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September 25, 2006
Because My Time Is At a Premium
I signed up to do an Artists Trading Card swap on swap-bot.com. (And may I just say that the person who introduced me to that site has some 'splainin to do? Because I looooove it.) The guidelines for the swap were:
1) must be related to your 2006 NaNoNovel,My NaNoNovel is kinda odd this year. It doesn't really have a plot, per se, unlike Devil Daughter, which did. Right out of the box. This year's is more a series of vignettes that build together to create an overall impression. Not exactly easy to write, if you don't have any idea what the vignettes will encompass. So I decided to use the swap as an opportunity to explore my novel,maybe get some writing prompts out of it.
2) create four, keep one, send the other three out to your swap-bot assigned partners.
These are my ATC's for the swap:
Titles, counterclockwise from top left:
Fleur de LisI poked through my photo files, trying to find some image that would work, and the swallowtail butterfly leapt out at me. And suddenly, everything fell into place.
Butterfly Kisses
Butterfly Lost
Butterfly Shattered
Now I have titles for chapters (nineteen titles), which will also act as writing prompts. It's absolutely fantastic. I have something to write now. It was really, really hard to put three of those cards in envelopes and send them off last night because they spoke to me and I so wanted to keep them to focus on when I write the chapters. Somewhere, though, I found the strength. And to be sure I wouldn't snatch them back to myself, I dropped them in the mailbox at the post office last night too. They're off to their new homes. I hope the new owners find them as attractive as I did.
Posted by sally at September 25, 2006 10:15 AM
Comments
Hey, Sallyacious--not sure the note I sent from NaNo will reach you since they've shut down the forums in preparation. Re: ATC exchanges...try www.nervousness.org.
I'm a bit north of you in Hayden. Trying to decide if I'll do NaNo this year. Probably not...Just don't feel up to it. We'll see.
Posted by: mejaka at September 26, 2006 07:16 AM
Thanks for the heads-up re: nervousness.org. I'll check them out. Do you do ATC's? Because I have BUNCHES to swap, but everybody's always got a theme, and my theme has been cool stuff I decided to try. I'd love to trade with you if you're interested.
I always thought NaNo would be a one-time thing for me, but then I did it, and the creative energy carried me through several months more. It's such an amazing thing to be a part of, with the locals you meet as well as all the stuff going on online, that I'm itching to do it again.
At some point, I'd even like to be an ML, but we've got a couple of good ones here and I haven't the time. That's a goal for the future.
But if you're struggling with it and can't come up with the energy NaNo requires, don't sweat it. Lives change and shift and you'll find something else to feed you creatively.
Posted by: Sallyacious at September 26, 2006 08:36 AM
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