Month: November 2012

NaNoWriMo Day # 20: Have You Learned How to Balance and Weave?

jcladyluv

It’s hard to find balance when you are trying to juggle so many tasks at once.  Writing a novel is not an easy task and when you take on the added pressure of participating in National Novel Writing Month and having to write every single day and write a specific amount of words just to meet one specific goal.

If you add to that the pressure of completing the other projects and tasks that you have to do that also concern your writing career such as keeping up with your blog, making that deadline for the novel or non-fiction book that you need to get to your editor, or the articles that you are being paid to write by a specific time, it can be extremely hard to find that balance to handle it all.  Here are a few suggestions on how you can balance your Novel and your other writing projects and weave them into one another, if you can.

1)      Separate your writing tasks and times over different days.  For instance, choose to work on your novel for NaNoWriMo at one time period of the day (in the morning or in the evening) and work on one of your other writing assignments in the opposite time period of the day.  If you have multiple tasks aside from your NaNoWriMo novel then split it up and do one task on one day and another on another day.

2)      If your main writing tasks aside from doing your NaNoWriMo novel is doing your blog then weave the two tasks together.  Blog about your NaNoWriMo experience.  Blog about your novel and how the process of writing your novel is going.  Blog about your characters and allow your readers to get to know them before your novel even gets published and comes out.  This will allow your blog posts to come a little easier to you while under the pressure of writing your novel and still keep you on course with maintaining your blog.

3)      Write your articles that have to be written about your experience of NaNoWriMo.  Write articles about your process of writing your novel.  Write the articles that you are submitting for payment about having to balance your novel with your other tasks of being a writer, a business person, and a parent.  These articles will not only come easier because you are living that experience but they won’t take too much extra thought process and research (that it would take to do the health related article you would normally be writing right now) which would be time taken away from writing your novel.

4)      If you honestly are not good at balancing the multiple writing tasks then focus on the novel and write notes regarding the other projects you need to work on in a notepad.  This allows you to focus on that novel, get it done, and still not lose the ideas that you have for your other projects.  That way when you are finished with NaNoWriMo and your novel you can immediately go implement the ideas and notes that you jotted down with your other projects.

I hope some of these suggestions help you keep that balance and get that novel done.  There’s only ten more days so hang in there.  You can do this!

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 19: Keeping the End Goal In Your Sights

jcladyluv

Okay so this week is going to be a tough one to get through.  Thanksgiving is Thursday and you have a ton of things to do.  You can’t think about writing write now right?  That is where you are wrong.  Yes it will be difficult but anything that is worth you having is going to be hard to achieve without you putting in the added effort.

Whether this is your first, second, or tenth attempt at NaNoWriMo, you are a writer.  This is your job, be it full time or part time, and you have to treat it as such.  Writing is not like other jobs where you clock in and are held accountable by someone else.  You are responsible for holding yourself accountable and maintaining your productivity in your writing efforts.

Now of course Thanksgiving is a holiday and you deserve a day off (if it won’t throw you off of your goal) but you have to find a way to make up for that day you will be missing.  If it is you doing double the words the day before or the day after then that’s what you need to do.  If it’s you splitting the missed words between the days surrounding Thanksgiving, then that is what you need to do.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to plant your butt in a chair on the morning of Thanksgiving Day then you should definitely get those words done.  No matter how you decide to work your way around this Holiday, do what you know needs to be done to accomplish your goal that you set at the beginning of this month.  You’ve come way too far to give up on the goal now.

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 18: Have You Reached the Point of Desperation?

jcladyluv

Here are some quick tips from my new favorite youtube channel on how to help your story move along and I thought maybe I would share them with you.  Now the tips are for when you get in one of those desperate moments when you think you might be getting stuck and you just can’t think of anything else, but I happen to think that you might just be able to use these tips regardless of desperation.  Some of these tips I think I might actually try myself.  Happy Writing!!!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 17: Breaking the Routine, Just For One Day

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Saturday’s are a hard day to keep up with your writing routine for NaNoWriMo.  You have so many other things to do on these two little days of the weekend to make up for all that you don’t get done during the week when you’re working and being super-mom (or dad) and cramming in your writing of your novel.  It’s not completely out of the ordinary for you to want to take a day away from NaNoWriMo.  

Although I strongly suggest that you find a way to write every day of this month (even if it is only a paragraph), there is nothing worse then forcing something that just isn’t there.  It isn’t good for your creativity, it isn’t good for story and your characters, and it isn’t good for your sanity.  

