day either. Like it never was.

He took the sidewalk through Palamont City in which he had lived for the past eight years. Since he first got Arrow.

The same blue mercedes drove behind him, slowed down as it past him, and then speeded up. Because of the tinted windows, Josh had never gotten a good look at the driver, and now, eight years later, he had accepted that. Nevertheless, he could spit out the number plate at any given moment if needed. 

It had rained again tonight causing the roads to be flooded with water. It always rained in the night between Wednesday and Thursday. And like every other Thursday, the blue mercedes wheeled into a puddle, splashing water onto the sidewalk right by the busstop where an old elderly couple waited for the bus.

The very same bus Josh needed to get on. 

The elderly couple yelled at the mercedes, waving their arms and canes after the driver. The man walked his wife to the bench. Their walk was slow and by the time they sat down, Josh stood beside the same bench.

Hallo, Josh - The old man would say.

"Hallo, Josh." the old man said as he sat down next to his wife.

Hallo, Mr. Peterson - Josh would answer, then pausing and would then address Mr. Peterson's wife as well.

"Hallo, Mr. Peterson," Josh said, bowing politely. He turned to Mr. Peterson's wife. "Mrs. Peterson."

What a weather, am I right? - Mr. Peterson would point out. And Josh would agree.

"What a weather, am I right?" Mr. Peterson pointed out.

Josh nodded. "It sure is." he said. 

The same conversation as every other Thursday, not even with a handmotion to differ. One could not even call it déjá vu, because it wasn't. Josh did have this exact conversation with the same exact elderly couple every Thursday morning at 7.21 am. 

At 7.30 am, the bus finally arrived. Two minutes late, Josh observed as he glanced at his phone. Two minutes late as always.

He got on and sat down at his usual spot four seats from the driver's seat. Here he looked out the window, seeing how Palamont City flashed by before his eyes. The same houses, people, trees and the black cat that nearly got ran over by a black BMW. That cat never learned its lesson, and it never would.

Two stops before his destination, one of his students got on the bus. A young girl: Amber, her name was. Her brown hair, longer in the front than in the back, was all tangled up in itself due to the hefty wind. Her big midnight blue scarf lay around her neck and even covered the bottom of her face causing her breath to come right back at her warmer than when it left her lungs. When she passed Josh, she nodded and mumbled a "Hallo, professor Fields." 

Josh liked Amber. One of his best students. However, he worried about her. Always silent, always alone. He had a feeling something was bothering his straight A student. But it wasn't in his hands to attend her problems. He could ask her, but nothing more.

Therefore, he just nodded back at her, like every other morning. 

Arriving at Palamont City's High School was as dull as ever. Children with the attitude of an educated politician, or teenagers as most people referred to them as, were scattered around the outside area. The night's atrocious weather didn't seem to have an impact on the so called teenagers. 

They sat on the humid benches and brawled on the muddy grass, covering their bodies in dirt.

Josh signed as he recognized Matthew Davids on the ground. One of his own students. A little brad nothing more. Loved to interrupt the class, hated doing anything school related other than football, which he did deserve some credit for. But not a scholarship. Josh cringed. Defiently not a scholarship.

The bell rang to class as Josh opened the main entrance. Stressed out students came running from outside and a number of girls larger than the amount of stalls rushed out of the restroom.

When Josh stepped into his classroom, most seats were filled. His eyes fell on Amber, who sat at the table all the way in the back. Alone. As though the rest of the class had pulled their tables away from her. In the center, Matthew had seated himself. He always did this. By sitting in the middle no one could miss hearing his 'oh so brilliant' comments. Every time Matthew opened his mouth, Josh felt his braincells die one after another.

"Today," Josh said and went through his bag. "We'll be discussing the essays you handed in last week. You all have some common mistakes that we will touch on to improve your writing." He pulled the essays out and handed them out among the students. First Amber. "Would you mind me asking, if you would read it aloud later in this class?"

Amber took her essay, her hand shaking as it came in touch with the paper. Josh had been very impressed by her writing in particular.

It was the story of a young girl, who was brutually abused at home, but had no one to go to. She was ashamed and therefore build a wall around herself so others wouldn't worry. The story ended with the daughter committing suicide after being raped by her father.

A very sad story, indeed. 

Amber looked through the pages. "I don't think I want to." she said without taking her eyes off the paper. 

Josh shrugged and moved on. When he stood in front of Matthew he went through the leftover assignments. "So, Matthew," the boy lifted his eyebrow. "I missed reading your essay." 

"I doubt that's all you've been missing lately!" he burst into laughter. The laughter spread to the other students, except for Amber, who was as quiet as ever.

One more braincell dead and gone.

