A Day in the Life of a Writer

Okay, not that I actually know what a NORMAL day in a writer's life looks like. BUT, for the first time since I can remember in forever, I have a full day off with nothing that I HAVE to do - other than go to my chiropractor appointment. Which I did. I have comp time from my work trip last week because I worked so many hours, and get both Friday (today) and Monday off - no PTO required.

So, I have decided to use both days to experiment in the life of a writer, pretend I am a full-time writer and see if I actually enjoy sitting for hours and working on writing-related things. Two days seem like an entire world to me, and yet, at the same time, not quite enough time. I mean, I not only have 3 books I want to work on, I want to do short stories, writing exercises, writing books, writer's digest, blog posts, find places to submit short stories or flash fiction, work on nonfiction articles for company newsletter, and of course, am wondering if I can stay the course when I have more than half an hour to do whatever I like.

So far, I've made a sort of schedule: write 500 words in book I am currently most enthralled with (my 2017 NaNo novel), read an article in writer's digest, 500 words, writing exercise, 500 words, article, 500 words, etc. We shall see how this works. I've been at it for one hour and 15 minutes and am already going off schedule to do a blog post, but still feeling energized and excited for the hours ahead. The atmosphere of a coffee shop helps too. Other people chatting or writing or studying - and the addition of coffee at my side - it just FEELS like I need to be writing. I love it.

Anyway, now that I have shared my joy with you all, I shall go back and finish up the 300 words still due on the 500 word spurt.

NaNoWriMo Update - Week Three

So it has been an adventure. The first week actually went really well, and I was even slightly ahead of my word count! And then . . . . my computer died. Yup. It decided this month was the prime time to have the hard drive go. So I have been handwriting - sort of. I like handwriting - when I'm not forced into it. I haven't gotten super far. And I am skeptical about being able to read it now that I've written it. Buuut, my husband fixed my computer and it is working again as of today! What do you think? Can I catch up? I am certainly going to try!

National Novel Writing Month - Week One

How are you all doing? Surprisingly, I have kept up in this first five days of  writing, despite the fact that we were in Oklahoma for my brother-in-law's wedding. It was quite an adventure, keeping up. The first day involved staying up until 2:00 AM to get it done.

Friday, the day of the wedding, was surprisingly not bad writing-wise. Daniel had lots of groomsmen things to do so I got to go to a coffee shop and work for awhile. I happened to sit across from a woman who had done Indie publishing and bought her book Poisoned, since she was doing a book signing/selling thing. It was rather encouraging to meet a mother who had written two books during previous years of NaNoWriMo and then finished and published them! Her other book was I am Lucifer, in case you are curious.

I think I am fulfilling the criteria for a cliche and sappy book. I have an underappreciated, poor artist working an office job trying to pay for her mother's cancer treatments. And then, of course, the rich, handsome young man who does not view her as anything more then a young girl and is being wooed by the perfect woman who works in the same office.

I am plodding away and trying not to overthink it. I hope you are all doing as well! And that I continue to do well.

Oh - quick tip that sometimes help me. I turn on a movie, then write 300-500 words, watch about 5 minutes and then press pause until I write another 300 - 500 words, until I finish. It is surprisingly effective, especially when I really don't want to write.

NaNoWriMo Beginning Woes

National Novel Writing Month, here yet again! It is amazing how must faster the years go by as we grow older. I could have sworn it was still springtime. 

Nonetheless, in NaNo I will participate, and unlike last year, I will win, whether I get sick this time or not! I have convinced one of my friends to join me, so hopefully the companionship in misery will assist in victory. 

We have determined we are going to relax and have fun with this year's book - to write a completely sappy, cliche romance novel. Exactly what that is - well, plots keep coming to me (if plots they can be called) and then moving on. So, I feel rather like this very apt NaNoToon right now.

https://nanotoons.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/2017-november-1st/

How to Survive National Novel Writing Month

There are so many (seriously, SO MANY) articles and posts and blogs and comments dedicated to this subject, that I'm not even going to try to compile "the best" ways to survive writing 50,000 words in a month. Besides, "the best" is always subjective. Every writer has things that work specifically for them. So this is dedicated to ways that I intend to (or have in the past) use to get a 3rd win in row.

