5 tips for a Successful NanoWrimo

This year I'm going to do it. Years ago I did. (now a book on Amazon) So why not again. What got me to the finish line was a lot of things. Life gets in the way? Sure! But here's a few tips to make it to November 30th.

1. Have a designated writing space. Whether it's a desk or a square of kitchen table stake it out and claim your space. Let them all know this is a writing space. It's kind of holy. 
2. Schedule your writing time. And guard it. Sorry honey, it's writing time. Bring dinner to my desk.  It's Nano time! 
3. Join a group. There are Nano groups all over the country that will meet and write together. No one understands your Nanowrimo like another Nano person. They know they pitfalls, they know the challenge and they understand that thing inside you that drives your Nano compulsion. You can go to the national Nanowritmo and find one in your area. 
4. Find a nearby Nano writer to help keep you on point. Report your word count, talk about your plot, work through those little niggling details. Most of all encourage each other to keep writing. 
5. Stay true to Nanowrimo and remember missing a day or two won't kill your Nano challenge. Jump back on the Nano wagon and know you're not done until the end of the month. 

See you at the finish line. GO NANOWRIMO! 

The Dreaded 2nd Draft

Writing that second draft is a killer. The story is all there, inside your head but now you have to do it over and over and over until it's polished to perfection.

I think my mind has gone numb. I know what happens next, I've read and reread all 125, 331 words until they've become tattooed on my brain. I want to move on. I want to be free to write the next story.

There's another big D word out there and it's what I need to exercise now; discipline.  That thing that makes us do what we should do and not what we really want to do.

No wonder Hemingway drank. It was probably due to that second draft.

I'm on chapter 3 for the 2nd or maybe it's the 3rd round. Then it goes on the shelf for a bit... not intentionally! Then I bring it back out and start over.

 Ok, NANOWRIMO is fast approaching so it's either finish it now or it might push into next year. The first time I pushed a book through to the finish line I scheduled it. Up at 6 am every morning and right to my desk. Write till 7 or 7:30 and then work that full time job. So, it's time to straighten up, put writing back on the schedule block and just do it.

First I have to clean off my desk. It's always best to have that writing spot to go to where the world doesn't intrude.

Second make a tracker. Visual aids always help. When you can look up and see that progress it helps to see how far you've come and how close the finish line is. Anything here works from a calendar to just a list with dates.
Third? Is there a third?

What do you do to get through the polishing process and ready for publication?

Old Ideas - Scare Me

I write... a lot.
I don't finish a lot, just get that idea down on paper, file it away and maybe come back on a day when I have nothing else to do.
Weird or writerly?
I think most writers do this. I ideas are fluid things that come and go so quickly if we don't get them down on paper (or puter) they get lost into the darkest recesses of our mind never to be seen again.

So today in one boring moment I pulled up a file from some time ago. It's title was simply; Emails.
I have no idea what the thought behind this story was to be, but it sure did give me the creeps. Now I have to think where to take it next. Suggestions?

Emails
by the Aimlesswriter

March 9^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim,

I know we haven’t spoken in a long time but I just wanted to reach out to you one more time. How have you been? How’s the kids?

Your brother,

Mason

March 10^th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

Who is this? It’s not funny.

Jim

March 14^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim

They say time heals. We’ve had time and now I think we should talk. Please don’t be upset. You know it’s what mom would have wanted.

Mason

March 15^th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

You are not Mason and this has to stop. Don’t email me again.

Jim

March 27^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim

I saw you getting in your car at the grocery store last Wednesday. Your wife was with you. She’s still as pretty as ever. Please tell her I said hi.

Can we get together?

Mason

March 28^th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

Who the fuck are you?

Jim

April 10^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim,

Remember when we tried to seal watermelons from that farm on Cove Road? That rock salt sure did sting. Farmer Ben was a good shot. Remember how mom yelled at you. Older brother’s always get the blame.

I’m still waiting for you.

Mason

April 11^th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

If I find out who you are I will kill you.

Jim

April 14^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim

We’d love to have you visit soon. Bring the whole family. I think little Suzy must be getting big by now. How old is she? We’ve been apart too long. I don’t even remember the last time I saw that little tyke. How about sending me a photo?

See you soon,

Mason

April 15^th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

Don’t talk about my kid or my wife. I’m having this IP address traced and when I find out who you are I will put you in the ground.

Jim

April 30^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim,

It’s getting warm down here. Can’t wait to see you. It won’t be long now. Bring that pretty wife of yours too. I know she’ll love this place. It really is her kind of haunt. 

