Monday, April 30, 2012

NaNoWriMo in April

Yes, I just completed my own personal National Novel Writing Month. Why in April and not in the usual pattern of November? Let me tell you why.

I discovered NaNoWriMo via the blogging world (I cannot tell you exactly which blogger introduced this to me as I followed the link from many different blogs). I contacted a good friend of mine (also a fellow writer) and mentioned that I thought it would be fun to try it one November. She immediately responded and suggested that because she'd been busy with school in November we should do our own NaNoWriMo in April which, as it happened, began the following day. I loved the idea and instantly began planning my novel.

What was I going to write about? That wasn't hard to figure out. For a few months, snippets of a story had been flying around in my mind. It was a cool idea but I pushed it to a mental back burner to simmer until I could get to it later. But now at the prospect of writing this month, I pulled it out completely in the open and began thinking as hard as I could.

The novel itself is called Children Of A Legend and is about an eighteen year old boy named Davin who learns that he is the son of a legendary figure known as the Dragon Tamer. When the unexpected throws him into circumstances that he dreamed he would never face, he must undertake a quest to retrieve five siblings he never knew he had, find dragons that have been lost to man's sight for twenty years, and confront the evil Lord Vernd, a man who has been tirelessly ruling the kingdom with an iron fist.


On April 1, I wrote the opening words to my novel. What excitement! But I knew it would be a big undertaking. With 30 days to write 50,000 words, I estimated that nearly 1667 words needed to be written daily. Yes, daily.

Needless to say, I did not write faithfully every day. I started the month out strong, writing more than 1800 words every day for the first week. The second week was not nearly as diligent, and my word count just barely stayed at a good level. The third week was the hardest. After getting through the initial excitement that comes with the beginnings of a new story, I found myself staring more and more at a blank computer screen and writing less and less.

But I had to keep going. So I forced myself to write. I broke many good writers' rules and fell into some poorly constructed paragraphs, but I kept going.

And then today at 4:30, the very last day for the challenge, I typed my 50,000th word. I made it. Sweet, sweet relief and joy.


Looking back, was it rewarding? In a way, yes, very. The idea of NaNoWriMo is to write and write and write and get the story out. Did I do that? Yes. Am I pleased with all 50,000 words that I wrote? No. I realize that writing so quickly forced me to compromise on my usual writing standards and the quality of my work is less than what I would like it to be. Am I considering doing NaNoWriMo for real in November? Well, let's just leave it at that I'm considering it.

And for those of you who are interested, my 50,000 word is claim. Not an amazingly good word, but that's what it is, nevertheless. :)

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Countdown To The Hobbit

If you noticed anything different about this blog, you should have. I've added a fun gadget on the side, informing one and all about the release of the latest Tolkien film. 


Personally, The Lord of the Rings is one of my absolute favorite movies, and I can't wait to see The Hobbit! Unfortunately, when your family is as large as mine (I have five other siblings), watching new movies means waiting for them to come out on DVD instead of going to see them in the theaters. 


But about The Hobbit... I first read the book when I was thirteen and liked it. I can't say that on the first reading I was immediately and totally hooked and in love with the whole world of Middle Earth. Tolkien is one of those writers whose writing is difficult to understand the first time through. It actually wasn't until I had read all four books (The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) and seen the wonderful film adaption that I became an avid fan. 


So, am I disappointed that The Hobbit will be filmed as a two part movie rather than just one? Not at all! I think that with all of the stuff in The Hobbit, it would be difficult to put it all in one movie and still have it be a credit to the book. I'm hoping that with this longer version, they'll be able to stay more true to the book and original story. Although, I am one of those fans who is wondering about the appearance of Legolas. I am happy they are bringing back the same actors that were in The Lord of the Rings films and really linking all the films together, but Legolas was never actually mentioned in The Hobbit... 


So, if you've never read nor seen The Lord of the Rings, I would highly recommend it. Don't let the long pages and big words deter you from the books. They're just as good as the movies. And we all shall wait (almost patiently) for the newest addition to the wonderful world of Middle Earth: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Lianne's Prophecy

This is the prophetic song I penned for my story, Lianne. Let me know what you think!


When darkness comes and shadows fall,
When light is threatened beyond recall,
When justice fails its kingly path,
When kingdoms die to wicked wrath,
Then two will rise to take a stand,
Yes, two will rise to save the land.
When evil prospers and makes its reign,
When righteous hearts suffer pain,
When all the good is lost for ill,
When all corners the night does fill,
Then two will rise with mighty hand,
Yes, two will rise to save the land.



Two so different, yet the same,
Two who share kindred's name,
Two crowned with mercy's crest,
Two welcomed by wisdom's guest,
Both working for a righteous goal,
By falling not in deceiver's hole,
By walking not in evil ways,
And casting off the unjust praise,
Forsaking vanity's lustful guide ,
And sitting not by scorner's side,
By meditating on pureness of ear,
And fearing not danger's sneer,
Then will two rise and peace demand,
Yes, two will rise to save the land.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, Lianne Taimenlore! 


If you're wondering so many things about me and this blog, click on the different page links under the title at the top of this page. I've already explained everything there, so I really don't feel the need to become redundant and repeat myself. 


Whether you came here by mistake or are genuinely interested in this blog, thanks for coming! I'm always delighted to have visitors!