Post Nano: 12/6

Hello NaNo-Verse! I apologize for not updating this at all during the month of November, but I hope that you all will forgive me, because it was an incredibly busy month! Despite having to help with a show, pass all my classes, work part-time during the Black Friday/Holiday season, organize Bangor Area Write-Ins and other NaNo related events, AND attempt to retain some kind of a social life…

I managed to win NaNoWriMo this year.

With 56,701 words at midnight on December 1st, Derailed was not completed, but I definitely hit the 50k mark, and I was pretty darn proud of it. Even today my novel is not finished, but hopefully it’ll happen sometime soon. I’m getting there, I’m getting there. I swear.

It wasn’t easy though, I’m not going to lie. There’s going to be a lot editing going on in the next couple of months. I want to make sure that Sam’s character isn’t so much of an asshole, really. He’s just too much of a jerk, and Abby’s supposed to have a real problem trying to decide between him and Drew. Drew’s character and background story needs to be developed more, which will probably happen with more flashbacks and memories from Abby’s point of view.

Oh and Abby needs to be less of a whore. Haha. I mean, she’s not really a whore, but I don’t like how she is very much, and she’s kind of supposed to be me, so…I have some fixing to do.

It’s really hard when your characters are based on real people. I’ve mentioned this before, I know, but I can’t emphasize it enough. I’m thoroughly paranoid of the fact that people will recognize themselves if I ever intend to publish, so I think I’m going to change a little bit, so the characters aren’t so obvious. I mean, quite a few people would be thoroughly honored to be a character, but…I don’t know. Haha. Sorry, me just being paranoid I guess. :]

Anywho, I got a letter from Aynslie today that pretty much made my whole weekend. (It’s been incredibly stressful lately, as many are aware of, I’m sure.)

She said:

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone work as hard as you have to organize and keep things going in your area during this NaNo season. You’ve done (and are doing) as fantastic job! I hope you’ll consider becoming an official ML next year. You’re a natural.

Aynslie

I’m definitely considering being an ML next year. I’m also going to start fund-raising to be able to go to The Night of Writing Dangerously. I think it would be so much fun. I’m going to try and get some people to go with me too, so I won’t have to go alone. If anyone’s interested, let me know!

I might also try Script Frenzy in April. I can’t make any promises though, because I’m terrible at writing scripts. It’d be pretty fun to try though!

We’re still in the process of planning our local TGIO Party. We were supposed to have it last Friday, but a ton of complications caused it to be put off for a little bit. I think we’re shooting for this coming weekend. It needs to be before Christmas. I almost think that there should be a chinese auction or something to make it even more fun! Instead of a party last week, Sue, Sara and I got together at Tim Horton’s and just talked. Although this was pretty much what all of our write-ins were like throughout the entire month, it was already much more relaxing. It was definitely nice. We’re hoping to keep the write-ins going throughout the year. I think it’ll be great to keep the tradition going!

Anyway, it’s getting late. I just thought I’d update. I’ll update again soon. I promise. :]

-Britney x

NaNo: Day 4.

Hey all!

I’m terribly sorry for not updating this thing. I meant to try and update it every single day of the challenge, but I’ve been so incredibly busy, and I haven’t really gotten the chance to. So, here I am, trying to relax a little before watching Glee and updating my story, and reading 100 or so pages of Frankenstein. I have to finish it by Friday, which is just crazy in itself. If anyone wants to give me an incredibly in depth summary of the entire book – enough of which will help me do a presentation on it – please feel free to message me.

I started my new job. They’ve got me working register now, which is pretty okay. I’m not as nervous about it as I thought I’d be, but I’m a little nervous about the fact that someone is going to be watching me while I’m working tomorrow. I don’t like that at all. I hate feeling like I’m going to be graded on something. Just like having parents in the car while I’m driving. I can’t do that anymore. I feel like my Dad is judging my every move and I end up driving a million times worse than I really normally drive.

And I drive pretty darn well. I’m not gonna lie. I realized tonight that I’m a pretty skilled driver, especially when it comes to multi-tasking. Haha. I know you’re not supposed to, but if I’m ever in a sticky situation while driving, I can handle myself pretty well. Haha.

Anyway, NaNo. I am over 1/5th of the way through my novel. I think I’ll end up having more than 50,000 words in the end, but I need to make sure I actually finish the story. I need to finish this story. I really want to. It’s coming along really well. I haven’t killed anyone yet, but I think I’m getting there. I have a feeling I won’t really get to write tomorrow, or the next day. My parents are coming up for the day on Friday and I need to somehow finish my Frankenstein project. This weekend I know I’ll write  a bit when I’m not working, but I have a feeling I won’t get as much done as I’d like to. A lot of people are really pumped about it too, which is cool. It’s also really awesome, because since all my characters are based on real people, whenever I’m around them, I feel like I’m in my story, which makes me giggle.

Anyway, I promise to keep everyone updated on the status of the story. I have to go though, because I have so much to do tonight, but good luck everyone with your own stories!

-Britney

Pre-Nano: Day 9.

Okay, so only one more day until NaNo! :] Today was my write-in, and I was kind of freaking out about it all day. I was running around campus this morning making sure I’d have enough packets, and enough funds to print off all the packets, and dares and awesome fun stuff for us to do while at the party.

