December 2, 2021
“I personally adore almost anything fantasy or science fiction, and have a hard time sticking with a book that has no magic unless it’s an alternate world or universe. I think stories with a romantic plot, and even sub-plot, are drastically overdone and cliché, and eagerly search for books that focus less on the fictional idealised notions of love.”
November 30, 2021
You've done it. You've pushed and pushed, writing thousands of words each week, making it to this day - November 30, 2021. You've written like mad, and today, as you enter that last update, you'll taste that sweet victory of winning NaNoWriMo.
November 29, 2021
Whether you're into city living, country living, or that in-between suburbanite, landscape is a huge part of writing. Not only is it critical for helping our readers establish physical aspects of our writing universes, but the landscape can be an inspiration for storytelling.
November 26, 2021
A popular misconception exists that “The Next Great American Novel” can lift any feeble, impoverished writer from the mire to Hollywood or at least the White House. But alas, the creation of something incredible does not alone crown peasants kings.
November 24, 2021
Usually, when I cross the 30,000-word mark each year, my inspiration for NaNoWriMo begins to wane. So, I thought it might be good to work through some of the things I do to keep the inspiration going. I hope my workarounds are things that help keep your motivation flowing all November long!
November 23, 2021
All writers at some point in their writing career will face a blockade – the dreaded writer’s block. And though, yes, I agree with Jim Butcher on this sentiment, “I don’t have writer’s block. I have a mortgage,” we don’t all have that motivator when it comes to writing our fiction...
November 20, 2021
This year, I couldn’t decide which novel to write, so I gave myself some leeway in choosing one to start with, then the option to jump to the next ones after I complete the first. This gave me the freedom to prioritize without eliminating the possibility of working on the other four I really wanted to write this year. But as the last third of the month hits, ideas can wane, and inspiration poop out. So, I, like many of you, need some good solid writing prompts.
November 19, 2021
You’ve been at this for 18 days now. Writing, writing, pushing, pulling, breaking, mending - drafting your NaNoWriMo 2021 novel. Well, by now, you may have come to absolutely love your main characters, or you may hate them. But if you’re not feeling that strongly about them, you might need to take a pause in the storytelling and spend some time falling in love with your lead (or falling in hate, if that villain just isn’t doing it for you).
November 18, 2021
None of these are inherently good or bad. Some people will run wild with your validating words and, intentional or not, harm others in their own “freedom.” Others may rejoice and find healing. The reader’s response is not on you to determine. You cannot force anyone to do anything.
November 16, 2021
If you’re still working away at your NaNoWriMo novel right now, I challenge you to make the following thousand words really count. Tell your readers every smell, every touch, every sound and sight, every flavor in the scene.
November 8, 2021
“What is wrong with me? Why did I write that? It’s fatal trash….” I think many of us can say that during NaNoWriMo. We’ve written a page, chapter, or even a 10,000-word chunk of writing that we think is the worst thing ever composed by any human. And, so, we face that problem: “What do I do now? Trash what I’ve written, take the loss, and move forward from somewhere else? Or do I keep going and realize this manuscript will only ‘win’ NaNo for me and nothing else, ever? Or do I move on and just hope, somehow, I can come back in December and redeem this piece of literary vomit?”
November 6, 2021
Earlier this month, I mentioned my process for writing 10,000 words in less than four hours. I thought I’d give you the full run-down. May it help some of you as you tackle your NaNoWriMo 2021 writing goals this year!