Tag: characters

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NaNoWriMo Day # 7: Change of Venue Can Enrich Your Story

November 7, 2012 jcladyluv

Hopefully your novel is coming along well and your story is developing even further than before. You might be starting to feel restless sitting in your office area day after day to work on your story and before you know it you could be using that as an excuse not to write. Before that happens, before you suddenly find yourself blocked with your story no longer flowing, get out of your office.

Now don’t take to mean that you should just stop working on your novel. What I mean is that perhaps it is time to change your environment that you are writing in. Changing your scenery and your surroundings can really help to get your story going again, and perhaps it will even change your story in a different direction. Try going to the library, a bookstore, or your nearest Starbucks to work on your novel. I know that when I go to Starbucks it somehow opens up all kinds of scenarios for my story and sometimes I will even be sparked by the conversations that are surrounding me.

Your story can really be further developed just by getting out of your comfort zone and changing up the way you do things. You might even discover a whole other side to your main character that you didn’t even realize was there. So if you’re looking to give your writing process a little more variety and make it a little more lively, then get out there and go write somewhere else for a change. You may be able to find a WriteIn in your area by searching on the NaNoWriMo website. No matter where you write, just keep on writing!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

NaNoWriMo Day # 5: Resist the Urge You Have to Edit What You Have Done So Far

November 5, 2012 jcladyluv

You’ve spotted a scene at the beginning of the story that you are dying to change. You notice some things that you didn’t include that need to be in there that will enhance the view the readers get of your character and you may have even seen a couple of unnecessary things that you need to take out. As tempting as it is for you to go back and edit that scene (or those couple of scenes), DON’T DO IT!

NaNoWriMo is a month for the first draft, the first imperfect draft. There is no editing in this month. If you start editing things now, you won’t be able to stop and you will end up losing momentum and falling behind in your word count. I know what you’re thinking. “Wouldn’t that add more words to my word count overall?”

Yes, true enough it would do that, but it would also throw your word count off. Suddenly you would have to figure out what words you counted are now deleted and what words you added should now be counted towards your overall word count tally. I know that in your mind you see all kinds of improvements that need to be made already but resist the urge. Trust me, you will have plenty of time to edit later. That’s what December is for!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

NaNoWriMo Day # 1: Don’t Turn and Run, You Can Actually Do This!

November 1, 2012 jcladyluv

Okay so it’s Day 1 of National Novel Writing Month. Even though it’s only the first day you are already thinking “what in the world did I get myself into here?” You are re-thinking the whole idea and pondering what the point of it all is.

Thoughts of doubt are starting to seep in and you are beginning to realize just how many words 50,000 is and the time you will have to invest to get it done. For those of you who have never done this before you may be starting to realize just how hard it really is to write a novel.

Coming from someone who has had all of these thoughts racing through their head before, and all at once, from the times I have done NaNoWriMo before, I’m here to tell you DON’T LISTEN TO THOSE VOICES! Those are the voices that are trying to get you to give up before you even begin. I know it seems like it can’t be done and like there is no point to all of this but it just isn’t true. The point is that your novel is closer to being done then it was before you started.

No matter what you’re inner critic is telling you, you can’t listen. You Can Do This. Hang in there, it does get easier. Soon (maybe even tomorrow) you will start to fall in love with your story as well as your characters and the plot will be all you can think about. Don’t run away from your story now, it needs you to convey it to the rest of the world!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

7 Ways for You to Get Ready for National Novel Writing Month

October 17, 2012 jcladyluv

So as I stated in my last post I will not be doing NaNoWriMo this year, at least not in the traditional sense, but I thought for all of you out there who are planning on participating in the crazy notion of attempting to complete a novel in 30 days that I would make a few suggestions on getting ready for the month of November. Obviously the first thing that anyone getting into the novel writing spirit needs to do is to sign up by registering on the National Novel Writing Month website at http://www.nanowrimo.org/. That’s the easy part. Other things to better prepare for this month are:

1.) Brainstorm a clear idea for your novel: Hopefully you already know what you want to write about but if not that is the first thing that you need to figure out.

2.) Know the most important details of your novel upfront: You may or may not be a person that likes to outline. If you are an outliner, this is what your next move needs to be. Outline the major points of your novel so that you know where your story is going to start, and where you think it might end up. If you are more of a detailed person then you will want to detail ALL of the major and somewhat minor parts of the novel in this outline. If you are not a person who likes to outline, at the very least you will want to know that major plot points in your story.

3.) Get to know your characters: Some might consider this to be a part of outlining but I see it as being totally separate but just as complex as creating an outline. You have to know who your characters because if you don’t know who your characters are your soon to be readers won’t know who they are either.

4.) Research now rather than later: Do as much research for your novel that you can do before starting your novel. Once you get started writing, you are not going to have the time to really go back and do extensive research so get most of your research out of the way now.