Not to mention I was actually late to my own party, but no worries at all, people soon started showing up. And more people. And more people! In the end we had a total of  9 or 10 people. It was awesome. I wasn’t expecting that many people at all and having everyone there was really awesome. I was so excited. We didn’t end up doing half the things I planned, but that was okay. We talked quite a bit and we all seemed to get along really well, so that’ll be something to look forward to in the future. :] First Kick-Off: Big success!

I also got a trailer made for my novel. MarikaKM (Screw) made it for me and it looks really cool. I was really excited. Tomorrow we’re filming the trailer for Sara’s novel. It’s going to be an interesting adventure.

Tomorrow is also going to be Halloween, which will hopefully be really fun too. I can’t stay out too late because of NaNo, but we’re going to do some stuff on campus. I’m going to be Glinda. It’s going to be fun. :]

Anyway, I’m excited. I wish I had more to say, but I’m kind of out of it. I can’t wait to start writing tomorrow. :]

Good luck everyone!

-Britney

Pre-Nano: Day 8.

Hello out there once again, NaNo-Verse! As you all know there are about 2 days left until NaNo starts, and until I can finally get started on this novel I’m so excited about. Already I’ve had to make some changes, and I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I’m hoping for the best, and I think I’ll still be able to do just fine.

We had to change the name of one of my main characters. His name was Matthew Sawyer, as some of you may remember, and unfortunately, this proved to be oddly close to the name of my roommate’s boyfriend. Kinda freaked out by the coincidence, I decided that I just couldn’t write the story with that name anymore. It fit my character perfectly, but I’d just feel…wrong, using it, you know what I mean? So, we came up with Drew Casey. Short, sweet, to the point. I really like the name Drew, so it works. I don’t entirely feel like it fits the character as much as Matt did, but whatever. I’ll work with it. It’ll take some getting used to, but I’m sure it will grow on me.

My life has slowly become incredibly busy, and I don’t know when it happened. All of a sudden, I feel like it’s a chore just to sit down and watch an episode of Family Guy at the end of the day. Today, I had training at my new job, and already I’ve got 20 hours next week, which is more than I was supposed to have. (Apparently every employee gets about 12-16 every week. Everyone is always part-time.) I’m on register as well, so I’m a little nervous, because I know that pretty soon I’m going to be thrown into Black Friday, and I’ve never worked retail before, and I’ve heard some awful horror stories, and I keep thinking about how terribly busy November’s going to be, and – well, in short, I think I’m psyching myself out. Not to mention, I’ll have to plan write-ins, which is going to be hard, because I’m never going to know what my work schedule is so setting steady dates is going to be incredibly difficult.

Oh well, not going to stress out about it now. NaNo starts in two days. And I intend on kicking butt during the first day or two, getting as many words in as possible.

Speaking of which – MY KICK OFF PARTY IS TOMORROW! I have been working so hard to put this together. I’ve got the place, and the RSVPs for the most part, but now I’m still dealing with the whole – “What do we do when we’re there?” problem. I’ve got a couple of silly ideas, but I’m just not sure how it’s going to work out. I don’t want to feel cheesy, and I don’t want anyone to think it’s stupid. I hope I can make it really chill like the other two I went to. I’m stealing a couple ideas from them. I wish I had some super awesome handouts though. I have the packet that Ellie gave me, but I don’t have any stickers or pins. For because, I am not an actual ML.

LAME.

Oh-! I just had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea! Once again, I really hope it’s not too lame. Haha. Yay for being a cheesy party host.

I’m breaking out the cabbie hat again too. I used to wear this gray cabbie hat pretty much every day of my life about a year ago, and I got a new one over the summer that I haven’t really gotten the chance to wear, so I think I’m going to start wearing it so people recognize me at write-ins and stuff. You always need that signature item, you know what I mean?

Oh, I also got one of my roommates to join NaNo as well. I’m really excited. Her story is going to be pretty good. I can’t wait to see how it comes out, and it’ll be nice to have someone so very close by to help motivate me as well.

Anywho-! It’s very late, and I have more planning to do before I can finally crash for the few hours I’ll be able to sleep tonight.

I think this is the first time I’ve ever been excited to not have plans for Halloween. Haha. I can actually relax for a change. It’s nice.

Peace! x

-Britney

Pre-Nano: Day 7.

"Abby Cooper" - sketch #1

Hello out there NaNo-verse! Oh there is so much to update you all on! First of all, you are seeing, above this post, a sketch of my main character Abby Cooper. I fell in love with the packets we were given, and could not help myself but to start drawing them the other night. I’ve gotten a few drawn, and believe me, I’ll post the pictures in future entries. I think I’ve drawn Abby, Sam, Matt, Ryan and Missy (the last two of which you have not heard of yet.) They look pretty good and I was impressed with myself, because typically I do not draw and they actually came out halfway decent.

Anyway, I went to the Kick-Off Party in the Portland area on Sunday, and for the first time in my life, set foot in a Panera Bread. I’m really jealous of the fact that we don’t have one up here, and disappointed by the fact that I had no money to be able to enjoy any of the delicious looking food – BUT, I am determined to go at some point during the month of November, and I’m going to sit there for a couple hours and have my own little write-in on my own and eat a delicious panini, have some delicious looking soup and even try that mango smoothie that looked oh-so delicious. (Can you tell I like the word delicious?)

