Not Sure What Happens Next? by Rochelle Melander

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“So then what happens?” I asked my friend, who was writing the first draft of her fourth novel. We meet for coffee every few weeks or so to talk about writing. She had been telling me about her plot, a riveting teen adventure story set in a foreign country. “I wish I knew,” she answered.

It happens to all of us. We get to a certain point in the plot, and the story unravels. We do not know what happens next. Maybe we had an outline, but the characters got out of hand on us (they do that), and now what we had planned just does not seem believable. You’d think that with bossy characters like this, they’d give us a clue and tell us what to do next, but often they keep mum. What’s a writer to do in the middle of NaNoWriMo, with a word count goal hanging over her head, and no time to waste? Don’t worry—borrow an event or adventure for your characters. Here are five places you can look for your character’s next move.

1. Your life. Yeah, I know, your life is probably as boring as mine is. We work, we eat, we sleep, and once a week we may rent a movie. But, who knows—maybe you had a romantic tryst in your past or even a blowout argument with your old boss. Borrow the juicier details from your life, embellish them with fictional elements, and put it in your book.

2. Your fantasies. Most writers have a rich fantasy life. While everyone else is waiting in line at the grocery store, we’re imagining what would happen if the store got held up. Would we turn into a superhero and save the day? Take a stroll through your fantasies and nighttime dreams and give the adventure to your characters.

3. Your friends’ lives. I often live vicariously through the lives of friends. While they travel to Belize and write stories about luxury hotels, I maybe get to drive to my daughter’s school once a day. It’s probably a bit dangerous to blatantly take your friends’ lives and place them unedited into your story. Instead, take pieces of your friends’ experiences, combine them with your imaginings of what should have happened next, and put them in your book.

4. The lives of celebrities. They fight publically on Twitter, go in and out of rehab, and talk openly about their personal lives on television—how can you not use this stuff? Grab your favorite gossip rag, whether legitimate or heavily fictionalized, and read it for delicious plot twists.

5. The local news. When I watch the local news, usually while walking on the treadmill at the gym, I am surprised by the crazy stuff that people do. One local mother got high while on her daughter’s 2^nd grade field trip. At a church in Alabama, the music minister, angry over being fired, tased the pastor. (I read that story at NewsoftheWeird.com). What is happening in your town? If local news is a little slow, choose a random town from your map and look it up online. Chances are good you’ll find some crazy antic to give to your characters.

Where do you look for inspiration and ideas when you are stuck?

Rochelle Melander is a certified professional coach and the author of 10 books, including a new book to help fiction and nonfiction writers write fast:Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It) (October 2011). Melander teaches professionals how to get published, establish credibility, and navigate the new world of social media. In 2006, Rochelle founded Dream Keepers Writing Group, a program that teaches writing to at-risk tweens and teens. Visit her online at Write Now Coach.

Music as the Muse by Holly Roberts

... especially when the flaky Muse is MIA. (source)

About a week ago I had hit a rut in my novel, and every word was a struggle to write. Then I got online, and began researching soundtrack music that I believe would suit my novel.  I found two songs that sent the blood pumping back through the veins to give life to my novel again just by listening to two songs.  Not only did I feel motivated to write my story veered in new directions.

The past three times I have took on the month long writing challenge it was music that pushed me across the finish line.  I never even did an outline the first couple of times because music always reminded me of the scenes I would write when the time came.  That wasn’t a good idea because ten songs don’t equal a whole book. This music is even a huge part of making my novel lively than it ever has been before.

Music can form the complete setting of what novel you’re writing, and since we are going into the second of writing it can also be that one thing left that is still causing you to chug along.  My novel for this November is set in 1958, and there is a goldmine of music available to help me feeling I’m living in the exact times of my characters.

Some people can listen to music while writing and some can’t.  At the end of the day it is a personal preference, which everyone has a different opinion on. I’ve discovered I can’t function without it especially when writing, and needing inspiration.  This month music has brought me some great scenes. 

Here are two tips I have for using music though if you choose to do so:

1.       Don’t get lost in the music. Sometimes a scene will build up so hugely while listening to a song that it has become overwhelming to write. Let the scene sit, and then write when it doesn’t seem so intimidating to write on paper.

2.       Pick music that fits the feel of your novel. No matter how much I love the upbeat poppy tunes of some music if I’m trying to right a serious, moody novel then that is what I need to listen to for a month.  I tend to stick with darker themed soundtracks, and lyrics that tell stories.  It keeps you focused on the vibe, and the mood needed.

Has music been a help to you this November? What kind of music is it?

Holly (@harmonyholly) is a writer, blogger, photographer, and a lover of creativity.  She took her first try at writing a novel in a month in 2008, and from then she has been reaching for the day she feels she has a novel to publish.