August Challenge!!!!

So here we go, a week till the August Challenge and I guess I should at the very least introduce myself.

My name is Jean, I'm South African (ergo my site nom de pume), and I am writer (ergo my use of ergo). I've written many poems and short stories, the first of a trilogy of novellas (and I have to wonder, are three novellas in a series the same as one novel?), as well as some nonfic dabbling. As far as actual novels go, which is what the challenge is about, I have two series that I have been working on and off for the last three years and have very little to show for (I got up to chapter 20 with one, but thats it). Essentially I have way too many ideas and not enough time or self control to ever force myself to stop procrastinating and just sit down and write. So for me the challenge is about forcing a deadline, essentially making me write.

Now, even though this will fall over my finals, I think that there are some things in life a little more important than finals. This I do for the well being of my own soul. So I will strive (and hopefully succeed. :D) for a chapter a day. Really, I guess thinking about it, a chapter is only what, 3-4 pages. Thats not so bad. And if it spills over into more, all the better. As you can tell I am practicing having a positive mental attitude. Lets hope it works. :D

And if you browse through my writing here on the blog you'll see that I am very fond of fiction, of all varieties and kinds, from dark gothic (nevermore!) to the light hearted children's fearie tale and everything in between. Some of my personal favorite authors and writers in general are Thackaery and Shaw for their wit; Faulkner (especially for 'A Rose for Emily'), Mrs. Gore, and Poe for their Gothic twists; Byron, Keats, and Shelley for their poetry, Mary Shelley because Frankenstein may just be the deepest most psychological surveying and pertinent novel in regards to the modern human condition, but most of all J. R. R. Tolkien and David Eddings because of the depth of their detail and intricacy of their characters and plot.

So, to everyone else who is participating in the challenge, welcome and I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

Buona Fortuna

Jean