Determination by Roxanne Piskel

If there’s one thing that I took away from participating in NaNoWriMo 2010, it’s that I can overcome any obstacle when it comes to my writing.

I faced numerous challenges last year. I didn’t have a computer or internet at home, so all of my writing was done during my lunch breaks at work. I came down with bronchitis, which resulted in me falling 10,000 words behind schedule.

And, of course, I wasn’t in a situation where I could put my life on hold. I had to continue to show up for my 40-hour workweek, take care of my four-year-old son, and do all those other domestic duties to keep life running smoothly.

Suffice to say, life really got in the way.

But I pushed through. When I found the time, I wrote. When I noticed myself falling behind schedule, I didn’t beat myself up about it. I just pushed myself to write more words the next time so I could catch up.

Some days, I didn’t like a single word I wrote. But I pushed on. Once, I deleted an entire section of the story because I was so unhappy with it. But I pushed on. I pushed myself harder than I’ve probably ever pushed myself towards a goal.

I was determined to reach that 50,000 word goal.

And, I did it.

Somehow, by the afternoon of November 30, 2010, I wrote a 50,007 novel. And when I submitted it to the NaNoWriMo site? I felt like I had really accomplished something incredible.

And I’m going to do it again.

I’m sure I’ll face a lot of struggles this year. I have a computer at home now, an old desktop handed down from my grandmother who doesn’t need it anymore. I still don’t have internet, but I really think that would be a distraction from the writing. I’m a fully single mom this year, so most of my writing will done in the late evenings after my son has gone to bed. I might get sick again.

But I did it last year.

I can do it all again.

And it’s going to be fantastic.

Roxanne is a single mother to a 5-year-old superhero, living in the biggest little city and blogging all about her journey at Unintentionally Brilliant. Besides being a mother, an administrative assistant, and a blogger, Roxanne is also a freelance editor. Her background in editing includes working on the Sierra Nevada College literary review, editing term papers throughout college, and being nit-picky about her family's Facebook statuses. She also recently edited the e-book short story Requiring of Care, published on Smashwords by Cameron D. Garriepy. NaNoWriMo '11 will be the second year in a row that she's participated in the event. When not fully immersed in the literary and blogging worlds, she enjoys walking on curbs like they are tightropes, flying with her jacket stretched out like wings, and watching every superhero movie ever made at least twenty times in a row.

Not Sure What Happens Next? by Rochelle Melander

(source)

“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.

Got Block? Try a WEDGE by Janece Herrington

Well, here we are smack in the middle of NaNoWriMo 2011.  How are you doing?  I don’t know about you, but I’ve barely kept up with my daily word count, thanks to a few thousand extra words clocked in during Week One!  Thank the NaNo Gods!

Week One is honeymoon time with the whole NaNo experience.  After anticipating November 1st for months, our fingers fly over the keyboard, plots thicken up nicely, and our characters are so well developed, it’s like they’re on steroids.   Updating word counters and statuses across the Social Networking universe hourly, we want everyone know:  We’re IN it, man!  We’re DOING this thing!

We Are On FIRE!

Enter Week Two - notorious for sending Wrimos into panic mode when they realize they’ve run out of plot, and still have 30,000 words to go.  I should know.  This is my 5^th NaNo! Whether we’re Plotters or Pantsers,  Week Two is when many of us go from “FLOW” to “SLOW” faster than you can say “Is it December yet?”

Suddenly, we’re staring at blank screens, the clock is ticking, and our word count hasn’t budged in hours.  Maybe days!  We’ve used every adjective known to man (and then some) in our last paragraph, and now we’ve got - nothing.  Nada.  Zilch!

Ugh! What happened?  We were doing SO well, then without warning, our Muse goes into hiding and NaNoWriMo feels a lot more like WORK, and a lot less like fun.

WRITER’S BLOCK

Two words sure to strike fear into the heart of anyone who’s ever put word to paper.

The BAD news is, almost every writer will experience writers block at some point, and it has nothing to do with ability or desire. 

The GOOD news is – especially for us Wrimos - we’re going for PROGRESS in November, not PERFECTION.    They may not be the best words we’ve ever written, and we might type the very last word at 11:59 p.m. on November 30. But the goal here is to just FINISH, blocks be damned.

So what’s a writer to do when they hit the proverbial Block Wall?  Try the WEDGE:

WANDER away from your story for a while literally (take a walk, go for a ride, or watch a movie) and figuratively.  Suspend your original plot and try something different.  For example, your MC could step into a Time Machine and meet up with a historical figure.  Or an alien.  Whatever! Wandering may not sit well with you Plotters, but it will get you writing again.  And THAT’S the whole point.  You can always edit later. 

ENLIST help from writing prompts.  There are some great books available, as well as card decks. But you don’t have to spend money - make your own!  Cut some index cards in half, and write a word or phrase on each one.  “Take a Road Trip” “Kill off your MC”  “RUMBA!”  The point is to have fun with it!  Then shuffle the cards, pick one, and get writing! 

