Day 30: Go Write

You don't have time to read blog posts any more then I have time to write them. 

Go Write

NOW!

~Rita

Day 30, the last day of NaNoWriMo

Day 29: Keep Writing

I am both too young and too old to be very wise and I am struggling through these last days of NaNoWriMo just as you are; what can I say? What can I do to help you get through this? Not much, but maybe these writers can:

"You say grace before meals. I say grace before I dip the pen in the ink."
— G.K. Chesterton"

"There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you're writing, and aren't writing particularly well"
— Agatha Christie

"I never exactly made a book. It's rather like taking dictation. I was given things to say. "
— C.S. Lewis

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
— Louis L’Amour

“You may tire of reality but you never tire of dreams.”
― L.M. Montgomery, The Road to Yesterday

"Write me of hope and love, and hearts that endured." — Emily Dickinson

"I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles."
— Shannon Hale

“Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and fall into a vortex, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Aha! Today I shall become an author! And I will auth and auth and auth and make a squillion dollars, whoopee!"
— Brian Jacques

"Have you thought of an ending?"
"Yes, several, and all are dark and unpleasant."
"Oh, that won't do! Books ought to have good endings. How would this do: and they all settled down and lived together happily ever after?"
"It will do well, if it ever came to that."
"Ah! And where will they live? That's what I often wonder."
— J.R.R. Tolkien (The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)


Keep writing. Keep telling your story. Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.
~Rita

Day 28: Thanks for Words

For Americans, today is Thanksgiving. That means food, football (not for me,) counting our blessings and thanking God for the good things in our lives.

There are the usual things to be thankful for of course, friends, family, good food, and hopefully the day off. But at least take a moment to think of all the things we have to be thankful for as writers:

Books, libraries, book stores, bargain books, new books, old books…

All the words you wrote this month, in fact all the words you’ve ever written

All of your ideas, the big ones, small ones, bad ones, really good ones, all of them

Every person you’ve met, talked to, or seen this year. You never know who’s going to inspire your next character.

Any advice you’ve gotten this year on writing.

All the criticism that nearly broke your heart; It made you a stronger writer.

Any rejections you’ve had, this too has helped you work harder at your writing.

All the good things people have said about your writing.

Every funny, embarrassing, awful, delightful, and boring moment you’ve experienced, seen, or heard about. It’s all fuel: hoard it.

Everything you’ve learned this year, on any subject.

All the places you been, fantastic places, boring places, strange places; Ordinary places that you’ve been to a thousand times.

Pens, pencils, paper, printers, keyboards, chalk, sand, and thing else you’ve ever used to write record words

Words: All the words you’ve ever heard, or read, or made up.

There is so much that goes into our writing that we take for granted. Do you know that as a homeschooler I have no idea what attending a high school would really be like? I could, however, tell you about canning peaches or about the scent of wood smoke when it’s so cold the snow sounds dry when you walk across it. I could tell you about doing my math under a tree, or watching a calf be born.

What is normal and boring for you isn’t so for everyone. The world is a big place and everyone is living different lives. Sometimes I think that’s all people mean when they say ‘write what you know’ you can make up all kinds of things but don’t forget to use bits of things around you. The world is full of things we can use in our writing, we just have to look, really look, around for them.

Take time to appreciate, and give thanks for, everything that fuels your writing; the things we concisely draw from and the things that we aren’t even aware of being an influence.

Thanks for reading,
~Rita

Day 27: Borrowed Encouragement

Okay, I confess, I didn’t have much done for today’s post so I may have…borrowed some wise words. Really, I don’t mean any harm…I guess I didn’t really ask if I could but, well, I think we kinda need them, so yeah I took them. I mean these are the final days, I needed some help.

So anyway, have fun:

“These are the words you are looking for.” (Jedi mind tricks work every time.)

“Writing isn’t a strict progression of thoughts to words; it’s more a big ball of wibbly, wobbly, writerly… stuff.” (The Doctor said this, well sort of)

“One does not simply stop writing on the 27th of November” (thank you Boromir, that’s exactly what I was looking for)

one does not simply stop writing

“Okay, I can write this! I am, after all, a superhero!” (Larry Boy knows what he’s talking about, well most of the time.)

“Second word of the night and strait on till morning!” (I think Peter Pan said this, he always was clever)

“Weavers of Stories! Of Novels! My kindred! I know in your eyes must be the same fear that would take the heart of me! A day may come when words run dry, when we forsake our characters and leave their stories untold. But it is not this day. An hour of dry pens and broken keyboards when the age of Novelists comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we write! By all that you hold dear in good tales, I bid you stand! Writers of November!” (Paraphrased version of Aragorn’s speech at the black gates)


Good luck,
~Rita

Day 26: Must stay awake…

“…Must stay awake…Must keep typing…Must type…must…”

“Cathy what are you doing?”

