Misc.

Nov 02

My original plan for today’s post was to continue with my website redesign series. But I’ve decided to push that off until later in the week. Instead, I’m going to continue writing about NaNoWriMo.

And so it begins

As many of you know, National Novel Writing Month is officially upon us. In celebration, I took the day off from work. In my humble opinion, it really should be a national holiday, but so far I have been unable to convince any of the higher ups.

I’ve got to say, taking the day off was a great idea. And no, it wasn’t great because I didn’t have to go to work or because I was able to stay in my PJs all day and sleep in until 8 (I’m usually up at 6, so 8 is a big deal). Naturally those things contributed to the greatness of today, but the true greatness stems from what NaNoWriMo taught me about myself.

Failures of Years Past

This is my 4th year participating. The first year I jumped into a brilliant story idea only to change my mind 50 pages in. I then threw myself into the next brilliant idea, writing an additional 50 pages. Only to realize that the execution was far from brilliant. In short, I failed.

Year 2 I decided to use NaNo to push myself to finish my book, which was my story from year 1 fully resuscitated and fixed up through the help of tons of plastic surgery and duct tape. Again, I failed.

Year 3 I may as well not have participated. Not only was I extremely ill, but I attended a wedding in Thailand halfway through November. Needless to say I didn’t even come close to completing the challenge.

NaNoWriMo – Finding Your Zen

This year, my 4th year, is the first year I have gone into NaNo with a solid plan. And today I saw the benefit of this. Because I was not distracted trying to think up a plan on the fly, I was able to really focus on the writing. I also learned some things about myself.

1. NaNoWriMo teaches discipline

Ok, in a perfect world we could teach ourselves discipline. But NaNoWriMo gives that finally push to those of us struggling with the whole discipline thing. Through the act of participating in NaNo, I am able to see that I can be a disciplined writer. I can sit at my computer and write on command. I can reach daily word goals. Today, I saw that discipline in action and it was the most productive I’ve felt in a long time.

2. NaNoWriMo reinforces a schedule

Since finishing school, I’ve found it difficult to properly organize my personal life. I spend all day at work organizing my time. By the time I get home, I’m exhausted. I don’t want to think about the order. NaNo reminds us that order is not so hard to achieve, if you are willing to let it happen.

Today, I was willing to let it happen. Before getting out of bed, I had a plan. I decided I would reach 5,000 words by lunchtime. Then I would do the many other things on my list, like going to the gym, updating my blog, cleaning the house, etc. Once those things were done, I could sit down and write some more.

Because I had a set plan, I was not trying to do a million things at once. I knew I had to reach my word count for the day or I would not do the other things I needed to do. And you know what? Not only did I accomplish everything on my list, but I finished ahead of schedule.

3. NaNoWriMo stretches my limits and shows me what’s possible

Following along the same lines as the previous point, by focusing, I was able to get a really good sense of how much content I can produce in a set amount of time, and I don’t think the quality suffered more than it suffers in any first draft. Seeing how easy it is to write 5,000 words in 1 day gives me renewed hope in my ability to actually complete a project. The massive rewrite I’m undertaking with my original WIP (yes, I am currently working on 2 projects) has been disheartening to say the least. Now that I see how much I can produce in a day, I feel like it is possible to finish project 1 and all future projects. I stretched my limits today, at it feels great.

And the Conclusion is…

So what is the point of this extremely long post? I’m not saying every writer should participate in NaNo. But if you are like me and having problems figuring out the time management, discipline, reaching your full potential etc. craziness that is all part of being a successful writer, especially one working a full-time job on top of writing, maybe you should think about participating. It’s not too late to sign up.

Oct 31

I realize tonight is Halloween and you probably have better things to do then to be worrying about tomorrow. But there are some things you can and should prepare before running out to the parties and the trick-or-treating sugar rush that is Halloween.

My NaNoWriMo Checklist

To ensure that you are ready for this year’s NaNoWriMo, make sure you have the following:

