Announcing Preptober Prompts! // and other updates + disgruntled Liriel makes an appearance

Whaaaat, who’s this interrupting your Thursday? Oh look — it’s me!!

 

 

Yeah, okay.

I have several announcements. First, I finally bought my internet domain! Yes, gone are the days of WordPress creepin’ on my blog address and ads about feet. This shipwreck is the thesarcasticelf.COM now, and I’m monstrously proud of my baby. In celebration, I redid my “about” page.

Which… hasn’t been touched since the day I started this thing.

*cough* Anyway. Go read.

The second announcement is even more exciting, if that’s at all possible. Ladies and gentleman, allow me to present–

The brainchild of my friend R.M. Archer @Scribes & Archers, Preptober Prompts starts next month and is 31 days of fun scenarios and writing wonderfulness to help authors prepare for the doom of NaNoWriMo. (Oh help, is it almost that time again?) Because what’s the best way to get ready for a month of intensive brain-combustion?

• Cake
• Screaming into the void
• Murder(ing characters)
• More cake
• Giving up on the meaning of our existence
• Staring blankly at the wall (which is also blank) for seven hours
• Writing cute stuff about our angsty psycho children characters.

That’s correct — WRITING CUTE STUFF ABOUT OUR CHARACTERS! A couple weeks ago Rysa reached out to me about being one of the co-hosts, and I told her I’d love to–

Liriel: “YOU SAID WHAT???”

And here’s one of the angsty psycho children now.

Liriel: “Back out of it! Back out now!“

Honey, I don’t think that’s possible.

Sley, materializing in a cloud of murderous thoughts and ripping keys from my keyboard with the strength of a feral boar: “I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT’S POSSIBLE, YOU GOGGLE-EYED TRAITOROUS WRETCH. DO IT NOW.”

Hey, don’t insult people with glasses. Also, considering you just destroyed my keyboard, backing out ceased to be an option.

*Sley glowers*

Liriel: “…am I correct in assuming he’s actually on my side in this?”

Kinda looks that way.

Sley, glowering harder: “The alliance is necessary. Also VERY temporary.”

Sweetie–

Liriel: “Are you patronizing us??“

No, I was patronizing him.

Liriel: “IN THIS ALLIANCE, PATRONIZING ONE IS PATRONIZING ALL.”

Sley, whistling: “Blarmey, that almost made me like you.”

*Liriel recoils in horror*

C’mon, guys, you don’t even know what Preptober Prompts is. Look, we get to co-host with cool people! Julian @Saver of Memories and Julia @Lit Aflame—

Sley: “I’m gonna light you aflame…”

–though Julia will be hosting mostly on Twitter.

Lotch, popping up: “What’s a tweeter?”

I don’t know, but I made an account for the express purpose of seeing her prompts…

Lotch: “Hey, neat! Can I eat it??”

Uh…

Let’s move on.

Every day in October (besides Sundays, because God is more important than writing, people), a prompt will be posted on one of our sites. The prompts’ purpose is to get writers thinking about their upcoming NaNo novel in fun and unique ways. (‘Cause let’s face it, traditional plotting is the worst.)

Liriel, curling her lip in disgust: “Spoken like a true panster — WHICH, for the record, I do not approve of.”

Each week tackles a different topic by a different host (Rysa, week #1, worldbuilding — Julia, week #2, characters — Julian, week #3, plot — and myself, heading up the last week with my one true love, flash-fiction), where we’ll not only be sharing prompts, but also responding to them with our own novels.

Liriel, burying her face in her arms: “This is the most humiliating situation I’ve ever been forced into.”

Lotch: “What, really? I thought it was that time when you accidentally–“

Liriel: “We get it, Lotch.”

Lotch: “But I didn’t even get to say it! Hey guys, do you remember that time when Liriel–“

Liriel: “WE GET IT, LOTCH.”

Sley: “To be fair to the kid, you did fall off a rooftop once.”

Emolas, moseying in: “And wandered around a swamp with me for three days, covered in mud and looking like a lost porcupine…”

*dying flamingo noises come from Liriel’s direction*

Lotch: “See? Getting plastered across the Author’s blog in all sorts of silly sich-u-ations can’t be any worse than looking like a perklepine!”

*decomposing amoeba noises come from Liriel’s direction*

That’s the spirit, Lotch! And not only will I get to write you guys doing a variety of things you’d never typically do–

*Liriel and Sley shriek in unison*

–but the theme for this year’s Preptober Prompts is music! Which means you get to do all sorts of musical things you’d never typically do!! Fun, amiright???

Liriel: “Says the person who doesn’t even like music…”

Hey, I like music, just not with… uh… voices and… instruments… and… stuff.

*awkward silence*

Emolas: “…I find this concerning.”

Liriel: “We’re ruined.”

Sley: *snickers maniacally in the corner*

Lotch: “I wonder if elephants have knees…”

*stuffs characters in the closet for a moment* Speaking to my readers, followers, and all you lovely internet people, you can learn more about Preptober Prompts and how to participate by reading Rysa’s official announcement, here. The event starts October 1st, so in the meantime, go follow all the nice blogger ladies, Julia and Julian (yeah, that’s not at all confusing) because they write some epic stuff.

Emolas, poking his head out the closet door: “For the record, I support you, Author!”

Lotch: “YEAH, ME TOO!!”

*sounds of them being strangled ensue*

Yep.

(And I’m not kidding, I really did get a Twitter account for this — I have literally no clue what the point of Twitter is and I can’t promise I won’t end up breaking the internet with it, but you can check it out here.)

(Or don’t, if you’re so disinclined. I won’t yell at you.)

(Okay yes I will.)

(Go look at it. If only to see my header picture which I’m insanely proud of.)

That’s all for now, folks! WHO’S EXCITED FOR NANOWRIMO?? (Hint: Not me.) Look forward to October when all this stuff goes live, and in the meantime, I’ll see you again–

Sley: “NEVER.”

–next Thursday!

~Sarah