NaNoWrMo has different groups available (check the website) in your local area to get together with other writers and have a "write in." Most of these are held in coffee shops though some might be at someone's house. I went to one at a Starbucks about ten minutes from my house. (Very convenient!) It was cool to meet another writer and her friend who came along to offer moral/reading support. :)
The write in helped me to not be distracted (as I so often am) by household chores, children, ringing phones, etc. when I'm sitting down for some uninterrupted writing time. I will definitely go again. (I hit my minimum word count that night and have posted 4,223 words of my new story so far!)
The point of "just writing" is to not self-edit as we so often do. I was finding myself constantly trying to think all the scenarios through in my novel rather than just let the words come out. It's a bit freeing to let my imagination take over and see what happens to the characters and the story line. I might hate it when I go back and read it when November is over. Who knows?
Keep writing! (And if you didn't sign up for the National Novel Writer's Month, give yourself a challenge, a goal for writing this month. 100 words a day? 1,000 words a day? If you don't hit it on one day, keep going on the next day. Don't give up for missing a day.)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
NaNoWrMo!
NaNoWrMo is here! That is, National Novel Writing Month! Check it out here.
What's it all about? Writing, writing, writing as much as you can on your current novel project in just one month! We, as writers, tend to daydream, edit, anguish over scenes, dialogues, descriptions...on and on. Well stop it! Just write! Upload your work (and you can do fancy copyrighting stuff to make sure no one takes it) to the site. If you hit 50,000 words by the end of the month, you get credit for accomplishing a huge goal! And yes, people can cheat and upload rubbish or previously written stuff. But that defeats the whole spirit of the challenge. Real writers won't do that. Right, guys? ;)
Let's have fun and just write! If anyone out there wants to get together and have a "write-in" at a local library, let me know! (Lots of desks and outlets available at the library!)
If you're going to do this, sign up today! You'll get encouraging e-mails to work on your story. Try to writer 1,600 words a day. You can do it! :)
What's it all about? Writing, writing, writing as much as you can on your current novel project in just one month! We, as writers, tend to daydream, edit, anguish over scenes, dialogues, descriptions...on and on. Well stop it! Just write! Upload your work (and you can do fancy copyrighting stuff to make sure no one takes it) to the site. If you hit 50,000 words by the end of the month, you get credit for accomplishing a huge goal! And yes, people can cheat and upload rubbish or previously written stuff. But that defeats the whole spirit of the challenge. Real writers won't do that. Right, guys? ;)
Let's have fun and just write! If anyone out there wants to get together and have a "write-in" at a local library, let me know! (Lots of desks and outlets available at the library!)
If you're going to do this, sign up today! You'll get encouraging e-mails to work on your story. Try to writer 1,600 words a day. You can do it! :)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Writing. It's What I Do.
I love to write. It started when I was younger as a way to use my vivid imagination in a productive way. :) I wish I had kept some of the old stories that I wrote but, sadly, I threw them away. *sigh*
I had the idea for my book THE SEVENTH BLESSING last summer. I had a little journal and I started jotting down ideas. That grew into dialogue. And then description about the world they lived in. And then...I started really writing the story.
I had to write a short story for a literature class I was taking. I picked up my little journal and started to write out a short story using what I already had. When I got to page ten (for the three page assignment), I realized that this wasn't just going to be a short story. So...I saved that file and started a NEW story for my assignment. I would send the updated versions of 7th Blessing to a friend of mine who also writes. She'd send me what she had recently written and we would edit and critique each other's work. (I would recommend this to other authors! Find a friend you trust and do this. A lot!)
I was stuck for a long time because I wrote something for my character, Samantha, to do and then...I couldn't get past it. Impasse. (Not "writer's block.") Finally, my friend said that it was because I had changed Sam's age in the story from 15ish to 18 that the part where I was stuck didn't work. I was able to tweak it and then BAM! I was able to go on! Six versions later, I have a story that I'm very proud of and happy to share with others. You probably wouldn't want to read the earlier versions. *shudder* It's good to keep earlier versions, however, in case you say, "Wait a minute! That one part was good! What did I say in that line of dialogue?" etc. It's also good to track where you've been as a writer. Hopefully, the story gets better in each version.
Someone asked me how you start writing a story. My way is to start with a main character sketch. What is your MC like? Personality traits, physical characteristics, etc. Then work out a plotline. Where will the story begin and end? What's the climax of the plot? Now fill in the story outline. Who does the MC meet? Friends, enemies, etc. Character sketches for those people. And they really do become "people" to the author! Your family will think you slightly crazy for mumuring, "But would Samantha really do that?" "Is that what Nolan would say?" :)
Writers write. I know that sounds simple but it's true! Think about it for a minute. Photographers take pictures. Artists paint. Teachers teach. Bakers bake. I could go on and on. If you want to write, then do it. And then get brave enough to show it to someone whom you trust. Ask for honest feedback, constructive criticism.
And keep writing. :)
I had the idea for my book THE SEVENTH BLESSING last summer. I had a little journal and I started jotting down ideas. That grew into dialogue. And then description about the world they lived in. And then...I started really writing the story.
I had to write a short story for a literature class I was taking. I picked up my little journal and started to write out a short story using what I already had. When I got to page ten (for the three page assignment), I realized that this wasn't just going to be a short story. So...I saved that file and started a NEW story for my assignment. I would send the updated versions of 7th Blessing to a friend of mine who also writes. She'd send me what she had recently written and we would edit and critique each other's work. (I would recommend this to other authors! Find a friend you trust and do this. A lot!)
I was stuck for a long time because I wrote something for my character, Samantha, to do and then...I couldn't get past it. Impasse. (Not "writer's block.") Finally, my friend said that it was because I had changed Sam's age in the story from 15ish to 18 that the part where I was stuck didn't work. I was able to tweak it and then BAM! I was able to go on! Six versions later, I have a story that I'm very proud of and happy to share with others. You probably wouldn't want to read the earlier versions. *shudder* It's good to keep earlier versions, however, in case you say, "Wait a minute! That one part was good! What did I say in that line of dialogue?" etc. It's also good to track where you've been as a writer. Hopefully, the story gets better in each version.
Someone asked me how you start writing a story. My way is to start with a main character sketch. What is your MC like? Personality traits, physical characteristics, etc. Then work out a plotline. Where will the story begin and end? What's the climax of the plot? Now fill in the story outline. Who does the MC meet? Friends, enemies, etc. Character sketches for those people. And they really do become "people" to the author! Your family will think you slightly crazy for mumuring, "But would Samantha really do that?" "Is that what Nolan would say?" :)
Writers write. I know that sounds simple but it's true! Think about it for a minute. Photographers take pictures. Artists paint. Teachers teach. Bakers bake. I could go on and on. If you want to write, then do it. And then get brave enough to show it to someone whom you trust. Ask for honest feedback, constructive criticism.
And keep writing. :)
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