Truths about Peer Editing by Unisse Chua

Source: Flickr

The epic National Novel Writing Month is finally over and you now have a novel that you would not want to go back and read again.

 If that's how you feel, think of why you joined NaNoWriMo in the first place.

Do you love to write? Do you wish that you could somehow publish your diamond-in-the-rough novel someday?

No matter what your reasons are, you wrote a novel. But. That novel is currently a novel written for the purpose of getting to fifty thousand words. Quantity over quality.

Book publishers would not want a wordy novel that lacks spice and has spelling errors.

Whether we like it or not, the novel we wrote just last November is still an unpolished diamond.

Let's polish our novels, but how?

"I don't want to reread the novel I've written. It's too depressing."

One way or another, if you really want that novel published by 2012, you have to make yourself read that novel and start using red ink to remove sentences and start revising your first draft.

But there is a way for you to avoid reading your novel.

Get a peer editor.

We might not be famous writers just yet but we all have friends or even NaNoWriMo writing buddies to help us.

Getting a peer editor is a really great idea if you want first hand comments about your novel and other writing, for that matter. Having someone else give their own insights to your novel is a good thing because you get to see how readers would react to it.

Even Jeff Goins, a writer, thinks that getting you a peer editor is the secret to great writing!

Where do I get myself a peer editor?

First of all, you joined NaNoWriMo, which has participants from all over the world! Ask your writing buddies on WriMo to help you edit your novel and maybe offer to edit theirs as well. Make a new friend. It won't hurt.

A peer editor is not hard to find. Your friend might be a real bibliophile, so why not try asking him or her if it's alright to spare a few hours checking your first draft. Just remember not to kill your friend if he or she gives you really harsh criticisms.

Anyone can be your peer editor. Your mom, dad, best friend, lover - even your little sister or brother could tell you a thing or two about that novel you spent a month mooning over.

Harsh comments equal good comments.

I am also a participant of NaNoWriMo and along the way, friends have been asking to read the novel I've written so far. I don't believe that I'm a good writer just yet but having friends wanting to read and comment on my unfinished novel made me want to write more.

NaNoWriMo is also not the first time I've attempted to write a novel. I've written quite a few unfinished drafts lying around in my computer's hard disk for months and years and I have also asked friends to give their review.

I have this friend who could really get a job as a grammar police if it exists. He found a number of errors in my writing and gave me really good comments but I felt a pang of hurt every time he corrected me.

It's okay to feel hurt when people criticize your work. It will help you grow and mature as a writer. Don't hate your friend for giving you harsh comments because these comments will provide you the best first-hand feedback.

 Unisse Chua is a twenty-something undergraduate Computer Science student from Manila who loves photography, writing and travelling. She started writing stories back when she was fifteen and still writes up until the present. She started a travel blog called Little Girl Travels to put all things she loves into one place. You can follow her on Twitter @sushixuni, on NaNoWrimo (sushixuni), and her personal blog, Little Girl Blogs.

Writing Rituals--Magic Schmagic by Amelia June

What do you keep in your magic bag? (source)

My day job is firmly rooted in the non-profit world. As a result, I've done my job in some crazy places. I've done it in a minivan, in a trailer, out of a desk drawer, even in a bunk bed (this... is making my job sound naughty. It isn't). What I've learned from doing this job is that you don't need much to get good work done. You don't need fancy chairs, or even an office, or even a building, to make magic happen with people.

I used to think I could apply the same concept to writing. I'm flexible, able to write just about anywhere. I don't need a particular set up, or a special writing program, or even a good luck charm. I'm one of those writers who can do it in the road. A country witch, maybe, not one who needs all the tools and trappings of magic to make her spells pop.

Right? Maybe not. When I look at my habits, I realize that I do have a set of rituals. They don't involve lighting incense or special incantations, but I do have them. 

I might not need a special writing program, but I do need certain special things to look at my text with joy. Curly quotes. 1.15 spacing (1.15 what, I have no idea). Page breaks between chapters. Spell check. I'm heavily reliant on spell check. My magician’s notebook is Word, although there are a myriad of others to choose from.

Sometime in late September, the air begins to change. The evenings get cool enough to go outside. The light softens from "interrogation room sun" to "normal sun." The days grow short, and when I can smell fall in the air I suddenly want to write. NaNo is underway. Writing in the summer seems... off. I do it, but it isn't the same. The air itself turns magical right around now in my corner of the world.

