by Andrea Renee Cox
Hey y’all! How are you this fine Monday? I am busy as a
little bee, working really hard on an outline for the project I’ll be writing
for Camp NaNoWriMo in April. (Stay tuned for a fun sneak peek!)
Ever since my friend Hannah invited me to participate in
Camp last April, I have loved and looked forward to it. Camp NaNo is a
one-month writing session online (CampNaNoWriMo.org) where one may join a cabin
of writing buddies. I like Camp better than regular NaNoWriMo (National Novel
Writing Month) because of the cabin atmosphere and being able to set one’s own
goals rather than being mandated to do 50k words. Sometimes I only have time
for 20k or so; other times, I fly to 60+ thousand words before the third week
of a month. Either way I go, the words build up into something amazing.
This month’s project, as I mentioned, is an outline. I’m
breaking things down chapter by chapter. This worked well for me for a recent TV
show pilot, which I wrote in only ten days, thanks to the outline I used. This
story made it all the way to the Quarter-Finals of the 2016-17 Fresh Voices
Screenplay Competition, and it was also nominated for an award (Best Role for a
Leading Man). [I’m still waiting to hear about the awards short list, which
comes out later this month.]
Since that outline sparked such great results for me, I thought I’d
apply the outlining process to an upcoming novel. Then I realized there was
enough of a backstory to do a novella prequel too. So I wrote the outline for
that in thirty minutes flat. I’m pretty excited about both stories, and that’s
a good thing heading into a Camp NaNo month. Enthusiasm and adrenaline (and hot
chocolate!) fuel me when I’m writing a fast first draft, NaNo month or not. If
I don’t truly love the story or project I’m working on, then I typically dread
sitting down at my computer. However, when the joy bubbles up from deep inside
and the ideas are gushing forth… ooh! At those times, I wish I typed faster!
Here’s a SNEAK PEEK of my latest project*:
(From my novella cast list)
MALLORY JONES – 13; dirty-blonde hair; misty-gray eyes;
dreams of using her voice to minister to people; afraid she’ll never escape
Rock Mound, Texas – or her abusive dad
MIKE CRAIG – 15; fiery-red dreadlocks; bright-emerald eyes;
aces classes without trying; loves skateboarding and writing for the school
paper; father pushing him to become lawyer
(From my novel backstory)
The bell for third period had barely stopped clanging
outside Algebra I when the door flung open and slammed against the wall. Heavy
footsteps ground against the concrete floor, but Mallory didn’t dare look up.
Instead, she slunk deeper in her next-to-last-row seat and doodled absently on
the cover of her notebook. Please no… Finding an ounce of courage, she peeked up just in time to see her dad stomp past the objecting Ms. Bleeker
and up the aisle toward her. Certain her face was blazing redder than Mike
Craig’s carrot-top dreadlocks, Mallory scrambled to shove her book, math
journal, and pen in her book bag. Strands of dirty-blonde hair fell across her
eyes, but she didn’t waste the precious seconds it would take to brush them
away.
The jerk to her upper arm let her
know she wasn’t fast enough.
“Ow!” She tried to yank free, but
her father’s grip was tight enough that she’d sport bruises for weeks. She
snatched the strap of her bag before being propelled up the aisle. The bag
whacked against her leg and swung back behind her, coming to bump against her
again moments later.
“Hush up, girl.” Dad’s voice was a
simmering growl. Once they were alone, sure as the sun comes up each dawn, it’d
boil right over. Whether the proof would be in only his raised tones or in an accompanying slap or punch was yet a
mystery.
One she didn’t care to solve.
Mallory swallowed any other
complaints her mind thought up.
“Mr. Jones,” Ms. Bleeker said as
she stepped in the pathway to the door. “Mallory is required to attend this
class. She’s behind from all her absences as it is.”
Dad jabbed a finger in the
teacher’s direction. Mallory didn’t have to look at his face to know it was
mottled, desperately in need of a shave, and pimply as ever. “Get out of my
way, woman! My girl ain’t got time for school if she ain’t got time for her
chores.” He shoved Mallory forward.
Just as she wondered if he meant
the cereal bowl and spoon waiting in the dry sink back home, the toe of her
ratty sneaker caught the leg of Kayla’s chair, and Mallory fell hard, clipping
her chin on the rounded corner of Stephen’s desk.
*All content under copyright by Andrea Renee Cox, 2017.
What projects are YOU
working on in March?
If you are also a
writer, do you like outlining prior to writing?
Why or why not?
What type of non-alcoholic
drinks do you
enjoy during early-spring months?
(My favorite is hot
chocolate!)
Join the
conversation! I love hearing from you.
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4 comments:
Andrea,
I knew you had a talent for writing when you were around the 4th or 5th grade. As I think back, you even did a great job in the 2nd or 3rd grade when your class had to write inside the "umbrella" format. Do you remember that?
Your sneak peek of a story here is greatly intriguing and I look forward to reading the entire novel one day!
In March, I'm working on screenplay edits of probably three scripts, four if I get that far. I don't normally outline, but I've heard it's a good thing to do. Maybe someday. So far, the Lord hasn't led me that direction. Through prayer and His inspiration, the words have come. Every project is its own. We'll see what happens in the future... outlining or not.
I mostly drink water as you know. However, a cup of tea is sometimes quite refreshing. Lately, it's been oolong or peppermint.
May the Lord continue to bless you in your writing adventures! Congratulations on Quarter-Finalist and nominated for Best Role for a Leading Man!
Love, Mom
The 2nd grade "umbrella"! I really loved doing those. They made such sense to me and provided a great format for learning how to write under a solid structure. Man, maybe I should have tried outlining sooner! Seems like it would be a natural step forward from the umbrella. :)
Wow, it sounds like you're quite busy this month! Maybe we can have a couple of writing parties over Spring Break? You bring the tea, and I'll bring the cocoa.
Love you too! Thanks, Mom!
Love the images that your writing brings to my mind! ;)
Aw, thanks, Vee! That scene is the first one I explored for the story I'm working on during Camp this month. It got me quite excited! I'm so glad we're doing Camp together! It's been fun sprinting with you and getting to know you.
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