“Hmmm? Oh, Natalie, I’m trying to *yawn* get *yawn* 3,000 words done before *yawn* before I go to…to bed.”

“Why are you trying to do that?”

“Well *YAWN* I got a little behind last week and *yawn*, and then it was Sunday, and today I had an appoint- *yawn* -tment and then I went to see the Doctor at the theater. He, they, were all 3D-ish. And now the numbers are…are all...mixed up. It was…It was brilliant. And fantastic. And cool. So I had fun there. Lots of fun and then I sorta slowed down and I was gonna go to sleep *yawn* and then I realized that it’s the last week and Thanksgiving is coming up. I *yawn* have to make up the ground and I want to be a little ahead bef-*yawn* before then. Before thanksgiving”

“Well that makes sense..... I think....Um…Cathy?”

“Ya-*yawn*”

“Its 7:00. That is its Seven AM.”

“That’s nice…Wait what?”

“Its morning you’ve; been up all night.”

“Oh…I need coffee.”

“I think you need a nap. How much did you get done anyway?”

“Uh, let’s see…oh. Not 3,000. I need coffee.”

“Nap. Now how much—Cathy this says that you got 6,109 words done sense you last logged them!”

“That’s what I said. Not 3,000. Where’s the coffee?”

“Cathy…Cathy you need to go take a nap.”

“No nap. Coffee.”

“Nap, then coffee. Come on there’s cots off the break room for days like this.”

“Cots? No COFFEE. It’s the stay-awake stuff; see, I have a cup. A cup and a thir- *yawn* therm- *yawn* a coffee thing.”

“I see that you had way too much of it last night if you drank all of that. Come on.”

“To coffee?”

“Sure, you lay down over here on the cot and I’ll go see about coffee.”

“Ok-*yawn*”

“Good night Cathy.”

“You said…Morning…coffee…”

“Sweat dreams.”

So, long story short, I just saw The Day of the Doctor in 3D with some friends and, oh, I can’t say how fantastically brilliant it was. Or how tiered I am now that I'm coming down from the excitement. If I wasn’t tired then Cathy would probably explain to Natalie what Doctor who is all about and they would plan a marathon for December. But as both of us need sleep, that will have to wait until another day. It’s just past midnight so I will go to bed and leave the writing until morning like Natalie does.

~Rita

day 26 of NaNoWriMo

Day 25: Don't Panic but it's a Deadline

Looming deadlines are things that either send us into a blinding panic or motivate us to write as we have never written before.

Take a deep breath and have a piece of chocolate, go to your happy place. You there? Good now stay calm, there’s a deadline coming up fast, but it’s okay because you’re not going to panic. No, you are going to write as you never thought you could.

You are going to sit down and write whatever comes into your head. You are going to write so fast that you don’t even know what it is you’re writing until you look back at it, and you’re not going to do that until the month is over.

Day 24: You Can't lose

We have one week left. Take today to rest up and prepare for what is to come. You are going to need it.

This last week is when you make that final push to catch up. You may survive only on coffee and chocolate. You may go without sleep. You may hurt your hands typing and have to resort to speech recognition to get things done. You may come to view the phrase, ‘word count’ as the product of your worst night mares.

But if there is one thing you will not do it is this: you will not falter, you will not give up, and you will not lose. You will not, you cannot lose in this. 

I know that you will not lose because not only are you not a quitter, you are a Creator. This month has always been about creating something new and whether you reach that 50,000 or whether you could only manage 5,000 every single word is a part of something new. Never before have those words been put together in just that way. Never before has your story been told. This month is its chance, so give it all you can this week.

Give it your best.

Wake up tomorrow prepared to write as you have never written; new lines and fresh ideas. I know you’ve been at this for the past month. I know you’ve worked hard. I know that it’s hard to imagine coming up with anything new this week, the thing is I know you can. You’re a writer, you’ve been at this for weeks yes, and you’ve learned so much. Look at all that you’ve written. Really look at the reality of the number you’ve been watching for the last few weeks. You did all that. You found new creative depths this month. Don’t let it stop now.

Tomorrow you will wake up and carry on with the same passion that you began with. You will write and learn and create. You will carry through. You are a writer; you cannot lose because whatever this next week brings, you have already won. You have won because this month you learned what it is to be a writer, and you became one.

No one can take that.
No one can diminish it.
No one can change it.

You are a writer.

~Rita

Day 23: You Can Keep on Writing

Do you sit down to write with a thrill of excitement or with dread and resentment?

Has the month gotten too long? Does your story make you cringe away? Do you feel like you have nothing more to say?

Well I can understand that. After 22 posts of this sort I sit down for the twenty third and I feel a bit empty. I keep asking myself ‘what else have I got to say? What else have I to give?’