Josh went on with the lesson, but as it ended he knew his students weren't smarter than when they arrived. It was the same every day. No one seemed to care for learning. So why did he even bother? Because of people like Amber. 

At 4.52 pm, Josh went home on the same bus as every other day, with the same citizens as always. Little, shy Amber rushed down at the back of the bus before anyone else could take her seat. She didn't have to worry, though; they never took her seat.

The road home seemed shorter. It always did. At home Arrow waited for him. It always felt nice coming home to someone who actually cared for his presence. A nice feeling for sure.

Josh got off the bus on the other side of the road from where he goton it earlier that day. He walked the way home.

Once in front of his front door, Josh struggled to find his keys. Agitated his hands checked every single pocket. His heartrate dropped down to a regular pace, when they appeared in the pocket within his jacket. He opened the door and Arrow came to him. Wagging her tail backand forth, happy to see her master's safe return.

He began petting her head and she closed her eyes in comfort. Together they walked to the living room, ready to solve today's crossword. Josh sat down in his leather armchair, the one he received as a 'moving in'-present from his mother. One could say a lot about his mother, but she defiently had good taste in furniture.

An ordinary day indeed. But then...

...a knock on the door got Arrow standing. What was this? Josh thought to himself. This was new. 

Arrow began growling, but Josh lifted his hand. "Easy, girl." he said and Arrow went silent, though not happy with the situation. Josh didn't know what to expect as he approached the door. Who could it be? His mother? Probably. She loved surprising him. 

He opened the door. "Yes?" and was startled by the sight before him.

A beautiful woman, whom he had never seen before in Palamont City, turned her head to face him. Her eyes caught him right away. Green. Green like the leaves on the birch that once stood in this city. They drew him in and the feeling of nostalgia filled him from head to toe, however he did not understand why. It was not just the eyes; Her hair. Chestnut brown, a reddish glow. Soft-looking like silk. Josh desired to reach out and touch it, but managed himself. 

In his 32-years he had never seen a girl like this one. And then, she began to speak.

"Excuse me," she said with the voice of an angel. Soft and daring. She held out her hand and Josh took it. It was just as soft as her hair looked. "My name is Jasmine, Jazz for short."

To be continued...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna. 

First Impressions: "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

So I am officially crazy for starting this giant book. On top of its lenght I am also reading it in english, which - if you don't know - is not my primary language. But I'm doing it anyway. There are certain books that I want to read in the language they were intended for, and "A Song of Ice and Fire" is one of those series. 

I am currently about 100 pages into the book, (I'm about to read form Tyrion's POV for the 2nd time) and I am loving it! 

I have to say that the prologue was really confusing, but beside that I have been able to follow along quiet well. I love how many POVs were are introduced to, my favorite characters so far is Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Eddard Stark and Dany (her name is weird, so just go with it). 

Jon - I love him because he is different. He is not like his over siblings. He is a bastard. And I felt sorry for him within the first chapter from his POV. How he got drunk and almost cried at the dinner... oh! The feels!! And then what Tyrion sad to him! I was actually this close to crying when Catelyn said "It should have been you".... OH more feels!! I can't wait to see where his road takes him... he is after all going to the wall.

Tyrion - do I have to explain? He is a dwarf, who is probably the funniest person in the freaking book. And again, what he said to Jon... oh the feels! He is so smart and I love that! 

Eddard - I just find his storyline really interesting. And he is a great character. Shouldn't have to say much more.

Dany - See this one I am confused about... I did not like her first chapter, but her second I really enjoyed... however I tend to forget that she is only 13 years old... I guess she did have to grow up pretty early...

The characters are really what drives me in the book, as well as the setting. I love how it's about sword fighting and not magic! I've gotten kinda tired of mages... (says the aspiring author who is currently outlining a story with magic as a central plot device...)

so yeah... awesome setting + awesome characters = I will read it. 

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

"Bite me" - Prologue - by Nanna Andersen

He screamed.

Screamed again.

Then again, this time a little louder and more like the sound of a creacking door. His chin touched his chest. Burried itself in the thick, sticky hair flooded in sweat.

He tried looking at her but failed. The deep, brown, bloodshot eyes were just as heavy as the chains holding him up. Having failed his attempt he instead focused on the tiles underneath him. Red. Painted red with blood. His blood. The smell stung in his nostrils, made him dizzy. It would be so easy throwing up. Letting it out, but the easy way out wasn't necessarily the best. And he knew this. Therefore, he held it in. Swallowed the lump of fluid and leftovers from last night's dinner.

"You know," she said while sharpening the knife. After all this time it had gotten a bit dull. Even with her back towards him, he could sense the smile widening on her lips, showing the fairytale white teeth. She held the knife in front of her face and caressed it. Still with the knife pressed against her cheek in a lovely manner, she turned to face him.