Mason

May 1^st

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

Listen you sick freak Mason has been dead for 8 years now. For you to pull this crap is really sick. I don’t know what your game is but it’s not going to end well for you.

Jim

May18th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim

Remember when Mom wanted to call you Jamie and you said it was too girly? Can I call you Jamie now? Does your wife know you wet the bed until you were 7? Eight years is too long a time not to talk. Let’s get together.

Mason

May18th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

How do you know this stuff? Who are you? Contact me one more time and I’m calling the police.

Jim

May 26^th

From Email; Mason@zmail.com

To: JamesS@zmail.com

Jim

Did you know it was all a mistake?

Mason

May 27^th

From Email; JamesS@zmail.com

To: Mason@zmail.com

Obituary;

Obituary; Mason Tyler Scandish July 8, 1962 to September 7, 2011 Beloved son of Abgail and Martin Scandish, husband of Regina Benson Scandish and Father to Miles and Abby was taken too soon by a freak accident. He was active in his church and with the 4 H club. Mason always said he never met a man he didn’t like. Services are Thursday and Friday at the Day Funeral home.

Stop emailing me!

10 Prompts to Start your Novel

One of the most common writer laments I hear is, "I want to write, but I just don't know what to write" or "where do you get your ideas?"

First, ideas are everywhere!
      Look around and imagine "what else."
I used to play a game we called, What if, with my kids where we'd pick an object and tell a story about it. In a restaurant we'd pick a painting on the wall or object on the table and challenge each other to tell us the story about it.
A spoon suddenly had a story that dated back to the civil war. A painting was actually about a a buried treasure. It was a exercise in creativity that carried tons of possibilities. Okay, so maybe these stories might not morph into a full novel but its a good exercise in creativity and who knows? It just might spark something that will work.

Here's a few short and sweet prompts to get you started. Pick one and write for 20 minutes. See what comes from it and if you want to share,  post it below.

1. The dog sat by the road and when Max pulled his truck to the side, it came up to him, but looked back toward the trees and whined. "Are you trying to tell me something?" Max asked as he looked toward the dark woods. He didn't have a good feeling about this. 
2. He was the last person she wanted to meet here. The man who could tell all the secrets she had so carefully hidden. 
3. She opened the door and ducked as a large parrot flew in. "Bad man! Bad man! Agggh!" 
4. A sad looking cat walked across the grave beside me. I leaned down to read the name on the tombstone and gasped. It was mine. 
5. Dragons never listen and mine was no different. Now I was stuck in this tower and he was trapped below. 
6. The shabbily dressed man approached me. I had no time for vagrants today and started to walk away. Then he called my name and when I looked into his eyes I saw my first love. 
7. The surf was wild today. Big waves hit the shore with all of mother nature's raging power. As I grabbed my board Joe touched my arm. "Hey man, don't surf in a hurricane. It's crazy."
8. She was ignoring me and that wasn't going to work. I stepped in front of her and held up the knife. 
9. Lies never start big. They're little mean things that grow like weeds. One leading into another until they tangle surrounded you and take you down. Ask me, I know. One little lie and now I might not make it out alive. 

Blood Aversions 

The best way to keep that writing muscle growing is simple; Write! Write what you know, write what you can imagine. Just get it down on paper (or computer!) and make it happen. The muse only shows up when it knows you're writing. 

Go to it, make it happen. 

7 Tips for Writing a Book

Face it. Writing a book is work. Creative writing? Fiction? It takes getting into the zone. That place where you block out all else and become part of your story. Where you're inside the heads of your characters and feeling their thoughts and emotions. Your niche could be essay writing, creative writing, journaling, or memoir writing.

Getting it done is the challenging part.

So how do you do it?