Halloween night, unlike most parents who are wrangling sugar-charged children, I'm mainlining coffee and planning a place to go to do that first NaNo sprint. I've done the midnight dash every year. The first year, I did it with a nursing infant in my arms. Those words are charged with magic, the very first words of a new story. Opening bell word count is a big part of my NaNo ritual.

I have a Pandora channel and a Slacker channel that play only movie soundtracks, because I can't write with people talking to me. I also can't write to music I know, because I'll sing along and lose my flow. I've gotten so accustomed to writing along to Danny Elfman and John Williams that when I hear the scores in movies I get the itch to write. Harry Potter in particular stirs me up, with a side order of Nightmare Before Christmas. The strong themes and emotional ups and downs cast a little magic into my stories.

The greatest ritual though, the one that has the most magic inside, is the write-in. I have many dear friends I've made through NaNoWriMo. We’re a little tribe of writer buddies who understand the process and how strange it can be. They get it when someone gets up and acts out a scene, or when someone starts cursing at a character. They can answer just about any question I have on just about any topic. When I'm in the company of other writers, sprints blossom into paragraphs. Stuck plot lines become hotly debated rather than isolating and scary. Coffee carafes are put on heads. Pie is eaten. Magic is made. Without them, I might never have finished my first NaNo, let alone five.

So, I suppose I do rely on my own rituals for the writing process. This month, I'm turning on the Elfman, turning on the coffee pot, buying a pie and getting down to business. I may also do a few chants and even light incense for luck. Anyone want to sprint?

What's your set of writing rituals? Any nit-picky things you can't explain?

 

Amelia June is just another writer, writing. You can find her on her site or @ameliajune.

Procrastination: An Art Form by Jessica Ralston

(source)

I have recently decided to undertake a Post A Day challenge on Wordpress. On the first full day, I took one look at the Add New Post page and I willfully ignored it. What did I do instead? I checked Google+. I checked Twitter. I checked Facebook. I trimmed my nails. I listened to a Nerdist podcast. I fired off an e-mail. I did some yoga. A little of this, a little of that. The Add New Post page stared back at me, the cursor blinking accusingly. 

So I read a book. I could do the blog post later.

In college, I managed to turn procrastination into an art form. I would put off term papers and presentations until days (if not one day) before their due dates, then rush to the library to gather resources, then spend a sleepless night scouring the Internet and writing/preparing the paper. I would hand it in the next day, get it back a few weeks later with a big, fat, red, A or A- on the front page. Score one for me. (This talent used to confuse my mother in high school and she's still baffled by it today.) 

My roommates were always astonished; they would practice and rehearse for days on end (they were all music majors) for the big performance, as where for my big performance (a paper on the Electoral College, anyone?), I would take a quick trip to the library, write all night long, grab a coffee, go to class and hand in the paper. No big deal.

Nothing like a deadline to get you going, right?  The same happens with a lot of us in November: either you write every day, against the clock striking midnight night, trying to make that daily word count graphic skyrocket a few thousand words; or you put off the daily word counts until it's the weekend before Nov. 30 and you park your butt in a chair and write like the wind, squeaking by with 50,001 words at 11:59:00 on Nov. 30.

I think that's why people (including Wrimos) procrastinate: the adrenaline rush as you finish your projects, fingers flying over the keys, the pressure mounting, wondering whether or not you're going to make it in time. What would happen if you didn't complete your task? For most of the Wrimos, it's probably public mocking from friends, family and fellow Wrimos. I don't know about you, but I couldn't handle the shame.

For some people, that's when they do their best work: right when the clock is ticking down. I was listening to the most recent Nerdist podcast and they were talking with Ben Folds (pianist extraordinaire, also pretty humorous). They asked Folds if he sits down to write, or if he's struck by inspiration. Folds said, "I have to get struck by the deadline." Keyword: deadline. Most of his best stuff was done on a deadline. His albums are pretty phenomenal, so it seems as if there is some validity to putting things off until the very last moment. Sometimes it pays off.

So procrastinate away! Feel the rush! Do your 1667 words a day right before the clock ticks over to the next day, or park it in a chair and finish with seconds to spare (I rhymed!). 

