Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Prepping for NaNoWriMo by Patty Smith Hall
Thursday, October 15, 2020
2020 and the fight for NaNoWriMo by Lisa Phillips
The only problem is, this NaNoWriMo hasn’t remained that familiar spot from previous ventures—the place of victory it once was. Though it might be the same mountain with its steady and relentless climb to the top, victory doesn’t look quite so sure this time. That hill looks a little steeper. The path looks a little more treacherous. Occasionally a boulder labeled, “lockdown” or another labeled, “online school” rolls across the path. Snow clouds gather, and the air seems to hold a little more chill the weather man calls, “you’ll have to wear your mask inside Starbucks even though you didn’t finish your drink yet.”
So what is this weary traveler known as 2020 going to do?
He’s going to prepare.
Yeah, yeah. He does that every October to get ready for his journey. He’ll scribble in a notebook, and have inspired plot ideas in the shower. He’ll dig out those long (but mostly useless) character questionnaires, and then remember to read the craft books and actually dig into the character’s real, inner journey—the one that encompasses real change.
Same old October NaNo prep.
Or is it?
This year looks a lot different for our intrepid traveler. He’ll have to find new ways of working. New places that are distraction free. Life probably looks a whole lot differently this year, and assuming things will fall into place may not work. 2020 has to see a few boulders start to roll before they even get close, and make a side-step out of the way.
Can he still achieve victory?
Sure.
Will he?
Maybe. Maybe not. And isn’t that the real story of 2020? Kind of like this:
A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. (Prov 16v9)
Right now it feels like he’s directing 2020 through a minefield. The word, “unprecedented” comes to mind. “Never before” has x,y, or z happened in our lifetime. Who knows what will happen next? I’ve found myself homeschooling for the first time. Writing a chapter a day – at seven in the morning – and taking longer to write a book. Everything was canceled for a while, and yet it felt like I was busier than ever. Now that things seem to be coming back online, I’m wondering what will happen next.
So if you’re looking forward to NaNoWriMo out of a sense of nostalgia for years past…I’d caution you. Be VERY careful to measure what you’re able to commit to. This year is so wildly different from any other that it could blindside you, and all your plans get tossed up in the air like confetti.
If you do sign up, whether things go well or poorly, give yourself GRACE. Celebrate your accomplishments, and for the rest of it—toast your favorite beverage to, “doing a little better next time.”
Last year I thought I would do double NaNo. I ended at 75,000 words. Not bad at all—maybe even fantastic—but that would never happen this year. Not only am I homeschooling, I’m also attending a week long intensive conference mid-Nov.
But I’ll be on the sidelines, cheering everyone on…and then about the 13th, I’ll realize I need to write that 55k word book before I go on vacation Nov 27th. *shrug* 2020. Am I right?!
So if you’re looking forward to NaNoWriMo out of a sense of nostalgia for years past…I’d caution you. Be VERY careful to measure what you’re able to commit to. This year is so wildly different from any other...
She’s a contributing author in the DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS boxed set that released this week. The set is aiming to be a USA Today Bestseller, so if you’ve got a dollar and you adore Christian Romantic suspense then head on over to Amazon and snap up your copy now!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086WP9LX9
Friday, June 28, 2019
I Hereby Propose Summertime as the New NaNoWriMo by C. Kevin Thompson
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| C. Kevin Thompson |
That is why I hereby propose summertime to be the new, official NaNoWriMo.
Why do I proclaim it is anti-American? Take football, for example. Although baseball has been touted as “America’s pastime,” those days are long past. Empty seats at baseball stadiums, declining TV ratings, and long, tedious 162-game seasons are all reasons why baseball has fallen from its lofty perch. Football reigns supreme now. It has been thus for years now. And college football, with its playoff system, has reached stratosphere levels in fandom across the landscape of our country.
Or considereth Thanksgiving. It is hard to assemble the family, prepareth a meal, eat, sleep, eat once more, watcheth football, sleep, and eat once again if you are cooped up in your office trying to pound out 60,000 words or more by the end of your days.
