That Word: Laconic

That Word is the segment on my blog where I post new words that I discover newly or have jumped out at me once again. If you love finding new words this post is for you. If you're a writer looking for different words to describe some this post may also be for you.  

Laconic

Where I Discovered it?

As where the last few of late, this one comes from a list on the notes on my phone. All I know is that I must have listed it there for a reason. The word actually listed in my notes was Laconically the adverb version of the word. 

Defintion/s

1. using few words; expressing much in few words; concise; 

Monthly Recap: February

Welcome to my February Recap. Here I relay to you what has been going on in my life this month. 

In My Life 

School

I started grade 12 this month. It was more exciting than nerve wracking. I've been all of my classes so far but I have to say English Writing is my favourite by far. My teacher makes sure it's more of a relaxed atmosphere. Our first assignment we have to do about life but for the rest of the year we can negotiate. I'm really excited for it. 

My Writing 

I feel that I have begun writing with more consistency lately and I have been more excited and motivated constantly. I am so happy for this. Procrastination is step behind. I haven't written as much as planned for the story this month. Only a few scenes here and there, but what I have done is a lot plotting. My goal for next month will be to write 20,000 words and with a plot I hope that I can achieve that. What I can say is I am feeling confident about this story at the moment and that makes me really happy.

What I've Read

My aim each month is to read at least four books which would mean about 1 book a week. This month I pretty much started with three. Once school started plus some procrastination my reading time went downhill. Still I am ahead of my goal this year by far. I am currently 7 books ahead of schedule.

1. Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer 
2. Thor: Season One
3. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle) by Maggie Stiefvater
4. Bracelet of Bones by Kevin Crossley-Holland 

What I Plan to Read 

1. Dragonborn by Toby Forward Almost Finished
2. Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris Half-way Through
3. Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3)
4. Eve by Wm Paul Young

What I've Watched

I've been watching each RWBY volume 4 episode as they come out. The feels I feel. It a pretty awesome show with fairy tale links amongst it all.

My family and I finished watching SG1. It was sad to see it end. We've started watching Knight Rider. It is really interesting.

On The Blog

That Word: Fulcrum
That Word: Querulous
That Word: Expedite
Writing Desire Part 1

Well, I definitely wasn't as consistent this month in blogging. My bookstagram account was almost non-existent with posts this month too. Hopefully March will be a new month in that aspect.

Around the Blogosphere 

• How Movie Trailers Can Help You Write Back Cover Copies by Victoria Grace Howell @ Wanderer's Pen
• Are you Reading Enough by Nadine Brandes

What's your month been like? What books have you read? What's been exciting? Feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts.

Just Write

I receive daily emails from Advice to Writers. In fact I have a stock pile of linked posts from those that are to be used for inspiration for blog posts. Recently this one was in one of those daily emails. 

Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there’s no chance for a pardon. Write like you’re clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you’ve got just one last thing to say, like you’re a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don’t. Who knows, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to. (Advice to Writers)

It really stood out to me and was just what I needed to hear really. If I write I'm a writer it is so true but it's more than that. I have so many story ideas that I'm almost afraid to start writing. There is a story idea that came to me recently. This one is the story of Prince James. I've had ideas coming to me for the past couple of months. I've put more planning into it than I felt that I ever have into a novel. I was considering waiting to write it until November for Nanowrimo, but then I wasn't sure that I even was going to do Nano this year (and am still unsure) and this story wasn't letting me go. Whenever there's a space in my thoughts it's there. Whenever I get out my journal to write I'm thinking about his story. It wants to be written and doesn't want to wait. 

My current journal 

Now after reading the above advice I think it spurred me on to just sit down and write. So that's what I did. I already have an idea of a large many things that will happen. It's the most prepared story of mine I've begun to write. Currently it sits in my everyday journal in places here and there. It's being written. 

But there are still struggles. After I had started vaguely writing in it I became unsure of what POV i want to write it in. I am most comfortable writing in first person and it is the one I have most used, but I also wanted to try third person on one of my stories. I considered, but really I stressed about which to day. After much debating with myself and even praying I felt to go with what I know. First person.

Still as I write it I feel so insecure. Am I doing it right? Is it even coming out right? Am I sure I am ready to write this story? All these questions are hanging under the surface. I have decided to write this story but it's scary. I'm not totally sure, yet I know I must write. Who would I be if I didn't. The urge and pressure to write and create is always there for me and so I must journey on. 

One day i hope to bring these stories into the world. I hope that they may touch others lives but for now I must focus on getting them written. Even in amongst school and life I must. Why? Because writing is my life. 

So I write. 

Is this something you have struggled with? Do you struggle with confidence even with the constant knowledge that you are a writer? 

Naming Charcters

Characters are our beloved darlings. We love them to pieces and put them through so much (so they can grow mind you). For me when I create my characters they sometimes don't get names straight away. It's not to punish them at all it's just that none have come to mind and I might put off naming them until much later. Somehow even without the names the characters move around with just as much personality as if they do have names. The hard thing about it is I can't just pick a name out of a hat and it becomes their name forever. It just doesn't work like that (most of the time). 