He had been right. The smile was certainly there. She continued in a rusty voice while walking towards him. "It didn't have to go down this way."

Her cold fingers took a grib around his cheeks, squishing them up against his nose. She caught his eyes with her own. He could no longer run. Forced to stare into the madness he had caused. But he refused to fall victum. So he didn't.

He gathered up saliva and sent it off in her direction. She closed her eyes as it exploded on her face. "Bite me." he hissed.

She smiled. "Oh..." laughed. "Oh, you actually did that." with her free hand, she whiped the spit off and opened her eyes. Her black, velvet eyes. Black like the night sky. No, darker. Darker than the blackness from a dreamless night.

Her eyes. They were the true darkness. The darkness from which all evil climbed. Climbed into the closet, under the bed and into the human mind. Here it hid. Waiting for the right moment. Because a real hunter knows when to strike.

And so did she.

She pulled an eyelash upwards, lifting his eyelid. He saw it coming before it happened. Saw her tigthening her grib around the knife. Saw the knife rise towards his eye. Felt it carve into the thin skin.

He screamed. Kept on screaming. Even when she lowered the knife and showed him the cut off eyelid, the screaming didn't stop.

She rolled her eyes and threw the eyelid away. Then she lifted the knife to his face. He closed his eyes. But no more pain were felt. Instead he heard the screech when the knife hammered into the space between two of the bricks behind him. For a moment he felt relieved. But when he saw the smile on her face that feeling was long gone.

Her face approached his in a drastic speed and then her lips engulfted his. They tasted dark. Dark like her eyes. Like his worst nightmare. He wanted to break free but couldn't.

All he could do was watch as her finger ascended up his cheek and stopped as they reached his unprotected eye.

Still with her tongue exploring his mouth, she tuck her fingernail in behind his eye and digged it out. He screamed, but it was as though her tongue absorbed the sound.

She pulled away from him and looked at the eyeball in her palm. Then she looked at him. She smiled. "You wanted me to bite you," licked her mouth. "Right?"

She placed the eyeball between her teeth and pressed them together. One half of the eyeball went into her chewing mouth and the other fell on the bloody tiles.

To be continued...

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.

The "7 deadly sins" tag..

I recently started reading more, I why not celebrate that by doing a fun little book tag! This tag was created by BookishlyMalyza. Check out her video, and don't forget to subscribe: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm0c56gcbsE

1. Greed

What is your most inexpensive book? What is your most expensive book?

My most inexpensive book has to be "Daughter of smoke and bone" by Laini Taylor. The book is amazing, but I got if for only like 50 DKK, which... is like nothing for this kind of quality book.

My most expensive book... this is kind of hard, since most of my books I have received as gifts, so I am not sure of their exact prices. But if I had to make a guess, it would probably be "Edgar Allan Poe's completed works part 1". I think this book was 299 DKK. 

2. Wrath

What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?

Stephanie Meyer. The thing is; I think she is a great author, and I like her writing style, but I just really hate her books. Especially Twilight. She makes love seem like it's all about looks and that just annoys the living hell out of me.... also... Breaking Dawn sucked. No one talks it out... just give us the fight already!

3. Glottony

What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?

"Djævelens Læring" by Kenneth Bøgh Andersen. A danish book. I love this one. It is the first book in a four-book-series, and I come back to it whenever I want to laugh, cry or just experience a really good story.

4. Sloth

What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?

"Harry Potter and the deadly hollows" by J.K. Rowling. I have actually never finished the Harry Potter series, but I really want to... however... it's been a while since I read the books, and it is such a long series to dedicate myself to, and I don't really feel like doing so. Maybe I'll get to it... maybe I won't. I already know how it ends anyway...

5. Pride

What book do you most talk about to sound like a very interllectual reader?

Probably "Edgar Allan Poe's completed works part 1". I mean... he is the father of horror, so I like saying I've read his stories. Makes me sound so fiiiine.

6. Lust

What attributes do you find most attractive in male/female characters?

So for me to fall in love with a character, he needs to be very active. Not just stand by and let others do stuff for him. Also he needs to be funny. Humor is attractive, what can I say? I don't really care if he is a villain or a hero, if he is active and has a great personality, I will love him. 

7. Envy (- I changed it to my own liking)

What book do you wish you had written?

"The Bartimeaus Trilogy" by Jonathan Stroud. Do I even need to explain this one? These books are funny, exciting, sad and just... magical! I love all the characters! And it was my first time ever reading anything with multiple POVs, and I was so amused by it that it added to the experience. The ending of the third book made me cry. My first time ever crying over a book. That was how big of an impact these books had on me.

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.