Writing a Novel for #NaNoWriMo

Whaddup JP

This November I’m joining thousands of wannabe writers in a quest to pen a 50,000+ word novel in just 30 days for the National Novel Writing Month or #NaNoWriMo initiative.

Why am I writing a novel now?

It’s a bit of a bonkers idea but one that has really taken off since it began back in 1999. I only heard about i myself around a month ago and my initial reaction was, like most people, ‘lovely idea, always wanted to write a novel, but I’m too busy/scared of failure/it’s just not the right time’. Of course, when I was completely honest with myself I realised there would never be a right time, so I started drafting a plan just to see what would happen.

I have now spent the majority of October reworking that plan, adding character backgrounds, chucking in all sorts of curveballs and twists and generally trying to…

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5 Tips to Help You Write Killer Chapters During NaNoWriMo

PART-TIME NOVEL

NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. Are you ready? Are you prepared? If not, you’ve got some work to do. I’m here to help.

Last week I wrote a blog titled 5 Ways to Succeed at NaNoWriMo. Today I am going to lay out 5 things to help you writer killer chapters.

1. Keep a list of everything included in each chapter close by. POV, characters, setting, weather, and plot points. I am sure there are other things to jot down, but do your best to remember everything so you don’t forget something really important down the line.

1. Write a brief description of each chapter to help you understand why it is essential to your story. Before you begin writing, reread it. If you find some chapters that do not belong, eliminate them. Or, at least highlight these darlings so you know if they are worth the effort when you…

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What I have done to prepare NaNoWriMo.

the book's garden

So I am preparing and I’m super excited to win this year and that is why I have spent so much time preparing its kind off becoming a chore. I thought I would share my preparations with you.

1. I have been completing ‘Ready, Set, Novel’ book that is official merchandise from the NaNoWriMo people. It has been super helpful with fleshing out my characters, plot line and setting. I have found it super easy and the activities have been fun and thoughtful.
2. Getting my friends approval of my idea, and going through any rough patches with me. It was super fun and getting someone else’s viewpoint means that you can see any weak places and other things that need some work.
3. The last thing I have been trying to do is generate some sort self-belief in the story I am going to write and bring up some motivation that will…

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NaNoWriMo – 2 days and counting…

Donna's Family Life

It’s Thursday…

God bless!

©Donna J. Mynatt 2014

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Guest Post Blog Tour with Zoe Winters

I have been trying to write a novel and I keep getting distracted by the characters and I like the new ones that I introduce. That is when I write some more about them and their backstory. I really I need to break it down into novels.

Samantha Anderson

The Series That Didn’t Know It Was A Series…

For Nanowrimo in 2006, I wrote this book (Save My Soul) about a woman who buys a house she’s loved since she was a child, but when she finally gets into the house, it’s haunted… but not by a ghost… by a demon. An incubus.

I wrote an incubus because I’d heard that “vampires were over”. Hahahahahahahahahahaha Hold please… hahahahahahahahahaha Okay, all better. It’s clear to me that vampires are not EVER going to be “over”. The Vampire Diaries and The Originals (Vampire Diaries spinoff) were going strong the last time I checked. People keep publishing vampires, and other people keep reading them. So eight years ago, it was probably pre-mature for me to worry that vampires were “over”. And that concluded my listening to anybody’s fun predictions about what readers do and do not want.

Nevertheless, I wanted…

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The Soundtrack To Your Novel

Aether House

There are two types of music that I categorize when I write a novel – music that inspires me and music that I envision in the story.

For example, I use Bear’s Den music to inspire me for Paradisa, but I don’t imagine any of their songs played in the background during scenes. On the other hand, 80’s classic rock has nothing to do with my story, but I imagine Connor jogging to some of it in the opening scene of my Paradisa sequel.

More simply?  The inspiration playlist is about lyrics, and the soundtrack is about tone.

As I wrap up the outline for my NaNoWriMo novel, I’ve been futzing around with the soundscape. I’m basing my main character on someone I sort of know, and that someone was a big fan of Tom McRae, so I’ve been including a lot of Tom McRae in my thought process. But then…

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NaNoWriMo 2014: Prepare to Write 50,000 Words in 30 Days

On Being a Writer

Girl, Interrupted

My first ever writing workshop was easily one of the worst experiences I have had as a writer. I didn’t know how to respond to my classmates’ commentary, nor was I allowed to respond. That’s how it works it writing workshops. You sit and you take it, just like I sat and I took garbage for years from people in my life—I was never allowed an opinion or a voice. Not being able to respond is not something that inspires confidence within. I went into that workshop actually liking something I had written, for the first time ever. But no one else did. It brought me right back to that place, that place of not being good enough.

The piece all started with a dog. I interviewed an animal shelter worker who told me an incredibly interesting tale about a dog she had fallen in love with that was about…

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nanowrimo time

5 Reasons to Use Scrivener

Beach Girl Publishing

Some people may or may not agree with me. Scrivener has changed how I write my novels making it so much easier.

When I first started writing years ago, I used the old-fashioned pen and paper to write the story and then a typewriter to make it look “professional,” or as professional as it could be at that point.

I got my first desktop computer right after I finished obtaining my teaching license. I didn’t realize how much better that would be over the old-fashioned ways. At least I was no longer wasting tons of white out to correct my mistakes.

I used Word for all of my writing until December 2012. It was then that I “won” National Novel Writing Month and received a code to buy Scrivener for 50% off. That was one of the best purchases I have made in a while.

Why do I use Scrivener?

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