Category: plot
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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 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 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…
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Tips for Plotting a Novel
From NowNovel.com Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric
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Friday’s Findings: Doing a Scene Audit
I’ve been on vacation this week and while I haven’t gotten as much reading done as I would have liked, I have gotten a LOT done on my novella, Traption. I’ve spent this week going through each scene, one by one and asking myself the following questions: Does this scene have a goal?What are the…
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Friday’s Findings: Fandom.com
I’ve been using Fandom.com (formerly known as Wikia.com) to help me in my reading and writing endeavors. Fandom is a wiki hosting service which hosts wikis on entertainment and pop culture, such as books, games, movies, television and more. I find Fandom helpful in my reading in several ways. First, if I’ve been reading a…
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Friday’s Findings: The Story on Two Levels
I believe I’ve quoted this fiction writing axiom before, but Terry Pratchett said, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” With this year’s NaNoWriMo, I’m finding out how true this is. I’m feeling exactly what he was talking about. I spent September and October prepping my story. I made up characters. I…
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NaNo Update
Just a quick update on my NaNoWriMo project. Over the weekend I reached 30k words, which was my goal. I’m pleased with how it’s going, but, of course, NaNo is about just getting it down on paper (or on the computer). Some things going well: I’ve written something for every scene in the story. Sometimes…
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This Year: Why My NaNoWriMo Is Going So … Great
Nanowrimo first week update: Taking a short break from writing my NaNoWriMo project for an update and access how I’m feeling. Overall, I feel like this year’s NaNo is going fantastic. I would have to say it’s the best NaNo experience I’ve had, and I’ve been doing it since 2008. Why is it going so…
Andrew M. Friday 