5.) Begin mapping out a workable plan: Come up with a schedule that works for you to write during the month of November. If you are a morning person then you will want to make time available so that you can write in the mornings and get your best work done. Whatever time of day works better for you, you are going to want to maximize to produce your best work. This is also when you will want to let the people around you know that you may not have as much time as you normally do because you will be busy…Writing.

6.) When November 1^st comes around, be prepared to start writing and be prepared to be very busy for those thirty days.

7.) One final thing: If you should happen to get stuck or have a bad day and are not able to write, don’t be too hard on yourself. Putting extra pressure on yourself to write only makes it harder for you to produce good solid work.

I hope that these tips were somehow helpful to anyone who is getting ready to embark on their 30 day journey into novel-land. I know that following these steps helped me last year when I participated and all of the years prior to that. I will be cheering all of you NaNo-er’s on from the sidelines but don’t think I won’t be getting some writing done on my part. I just have to focus on the business end of things right now, as well as putting my Write 2 Be Magazine together for its launch in January 2013. I wish all of you well in November!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

Gearing Up For Another Writing Marathon

July 31, 2012 jcladyluv

So a few posts ago I wrote about doing Camp NaNoWriMo this August so that I can not only finish my novel that I started in last November’s NaNoWriMo but also so that I can get my writing groove back. Although you might think that I wouldn’t have to do the same necessary steps to prepare for this that I did in November because at least this time I am not starting from scratch, that is far from the truth.

Even though I don’t have to come up with an outline and create character sketches I still have to get a handle on my time management. Not only am I just getting my bearings within my Master’s in Psychology program and but I am really trying to work on some freelance work and trying to pitch certain magazines and increase the success of my business, throw a novel in the mix along with the everyday fulltime job of being a mom. Not to mention, I have just thought of another business idea that has some real true potential to make me and my family some money and could launch a lot of things for me, and I have to start putting in the research for that quickly.

I already know what my issue is that I have to work on during this coming month of August, time management. I suppose this will mean a lot less TV and telephone (accept for my very necessary conversations with Ms. L. that tend to turn into brainstorming sessions) and a lot more late nights—and by late nights I mean one’s that are productive late nights and not me catching up on my TV. Thank goodness for my DVR. Well I have a lot of organizing of my time to go figure out and I hope that some of you out there click on the link in the post for CampNaNoWriMo and join in on the writing challenge with me. Tomorrow begins the rest of my novel. Yay!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

Too Many Stories to Juggle, Not Enough Discipline To Keep Them All From Falling

July 26, 2012 jcladyluv

It’s starting to happen again. All of these different ideas and characters are circling around inside my head and trying to tell me all of their stories, ALL at once. Now I know what many writers may possibly be thinking. How could this possibly be a problem? In fact a lot of writers have the opposite problem, no ideas and no characters speaking to them.

Well the problem that presents itself is that I have yet to finish the novel that I started writing last November for National Novel Writing Month. I have no idea why I haven’t because it’s not as if I’ve lost interest in telling the stories of those characters. In fact I am very intrigued to see if the main character in that novel will end up how I once thought she might end up. It’s not as if she hasn’t been begging me to finish telling her story either, in fact I think she may just have some adjustments that could change a lot of what was going to happen.

My problem is that I am a serial story hopper. It’s not that I have never finished a novel. In fact I am actually a published author (although you wouldn’t know it due to my inability to do a better job at marketing myself—yet another thing I must work on sooner rather than later). I actually have another novel that is also completed that is currently in the hands of my editor now. However, if you had any idea of the novels I have already started and stopped because I had another story enter my head and another character that kept shouting at me to tell it, you would probably laugh at my lack of discipline.

That’s what it is, a lack of discipline to stick with one story from start to finish. But how do you silence the characters that come to you in the midst of telling another character’s story that has nothing to do with theirs? I mean you can’t completely ignore the ideas that come because if you lose them you might never get them back again. On the other hand feeding into the constantly flowing stream of ideas is the reason why I have at least 5 or 6 novels started but left unfinished.

I read one article that suggested writing down the ideas as they come and then setting them aside to finish the current project. The problem I have with that idea is that once I get started writing that idea out, then I start sketching the characters, then I start to outline the story and the setting. Next thing you know I’ve moved completely from one story to the next. So what am I going to do about it?

Well it seems that when I knew I was under the pressure of National Novel Writing Month I had no problem sticking to my one story. So NaNoWriMo is having this thing they call CampNaNoWriMo where they do the same thing they do in November, just in June and August as well. Since I’ve already missed June’s, I am going to do the one that they have in August.