DRAW from real life.  Did you have lunch with a friend today?  Maybe and your squeeze got into a fight, or you just found out you’re adopted.  Real life is great fodder for word count.  Who knows?  Maybe the ‘nice guy’ that stopped to help you change a tire is really an ax welding murderer who’s looking for his next victim!

GUT IT OUT.  I know, I know. This one doesn’t sound sexy, but perseverance DOES pay off.   It might seem like you’ve run out of ideas, but if you’ll just stick with it, the words will come back. So what if it’s not the next Great American Novel? (NO NaNoWriMo novel is at first!)  You’ll eventually find your voice again, if you don’t give up.  Just ask Ernest Hemingway or J.K. Rowling.

EASE UP ON YOURSELF.  No, really.  Try not to stress so much about it.  We’re going for word counts here, not trying to solve world hunger.  Just do the best you can for now.  If you write only 50 words today and not a one makes sense, so what?  Beating yourself up is a recipe for more blockage.  Try again tomorrow.  Just don’t give up!

Janece Herrington is a native Southern Californian who grew up in the 60s addicted to reading, listening to the Beach Boys, and playing “journalist on the street” in the beautiful port town of South Shores.

Mother of two and grandmother to one, Janece works full-time as the Marketing Manager for a national property management company.  She’s been blogging since 2005, and considers creative writing her ‘real job’.  Her blog is The Wild Pomegranade.

A featured contributor on SheWrites.com and WomenWriters, Women Books, Janece has published several articles on Green Home building and the upcoming Baby Boomer Retirees. She is currently working on her first novel.

Whammo! You Hooked 'em! by Julie A. Lindsey

Will Mr. Owl keep reading after chapter one? (source)

I love the extra ZING! NaNoWriMo adds to everything about writing this month. It seems appropriate to begin a Nano novel with an extra SHAZAAM! Doesn’t it?

I had the great pleasure of attending the Central Ohio Fiction Writer’s Conference earlier this month and met an amazing group of seasoned authors, editors and agents. My favorite topic covered that weekend was all about what they look for in an opening chapter.  They emphasized the importance of chapter one about a thousand times saying, “In Chapter one you either hook the reader, or they put you down and walk away.” 

No one wants to be THAT author. So, as you tear through your opening chapter this week, laying out the foundation to reel those readers into your world, keep these things in mind:

1.       Chapter one needs a sense of immediacy. Don’t start with your character approaching a door to knock on. Start when the door pulls wide and so do your MC’s eyes. Don’t start with the labor pains. Start with the blaring scream of that final push. Make your reader think to themselves “My WORD, what have I gotten into here?” Those are the kind of thoughts that need answers, and only reading the next sentence, paragraph, page, chapter will answer them.

2.       No info dumps. We know our characters entire life stories and it can be hard to separate what the reader needs to know and what they don’t. Remember: Most things can be implied, not stated and the rest can be left out. In other words, if the information isn’t necessary to propel your characters forward, forget about it. The reader only needs and wants to know what is immediately relevant. Cut the rest.

3.      Engage the reader. The devil’s in the details, as they say. Draw the reader in with things everyone understands, relates too, knows. Add the little ticks and quirks and oddities that make the characters real. Chipped fingernail polish on an otherwise put together woman. No one’s perfect. A crooked nose on a handsome stranger. A lingering look at a desert case from a slim patron. All these details add vision to the reader and depth to the character. Why’s her polish chipped? Nail chewer or house cleaner? How’d such a distinguished man get a nose like that? Was he a college boxer? Was he in an accident? Is he not what he seems at all? How about the skinny person staring at the pie? Hungry? Eating disorder? Or a healthy concern about others eating more than they need?

4.       Start your story on the cusp of change. Jump right into the story. Begin where the action begins. Make the most of every word and remember there’s a reader deciding at the end of every sentence, if they want to know more.

5.      Create a strong sense of character from the outset. Unite the reader to the main character as early as possible. If he’s careful, show us he checks his shoes are tied twice before beginning his morning run. He scans the crossroad ahead for the last block before he arrives there. Point out the way he listens to the traffic and not music. He thinks there are too many useless accidents thanks to music. Then drop a piano on him. Who can’t relate to preparing tirelessly only to get blindsided?

6.      Motivation must be present. A hint or sense of doom or trouble should be nestled in every paragraph. Absurdly long shadows from the crane carrying the piano make the man think it’s later in the day than he realized. However you do it, Make sure Change is in the air in Chapter one.

Applying these ideas to your opening chapter will not only grab a reader when the time comes to share your Nano-novel-of-awesome, but it will set up a foundation for intrigue throughout your manuscript and set a precedence for the character’s personality to keep showing through. 

Do you have any tricks to hook the readers? Do you like to keep them on their toes?

I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.

My sweet romance novella Bloom will launch the Turquoise Morning Press’s new Honey Creek line in Jan 2012. I’ve contracted three novellas for my Seeds of Love series with TMP and will be planting those seeds throughout 2012. My humorous women’s fiction Death by Chocolate will be available for download December 2011, and it hits shelves in April 2012 as the first in my Killer Confections Saga!

I blog about books and writing and Tweet @JulieALindsey Say “Hi!”