NANOWRIMO Approaches... Are You Ready?

 Love this time of year when we prep for NANO.  What? you don't prep for NANO? 

I guess it comes down to a plotter or a pantser or even a just give me an idea! 

Seriously, Ideas pop into my head all the time. I'm constantly writing scenes in my head that might never make it onto the keyboard. 

I think it was the World According to Garp where he sees the red gloves in the gutter and a story pops into his head? Correct me if I'm wrong, it's been awhile. 

That's where I think the stories hide. In those everyday things all around us. Stephen King says in his book, On Writing that he just puts too ideas together. Like for Carrie; Telekinesis and a girl who gets picked on in school. Easy, right? Rapid dog and mom trapped in a car with her son. Writer has accident and meets crazed fan. 

So for this year's NANO I'm going to take King's idea and merge two things together. I'm starting a list; 

Housewife and the devil meet

Old car and ....wait! That was King's. :)

Vacation on an island and contact is lost from the mainland

Man gets job in restaurant Owner is a ghost

Woman is murdered and haunts her murderer

Girl discovers secret passage in her new home discovers aliens

Woman buys a bracelet at a garage sale and can suddenly hear voices. 

The list is growing.... which to pick. 

Who doesn't love a good NANO challenge?  

So where are you going with NANO this year? 

Threshold of Midnight on Kindle Vella

 Kindle Vella is a chapter by chapter way to read stories. Like episodes on a television show. This is Amazon's answer to Wattpage and other phone reading aps. First three chapters are free then there are tokens that are used to purchase for the other chapters. Great way to try out a story without committing. 

So, I'm giving it  ago. Here's Threshold to Midnight. 

Diana's husband is building a bomb shelter. She's convinced he's crazy, but when an accident traps her inside for months, she realizes maybe he knew more than she realized. In her search for survivors , Diana meets a young girl named Gracie who's says the Virgin Mary is talking to her. Diana is convinced Gracie is traumatized from being left alone when everyone disappeared, but when the things she says start coming true, Diana knows she must protect the girl at all costs.

A Writing Challenge

 Writing and stress has been worse this year than ever before.  Mostly because we have this Covid fiasco hanging over our heads day in and day out. I miss so many things like hugging, smiling at people in the grocery store (but not in a weird way,) going out to dinner, normal stuff we took for granted. 

Now back to writing... how to kick start the old writing muscle? 

Find a challenge. Yes, there are still ways to find a challenge and meet it even in this crazy land we're living in.  

I challenged my daughter, also a writer, to exchange chapters each week. So every Monday we send each other the chapter we finished that week. And yes! We are challenged to finish a chapter each week. We meet or facetime later in the week to discuss what we've read/edited. 

It's time to step up and inspire yourself. Find someone to challenge you. Make you produce a chapter a week and get that book written. 

Importance of a Home Office

 In his book, On Writing, Stephen King said he once wrote in a laundry room with his typewriter on his knees.  

So how's your writing space? How large is it? Do you have a desk? Comfy chair?  Since we moved a few years ago my writing space isn't what it used to be. I think we all have our quirks of how and where we like to write. Aside from the basic tools of desk, computer, chair, pens, paper, etc., there are things I need to feel comfortable to write

I need my back to the wall. Weird quirk? Maybe but it's what I need to zone out. So I position the desk so I have a wall behind me. Not always easy depending on the layout of the room. 

I need Poe. See that little guy there under the lamp? That's my Edgar Allan Poe action figure. He inspires. 

A nice lamp. This one is pretty and the light it casts is soft. After staring at either the computer screen or that stark white page, a soft light is a blessing. 

What next? Coffee? Usually. Wine? Occasionally. 

Most important thing in your writing space we learn from Stephen King again.  He sat in that laundry room because it had a door. 

Go into your space, shut the door and write. 

Get Writing in Spite of Covid-19

 I once read an idiom that said a person should not live because of their past, but in spite of it. Meaning no matter what bad stuff happened in your past you should not let it rule your life. Words to live by. 

Now we're surrounded by Covid-19. It's in the news and all around us as we watch our friends, family and neighbors wear masks and do their best to maintain social distancing. We can't leave the house without seeing it, feeling the fear or indifference that seems to be everywhere. I know this stuff can act like a barrier between you and the page but there are some things we can do to make the words flow in spite of the virus. 