If you absolutely need a break from your story and all things NaNoWriMo, it will not completely hurt anything to miss one day.  After all, you can always make it up in the days to come.  Either you can double your word count the next day or you can split up the words you missed and add them into the next few days.  

If you are going to plan on missing one of your days I would actually suggest that it be on Thanksgiving because it’s going to be a hectic day and sometimes it pays to have one less thing to worry about doing on a holiday.   

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 16: The Dreaded Middle

jcladyluv

I was thinking about those writers out there who might have the same problem that I have when I am in the middle of the novel.  I mean the beginning is tough but you know what needs to be done there; there needs to be some incredible lead in to hook the readers to the story.  The end is a little easier but you have a clear idea of what to do there as well; you have to end the story on a happy note for your readers own sanity, or even better you have to leave the readers on the edge of their seats and ready for the sequel (assuming there will be one).

The middle is always a rough patch because there’s that sense of not really knowing what to do or if you want to shift the direction the story is taking.  I mean you can’t keep throwing twists and turns in the story left and right the whole way through the story, it would just be too much.  You also can’t have a persistent lull there the entire time either leaving readers wondering when the story is going to pick up again and become more interesting.  The middle of the novel is that land of sketchy territory.  Sometimes you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

When you find you don’t know where to go in your story don’t be afraid to get some outside input.  Share some of your story with your trusted few and get some ideas and suggestions from unbiased eyes.  Perhaps you could even create a side short story for the not-so main characters to get your mind racing with ideas again.  In creating your short story for the sub-characters you may even discover a whole other side to your main character(s).  You might even come up with a whole other idea for another novel that focuses on one or more of your sub-characters from this novel.

Find ways to send your mind in other directions then the one you are going in.  This could translate into a whole new angle and a solution to the problem of the dreaded middle of the novel.  Whatever you do, don’t allow yourself to get stuck because after stuck there comes stalled and you don’t want an excuse to quit on this novel.

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 15: The Halfway Point

jcladyluv

It’s officially halftime.  You’ve invested so much of yourself and your time to this novel already.  At this moment some of you may be wondering if you can keep up this routine and this drive for the next fifteen days and finish this up strong.

Thanksgiving is next week, you’ve got to go out of town or you’ve got family coming in town.  You’ve got all of this food to cook and the kids are going to be home from school so your time is going to be harder to divide up.  Not to mention Christmas is right around the corner and we all know how much preparing for the Christmas holiday can take out of a person.  It’s tough to even imagine finishing up this task knowing that soon (next week) your focus will be torn.

As unimaginable as it seems that you can actually finish this novel in the midst of a holiday season embarking, it really is possible.  It may take some extra effort and perhaps even more sleepless nights (or nights with a lot less sleep than you normally get) but it is in fact doable.  As tempting as it might be (and believe me, I know it’s very tempting), don’t throw in the towel.  You have hung in there this long and now that you’ve made it to the middle of the month you owe it to yourself (and your future readers) to finish what you started.

Now for those of you that don’t have this problem of losing focus right in the middle of your journey, please share your secret to staying focused (perhaps even bottle it up and sell it) because I sure would like to know.  If this month is like a piece of cake to you and your story is flowing better than even you expected, then congratulations and keep writing.  Halfway past the starting line and halfway to the finish!

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 14: Keeping Up the Momentum

jcladyluv

Sometimes it feels like if you take even one step away from the computer and your story that you will lose momentum.  You get in a good flow with your story and you don’t want to leave it for fear that you won’t keep up that same steady flow the next time you sit down at your computer.  Here are a few tips to keep the momentum for your story up even when you are not sitting in front of your computer.

1)      Have a dialogue with your characters when you are away from the computer.  Take mental note of the conversation that you left off with or envision the next scene and the conversation that could take place in that scene and keep that dialogue going in your mind until you sit down at the computer tomorrow (or your next scheduled writing time).

2)      Envision the cover of your book and the book release party that you will have when it is all done and published.  Think about how you will market it and who you will target your advertisements of the book towards.  No, this is not helping the actual story move forward but it is keeping the motivation you have going for putting your but in that chair the next time you are scheduled to write so you can see that vision of your book finished and in stores.  Sometimes having that mental picture of what it looks like when your goals have been met motivates you to get moving on meeting those goals.

