Hasina Nicole Reid

For Aspiring Writers: National Novel Writing Month

2006-10-17T15:56:00.000-04:00

Has anyone ever heard of NANO? It's an organization that sponsors a writing contest every November. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days . . . from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30th.
my profile is here .

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What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and -- when the thing is done -- the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2005, we had over 59,000 participants. Nearly 10,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So, to recap:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2006. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Still confused? Just visit the How NaNoWriMo Works page!

I'm Back

2006-10-14T19:01:00.000-04:00

I am currently back in the states, I really thought I would have time to blog while a way. Boy was I mistaken. I did indeed keep a travel journal. Maybe someday I will publish it.

Bloggin here...

2006-05-30T23:09:00.000-04:00

I will be blogging here or directly to ; http://hnrtoegypt.blogspot.com/

Whew Busy Busy !

2006-05-30T23:02:00.000-04:00

Whew I have been busy. The New York HEAT is KILLING ME!
Today I took part in some late spring cleaning and repotted my plants.
I have to spend the balance of this summer doing research and playing in Egypt. This is my last blog here for a while. If I am able to I will be blogging at my other blog of Egypt...peace and blessings

Cross Talk

2006-05-04T21:30:00.000-04:00

Cross Talk

Opal Mehta Saga Continues...

2006-05-04T00:49:00.000-04:00

The debut novel by a Harvard sophomore that faces allegations of plagiarism has been permanently withdrawn and her two-book deal cancelled.

Publisher Little, Brown and Company announced cancellation of the deal for Kaavya Viswanathan's How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life, and a promised second novel, Tuesday.

The book was pulled from stores last week after Viswanathan apologized for unintentional similarities to the work of author Megan McCafferty. Little, Brown promised at that time that a revised version would be published.

However, the book was further tarnished this week by allegations it contained additional passages that mimic work by other authors.

"Little, Brown and Company will not be publishing a revised edition of How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kaavya Viswanathan, nor will we publish the second book under contract," Michael Pietsch, Little Brown's senior vice-president and publisher, said in a statement.

for more on the story : check www.thecrimson.com or www.harvardindependent.com

Book Read: Capitalist Nigger The Road To Success

2006-05-04T00:30:00.000-04:00

Fascinating book on Blacks in America's capitalist society. It is controversial and intriguing.

"CAPITALIST NIGGER excels as an explosive and jarring indictment of the Black Race. Capitalist Nigger: The Road to Success (Timbuktu Publishers, September 17, 2000) asserts that the Black Race, is a consumer race and not a productive race. Says the author, Chika Onyeani, "We are a conquered race and it is utterly foolish for us to believe that we are independent. The Black Race depends on other communities for its culture, its language, its feeding, and its clothing." "Despite enormous natural resources," according to the author, "Blacks are economic slaves because they lack the "killer-instinct" and "devil-may-care" attitude of the Caucausian, as well as the "spider web economic mentality" of the Asian." The author is not afriad to use the most hated word, the 'N' word as a title of his book. He says, "It is not what you call me, but what I answer to, that matters most." The further asserts that "Blacks are economic slaves. We are owned lock stock and barrel by people of European-origin ... I am tired of hearing Blacks always blaming others for their lack of progress in this world; I am tired of the whining and victim-mentality. I am tired of listening to the same complaint, day in day out - racism this, racism that. It's getting us nowhere." "Africans have a stance, 'live for today, let tomorrow take care of itself and be damned' attitude," the author says. "We've become a sheep-like consumer race that depends on other communities for our culture, language, feeding, and clothing. We've become economic slaves in Western society." CAPITALIST NIGGER reserves its harshest criticism for African leaders, who according to Onyeani, have allowed Europeans and others to pillage and plunder Africa's wealth, without anything to show for it, other than more starvation, disease, and dictatorships. "We have as little today than when most of the African countries received independence from their colonial masters," Onyeani says. CAPITALIST NIGGER is an anguished cry to the Black race to wake up, stand up and move on." "We must abandon the victim mentality baggage that we've carried for so long: the notion that somebody owes us something," the author says. "We've got to stop whining and stop begging. The Black race needs to wake up and stand on it's own feet." Says Onyeani, "We need to recognize and learn from others what it takes to succeed. We need to adopt the "devil-may-care" attitude and the "killer-instinct and whatever-it-takes attitude" of the white Caucasian, and the "spider web economic mentality" of the Asian."