• Ass in chair. This is the simplest tip anyone can give you. Sit down in front of that computer and just write. The muse will come when you show up. It's not going to call you or send you some mystical signal on when it's time to write. Pick a time and plant your ass in the chair. 
• Ignore the fear. Stop with the "am I good enough," "will anyone like it," or the worse, "will it sell?"  Stop it! Put that ego in the backseat and just write your story down. 
• Read. Sorry, you can't write in a vacuum. Best advice about writing? Read a lot. Reading introduces you to different styles and voices that could totally enrich your own writing. Read multiple genres. Don't be tied to your old tried and true favorites. Explore the world of books in every category and see what's out there. 
• Get good at Grammar. Yes, it's important and even if the reader doesn't know all the technical grammar rules they'll feel it when something doesn't sound right. Others will know and will just not want to read what you've written. Grammar is one of the most important things in your tool box. Make it work for you. 
• Set goals. Pick a page count or slice of time when all you do is write. Stephen King wrote in his book On Writing that he does 10 pages a day. Sometimes he's done early, sometimes he's burning that midnight oil. So pick your goal and stick to it. Slice of time? I used to write from 6 to 7 am before work. It was my most productive time because it was before the family woke up and started moving around. It was a quiet time with just my characters, coffee and the story. It worked for me. Find what works for you. 
• Hold precious your writing time. Choose that time and make it your job. Its a sacred time between just you and your work. Go to it and get it done.
• Go to writing conferences or join writing groups. Be around other writers and be open to learning what they have to share. No one is perfect and everyone can learn. Hanging around these kind of people will help keep your focus and motivation. 

These are just a few tips that will get that story written. After all this is done the editing process begins. Don't edit in the middle. Get it all down on paper, put it on the shelf for a couple of weeks. Then come back and read with fresh eyes. The story is the foundation, editing is the walls, and that last draft is the finishing decor. Polish it, shine it, and make it happen. 

Discovering Patreon

Still working on The Midnight Brain and figuring out Patreon. Truth? I've been busy with another project (so many projects!) and haven't invested the time I need to get all the answers.

Today I'm doing more research. One of the things on Patreon is setting up tiers for donations. So if someone wants to donate $1 per month they get X, if they donate $5 per month they get X and Y. So, this is not what I thought, but I'm not giving up. I think I can still set it up as donate whatever you want and I'll keep writing. I've been exploring other author sites on Patreon to see what their set up is and how it's working for them. Here's a good article on those authors.

Should I offer a once a month short story for the higher tier? If so, what genre? Maybe an autographed copy of something I have up on Amazon?  Would that be something anyone would want? (personally I love autographed books and have a bit of a collection) I write in a few genres and I'd want whoever donates to get something that they'd like, so should I shift the Brain to just one genre? Decisions, decisions. Of can I just keep going with my multi-genre plan and write whatever comes down from the universe?

The story on the Brain  now is something I wrote a few years ago and it's a fully finished piece. I have more fully finished pieces in the desk that can follow this and have done quite a few short stories. Most of the shorts were more toward the romance genre as I used to write for the confessions. (So sad they went out of biz!) And of course there are plenty more unfinished pieces lying in the dust around here, too. So now, what to give if I set up tiers?

Any Patreon people around here? Advice? Your experience?
Anyone here a Patron on Patreon? What do you look for? Why do you give?

Gone Indie, Where to Now?

I went Indie a while ago but slacked in marketing. Really, I know marketing. I've worked in the field (along with Human Resources, Sales, Office Management and a few others that don't apply) so I know what to do. I'm just a slacker and used that "life happens" excuse to not get it done.

I do have several books finished that are just sitting on my computer waiting to be edited. That's the real work. Editing. It's like you worked hard to create this art project you love and someone leans over your shoulder and points out all the things that don't work with it. BUT IT WAS SO BEAUTIUFL! before that editing muse stepped up. Sheesh! What a nag!

So here's my new experiment.

I took a book I loved and I'm posting it to a blog, placing adsense on it and a link to Patreon.

I first discovered Patreon from podcasts. Another thing I long to do, but (insert "life happens" excuse here) just haven't done. It's a place where creative people can post for donations to keep the creativity flowing. Podcastors do it, You-tubers, and artists all do it on Patreon and people just donate towards their work. Some do exceedingly well, other's just float along. Some have no donations. :(
Then I figured since my "life happens" excuse was blocking my podcasting abilities, why don't I use it for my writings? And so, a new blog was born; The Midnight Brain.   I put an age warning on it for violence and or sexual stuff. Mostly I did this so I don't scare the kiddies.

First two chapters of Eyes of My Killer are up and the next two are set to launch over the next couple of days. I'm editing each chapter as I put it up. This forced editing is getting things done! Wo0t!

Patreon is almost set up, too. Still learning the technicalities on the site, but I've been approved. Yay!

To all my fellow writers, I'll keep you posted on this experiment.

Never too Late - Life Lesson #1

I knew who I was but not where I was going. Then I let them tell me where I should go instead of exploring for myself. 

Stood there boldly

Sweatin the sun

Felt like a million

Felt like number one

I never felt that strong

Like a rock

            --Bob Seger

We were all there but never knew that was our place in the sun. Our place where we shone with a light so bright the world was ours. Had we known it was ours to take there might have been some better decisions. Less regrets. Less wishing for that do over.

