Week 52!!!

This is it, folks! The big one! The LAST one! I made it! Down to the bitter end, the wire, so to speak, but I made it. The last story in my year long quest to post a story a week. It's been a fantastic ride, and I'll be writing up a blog post to discuss my thoughts on this on my new blog, I Must Be Remembering the Future. Check that out here, http://christopher-blanchard.blogspot.com.

Meanwhile, enjoy this last offering here, at least for now. I'll be keeping this blog open, and may post other short stories and flash fiction here as I write them. In the mean time, this project is officially done. And thank you all for sharing it with me!

Week 51

Well, here we are, only one week away from the end of the whole year! I have to admit, when I started, I never thought I would make it this far. I never thought I would make it even past the first month. But, here I am, only one week away from finishing. Woo! I'm excited. So, enjoy Part 8 of the Life and Times of Aries Webb.

And next week, I'll be back one last time for the final story.

Week 50

Wow... week 50! Only two more weeks to go! It's hard to believe that the year is almost over. And for this week, the next chapter in the adventures of Aries Webb!

Also, go check out my guest blog over at CA Marshall's website as part of her 12 Days of Christmas Blogfest. It's been pretty cool so far, and I had a ton of fun writing my entry.

http://www.camarshall.com/2010/12/on-seventh-day-of-christmas.html

In the mean time, enjoy this week's story, and I'll see you next week!

Week 49

We're in the home stretch now! Week 49, only three more weeks to go!

And, in celebration of that fact, here's this week's story, the next chapter in the story of Aries Webb. Enjoy!

Week 48!

Here we are, week 48! The end is in sight! And this week, we have the next installment of the Life and Times of Aries Webb. Enjoy.

Week 47

Here we are, the end of November and nearing the end of NaNoWriMo. I'm right on track to win this year, which is good news for you, because it means more stories to be posted here!

Now, let's get to Part 4 of the Life and Times of Aries Webb!

Week 46

Well, NaNoWriMo continues, and I've managed to catch up to my word count goal. Which also means I've gotten ahead of my stories, to post them here for you. :) I'm having fun, even though this last week was plagued with work issues and a sick child. Next week is the last week, and I should be able to get this novel done in on time.

In the mean time, please enjoy part 3 of The Life and Times of Aries Webb.

I'll see you next week.

Week 45

Here we are, the end of NaNoWriMo Week 2, and another story ready for the blog. I hope you enjoy Part 2 of The Life and Times of Aries Webb. :)

Week 44

Well, here it is, as promised, the first part of my NaNoWriMo novel, The Life and Times of Aries Webb.

This is the introduction story, and our hero, Aries Webb, doesn't actually appear until the end of the story. But, we'll catch up to him in the next story, which I am already half way through.

So, see you next week, and enjoy Welcome to Mars, Aries Webb!

Week 43

Here it is, the story before NaNo! I hope you enjoy it!

Week 42

Well here we are again, with one more story. I've been busy with NaNoWriMo prep that this story comes a little late. Sorry about that, I'll try to be more on time next week. :)

In the mean time, this week's story was inspired by real life news events. I'm not sure it's all that good, but it was one of those stories that I had to write. Glad that it's out of my head and on paper... or web page, as the case may be.

So, enjoy, and see you all next week!

Preparing for NaNoWriMo: Cleaning House

So, here I am, gearing up for the massive endeavor that is National Novel Writing Month. And like most WriMo’s, this includes outlining my novel, getting to know my characters and generally lots of other writerly activities. But there is one thing I need to do in order to make sure my mine is focused on the task at hand in November. Something I hardly hear spoken about by other WriMo’s. Cleaning House.

I mean that in the most literal sense of the word, too. I have dishes that need to be cleaned, so that keeping them clean during November is easy and doesn’t interfere with my writing. I need to vacuum the carpet. I need to clean out the cat’s litter box. In short, I need to clean house.

Oh, sure, some of these will still be done during NaNo. Dishes get used despite my best efforts to the contrary. But at least I can make sure they are all clean before the month starts. Clothing will be worn and dirtied, but I can make sure that the piles don’t just get added to the existing piles before NaNo starts. Some things can be skipped during the month, like dusting and vacuuming, but especially if I do them before November.

So, my biggest preparation for the week or so before NaNo is to clean house.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, there are some dishes waiting for me to clean them.

-Chris

My Plans for NaNoWriMo

Yes, that’s right, I have signed up to do NaNoWriMo this year. For those few reading this that don’t know, this is National Novel Writing Month, where those of us who are crazy attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. You can learn more here: http://www.nanowrimo.org.

Now, some of you have already asked me how I plan to do NaNoWriMo AND write one story a week for this blog. The answer is simple. I’m going to combine the two. I have been spending the last couple of months outlining a novel that tells one overarching story through several short stories. Each story will still fit the rules I have set for myself here, and be between 5,000 and 7,500 words.