My naming processes

1. It drops in

Sometimes a name just drops in and fits the character. It just fits. I don't need to change their name at all. I'm grateful when this happens because (they won't have to go nameless for months if I'm feeling particular clueless as to their names) Other times when it drops in I will try it out for a little while and end up searching for a new one. 

For Graeme his name just came. It fit and stuck. I think the day before it could have been Gray though. One thing I did do those is look up the different spellings because I didn't like the spelling of it like this: Graham. I had imagined it the other

When I was writing my novel for campnanowrimo July Samuel James actually began as Benjamin. At first had thought that Benjamin did fit him but then as I was writing it had suddenly changed to Samuel before I had even realised it. 

2. Name Generators

I have done this for both first and surnames, but probably more often for last names as they are the hardest to think of. I generally go through them and pick a few that I like the sound of and then I test them out and decide if one fits or suits my character.

De Haven is a last name I found in an a surname generator. When I was little I gave my favourite toy a last name by chopping up my own. It ended up being Obson. 

3. Off The Top of My Head

Lastly I try and think of the many names I might know or have heard of and see if they fit a character. This way doesn't always work as some names pop up many times while trying to think up a new name (two characters cannot have the same name).

I'm fairly sure I've had a couple of Michaels in one old story and one newer one. I only have a vague memory of the older story now though as I hadn't really started writing them down as much back then. Which means the newer character is getting the name.

4. It starts with a letter

Then there are the times where I feel like I want a name to start with a certain letter. I don't generally know why but I a letter comes to mind for the start of the name I just need to figure out the rest. 

This happened with my character Keira Stanford. Her last name I knew I wanted to start with S and a few days later Stanford came to mind.

5. Swapping

Sometimes my characters swap names or it switch from one character to another. For example in the WIP I'm exploring I was looking of name ideas at Fantasy Name Generator and I found Zane and gave it to one character. It didn't stick to him and instead he got named James (which was a dropping sort of name) and his best friend was suddenly Zane. 

Bonus: The Definition

Another thing I do is look up the definition to my characters names. I find this interesting to do but it doesn't affect whether the name stays or not. I remember at one point a had a whole list of my family's name definitions with some character name meanings as well.

What about you? Do you find it easy to find names for your characters? Do you find the definition for your character's name or is it something you've never thought of before?

Beautiful People: August Edition

Beautiful People is a link up hosted by Cait @Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. I've only participated in it a few times so far but it has really helped me to get to know my characters and books better.


This

1. Give a brief overview of their looks (Include a photo if you want!)

Samuel is pale, and fairly average in height with dusty blond hair (I'm not even sure if that's the right way to describe it)

2. Share a snippet that involves description of their appearance. 

I don't think I really have a snippet as of yet that really describes his appearance but you can be sure that when one is born I will add it to this post.

I Participated in July Campnanowrimo

This July I participated in Camp Nanowrimo. It was the first one I had one which meant it was super exciting, but the novel is far from done and I can't wait to write some more. Also while Camp was going on another story idea has been brewing. I'm considering working on it in November. Also sorry for the late update.

What Happened

I almost didn't do it this time round though. I felt that I needed to do some more planning for the plot, but still I went ahead. The main character had already changed from who I originally saw it as. I felt sure Jaye was the one, but as I started writing I struggled. I of knew where I wanted it to go but wasn't confident if it was sounding right. I kept trying to write something but it was slow and painful. I knew it wasn't right. So I played down my pen (or took a break from typing) for a little while. There were a couple of scenes I was happy with but the rest just wasn't flowing right. 

Then, something happened. I was trying to imagine what might happen and felt that Jaye wasn't speaking to me in the right voice anymore. Suddenly I just began writing from another character's point of view. I t was someone I had been with (so to speak) before but hadn't written anything down for. I thought maybe he would either come along later in the story or be some sort of sub-plot. I realise now that I had begun writing from his point of view things were better. 

Another thing I was uncertainty and insecurity about was how I was writing Jaye's point of view. I felt for sure at first that it should've been written in third person past tense but then I was just unsure. I kept switching between that one and first person past tense. With this other character, Samuel James, I felt confident going into it writing in first tense and I was finding it much easier to get the words out. 

My Words

The first two weeks of July was school holidays for me and this helped to try and keep writing a focus.  On one of those weekends my family and I went and stayed with my Nan and Pop. Down there I didn't have any internet. And you know what, I managed to get a few thousand words done in those days. My goal for each day was to get at least a few hundred. I take it down to no internet equalling no distractions. Ever since that weekend I've managed to keep a steady pace on my goal. Happy me :D

What Else

I feel like a lot of what I've written this month for Samuel could be more of his backstory than the actual story I wanted to tell. Even though that is what it seems I am glad for what I've written. The story is definitely not finished and I will continue to write this through out the year.

It's likely that some of what I wrote at the beginning will have to be cut because it was written in Jaye's point of view. Still I am proud of what I managed to get out during Camp Nanowrimo. I'm not sure if I will be doing Nanowrimo in November because I know I have exams that month but even while I was working on this story another was beginning. I swear I have way too many story ideas. I wonder if I will ever get to write them all. 

Did you participate in Camp this July? How well did you go with your own goal? Were you happy with what you accomplished? 

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My Life of Writing