Every author has their own process of writing a book. Mine has developed over the past six or seven years to use National Novel Writing Month to jump start a single long term project each year. I use the energy of my fellow wrimos to push myself to writing, but there is more to the process than simply showing up for write-ins during the month of November. I also set aside the month of October to plan my novel and December to do the first rough editing of it.

One of the first things that I create for a new novel project are an outline, character sheets, location and object descriptions. I start by brainstorming ideas in a composition book, writing these down by hand with my fountain pens in ink colors that suit my mood. I condense these ideas into plot points in another section of the notebook until…

I went to see Part 1 of Mockingjay today and I was in for a twist. Unlike Hunger Games or Catching Fire, Mockingjay does not revolve around games where people fight to the death. Instead, it focuses on the immediate aftermath of Catching Fire and the beginning of all-out war. The ending reminds me of Ramsay Snow from Game of Thrones, but that is all I will say about the ending. I would recommend this film to anyone who is seeking an intense story about science fiction and resisting the iron fist of tyranny.