Pretty simple, right? And easily doable as part of NaNoWriMo. Now, comes the second question, the one that is asked after someone does some math. With at least 50,000 words to write, and assuming an average of 5,000 words a story, that’s ten stories. And only nine weeks left in the year. And if my outline is any indication, I’ll have at least twelve or thirteen stories. So, what do I do with those left over stories?

I’ll keep posting one a week here, of course. Yes, that means I’ll be posting more than a years’ worth of short stories, but it’s only fair, since I’ll have written the last two months worth of stories in one month anyway.

And no, there won’t be any “to be continued” stuff going on. Each story will be a complete stand alone story. That’s the plan, and so far my outline is holding up to it, so I think I can stick it out.

So, there you have it in a nutshell. I will get out a story this week, and next week will be my last regular story. Then, NaNoWriMo, and all the remaining stories will be part of a single, long story.

Now, this may lead to another question. At least it has in me. What will I do once I’ve finished writing one short story a week for a whole year?

Good question, and one I’ve been giving some thought to lately. I’ll be keeping this blog up, of course, and may even post to it on occasion, when I’ve edited a story here, or to let you all know if I’ve got a story published some place or something. But what I’ll likely do is create another blog, one dedicated to my journey to publication. When I figure out where that blog will be located in the Web, I’ll let you all know. Meanwhile, keep in mind that there will are still two and a half months left to the year, and more if you count the end of the novel I’ll be writing next month. There will be plenty of stuff here to keep you all entertained for a little while.

For those of you that are also doing NaNo, please buddy me here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/88058

In the mean time, keep reading and enjoy!

Week 41

Well, another week, another story. I'm not so sure about this one, I wrote it mostly at work, and there might be some continuity errors in it. I like the idea behind it, and someday may come back to it, but in the mean time, here it is. Also, I think this might be the first story I wrote that comes close to the 7500 max word limit, weighing in at 7300 words. Pretty cool, that part.

Anyway, enjoy, and I'll be back later this week to talk about NaNoWriMo!

Week 40

Wow. Only 12 more weeks to go, and this whole crazy ride will be over. I just can't believe it. Hard to imagine that it will be all over. I'm not sure what I'll do with my self.

Anyway, enough of that, onto this week's story! This story is one that really needs to be longer, and I may one day turn it into a novella. For now, enjoy my little tale of the woman who became a book.

Week 39

Wow, has it really been 39 weeks? Phew!

Well, my wife and I are going out of town this weekend, so I am actually posting this on Friday night, I'm just putting a timer on this.

I got the inspiration for this story while at the ballpark. I won't say I was watching the game, because I wasn't. I was writing this story. What can I say, I'm not really a sports fan.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this week's story! I had fun writing it.

Week 38

Well, another week another story. And this one is on time!

I had a great time writing this one. I've been thinking of ways to combine genre's for a while, and had this particular combination in mind for years. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Until next week!

The Windsmith Query

I thought I would post the query for my novel, The Windsmith, here. Maybe get some feedback on it.


Viko is a 16 year old boy with a secret. He’s discovered he has magical powers previously only held by women. In The Windsmith, a completed 50,000 word YA Fantasy novel, Viko must not only come to grips with his discovery, he must find a way to use it to save the world.

The five great island chains of the world all revere the Windsmiths, four women with magical control over the wind. They help with trade, farming and act as spiritual advisors to the leaders of the world. Then, a young boy, Viko, first born to one of the Windsmith, discovers he has windsmith powers, something that has never happened before to a man. At first, he tries to keep it secret, but eventually he is discovered by one of the other Windsmiths, who offers to train him in secret. Later he is forced to reveal his powers to save his sister’s life. Viko is forbidden from using his powers by his mother, who decides that his daughter will become the next Windsmith. However, a hurricane of a strength never before seen in the islands requires the powers of all the Windsmiths, including Viko, to overcome before it ravages the islands, killing thousands. In the end, Viko must not only convince the Windsmiths that they need him, but to enact a plan that puts his own life on the line to stop the storm.

I would love the chance to send you a few chapters, or the entire manuscript, and synopsis of The Windsmith at your request. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Week 37

Enjoy this week's story, inspired by my 5 year old son. We were playing swords and he said "I'm a pirate super-hero with a magic sword!"

And thus was born the Privateer. I think I may come back to this story next week. The Privateer and his nemesis the Black Flame should meet in combat, don't you think?

Week 36

Well, I managed to pull one in again. I'm rather proud of this one. I actually combined two different ideas to make this story, and in the end, it was a far stronger story than either of the two individual ideas were. So, yay me!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this week's story. See you all next week!