Or considereth the season of fall. Crisp weather. Leaves changing. A hint of winter on the horizon. It is beautiful! You can worketh, playeth, hiketh, biketh, runneth, walketh, or paradeth about wherever you want outside without having to carry a barrel of water around to replenish all fluids you have lost because of excessive perspiration. Summer is for indoor activities.
As for the birthday and wedding anniversaries, I understandeth that is more of a preference than a real concern. However, when you couple it with Thanksgiving, and Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, and Veteran’s Day, and the last days of November, which are really the beginning of the Christmas season (unless you are a Hallmark fan, then that season starts in July these days), it leaves to the imagination to comprehend why November is a poor choice. We must choose wisely.
The point is, summertime worketh the best. You can starteth early in the south, right after the children get out of school and be done by the Fourth day of July. Or, for the northerners, you can wait until after the Fourth and be finished, with plenty of time to vacation at Disney World, where you can carry around your barrel of water in August and lament about the sweltering heat.
_________________________________
Do you hear that?
That cacophony of voices…
People shouting at their computers, wanting my head on a platter?
“How dare he name the creators of NaNoWriMo miscreants?”
“How dare he even challenge the great wisdom of having ordaineth November as the month of all seasons for writers to channel their powers or ingenuity?”
“Off with his head!”
________________________
Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard with the whole proposal, but I hope you see that it really doesn’t matter when you write. It really doesn’t matter when you start and stop. It really doesn’t matter if it goes over the sacred “thirty days.” The real point is—and I believe the NaNoWriMo folks had this in mind when they set everything up—you need to write, you need to complete what you started, and your goal needs to be reasonable.
If declaring a specific time wherein you make it known from your housetop to all who will listen that this swath of the time you are claiming, whenever it is during your busy life, is “hallowed ground,” then so be it. So let it be written. So let it be done. Whether it be November or July, February or June, makes no difference.
What does matter is if you are writing…if you are writing with reachable goals…and if you are writing with the ultimate goal of completing what you begin as one of those goals.
So, I hope you caught my drift today. I don’t know anybody from NaNoWriMo. And I know they are not truly miscreants. I just thought I’d get your attention so I could make my point (and I do believe the summer is the best time, by the way…for me, that is).
“Many wish to begin the quest of a project of great length. But alas, they do not contain the wherewithal to finish that which they have begun.”
So, which span of days shall prove to be your best? Shall prove that you are as much of a finisher as you are a beginner?
For me, it will always be Summertime! Summertime! Summertime!
“Many wish to begin the quest of a project of great length. But alas, they do not contain the wherewithal to finish that which they have begun.”
#seriouslywrite #encouragementforwriters via @CKevinThompson
#seriouslywrite #encouragementforwriters via @CKevinThompson
When the Clock
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| When the Clock Strikes Fourteen |
Strikes Fourteen
The Blake Meyer Thriller Series Book 4
An Insane Retribution. An Insidious Radical. An Intense Reunion.
When he got married, Supervisory Special Agent Blake Meyer worried that shielding his family from his past would prove to be formidable. Now, as precious time ticks away, Blake finds himself flying over the ocean at twenty thousand feet, searching for his family, and watching helplessly as his greatest fear wraps its tentacles around his past, present, and future, inextricably weaving them into a deadly game of vengeance.
With the help of his longtime friend, Harrison Kelly, and a small band of soldiers, Blake sets out to rescue the only people he has ever truly loved…before it’s too late.
However, unbeknownst to Blake, retooled plans have been set in motion to keep the contagion in play. To keep the threat alive. To bring a country to its knees. And forge the dawning of a new era.
One free of American interference.
One dominated and controlled by those who survive the carnage.
One without Blake Meyer.
C. KEVIN THOMPSON is a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a kid at heart. Often referred to as “crazy” by his grandchildren, it’s only because he is. He’s a writer. Need he say more?
The first four books of his Blake Meyer Thriller series are out! Book 1, 30 Days Hath Revenge, Book 2, Triple Time, Book 3, The Tide of Times, and Book 4, When the Clock Strikes Fourteen, are now available!! Also, the second edition of his award-winning debut novel, The Serpent’s Grasp, is also now available!
Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, NCIS, Criminal Minds, BBC shows Broadchurch, Shetland, Hinterland, and Wallander, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too. But you will never catch him wearing a deerstalker. Ever.
Website: www.ckevinthompson.com/
Kevin’s Writer’s Blog: www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/
Facebook: C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Instagram: ckevinthompson
Pinterest: ckevinthompsonauthor
Goodreads: C. Kevin Thompson
BookBub: C. Kevin Thompson
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Escape Your Writing Cave By Marie Wells Coutu
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| Writers write. |
The familiar adage of BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard) works. Any writer who’s serious about his or her craft needs to follow that advice. When you have a deadline to complete a novel, whether it’s self-imposed or by contract, the only way to finish is to keep at it.
But there is a time for everything. Even during NaNoWriMo or when under deadline, it’s good to take some time away from writing and not feel guilty about it.
Too often, I find myself putting off other things I could be doing—family activities, exercise, visiting a sick friend—in order to “write.” Then I pour the guilt on myself for not doing those things. But if I do take time away from writing, in creeps resentment because I’m not writing.
Never mind that I sabotage my writing time with Facebook, Solitaire, or TV. I accept the blame for those times, but that doesn’t keep me from jealously guarding my time, while also feeling guilty about the “good deeds” I don’t do.
I repeat, a serious writer must spend time writing and guard against time-stealers. But there are occasions when we have to come out of our writing cave.
The other day, I finally took the time to visit a friend who’s in a nursing home. She loves to read, so I bring her books from my stash as often as I can. I confess to being grateful when I find her napping so I don’t feel guilty about dropping off the books and leaving. But I know how much it means to her to have someone take the time to talk. So this time I did.
As I drove home afterward, I realized how much I had enjoyed the visit. I had learned more about her life, episodes that may even find their way into a book in the future. And I resolved not to feel resentment when spending time with other people takes away from my writing time. If I allow myself some time for such things, I’ll have no need to feel guilty about the hours that I do spend writing.
Here’s my new motto: Don’t let word count stop you from doing what counts. After all, if I am called to write books that show God’s love to a fallen world, shouldn’t I also be willing to demonstrate that love to individual people in my world?
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| About the Author |
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| Marie Wells Coutu |
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| The Secret Heart by Marie Wells Coutu |
Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
How NaNoWriMo Changed My New Year Writing Goals by Savanna Kaiser
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| Savanna Kaiser |
That story was in my heart a long time before it was ever complete on paper. The idea simmered so long that whenever I would sit down to write, it took me forever to remember where the story and I were at. This newbie author found herself quite lost in the fictional world she'd created. It took me months to write (and edit) myself free.
Thank the Lord, I did reach THE END eventually. But as I recently started book 2, I looked at the process differently. For the first time, I attempted NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which inspires authors to write 50K words every November. Here are a few things I learned during that crazy month:
1. I NEED FUEL TO WRITE
The fuel may vary for each writer, but we all need to feel strong and nourished to pour ourselves into our stories. We should never sit down to write when we’re empty. What rejuvenates your creativity? For me, yes, coffee is involved, especially on those mornings where I’m setting the alarm early so I can write before the baby girl wakes up. More important though, I need my quiet time with the Lord. I’ve learned that I write better after I’ve spent time in the Word with Him. NaNoWriMo reminded me I write best when I’m fueled and fed, spiritually as well as physically. 😊
2. I CAN WRITE MORE THAN I THINK I CAN
I would never have guessed what I could do when I pushed myself to sit down and write day after day. This isn’t a new idea to authors, but it was life-changing for me. That accountability and commitment brought me back to my laptop every day, whether I felt like it or not. And the words often flowed even when I wasn’t feeling inspired. The art of consistent writing truly does feed more creativity.
3. I WILL MAKE TIME FOR WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME
Before my first attempt at NaNoWriMo, I often believed I didn’t have enough time to write. Either I was too busy or too tired. I had an excuse no matter what and I allowed those excuses to keep me from writing at all.
