Camp Nanowrimo

 

Well two nights ago I received an email from Nanowrimo.org about a summer version of Nanowrimo that they offer via Camp Nanowrimo. Now if you don’t know what this odd sounding word means, it is an annual writing contest/ event where writers attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in a mere 30 days. So that’s like 1500+ words a day. Oh yeah.

Well the fun really comes from meeting other like-minded writers as you struggle to fulfill your word counts.  This summer version is the same, but somewhat different.  It is more lax and offers two separate events the June version and the August version. Once it begins you are grouped with 8 (I think) other writers in “cabins”. The idea is cool and there are preferences to determine  who will end up in your confines of cabin-mates.

I’m very excited for this cyber-camp ground, because I have failed the last two Nanowrimos. So far I have signed up for the August version, but I may just sign up for the June as well(free of course).

Anyone else doing Camp Nanowrimo? Let me know in the comments so we can “bunk” up.

Life After the Web

The twenty-first century is a web of interconnections between hosts and consumers- a never ending flood of information painted across LCD screens. The internet has eloped with beautiful technology to provide a near essential outlet to the communication highway. Everyday we stroll around with our smart-phones in our pockets and laptops in our bags. Computers live within every house hold, sometimes several in a room. Multiple monitor displays. desk tops, net books. tablets, and even video game systems linger in a space that has consumed our culture. The internet has provided an endless  outlet to anyone who wishes to express themselves and find others like them.

The last several months I’ve lived away from this network. My laptop’s power supply destroyed, my home computer occupied by greedy hands, and my phone company attempting to strangle me to fill their coffers. But it’s hard to say that I actually miss it. Well, let me rephrase that- it is a commodity I would love to have, but it doesn’t kill me the way I had imagined. Sure, I love browsing the web and spending countless hours watching youtube videos or blogging, but the outside world always brings its own bag of goodies.

Outside of glossy monitor displays and away from the click-clack of keyboard keys the world still lingers outside full of life. A world of community, love, inspiration, creativity, and work, and school and blah blah blah and other bullshit. But I have discovered that a month or maybe two away from the succubus-like- social landscapes of the internet really isn’t as evil or heartbreaking as it may seem. Since the semester has started I’ve been writing my ideas down on paper! I know the very idea in the 21st century is so hard to swallow- the idea that paper may still be used for practical meanings rather than recycling.
I’m typing this post on the family computer during the morning hours as to grasp the only peace and tranquility of the day. Someday soon I’ll be able to purchase another computer and fix my laptop, but until then I’ll be just fine walking around and scribbling down ideas and daunting words on busted notebooks and paper pages.

 

Could you last a day without the web?

Top Five Movies on Writers

Today is Memorial Day, a bittersweet holiday where we as Americans take time to remember those who have been lost fighting in wars. Seeing as our recent several wars have occurred in the last decade, this day holds a twang of pain and heartache from a broken nation. I’m sure most of you (who live in the U.S.) will be grilling some burgers, or sipping some beers around the fire, so I’ll be keeping today’s post short and sweet.

I’m a writer, so movies on writers intrigue me, and entertain me beyond all else. Here’s a simple list of my top five.

5.                                                                          Misery

Misery follows the tale of an obsessed fan finding her beloved author and making him her plaything. The movie is based on a novel by Stephen King.

 

4.                                                                             Kalifornia

I discovered this one on Netflix during one of my late-night browsings. Kalifornia follows a small time writer who acquires a book deal by working on a column for a newspaper. His column focused on serial-killers, and he brings his girlfriend and two new companions on a journey to document the mind of the murderer. However, the truth is closer than he thinks.

 

3.                                                                           1408

1408 is another masterpiece (this time a short-story) by the master of horror Stephen King. 1408 features an author Mike Enslin who writes reviews on horror locations. However, what he discovers in room 1408 is far more real than he had ever assumed.

 

2.                                                                          The ShiningWoo, Stephen King meets the list three times! The Shining is almost considered a metaphorical autobiographical story by the King. The author, an alcoholic father and struggling husband purchases the hotel and attempts to write a new novel. However, the house possesses mysterious powers that trigger the worst in all.

1.                                                                       CalifornicationThough not a movie, Californication is a controversial mess of a show which follows a recently published author with the escapades of rock star life. His bestselling novel, God Hates us All, was transformed into a shit-ball of a movie A crazy Little Thing Called Love. Whether it’s drinking until he passes out, or having sex with hordes of women; author Hank Moody lives in a rockstar that all of us envy, and few of us reach.

 

Murders and the City – A New Series

Well if you’ve been  following the blog you know that I have been busy working on structuring

Photo by Megan Reigle

a new series of short stories. This new series will be called The Murders and the City. This series will follow Detective Vincent Gambini and his squad of detectives in NYPD’s homicide. Along the way, they will confront the sinisters of criminal life and the dark. Every Tuesday I will be posting a new story in the series, and a new podcast for your listening pleasure. These pod casts will be narration with sound effects, a musical score and sweet effects to make it a pure experience. Each story will be available on the blog or via .pdf file to carry around, and each narration will be available on the internet, and .mp3 files.

Welcome to the Gray Pen

Hello all,

 

Welcome to the Gray Pen. This blog is going to be a journal of the craft of fiction writing. I will detail the steps to becoming a successful writer step by step, showing how it’s done and an inside scoop along the way. In the Gray Pen we will cover tips of the trade, news in the literary world, book reviews, interviews,  contests, and many other important aspects of modern-day writing.

I will share pieces of my work a long the way and maybe other writer’s as well. All in all, The Gray Pen will be a clever experiment to share/ teach / and learn valuable information that we may come across along the way.

A little bit about myself:

 

My name’s Damian Rucci but I go by D.F. Rucci when I write. I’m a young writer from a small town in New Jersey. I’ve just recently been published, and have been blogging for several years.

For more info

 

 

Comment/ subscribe/ share please

 

Another post will be up in several hours.