Purchase here at amazon
or go directly here : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0967846099/sr=8-1
/qid=1146717335/ref=sr_1_1/104-3864011-8272745?%5Fencoding=UTF8

TO-DO LIST

2006-05-01T19:16:00.000-04:00

TO-DO LIST

Writer's on Writing: Gloria Naylor 1996

2006-04-30T19:14:00.000-04:00

Gloria Naylor
After having published several critically acclaimed novels like The Women of Brewster Place and Mama Day, author Gloria Naylor bought a house on St. Helena Island off the coast of South Carolina. She intended to relax, write in peace, and enjoy life and gardening. Her tranquility was ruined, however, by her Jewish neighbor, who felt threatened by the presence of a Black neighbor. When this neighbor's fears spurred a massive covert surveillance operation against Naylor in 1996, the year became one of discomfort and confusion for Naylor. This is her account of invasion of privacy in the extreme.

Bubbles in my Head: a literature and writing resource

2006-04-28T21:20:00.000-04:00

Bubbles in my Head: a literature and writing resource

How Kaavya Viswanathan Got CANNED!

2006-04-28T19:35:00.000-04:00

After saying it will not pull Ms. Kaavya Viswanathan from bookstores, Little Brown (an imprint of Time Warner Book Publishing Co.) recalled Ms. Kaavya Viswanathan book. After going to the publishers website she is also nowhere to be found. For more on the story check out the NYT
or go here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/books/28author.html

and the STORY goes on...

2006-04-28T03:45:00.000-04:00

Amazing and asembly line for teen lit' ...an excerpt from the New York Times below

"Nobody associated with the plagiarism accusations is pointing fingers at Alloy, a behind-the-scenes creator of some of the hottest books in young-adult publishing. Ms. Viswanathan says that she alone is responsible for borrowing portions of two novels by Megan McCafferty, "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings." But at the very least, the incident opens a window onto a powerful company with lucrative, if tangled, relationships within the publishing industry that might take fans of series like "The It Girl" by surprise.

In many cases, editors at Alloy — known as a "book packager" — craft proposals for publishers and create plotlines and characters before handing them over to a writer (or a string of writers).

The relationships between Alloy and the publishers are so intertwined that the same editor, Claudia Gabel, is thanked on the acknowledgments pages of both Ms. McCafferty's books and Ms. Viswanathan's "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life." Ms. Gabel had been an editorial assistant at Crown Publishing Group, then moved to Alloy, where she helped develop the idea for Ms. Viswanathan's book. She has recently become an editor at Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group, a sister imprint to Crown.

Ms. Gabel did not return calls for comment. " to read the rest of the article please click here or go to :http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/27/books/27pack.html
?pagewanted=1&ei=5087%0A&en=adc168b209bf0b6d&ex=1146283200

Kaava Viswanathan....and her GhostWriter???

2006-04-26T03:35:00.000-04:00

From Harvard Independent

"17th Street Productions, a subsidiary of Alloy Entertainment, is a "book packager." The Globe described 17th Street's job as "developing projects in young-adult and middle-grade fiction." In a March article, the Crimson said 17th Street "helped shape the work in progress into something that would be more easily marketable to young adults." But what does all this mean? What does 17th Street really do?

Rachel Plummer, an author in the young-adult genre who has worked with the company, offers a candid look at its operations on her personal web site. "Book packaging is a part of the publishing industry that is little known by people outside the industry," she says. "In some cases the packagers come up with series ideas on their own. In the case of Sweet Valley, the book packager, 17th Street Productions, contracts with the creator of the series, Francine Pascal, to come up with ideas for the many Sweet Valley books." That's right: the same firm that "packaged" Opal Mehta also churns out the well-known Sweet Valley series, which is written by a host of anonymous, work-for-hire scriveners, including Plummer. "Writers for hire are commissioned to write a specific piece of work and are paid for that work without receiving any rights to [it]," Plummer explains. "As a writer for hire, I'm pretty much told what the book packager wants me to do. In other words, I'm given a plot outline, and the characters and setting are already developed."

On the amateur-writer web site Absolute Write, Plummer expanded on this description.

Many of the middle grade and young adult series you see on your library and bookstore shelves are written by various writers hired to create a specific volume of the series. The book packager...offers a flat fee, a deadline (usually six weeks from the day the contract is signed in the case of the Sweet Valley Twins), and an outline of what has to happen in the story. For 17th Street Productions, once you sign the contract, the editor sends you a two-to-three page outline that relates the plot of the story and which characters are involved. The writer then creates a more in-depth chapter outline and returns it to the editor, who may require some changes, after which the writer completes the first draft. The first draft is edited for corrections and changes, and returned to the writer, who makes the required changes and sends it back to the editor.