Anywho – I really liked being able to put some faces to the names I’ve been seeing on the forums. It was nice to have a little bit larger a group than the party at Starbucks, though I’ll be honest in saying I’m not sure which one I liked better. We did a lot of exercises at this one which helped us throw around ideas for our novels with each other. It was definitely really helpful. I think I’m going to use some of the ideas we brought up at my own kick off party up here on Friday.

Oh yes – that’s right! I’m hosting my own kick-off party. I’m really nervous, because I’m afraid I won’t know what to say, or no one will show up, or I’ll make it really lame and people will not want to come in the future – but I’m hoping I can get everything organized and it will all turn out alright. I’m sure it will, I’m just a little nervous. I also need to come up with some money, because we’re having it at Tim Horton’s and I’d feel awful if I didn’t at least get some hot chocolate and a donut or something. That’d only be like 2 something anyway, so I could try and risk it. I start working at my new job on Thursday, which is going to put a lot of stress on me in the next month – moreso than before – and I’m a little nervous about how that’s going to turn out as well. Not only do I have to write my novel, but I have to do my school work and prepare for finals, work at a new job that already seems stressful as it is, help out with a show, and organize all the write-ins and parties in the area. As well as maintaining a social life. Well, okay, I can ditch the social life for a month, I guess. Haha.

Oh! Other brilliant beyond brilliant news! I got an email this morning, and a woman from the admissions office had seen my promotional emails on the announcement boards and she asked me to do a guest blog post on the admissions site for the school about NaNoWriMo. I’m so excited about that. I don’t know what I’m going to say just yet, and it’s not going to be posted until next week or so, but I’m really excited about it. I’ll post the site when it’s finally posted.

Only 5 more days left! I can’t wait for it. I just want to get this started so badly. I’m already having second thoughts and I knew it would happen, though. When you base your characters off real people, you always wonder if they’ll ever find out that they’re who they are in the story, and if you have terrible things happen to them – which is bound to happen in a thriller like mine – you can’t help but assume they’re going to assume you think that such terrible things should happen to them in real life, or your opinion of the character in the story is your real opinion of them. Which, honestly, it’s not at all. It just needs to happen in order for the story to progress. For instance, the worst death in my novel happens to a girl I don’t exactly get along with in real life, but God, I would NEVER want anything like this to happen to her. She just fits the role best. There are only two female characters who…well, have terrible things to happen to them, and of the two, I feel her character you would feel worse for. It just works. So I pray there will be no hard feelings, ever, if this girl finds out it’s based on her. Vaguely, of course. She will be changed a bit. Has anyone else had this kind of problem? I mean, as writer’s we’re supposed to write what we know, right? If we stopped writing about what has happened to us, and the people we know, then there’d be a lot of empty pages. There would indeed.

Anyway, it’s getting rather late, and I’m afraid I’ll need to get as much sleep as possible this week before the challenge starts, because I know I won’t get much from here on in.

Happy writing, my fello WriMos.

-Britney

Pre-Nano: Day 6.

Me sporting my new Moose pin.

So, today I went to my first kick-off party. It was very small, but I think that’s what I liked about it honestly. Walking in, I was like: “I’m not entirely sure what to do…” and I don’t think I’ve honestly ever seen Starbucks so busy before. It was crazy. But anyway, I met Ellie (EllieSPAWN) and Suzey (dragonflymoon27), and they’re pretty awesome – you should know them. If you don’t, you’re not cool. Haha. :] Ama (Mylinh) and I had a lot of fun. Even my Sissa Sammy (gunsbeforeroses) came along for a little bit.

It’s so refreshing to be able to talk to other writers about this. You really can’t even begin to imagine accomplishing this task without having the support of others around you. Knowing that there are other people out there going through the same thing you are – just as stressed out, just as pressured – sometimes even more so. It was nice to be able to talk about writing habits, and strategies. I even got a Moose pin for the Moose vs. Lobster thing on the Maine forums. I felt a little outnumbered though, because I was the only Moose for a while. Sammy decided to be a Moose too though, which was awesome – ’cause Team Moose is going to win. :]

Ellie brought along this amazing work sheets that I’m going to make copies of for the people at school and will probably be my best friend during the whole NaNo process. There’s this beautiful page where you roll dice and develop a character. We did it to kill some time, and this is what we came up with.

Character: William “Will” Ingrahm.
- strength – trained.
- average intelligence.
- adorable.
- incurious
- patient
- pacifist
- enjoys guns – specialty in bazookas.
- 2 defining traits: Monocle and limp.
- Motivation: pride about strength.
- Hobby: Watching – out. (Paranoid?)

For most of it he seemed like a pretty average guy, but at the end it just kind of got a little weird. I kind of pictured a ‘Nam veteran or something, which, after summer camp and Mike’s constant ‘Nam Veteran impressions – is now a very humorous character to me. I think I might make some more just for the hell of it. To pass the time, perhaps. Keep me entertained until November 1st rolls around. (Only about a week left!)