Day 22: An Unscheduled Break

“Natalie Scribe was the sole victim in a tragic and wholly unexpected accident concerning the Plot Twist Closet of the Something in Ink Novel House. 

The nearly fatal accident occurred shortly after Natalie inquired as to the best way to prolong her story, The Princess’s Quest for Ink (working title), so as to continue it through the end of the month. Unfortunately while reaching for a box labeled, ‘Lesser Natural Disasters’ she bumped into a miss-filed box of villains, ‘Unstable Henchmen’ to be exact.

Fortunately the only one to be dislodged was one of the ‘Creepy but Harmless with Evil Grin and Cackling Laugh’ types (commonly abbreviated as CbHwEGaCL.) Natalie received quite a fright and bumped her head rather hard when she stumbled out of the closet. 

Natalie has been cleared by Nurse Plotter to continue writing and the CbHwEGaCL was returned to the Spare Villain's Storeroom with no further incident. The investigation as to how ‘Unstable Henchmen’ got into the Plot Twist Closet is ongoing; updates will follow as they are released to us.”

“Please stop reading that Cathy, my head aches so and it’s dreadfully embarrassing.”

“Oh come on Natalie, you made it into the ‘Something in Daily News,’ a whole article too. I’ve been here two years and only been mentioned twice, once in the newbie’s list and then as a participant in Deadly Tales Night. You’re practically a celebrity.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Well your better known then most newbies anyway.”

“Hmmm, I am aren’t I.”

“Sure, now don’t let it go to your head, there’s enough pressure up there right now as it is.”

“Thanks for reminding me. Don’t you have a novel to write?”

“Okay, Okay, I’m going, don’t get snippy.”

“I’m not getting snippy.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are—.”

“Just leave already!”

****This break from writing was brought to you by Something in Ink, Something in Ink Novel House, and the Something in Daily News. Regular posting will continue tomorrow. On behalf of our sponsors I would like to wish you good luck with your novel today and to thank you for reading***

~Rita

Day 22 of NaNoWriMo

Day 21: Here's Your Options

We’ve got about a third of the month left and for some that may be causing mini panic attacks. If you’re one of those who is feeling hopelessly behind then this post is for you.

Things happen, we get sick or our computer crashes, or we just can’t fit in enough time to write around work, babysitting, and schoolwork. Time starts running out and our hope of completion is slipping away with it.

When we feel like this there are a few things we can do.

Day 20: One Stretch at a Time

You know most of the time I only write a few hundred words in a stretch and then I have to fumble about for another line or scene to work off of.

You’ll notice this in my posts; they generally range from 200 words to 500, with a few going over or under. This means that once I get started I’m good for, let’s say, 400 words before I stop. That means I need about four goes to get my word count for the day.

That doesn’t sound too bad right? And it isn’t; provided I get the next run started fairly soon. To be honest that doesn’t always happen, it’s one of the reasons I started this post series. See when I come to a halt I sometimes have a hard time getting going again. Last year I spent a lot of time combing through the forums for extra pep talks.

I need a lot of inspiration, support, and encouragement to get things done. (And to frequently update my word count)

How I get started can be pretty random: Sometimes I just start with a word or an image in my mind. Sometimes I write out descriptions so that through writing I can discover more about a place. Once I set out to make one character shout at the top of her lungs just for the heck of it. (That was fun.) I’ve also been committing myself to a lot of word wars this year, forcing myself to write for a set time.

So what about you? How much can you get done at a stretch? What do you do when you’re stalled? Do word prompts work for you? Or ‘what if’ questions? Working in life experiences? How about timers, do you write better when under pressure? Do you do challenges? Word wars?

If you have the time I’d love to hear from you, maybe your methods can help jump start my next stretch of writing.

~Rita

Day 20 of NaNoWriMo

Day 19: Killed anyone lately?

*Type. Type. Type. Type type type typetypetypetypetype.*

“Cathy?”

*Type type type*

“Yes.”

*Type type type*

“My story’s running out of emotion. There’s no heartache, no crisis. They say you need to make your readers cry and I just don’t know how to do that.”

*sigh*

“Who says so?”

“I don’t know, experts, professionals.”

“Whatever Natalie. Have you killed anyone lately?”

“What!”

*sigh*

“In your story…” *Type Type* “Have you killed anyone off yet?”

Day 18: Write off the Path

While trying to write anther NaNoWriMo post earlier today I ended up off on a tangent with only the slightest connection with what I had been writing. When I ran out of words I found that not only had I not completed my original thought but the new idea was too big to coral all at once. It wanted to be threaded through the process of writing a first draft through to editing and refining. It started going on about the relationship between writer and reader. It was not what I was aiming at at all. It has no place in this month’s theme.

But that’s alright, more than alright, because now I have a good start on a post, maybe more than one, for later on. It doesn’t help me much in getting my November posts ready but ideas can be so hard to catch I won’t complain about their timing.