Not anymore. NaNoWriMo taught me to look for those pockets of time I was wasting. For that month, I often tucked my baby in bed and wrote until I couldn’t stay awake any longer. Other times, I plotted while my daughter played at my feet. You don’t always have to be on your computer to make progress with your book. Grab a notebook and head outside! 😊
Whatever season of life you may be in, look for those pockets of time and see where you might be able to sacrifice or modify your routine. Remember, this is a temporary season. A little rearranging of your schedule for the short term may help you get that rough draft complete!
I’m really glad I tried NaNoWriMo a few months ago. It changed the way I write, and my current book is well on its way to being finished in 4 months versus the 6 years for my last book.
No matter if you participate in NaNoWriMo next November or not, hold tight to your stories, carve out some time, and commit to the leap. That’s what’s most important. Your readers will thank you someday. 😊
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| About the Author |
She'd love to connect with you on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Do You Love Your Job? (3 Ways to Recapture Your Enthusiasm) by Marie Wells Coutu
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| Marie Wells Coutu |
I’m not talking about your “day job.” Whether you work at writing full-time, only evenings and weekends, or in ten-minute breaks during your day, if you want to be a published author, writing is your work.
When you first decided to pursue writing as something more than a hobby, you were excited about it, right? Maybe you had a story idea or a character you fell in love with, and you just had to put it on paper. You attended a writers’ conference, devoured books on the craft of writing, and couldn’t wait for that block of time when you could sit at your computer and let the words flow.
But now, months or years later, have you lost your “first love”? Has finishing the book become a chore? Does discovering your characters’ motivations feel like pulling teeth? Coming up with fresh expressions (i.e., something other than “pulling teeth”) seem like drudgery?
Multi-published authors and pre-published authors alike sometimes deal with the day-to-day-ness of the writing life. Most people with full-time jobs in any profession encounter boredom at some point and work through it. But as writers, that lack of passion will show up in lackluster work or unsaleable fiction.
So how do we keep—or get back to—our original passion for our stories? Here are some ideas:
- Set aside your work-in-progress and start something new, if your deadlines allow it. Taking a breather from one story can allow your brain to rest and let your subconscious generate fresh ideas. Stephen King calls this putting “the boys in the basement” to work. You’ll get a fresh perspective on your story and be excited again when you go back to work on it.
- Read a portion of the story out loud. You’re not reading for problems but as a way of putting life into your characters. Really hear their voices and imagine they’re in the room with you. This may generate renewed enthusiasm for their story and help you put more passion onto the page.
- Write your main character’s backstory as a first-person journal. I’m doing this now as a prequel to The Secret Heart, which will release in February. And I having fun with it! I had written out portions of her story when I first started on the book, but now I’m going back and fleshing out specific events as if it were her journal. Doing this in the middle of the project could have helped me discover more about her character and personality. Try it to see if it re-ignites your excitement about telling your characters’ stories.
- Don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach a milestone. Setting goals along the journey and celebrating when you accomplish each one is a great way to keep yourself engaged.
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| About the Author |
Marie Wells Coutu’s newest novel, The Secret Heart, will be released in February 2017 from Write Integrity Press. Follow Marie on Amazon.com to be notified when it becomes available. The Secret Heart, loosely based on the lives of Bathsheba and David, is the third book in the Mended Vessels series. Books in the series are contemporary re-imaginings of the stories of biblical women, including Esther and the woman at the well.
Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the 2016 Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu). Marie retired after 15 years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and she and her husband now divide their time between Florida and Iowa.
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| The Secret Heart by Marie Wells Coutu |
Beautiful Shawna Moore married Hunter Wilson, the governor of Tennessee, after a whirlwind romance, only six weeks following her first husband’s death in Iraq. Now, she wonders if the governor loved her at all or only hoped to avoid a scandal.
An investigative reporter—and friend of Shawna’s—is asking questions. If he discovers the truth about Shawna’s baby, Hunter’s chances for reelection could be ruined. But keeping the secret is destroying their marriage. Will Shawna convince Hunter to choose his family and drop out of politics, or will he continue to put his career first?