Tons of coffee or tea, waiting to be brewed. I personally go for the tea. I like to be relaxed when I write. But I know for many people, NaNoWriMo equals zero energy, and they need every ounce of liquid caffeine they can get
Along the same lines, a favorite tea cup/coffee mug. If you have been wanting a new one, NaNoWriMo is the perfect excuse to get one.
A plot. Even if you haven’t created an outline or character sketches or anything like that, before you go to bed tonight, you should know what you are going to write about. Even if all you have is a plot to steal the world’s light bulbs and the main character learns about it and goes out to save the day, despite his phobia of light bulbs, that’s good enough. You have the general plot and a little bit of information about your character. So long as you have something to draw from, you’re good to go. If you don’t have something to draw from, get cracking. You have precious few hours to come up with an idea.
A NaNoWriMo account. This should seem obvious, but if you haven’t registered, go ahead and do that today. No sense wasting time tomorrow with creating a profile and uploading a picture and writing a story summary and etc. etc. To sign up, just follow this link.
Some NaNoWriMo buddies. Ok, this isn’t necessary, but it makes you feel better going into the competition with other writing mates. It’s really easy to get buddies. You can add me (dragonfly83) or you can search for people in your area/genre/etc. Then you just select the “add as buddy” link below the person’s avatar and congratulations, you’ve got a buddy.
A good music play list. If you like to listen to music while you write, set up your play list now. It will save some serious procrastination time later. And if you need some inspiration about what to include, check out the NaNo Soundtrack forum.
Snacks – nothing ruins a productive writing session like having to run out to the grocery store.
Better yet, the number and menu for a variety of take-out restaurants
Comfortable clothing – I enjoy writing in warm socks, comfy yoga pants/sweats, tanks tops and sweatshirts. If your writing clothes are dirty, wash them before tomorrow
And finally, confidence – confidence in your writing and in yourself. Even if your idea seems like it’s getting crazy or stupid, just go with it. NaNoWriMo should be about having fun while doing something you love. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be good. You have the months after November to bring it to that level.

Do you have anything else to add? What goes into your ideal writing environment? How do you prepare for NaNoWriMo?

Oct 19

I’m not usually one to ask for things. Even when I was a girl scout, I felt weird going door-to-door asking people to buy my cookies. Obviously I didn’t inherit my father’s selling skills.

Well, I’ve decided to overlook my aversion to asking people for money just this once. As writers out there are probably aware, NaNoWriMo, or, National Novel Writing Month, is just around the corner. The event, which officially begins November 1, is a month long write-a-thon where writers work towards producing a 50,000 word novel in 30 short days. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Wait, there’s more

But, as an organization, NaNoWriMo does a lot more. Through donations, they bring free creative writing programs for kids and adults to over 500 cities and towns, 3,000 classrooms, and 200 libraries every year. As someone who has always found a special friend through writing, I’ve gotta say, I think it’s great to share this great gift with as many people as possible.

This year, I am, for the 4th year running, participating in NaNoWriMo. And, for the first time, I am als0 trying my hand at fundraising.

My NaNoWriMo Fundraising Goal

My goal is to get $250 worth of donations. Not a lot when you think about it. $5 here, $10 there, and lots of people who would not otherwise have the opportunity can suddenly enroll in writing programs and NaNoWriMo can continue to fund itself.

So what will I do for you?

NaNoWriMo Mug

This year I am more prepared than I’ve been any previous year. I have a plot outlined, complete with a working story arc and everything and I’m buying a new tea kettle this weekend and a good supply of tea to help motivate me. Basically, I’m ready to go. I will complete the challenge this year and your donations will help urge me on.

In addition, I will select one donor at random to receive a NaNoWriMo Diner Mug. How cool would that be?

And finally, once I get my book signed and published (’cause isn’t that ultimately the goal here?), I will give a shout out to everyone who donates.

So here’s the skinny

To donate, all you have to do is follow this link and you will be taken to my donor page. Once you donate, my little progress meter will go up. You can also check out my NaNoWriMo page here to keep tabs on my progress and see a brief synopsis of my NaNoWriMo project this year.

Thanks in advance for your donations and if I don’t have your contact info, send me a quick message through my contact page so I can add you to the raffle list.

Oct 17

As promised, a recap on the writer’s workshop I attended.

The workshop, which was a free, shortened version of Grub Street’s Jumpstart Your Writing Workshop was just one short hour. Perfect for a workshop/writing class novice. Being such a small time commitment, not to mention bank account commitment, I felt less pressure to get the most I could get out of it. Granted, I still went into it wanting to get the most I could from it, but since I was not giving up my entire weekend or a boat load of cash, it was alright if I got nothing out of it. This freedom let me enjoy the workshop for what it was. It was like going on a first date where you don’t know it’s a date. You can talk and have fun and not worry about what you are wearing. There’s no pressure to make the other person like you. Of course, once you learn that it was a first date, then you can start feeling awkward, but that’s an entirely different experience.

So, back to workshops. We did two exercises. One was a memoir focusing on description. It had to include a memory from a car. The second was a short story that was supposed to focus on the inside story. We had to write about a person claiming responsibility for a historical event as a way to mask some internal issue.

These exercises were not the type of writing I’m used to at all. Exercises like this are one of the main reasons I did not major in English or get a master’s in creative writing. I didn’t want to be forced to write something. I wanted to write what I wanted to write. But this was a workshop. I had filled a slot and I was here to learn.

For the first story, I wrote about driving back to college late at night. I wanted to show the freedom I felt, sitting behind the wheel with the cold winter wind blowing in my face to keep me awake. I don’t think this story was very successful. I have a hard time writing about myself. It makes me uncomfortable. I’m fine borrowing from real life, but I always alter it just enough to make it no longer my story.

