Art For The Soul ♥

Hello once again, Readers!!! How goes it? I can tell you, my brain hurts. My NaNo is finally caught up (wrote a little over 5k today). I am really sick, so I spent the past couple of days resting trying to kick this nasty cold. I’m on the upside now…I think…so I just wanted to show you a couple more pictures of my art that will be on sale through our website and at the craft fair this Saturday in Polo Park. I’m hoping I’ll be well by then. Sheesh.

 

Any who, here are some photos:

This one actually just sold, so I am going to try to paint something similar to take to the fair.

Fly free.

Dreaming Butterflies.

Magical Owl.

I’m finishing up a christmas themed one and am hoping to get a few more done before tomorrow. We shall see.

Wish me luck! And good luck to all those still writing for NaNo!!

Echelon out ♥

Fall Festival Success

Hello once again, Readers!!! My week of cool weather is gone, but the good news is I had a Butterbeer this weekend. Yay me!

So a couple of weekends ago we carved pumpkins before watching Dexter (sadly, I’m just now posting this). My son wanted a cat pumpkin so my husband and I worked together to make the one on the left look like a cat. What do you think…lol?

The other two pumpkins belong to my friends who come over every Sunday to watch Dexter with us (they are expecting, hence the stork). The best part of that night though, was Scarlett. She couldn’t care less about the pumpkins which I had hoped would be a fun, family activity. I tried to get her to help pull the insides out, but she said, “EWW!” She decided to play in the sand instead. By play I mean, throw dirt into the air and let it rain upon her golden locks. Silly girl.

But I digress.

So the Fall Festival was a success! I passed out a ton of bookmarks! We also sold the most merchandise ever! Five of my paintings, a few bracelets, a spoon ring, some hair clips, and we even a piece of our set-up. It was a pretty decent night with a lot of smiles passed our way.

Here are some pictures of stuff left over that we will be taking to our next shin-dig next weekend:

One of the Born in Flames necklaces.

A bottle full of wishes.

An oil painting I did.

But there is so much more. We have created tons of unique necklaces. We have spoon rings, button bracelets, charm bracelets, cork charm pieces to hang from your rearview mirror or christmas trees, ornaments, snow globes, paintings, shadow boxes, you name we made it. We’ve also decided to start doing house party’s and have planned our first for December 1st! Just in time for Christmas.

So that’s one portion of my life.

The other part: NaNo and the Flames trilogy. I am over 8K as of today and currently working on From the Embers which is 18k in (once I post this). I devote the morning to NaNo and the evening to From the Embers. So far so good…but it is only day 5. We shall see if I can continue. I have hope and faith so cross your fingers.

To all of my fellow NaNo’s…hang in there and keep your chin up! Keep writing! Try to stray from over thinking. Same old same old.

Okay…back to work.

Echelon out!!!! ♥

 

 

 

10 Questions To Get To Know Your Characters

photo credit: Βethan via photopin cc

Hello once again, Readers!!!So I wanted to blog about something important since NaNo is in a couple of days. I have been going back and forth with myself on whether or not I am going to try it. I’m just not sure I can squeeze both, From the Embers and another WIP, in at the same time. I think what I will do is attempt it, but not hold my breath. If I succeed then more power to me, but if not, then oh well…there is always next year.

But I digress.

Let’s talk characters. It is important to jump into NaNo with a clear idea on who you are going to be writing about. If you aren’t sure yet, don’t fret…you are only a few steps away from figuring it out! There is an easy way to familiarize yourself with your characters so you will be a set for the big month. 10 steps to success!

Below I have compiled a series of questions that I use for my own character development. These are basic questions that will mold your character into a real, believable person that a reader can relate to. So grab a notebook and a pen and lets begin (I’m a poet and didn’t know it…lol)!

1. What does your character look like? (Try to really envision this person. If you aren’t clear on the appearance, neither is the reader)
2. Detail you characters appearance down to scars on their body and how they got them. Hair, hygiene, style, ect.
3. List five personality traits and then detail each one as to why they are that way. (Make sure there are good and bad traits. For the bad, explain why and how it affects others. Do enemies occur from this trait? For the good, how they got that way and what ways they use it in their daily life.)
4. Greatest strength versus greatest flaw. (They need to have at least one of each to avoid Mary-sue-itis.)
5. What are their likes and dislikes? (Take time to get to really know them. What do they find attractive in the world and in people. What do they despise in the world and in people? Make them as real as possible down to food choice and movie selection.)
6. What is their dream/aspiration? What goals have they set?
7. Where were they born and who raised them? (Get into detail on who raised them and how this molded their POV.)
8. What is unique about your character? (The reader needs something to root for. Something that sets them apart from every other book out there.)
9. What is their biggest fear? (Knowing this will help you add this into the plot as a character builder. Something they can overcome by character growth.)
10. Do they have a love interest? How do they feel about love? (You need to know how they deal with relationships.)

If you take a good day to sit down and answer all of these questions, then you are on the right path to writing a believable character. Keep these notes with you and read them again and again to really familiarize yourself with them. Soon enough, it will be a no brainer. Your character will be as real as you or me.

From there you can begin plotting your story or like me, wait until the last minute and just write. I don’t limit myself with a chapter by chapter outline. It’s too confining. I have an idea where I want the story to go and I try to stick with it.

Now I have three characters that I need to sit down and interview! This is the fun part. The beginning stages to an entirely new world. I hope this has helped you. There are so many different ways to do things out there; it’s nice to share and learn new ways.

That being said, do you have any added questions to share?

Echelon out ♥