The Secret Heart will be available for pre-order in mid-January. For a sneak peek, download the first chapter here.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Assessing National Novel Writing Month by Melinda Viergever Inman
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| Melinda Viergever Inman |
Assessing
National Novel Writing Month
Some of you have just come staggering out of NaNoWriMo. The
past month is a haze. You now have a very rough draft, a family that is tired
of eating pizza, and a house you were barely able to throw together for
Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. Everyone is still grousing.
Happy holidays. Merry Christmas.
Writing a novel is a time to listen to the voices, disappear
into your imaginary world, and become acquainted with your characters. But
you've done this while running headlong into two sacred holidays that are
weighted with the best pitches Madison Avenue can throw at us.
You're feeling a bit schizophrenic, as if you really might
have tipped over into the crazy novelist stereotype. Your teenage daughter
still isn't speaking to you because you were novel-distracted as she spilled
her heart to you mid-draft. You hope your husband can find it in his heart to
forgive you and that your younger children didn't suffer too much emotional
damage. You had to meet that word count.
How did you get into this mess? Where did all the craziness
begin?
The
history of NaNoWriMo: http://nanowrimo.org/history
National Novel Writing Month was started in San Francisco in
1999 for these reasons: "We wanted to write novels for the same dumb
reasons twenty-somethings start bands. Because we wanted to make noise. Because
we didn’t have anything better to do. And because we thought that, as
novelists, we would have an easier time getting dates than we did as
non-novelists."
If you're not a single twenty-something trolling for dates,
you're writing with purpose and God's leading, and you do have something better
to do in November, you may find NaNoWriMo doesn't work for you.
Personally, I can't think of a worse time of year to draft a
novel. I’m glad I didn’t know about NaNoWriMo when I was first learning my
process. By the time I did hear of it, I knew it wouldn’t work for me.
But,
what about you?
If you participated, and it was a disaster that causes you
to rue the day you ever heard of NaNoWriMo, take heart.
Likewise, if you participated, and it gave you the kick in
the pants you needed to finally write that story, take heart.
Learning is part of becoming a successful writer. No matter
the outcome, you have grown wiser. You can now write about that wisdom gained
and utilize what you learned.
Writers are an independent breed. We must each find our own
voice and discover the source of our writing mojo. We must each develop our own
method. For some, writing is a mostly solitary, thoughtful activity completed
at our own pace, not as part of a social movement. For others, writing in
groups with a national focus is what we need to make it happen.
We must carefully consider our techniques. We must be
purposeful. What works for one writer will not necessarily work for all, and
maybe not even for that writer later in life.
Make your choices wisely. Learn from your mistakes.
As Christian writers, we attempt to write while cultivating
thriving families, healthy marriages, and deepening walks with Christ.
NaNoWriMo may or may not be the best way to accomplish those goals, or it
might, depending on your process and who you are as a writer.
What do
you think?
Did you
participate? What did you learn? Will you do it again?
Nudged
toward evil by Satan, Cain 's hard-hearted hubris results in Abel's murder and
Lilith's broken heart when he is banished, splitting the family and propelling
mankind toward ever-increasing violence as their siblings seek revenge. Crushed
by what he's done, Cain runs, certain he's destroyed Lilith, his parents, and
the entire family. With Satan hounding his every move and no idea of the forces
arrayed against him, can Cain ever find God after he's committed a sin of such
magnitude? Can he ever be forgiven?
Melinda Viergever Inman was
raised in the tornado capital of the U.S. - Wakita, Oklahoma, of
"Twister" fame. There her parents met. There her roots were sunk in a
storytelling family. During years of relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and
heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots and ran from herself and from God. A
journey of trial and heartache brought her home again. A prodigal now returned
to her secure foundation, she writes with passion, illustrating God's love for
wounded people as he makes beauty from ashes. Fallen is her second novel, Refuge
her first. Melinda shepherds women in church and prison ministry and writes
inspirational material on her biweekly blog at http://melindainman.com/blog/ . With
her family she is involved with Mission India, rescuing orphans and providing
theological and job training for impoverished students— http://rimi.org/.
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