Jessica Ralston is from Upstate New York, but decided it would be a brilliant idea to teach English in Northeast China for a year. Before moving to China, she was a copy editor at a newspaper in Western New York. She has always wanted to be a novelist; it makes her mother nervous ("You don't have a back-up plan?") and her 10-year-old self extremely happy. She enjoys reading, crocheting, cooking and traveling. You can find Jessica on Twitter (@saturdaaaay), NaNoWriMo (duendeoflorien), Google+, and Facebook. Her blog is on Wordpress.

Music Always Holds the Key! by Alivia Anders

(leizlmarie)

As we inch closer to November 1st, things begin to fall into place for the next thirty days of insanity. Maybe you've pre-planned what will be made meal-wise for the family to shave a few hours off your schedule. Maybe (unlike me so far) you've cleaned your room and desk space as a ritualistic 'Cleaning of the cobwebs from the brain' thing. 


Maybe you're like my friend Lorca from Twitter (@lorcadamon) who's prepping her glittery plot poster, or Jennifer who's also from Twitter (@jennifergracen) getting her pom-poms ready for a Cheer Fest, or maybe you're like Lyn over here running a bajillion blogs and being one of the best NaNoWriMo preppers and friend ever (like you know, her main blog Against The Odds and her Twitter (@lynmidnight).

Or maybe you are like me. Your room isn't clean, your plot feels like it's dying for air, and your characters aren't in the pretty little harmony they're supposed to be. So what's a writer to do when you can't find the voice you need to get things running in your head?

Listen. I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

Hear that music? It could be the song playing in your head, on your iPod, iTunes, maybe your dog is even howling to some god-awful tune. Hear it now?

That's what you need.

Wait, so basically I'm telling you to listen to music? Yes I am.

Your characters are strong little pieces of yourself (not to be confused with Mary Sues where you make the character you only super-perfect) squirming and leaping and screaming for life. It's your job, as the mighty controller of the body and brain to give them that chance at life. And just like we feel like every song on the radio perfectly describes us and our moods, it does for our inner voices too!

Per example. When writing Illumine I was having the most impossibly difficult time hearing Essallie. It didn't matter what I did, meditation, donut making, random overdoses of coffee and egg whites, compulsive Twittering, nothing did the trick. And then I picked up Evanescence's new CD. 


Like a light switch flicking on in my head, I heard and saw everything down to the very blades of grass this girl was standing on. My character had found her voice. It was with this idea that I took the step further and decided to apply it to my NaNo project, mixing different bands and artists to convey the moods Alex goes through over the course of her stay.

So maybe come November 1st you'll start pounding out keys, sure of the voice in your head. Or maybe you'll turn up the tunes and crank out words like that, your character's voice loud and clear over the speakers.

One thing is definitely for sure. My next thirty days will be more than writing, it'll be head-bashing screaming-music goodness, too. 




What do YOU do when you get stuck? Have you ever found inspiration in music?

Born in the middle of nowhere PA, Alivia Anders is frequently called different, insane, and a little creative. Inspired by just about anything, she began writing in 6th grade after joining a Harry Potter-inspired RPG forum. She says she loves salads, but really likes them only if they have taco meat on top. The oldest of five, she currently lives at home, enduring peak levels of insanity enough to drive a rhino to spontaneously combust. You can see her chit-chattering on twitter or plotting her evil plan at the NaNoWriMo site.

Saturday Synergy: NaNoWriMo Resources!

(Source: Infovark)

It’s an exciting time, people! And not just because there are 23 days left until the Writing Rapture (called NaNoWriMo), but because now is the time to prep for NaNo and get all psyched up about it on twitter (#NaNoWriMo) and various blogs around the blog-o-sphere.

Side by side, newbies and veterans are making outlines, choosing stories, putting up polls, and sharing past experiences to inspire others and bask in the collective glow of NaNo. And since that’s the general idea of WriMos FTW as well, this calls for some kind of blog mash, no?

The little Calvin avatar you’re seeing constantly in the #NaNoWriMo channel (@wrimosftw) is me trying to collect some links and welcome people to the mad-wagon! The welcoming part I have down and now’s the time for sharing the links I found during the past week with those who need some extra resources to prepare!

So welcome to WriMos FTW’s first (of many) Saturday Synergy installment!

Below is a list of links to articles, videos, and blogs about NaNoWriMo. There are workshops, fan videos, discussion threads, and more! It’s basically an all-you-can-read buffet. ENJOY!

News:

NaNoWriMo made the BBC news! It got a lot of attention on Twitter and got some people thinking about joining. All round good day!