Pour the wine. 

Okay, that's an easy one. There's a bottle on the counter calling my name but that's for later. 

Find space. 

Now I need to write, edit, and keep moving in the "write" direction. The first thing we need is space. Turn off the T.V. or just find another room to write in.  Most of us are on laptops so our writing desk is portable. Find a room, shut the door and write. Stephen King used to put his little typewriter on his knees and create in the laundry room of his trailer. If he can do it there, we have no excuse. 

Reread. 

Yes, pull out that story you've been working on and go back to the last chapter and start reading it. Out loud is best. Hear the rhythm of your words. This will pull you back into that fantasy land where your story was built. It should get your words moving again. 

Not working yet? Go to  your people.

Find other writers and talk about the craft, the market, and those ins and outs of dialog, story lines, the Hero's journey - anything but the virus. 

Pull out your old writing books. 

We all have them from Bird by Bird to On Writing to Writing Down the Bones. Find your favorites, find ones that challenge you and immerse yourself in the craft. 

Last of all is the oldie but goodie; Ass in chair. 

Sit down and put something on paper. Write something great, write something stupid but just write. Like every other part of the body your writing muscle needs exercise. So write. 

Soul Sucking Things that Get Writers

Covid 19 is a soul sucker. It's an on-edge feeling of fear, want & confusion. We fear the virus (or we should.) We want to be normal. To go back to our day to day life and to our old goals and ambitions. Right now all that is on hold. We face confusion every minute of the day. Information overload from all directions.

I was a that real job thing the other day when a man told me about those Americas Frontline Doctors who said that hydroxy-whatever can cure Covid. Wow, wouldn't that be great? So as soon as I could get to a computer I looked it up. A bunch of doctors said it's so. So I looked them up. Each. Individually. I wanted to know if they were people I should believe. 

First I saw that Facebook and Twitter had deleted the postings. hmmmm, why would they do it? 

Well it call came out that 2 of them were ophthalmologists and not regular medical doctors. One of them doesn't even have a license. The main speaker has publicly stated that she believes dreaming about demons can get a woman pregnant. 

Did I really have to read further? 

Ok so the ball of confusion is everywhere and by the time you research -- we are writers after all, that's what we do; research -- maybe an hour or two has passed. Then where are we? Certainly not writing or editing.  We all know social media is a soul sucker so now on top of all that we have Covid-land. So, how do we get our drive back? 

Back to basics; 

1. Schedule your writing time and go to it like a job. Every great writer does this so it's #1 on the how to get your writing mojo back. 

2. Close the door. Not just on the people in your house but on all that static from social media. DON'T OPEN IT! Consider it a demon ready to snatch your writer's soul. 

3. Set a goal. It could be 20 minutes it could be an hour. I like pages. Setting a goal by pages makes you get it done. I could daydream for an hour and then wrap it up. Done. But if I say I have to write 10 pages before I get up... well, then I'll have something to show for the time. 

Stay strong my writer friends. You are creative and the world needs your words. 

3 Best Books on Writing

If you want to be a good writer, study your craft. You wouldn't preform brain surgery without training, don't dishonor your book/story by going in half-assed. Arm yourself with the right tools.

First, get yourself a good grammar book. I personally like Stunk & White. Just the facts here, no window dressing. Grammar is the basics of  writing and just like any other skill you can learn it. Refer to the book with any questions that pop up. Make notes in the book. I use post it notes to flag pages where I know I'm weaker. Every now and then I page through it to reinforce those rules in my mind. After all, if you don't know the rules, how ya gonna break them?

Second, Writing Down the Bones by Annie Lamott. This book will show you some ins and outs of the writing life. It ain't all tea parties and book signings. Writers work. Hard.

Third, will give you some inspiration. Stephen King's On Writing. Find out where he came from an the work he did to get there. From disgusting laundry sheets filled with maggots to how he hit it big. Then he tells you about his own tool box of writing. His writing schedule and his self imposed discipline.

The key to writing your book, finishing your book is found in your daily routine. Prolific writers know this in their heart.