However harsh a six-week deadline for the production of an entire novel may seem, Plummer notes that "having the pressure of a deadline really does amazing things for your work output." "

For the rest of the story go to Harvard's Independent or direct URL: http://www.harvardindependent.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=9906

Subconscious Writing...

2006-04-26T03:01:00.000-04:00

Kaava Viswanathan, a Harvard sophomore, received a $ 500,000 two-book deal at 16yo from Little, Brown and Company. According to the story by AP writer Andrew Ryan, Kaava didn't even have a full manuscript when she received her deal: "The stories eventually made it Little Brown. She pitched the book in a chatty e-mail, and they inked a deal before her freshman year." The "stories" were a few short stories she showed to her high-school counselor, who gave the stories to an agent. It is believe that Ms. Viswanathan lifted or copyrighted parts of Megan F. Mccafferty's novel Sloppy First; To see to what extent visit Harvards' , The Crimson, for full details or visit : http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512968
What is this world coming to when teenagers get book deals likes this?, YIKES!
Either way I purchase the Novels by Ms. Viswanathan and Ms. Mcfatterty to form my own opinion , I hope others will do the same

Either way Kaava claims she reads and studied Ms. Mcfatterty works of fiction, and she didn't mean to copyright purposely, it was done " subconsciously" and she intends to rewrite the part of the novel in dispute and rerelease it. . (Creative Marketing?)

Kaava Viswanathan Novel
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

Megan F. Mccafferty Novels
Sloppy Firsts
Second Helpings : A Novel
Sixteen : Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday
Charmed Thirds : A Novel

Book Talk on wbai

2006-04-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

Book Talk: Topic discussion on caribbean writers . You can stream the show online at www.wbai.org

Cheesecake Recipe

2006-04-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

Ingredients for One 9-inch Sponge Cake Layer

1/2 cup sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

3 extra-large eggs separated

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 drops pure lemon extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions for the Thin Sponge Cake Layer for Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light-yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until no more white flecks appear. Then blend in the butter.

4. In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks, but not be dry).

5. Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites (don't worry if a few white specks remain).

6. Gently spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes (watch carefully!). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling. Do not remove the cake from the pan.

Makes Enough for One Cheesecake

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese (the regular variety not light Neufchatel cream cheese), at room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions for the Cream Cheese Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make the batter for the sponge cake as the recipe directs Evenly spread the batter on the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden, about 10 minutes. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool (do not remove it from the pan).

2. While the cake cools, make the cream cheese filling: Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 mintues, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese.

3. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla and heavy cream. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the bating only until completely blended . Be careful not to overmix the batter.

4. Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the springform pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour.

5. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the springform pan.

6. Slide the cake off of the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Or if you wish, simply leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. If any cake is left over, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Makes Enough for One 8-Inch Cake, About 2 1/2 Inches High

Writer's on Writing : Walter Mosley

2006-04-16T21:19:00.000-04:00

I am listening to Writer's on Writing, on Medger evers radio. Today's guest is Walter Mosley. I never heard him speak, but I have read all of his books thus. He is extremely intelligent and has some interesting things to say about the pubishing industry himself. His most recent Book is Fortunate Son, it's a novel about "two boys, one ensconced in a life of privilege and the other in a life of hardship, explores the true meaning of fortune.

In spite of remarkable differences, Eric and Tommy are as close as brothers. Eric, a Nordic Adonis, is graced by a seemingly endless supply of good fortune. Tommy is a lame black boy, cursed with health problems, yet he remains optimistic and strong.

After tragedy rips their makeshift family apart, the lives of these boys diverge astonishingly: Eric, the golden youth, is given everything but trusts nothing; Tommy, motherless and impoverished, has nothing, but feels lucky every day of his life. In a riveting story of modern-day resilience and redemption, the two confront separate challenges, and when circumstances reunite them years later, they draw on their extraordinary natures to confront a common enemy and, ultimately, save their lives." (amazon.com)

check it out!

Author's Website: www.waltermosley.com

the shows website : http://www.mec.cuny.edu/blacklitcenter/prog-5.html

Happy Passover, easter, and ...

2006-04-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

any other holiday I might of missed. I am in the process of cooking. I just finished my cheesecake ..I will put up my recipe for it later on this blog. For dinner I have BBQ Baked Chicken stuffed with cornbread-italian sausage stuffing, macoroni and cheese, and vegetables on the side. What ya think? I love to cook, cause I love to eat...if you want the recipe for the rest of dinner menu for today please just email. If i get enough requests I will just post it sometime this week
peace and love

Welcome

2006-04-15T01:44:00.000-04:00

This is just a test blog. I will introduce myself and this blog later on