Heresy

I really enjoyed Hallowe'en this year.

Not only did I dress up as the Mummy in my store, and host a fun party, but I started my first EVER online writing competition!

Yes, the two lls Halloween Writing Comp. went live on the Black Library Website just before the 31st, and I've even had some entries! And their good!

So, now I have to judge them. But its fun, to be honest, and it's good that its pushing others to write - most of us really do it for the fun of writing, especialy on Fan Fic websites, so these comps really bring out the writers in us!

The winner will be announced on this website on the 16th November, and on the 17th in the BL Fan Fic newsletter.

Also, on the 31st itself, I tried to write a 40k flash fiction horror, but only managed the first two parts out of four. It really was just for fun, but now I have to try and finish it!!!! So much for the 'flash' in my 'fiction'!!!!!!!!!

I've been contributing to the BL Fan Fic newsletter for a month now, and it's lots of fun! So far I have reviewed one story, His Purpose, by Chun, and I am going to continue this each month. In fact, I'm reading a story by sholto (to be honest, my favourite writer on that forum) right now, and will probably review it for novembers issue. Also, i'm going to try and review two for december!

And this month I'll be talking about the Halloween Competition, and announcing the winner. If that is not enough, I'll also be starting 'two lls 5 top writing tips for the month' coloumn, where i discuss the top five writing tips I've found of thought about that month. For november, I'll be looking at characters.

Looks like I'll be busy!!!

Oh, yeah, I've also got to run Territory wide training session for work and run a successful retail store...

So...

I've started my novel, Parthenon, and out of my target of 50,000 words I've reached... 2000ish. Awesome.

I'm still planning my novel and characters, so the going is slow, but I'm suddenly realising what it is that I have decided to do: write a WHOLE novel in 1 MONTH!!!!!!!

What an idiot. What am I thinking?

But, I will say that it is pushing me to actually write and plan the novel! The steps I have made in the last few days are staggering considering my usual writing week - The characters are more indepth; the plot is forming; my brain is de-fogging; and well, I'm actually starting to look forward to the challenge! I wonder what I will be saying later in the month...!

So, America has a new President-elect. I wonder what the next four years will be like? I'm hoping Obama will be Bartlett-like (from the West Wing), he's been the best American President I've ever seen, shame he wasn't real...

But I actually like Obama, but I don't really know why. Is it that he is an inspirational speaker and says things we all wish to hear? Is it that we are finally getting rid of Bush? Is it that I have a very limited idea of what America really is, and I'm totally swayed by the news? Is it cos I am just a wee Scottish lad? Or is it because he's the first Black American President?

I think it is an amazing achievement though, and I wish him good luck. I just hope he lives up to the hype.

So, I've decided to scrap the whole PArthenon project - my characters were lame and the first person POV was not going to work. So, I've decided to start again and I've binned around 5000 words...

But, I still think it's a story worth telling, so I have decided to re-plan it and write it in the third person!

I have an idea of what I want to do with the plot and I have some great ideas for scenes, but I'm missing my characters. Also, I think I have enough to write a small novel. Characters are the most important part of a story for me - if i don't like them, well, I lose interest! So, what goes into a character?

...few hours later...

Reading several books on it really gets tedious, but also it has opened a wide hole in my brain where tonnes of ideas have gained entry! It looks like I have a protagonist now, not just a shell of a being, and the story is forming!

To get an idea on how your character will react in certain situations, and how you will drive the plot forwards, you really need to delve deep into the history of them, and find out what life has put them through. I've at least 6 pages of background for my main character, Kael, from what he looks like, to what he likes to eat, to what his childhood was like - and its opened so many doors for the story!

Oh, I've read the Horus Heresy novel 'Mechanicum', and it's damn good! Shocking, exciting and really character driven. Well done Mr McNeill!