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!

Finishing the Book

As you may or may not know, I recently finished my first full length novel - A Picture of the Past (PoP for short). I've finished short books before, but this one was actually full length. 99,000 words, in fact. I finished it - mmmm - probably a month or so ago, and haven't touched it since. It needs SO many edits, that I am kind of scared to pick it up again. So I'm working on a different book instead, while I glance at PoP out of the corner of my eye.

I just finished a couple articles in Writer's Digest about "Plotting vs. Pantsing" - you know, the writer who plots everything before they write vs the writer who just sits down and writes. I seem to fall somewhere in the middle. I seem to like sitting and just writing - and then doing a little mapping out if I get stuck, and going back AFTERWARDS to REALLY map things out. What really scared me about the articles, I think, was the comment in both articles that "Pansters" tend to start novels that really never go anywhere, and as much as I am not sure I liked the completed product of PoP, I love the idea enough that I desperately don't want it to be a dead end. But, even if I didn't completely like the completed product, if I still love the idea enough, that means there still has to be promise in it, right? So, here are a couple tips I pulled out of the article that have actually inspired me to go back and finally take another look at the book and see what I can make out of it:

The article suggested the following extremely useful points:

• If you are feeling stuck make a list of events in your story, leaving blanks as needed.
• Once you know how to get from your stopping point to the next fixed point, quit plotting and go back into pantsing.
• Don't try to list every single event and line of dialogue when making a list. 
• Imagine you're the protagonist and ask yourself what you would do next (I already do this a lot and it DOES help a lot).
• If you know where the plot needs to go, ask why your characters get to that point and keep repeating the question until you work backwards to where it all fell apart. 
• Retroactively plot the story. 
• Be open to reworking parts of your novel - if it isn't working, try "pantsing" the part to see if it goes in another direction.

One thing I appreciated and agreed with, was this sentence at the end of the second article:

"The trick is to get the story down, from beginning to end. Ultimately, the writers who get published are those who finish the first draft and then revise it. Get the words on the page and you're halfway there."

Writer's Inspiration

I don't know about you, but writing inspiration for me can come in many forms. This particular morning, it is in the simple joy of a gorgeous sunny morning. Granted, that may be because I can count on one hand the number of sunny days I have experienced since April. But it doesn't change the immense joy I feel in seeing a blue sky, bright green leaves, marshmallow cream clouds, and hearing birds singing. Mornings like this are perfect for writing - for inserting realism into your book by simply writing what you actually see and feel.

I used to chafe at the constant instruction from experienced writing masters to only "Write What You Know" - until I finally realized that they weren't necessarily saying you were only allowed to write about your own experiences. They were just saying that, if you have experienced a certain emotion, country, or day - insert that into your book, because you know just how your character would feel during that experience and it will feel all the more real. At least, that is how I have chosen to interpret their instruction, and I will thank  you not to pop my little bubble.

And, while I may still be grimacing at the thought of the days upon days of gloomy, rainy days, the truth is, that too may end up in a book. Because now I have no doubt as to how a character might feel if caught in the rain, with no glimpse of sun, for days on end.

So there is my suggestion for the day as I arrogantly pretend to be experienced! Take anything that causes you immense emotion - whether joy or sorrow - and insert it into a story.

Truth

The Required Introductory Post

Welcome! As you may have already read in my About Me Page, I've had a passion for writing for almost as long as I can remember.


Truth be told, like most writers, I am a flaming introvert. I have a difficult time talking to people, let alone sharing something like my precious writing with them. Which is likely one of the reasons I have yet to publish anything other than a short story and a poem. The other reason is, of course, that time just got away from me, I got caught up in college life, and then after-college life, and before I knew it, here I was, 29 years old and yet to have a book published.


So last year, I began narrowing my focus again and writing more regularly than I had since I left home. My husband can account for the fact that I am a significantly happier person just writing - no publishing needed! - but I still have the same desire I have had since I was 8 years old. To bring joy to other people through stories.


Being a very detail-oriented person, I have also delved into research on getting books published and one common item that keeps coming up, no matter how much I try to ignore it, is the need to establish a presence on social media. One, to promote your book, and two, to prove to your agent (whenever I get one!) that you will be ABLE to promote your book, should you be published.


Consequently, here we are today. This is me, establishing online presence. Just being honest here. I know for a fact I am not the only introverted writer who has difficulty with self-promoting fears.


So, I've decided to give this blog dual purpose:


1. Share my writing, whenever I am feeling particularly brave.


2. Sharing research for my books to assist other writers of historical books, for anyone who just enjoys random historical facts, and to help implement it into my own brain by summarizing it. As all writers know, writing books placed in the past requires TONS of research if you are interested in accuracy. So you may find posts on here about fashion, historical events, timelines, and who knows what else.


Whatever your interest, I hope you stop by every now and then and find an interesting or even useful fact for yourself.