Each snowflake, like each human being is unique. |
Research Editor's Picks 1. We Are Not Alone 2. Two Jacks 3. The Golden Pool 4. Home 5. Not So Savvy After all 6. The Price of Immortality 7. Lynn's Enchanting Nighttime Visitors 8. The Holy War 9. New Days Heading 1 Preparing for November Heading 2 Are you doing October Novel Prep Challenge? Hook Are you writing a novel or are you a NANO Rebel? About This Newsletter October approaches, and it is time to prepare for November, National Novel Writing Month. I have participated in the October Prep Challenge and in NaNoWriMo as both a novel writer and a rebel. The difference, I have found, is that it is easier to prepare for writing a novel than it is to write a group of personal essays. Letter From the Editor Are you doing the October Novel Prep Challenge? I encourage you to join the "October Novel Prep Challenge" , if you have a theme, characters, or plot for a novel in mind, or think you might want to write a novel. The Prep Challenge helps you to focus your attention on outlining the plot, researching, and writing background stories for the character. You only have a few days left to sign up for October, so I suggest you click on the Signup Form as soon as possible. Are you writing a novel or are you a NANo Rebel? You do not have to write a novel to participate in NaNoWriMo in November. You can write a series of short stories or personal essays that add up to 50,000 words. To write the required 50,000 words in 30 days, the daily word count goals is approximately 1,667. Setting a daily word count goal will help you win NaNoWriMo. For those of you who want to participate in NaNo, but cannot participate in the October Prep Challenge, you can participate as a NaNo pantser. A pantser is a writer who begins writing a novel without planning. There are some of us, myself included, who feel spiders crawling up our spines at the thought of planning a novel, or for that matter, anything else. I have participated in National Novel Writing Month as a pantser, a planner, and a rebel. I found that you can write a novel without planning it. Some research is necessary when writing a fantasy or science fiction novel. If you are writing a group of short stories, that are unrelated to one another or follow a specific theme, you can probably do it without planning (I have not tried this yet). As for being a NaNo rebel, I have to admit that it was much easier without planning what I was going to write. Are you going to participate in the October Prep Challenge? Are you going to participate in Novel Writing Month without participating in the Prep Challenge? Are you going to write a novel or a series of short stories? Editors Picks
Submitted by Readers Activities, Groups, and Contests Feedback "Fantasy Newsletter (August 31, 2022)" Elfin Dragon-finally published writes: Well, I didn't get in a story or essay...But for the problems of de-extinction, you only have to watch the Jurassic Park film series. dragonwoman writes: I just finished PARIAH by W. Michael Gear. It deals in part with de-extinction without human intervention. Wilding was expensive and the old species could not survive diseases that man usually treated them for. BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful writes: I can think of how de-extinction might affect certain types of fantasy styles. I mean, take a quick look at Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. One level, set in 30,000BC includes anthropomorphic Wooly Mammoths, Saber-toothed cats, Dodo birds, and Sly's ancestor, a Cave Raccoon that the gang gives the nickname of Bob, as that's the only part of his name they got. Then there's the penguins, especially the big 6 foot tall one. AmyJo-Thankful in heart writes: LOL...you would think 4 (or is it 5?) Jurassic Park Movies would make someone question the wisdom of "de-extinction". Enjoyed reading this newsletter. Feedback "Fantasy Newsletter (August 3, 2022)" Elfin Dragon-finally published writes: I grew up with books. Them being read to me and then having choices of reading. My dad introduced me to a variety of Fantasy and Science Fiction. And people always laugh when I tell them I taught my nephews how to read (and share) through RPG video games. But it's true. Because they had to read what was happening and the conversations between characters and they had to take turns because the RPG's are single-player games. Manners are quickly learned. Feedback "Fantasy Newsletter (June 8, 2022)" Elfin Dragon-finally published writes: You know, I remember the elevator to space. They even used that idea in one of the recent Star Trek films (I believe). But I think one of the most interesting ways to get to space has to be by airplane. Yep, I said it. I'm mostly speaking of the SR-71 Blackbird. Though retired early, they were still running tests and had no true idea of how high or fast it could go. This is what the military could tell the public...SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes (Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet, 25,900 meters), allowing it to outrace or entirely avoid threats.[2] If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outpace the missile. Sometime between 2023-2025 the SR-72 is scheduled to be released. Perhaps it will fly us easier into space than the current rockets. |