Category: my novel’s progress
-
Focus on word count
“I try to focus on word count per day. So when I do first drafts, I aim to write a set word count every Monday – Friday until the book is done. That means that I can usually predict the day the book will be done when I start it.” — Taylor Jenkins Reidauthor of…
-
Friday’s Findings: Five things I’ve learned in five years
In my post last Friday, I talked about writers should keep learning their craft. I thought about writing practices I had learned in the last five years. I took an inventory and came up with two lists: writing craft tips writing life tips Today, I want to show you my writing craft tips. These are…
-
Simple Advice for Writing
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” -Ernest Hemingway Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-writing-on-a-white-paper-7610770/
-
Friday’s Findings: Never stop learning
Never stop learning your craft. I’m a little surprised that some people I know who like to write aren’t interested in further training. I guess I understand. but I like taking online classes about writing fiction. I have to be careful, because I don’t want learning to replace actual writing. Writers can spend a little…
-
Friday’s Findings: Will I do NaNoWriMo This Year?
That photo of the guy contemplating NaNoWriMo may be a bit melodramatic, but it’s a feeling many of us can relate to. Since 2008, NaNoWriMo has been a journey of self-discovery for me. It’s shown me the strength I possess as a writer, pushing my brain, body, and sanity to the limit. It’s proven that…
-
Friday’s Findings: Bullet Point Outline – Do you do it?
Want to write a rough draft of a scene like a champ? For a while now I’ve been trying this method using bullet points. It’s not my invention, but it makes sense to me. Here’s the short version: Spend some time thinking about what needs to happen in the scene. As you think, type out…
-
Science Fiction & Fantasy I’ve Read Lately
With all the crazy stuff happening in the world, I love a little escape time. In other words, I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy this past summer. Here are my thoughts: The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie Dark fantasy; #1 The Blade Itself; #2 Before They Are Hanged; #3 The Last Argument…
-
Friday’s Findings: What Not to Tell
“Good writers may ‘tell’ about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings . . . Fear, love, excitement, doubt, embarrassment, despair become real only when they take the form of events—action (or gesture), dialogue or physical reaction to setting. Detail is the lifeblood of fiction.” -John Gardner Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/collage-photo-of-woman-3812743/
-
Friday’s Findings: The Cat and the Snowflake
In my last post, I discussed using the Snowflake Method simultaneously with the Save the Cat beats to develop a story and end up with a first draft. I expanded this idea with an Excel spreadsheet that can be downloaded. Or if you prefer, right click on the graphic below to expand it. Once the image…
