Category: discovery draft
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NaNoWriMo Day 20: A 6,000-Word Day. Not.
In his book No Plot? No Problem!, NaNoWriMo founder, Chris Baty, suggests getting ahead in your word count by “harnessing the power of 6,000-word days.” I tried it. I got to 4,000 words for Saturday and I decided I was far enough ahead and to stop for the day. It just wasn’t fun anymore. I…
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NaNoWriMo Day 19: From Regular to Rebel
What I like about the four steps I used this month for NaNoWriMo is how they can be used in both Preptober and NaNoWriMo. Ideally, the writer can use Preptober to develop the characters. Once that is done, they can start using the four steps; the only question is which step to start NaNoWriMo with?…
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NaNoWriMo Day 18: Completing the story arc
I knew from the first day of NaNoWriMo I would not complete the story. Yes, I will reach 50,000 words. Yes, I will write a narrative, but it will only be part of the narrative–or what I’m calling “step four” in my NaNoWriMo plan. My writing process for NaNoWriMo 2022: Step 1: Write one complete…
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NaNoWriMo Day 17: The Big Conversion
My writing process for NaNoWriMo 2022: Step 1: Write one complete sentence summarizing each scene. Step 2: Turn each sentence into a five sentence paragraph. Step 3: Turn each paragraph into five paragraphs. Step 4: Turn the five paragraphs into a narrative. Now that I’ve reached step four, I’m converting everything to Scrivener. Up to…
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NaNoWriMo Day 15: Staying Ahead
I only got in 232 words yesterday. But that’s okay. The day before, Sunday, I got in over 5,000 words which put me a few days ahead. Yesterday, I have an all day meeting which mentally drained me and I have to wrap up emergency dog sitting for a coworker over the weekend. On the…
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NaNoWriMo Day 14: Half Way There
I finished the third step of my writing process for NaNoWriMo 2022. My writing process for NaNoWriMo 2022: Step 1: Write one complete sentence summarizing each scene Step 2: Turn each sentence into a five sentence paragraph. Step 3: Turn each paragraph into five paragraphs. (I’m writing step 3 in red to help it stick…
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NaNoWriMo Day 13: Go ahead; write those flashbacks
One way I’m building up my word count for NaNoWriMo is by using flashbacks. My main characters have a complex backstory (don’t they always?) and I’m finding it’s a great way to keep me on top of my daily statistics. But using flashbacks can help in other ways. They can move the story forward. They…
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NaNoWriMo Day 12: High Stakes
I have a lot of action scenes in my NaNo project this year. By action, I mean fight scenes, high stakes drama. I’m trying to balance them with reflective scenes where the characters are trying to figure out how what’s happening around them affects their mind and emotions. And, even more important, when the characters…
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NaNoWriMo Day 10: Death and Oops
Even though I outlined in Preptober, I decided to kill off one of my characters. Rather violently. I think I had a bad day at work and I was taking it out on this poor fictional being. But later I realized that character was needed for a couple of functions in the story. Oops. No…
Andrew M. Friday 