Tag: National Novel Writing Month

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Starting the Challenge From Behind

July 3, 2023July 3, 2023 jcladyluv

So, Camp NaNoWriMo July officially started Saturday and I am already behind. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most but anyone who knows me, knows that I am very diligent when it comes to all things NaNoWriMo, and I am the person (normally) who needs the everyday badge of participation and has to hit that daily goal no matter what.

Of course, there is grace to be given when things go wrong but I have to say, things have never been quite so out of sorts for me. I am usually very excited about Camp but for July I am just barely enthused. I have a goal mind you, I’m just not entirely confident in my abilities to actually be able to accomplish it. It isn’t because I don’t want to accomplish the goal, I just don’t have all of the tools that I need or would normally have to be able to effectively get the job done.

Now of course, anyone who knows me also knows that it won’t stop me from attempting to achieve the goal anyway. I have a novel to revise and edit and even if I don’t get the whole thing finished, I will still come out of the month-long challenge with something accomplished and given my current circumstances, I’m going to call that a win. So happy Camp NaNo everyone who is participating.

Even if you are not a writer participating in this crazy challenge, I’m sure you have things on your list for the month of July that need to get done. May you accomplish all of the things and also give yourself grace enough to know that even if you don’t check off everything on the list that you want to, you should still celebrate the things that you are able to achieve. Sometimes those little wins add up to even bigger rewards.

Until next time… #BeMindful #BeBold #Be Fearless

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Link to my Ko-fi with the updated goal: https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

It All Depends On How High You Bounce Back

November 21, 2022 jcladyluv

“If you never know failure, you will never know success” ~ Sugar Ray Leonard

I haven’t written here in a few weeks, roughly about a month and I just want you to know that it wasn’t because I suddenly ran out of things to say. Aside from the fact that NaNoWriMo is this month and I tend to be more singularly focused on writing a brand-new novel in November, the last few weeks have just been inherently hard. I have been feeling like the Universe has just singled me out and said, ‘nope you can’t get any wins right now because you just don’t deserve to win’.

Now of course I know, logically, that that’s a little ridiculous because everyone deserves a win in life. It’s just not feeling like I’m going to get one anytime soon. It’s kind of like getting a couple of steps ahead for once and then getting knocked fifteen steps backward. It’s hard to feel optimism in that scenario. Yet, I am reminded of the fact that each time I think I’m not going to survive through the week, somehow by the time the end of the week gets here I’m still standing, and I have survived to fight another day, another week, another month, another year.

We’re getting close to the end of this year and that’s about the time where I usually reflect on the things I didn’t get accomplished and the plans that didn’t come to fruition so that I can figure out where I went wrong in my planning and plan effectively for the following year. However, it feels like my best laid plans don’t seem to ever materialize the way that I think they will, if they materialize at all. I thought for a moment that maybe I just shouldn’t plan anything, maybe I should just go with the flow but trust me, if you know anything about me by now, you know that my little planner heart would literally break without having a plan in place. So, what then? If the plans seem to not be working but I can’t just not plan, what do I do with that?

I don’t think I’m the type of person that could just not plan for success. Maybe the key is just to manage my expectations which could then manage my disappointment. Perhaps it’s just as simple as knowing that failure is the very life blood of success because how can you truly succeed without failing a few times (or in my case a few dozen times) because failure is the very proof that you are trying, that you are going for your dreams, and that you are not giving up on them, ever. As much as I may sometimes want to throw in the towel, it’s just not in my nature to give up.

I know that I want to be purposeful in everything I do in this life. I want to inspire others with my gift for words and motivate those who may also be struggling with big dreams and crushing defeats. You can’t do any of that if you’re just going to throw your hands up and say to hell with it, I give up. I’ve never been a quitter, and that’s not to say there haven’t been moments when I tried to quit (both at life and my dreams). It’s also not to say there won’t be moments in the future where I’ll have really hard days and want to quit again but I’m made of stronger stuff than that, and so are you! We’ve got this and no matter how many times life tries to knock us down we will keep getting right back up because that’s what success is truly about. It’s about continuing to get back up no matter what and no matter how long it takes to achieve the dream!

Until next time… #BeFearless #BeTenacious #BeDiligent

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

We Have Reached the Writing Holiday Portion of the Year

October 3, 2022 jcladyluv

It’s a new month and we have now entered a Writer’s favorite season, or at least this writer’s favorite season. It is Prep-Tober which is the month that we take to get ready and organized for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) in which writers challenge themselves to essentially fast draft a novel in only a month. To people who aren’t writers it sounds absolutely crazy to take on this challenge but to a writer this is our holiday season, and we get totally hyped up for it.

