At the Surrey International Writers Conference, I taught a workshop called “Writing on the Fast Track” and one of the attendees, L.S. Taylor has typed up her very comprehensive notes on the class.

The subject on writing fast has come up a few times this year, especially if you’ve been following Magical Words, but I found the approach in this class to be different. (It being a class rather than just a post to read may have helped.) Author Mary Robinette Kowal  (from The Intersection of Puppetry and Speculative Fiction notes I posted a few weeks back) had a great way of dissecting the subject, complete with exercises. (Bear with me. I left most of my attempts here.) The exercises were all about knowing your story. From there, we went on to discussing the actual art of writing faster.

via What I Learned Today: Writing on the Fast Track (SiWC 2011 Notes).

Y’all know I’m a HUGE fan of Cherie and have just loved her Clockwork Century books. I’m deeply excited to see that the first in her series, Boneshaker, is going to be a film.

As reported by Variety…

Cherie Priest’s steampunk sci-fi novel “Boneshaker” is coming to the bigscreen with Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group and Hammer Films onboard.

The companies said Wednesday that Hammer has acquired the rights to the novel. Project will be co-produced by Hammer and Cross Creek Pictures and co-financed by Exclusive and Cross Creek.

John Hilary Shepherd (“Nurse Jackie”) is writing the screenplay. Hammer head of production Tobin Armbrust is overseeing.

Priest’s novel is set in an alternate version of 1880s Seattle, where the city has been walled in and a toxic gas has turned many of its remaining residents into “Rotters,” more commonly known as zombies. A young widow hunts for her teen son in the Seattle underworld while dealing with airship pirates, a criminal overlord and heavily armed refugees.

You can read the whole deal here. ‘Boneshaker’ to bigscreen – Entertainment News, Film News, Media – Variety.

Now go congratulate her! http://www.cheriepriest.com/2011/11/30/boneshaker-coming-to-the-big-screen/

So today is the last day of NaNoWriMo. Some of you have already crossed the 50k line, some of you are close, and some of you are writing madly while knowing you won’t make that goal. The thing that all of these have in common is that you are writing and that is fantastic.

Today, I’m mostly speaking to the folks who aren’t finished yet and are trying to jam out a whole bunch of words. Yes, you can just write random stuff and bump up your wordcount that way. Here’s a list of strategies to make those words count for more than just a number.

1. Remember that you are telling a story and you are telling it to yourself first and foremost. We are, all of us, readers. So when you are sitting there staring at the page, don’t think about what you should write next, think about what you would want to read.
2. Remember what excited you about the story in the first place. Bring it back. You liked the flying monkeys in chapter 2? No reason they can’t make a reappearance here.
3. Doodling for writers. Write description. Ridiculous descriptions. Describe the woodgrain on the desk sitting in the corner. At some point, your brain will say, “Really? We’re talking woodgrain? I have some plot here. Would you like some plot?” That description isn’t wasted. It tells you about the space that your character is in and you can often cut those words up and put them in other places in your novel
4. In fact, pick any technique to practice. Dialogue. Setting. Internal monologue… Now doodle for writers with that, until you find your way again.
5. Figure out what your character wants overall and also in this scene. Now. Systematically deny it to them. They want a glass of water? Fine, break the faucet. They go to call the plumber? Tough luck about the phone coming off the wall like that. Be mean to them.
6. Brackets are your best friends. If you are on a roll, don’t stop to look things up. Put it in [square brackets] and come back to it.
7. Bored with a scene? Just jot down what happens next so you can get to the part that you really want to write. Sometimes, you’ll come back later and find you didn’t need the part you skipped.
8. Set a timer for twenty minutes and tell yourself that your fingers cannot stop moving. Before you hit start, pick a goal for the scene — something specific like “they break out of prison with a mason jar” or “she realizes she loves him.” Now write.

To repeat what the subject line says, Chapters 20 and 21 of the Without a Summer draft are up for those of you reading along. Whee! 71k and closing.

Hey, if you are in or near Carlsbad, CA, allow me to recommend an amazing exhibit. The World on a String: Puppets from the Alan Cook Collection of The International Puppetry Museum. The exhibit runs till December 30, 2011 and is one of the best collections of puppetry you’ll likely get a chance to see.

See the world through wooden eyes with puppets from Bucharest, Palermo, Bali, Africa, Asia, North America and many more points around the globe. Featuring over 120 puppets from all over the world, this exhibition is on loan from the International Puppet Museum of Pasadena, and features a portion of the Alan Cook Collection, founder and director of the Museum.

via City of Carlsbad – William D. Cannon Art Gallery.

La! For those of you reading along, Chapter 19 of the Without a Summer draft is available now.

Let’s talk mystery! Specifically, how do you plot a good mystery? We’re not focusing on the mystery genre but many of these principles will apply there. For fantasy and science-fiction work this usually means creating plots or sub-plots in which the main experience for the reader is one of discovery or revelation, rather than anticipation.

Tools we discuss include the presentation of clues, unreliable character (and narrator) viewpoints, and how to offer the reader multiple plausible explanations prior to the big reveal. Howard talks about the plotting of the next Schlock Mercenary book, Random Access Memorabilia, and Dan tells us a little about his next book, Partials. Both titles have a mystery and a reveal, while neither is a whodunit.

via Writing Excuses 6.26: Mystery Plotting » Writing Excuses.

As I write, I often will put in a bracket when I need to look something up. For instance, “ Watching riders do horse tricks had as much appeal as listening to a recitation of  [something really dull]”

Kurt Pankau is one of my readers for Without A Summer  and commented:

And totally off topic, I can’t help but play Mad Libs with your placeholders. Highlight: Watching riders do horse tricks had as much appeal as listening to a recitation of Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Feel free to play with that, by the way.

Meanwhile, Chapter 17 and Chapter 18 are up for those of you reading along.

Oh, internet hive mind, can you help me?

I need a carol-like anthem for a group of coldmongers to sing that is like Good King Wenceles but written prior to 1816. Coldmongers are, in essence, magicians who specialize in chilling things.

Features that I like about Good King Wenceles

• Nice marching tempo
• Already mentions frost
• Reasonably recognizable

I’ve just done my read-through of the first eighteen chapters of Without a Summer and adjusted them based on that. My readers can expect a giant list of ret-cons when they dive into this chapter, including a brand new Chapter 1.

Chapter 16 is up for those of you reading along.

But since I could use people who are coming into the changes with fresh eyes, let me know if you want to read along as well. Just hop over to read the ground rules  and drop me a line.