Category: writing
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NaNoWriMo Day 30: Some resources to check out
No two writers approach their WIPs in the same way. Over the years, I’ve used a combination of the following methods to develop my stories. You may be familiar with some of them. Some of them may be new. I cherry pick parts from them and have created an amalgam of a fiction creating process…
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NaNoWriMo Day 29: Seeking the senses
On Thanksgiving Day, I accompanied my mom and her husband to volunteer at a church serving T-day meals to the homeless and low-income families. It was a nice break from working on my NaNoWriMo project. The three of us ending up on the team of volunteers who picked up paper plates and cups from those…
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NaNoWriMo Day 27: Home Stretch
Two milestones yesterday: I reached 45k words. And I finally did a 6k day. I did several sprints all day long. Most were 30 minute sprints and a couple were 45 minute sprints. And I still managed to get non-writing stuff done. In between writing sprints, I would exercise for 15-20 minutes. Or I would…
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NaNoWriMo Day 26: Background noise
I finally reached 40k yesterday. I tried to write 6,000 words total, but after 3700, I just stopped and started watching a movie. Sometimes, when I’m writing, I’ll throw on a movie in the genre I’m writing, something I’ve watched a million times before, and write. Because it’s not something new to watch, I’m not…
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NaNoWriMo Day 25: Two ways to write your scene
I haven’t been writing much the last few days. I got busy with work and yesterday was Thanksgiving. I wrote a little, but I didn’t push myself. You see, I’m on vacation until December 3, so I have the next five days to write and reach 50k. I have about 12,000 words left. That’s about…
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NaNoWriMo Day 24: Thankful for what I’ve learned in NaNoWriMo 2022
I am reading about people on Reddit, Twitter and other social media platforms who have decided to stop NaNoWriMo. That’s okay. I’ve had my years where I just wasn’t into it. But I have never subscribed to the thought that someone who doesn’t finish NaNoWriMo, doesn’t win. Everyone wins at NaNoWriMo, even those who don’t…
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NaNoWriMo Day 22: Starting with dialogue
When I start a scene, if I’m not sure what to write to start things off, I go to my default: dialogue. Then I add in some physical actions followed by interior thoughts and emotions. Then I layer in some description – I make sure the reader knows what the characters look like as close…
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NaNoWriMo Day 21: Think before I write
Still on par for my word count, but I’m not ahead. I only wrote a couple hundred words yesterday. It was very cold out and I was lazy all day. I am finding the benefit of planning out my scenes before I write them. One last thing I do before I actually write a scene…
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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…
Andrew M. Friday 