Now the secret that I’m not sure a lot of writers will really tell you is that it’s not really about whether we can finish the novel, in actuality it is about the community of writers that we have built up and the support that we give to one another throughout the entire month. That’s not to say that we don’t support one another every other month in the year but during Prep-Tober and NaNoWriMo that community outreach and support is multiplied times a hundred because it’s the one time a year where all of our goals are pretty much synced up in the same way.

I love this time of year because typically it is when I get to map out a brand-new project (I have done a couple of NaNo’s as a rebel before though) and I get to flesh out one of the many shiny new ideas that plague me throughout the year. I’m excited to get back to writing in my mystery series as I will be writing the fourth book in that series. Mystery is where my heart really is in terms of writing, well mystery and contemporary fiction, but mostly mystery. I do want to also write a historical fiction romance book but I’m not mentally or emotionally ready to write that one just yet, maybe next year.

If you too are writing a novel this November, I hope that you will come join the AuthorTube Community over on YouTube and perhaps subscribe to my channel (link is below) and some other wonderful channels over there to get your dose of community and, if you need it, help with your stories and overall motivation for the task at hand. Writing is not an easy feat, and it is inherently a solitary act, but it doesn’t always have to be. I hope that you all have a wonderful first week of October and if you are also a writer and are joining in on the excitement of our season, that your Prep-Tober kicks off in spectacular fashion.

Until next time… #BeBold #BeMotivated #BeInspired

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

November 8, 2021 jcladyluv

It is the beginning of week 2 of NaNoWriMo and I just wanted to take some time to remind all of those participating to make sure that you are taking some time for self care. I was reminded from a fellow writer that self-care should not be something that we put on a reward system but rather something that is built in to our normal regular routine. You could take an hour or so every day to just do something for you that doesn’t involve exerting your creative energy. Or you could do something more like what I do and take an entire day each week (Sunday) to just relax, watch TV, read, whatever does not expel more creative energy, but instead refills that well.

Writing is something can take a lot of mental energy out of you (contrary to what some non-writers think) and it is not something that is easy or for the faint of heart. No matter what you have decided to do as your project for NaNoWriMo, whether a full length novel, a few short stories, or some scripts for a screenplay or a stage play, make sure that you don’t take for granted your physical health as well as your mental health.

Also, lean on your writer friends and your writing community. Whether you have a writer’s group you go to in person (if you’re back to that now) or over on YouTube in the AuthorTube community where there are hundreds, possibly even thousands of other writers going through the same things that you are with your project, there are people in your corner. I hope that you have a good week 2 of NaNo and take some time for you!

Until next time… #BeMotivated #BeDiligent #BeMindful

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

NaNoWriMo Is Right Around the Corner…And I am Not Quite Ready!

October 25, 2021 jcladyluv

It is just about that time of year again! No, not the holiday season (in which the Christmas displays get put up before Halloween can even pass) but rather the NaNoWriMo month long challenge to write a book in 30 days (well 50,000 words of it anyway). This particular NaNoWriMo is going to be even more challenging for me because I am tackling the Middle Grade genre for the first time ever.

I have wanted to write this middle grade book, or series rather, for many, many years now (since my daughter was in middle school and she is now a high school graduate) but I kept letting the words of others influence me. Those who said that you’re not supposed to write in multiple genres using the same name for every genre you write in. Or the whispers of those who say that I don’t know anything about writing middle grade. Well duh, of course I don’t, but how else am I supposed to gain experience in writing in that genre without, you know, actually writing in it.

It is intimidating to write in a genre you’re only read for pleasure and have never written and writing for kids period is just incredibly scary because kids are harsh critics. However, I would be doing myself, and more importantly God, a disservice if I didn’t go after everything that I want to do and that I feel He has put a purpose in my heart to do. I don’t know how good (or bad) I’ll be at writing it until I actually sit down and write it.

So that’s my project for NaNoWriMo this year, the first book in a middle grade series (for more information about my project my video on it will be released on my YouTube channel on Thursday) and I’m pretty excited about. The only thing that has me a bit more anxious this NaNo (well more anxious than I am on a regular basis) is that I am not nearly as prepared as I usually am when I get ready to start a new book.

I’m sure that I will be by the end of this week, I’ll make sure of it, but I’m a bit nervous that I haven’t yet figured out my outline and everything at this point. I am having fun going back and watch shows I watched as a middle school kid, or just shows that I liked that are for middle grade children to try and get in the mindset of writing for a 12 year old. Nevertheless, I will start with what I have because in life that’s what you have to do right. Start where you are!

Until next time… #BeMotivated #Be Productive #BeConsistent

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Writing While Distracted

November 9, 2020 jcladyluv

So week 1 of NaNoWriMo felt like an entire year! Monday felt like a complete and total blur and then I voted on Tuesday and then the rest of the week felt like an eternity. I was a bit distracted by the news and by a bit I mean A LOT. Make no mistake I did make sure to get my words done each day of the week, that just seemed to be all that I managed to be able to get done. Well that and a new Author Interview up on the magazine and of course new videos up on my YouTube channel.