The do over comes I believe, later, in the next life, the next go round on this planet or the next.

Some things ring true. Some things touch that space where the soul lives.

Hemmingway

Van Gogh

Poe

Especially Poe

Sometimes I wonder if the connections we have to these people from history is linked to another life, another existence we once had. Did the shiver we experienced when we walked thought Hemmingway’s house give a glimpse into a life we once passed through in another form? When tears form at the mention of Poe’s name does that show us something more than what we learned from books? The emotion so deep that flows up from the depths of the well of our soul when we stand in front of the original Starry Night from Van Gogh  does that mean something more?

Is time travel real or just an interpretation of the lives we’ve been reincarnated through? Can our next life put us in the time of Poe, the city he saw, the steps he took? Who says we reincarnate forward into a new life, perhaps we can go into any time and live beside those who inspire us today? Or perhaps we did live there and that’s the attraction we have to them now.

I believe the brave pursue their dreams. I’m not sure that’s easy to do when we marry too young or start a family before we’ve sought out our dreams. I think dreams should come first. Especially for those with creative dreams. Those are the hardest to cultivate in our society. Go out, make money, and forsake the dreams of your soul for that so-called American Dream. Happy house, picket fence, kids and a dog.

I’ve lived it, but somewhere deep inside I never understood it. A restlessness stayed with me through it all. Like something was missing. Something was out there and just beyond my vision. Beyond my reach.

Robert Frost knew it. He spoke of that road not taken and the bravery to walk that path.

It’s never too late to dream a new dream or plan a new plan. Here at 61 I’m seeking that which has eluded me all these years. I feel the years but they don’t make me stubble yet, they don’t stop me from seeking that which was missing, that which was lost.

Here I start a new adventure, a new business. One of art and sharing this creativity.  One I never dreamed to achieve.

Updates to follow…..

2 Things Writers Need

New writers need two things; drive and patience.

Drive

Drive because writing a novel is a long haul. You don't just pour it all down on paper and ship it off your desk. A good writer knows that there is a lot more to writing a book than that first draft.

• Getting it written in the first step. Don't stop, get it all down from beginning to end. 
• Next comes the rewrite. Going over it page by page to check for plot gaps, grammar, typos, and general mistakes. Hey, if you killed a character in chapter 5 you better not resurrect him in chapter 8. People will notice, you'll be called out on it, and your reader will probably not read your next book or recommend you to friends. 
• After your rewrite put that book on the shelf for a few weeks to clear your head. Come back and read through again. Make any edits you need to and be honest with yourself. 
• Then go find someone to read it that will give you an honest opinion. I tell my beta readers to "rip it apart." 
• Take their comments with a grain of salt. Consider them all carefully and either edit again or move on. Just put your ego in the back seat for this part. It can be painful. 

Patience

Patience comes in about the time you will have to spend on getting your novel polished. Skipping steps will impact the quality of the finished product. Take your time to get it right.

• Writing a book isn't a sprint, it's more like a marathon. Take it slow and pace yourself. 
• Editing takes time. 
• Putting your book on  a shelf for a week or more can be a killer. You're going to want to go back and play with it so you just get that thing done. Don't do that. Let the story leave your head a bit so you can actually read the thing without thinking about what you know is there. 
• Beta readers? I've had quick ones and I've had those that take weeks. Be patient, don't harass them. They have lives and families and probably work so your book might have to be fit in between all that other stuff. While you're waiting, start you next book. Don't waste time obsessing on your beta.  
• Remember to breathe. 

Know your book will get there and when you're finally finished with it you've done your due diligence to make it your best. Your reader will thank you for it.

Happy Writing!

Oh Nano.... so sorry to say...

Barely 3000 words. Blah! Another Nano come and gone.
Not in a balanced place right now. Not sad, not anything. Just need to claim some space for myself.

Anyone else like that? Need that one room, no matter the size, that can be just my stuff. My brain settles better when I'm all alone with my desk, my manuscripts and my pens. Sometimes in silence, sometimes with music or TV in the background.

I do my best and most productive writing in that environment.

Now? I'm missing that little room as we still work to find our footing in this new state. Working towards it, but why does it take so freakin' long???

I think this personal writing space is a thing only other writers will understand. I picture Stephen King who wrote in the laundry room with a typewriter on his knees and wonder if I can fit a chair into that little laundry room in the hall.