• Remember that you are the only one reading what you are writing
• This is probably the most important thing for me. I have this habit of writing something and instantly wanting to rewrite it, or thinking it is too stupid, or inaccurate. Remember - YOU are writing, and YOU get to decide if anyone will ever read it (which they probably wouldn't until you edit it in January anyway). Don't get distracted thinking something is dumb. Just write what you want how you want and keep going. 
• Reward yourself
• When I really don't feel like writing, but need to get in my word count, I reward myself. For instance, say I really want to be reading this awesome new Clive Cussler book I just got. I force myself to write between 300 - 500 words (pick a number and stick to it), then I get to read a section in the book, and write the next 300-500 words, and so on until your word count is finished. It is a slow method, but I have found it pretty effective to ensure I get my words in. You can do the same with a TV show. Write, watch for 5 minutes (or a predetermined amount of time) and then watch again. It helps force you to keep writing no matter what because you want to get that word count in so you know what happens next in your book/movie.
• Write in timed spurts
• Sometimes I will set the timer for 5 minutes and force myself to keep writing during that five minutes even if I just end up describing an elaborate sunset because I can't think of anything else to write. This not only gets word counts in, but, because you are being forced to write without thinking because you are not allowed to stop while the timer is going, it has occasionally broken me out of areas I am stuck. I might go back and rewrite it later, but for now, as long as I am out of the stuck area or that sunset sure looks gorgeous, it still adds an aspect to your story that wasn't there before. 
• If you work, bring a computer or notebook to work with you.
• Do your work, but every now and then (perhaps once every half hour?), turn to your computer or notebook (notebook is more subtle) and write 1-2 sentences. Minimal effort, but you'll be surprised at how many words it can result in, thereby encouraging you when you sit down to your "real" writing session.
• Change up the scenery
• Try writing in different locations (unless that distracts you). I like occasionally finding a coffee shop and crashing in a corner to write. 
• Write with noise cancelling headphones
• I live in a tiny apartment and it is just me and my husband. There is no extra noise, especially if my husband knows I am writing, yet for some reason, when I put on my noise cancelling headphones (usually with my favorite writing music), I get lost in my world and am far less easily distracted from anything around me.
• Pretend you are telling someone the story
• When you are stuck - you simply don't know what to write next, and the whole writing with a timer thing just isn't doing anything for you, close your eyes and pretend you are telling this story that happened to you to someone else. What would naturally come next? Whether it seems like it is skipping a bunch of detail or going far too much into detail, write it down. What would you tell them next?
• Turn off your data
• If your data/internet is turned off and you aren't getting notifications of things happening in the world, there is nothing to distract  your eyes or ears. This, especially combined with the noise cancelling headphones, can be a killer combination for immersing yourself in your new world.

If you, like me, are crazy enough to try NaNo yet again, I hope these tips help! 

Preparation for NaNoWriMo

So, I'm not going to get to 95,000 - 100,000 word for Ethrill before tomorrow. I gave it a good effort, and am currently at 88,000. I think I can make 90,000 by tomorrow though. I can count that as a finish, right? It is clear that I have a lot more to write, so I am probably going to have to start looking at splitting it into two books unless I cut out a bunch when I edit it. For the rough draft, at least, however, it will likely be two books unless I disobey the newbie book rule and have a super long one. But, I gave it good effort, and I don't think I'll mind taking a break as I look forward to NaNoWriMo. Plus, I'm becoming impatient to edit PoP. I'm so ready to have a finished full-length book.

So, as most writers know, National Novel Writing Month starts tomorrow! Not going to lie, I'm nervous. My husband is lovingly referring to it as Video Game Tuesday. He says he is going to play video games until I get my word count in. Which, I won't lie, has in the past proven quite effective. I don't like feeling ignored while he plays video games, so it does force me to work hard on my word count because I know as soon as I finish, he'll turn off the video games and we can do whatever we want. I feel like such a child, sometimes. :P

I tried to make a list of short story ideas for NaNoWriMo in preparation, so I wasn't totally stuck once I started. It didn't go well. I began drawing a complete blank for stories. Or at least ideas for short stories. But I came up with what I think/hope is a good idea to solve that! We have this game called Dixit, which has a ton of very interesting picture cards. I've decided to look at each picture and create a short story based on those cards. After all, I need something for inspiration, and some of those could make very interesting stories. I'm not sure what yet, but I believe.

So good luck to all you other NaNoWriMoers out there! Looking forward to mutual misery starting tomorrow.

Ethrill Update

Ethrill could be going better. I've been having some issues getting back into the brain of my character. The first half of the book was quite rough, but somehow still seemed to connect. There was something about the character and the story that even drew me in, even though I was the one who wrote it. The second part - I just seemed to lose it and was just struggling through, trying to make it as magical as the first part.

Daniel and I spent the weekend away and ended up talking it over, because, believe it or not, I had let Daniel read through the first half. On the up side, he loved it and is now invested in the story and hearing his thoughts on why he connected was really helpful. He also recommended that I go through what I've written so far to try to reconnect with my character before I continue. So that's what I'm doing so far. I still intend to finish by the end of the month. Although finishing might mean me just realizing it needs a second book. I've decided anywhere between 95,000 and 100,000 words is enough to call it a finish, since I've heard books from novice writers shouldn't be longer than like 90,000, or thereabouts. I'm currently at about 77,000. That's possible, right?

Looking forward at NaNo - I've never done any type of outline before. I've just waited until November 1 and then started writing whatever book I decided to finally try. This time, though, I was thinking I should maybe prep a little. Not an outline, but I should probably at least make a list of short story ideas so I don't go totally blank after the first story or two.

Fall Writing Plans

I have a plan and a schedule! Granted, for anyone who knows me, that is nothing unusual. I always have plans and schedules, and tend to do much better than if I do not. This one is a very basic plan and schedule. Straight and to the point:

October: Finish writing Ethrill
November: Participate in and win NaNoWriMo
December: Edit Picture of the Past and have ready for review/reading by someone else by the end of the month

I also intend (intend being the key word here) to have something published by the end of the year. No, not a book. But a poem, short story - really, anything. Printed. I'm going to try, anyway. So my goal is to submit something somewhere once a week. Don't tell me it is too ambitious. I know it is ambitious - but better to have ambition than apathy, right? Last week (or was it the week before?) I submitted a poem to the poetry contest at Writer's Digest. I don't think it was good enough to win anything, but at least I submitted it, right?

For those of you who are wondering whether I know what I am going to write for NaNo - yes, I do! Well, more or less. I decided last year that this year I am going to write 50,000 words worth of short stories. So, I don't know what those short stories will encompass, but my goal is to finish a least a dozen. Why, you ask? Well, for the following reasons:

1. Because I think it is good to have something finished on hand in case anyone ever asks to see a sample of my writing.
2. It will be very good practice to create multiple stories.
3. I will feel accomplished.
4. I will have a collection from which to submit stories for publication.

If you think of any other reasons, please feel free to comment and let me know. I can always use encouragement.

Canp NaNoWriMo and Writing Generally

So, I have a confession. I haven't written anything in - two weeks. It's just been so busy! It's like something is going on every day/night! And by the time night rolls around, I am too tired, or the house needs to be cleaned, or . . . or . . . or . .  . yeah, I know, I know, all the normal excuses.

I will say one thing, though. I really miss it now when I don't write. I mean, when I was younger I did as well, and then at first in college, but it slowly wore off during the business and then I was just frankly scared to death to try to write after it had been too long. So, I consider it an improvement that after two weeks of virtually no writing, I do not feel fear when I think about it, but just a need to go do it.

I comfort myself, however, with the knowledge that in July . . . Camp NaNoWriMo is here! What is that you say? Well, you all know about NaNoWriMo, I have no doubt. Camp NaNoWriMo is essentially the same thing, but instead of HAVING to write 50,000 words, you get to choose how many you write, and, if you so wish, you can be part of a small "cabin" of writers who encourage one another. I am too shy to be part of a cabin, unless I can convince my friends Abby and Rissa to join as well, but I am looking forward to the incentive of having a site keep track of my words and whether I "win" or not. I need a push to keep working on my fantasy, Ethrill. I have been doing too much thinking and not enough writing lately.

So if you have been doing too much thinking and not enough writing you should totally try Camp NaNoWriMo too!