Oh, I also got to see my friends Danielle and Rain who I hadn’t gotten to see in quite a while, so that was another exciting part of my day. :]

I’m going to the Westbrook Kick-Off-Party tomorrow! Which is really exciting. Suzey, Ama and I are all going to drive together, so it’s going to be a mini-road trip. :] I’m going to bring my camera and everything. You have no idea how psyched I am about that. It’s going to be an adventure.

Anyway, until later folks!

-Britney

Pre-NaNo: Day 5.

Hello out there NaNo-verse. I apologize for not writing very much lately, but I’ve actually been rather distracted. (Hopefully that doesn’t happen much during November. My biggest fear is that I will. I’ve got to stay focused.)

So this entry won’t be about much really, it’s just something I’m doing to check-in. I’m meeting with some other NaNo-ers on campus on Thursday so we can figure out some plans for write-ins and maybe a Kick-Off party in the area. We really need something – anything. Even if it’s only a couple people who show up.

Aside from NaNo planning, however, I recently introduced my roommates to omegle.com. If you haven’t heard of it, and you enjoy messing with strangers, I strongly recommend it. Believe me, most people are on there as a joke. Some of the people are actually genuinely decent though. I don’t particularly like talking to people on it, myself, but I watched my roommates talk to people, and actually, fed them most of what they were saying. Turns out, I’m quite the flirt. Somewhere out there, there’s a 22-year-old from Cambridge who’s in love with me. Haha. By the end of the night, all my roomies were like: “Get over here! Tell me what to say!”

It’s funny. I’m a really quiet person typically, and rather naive – okay, I’m not naive, but I’m perceived to be fairly innocent, so if I come out with something remotely risque, people are shocked. My roommates decided that I needed a name for my “alter-ego”. Apparently, I’m now Sandy – as in Sandy from the end of Grease. Cute and innocent Sandra who shocks everyone as bold and sexy Sandy at the end. Haha. I think it’s fitting. (Minus the being sexy part…haha. I may be a flirt, but I’m not what I’d call sexy, at least.)

But that’s about the extent of the excitement in my life. At least for now. I’ve been on this crazy emotional roller coaster lately though, which I’m hoping is just due to my cold. The sudden change in the temperature here has had a serious effect on me, which really sucks. I don’t want to be sick – especially with Halloween so close. I want to be able to go out and do things with my friends while it’s still above 0 degrees out. Haha. If not, hopefully I’ll be able to use that emotion in my story. Too bad there’s still 11 days left.

Speaking of countdowns, this mysterious website appeared written in chalk all over the sidewalks at my school. If you go to the site, it’s nothing more than a countdown. People have about a million theories about it. Maybe it’s when something opens. Maybe it’s a bomb threat. Maybe that’s when the site is available. Maybe that’s when something’s going to be announced.

I have no idea. But it’s definitely weird.

If it’s a bomb, I’m glad I don’t live on campus.

I know that’s not something to joke about, but I highly doubt it’s a bomb. They can trace websites and stuff. They’d be able to find out who was behind it before it had the chance to actually happen.

Anyway, I’m gonna try and get some sleep, because I know I’m not going to get much in the upcoming weeks.

Ciao!

-Britney

PS: I also have a job interview today. Wish me luck!

Pre-Nano: Day 4.

"Derailed" Cover #3

As you all can tell, I’ve been going cover-crazy, trying to come up with the perfect cover for it. I’ve been failing miserably of course, because I have very limited skills when it comes to photo editing. I got GIMP, but I have no idea how to use it, so I feel really stupid trying to fix them up.

But anyway, I’ve been trying to stay as creative as possible without actually starting the story. (Believe me, the temptation is absolutely killing me. Is it killing anyone else? I hope I’m not the only one.)

I might be making a NaNo scrapbook, or a journal or something. I don’t know. Having all these things makes me think I’ll just be way too busy to even bother with any of them. I mean, with work, life, school, and the NaNo itself.

OH speaking of being busy, I might be the new ML for the Bangor area. Or, a temporary-substitute ML. I guess our ML is being non-responsive and we need to start planning a kick-off party and write-ins and stuff. I’d definitely need some help with it, but I think it’d be really fun to try. I wanna get more involved if I can. :] I just hope I don’t put too much on my plate. November is already going to be super busy.

I also did another character survey. This one’s a little more entertaining than the others. The character I’m describing in this one is Drew Casey. He’s got more of an attitude than the others, so he definitely adds some conflict to the story. I’ll see what you guys think of him.

Name?
Drew Casey. I don’t like my middle name. Just…just call me Drew.

Basic description?
Uh…I’m about 5’11″. Almost 6′. I’ve got dark brown hair. I wear hats a lot though. I feel weird not wearing one. Brown eyes…I’m pretty average.

Do you have a phobia of anything?
Me? Nah. I’m not really afraid of anything. I mean, I guess I’m afraid of losing loved ones, but everyone’s afraid of that. I’m not into the whole heights thing either. B-But that’s it.

Would you ever go on a blind date?
No. With my luck, I’d be set up with someone crazy. No, I like to pick out who I go on dates with.

Would you ever kidnap someone?
Not seriously. Like, I might do it as a joke, but never for real.

Would your character ever volunteer at a hospital/orphanage/whatever?
Haha…oh wait, you’re serious? No. I spend too much time in the hospital as it is. No thank you.

Would you ever start a food fight with a priest?
I’ve been tempted to. Right in the middle of mass? Definitely.

