NaNoWriMo . . . and Other Stuff

     NaNoWriMo begins (deep voice) TOMORROW! dun dun dun.
     I will not be partaking in NaNoWriMo this year. I am trying to finish the novel I am currently working on so that I can publish it.
     I have never actually done NaNo in the proper sense. I have never gotten on line and done the whole word tracker or anything like that. I have used NaNo as a way to help motivate me to finish the projects I am currently working on . But never actually done NaNo. I do hope to one day do it properly. As it was meant to be done.
     I really like the concept of NaNoWriMo. I think it teaches its participants many things. Things like hard work and persistence and determination and goals. I think that is essential to learn these things, especially for young people to learn. I think young people who participate in NaNoWriMo, which lasts a month, will carry these teachings with them in the rest of their lives.
     Anyway, good luck to the participants of NaNoWriMo this year. I wish you many successes in your endeavors.

     Okay. On to other things. I would like to talk today about working on multiple projects at the same time.
     As with most other things, I have differing feelings on this. Like most of the other things I talk about, I change my mind on how I feel about that particular thing. Before, I could only work on one project at a time. I would take notes on other projects, but I could never write on more than one project at a time. Then, there was a time where I was working on three projects at once. That got chaotic, but I managed. Now, I am only working on one project. I have thought about working on more than one project, but as of right now, I haven't.
     Now, let me tell you what I think about that. As I just mentioned, NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow. I had thought about doing a different story for NaNo and still working on the project I am trying to finish, but I knew there was no way I could swing that. I also thought about using NaNo to finish the project I am working on, but I didn't know if I had the motivation. Also, I am trying to finish my project by the end of November so that I can get it edited and formatted and out for sale by the beginning of next year.  
     If you couldn't tell already, I have no train of thought. Really I should write these out and then post them. But what is the fun in that.
     Anyway, I think that working on multiple projects at one time can be a good thing. If you get stuck on one project you can move on to the next one and work on that till you get stuck. That way, you are always working on a project, always getting a little further on something.
     However, if you are working under a deadline then working on multiple projects won't be too beneficial. I also think that if you are really excited about one project you don't want other projects to weigh you down or take away from that project that you love so much.
     So, in conclusion, seeing as I've conveyed nothing to you, I think that working on multiple projects at one time is a great thing, but you have to know when to do it and when not to do it.

Titles

     Titles are maybe the most important part of a book.
     Actually, don't listen to me. I'm sure next week, I will tell you something else that is the most important part of a book, like the book.
     Really, everything is important to a book. The cover is the eye catcher. Then the title is the next thing the reader sees. If the title is catchy or sinister or funny, or whatever the title is, it may help draw the reader into your book and make them want to buy it. So, the title is important.
     Some of my favorite titles are: Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Love and Decay by Rachel Higginson, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessan, Just One Day by Gayle Foremann, Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira, Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres, Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Mind you these are only a few. But each of these titles evoked some response in me that made me want to read that book. And that is exactly what a title needs to do. It needs to make the reader want to read the book.
     I love titles. I love thinking of titles. Even though it may not be the most easy thing. The first book I published is titled Still Life Moving. I think this fits the story perfectly. It is a cool title. It evokes interest in the story. And it explains the story. Kristopher is a vampire. His body is still, unchanging, yet he is still living and the world around his is changing. Therefore we have Still Life Moving.
     So, having not explained at all why titles are so important or why you should chose a great title, I will explain a story to you.
     I work at Subway. I was filling the chip rack yesterday. It is slightly a monotonous job which allows a lot of time for thinking. As I was filling the chip rack yesterday, I was thinking about book titles and how I wanted to come up with a sinister book title. Now, I can't give a lot away because I don't want to, and it is something that won't probably come up for a long time. But anyway, I was thinking of cool titles. That made me think of my own sinister title. Then I had to come up with a story based on the title. And I did. And it was so awesome. I wish I could tell you about it and how excited I am about it. But I can't. Just know that I spend all day thinking of this story from this title. Things just piled on and oiled on until I had the story and it was a great organic experience. It was great.
     Okay, until next time.