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Monday, November 26, 2012

Achievement Unlocked: x < 20K

It's 12:30am and I just felt the bittersweet success of reaching my goal. Katherine is now 19,817 words, and I still have one last chapter to edit. But the point is that she is now small enough to be submitted to the 2013 Somerset National Novella Writing Competition.

Saving that last chapter for tomorrow. I think it's time to sleep!

Have you unlocked your achievements this NaNoWriMo?

- Bonnee.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A Surreal Feeling: Finishing 'Katherine'

What did I just do? I just finished writing the first draft of Katherine. It doesn't feel real!

I started writing Katherine in June this year. Five months later and she is 25,707 words long. That's 5,707 words over the limit to put her into the Novella competition, but there is still time to edit. My goal over the next few days is to transform her into something a little more concise. I already have an idea which entire scenes I can backspace, although I'll be saving a copy of the first draft for the expected no-win of this competition, so that I can put her into the Text Prize competition next year and whatever else comes along.

The reality of finishing my second full manuscript hasn't quite hit me yet, but I assure you that I am brimming with excitement right now!

How is everybody else going with their writing or revision goals? NaNoWriMo? Do share! I'd love to have a discussion!

- Bonnee.

Monday, November 19, 2012

All Done!

Thank you to all of you lovely people out there who have been supportive of me while I neglected you to study for my yr 12 exams! I'm happy to announce that IT'S OVER and I sat my last exam today.

To be perfectly honest, I was afraid I was going to be like a few of my friends who finished their last exams last week, and didn't know what to do with themselves because they didn't have to study. But I know EXACTLY what to do with myself.

Dear Katherine, 
I should have finished you WEEKS ago! I am so sorry for neglecting you more than I neglected my blog, my beautiful new creation. But exams are over and I am on my way to write your last few chapters and edit the living (%@! out of you so that you're under 20,000 words and I can put in in that novella competition. I promise I'll give you an awesome ending, and get Mrs Goulding to read you, and I'll print you out and send you away before 5th December.
Lots of love
- Bonnee (your mommy...)

If the rest of you didn't pick up on it, I'm going to write my brains out. I miss it so much! So wish me luck and please let me know how all of your NaNoWriMos are going, or whatever other goal you set for yourself this month with revisions and editing!

- Bonnee.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Inspired by a Song

Have you ever been inspired to write something because of a song you've heard? Or even just a part of a story?

It happened a few years ago for me. I was listening to Lips of an Angel by Hinder and the idea for a story just came to me. I'm sure the basic storyline is a cliche. The love triangle. But I always wonder how authors put their own twists on the same cliche to make it interesting, stop it from being boring and keep the readers engaged.


More recently, I've been listening to Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and it's inspiring me to write something about a woman finding her strength and standing up for herself. Or maybe not even a woman. Someone of a minority, or an underdog, a victim. Standing up and shaking off the pain. Learning to be strong.



What songs have inspired you?

- Bonnee.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

The Text Prize by Text Publishing (Aus, NZ)

Source: http://textpublishing.com.au/about-text/the-text-prize 
Calling all Australian and New Zealand writers!

Submission for the 2013 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing opens on 4th March 2013 and closes on 29th March, 2013. 

Do you have a novel you would like to receive a $10,000 contract with Text Publishing for? This competition is open to all Australian and New Zealand writers, both published and unpublished, of all ages. 

Click on the link above to go to the Text Publishing website, directly to the page containing information about The Text Prize. From there, you can also download the 2013 entry form and read more information about the competition. 

I hope to give this competition a crack myself. Best of luck to any other Australians and Kiwis who want to give it a shot! I'd love to hear from you if you decide to participate and I'd be happy to chat about it as you make progress. Start writing! 

(Thank you to Greg Gorton for sending me the link in the first place.) 

- Bonnee.