The thing is you never know where a thought might lead you. The whole idea started with one line, one metaphor. Now it’s a half grown idea that is just waiting to be filled out a little and polished up. I couldn’t have known that when I started following it and if I had backed up and gone back to where I was supposed to be I wouldn’t ever have known what I missed.

Even if an idea seems to be going completely off your path follow it awhile, you might have found a new plot twist or an entirely new story idea. No matter how off topic it seems you can never waste your time on an idea. You never know what use you might have for that random paragraph or out of the blue sentence. Write these things down, keep them, feed them with a little brain storming and maybe they’ll surprise you.

Yes I know you’re in the middle of writing a novel right now and can’t take the time to follow every fancy. Really that’s not what I mean any way. Right now I’m just suggesting that instead of back spacing something that doesn’t fit that you consider cutting and pasting it to another file to be looked at later. And if the words are tumbling out in a direction you didn’t mean to go, go any way. See what’s over there and then come back and go on if it isn’t a better way.

Really what this rambling little post means is that if something wants to be written, write it: Even if it’s inconvenient. For NaNo writers remember that if it has any chance of being in your finished novel you can count it in your word count and words that want to be written come out faster than the kind you have to coax, drag, or otherwise terrorize onto the page.

— Rita

NaNoWriMo day 18

Day 17: Maybe a Nap

Truthfully I don’t know what I can tell you today that I didn’t mention in my last two Sunday posts. I think you should take the day off from writing; that you know. So what else can I say?

As I’m writing this in late September I can’t talk about the weather, not to mention the fact that my weather likely isn’t your weather. Actually I suppose in that case I could talk about the weather and then it’d be irrelevant to both of us. (It’s about seventy degrees out and the sky is a hazy blue with clouds on the horizon.)

It probably looked a little like this

I don’t know what I’m doing as you read this, though I suspect I’m sleeping. Or reading. Or drinking coffee and reading. In any case I’m sure I’m resting (or wishing I was.)

I suppose I could take Sundays off completely but then I’d mess up my numbers . Besides rambling about nothing much is half of what NaNoWriMo is about. (Okay not really but it is allowed.)

Well if you read this through then I suppose I got you to take a few mutes off at least. In any case have a good Sunday and I’ll see you on Monday with more (hopefully) helpful content.

God Bless,
~Rita

Day 16: Just Start Writing

Louis L'Amour

Staring a page and not knowing what to write is a very familiar occurrence. My brain just sputters at me and creativity goes on strike. I don’t know what to do with myself. Far too often my response is to go read a book or check my email. I find other things to do and leave the empty page behind. But the thing is, it doesn’t get easier to start writing the longer I wait. I lose time and who knows how many ideas because I walked away.

Some people call it writers block. To me that makes it sound like it’s out of our hands and we can’t write until it goes away.

 Lies. 

Day 15: That's Halfway

NaNoWriMo 2012

Today’s the halfway point for NaNoWriMo. According to that that lovely little graph you should have 25,000 words at the end of this day, but you know, it doesn't always happen that way.

This time last year I was frantically writing up until the very last moment to get to that 25,000 mark. I had started out behind by about four days and I was desperate to make up that ground by the halfway point.

I didn’t make it. 

Day 14: My Keyboard for a Word!

I need a word; Just one word to give me a start. Not just any word, a word that will give me direction, an idea. I’m grasping at straws, scrambling for something to say. I just need one word, why is that so hard?

The dictionary is filled with words, I could write about any of them, in theory at least. In the practical sense a post on shellfish isn’t going to motivate very many writers out there.

I could write about procrastination, I’m very familiar with that topic. But if I did that I might never get this done; particularly if I decided to do more research on the subject.

Inspiration, now that’s a nice word. I could use that. I could write all about inspiration. But now that I think, it’s a rather broad topic and one I’m not very up to date on.

I want a good word, the perfect word, to build this post around. I want it to be just right; I want it to be special.

Something inspiring, something worth your time. Poetic, vibrant, alive. All I need is that one word, I’m sure of it!

Oh, a word, a word, my keyboard for a word!

Day 13: Today You'll Write

Today is a good day: Today you get to write! Yes that’s right you get to spend every spare minute of this day writing.

Today you will discover new things; you will go to amazing places and incredible things there.

Today you might write a death scene. It will be tragic, or triumphant, depending on whether or not you liked that character. In any case there will be food later, well hopefully.

Today someone might fall off a cliff. Or climb one. Or maybe they'll have a picnic there.

Today you will write paragraphs that start with different words, not just one. Or not I mean if it’s a good word why not reuse it?

Today things will happen, good things and bad things, lots of things. Things that you will write down to show the world. Or maybe you’ll keep these words, just keep them for you alone.