Would you ever work in a Fast Food Restaurant?
I have before. Well, I mean, if you could call it a fast food restaurant. It’s not McDonald’s or anything, but we still made food and had a drive-thru and stuff…just as bad for you…

Would you ever eat ketchup from the packet?
Haha, who doesn’t do that?

Would you ever go vegetarian?
No chance in hell.

Would you ever harm an animal?
If I needed to…(mimics aiming and firing) Yeah.

Would you ever scream fire at the movies just to see how people would react?
Haha. Maybe. Maybe. The idea is tempting.

Would you ever throw a penny from the top of the Empire State building?
Why would I do that? Oh right, it’s supposed to like…be able to kill someone or something, isn’t it? If you could get me up there, maybe. I dunno though. I could use that penny.

Would you ever live in New York, or your world’s equivalent “Big City?”
Yeah, I guess so. It’s definitely not high on my list though. I need somewhere warmer.

Would you ever work in a factory?
Yeah, sure, why not?

Would you ever have an affair with someone outside their normal sexual orientation?
No fucking way, dude. Noooo fucking way. (shifts uncomfortably)

Would you ever pretend to be a hippie?
Nope. Wouldn’t do it. Abby’s the hippie. Talk to her.

Would you ever work at an ice cream parlor given the opportunity?
I prefer to buy ice cream from the parlor. I wouldn’t want to work there.

Would you ever become a killer?
Depends on your definition of “killer”.

Would you ever sing in the shower?
I’m not really what you’d call a singer. I’ll leave that to the rest of my family. I’m all set.

Would you ever go several days without bathing, out of their own free will/laziness?
Haha – if I’m in the woods or camping or something, sure. Done it before. I’m a guy. I mean, come on.

Would you get in a prank war with someone?
Always. (grins)

Would you ever sleep 30 hours straight?
I wish. Get me to sleep for 2 hours and I’ll think you’re God.

Would you be a good parent?
I think I’d be. Better than my parents, at least. I don’t wanna talk about having kids though. I’m too young for that.

Would you ever admit to being wrong?
I don’t like to. I have before, but I really don’t like to.

Would you ever own a really big dog?
No. I don’t like dogs.

Would you ever eat live squid?
Live squid? Eh. I don’t think so.

Would you ever turn in their best friend for a bad crime?
Not a chance. I’m not a snitch. I’d go down for my best friends.

Would you ever physically attack a family member for any reason, and if so, why?
If I had good reason, then yeah. It’s happened before. I’m not going to sit around if someone hits my brother. Or – or anyone else in my family. I won’t just sit there. I’m not a kid anymore.

Would you ever just look up into the stars on an especially clear night?
I do this more often than I’d like to admit.

Would you ever consider changing religions?
I’m not entirely religious. I believe in God, and accept Jesus Christ as my savior, but I don’t like the idea of religion. If that makes sense.

Would you ever deliberately kill anyone, for any reason?
I don’t know.

Would you ever put mentos in a 2 liter gallon of coke?
Of course I would.

Okay, so that was a little shorter than the others. I thought it was interesting. I liked the questions better than the others. They give the character more…well, character!

-Britney

Pre-Nano: Day 3.

"Derailed" Cover #2

I wish I had more to report on today, but I’m afraid I don’t. I tried to plan a little bit more for the story, but I’ve been pretty busy and I have little to no inspiration right now. I did, however, make my own little hand-held inspiration calendar last night. I put writing quotes on 30 different note cards, and I’m going to attach them together, so I can carry them around with me for inspiration and support wherever I go. :] I’m really excited. I’m going to be making so many things like that. I’m printing off a bunch on calendars from the site – as well as trying to make my own, when I figure out how to make one.

Yoha_Ahoy made my a new cover today. It’s very nice, I’m very glad she made it. She’s very talented when it comes to making nice covers. I’m impressed. Yesterday, I got an email from another NaNo-er who said they’d like to make me a cover, so I told them to go ahead. Yoha had not gotten my email at the time, so I thought she might have been busy. It’ll be cool to see my different options. I’m still trying to make a cool one of my own, but they haven’t quite come out the way I’d hoped.

Tonight, I watched Dead Poet’s Society which was a nice surprise. It’s such a good movie, and if any of you out there haven’t seen it, I strongly suggest you watch it as soon as possible. It reminded me of my 8th grade English teacher, who was – like Keats (Robin Williams) – absolutely incredible. I even memorized the “O’ Captain, My Captain” poem for him that year. It’s just a movie that really inspires me to write, and just kind of motivates you to do what you want – what really makes you tick, no matter what everyone else says. If you wanna write about sex and drugs and overthrowing the government – go right ahead! Who can stop you? It’s a free country! It’s called Freedom of Speech, last time I checked. I think sometimes we forget that we have that right.

Anyway, so, the motivation I received from watching DPS tonight went into another character survey for you guys. Tonight’s character is Sam Harper, a supporting character with a very interesting personality. Again, I know these questions aren’t the most thrilling in the world – but these are pretty much for building a base for my characters.

