Tag Archives: NaNoWriMo

Missing Days

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One thing that NaNoWriMo does for me…. It gives me a really good idea about what helps me to keep writing. What distracts me. And what I need to do to motivate myself to keep writing.

I’ve missed a couple days. Either because of children, work, stress, or just being sick. I know I’m going to get nearly zero words during Thanksgiving too.

But another thing I am learning…. I am really starting to hate interruptions to my writing. Which is a good thing. If  I want to make this what I do then I need to get to the point where this is what is important, and interruptions are just flipping annoying. Which they really are.

So… back to writing.

Progress so far: 17,200 words.

Worldly Reflections

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As I am writing my NaNoWriMo stories I am actually realizing just how much of my viewpoint on the world around me is entering my writing.

This isn’t unusual. Piers Anthony (who I grew up reading, and is one of the authors that inspired me to become a writer) often had story lines that touched on his thoughts about religion, ecology, environment, and relationships. Not that all of his characters shared or reflected his own view points on the issues, just that the themes are there.

A good writer can let these themes enter their writing without sounding preachy or over the top. A great writer can make you start to question your beliefs, not to change them necessarily, but to be sure that that is what you truly believe, and that is what you stand for.

Mark Twain is a great example. He wrote about the adventures of a young white boy, appealing to a great many young children. But he also wove in some ideas about race, slavery, segregation, and even religion without being preachy. I am sure his books even helped a few people consider their stand on these very ideas.

In my current novel I am noticing things about genetic manipulation, women as property, and even some ideas about government. No, I’m not being preachy. That would ruin the book. But it could be noticeable to anyone who was paying attention.

Progress on NaNoWriMo: 5124

Giving yourself permission to SUCK!

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Sometimes the biggest thing standing in the way of writing is our internal editor that is constantly in our head telling us that isn’t good enough, rewrite it.

But that isn’t the purpose of a first draft, or a sketch, or anything else you’re beginning. The beginning is suppose to be bad. It’s suppose to suck.

I loved this analogy by ircnetsplit
“It’s like a house. The first stage is just a bunch of boards with nothing in between them. Who the hell would want to live in a house like that? It’s a crappy house.”
“But, that’s how you build a house. You get the framework up, then you fill it out with walls, and insulation, and a roof, etc. Then you have an awesome house.”

So let go. If that last sentence sucks just ignore it and go to the next sentence. You’re going to have to edit later anyway. Right now just WRITE FAST and ignore everything else.

(My progress on NaNoWriMo: 2,000/50,000)

No Plot?

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I’ll be busy November doing NaNoWriMo. The last couple days I finished two outlines for the books I’ll be working on for NaNo. (Osiren’s Tears and Rage War.) So I haven’t had a lot of time for updates here.

I’ve also been watching a lot of videos on writing to get me set in that frame of mind. The one below gave me a couple chuckles so I thought I’d share it.

Some other writers you might enjoy listening to.
“Self Publishing Podcast” and “Better off Undead” With writers Jonny B. Truant, Dave Wright, and Sean Platt.
The Digital Writer With Sean Platt who shares his “rules for writers you love to hate”.
The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn who interviews other writers.

Creating in a Vacuum

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I was listening to the last Self Publishing Podcast again and something Sean said at the begining stuck out.

While talking about giving a speaking presentation in front of 500 people he said it had been difficult for the first couple of minutes, but when you have that many people laughing at your jokes together its hard to be nervous.

Most creative people, be they writers, artists, or even some game designers, tend to work in a vacuum. We don’t have someone reading our copy as it comes off the press. We don’t have someone pointing out that the color is off, or the grammar is bad, or the game is amazing and “Can I play it please?”

The same thing that makes it appealing (no boss, no scheduled  no deadlines) also makes it sometimes frustrating, and can even help that age old “writers block” come on us. Don’t let it.

As NaNoWriMo approaches I find myself gravitating to some of the forums in order to make that vacuum of space around my writing just that little bit fuller. There I can talk to other writers, tell them my struggles, and get inspiration, or tell them my successes and inspire someone else.

There are other ways to fill the vacuum. Joining writers groups, or discussion boards. Going to writer Meetups. Just making friends who are in the same situation helps a lot.

Enjoy NaNo. Keep sane. And WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!

Tips to NaNoWriMo When You’re Busy

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Got a new baby?
Moving?
School?

Some useful ideas you can use to keep writing.

* Keep a notebook, computer file, or note taker on your phone/tablet at all times.
* Write a few words when you’re waiting int the doctors office, or on hold on the phone, or the baby takes a nap.
* While in the shower take the time to think out your story, maybe use colored soap, washable marker, or lipstick to jot notes on the wall and wash off later.
* Get a recorder and talk to it about your story while in traffic.

Remember NaNoWriMo isn’t just about finishing, it’s about setting goals and pushing yourself. If you can’t do 50k try a couple short stories.

Always strive for more.

And remember, you don’t have to validate your NaNo with the actual story. You can copy “the lazy dog runs home” 10,000 times and paste that in, and just keep your stories in the notebook for now.

Prepping for NaNoWriMo

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If you haven’t heard of NaNoWriMo… well where have you been?!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) is a fast pace group effort to churn out as many words as you can. The “Goal” is to write a novel, which is loosely classified as “50,000” words. There are forums, tags, badges, and more at the website where you can get encouragement to get those words out. It’s a wonderful experience!

They now have several school projects that teachers can use in their classrooms, with teaching aids to get kids writing.

I’ve participated in four different years. “Won” twice.

From mid September to late October many NaNo participants are getting ready. Deciding what to write, Nailing down a synopsis, updating info and adding counters to our websites. 

I love that Huge Howey, self published author of best selling book series “Wool”, keeps word counters up on his website year round so that his readers can see his progress on his books. I love that idea. I might be stealing that idea.

So, things will be a little slow around here as I prepare for NaNoWriMo, and get a few things in order. Hopefully that means I’ll actually be writing more, and publishing something just before November, and another something after Novemeber.

In the Middle

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I’m kind of in an awkward moment. Not that i’m unused to awkward moments. I’m a mom, I’ve had lots of them. Raising children is like a series of awkward moments strung together with happy, and sad ones. (Though it’s more fun to make my kids awkward, than to be awkward.)

“Flight of the Griffins” will be out this weekend. I’m thrilled. It’s taken a lot to get this behemoth of a story publishing ready, and I love the cover design.

Now what? This is my dilemma.

I am working on two novels at the moment. “Osiren’s Tears” is the first of a series set in a fantasy world. “Message in a Bottle” is my first paranormal romance that I may be publishing under a pen name.

Neither of these books are even close to being ready for an edit, let alone publication. I’m hoping to have one novel ready in March to be edited, and publish in April  (a daunting task). But I don’t want to simply do nothing for the next seven months.

NaNoWriMo is also coming up.

So, for the next seven months here is the tentative schedule:
Sep 16 “Flight of the Griffins” will release.
Oct 21st, “Small Bites” tentative release. (A book of flash fiction ‘scary’ tales, perfect for Halloween.)
November – NaNoWriMo
December – enjoying the holidays.
January 20th – “Magic and Mischief” (tentative title) released.
Feb – “Osiren’s Tears” goes to the editor.
March 17th … if all goes right…. “Osiren’s Tears“is released.