Whatever story you are trying to tell, today is a good day for it. Why? Because today you will write.

Today, yes today you will write.

—Rita

Day 13 of NaNoWriMo

Day 12: The Moment of Giving Up: Don't

Sometimes we have nothing to say. No brilliant plot twists. No new characters. No jokes. No tears, laughter, shouts, dances, songs, mornings, nights, fears, hopes, smells, sights, sounds, feelings, or cravings: Nothing to give that blank section of the page. No words. No wisdom.

Oh yes I have those moments; those days.

 We run out of thoughts or don’t know where to start. We grasp at tendrils of inspiration, almost crying when they slip through our fingers. We turn away from our keyboards and go look for something else to do. We tell our selves we’re looking for ideas, sometimes we are. Sometimes though, we’re just running away.

We’ve discovered that writing is hard: its work. It’s no longer romantic and right now it certainly isn’t fun. We want to stop.

This moment, right here, is the moment in which more might-have-been’s have been born than any other. This is the moment of giving up.

But we can’t. We have stories to tell, dreams to follow, we can’t give up! But sometimes we do. We walk away and let our stories fade into dry husks in notebooks and on hard drives.

Day 11: You're Doing Alright

You don’t need to finish. No I’m not telling you to quit, I’m talking about your story. You don’t have to write the whole thing this month; yes NaNoWriMo challenges you to write a novel in 30 days. That doesn’t mean that any actually expects you to do it. What people do expect is for you to write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. The operative word here being ‘of.’ Your story can be longer than that, most books are.

You don’t need to worry if it doesn’t look like you’ll be finished with your book this month, you have next month, and then next year to finish it. By the end of this month you should have a good sized chunk of it written up, a chunk you can add to, carve out, and polish up into a full sized novel of your very own.

But right now you’re working on that first big chunk. No I take that back, you’re working on little 1,667 word sized bits (give or take) that are slowly being cobbled together to make that big chunk. Really, if you look at it, I’d say you have a pretty sizable chunk already. Just think what it’s going to look like when it’s three times that size!

Take a moment to think about that, just sit back and look at what you’ve gotten done in the last ten days. Maybe it’s not everything you’d hoped for but it’s still pretty cool. Yeah, you’re doing alright.

……

Okay, moments over, go write another bit :)

~Rita

Day 10: A rest for one third done

Its day ten; you’ve been stretching your writing muscles until they ache. Your fingers hurt. Your arm’s stiff. You have a crick in your neck and you’ve been up too late five days running (on the sixth you fell asleep at your computer.) The month is a third gone and you don't know if you can keep this up. You want to stop.

Guess what, its Sunday! You’ve worked hard for the past week and it’s time to take a break. No guilt. No pressure; just you and rest. Go to Church; say some prayers for your fellow novelists (and yourself.) Read a book. Catch up on your favorite TV show. Go for a walk. Spend some time with your neglected friends and family. Take a nap.

I haven't really been outside much in the past week, I wonder it it still looks like this? (taken 11-2-13)

Tomorrow you will get up and jot down a scene on the way to school. Or make a few notes in the elevator, or while you’re making the kids breakfast. You’ll write over lunch and during that moment of peace when the baby’s down for a nap. You’ll write while your sister’s hogging the bathroom or while you clean the kitchen. You’ll steal a few hours before bed and again stretch it out until one day becomes the next. Tomorrow you’ll write.

Day 9: Where You Write

Where do you write? Most of the time I like to write at my desk in my room. Usually I close the door but sometimes I leave it open. Just to keep me honest (the fear of getting caught playing games or scrolling through Pinterest helps keep me on target.)

Last month I posted a picture of my desk, all clean and tidy. Well…

My desk as of Nov. 9, 2013 yes it is a very comfortable work space.

My desk tends to be full of ‘Creative Clutter,’ unless I have very recently cleaned it. While sometimes it’d be nice if I could keep enough of it clean to lay out my notes or, safely, set down my morning cup of coffee, I like my desk. I even like most of the clutter. This is how I like to work. I can’t explain it, my Mother certainly doesn’t understand it, but that’s how it is.

Sometimes I do like to change it up though, or maybe just plain have to. When I wrote the bulk of this post I was sitting in the car waiting for my sister to get out of the grocery store and my laptop had been installed in the living room for the day, partly because we needed music for cleaning.

Day 8: This isn't a Marathon

 “You know watching that word count rise in nice steady intervals is great. It’s nice and neat and even. Exactly the same number of words a day, just how it should be.” Said Natalie

“Yes, it is rather—” Cathy broke off in the middle of her automatic reply. “Wait what? You’ve only been writing 1,667 words a day!”

“Of course, that’s what the recommended word count says to do after all.” This was rather obvious wasn’t it?

“You mean you haven’t done any extra? At all?” Cathy was rather anxious now.

Day 7: Facing Doubts

So I’ve been trying to write this post for a few days now. I was doing pretty good getting these things ready; I got days 1 through 6 all done and then I just ran out of steam. I started thinking, ‘what do I know about writing pep talks?’ and ‘is my advise really any good?’ and of course there’s that simply blank feeling that would come over me when I sat down to work on this. You know that one where you just can’t think of anything that seems worth writing and go wander over to Facebook or Pintrest? Yeah, I didn’t have much to say. In fact I still don’t.

Now I’m betting there’s a rule somewhere about telling your reader that you don’t have anything to say but maybe it’s what you need to hear right now. See I’m betting that you’ve felt this way, or will feel this way, sometime during this month. One of the reasons I started this Blog was to share these thoughts and maybe find someone to tell me that I’m not the only one who has doubts; That this isn’t just me and that it doesn’t mean that I’m not cut out to be a writer. But maybe I had that all backwards; maybe the whole point is so that I can tell you.

There’s a nagging little voice inside of us, all of us, that tells us we aren’t any good. It twists around things and tries to get us to stop, to give up. This voice makes us question ourselves and our abilities.

Day 6: My Inner Drill Sergeant

What do are you doing here? This is a blog, a collection of writing yes, but it’s not your writing. This isn’t your blog and it certainly isn’t your novel, so why in the name of Webster are you dawdling around here! You are supposed to be writing! You can’t write here therefore you have no business being here. Why do you even have your browser open? Oh, you were updating your word count were you? I hope it’s the full quota and you’ve finished for the day, because if you think I’m going to tolerate you hanging about while you are supposed to be writing you are sadly mistaken. What’s that? You came here for encouragement? Well not today. I haven’t got time to be coddling anybody! You want advice? GET WRITING! That’s what this is all about isn’t it? Writing! So go on and get to it! NOW!

Ahem, I hope my inner drill Sergeant didn’t scare anyone off. If you’re looking for something a little gentler feel free to check the archives. (Oh and I really do love seeing you here, just come back when you finish your word count, things should be calmer then.)

Rita (and the Inner Drill Sergeant)

Day 5: Padding not for You? What about Editing?

I know everyone (myself most likely included) will tell you to pad your prose with as many lengthy descriptions and added words as you can to help raise that word count. But you know you don’t actually have to do it that way, sometimes it’s even better not to bother.

Say for instance you start writing a conversation, if all you want to do is write down what your characters want to say to one another than do so. Don’t worry if you leave out the ‘he said’ or ‘she replied’ bits or if you can’t find a clever way of putting it. Don’t fuss over location or timing, just write what comes to you, and fill in the rest later. If you let yourself get hung up on the details you might miss what your characters are trying to say.

Day 4: Messy and Out of Order

I’d like to share two thoughts today:

First, remember your working on a first draft. That means it’s going to be messy, contradictory, redundant, clumsy, vague, convoluted, and at least slightly embarrassing. Like a colt that hasn’t quite grown into its legs yet or a jigsaw puzzle that’s only been half completed. This is only natural, it’s even to be expected. To anyone else this first draft will likely be completely incomprehensible. But not to you, at least we hope not to you. The first draft is your first look at what your book will be like. The tangible outline of the story you’ve lived with for who knows how long.

It doesn’t matter if you change something half way through: make a note of it and fix it later. Don’t have a name for a character yet? Nickname them or use an abbreviation for their role in the story (I actually did that with my first NaNo novel, they still don’t have names.) Don’t worry if you don’t do much describing, or if you do too much, you can fix it later when you have a better idea of what needs to be shown.

This month isn’t about beautiful prose as much as it’s about the story. That doesn’t mean that you won’t write a perfect sentence or a beautiful description; or that you shouldn’t try and find the right words for that death scene you’ve always wanted to write. It just means that it’s alright if you don’t. It’s alright if you’re using the same word over and over. Or if you leave out whole sections of description because you don’t know a thing about castles and don’t have the time to research it right now. That’s okay, just get what you can out there where you can see it and don’t worry about the rest.

This leads me to my second note; namely nonlinear writing. Basically if you have an idea for something that happens later in the story write it. Want to delve into something that happens before your story starts? Write it. Feel like writing the end first? Go ahead. It might mean that these passages are a little disjointed or out of line. It might even mean writing something that you’ll just end up cutting out later. Do it anyway. Even if the text its self is never used you’re still developing ideas and finding out more about your characters. This can also help you fight writers block, if you don’t know what comes immediately after what you just wrote then see what happens down the line, you can connect the dots later. This may not work so well if your ‘pantsing’ it and don’t have a clue where the story is going but you could try it in reverse, write about your characters past or something that happened in the house they’re staying at: Anything that could help you find out more about your world.

Just have fun with it; there are no hard and fast rules for writing a story. This one’s yours, make your own rules: then break them.

— Rita

Day 3: Time to take a Break

Ah Sunday! Time to take a break; No really, I think you should. I know it’s only been two days and you have a lot of work ahead of you but you still need a break. If you can’t take the whole day then consider easing up a little for the day. Don’t stress about your word count and just write what comes easily.

You’re probably shaking your head at me now but give me a second and I’ll explain.

The Best Gift a NaNo Writer Could Ask For

So my birthday was last week but I didn't see one of my sisters until yesterday when she gave me this....

Pretty box :)

What's with that are you wondering? I mean its nice a nice box does it really have anything to do with writing? This is a writing blog after all. 

So why am I talking about it here? I'll show you....

Whats this? Lots of little presents?

Day 2: The Long and Short of It

Well day one is behind us, some of us made our word count, some of us slept in, forgot the date, or hid in our closets panicking because we had no idea what to write…er any way.

If you made your word count then I commend you and your excessive wordiness. You have written and written much! This is good very good and lovely and wonderful and splendid and all that is really, really cool! More so if you went above and beyond the call of National Novel Writing Month (aka: NaNoWriMo) and wrote more than the required and prescribed 1,665 words, (that is one thousand, six hundred and sixty five words) indicated beside the recommended word count.

If on the other hand you fell short for whatever reason I charge you not to despair, but perhaps to take a few notes on my previous paragraph? It can be amazingly fun to ramble on and indulge tangents and run on sentences. It’s also fun to use big words but it should be noted that long words and short words are counted exactly the same way by your computer so it really doesn’t make much difference at this point.

In any case it’s a new day and that means more words to write. Are you having fun yet? Or are you feeling, maybe a little, out of your depth?

~Rita

Day 1: Writing that First Word

It’s November first and a full thirty days of writing stretch out before you; The page before you is blank and clean, empty save for the slowly flashing cursor marking the starting line or the smudge of ink where you rested your pen.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for this all year, maybe you just found out yesterday, maybe your story’s been simmering away for years, just waiting for this day, or maybe it’s so new and so bright in your mind that you can’t quite see it all yet. Whatever your story, however you got here, whether you’re scared to death or quivering with excitement, one thing’s for sure, you’re going to make it.

You are going to write 50,000 words of your very own. They’ll flow from your fingers like water, a rushing flood, or a slow seeping melt of snow in spring. You’ll catch them with your keys, pattering out like rain drops, or spill them across the page till the ink leaves it damp.

They’ll be good words in just the right order or clumsy ones, not quite sure where they belong yet. Strong words and weak ones, new words and one’s you’ve used too often, unexpected words and ones that have whispered in your ear since this tale was young in your thoughts. But most of all they’ll be your words, drawn from the depths of your being to tell a story only you can tell. Rich words or poor, they’ll be yours and yours alone.

Every story starts with a word, what is yours? Is it a beginning word? Or is it a middle one, pulling you strait in, to find the start later? It doesn’t matter you know which word you start with or where it belongs in the grand scheme of things, all that matters is the word its self, the word that leads to all the others. It needn’t be grand, it’s all ready important, no matter how small it is; it’s the first word, your first word, and that is quite grand enough! Just look! My first word was ‘it’s,’ and look where that led me!

So find your first word and then don’t stop, it’s only a beginning, you have more to find. That’s the fun of it though isn’t it?

— Rita

November is (almost) upon us

Its October 31, some of us are exited, some are scared, and some won’t say.

It’s a night we have waited for, prepared for, a night we wish would end. 

We watch the clock and wait. Just a few hours left now we think. It’s almost time.

At midnight our journey begins. 

Are you ready to write? Is your story ready to be told? I hope for your sake that the answer is yes because you are almost out of time. 

NaNoWriMo is about to begin.

On a less dramatic note:

My desk is clean and all ready to acquire a lovely clutter in the next few weeks.

It's Clean! I'm definitely scared now.

I’ve got Scrivener all set up and mostly organized. I had hoped to do a little more prep work but I think I’ll make out alright.

My Pandora stations are ready; I go for instrumentals when I’m writing so it’ll be a lot of ‘Piano Guys’ and sound tracks for me.

And lastly I’ve got the first week’s worth of pep-talks and NaNo tips scheduled to post so I don’t have to worry about them. I’ve nearly got enough for the whole month and plan on writing the rest sometime soon.

In short I’m as ready as I can be for November, how about you?

~Rita

Rita, Meet NaNoWriMo

Its Sunday, November 4th, 2012 and there’s an email waiting for me. Its from my sister; dated November 2nd. The subject line reads: National Novel Writing Month. I don’t have a clue what that means and the enclosed link address, http://nanowrimo.org/  means even less. I click it and a few hours later I’m signed up for the craziest journey of my life.

