NaNoWriMo 2014

Wow, it is November already! It is hard to believe how fast this year is passing by. November to most people
means Thanksgiving, cooler temperatures, and additional layers of clothing. For me, it also is a month full of birthdays and, of course--writing.

I must admit. This is my first year participating in a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I tried the Camp in July, and thought it was a fun challenge-- so when November approached, I figured I would try my hand at this challenge to see how I would fare. And not only am I stepping into a new challenge, I am also stepping into a different genre than I normally write for. I am stepping away from my roots of writing children's stories and making my first attempt at writing an adult supernatural horror novel. We shall see how this goes.

Of course, I like to keep my stories friendly. Therefore, I am trying to steer away from any foul language or intimate moments. So here is a quick synopsis of my novel:

Mock Cover

When a group of archeology students take on the ultimate assignment--finding the Fountain of Youth, they end up on a trip they wished they had never started. As their members disappear, the group's mission changes from searching for the mystic fountain to finding their friends. Will they find their friends and complete their assignment or will they

meet the same fate?

I have over six thousand words written. Some of you may think that is an impressive number on my sixth day. Right now though, I am a little behind. In order to meet my deadline I have to write at least 2,000 words per day. I will have to pull an All Nighter. Even with this slow start, I know I have plenty of time to catch up. And I am sure I will do my best to complete this challenge. If I don't, this is still a great learning experience that will help me grow as a writer.

A message for my fellow participants: Keep up the good work! Even one word written is one word closer to completing the first draft of your story. :)

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? How are you doing with your challenge? What do you like/dislike? I would love to hear your story, please comment below and we can cheer for each other all the way to the finish line.

Find out more about NaNoWriMo: http://nanowrimo.org/

The Importance of Point of View

This is an excerpt from Green Owl Publications:

George pushed his way through the crowd. "I need to get past all of these people," he whispered to himself. As he shifted and stammered, he tripped over the lengthy dress of his colleague.
"What a clumsy man!" Stephanie thought. She yanked her dress out from under his feet. George kept moving ignoring the woman's glare. His mission was too important.
What is wrong with this passage? If your answer was a switch in the point of view, then you are correct! Point of view, or POV, is extremely important when writing a coherent, well-constructed literary piece. POV is the glue that holds the story together. It helps the reader enter the world the author created by placing them directly into the character's soul. They get to escape into the character's foreign world and experience it as though they are that character. (Of course this leads into another related topic of showing instead of telling; but, that is a topic for another date.) So think about it, would you want to be ripped from one character and tossed into the soul of another? No thank you! It is not pleasant and extremely unfair to the reader.

To Read the full article click here!

Green Owl Publications is a new resource to help inspire, advise, and educate other artists. Founded by Jaclyn M. Bartz in 2014, Green Owl Publications is an independent publishing company solely dedicated to sharing information and helping others become the best artists they can be. Jaclyn is a published author/illustrator who has been writing and illustrating for over 20 years.  Join this new company on Facebook for updates.

The Life of an Aspiring Author.......

Image from MS Word Clip Art

.......talking to your characters to find out how they will react in certain situations.

.......people thinking you are crazy because you are having conversations with your characters.

.......having fights with your stubborn characters because they refuse to do what you expect.

.......people avoiding you because you have weird conversations with yourself.



.....inspired at a restaurant, but the only available writing material is the napkin in front of you.

....grabbing your child's crayon to write out the scene as fast as you can.

....your child cries because you took their crayon, so you stop the waitress to ask for an extra pen.

....leaving the restaurant with a stack of napkins that contain your story.

.....sitting at the computer, trying to piece together your story which now lies in piles of napkins, stickers, notebook pages, and grocery store receipts.

....saving the piles of napkins, stickers, notebook pages, and grocery store receipts just in case.



.......constantly showing your significant other the newest sentence you wrote.

.......laughing out loud at your latest sentence while your significant other gives you a concerned look.

.......watching your significant other running out the door before you have the chance to show him/her your next sentence.

.......chasing your significant other down the street while shouting your latest sentence.



.......revising, editing, revising, editing, revising, editing.....

.......search the internet to make sure you are following the grammar rules.

.......getting confused when other bloggers say there are no rules.

.......realizing that there are rules, but now you have to figure out writing styles.



.......trying to convince yourself you are a writer.

.......trying to tell others you are a writer without feeling insecure.

.......finally realizing you are a writer simply because you regularly write and improve your craft.

......still feeling unsure about calling yourself a writer.



.......trying to decide whether to self-publish or go the traditional route.

.......you are a control freak so you decide to self-publish.

.......you realize the stigma surrounding indie authors.

......you decide to try the traditional route, but after going through all the hoops, you realize it is better to self-publish.

......when you tell people you are self-publishing, they think less of you as a writer.

......you ignore those people, find an editor, learn about the business side of writing, and attempt to prove them wrong.

If you would like to add to the list, please feel free to leave a comment below. :)

For more info about the author, check out the following links:
• http://jaclynmbartz.weebly.com/
•https://www.facebook.com/ArtistJaclynMBartz
•https://www.facebook.com/TheRetiredToothFairy
• https://twitter.com/JaclynMBartz
•https://www.youtube.com/user/AuthorJMBartz
• http://jmbartz.blogspot.com/

Book Trailer for "The Retired Tooth Fairy" by Jaclyn M. Bartz