1. What is your real, birth name? What name do you use?
- Samuel Jacob Harper. People just call me Sam usually.

2. What do you look like? (Include height, weight, hair, eyes, skin, apparent age, and distinguishing features)
- Oh God. I’m 21 – well, almost 21. I’m not quite there yet. People usually think I’m older. I have brown hair – it’s short, but curly. I have brown eyes. I don’t really like them. They’re boring. Uh – well, it often looks like I don’t shave – haha – but I do! I swear! At least sometimes…

3. How do you dress most of the time?
- I like to look nice, you know? I’m not entirely comfortable in a button up shirt and tie, but hey – if it makes me look good. Other times I like to be pretty relaxed. Jeans and an old t-shirt. Comfortable.

4. Do you wear any jewelry?
- Haha no. I’m not really into the whole ‘guys wearing jewelry’ thing.

5. Where do you live? Describe it: Is it messy, neat, avant-garde, sparse, etc.?
- I have my own apartment. It’s pretty relaxed. I’m not a neat-freak, but I do like to keep things clean. My roommates are a little more lenient than I am when it comes to that though.

6. Do you own a car? Describe it.
- Me? Nah. I prefer to walk.

7. What one word best describes you?
Vintage.

8. What was your family like?
- Well, you know – typical. Older brother. Older sister. Parents. Typical.

9. Who was your father, and what was he like?
- He’s one of those guys who will make you think he wouldn’t randomly burst out into dance – but believe me, he does that more than I’ll even admit for him.

10. Who was your mother, and what was she like?
- Overbearing? Nah, I’m only kidding. She’s a good woman. She was the kind of Mom that all the kids wanted to go to our house during the winter because she’d make us her special hot chocolate and have cookies sitting out even before we even got there.

11. What were your siblings names? What were they like?
My brother’s name is Andrew. He and I don’t talk much. I mean, he’s the oldest so he’s out there living life. When we were younger, he was the one I had to live up to. (laughs) God, I hope I didn’t disappoint my folks too much. My sister though, she and I were always close. You know how it’s usually the older brother who has to look out for the younger sister? Well, it wasn’t like that. She always looked out for me. And when I needed to get out of the house – if Ma and Pops were fighting or something – she’d help me out. Yeah…she’s pretty great. Her name? Oh, Rachel. Rachel.

12. How old were you when you went on your first date?
- I was 14 actually. I took Rita Cole to homecoming, my freshman year in high school.

13. It is common for one’s view of authority to develop in their adolescent years. What is your view of authority, and what event most affected it?
- I mean, I follow the rules. I like to break them sometimes too – but I’m pretty good at staying out of trouble.

14. What were you like in high school? What “clique” did you best fit in with?
- Oh I was kind of a nerd. I like drama so, you know…I’m not entirely “in” with the football guys.

15. Do you have a job? What is it? Do you like it? If no job, where does your money come from?
- I wish. Do you how hard it is to find a job in a college town? Nearly impossible. Especially after the freshmen come. And my schedule’s too busy. I’d have a hard time finding one anyway. So, as for money – it doesn’t exist.

16. What is something you had to learn that you hated, in school?
- I hated math. I mean, everyone hates math, but when I say I hated math, I mean I HATED math. If math were a person, believe me, it’s throat might have been mysteriously slit in the middle of the night. (laughs nervously)

17. What’s been your favorite movie of all time?
- I’m going to be the typical guy and say The Godfather.

18. What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
- The trees here. The foliage in the fall is absolutely breathtaking. I love it here.

19. What is your favorite food? What is your least favorite food?
- Favorite food? Anything French. I love French food. Least favorite? I can’t say I have one. What can I say? I like food. Haha.

20. What is your favorite drink? (Coffee, Coke, Juice, Beer, Wine, etc.)
- Coffee. I’m an artist. What can you expect?

21. Would you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, or something else? Why?
- I’m straight.

22. Who was the first person you had sex with? When did it happen? What was it like? How well did it go?
- Oh God. (laughs) I don’t think I’m quite comfortable talking about this with you guys. I’m not that kind of guy. I like to keep personal things personal.

23. Do you currently have a lover? What is their name, and what is your relationship like? What are they like? Why are you attracted to them?
- No no right now I don’t have a “lover”. I’m sorry to disappoint you folks. I’m flying solo, but hopefully not for much longer. Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I haven’t been looking. I’ve got my eyes on someone.

24. What was your most recent relationship like? Who was it with? (Does not need to be sexual,
merely romantic.)
- It was very nice at first. We hit it off immediately, but – distance can be a bitch, you know? After we hadn’t seen each other for a while, it just wasn’t the same. It ended very badly.

25. What is your religious view of things? What religion, if any, do you call your own?
- I’m not really what you’d call religious. I don’t really believe in anything, but I don’t have a problem with others believing in whatever they want. I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong.

26. Has anyone or anything you’ve ever cared about died? How did you feel about it? What happened?
- Well, that’s kind of a sensitive topic. I mean, you know, the whole death thing. I guess I can’t really explain it right now. Maybe you’ll understand later.

27. How ticklish are you? Where are you ticklish?
- I’m very ticklish. I don’t like to admit it, but I’m incredibly ticklish. It’s the worst on my neck. I don’t like anyone getting near my neck.

28. Do you have any bad habits? If so, what are they, and do you plan to get rid of them?
- Smoking. I smoke – I uh – I used to smoke, that is. I’m trying to quit.