For my second story, I felt a little more in my element. I wrote about a boy from a poor family who feels insecure because of his lack of wealth. He claims responsibility for warning the Americans that the British were coming. He was able to do this because he invented a time machine. Due to some incidents that almost altered the course of history (i.e. accidentally knocking out Paul Revere minutes before his ride), the boy decides that he cannot use the time machine to bring his family wealth. Who knows what he might mess up were he to do that.

Now, I don’t think this was my best bit of writing. But I will say, doing these exercises opened me up to the idea of trying new things in your writing, to experimenting with new styles and sometimes writing things you don’t want to write, just to see where they will take you. Would I sign up for a full workshop? Most definitely.

P.S. If you are in the Boston area and have thought about taking a writing class/workshop, you should check out Grub Street.

Oct 11

Even Arthur is excited about the new iMac!

Today I have done something liberating. I sat down and I organized all of my writing.

Writers are hoarders

We tend to hoard our work, or at least I do as do several writers I know. You don’t want to trash something that could develop into something later. Sadly, though, my folders are so disorganized I spend valuable writing time trying to find my documents. It’s all just this giant mess of files, some stuck in my writing folder, some lying around my documents folder, and even more just hanging out on my desktop.

Laptop vs. Desktop

This weekend the boyfriend brought home a shiny, brand new iMac. I definitely prefer writing on a desktop. While the idea of taking my laptop to other places to get a change of scenery seems great, in truth it is just a huge distraction. It means I have no order. You go to work and you have a desk you are forced to sit at. With my laptop, I can easily move to other areas, look at other things, and next thing you know, the day is done and I have barely done any writing. Now I can say that the desk is for writing and if I want to be on Twitter or Facebook, I have to do that on my laptop, in another room. Separating the distractions keeps you focused.

Now that the weekend is over, I finally get to play with the new computer, and I will be able to use it every evening after work. On the weekends I will still have to switch back to the laptop, but hopefully the discipline of writing on the desktop will help me become a more disciplined writer.

A Folder for Everyone

In trying to set up the most organized, clean writing environment possible, I have organized my writing. Every document I deem worthy of being a good idea, which, let’s face it, is pretty much everything, gets copied from Word into Pages (Apple has made it really easy to convert Pages documents into iBook format) and then saved into a sub-folder of writing. The sub-folders are:

Chick Lit
Young Adult
Children
Middle Grade
Short Stories
Writing Exercises
Ideas
Essays

For works-in-progress, I have assigned a sub-folder to their category. For example, my Max book is organized Writing–>Middle Grades–>Max. All the files for this project live in the Max folder.

Now when I am searching for a document, I can easily locate it, saving me time and keeping me from getting distracted. And, since I have converted everything into Pages, it means there will be one less step if I decide to turn anything into an ebook.

How do you organize your writing? Do you prefer a desktop or a laptop? What do you think of Pages vs. Word? Is there another program you prefer to use?

Oct 09

This post is going to be pretty short. After a hectic week, I’ve had little time to research exciting things. What I did have time for, though, was to sign up for my first ever Writers’ Workshop.

The workshop is next weekend, 10/16. It is being held in conjunction with the Boston Book Festival and run by Grub Street. I’ve been thinking about trying out a workshop or class through Grub Street for a while, but the cost has always held me back. What if the class isn’t good? What if workshops don’t work for me? This workshop will give me the perfect opportunity to try them out because it is free.

If you are in the Boston area, you should look into this workshop and the other Boston Book Festival events. While last year, their first year, had some problems – pouring rain, more people than the spaces could handle – the festival was still a lot of fun. After all, what could be better than a celebration of the literary world? This year should be better organized and there are several Children/Young Adult lit events on the schedule, including presentations from Jeff Kinney and Kristin Cashore (my review of Fire to follow next week). Sadly I have to work part of the day and will miss Jeff Kinney, but by optimizing what little time I have, I’m hoping to get the most that I can out of the festival.

Look for my update next week, 10/17, where I will share my thoughts on the event and my first workshopping experience.

Oct 07

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled How Handwriting Trains the Brain. According to a study, children write more words faster and express more ideas when writing by hand as opposed to typing. This raises an interesting question. Does a writer’s reliance on typing as opposed to writing by hand limit the writer’s creativity?

Writing by Hand

I’ve always been drawn to writing by hand, but you can’t easily share your work if it’s written on paper. Such is the nature of our digital society. Despite my preference for handwriting, typing things into a computer seems to save time. Or does it?

If writing by hand engages the mind more than typing, are we really saving time when we turn to the computer for our first drafts? If we are engaging our creativity to a higher degree by hand than on the computer, writing things first by hand should lead to less editing, thus saving more time while helping us to produce better content.