And you know WriteWay’s sponsoring NaNo this year, right? Well, their offer is fantastic: FREE USE OF THE SOFTWARE UNTIL DEC. 15!!! 

About NaNo:

A brilliant and witty overview of the NaNoWriMo experience by Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig).

Lemony Snicket’s pep-talk on the NaNoWriMo site.

Daniel Swensen (@surlymuse) shares his 8-years’ experience by listing 13 possible pitfalls of NaNoWriMo. 

For those of you who are doing NaNo for the first time, you might want to read this amusing guest-post by Grady Pruitt about the whole NaNo experience (via @luanatf). It definitely filled me with anticipation!

Denise Krebs (@mrsdkrebs) shares with us how her students managed their NaNogoals every year. Aww, I am so glad to hear they’re doing NaNo in schools! (Apparently I’ve been living in a cave.)

Tips and tricks:

Roz Morris (@dirtywhitecandy) is giving us some tips about preparing for NaNo.

Now this is what I’m talking about! It’s an article about the 10 types of writer’s block and how to battle them. It’s very simple and not at all generic. Huge hit on twitter!

Jamie Todd Rubin (@jamietr) gives excellent tips on how to win NaNo and how Scrivener can help you get there. (I should definitely try Scrivener out now!)

Dave Farmer (@DaveRFarmer) gives a list of excuses you might have written in your con column along with prompts to get those creative juices flowing. Truly wonderful post!

Sarah Ketley shares some of her Deadly Writing Sins. I dare you to find someone who can’t relate! (Seriously, you wanna check her site, it’s awesome.)

Christi Craig (@Christi_Craig)shares some tips and links from her previous years as a WriMo. 

Kia Zi (@Kia_Zi) shares some wordcount tricks and tells us about a writing software called yWriter. (I’m very limited in these things. I know about Scrivener and Liquid Story Binder, and that’s about it. I’m a Word fan all the way. Simplicity’s the bitch!)

Useful links:

Super useful list of links on getting ready for NaNo, courtesy of LindaJM on Squidoo.

Where the incredibly witty Chuck Wendig introduces his NaNoWriMo workshop and give us delicious links to help curb the insanity. Thanks, Chuck!

Rosy Moorhead (@RosyMoorhead) is running a NaNoWriMo series on The Daily Writer including tips and insights from fellow participants. The last one’s on preparation.

Head over to Elizabeth Craig’s blog (@elizabethscraig) where you’ll find relevant and useful links to everything you need to know about NaNo. 

Workshops:

Kristen Lamb (@KristenLambTX) is breaking down the novel and talks about how preparation saves you from the pile of crap later. We know NaNo’s not ALL about the words…

StoryFix by Larry Brooks (@storyfix) is definitely a site you should check out. Right now, there’s a special NaNo workshop running to help you prepare AND there’s lots of other great stuff that could help you out.

Cylee Blake’s (@cyleeblake) NaNo prepping series follows the process of outlining a novel. It’s a very useful insight into the creative process and contains some links to life-saving software. So far: Mindmapping, Characters, World-Building, and Storyboard.

Valerie Valdes (@valerievaldes) is giving us a quick and dirty guide on preparing for NaNo, including Character, Setting, and Plot considerations. You can also check out the extensive version here. 

L. Scribe Harris (@marksmaster) is running a NaNo prepping blog series, too. The first installment focuses on Characters. 

Funny:

Damian Rucci (@damianrucci) found a cool video of a teen talking about why you should join NaNo. It’s HILARIOUS! 

Projects:

Erica Wing’s Crapfiction project is launching in November. In her words, the site will be about us non-published folk and connecting with other writers and artists. Keep an eye on this one, my spider sense is tingling, saying it will be huge! 

MB Mulhall will be hosting guest-blogs and doing pep-talks (yay, we have another cheerleader in the house!) during October and November. Quick, run over there! 

Finally, don’t forget to check out the all-time favorite links on the right sidebar, under ‘follow the words’. They contain pretty much every link you’d need come November.

And remember the most important piece of advice: DON’T PANIC!!!

Do you have any useful links to add to the list? Did you find these helpful?

The Head Cheerleader Is Here! by Jennifer Gracen

(Source: Disney Stationary)

The NaNoWriMo contest is an online challenge for writers of all genres, all over the world. Now in its 13^th year (Superstitious site owner says WHAT?!), it has grown substantially each year as the power of the Internet has increased its reach. The premise to win is simple: write 50,000 words in 30 days. From scratch.

