Category: motivation

  • Still Deciding What To Do for Camp NaNoWriMo

    Still Deciding What To Do for Camp NaNoWriMo

    Camp NaNoWriMo starts April 1st and I’m not sure what to do. It’s not a lack of ideas; it’s too many WIPs to choose from. I have a draft for my novella Traption and I was going to edit it. Then I decided to work on a rough draft for my novella Normous. But now…

  • YouTube AuthorTubes I Watch

    YouTube AuthorTubes I Watch

    I get a lot of inspiration from watching videos by fiction writers on YouTube. I learn a lot, too. Here are a few who are currently active: Abbie Emmons Cam Wolfe is Writing Ellen Brock Fictionary Hello Future Me Jenna Moreci Kieren Westwood Rachel Stephen Reedsy Shaelin Writes Writer Sanctuary Photo by Anni Roenkae

  • I think I’ll do Camp NaNoWriMo

    I think I’ll do Camp NaNoWriMo

    Camp NaNoWriMo starts April 1st and I think I’ll work on the next draft of my novella called Traption. I’ve set my goal to be 25,000 words. That’s what is different about Camp NaNoWriMo: the participant can set their own word count. So, even though I’ve already started revising Traption, I have so much rewrite…

  • What a Mess!

    What a Mess!

    After thirty days of writing over fifty thousand words, what do I have to show? An incoherent mess of scraps of conversations, descriptions and exposition. It’s a mess. And that’s what makes my 2021 NaNoWriMo a success. The story is there, told all the way through. I just have to rework it and rework it.…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    My first week of NaNoWriMo 2021 has gone fantastic. It’s day four and I’m already past 10,000 words. I’ve had some years of NaNo in which I just wasn’t into it, but this year I’m on fire. I think it’s because I did some planning. I created an outline with a summary of scenes, and…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    I’m reading James Scott Bell’s The Art of War for Writers. I’m not even finished, but I’ve already collected a bunch of writing tips and exercises to apply to my own WIPs. Here’s one–and it’s useful for the upcoming NaNoWriMo: “Say you want to describe someone’s wild hair. Write for five minutes without stopping. Describe…

  • NaNoWriMo 2021: It’s Not Too Late

    NaNoWriMo 2021: It’s Not Too Late

    On the morning of October 31, 2008, I lay in bed listening to NPR. I don’t know what show was on or who was talking, but the subject was National Novel Writing Month. Write 50,000 words in one month? Impossible. It started the next day. For some reason, I decided to go for it. I…

  • She Narrowed Her Eyes: Emotions into Body Language

    She Narrowed Her Eyes: Emotions into Body Language

    One thing I look for when writing a characters emotions is body language. How does anger translate in a person’s expression, posture and movement? How does shock? How should a writer transcribe what their characters feel into tangible body language? Let’s break it down. First, I want to thank author K. M. Weiland for introducing…

  • Friday’s Findings

    Friday’s Findings

    From last Monday: I’m on “staycation” this week. As far as my writing, here are some things I promise myself to do with my extra time this week: For NaNoWriMo next month, I promise to do practice writing sprints every day. I will work on my current WIPs. Also for NaNo, I will further develop…