Engaging our Creative Juices

I’ve always found that my ideas flow better when I am outlining by hand. The same is true for putting pen to paper. I don’t know if it’s because I feel like each word needs to count for more if I don’t want my paper to be covered with scribbles, or if, as the artlice from the WSJ claims, the actual act of creating the letters engages my brain. If your brain is already engaged, it seems to follow that it would be easier to tap into your creativity.

A Dying Art

Sadly, kids are spending less time practicing their penmanship. They are more and more often using computers in class. It’s practically unheard of to submit a handwritten essay in college or high school and I would guess the same is true for middle school. So what does this mean for our content? Will our society start producing less interesting content? Will our words become mundane and our stories sub-par?

What do you think? Which do you prefer? Do you write everything by hand? 50/50? Or are you a die hard technology fan? Do you think technology limits our creativity? Our productivity? Should we be concerned by the dying art of writing by hand?

Oct 03

Yesterday I finally picked up a copy of The Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, 2011 and I am inspired. I wish I had picked up a copy sooner. If you haven’t picked your copy up yet, I highly recommend you do.

Bitter Sweet Endings and New Beginnings

I have decided to put my WIP on hold. It is a total mess and, while I still like the basic idea behind it, it’s not what I really want to be writing. This book started as something completely different. By the time I reworked everything to make the plot work, I just didn’t love it anymore. Even though I am so close to the end of the 1st draft, that last couple chapters are killing me. I need a break. I need to quit rushing to finish it out of my desire to have something to get published. If it’s not good, no one will buy it. Of course, I’m not trashing the book, just putting it on hold and starting something new.

In reading the articles in the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, an idea began to form, and that idea turned into a nice, concise plot summary complete with a beginning, middle and end. There are tough decisions, identity issues, and betrayal. There is a solid setting, character flaws, and suspense. And the best part about it is that the idea came along without forcing it. The same cannot be said about my now on hold WIP.

While I love NaNoWriMo, it did cause me to force an idea. I remember 3 years ago on November 1, sitting in my home office trying to will a plot into my head. Maybe veteran writers are capable of doing that, but for someone writing their first full length book, that kind of thinking can be disastrous. No wonder I have never succeeded in completing a NaNoWriMo.

What next?

This time around, I’m doing it right. I so badly want to dive in and start turning my concept into a book. But I learned my lesson last time. I’m going to sit down and write an outline. I’m going to develop my characters before I even put them to paper. I know that my outline will change and my characters may pick up new traits or abandon other ones, but to write a book without a blueprint can be suicide for a writing career, or at least it can be or me.

Sep 27

I have officially immersed myself in the Social Media sphere. So what does that have to do with books, writing, and the title of this blog post? Just wait, I’m getting there.

Having been put in charge of my office’s social media, I started subscribing to Mashable and TechCrunch. And wouldn’t you know that instead of reading about all of the new advances in technology, I was captured by an article on Mashable titled “11 Astounding Sci-Fi Predictions that Came True.” The main premise of this article is that it is only natural that a few sci-fi inventions/predictions would become reality. There are so many sci-fis out there, how could a few authors not manage to get a few things right? But what struck me about the article was a completely different idea – do inventors invent things because sci-fi has shown them that they are possible? Does sci-fi plant the seeds into the heads of children and adults that then grow into our technological advances?

Ideas Spawned from Literature

All inventors come up with their ideas from somewhere. Who’s not to say that reading about a “newspad” in 2001: A Space Odyssey didn’t give the brains at Apple the idea for the iPad? Sure, these technological advances may have come around without the help of sci-fi, but to dismiss the foreshadowing as mere coincidence? I don’t know. I’m not quite buying it.

Does sci-fi influence our future? Are we planting seeds in our readers heads about what the future can hold, and by doing so, encouraging them to create that future? Or are similarities in the predictions of books to the realities of the future merely coincidence?

Sep 21

Courtesy of Paul Foot

Alright. So September is almost over and I am not done. Life did, indeed, get in the way. In particular, my chronic headaches. And let me tell you, chronic headaches make writing near impossible. But it was more than just my excuses. It’s also feeling like I’m sprinting a marathon instead of pacing myself. Instead of really thinking about the scenes, I feel like I have been creating skeletons of scenes. But you know what, apparently I’m not alone.

Rushing to the finish line

I was reading a blog post from The Literary Lab called Don’t Rush to the Finish Line, and I realized that this is a common problem when there is a deadline involved. In reading the responses to the post, I realized that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to have merely sketches of scenes. After all, my deadline is more so that I can get the ideas all out there, see how the story will play out, and then start sketching my new story idea before I come back to the serious work of editing. So maybe rushing to the finish line isn’t so bad in this situation.

What do you think? Are you guilty of this? How rushed can your story be to still count as a first draft? Is rushing a bad thing?

Page 3

And so it begins – Journey through NaNoWriMo