This is daunting to most writers. It seems impossible, overwhelming, terrifying even. But sit back, relax, and let me explain why this is something you want to do.

There are many reasons why this has become such a popular contest. First of all, it’s free. Yup, that’s right: no entry fee. Definitely in your budget. Second, it’s a good reason to buckle down and write that story that’s been bouncing around in your head for so long... but you haven’t been able to make yourself sit down and just DO it. Third, there’s nobody actually depending on you to win except for yourself. The only one you need to please here is yourself. And you will please yourself. The satisfaction of finishing this contest is so deep, so incredible, so soul-infusing… but more about the personal glory later on.

Chances are, if you’re a writer, you’re friends with a few other writers. Convince one of them to do NaNo with you. Trust me, you’ll want someone to vent to, bounce ideas off of, and to cheer you on when you feel like you can’t do it. It’s a great motivator to have a comrade-in-arms. Only another writer can truly understand how you’ll feel, what you’re doing, and what you’re going through.

Warning: some spouses, significant others, roommates, parents – whoever you share living space with – may not be so happy about your entering NaNoWriMo. They won’t like not having your full attention, or that the house may look like a bomb hit it when you’re too busy writing to clean. Talk to them before November 1^st. Have an understanding that this is important to you, that your primary focus will be on this contest for 30 days, and you’d like their support. You may have a wonderful support system around you, and you’re lucky if you do. You may not; you may actually have grumbling naysayers around you. Don’t listen to them. You can do this.

So much has happened in my writing life since last year’s NaNo. The biggest, most profound change was that in March 2011, I joined Twitter. I’ve met more writers online in the Twitterverse than anywhere else, ever, and it’s been amazing. The writers I’ve met on Twitter (and the group #pubwrite in particular) are so varied, from all walks of life, all the corners of the planet, writing in every genre and subgenre imaginable -- traditionally published, self-published, or not yet published. They’re smart, funny, talented, and are generally unbelievably supportive of one another.

Meeting these people on Twitter has not only ratcheted my desire to write into the stratosphere, but I’ve learned so much about the ever-changing writing business, gained such insight into the mindset of fellow writers, felt that true kinship and comradery… I can’t begin to express what I feel for what they’ve shown and taught me, all the genuine support, understanding, and love I’ve found there. 

I wanted to give something back somehow, no matter how seemingly small it was.

So I put tweets out on Twitter a few weeks ago, proclaiming my desire to be Head Cheerleader to any writers who choose to take on NaNoWriMo this year. Having someone support you during this month of intense writing can be crucial to your succeeding at it. And I’m good at support. I’m a passionate, caring, and gregarious person; I get genuine joy from making people feel good or knowing I’ve helped someone.

This year, thanks to Twitter, I know about 50 people doing NaNo. How cool is THAT? Last year, I knew five. So to know that so many of us will be doing this together? I’ve dusted off my pompoms, they’re ready. And I’m the best kind of cheerleader: I’m not annoyingly perky or saccharine -- I’m a wiseass. I’m fun. I’m sassy. I have a quick, sharp, and sometimes dirty mouth. Who else would you want to cheer you on every day for a month? 

I’m the right woman for the job.

This will be my 3^rd year in a row doing NaNoWriMo, and I’m planning on achieving my third “win”. I’m not only looking forward to that, but to the online party that will be all these amazing people doing NaNoWriMo together. So, if you want some of that support, follow me on Twitter at @jennifergracen and let me know. I’ll be keeping a list of NaNo Tweeps. It’s going to be fun. You’re going to have fun doing it. You’re going to surprise yourself with what you’re capable of accomplishing. Do it! Good luck!   


Are you ready for NaNoWriMo? Do you have your NaNo/twitter tribe at the ready? 

Jennifer Gracen grew up torn between her two great loves: books and music, unable to choose whether to be a writer or a singer.  After spending her youth writing in private and singing in public, she has fully embraced her passion for writing. She worked as a copy editor before choosing to stay home to dedicate herself to being a full-time mother. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America (PRO status) and the Long Island Romance Writers (RWA Chapter 160). She has completed three full-length novels and one novella, in her preferred genre of women's fiction/contemporary romance. Currently searching for agent representation, she is already preparing to start her next full-length novel, when NaNoWriMo kicks off.