GalleyCat, Vampires, and Yours Truly

Vampire Avatar

What does one of the most popular blogs about writing/publishing have in common with Varney the Vampire? Well, pull up a chair and listen closely, for you, too, can feel the scare, the absence of breath, and sharp fangs sinking deep into your neck.

GalleyCat has hosted a contest of indeterminable size — hundreds of writers, including myself, are re-writing sections of Varney the Vampire in a variety of flavors. My particular taste of choice happens to be inspired by a stellar vampire flick: Shadow of the Vampire.

Each entrant was assigned a chapter. Now, many of you know how I feel about wasted words — and my entire section was about the decision (or not) to pick up weapons and where to meet next.

So, I had a little fun. Hee. What better way to highlight the sordid decision and the absurdity of (the equivalent of) half-an-hour’s worth of conversation than to drag Hollywood, kicking and screaming, into the mix?

Ah, yes. I am evil, but I’m not the only one! GalleyCat is doing the entrants proud, by publishing each section on both their blog, which is available here, and their Tumblr account. (The book will also be available in its entirety later on. More to come on the new tome.)

Grand fun! And so far, the entries have thrilled me with their creativity in both form AND function. regardless of who wins or loses, and I got to write about a vampire who closely mirrors that which I know in my heart to be true – a blood-sucking fiend, a predator who can easily mimic its mortal counterparts for his/her own nefarious desires. But to what end?

Well, read my section and find out! There are two ways to do that, visit GalleyCat on Tumblr or be sure to keep up-to-date on the GalleyCat blog.

P.S. — I’ll likely blog about this later, but FlamesRising.com is hosting a NaNoWriMo contest. Comment there to win!

    Mood: Nom nom. Nom. Nom nom nom.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: More water than caffeine. WHAT HAVE I DONE?
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Strollin’ through the dog park.
    In My Ears: Nuts and honey.
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Origins
    Movie Last Viewed: MirrorMask
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press
November 5, 2012
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Instead, a Niggly Dragon Age Question

What does one do when one’s brain has left the building? Get intrinsically, monumentally, paltry questions stuck in one’s head, of course! So, instead of a blog post, a question.

Why do darkspawn carry money? If they are killers, who don’t care about the trappings of life in Ferelden (or beyond), then why can you loot their corpuscles — I mean, that is to say, corpses — and find pittance of coin on them? Do they psychically draw these coins to them just to subtly piss off villagers and townsfolk? Or are they sifting through valuables and money is a token of their kills? So, for every coin they have. . .

Like I said. I had a question. It wasn’t necessarily a good one, though.

    Mood: Write. Write. MUST WRITE. Write. Write. MUST.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Methinks, perchance, I have losteth track.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walkin’ on through the streets. Uh-huh.
    In My Ears: The screams of a thousand somethings or others.
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Origins
    Movie Last Viewed: Looper
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press
November 2, 2012
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NaNoWriMo by the Numbers

Celtic Wheel

Wondering how to write 50,000 words in a month? Well, here’s some estimated numbers for you:

  • There are 30 days in the month of November. If you write every day, you’ll need to write 1,667 words per day.
  • On average, 3 to 400 words can fit on a single-spaced page in 12 pt Times New Roman font. That means, you have to write between five to seven pages in Microsoft Word per day to reach your goal.
  • If you skip one day, you need to write 1,725 words per day (or an extra fifty-eight words) to make up the difference.
  • If you skip the three-day Thanksgiving weekend, you need to write 1,851 words per day (or an extra 185 words) to achieve your goal.
  • If, for some reason, you decide to take a week off? You need to write 2,174 words per day to reach 50,000 words. That’s an additional 507 words, or an extra page and a half of text.
  • Edited words will slow your progress because they don’t count as new words. In some cases, you could lose words and put yourself back into the negative territory — SO DON’T EDIT WHILE YOU WRITE.

Though I am not doing NaNoWriMo, I am slogging away. I must. After all, no one else is responsible for my career. . .no one else is going to help you with yours, either. Get the words out, forget about quality woes, and revise AFTER you’ve hit your goal.

GOOD LUCK!

    Mood: I am consumed by words.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Not enough.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Airport jaunts.
    In My Ears: Going Through The Motions from Once More With Feeling
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Origins
    Movie Last Viewed: Looper
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press
November 1, 2012
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