Tag: NaNoWriMo

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NaNoWriMo Day # 14: Keeping Up the Momentum

November 14, 2012 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”

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

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

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

November 13, 2012 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”

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

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

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

November 12, 2012 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”

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

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

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

November 11, 2012 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”

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

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

NaNoWriMo Day # 10: Follow the Story!

November 10, 2012 jcladyluv

Is your story taking an unexpected detour? You may have started out with the most detailed outline for your novel but sometimes your characters may be leading your story in a different direction. Now while I am all for sticking to an outline, it is, after all, the foundation of the story. However, if your story is taking on a life of its own (as stories often do) and it is pulling you in one direction, it is completely counterproductive to resist that pull.

Your characters will always be the one’s responsible for telling the story that you are trying to convey. A lot of times the story you thought was going to be told in the beginning changes into a completely different story, possibly focusing on a different character as the main character then you had originally intended. Don’t fight wherever the story is leading you.

If you resist the pull your readers will more than likely be able to see the struggle and it will leave them wondering if the story they read was the story that should have been told. Follow wherever your story is taking you and just enjoy the ride!

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 # 9: The Deeper the Character the Better the Story?

November 9, 2012November 9, 2012 jcladyluv

Perhaps by now you are discovering that there is more to your characters then you initially had thought there would be. Maybe in your outline you didn’t think it necessary to go into grave detail about every aspect of your character’s personality or description. If you are looking for ways to further develop your character try using a few of these suggestions to bring them to life:

1) Create an online profile for your character(s). Think about just how detailed you have to be with an online profile and how much more developed this would make your characters.

2) Get a poster board. Visualize your character in your mind and perhaps clip pictures out of magazines of people that resemble what you want your character to look like. Clip out material possessions that your character owns such as cars, types of clothing that they wear (example of their style of dress), house that they live in, pets that they have. Clip out pictures of the kind of lifestyle that they exhibit and perhaps items that symbolize what their career is. Having that visual board in front of you as you write about your character(s) everyday can help give you more insight into your character as you continue your novel.

3) Talk about your characters to the people you share your story with as if they are real people. The more real you make them in your mind, the more real they will come out to be in your novel as you write it. Yes they may think that you are a little nutty but if they are writers as well then they will understand all too well the lengths that writers have to go to in order to make their characters and their story believable.

4) Create a separate blog for your story and its characters. This not only help you to better develop those characters but it also gets other readers interested in your story and invested in the characters of that story. This can provide an immediate response to your characters and let you know whether readers feel anger towards your character or empathy for your character, or whether your characters are even likeable enough.

Hopefully some of these ideas for character development can allow you to get an even deeper sense of who your characters really are and what story they really want you to convey for them. I have an idea or two that I am planning to use for the development on my next novel. Happy 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 # 8: Sharing Can Help Move Your Story in the Right Direction

November 8, 2012November 8, 2012 jcladyluv

Are you starting to wonder if your story is actually any good? I mean we all have confidence in the stories that we start to formulate but if we are honest with ourselves there are many moments within the construction of our novels where we start to question all the little details that stick out to us like a sore thumb. What we need is someone else’s eye (or ear) to read (or hear) the story we are developing so they can tell us that it’s great. Or at least so that if it’s not great you can know before you get too far along and then you can fix whatever problems exist within the story.

Now of course because it’s National Novel Writing Month you are not supposed to go back and edit your story but there’s nothing saying that you can’t join a writer’s group (or forum) and share your work with other writer’s. That way you can present some of what you are working on, parts that you may want some input on, and get a reader’s perspective on what is working and what might not be working for them. If they do have suggestions you can jot down notes of what to go back and fix once November is over but you can also make notes on where you might want to go with the story from that point on.

Sometimes talking over your story with others who are not biased towards your story one way or the other can help you see it from a different angle. It can also help you to gauge whether your story will be well received by readers and you are on the right track or if you need to consider taking your story in a different direction during your editing phase. I personally have always wanted to join a writing critique group but have always been unable to find the right one. If you are looking to join a writing forum online there are plenty that you may be able to find through the NaNoWriMo website. Hope your stories are going well and keep up the good work. If you find yourself starting to procrastinate, Stop That! Get back to work!

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 # 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 # 6: On a Day Like Today, Multitasking is Even More Important!

November 6, 2012 jcladyluv

I know today’s a big day! It’s voting day and your primary job is to do just that, get out and vote. So how can you still get your words in for today? There are a few simple and just as effective ways to multitask these two important responsibilities.

1) Reread over yesterday’s work that you did, make a mental note of where you left off at and where you want to go next, and take a notepad with you while you go off to vote. While you’re in line you can jot down notes and begin your writing while you are standing in those long lines. Maybe getting caught up in your story will make you forget just how long the lines really are!

2) If you, for some reason, forgot to take a note pad with you (although a writer really should always carry one) then take mental notes. Don’t forget to eavesdrop in on the conversations that are going on in the lines that you are standing in. You can almost always count on the conversations of others to spark an idea for something in your story so make sure you listen well!

3) If you have a cell phone with all the works (which most everyone does these days) then you can always upload your story to your phone or type today’s words of your story onto your phone, and then email them to yourself when you’re finished. That way, you could be all done with your words by the time you’ve done your voting and the rest of the day is yours to do whatever you want with it. Trust me, I think you’ll be in line long enough to actually complete your minimum amount of words for the day, maybe even more!

4) If you are stumped for what to write about in your novel today you could use the time that you are standing in line waiting to vote, to get further inspired. Take a book with you, preferably one in the genre that you are writing your novel in (or whatever one you are reading at the current moment) and read while in the line. I got at least two chapters (they are long chapters) read this morning while I was in line!

These are just a few suggestions that I thought could work for some of you out there. If any of you have any other tips you’d like to share with my readers please feel free to leave them as a comment. Hope all of you make sure to get out there and vote, and get some writing done too!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”