So this week has been a test about writing with distractions and while I am happy at the fact that I was able to complete my daily word count goals for NaNoWriMo I was not terribly happy about the other projects that I am also supposed to be working on simultaneously that didn’t get any attention last week. So my overall lesson from week 1 was that I have to know when to shut off the rest of the world and the distractions that come with it.

This is a new week and I have goals for this week, both writing in the novel project that I’m working on for NaNoWriMo and ones for my other projects as well as the Magazine, and those goals must be met, or at least met with good effort. So if you want to check out more in detail how my week 1 of NaNoWriMo went just click on the link here or below and go check it out. Until next time… #BeProductive #BeFocused #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

It’s Almost Drafting Time!!!

October 26, 2020 jcladyluv

So who’s ready to draft an entirely new novel? Me!!! That’s who! I’m spending the vast majority of the week finishing up my outline for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and there’s still so much to get ready. I am so excited because writing on a new novel is my favorite part of writing (well outlining might actually be my favorite but anywho) and it feels like it’s been so long since I’ve worked on a brand new book.

Realistically, it’s only been about six months or so since I finished up my second mystery book but that’s a long time in a writer’s world. Now this book isn’t going to be a mystery, it’s more contemporary women’s fiction, and it deals with childhood trauma, healing, and forgiveness. I have described the story more in depth over on my YouTube channel and detailing some of my writing process so if you would like to check that out the link is also in the signature.

If any of you are also writers I hope that you are entering in the challenge of doing NaNoWriMo and I hope that you check out the channels on YouTube of so many other writers who are participating and who do live writing streams as well. It’s a wonderful writing community over there and I hope I see you there! Until next time… #BeProductive #BeMotivated #BeInspired

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

It’s That Time Again—A Writer’s Favorite Time of Year

October 5, 2020 jcladyluv

It’s that time of the year again! It’s a writer’s favorite time of year! Well at least it’s the month of Prep for a writer’s favorite time of the year which would be NaNoWriMo! That’s right, it is Prep-Tober! It’s the month where all the planning either begins or continues in an effort to be as ready as possible to go on day one of National Novel Writing Month.

I am so excited and after the year that 2020 has been, it’s nice to have something to be really excited about. NaNoWriMo is pretty much my Christmas (not to say that I don’t also love Christmas because that is my absolute favorite holiday) and I love everything about, including the pressure that it forces you to put on yourself to finish an entire novel in a month.

When I say pressure I mean good pressure (and yes pressure can be good) because I happen to be one of those weird people who perform even better when under a deadline and nearly impossible time constraints. It kind of makes me push past the limited expectations that I sometimes impose on myself and allow me to see what I can really do because truthfully sometimes I forget.

I haven’t worked on a brand new novel since last year’s NaNoWriMo and I am beyond excited to get started. Drafting is my absolute favorite part of writing, well second to outlining (I am really detailed with my outlines and they sometimes take longer to write than the actual book) and I’m ready to join all of the live writing streams, and drink an unhealthy amount of coffee (for the purpose of writing of course lol), and get all of these ideas out of my head and finally onto the page. By the end of November I will have a new book baby and I am so thrilled.

I don’t know how many of you out there will be participating in NaNoWriMo but if you are please let me know and I wish you all the luck. If you want to know what project I’m working on specifically for NaNoWriMo then please feel free to check out my YouTube channel under Author J.C. Carpenter (it’s also linked in the signature below) and if you are on YouTube let me know so I can find you. With that said I have some planning to go do. Until next time… #BeProductive #BeInspired #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

NaNoWriMo Post Day 20

November 20, 2019 jcladyluv

We’re only ten days away from the end of NaNoWriMo! I hope that everyone is being as productive as they can possibly be and at the same time are not beating themselves up if they have somehow fallen behind or gotten stuck. While I know that NaNoWriMo’s purpose is to have you complete a novel (or at least get a good chunk of the novel done), I think that underlying goal of this month long writing event is to get people motivated to write again, or keep them motivated. In my case I hadn’t really felt like writing recently (well before November) and while I have never lost my love of writing so many things had been going on in my personal life that had affected my writing ability and my drive to put the stories storing themselves up in my head down on paper.

This month has rejuvenated me again and now I find myself looking for any opportunity to write. It’s almost like it was when I was younger when I could think of nothing else but writing and I am loving it. I don’t think that I’m going to have an issue with completing the 50,000 words by the end of this month but even if I don’t I have formed the habit of writing everyday again. I have fallen back in love with the patterned routine of sitting down to my desk to write again and if that’s all that I get out of this month it would be more than enough. I hope that all of you are getting as much out of this NaNoWriMo experience this year that I have gotten and I wish you luck in completing the journey! Until next time… #BeCreativelyInspired #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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