29. What would you wish for if you found a genie?
World Peace, I guess. Gotta go with that one. End world hunger – yaay for being cliche. And to be in my own movie – though I might do that one on my own.

There we go. Hey, that’s really funny, right now I’m looking at the word count at the bottom of this form, and I’ve pretty much got my first day of NaNo finished with this entry alone. That’s pretty cool. I guess that’s not really a lot of writing each day. I can handle that.

I know, now that I said that, I’m really going to regret it. 10 bucks says I fail miserably.

Just kidding. I won’t let myself fail! I’m going to do this! Stay motivated writers, and I’ll do my best to do the very same!

-Britney

Pre-Nano: Day 2.

Hello there everyone! Today I only had one class this morning, and I have absolutely nothing else to do for the rest of the day – yes, a luxury that will only last for the next week or so. What is it – 15 – 16 days til NaNo starts? And to top that all off, I start my new job on the 29th of October, which should certainly make NaNo interesting. I’m afraid I will not be able to sleep for the entirety of the month. The good news is that I won’t have to work much. All the jobs are part-time so my manager said it would be 12-18 hours a week. (Still! That’s 12-18 hours a week I’m not working on my NaNo or sleeping – I’m a poor college student, I’m not so worried about the not eating part. Haha.) But, I’m also a theater major, and one of our shows is going up in November, so things will be busy in regards to getting that together. I’m not IN the show, thankfully or my life would be even more crazy, but I’m helping with the set and will have to help with strike and such – for those non-theater folk, “strike” is where we tear down all the beautiful work we’ve done over the past couple of months in a matter of hours. (And then everyone goes and gets drunk after, haha. I will not be a part of that particular part of the evening, but I’m sure it would be an entertaining sight.) It’s going to be a pretty crazy month, I’m not gonna lie. But I’m gonna make everything work. Even if it means sacrificing the 4-6 hours I TRY to get every night. I’ll do this!

Anyway, I did a lot of planning last night. I’ve decided that I’m going to have two killers – but it’s not going to be in a super cheesy way. Like, there’s a reason behind it. I’ve also planned out roughly how the revealing scene is going to go, as well as motivation behind the killings. This is really good, because usually I just kind of make it up as I go along, and endings are always what I’m really bad at. I can write and write and write, but my novels never have endings. This is actually pretty sad, because those I have managed to finish have really awesome endings. I pride myself in endings. Titles and endings. I like to make them as clever as possible.

I will admit however, that this story has already given me a lot of trouble – and I haven’t even started writing it yet.

My Dad came up with my title.

I know, it’s sad. But after he said it, I couldn’t resist. It’s just too perfect. :]

Anyway, I’ve decided to introduce my characters a little bit, and what better way to do that than with a couple character surveys to help pass the time. Today I think I’ll focus on my MC, Abby today. I apologize for how lengthy this is, but it’s also for me to help develop my characters.

What is your full birth name?
- Abigail Elizabeth Cooper

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or aliases?
- Well, everyone just calls me Abby. My Dad called me Gabby when I was little, though, because I guess I liked to talk a lot. For a long time people thought my name was Gabrielle.

Where do you live?
- I live in Maine. Most people think it’s a part of Canada. It’s not.

Why do you live there?
- I’ve lived here all my life. Sometimes I want to get out, but other times I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I think that’s the same way for most people.

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?
- I’ve been told I’m a great listener. I’ve thought many times about making my own advice column. People usually go to me with their problems. Usually doesn’t give me much time to solve my own.

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?
- I care way too much about things I really shouldn’t care about. I hold grudges too, which tends to work negatively for me.

Was there any event or cause to cause these weaknesses?
- Matt. End of story.

How old are you?
- I’m 19 years old. I’m younger than most of my friends.

What is your gender?
- I’m female, though I thought that’d be obvious by now. I guess you never really know for sure though.

How tall are you?
- I’m pretty tall actually. I’m roughly 5’8″. Sad thing is, I’m the shortest person in my family.

How much do you weigh?
- I’m around 170 lbs. I’m a pretty average weight, I guess. I’m tall.

What is your skin colour?
- I’m very pale, but I have a lot of freckles.

What is your hair colour?
- Dark brown. Sometime’s people think it’s black.

What is your hair style?
- It’s…well, long and curly. Wow, don’t I feel average.

Do you have any facial hair?
- I have eyebrows. :]

What is your eye colour?
- Blue. Kind of gray blue. They like to change on me.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?
- I have a few on my hands from various cuts and stuff, but nothing huge.

What is your handedness (left/right)?
- I’m right handed.

What kind of clothing do you wear?
- I wear whatever’s comfortable, but I like to look nice.

Do you wear makeup?
- I don’t like to. I will, but I’m bad at putting it on myself.

Do you wear glasses/contacts?
- No I do not. Though sometimes I wish I had glasses. I think I’d look cute with them.

What sort of vocal tone do you have?
- Uh, well, when I sing I’m a soprano so…relatively high, I guess.

Do you get sick?
- Yes, actually. Quite often.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age, etc.)?
- I lost my Mother at a young age. I don’t want to talk about it.

What was childhood like for you?
- I was alone a lot. I liked to be outside. I was kind of strange – always interested in things people wouldn’t really expect me to be interested in. I think about things a lot, and like to be alone. I guess it makes me a little awkward around people now.