Technically you are supposed to start a new novel from scratch but I think that I am going to use the one in August to finish the one I started last November. Perhaps that will give me some focus and discipline and then I can finally complete this novel before moving on to the next one. Who knows, I might just finish this one and move on to another one that I already started earlier and finish that one up too. Discipline is extremely key to a writer’s work because without it you would just be all over the place with more stories going on than any one person can handle. Kind of like me!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

The Other Version of Me

January 3, 2012 jcladyluv

There is another side of me. I would refer to her as my other personality but then people would get the wrong idea and suddenly think that I am crazy and need to be committed (some days they might be right). Now while I do find myself communicating with my characters from one novel or another on a regular basis, I do not hear voices and speak to them and I don’t think that I have a twin version of myself that I talk to at night. But there is another version of myself that I am referring to when I speak about my other self. I am talking about the version of me that I feel that I should be by now, the version of me that I see myself becoming in the not so distant future.

That version of me is already living inManhattan,New Yorkand is on the New York Times Bestseller’s list for three out of her four published novels. She goes on at least eight book signing tours a year (and that would be a slow year). She speaks to elementary, middle, and high schools on the importance of not bullying their peers and emphasizing the impact that the bullying has on the victims. She also speaks at multiple writing seminars and networking events about nurturing the craft of writing. She has two thriving online magazines, one of which comes out in print on a quarterly basis; both of which are produced and published through her publishing company.

Her media empire would be continuously producing movies, television shows, and stage plays that promote self-confidence and self-esteem, empower women of all races, and emphasize the message of people being at peace with themselves and believing that they have the right to be (Write 2 Be) who they are; a Media empire that will eventually give Tyler Perry a run for his money. She will finally get out of her own way and start singing back up for her best friend Ms. L as she goes on her many tours and perhaps will even sing solo in small venues around town. She will be in the process of accumulating funding for her non-profit creativity camp for kids (Write 2 Be Creativity Camp) that will help promote and encourage the importance and development of the arts in children. Last but certainly not least, she will be making moves to begin opening up her local bookstore that will be like no other bookstore. Whew! This woman is busy!

It sounds like a lot, I know, but this is the version of me that I am striving to be and who I believe that I was meant to be. I know that it will take more than one year to get to that version of myself but 2012 is definitely going to be the year in which I begin to clear the path of all of the self-made obstacles that I have created over the years. It is going to be the year in which I am going to take clear and calculated steps that will further me in my efforts to becoming that person. The other version of myself (the one I want to be) is standing on the other side of a very long bridge and this year I am making my way over to her. What a journey I am sure it will be. I guess when I reach her I will let you know. What does your “other self” look like to you? Until tomorrow…Are you who you always thought you would be? If not, what’s stopping you?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

Putting Yourself Into Your Work

December 7, 2011 jcladyluv

I was reading an article in a writer’s magazine today that talked about how this particular author always incorporated a little piece of herself and her life, whether it be childhood or adulthood, into her novels. They are not autobiographical per say but in some ways each of them give away some aspect of who she is. I started thinking about the book of novel storylines that I have that I want to work on and realizing that in some ways I do the same thing.

Now my first novel (The Diary: Succession of Lies) is very much based on some true events that I experienced and worked into the novel. The second one that I want to get published (When Love Calls; currently awaiting the editing phase) may be a little less based on accurate details but I totally identify with my main character as if a piece of me is in her even though she and I are not really alike. With the current novel that I worked on during NaNoWriMo and am still working on (Through the Looking Glass) right now is so far a part from any real experience I have ever been through but yet I identify with my main character, Mackenzie, so much. Now Mackenzie and I are absolutely nothing alike but yet I feel so in tune with her.

How is it that I can be so in tune with a character that I am nothing alike? Isn’t it funny how sometimes when you are telling a story you can identify with a particular character that you really have nothing in common with? But then again that’s the joy and excitement of writing novels. You get to tell stories that you would probably never actually live through and if you want to throw in a few real life experiences you can do that too. Until tomorrow…How much of yourself do you put into your stories?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

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

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

NaNoWriMo Day 30: Just In Time

November 30, 2011 jcladyluv

Okay I was really beginning to doubt whether I could make it. But I DID IT! 50,002 words. I completed this year’s National Novel Writing Month successfully. And let me tell you I think this might have been the hardest day of the whole month. The feeling of not being sure whether I was going to finish or not was lingering over my head. With all of the other characters that were beginning to tell me of what the next book in the series should be about I could hardly concentrate.

Well as most of you writers out there, a novel consists of way more than 50,000 words so as you might imagine my novel is not actually finished so I still have the personal challenge of finishing this novel. But that won’t be hard because I am so excited to finish and so excited to see where this book will end because I had an ending all planned out in my outline but as so much of this story has gone off the course of the outline, so to will my ending. I have already seen the vision of the new ending in my head and by time I get to the end that might change as well. Well I am going to bed now to rest my fingers and my mind so that I can come back to the keyboard tomorrow but this time I won’t have the added pressure. Well I take that back because I have a new online Magazine to finish putting together for its release in January. Goodnight all you writers out there. I hope you were successful as well and if not, trying is half of the battle and it is better to have tried then to never have tried at all. Until tomorrow!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”