The next day I started working on a Redwall fanfiction ‘novel’ that I’d brainstormed a few months before as an exercise. I wrote like crazy and made up for my late start just past the mid month mark. I finished out with 50,111 words: more then I’d ever written on one project before.

It was one of the best things I’ve ever done and I learned so much that month. The most important thing I learned was that I could write, even when I didn’t feel like it, and that even when I was uninspired my writing could still surprise me.

Even with winning NaNo I still didn’t get close to finishing my story and this year I’m picking it up again and hoping to make it through to the climax by the end of next month. I have a lot of original story ideas and I had thought of doing one of them but this story really needs to get told first. That makes me a NaNoRebel I guess. They say that continuing a story is harder then starting new for NaNo and but I’m going to go for it any way.

About my upcoming  November posts

Am I a Writer?

This question has plagued me for a long time. I have doubted being a writer so many times. Why? Because I don’t always write. I can go days or weeks without writing. Sometimes I have gone longer, at least without writing fiction, something I really want to do.

The reality is that I have never written a book. I have never finished a short story even. I have written poetry and I have begun many things, and had ideas for more. But finishing? No I can’t say that I have finished very many stories.

Does this mean that I’m not a writer? Everyone says ‘writers write,’ I have said as much myself. So if writing isn’t the one thing I can’t go a day without doing does that mean that I should be looking else where for my future?

Sometimes I think so. But then I remember the thing I can’t go without.

No Dollar Sign

Are you planing on writing a novel next month? We’ve only got a few weeks left before the start of NaNoWriMo and if your like me you’ve been doing some research and reading up on writing advice to get ready. If you are writing your first novel, or one of your firsts, then this post is to you.

As I’ve been doing a bit of web surfing lately, for writing advise and such, I’ve found that quite a few of the posts and articles I’ve come across have been along these lines: ‘how to write a novel that sells’ ‘how to plot a best seller’ ‘know your audience, write what they want to read.’ Now I have nothing against writing for money, in fact I would love to do just that for the rest of my life, but I am a little concerned.

Louis L'Amour Author Highlight

About Louis L’Amour (1908-1988)

Louis L'Amour at the typwriter

I grew up around Louis L’Amour books. We have a number of book shelves in our house and I’ll bet you’d find a Louis L’Amour book on every one of them, I’ll also bet you that we have at least one copy of every one of his books. (Or at least if we’ve missed any I don’t know about it.)

The first one  I read was “Down the Long Hills” the story of a seven year old boy and a three year old girl who, together with a big red horse, are the only survivors of an Indian attack. I love going back to re-follow their journey through the wilderness pursued by Indians and horse thieves.  Soon after that I started in on his Sackett series and the rest of his hundred or so books followed those.

A Writer's Rainfall

I love the sound of rain falling on a roof and dripping down from the eves. Sometimes the wind blows so hard that he can’t hardly hear the rain unless you listen very hard.

photo by Ed Yourdon

I once likened the taping of a keyboard to rain drops. Its I an idea I rather like because rain has no trouble falling and I would love for my fingers to keep such a rhythm.

There is another parallel I’d like to draw between writing and rain though. I would say that rain drops are like ideas or even words. They fall on your head as easily as anything but if you’re not ready to catch them they are just as likely to drip off the end of your nose and sink into the grass or gather in puddles for children to jump in.

An Interruption

…with interesting results 

Yesterday I was hard at work typing away and getting a lot done. Well, I was until I got interrupted. And then interrupted again. And again. 

Sometimes it feels like every time I start getting stuff done I get interrupted. When I’m not getting much of anything done then I’m left alone but once I get going everyone needs to see me. 

Okay so it doesn't happen every time but it does happen often enough to be a problem. Sometimes I can tell them to wait until I finish my thought but not all the time. So what can I do when a 'do not disturb' sign isn't enough?

Ten Writerish Things

A Procrastinating author might do...instead of writing

1. Make a list of things to write about

2. Read advice from other writers

3. Reorganize their book shelf, desk, or filing cabinet

4. Read a book, watch a movie, or start a marathon of their favorite TV show, and call it ‘gathering ideas’

5. Look for writer related pictures or quotes on Pinterest, Goodreads, or in some other store for such things

6. Practice their signature for book signings and decide if they want a pen name

7. Shop for more office supplies and make a wish list for when they publish their book

8. Talk to their characters and do pretend interviews for their future fans, all out loud.  

9. Make a new slip cover for their notebook and wish they could afford a leather one

10. Draw flowers and tornados in their notebook’s margins while waiting for inspiration to strike

These ten things are not necessarily bad, in fact they can be very good things to do sometimes. BUT they will not help if you don’t remember a writer’s number one rule:

1. You can’t be a writer unless you write. 

(re-posted from my old writing blog)