3)      You can always make voice recordings of the ideas or notes you want to make within your story.  For some this works better to help remember where you want to go in your story or if you get a new idea that takes your story in a different direction you can quickly record that idea.  Some prefer this to writing down the idea in a notebook.  It also can work very well for those of us who constantly think of storyline ideas when we’re driving around in the car (or does that just happen to me).

I hope some of these ideas help you keep the momentum going in your story even when you’re not sitting down at your computer.  Tomorrow is the halfway point.  Hope your story is unfolding brilliantly!

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 13: Is the Excitement of NaNoWriMo Starting to Taper Off?

jcladyluv

Hopefully you haven’t gotten to that point in your NaNoWriMo experience where the excitement of doing a first draft in 30 days has weaned and the everyday responsibilities of life have once again consumed you.  But if you have reached that point (although that doesn’t usually happen until after you’ve passed the middle of the month) and you are starting to get blocked or starting to procrastinate, perhaps you just need a little motivation to get you going again.

If you’re a music lover (and you can actually write to music—I usually would just end up singing instead of writing) then maybe you could start thinking of music to inspire you to write.  Perhaps you should give your book a soundtrack as if it were going to become a movie (who knows, maybe it will be) and think of the songs that would fit your book and its characters.  The music that might be playing in the background of a dramatic scene could push your story forward even further.

If you are more of a television person maybe watching a little T.V. can get those creative juices flowing again.  If you are writing a drama, perhaps watch a drama show, or if you’re writing something a little more comedic, then watch comedy.  Perhaps watching the style that you are currently writing in can give you ideas for scenes, or dialogue, or an interesting plot twist you can throw into your book.

You might even think about watching an inspiring movie that could give you more ideas for your book.  Perhaps watching a movie that resembles what you want your book to look like on film (not a carbon copy of course but a generalized idea) can give you more of an inspiration to finish what you started this month.  Movies are usually what gets my creative juices going again and gives me an overwhelming amount of new ideas (too many new ideas—usually before I’ve finished working on the old ones) and has me rushing back to my computer (or to my notebook).

If none of those things inspires you to keep writing then do something that does inspire you or do something that can help take the pressure off of you to finish the novel.  There’s nothing wrong with going out for a couple of hours, having some fun with friends or family, and releasing that tension or anxiety you are feeling about getting your novel done.  That may be just what you need to get back into the swing of things.  No matter what you find to inspire you to keep writing, just keep writing!

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 12: With NaNoWriMo Comes a Sense of Discipline

jcladyluv

I don’t think that there are any writers out there that will disagree that writing anything, whether it is a novel, or a movie or television script, or a play, or even a song, takes an incredible amount of discipline.  You can’t just will the material on the page (if only we could do that—I’d have over a dozen books published already) and then wave a magic wand and make it happen.

You have to actually designate the time and weave writing into everything else in your life.  More importantly, you have to actually follow through.  In the many years that I have done NaNoWriMo there are so many things that this event has taught me about writing, not the least of which is discipline.  Here are a few things that you can take away from the NaNoWriMo event, whether you finish your novel or not (but you will finish).

1)      NaNoWriMo makes you have to focus more on the important aspects of your novel.  You have less time to get caught up in all of the nitpicky things about you novel and just concentrate on the plot and the characters and the setting that will make your readers fall in love with your novel.

2)      NaNoWriMo gives you that deadline that frankly some of us need in order to really sit down and get the task at hand completed.  Some writers just work better with deadlines that they absolutely can’t miss.

3)      NaNoWriMo makes us set a time to write in order to get the work done.  It gives us more of a routine that we can schedule things around so that we come out on the other side of our efforts with a finished product.

4)      NaNoWriMo provides a network of other writers that can understand your goals and aspirations where your writing is concerned because they have the same goals and aspirations.  Writing can be such an isolated career so sometimes it is good to have that group of writers that you can reach out to for critique or advice.

What are some of the things that you take away from the event of NaNoWriMo?

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

NaNoWriMo Day # 11: Mid-Month Crisis Help a Few Days Early!

jcladyluv

Okay I found another youtube NaNo Video clip for you guys.  It’s a video that I particularly enjoyed and that I could’ve used last year when I hit the mid-month meltdown that I experienced.  I thought that I would share it with you a few days earlier because maybe it can eliminate the possibility of you even having a mid-month crisis if you start thinking of some of these tips now rather then later.  Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.  Keep up the good work!  Oh and if you’ve fallen behind, you still have plenty of time so don’t beat yourself up about it.

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://write-2-be.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress