Preparing for Nanowrimo: Tips to Maximize The Writing

NaNoWrimo (a month-long writing project aimed at getting participants to write 50,000 words) is starting in just 2 days and though I'm not participating this year, I know several writers who are.

Make no mistake, this is like an all out Write-a-thon! To meet such aggressive goals one really needs to write almost every day, so let's look at some ways to get those writing juices flowing 

Before you even get started try and clear your mind of all distractions. That means putting whatever issues or concerns out of your mind. The only thing you should be thinking about at this point is WRITING!

1. Find A Good Writing Spot: 

Some people like to get cosy with a laptop on the couch or on the bed. Others prefer the more rigid setting of being at a desk. I've written in several places before: on my bed, sofa, window seat, coffee shop, in the swim room during my kids' swimming lessons. It's wherever you most feel comfortable or sometimes it just comes down to wherever you can get the work done. Choose the one that's less distracting and will make you focus more.

Beta Readers And Where To Find Them

Hello! I'm back from an almost 10-month hiatus where I took some time to focus on my W-I-P, but I'm super excited to get to blogging again.While away I got acquainted with some hard to find but well-needed beta readers. 

What's a Beta reader? Here's a handy definition for new and aspiring authors like myself. A critiquer or reader who evaluates written work with the intention of providing feedback on spelling, grammar, plot, and characters.

Do You Need Them? Oooh yes, you do! No matter how perfect you think your work is, it needs unbiased feedback from people who love to read - preferably not your mom or siblings, friends or anyone who owes you a favor. A good beta reader will honestly tell you if they're feeling the story, if your plot makes sense, if your characters are relatable, if the story drags...etc - all of which you need to know BEFORE you even think of approaching an agent.

Beta readers honestly do not get enough credit for the amount of help they provide. I believe one writer referred to them as 'unsung heroes' and I couldn't agree more.

Where To Find Them? Now to the hard part. I remember when I started my quest for Beta Readers and I had no clue where to even look. My biggest resource - social media. It exists for a reason, so use it! I did several google searches that brought me to posts about beta readers but never actually where to find them. However, persistence paid off and after a few tries, I yielded results. Here's what worked for me:

Sleeping & Writing: Why ideas come when we're trying to sleep

Ever have an awesome idea pop into your head just as you're about to fall asleep? It could be a really great concept to improve your next chapter or add another intriguing layer to your main character except the problem is you're very tired and just cannot find the energy to get up.

If you're an author or an aspiring author, chances are this has happened to you at least once. If you're like me, you choose to lie in bed, confident you'll remember it all the next morning, except you don't. In the morning that brilliant idea will disappear into the "ne'er- to- be- seen- again" land.

Write it down

Note to all newbies - GET UP AND WRITE THE IDEA DOWN!!! Unless of course, you have one of those superhuman memories. I should warn you though that there' an off chance you'll wake up in the morning, look at the paper and wonder what the hell is this? All of a sudden that awesome plot twist looks like total gibberish! When that happens I tend to just blame it on the fogginess of my mind at the time the idea was conceived. In any case, it's good to have it jotted down, that way you can re-assess and discard if necessary. 

Honing your Craft: How Workshops can help

After a partial professional edit for my current WIP, my editor suggested I check out a few writing workshops. Actually, her exact words were "workshop the hell out of this baby" ... meaning my manuscript. Needless to say, I've taken her advice and I'm one of the 4 people accepted into the First Five Pages Writing Workshop for the month of November. You can check out the entries here:   http://firstfivepagesworkshop.blogspot.com

Tension

So after the excitement wore off, I realised just how much work I was in for. Started with 'tension.' My editor had mentioned this to me briefly but prior to the workshop I must confess I hadn't given it much attention. My primary focus was the telling of the story. However, I since learned that tension is very much a part of that. A story should never just sail along with obstacle, challenge, danger, fear - this is the stuff that will keep readers interested enough to turn to the next page. If an agent says "The story doesn't have enough tension for me," it's bad news. Think of ways to introduce more conflict and raise the stakes. This will literally keep readers at the edge of their seats. 

Why Writers Should Read?

Picking up from last week's post where I spoke of the need to stop reading other people's work, I wanted to focus on why new writers should not only read, but read A LOT!

Stephen King put it best actually... if you don't read you won't have the tools needed to perfect your craft. But I get it, writing is hard, even painstaking at times, so how the heck are you to carve out another hour (or in my case precious minutes) to read when you could be using it to bang out that best seller? We are told to make the time. Several accomplished authors seem to agree you can't be a successful writer without being an avid reader:

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

"Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it.
Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.”
― William Faulkner

"Learn as much by writing as by reading."
 ― Lord Acton

Why Do We Write?

I came across this quote one day during one of my writing ruts when I was searching for inspiration. This me stop and pause for a bit; reflecting on my true desire for writing. For me, it's a mix of things really. Reading lots of books definitely made me want to try writing my own, particularly if the ending left me wanting but mostly because It's really an adventure I enjoy.

Newbie Alert: Words to Stay Away From

As I wade through the choppy waters of revisions, I see these very words marked out of my script. If you're like me, you're probably wondering ... how else am I to write these sentences?

Turns out there are lots of other ways to write without using words considered a big 'no-no' for seasoned writers. I'm also told editors, agents, and publishers alike find them cringe worthy.
I only know this because my line by line edit came back littered with words for me to get rid of. Rather frustrating but newbies like myself should take joy in honing the craft :)

Choosing Your Character Names

Have you ever been in the midst of typing a story when a character you just created badly needed a name? When the regular Mary, John, Paul or Sue wouldn't do? If the answer is yes, then join the club, a lot of writers and aspiring authors have this problem, myself included. Fact is, if you're writing a story, chances are you will need a character and that character will need a name. 

So what do you do? How do people come up with these names?  

There are actually several ways to go about this:

Look Around You

In my case, specifically, if it's a minor character, you know, like an odd stranger or villager, I simply pick names from the people around me ... a la co-workers . Consider also the names of family members, friends, colleagues etc that could come in handy.

However, for major characters,I generally recommend a bit more effort.

First Drafts Sucks

  So after completing my very 1st draft of my first manuscript. I felt sooo good...like I had climbed Mount Everest or achieved something phenomenal.

I must have walked around the house the with a huge smile on my face. Nothing could get me down; I had just completed a manuscript of 82,000 words! and I felt pretty kick ass about it. You know like there was nothing I couldn't accomplish, like Mount Everest was next; oh the joy, rapture, elation (you get the drift)...

until a couple days later, I sat down, ready to begin my second draft and this happened!


via GIPHY

My balloon of happiness deflated immediately. No seriously, my 82,000 words of awesomeness morphed into work littered with grammatical errors and unfinished sentences.. half of which barely made sense. Needless to say, depression immediately followed and self-doubt reared its ugly head.


via GIPHY

"Maybe I can't write at all? Why am I doing this again? What happened to my masterpiece?" These are just few of  the questions that drive you INSANE! For newbies this can be especially disconcerting. Fact is my words were clearly lost in space or somewhere in my head and needed to make it to my manuscript.

You probably guessed but my second draft consisted of several re-writes, cuts, tweaks and lots more drafts.

If it weren't for the articles I came across supporting the idea that first drafts of anything are rarely ever good, I'm pretty sure my devastation would have lasted much longer than it did. So newbies, chin up and keep at it.