Did you have any childhood friends?
- I had several. I was a bit of a tomboy, so even now, I’m not friends with very many girls. I moved around a lot though. Never really stayed in one place.

What conflicts might arise from your past?
- Nothing more than awkward meetings I suppose. I don’t have that controversial a past. I honestly wish it were more exciting.

Who were your parents?
- Were? That’s a clever choice of wording there. My Father’s name is James, and my Mother died when I was young. As I said before, I don’t talk about her.

Were you raised by them?
- I guess you could call it that. My Father raised me to the best of his ability, I think.

Do you have any siblings?
- I have a brother. We don’t talk. I’m not very close with my family.

If so, how many and what were their names?
- One. His name is David.

What was your birth position in the family (i.e.last born, and child, rd, etc.)?
- I’m the oldest.

Have you begun your own family?
- Uh no. No, no, no. We’re not even talking about this. I don’t want to talk about that.

What type of person would be your ideal mate?
- Ideal mate? Well, I guess he’d be my best friend. Someone I could be myself around, and know that he’d still love me no matter what. Someone who, when he says my name, I get chills. Someone who, just by smiling, can make me melt. Just thinking about him gives me butterflies…you know…the works. I mean, it’ll never happen, because things just don’t happen that way, but it’s nice to dream.

What would you be willing to do to protect such a person?
- Anything.

Do you have any bitter enemies?
- Not that I know of. I’m sure there might be some out there.

List any past serious relationships that you have had, and give a brief overview of the relationship(s).
- His name was Matt. End of story. Is that brief enough?

Who is your most trusted ally?
- I don’t think I really trust anyone.

Who do you despise and why?
- Amy. Because, she has what I want.

For what would you die for?
- My friends, I suppose. And my family.

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?
- Lied to me.

What are your general reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex who lets you know they are available?
- Haha. Oh goodness. If I’m interested, then perhaps I’ll blush. But I’m not the kind of person who makes the first move. I’ve given up with that.

Have you lost any loves?
- I have.

How did you handle the situation (short & long term)?
- I’m not handling the situation at all. I’d much rather not talk about it.

Do you live with anyone (housemates, roommates, relatives, friends, near-strangers, family friend, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover)?
- I have a roommate. She’s pretty okay. We’re not really close though.

Do you, or did you, have any role models?
- Reba McEntire.

Do you have any dreams or ambitions?
- Of course. Every girl wants to be famous.

Do you have any great rational or irrational fears or phobias?
- Heights. Though I feel that’s a cop-out fear. Everyone’s afraid of heights. I’m afraid of being alone in the dark too.

What are your favourite colour(s)?
- Green and purple.

Is there any colour that you dislike?
- Yellow.

If you have a favourite scent, what is it?
- Water. Yes, believe it or not, there is a smell to water. Or the smell when it’s just about to rain. I also rather enjoy the smell of fall.

What is your favourite type of animal?
- Penguin.

Why do you have an affinity for that creature?
- It’s just so cute. I happen to walk like them, actually.

Do you believe in the gods or not?
- I believe in God. Yes.

Is your church an accepted religion where you grew up or did it have to conduct its services in secret?
- It’s an accepted religion. It’s very common. I didn’t grow up with it, however. I was a part of it as a small child, and then returned to it a little over a year ago.

Can you kill?
- No, I don’t think I could.

What would you do if a good friend or relative were killed by means other than natural death?
- I wouldn’t react well. Perhaps you should read the story before I finish continuing this answer.

What is the one task you would absolutely refuse to do?
- Anything involving killing someone, or drugs.

How do you feel about government (rulers) in general?
- I’m what you would call a hippie. Without the dreadlocks. And drugs.

Why do you feel that way?
- I think war is stupid. I support our troops. I don’t support war.

Do you have any unusual or nervous mannerisms, such as when talking, thinking, afraid, under stress, or when embarrassed?
- I twitch. And shake. If I’m nervous, I fidget a lot. And my hands shake uncontrollably. I sometimes can’t talk straight either. I don’t stutter, but it’s like I trip over my tongue.

Do you have an unusual gait or accent?
- No. But I certainly can make one. I pride myself on accents.

Do you have a good luck charm?
- It’s around my neck.

Do you have a “Black-and-White” view of reality or can you see shades of grey?
- In the least emo-way possible, my life is very grey.

Do you prefer the town or the country?
- I’m a little bit of both. I think I prefer the country. The wide fields and stuff. You can just get lost in them.

If made to decide, would you rather be deaf or blind? Why?
- Blind. I could still hear music.

How do you feel about magic, myth, and the supernatural?
- You ask me this now? I believe in the supernatural. It scares the living shit out of me, but I believe in it, and I think I’d go to great lengths to prove it exists. Hence the reason I’m going on the overnight with Sam. (That, and well…it is Sam, after all.)

What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?
- Well, I would probably write or listen to music, singing very quietly. Or not so quietly, though I’m not so sure how much my roommate would appreciate that.

Again, I apologize for the length of that, but hopefully now you’ll have a better idea of what my main character is like. Clearly, she’s a bit shy and struggling with some issues, but the lives of those around her are a little bit more exciting. I promise that tomorrow I’ll have another wonderful survey for you.

- Britney